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mk-wizard · 3 years

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Big Hero 6 The Series: It could have been better

Hello, friends. Today, I will be analyzing a TV series based on a movie that I fell in love with for its colourful themes, deep plot, compelling characters, great CGI and memorable messages. Before I get into it, I want to take a moment to say that I have quit doing videos. They are too big of a pain in the petunia to make and I write better than I speak, so I will stick to writing essays, reviews and more. Anyway, onto the analysis.

All I can say about Big Hero 6 the series is that it had a great concept, it presented some great ideas and tried hard to be a cartoon of the times, but it could have and should have been a lot better. The show’s downfall all centers around trying too hard to be kid friendly which makes the shame sting all the more because Big Hero 6 was already kid friendly even with its dark themes, sharp edges and intelligent writing. If anything, even the brightest kid friendly cartoons (Steven Universe, She-Ra, etc.) had those things and actually benefitted from them. By needlessly trying too hard, character development got scrapped, the edges were all smoothed out, storytelling was subpar, the humour was too silly and the executive meddling in the end produced a dismal final season. However, I don’t want this analysis to be one lengthy negative rant about how awful the series was because in its defense, awful is an unfair word. It did have potential and ideas which are worth carrying over to a reboot that I hope will be done someday in the future. Also, we should root for a reboot because Big Hero 6 would not be the first story that needs it before striking gold. Just look at how many times Spider-Man was rebooted in film before MCU found the version that worked. Anyway, I will list all the things in Big Hero 6 that could have been better in my opinion;

1- Go easy on the laughs and be more generous with the action. - I love adding comedy to my own writing because I think a good sense of humour makes everything better, but Big Hero 6 is not a stand up comedy routine. It is a superhero story where we expect action, suspense and life or death situations that are to be taken seriously first. The comedy should be for relief and with the right timing. Also, the chibi cutscenes and having characters act like fools aren’t funny. Ren and Stimpy are the exception not the standard and their way of making you laugh doesn’t fit an action series. In a show as big as Big Hero 6, real life physics and danger matters.

2- Make the villains menacing and gritty. - I admit that after having a movie villain like Yokai who was the stuff of nightmares, it is going to be a challenging act to follow, but it was obvious that the writers were trying especially with some villains who could have easily gone into some dark relatable territory. For example, Mr. Sparkles (the gentleman in the photo above) embodies social media and Internet personalities. Right off the bat, you have a long list of things which embody the dark side of that like scams, fraud, using social media to dox or harass, driving people to suicide, online predators, the Internet personalities being very depressed people in real life, and much more horrifying things. When you stop and look at it, Mr. Sparkles even looks like the Joker which hints how dark and scary he could have been if the stops were removed. The same goes for enemies like Hardlight who embodies online gaming, Liv with cloning, Obake an amoral and insane scientist, and Trina and Noodle Burger Boy (more on him later) being evil robots. Globby especially should have been painted and written in much darker colours rather being played off for laughs because he has many parallels with Clay Face. The only two villains who I can say were supposed to be campy, charming and comical were Baron Von Steamer and Supersonic Sue because they were a satire of the Adam West style villains.

The rest of them needed to be dark and threatening including Mr. Sparkles. In fact, I would love a rebooted version of Mr. Sparkles who gives me the heebie-jeebies. Going back to Noodle Burger Boy, I must confess that I was actually excited when I heard that he was going to be the main villain of the final season because I thought he was going to fulfill his master’s final wish and as a reminder, Noodle Burger Boy was based on a super robot for military purposes.

It would have been fantastic if Noodle Burger Boy was upgraded into a full military war machine with a new threatening look. For that, I think all of the villains deserve to be rebooted and have their full potential unlocked for better or for worse.

3- A show about geniuses merits genius level art quality. - I am usually forgiving towards art styles, but in the case of Big Hero 6, the oversimplified style with minimal details and lack of textures did not suit the show. The characters blend in with the background which makes them look flat and the special effects were extremely dulled down. I also know for a fact that Disney can do a lot better than this because I saw how superbly Tangled the Series was drawn.

You can see and almost feel the difference in quality, the number of layers and level of detail between the two styles. I think there was no excuse Big Hero 6 was not done in the same style and at the same level if not better as Tangled.

3- Don’t dumb down or flanderize amazing characters. - I absolutely detest it when characters are flanderized because it makes them one dimensional and grating. For example, Go Go is tough as nails and extremely calm, but she is not cold or hesitant towards helping her friends. She doesn’t require very special episodes for us to know that. If anything, the movie version of Go Go reminded me a lot of Garnet in how she deconstructed the broody character. She isn’t cold or emotionless. Just calm and mature. Another good example was how Honey Lemon was rewritten to be overly positive to the point of toxicity, naïve and oblivious with a juvenile obsession with stickers. Then you have poor Fred who was rewritten to be an incompetent fool. The spark that makes Big Hero 6 shine is that they are a team of geniuses meaning they are all intelligent. Even Fred is genius in his own way just not a scientific one. He has a vivid imagination, he is resourceful and can get himself out of tight spots. Please, don’t turn characters into dummies especially if their intelligence is a part of them. It doesn’t make them better or funnier. It ruins them.

4- Tadashi needs closure and honour. - I am all for Hiro making peace with the loss of his brother, but Tadashi is to the Big Hero 6 team what Uncle Ben was to Spider-Man. His loss was the catalyst if not the reason. He should never be forgotten. Moreover, there was never any true closure to him especially with the possibility that he may still be alive up in the air. After all, like Callaghan, his body was never found and it turned out that Callaghan was still alive.

With that said, who is to say that Tadashi was not secretly still alive and just hiding or being hidden? This is something that Disney really needed to clear up if not for the fans, then at least as a service to such an important character. Never just forget about them.

5- The format can only be episodic with a deep plots, continuity and character development. - Random episodes with a mere monster of the day is an outdated format which doesn’t fit Big Hero 6′s modern and bright setting. In seasons 1 and 2, when the episodes were plot heavy with character development, the series shined brightest. It also helped move the story along, but with the final season, plot was removed, closure was abandoned or poorly written if any was given, and characters were disallowed from growing. A good example at how plot and character development could have made this series and its characters better was the relationship between Hiro and Megan. Would it have truly survived or would they have broken up?

Would Richardson Mole have eventually lost interest in his obsession with besting and bullying Fred or would his obsession consume him compelling him to become a super villain? I do see quite a few similarities between Mole and Reverse Flash.

Then you have Karmi who is in my opinion, the biggest wild card of the bunch. She was intentionally introduced as an arrogant, prickly and unlikable yet complex character who rivaled Hiro bitterly.

Yet had a huge crush on his alter ego and as time went on, started to grow up and even form a friendship with Hiro. What would have happened further down the road with her? Would she have become a super hero herself? Or maybe even another love interest for Hiro kind of like how Black Cat is for Spider-Man?

Is Obake really gone?

What does the future hold Diana (Liv’s clone), Liv herself or the Sycorax the genetics company?

Is Alistair Krei going to become an ally to Big Hero 6 or an antagonist? There is also the issue at how little we know about the other Big Hero 6 characters other than Fred, Hiro and Baymax. What are Honey Lemon, Wasabi and Go Go’s backstories? These questions matter and while not every mystery can be solved, leaving none of them solved is lazy writing.

6- Executives, kindly stay out of the writing and any other part of the creative process. - I’m sorry, execs, but there is no nice way to say it. History itself proves that every time executives got involved in the creative process of any media, it got worse not better. Leave the writing to the creative team and the execs should only handle the legal stuff. Please. We understand that TV is a business, but writing itself is not. It is an art which you just don’t have a talent for. Let the creative people do their thing with the freedom necessary and you do your thing, deal? Deal.

7- Focus on Hiro and Baymax. - The are the main characters so keep them at the heart of the series no matter what happens around them. That is all I can say.

And that sums up all the things that could have made Big Hero 6 the series better, but this is all just my opinion. What is yours?

PS: I am well aware that the Big Hero 6 series is being retconned because a new series called Baymax is in the works as well as the long awaited sequel to the first movie. I am looking forward to both with an open mind. PPS: I also am aware that some people liked this show the way it was including the art style and I am cool with that. An analysis for art that includes cartoons is never right or wrong. It is solely based on opinion. I may have thought this series could have been better, but there are people who make arguments that it could have been worse.

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kamikui · 3 years

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Onmyoji Movie

HI so I watched the Onmyoji Movie based off of the game last night and . . . . that sure was something!

In all honesty despite the weird path they decided to take, I actually enjoyed the movie. The music and detail in the scenery was amazing, I LOVED the costuming for a lot of the background characters esp in the Demon Realm, and a lot of the easter eggs that were hidden were nice.

BUT. but. As someone heavily invested in the lore of the game (especially concerning Ibaraki) how they decided to deal with the movie was like. really confusing. It genuinely felt as if NE gave the directors a cast of characters and let them do what they wanted from there w/o any prior knowledge of the game.

(spoilers down below)

Before I really pry into that though, I’ll kinda note some of the characters.

Seimei/Qingming was actually my favorite. I think this is sort of an unpopular opinion right now, but his characterization was so nice even if it sorta leans into the basic drama hero type personality. In the game Seimei is supposed to be you/the player, and not everyone is going to have the same interpretation of him-- and that’s what the movie felt like, a different interpretation. I will say I didn’t really like them making him related to their version of Orochi. I believe the snakes name was Xiangliu? I can’t remember, but I didn’t see the reason in that.

If anything, keeping him a fox and having a version of Tamamo no Mae popping up to offer advice to help with the situation would’ve been nicer, and that’d keep more of Seimei’s backstory kept in tact-- because asides from him becoming an Onmyoji apprentice at a young age we literally do not know shit about him. And legit I wouldn’t necessarily mind bc it’s a movie, you’re not going to get everyone’s backstory within 2 hrs, but we can’t really get attached to him.

Yao Bikuni/Baini was. Hm. I like her as a character in the movie, but I don’t like where she’s placed as a character in the movie. She’s a Seer? in the game and tbh it should’ve stayed that way, like I honestly can’t see her willingly working for one clan. “But how would she--” In game she is also influenced by Seimei pretty heavily, as in the in game chapters she believed he would be able to kill her. Up until she got manipulated by Orochi, she stuck to his side. With the Stone plot in the movie, if it put him in danger she would be there in order to try and help him, OR, try and pull him to join Orochi if they went that route. And they KINDA tried to hint at it when Seimei “died” with Orochi using her image, but like. come on man. Let Yao be evil for a little bit.

That being said I didn’t like the Master & Shikigami bit with those two, or the implied romance they tried to pull with them. Canonically Seimei legit brushes her off and when shes like “ohhh you’ll kill me right” hes like “lol sure” and thats IT. Literally any form of romance that’s tried at Seimei he brushes it off. he’s not into it he’s an amnesiac.

The “Oh if you become my shikigami you won’t become evil” thing was :/ to me as well because again, canonically, even though Seimei is being taunted he can contain the Kitsune part pretty well even when he wasn’t aware he was kitsune. Like I think the part as a kid was a good bit to add since it’s when he’s first being exposed to Onmyoji type stuff, but like. idk idk I couldn’t vibe with that power dynamic while they were trying to hint romance.

Continuing on with Hiromasa/Yuan Boya and Kagura/Shenle, again considering this is a movie, I’m somewhat content with their characters.

I really liked how energetic this Kagura was, and given they weren’t able to do her actual backstory, I liked the one she was given. Her introduction in the movie was really great too-- and compared to Hiromasa I felt they gave her a little more attention? Which like fine, but not so good for Hiro.

They didn’t even. Discuss his archery skills at any point which was disappointing. The most plot relevance he (and honestly Kagura too) had was finding Seimei while trying to arrest him but that’s it. And yes they showed some of his skill while he was fighting Kamaitachi, but that’s the extent of it. AGAIN i’ll consider the fact this was a movie and they didn’t have enough time to fit EVERYTHING in, but since they gave Yao and Seimei so much attention you would think they’d be able to spare some for the other two protagonists in the game.

Before I leave those two tho I’m still trying to figure out what the fuck happened in the end. Like did hiromasa get promoted in some form? was he given credit for what happened between the demon realm? Why did he separate from Kagura since they got close during the movie? I guess like bc work duties but still. I have no idea tho like i was sitting there not processing a single thing. Regardless I did like Hiro and Kags acting like siblings despite in this canon them not being related (at least it’s never clarified).

Ok so before I dive into the whole mess that is the Cimu/”Ibaraki” character, stuff on side characters.

While I didn’t like the outfits for Sakura(? Momo? Both of them?) or Chocho, I liked the roles that they held as sort of trainers for the rest of Seimeis shikigami. In fact I liked the whole courtyard ordeal in general. I have my own worldbuilding thing that has a similar theme so seeing it being used canonically was pretty nice. I do wish we could’ve seen more SSRs or even SRs though. Like, why couldn’t Aoandon be hanging out in the courtyard to give gossip to Hiro & Kagura? Yamakaze or Shishio hanging out in the forest, or like. bruh even Jikikaeru as the boss in the Showdown considering he runs that in game.

I did like the fish man! I really did, but literally everything about him could’ve been Jikikaeru, I don’t think it’s that hard to make a frog man.

Also as mentioned previously it would’ve been nice to see Tamamo make an appearance considering he makes random ones every now and then. The Mujou Brothers could’ve helped the shikigami when they were escaping Seimeis courtyard, Shiranui could’ve been an entertainer while they were traveling through the demon realm, HAKU??? couldve been one of Seimeis shiki?? literally anyone. They have all these misc characters in the background but barely any of them resemble in game characters.

GOD EVEN KOSODENOTE COULDVE BEEN THERE . . . . at the scene where Kagura was messing with jewelry and clothing . . . Koso couldve been the seller. Aobozu could’ve worked at the shrine . . . . I just. Man.

ANYWAYS . . . pulling from that and going into whatever the hell Cimu is. god.

So according to casting, Cimu is supposed to be Ibaraki. But the thing is. There’s only like. 3-4 Elements about Ibaraki that goes into him. Everything else is Shuten which i honestly find pretty funny?? Take away the homophobic jokes and combine the gay coded character into his love interest. Which I mean that’s better than making them brothers but at what cost.

anyways. Cimu previously being an onmyoji but turning evil -> shuten previously being a monk and turning evil. The design of the hand that Cimu uses as transportation -> SP Shutens design where he sits on two hands. Red hair -> shuten. The horns, eye color (minus scleras), arm getting chopped off, and his ambition to grow stronger are really the only parts of Ibaraki that’s in the character-- and even then you could say Shuten has a similar ambition of growing stronger. It’s just so scuffed.

ALSO IT DOESN’T MAKE SENSE. literally it doesn’t make sense when you look at the characters.

Why couldn’t they just stick with Kuro Seimei considering the fact that this Ibaraki works with Ootengus and Yuki Onna/The Snow Queen? They could’ve given Seimei a twin brother to work off of this. But like if they really wanted to keep Ibaraki and Shuten, they could’ve made it that Shuten was being manipulated by Orochi and Ibaraki was serving him, because there’s a LOT of shit you could do just with Shuten by himself. Legit no reason to combine the two since they’re BOTH heavily marketed characters.

Legit like, Shuten being controlled, given Ibaraki’s loyalty to Shuten he would most likely follow him no matter what, and even like. Have a form of Momiji to kind of help out-- probably at a heavy expense of Shuten doing something for her, but still. like i LOVED the snow queen, I loved this interpretation of yuki so I wouldn’t want to get rid of her, but they shouldve went with Seimei 2 instead of “ibaraki”. It’s just so much and it doesn’t make sense.

Now orochi himself and how that was handled was like. Okay I guess. If anyone was being talked to through their head at the time it should’ve been Yao Bikuni considering she allies with him in canon at one point. but like whatever. I did think the end was neat where Seimei forced him into becoming his shikigami, like I liked that whole process. Otherwise all antagonists were pretty underwhelming.

I also was not fond of the ending where like Seimei just turns away at the broken bridge. Like does this mean the Demon realm is completely cut off now? just fix the bridge. Also does Seimei just fuck off?? I know theres a scene where he’s standing on the roof but. i dont know.

Regardless the movie was great, I had fun watching it. When ibaraki came in I accidentally paused the movie a couple of times while spamming screenshots. Even tho hes like kinda ugly but that’s ok. There WERE some angles where he was hot as hell but otherwise they did his actor so dirty. The horns were just. God I won’t delve into that bc this post is long as hell BUT. BUT. THE MOVIE WAS GOOD. just not if ure into the lore for the game LMAO.

Ok that’s it for now bye

#Onmyoji #this is so long and probably incomprehensible but these r my thots #tbh i cant wait for the drama that's coming too they teased it but w like. actual outfits from the game #it was seimei and momiji so i think its following in game chapters #i wonder how they'll end it tho since those chapters arent finished(?)

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rocksandrobots · 4 years

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Of Rocks and Robots Ch. 15 - The Arrest

Hiro was familiar with the routine of being arrested. The act of having handcuffs slapped on him and being placed in a waiting room next to a holding cell until his aunt could pick him up, didn't bother him. It was the thought of what would come after that made him nervous.

This was the second time he'd gotten into trouble for bot fighting in the past six months. He had tried so hard to do better since Tadashi's death, but he still somehow fell short. No matter his excuse, Aunt Cass was going to be furious. Worse than that, she was going to be disappointed.

The thought of letting her down, especially after seeing her go through so much recently, made his stomach churn and his mind race with worry. So of course his anxiety only went through the roof when his new friend decided to not to take the arrest seriously.

Varian was all smiles, full of charming wit and seemingly benign curiosity. He aimlessly talked with the police and with the fellow criminals equally, not caring that most ignored his friendly chatter nor for the fact that half of them were willing to kill him only moments ago.

"Hey, would you look at this cell?" Varian cheerfully asked no one in particular as he peered through the bars at one of the empty jail cells. He held onto the iron bars with both hands, leading back on his heels and swung his head back towards Hiro and the police officer with them. "These are a lot nicer than the ones in Corona. They even got toilets! Which one do we get?" He flashed them both a wide grin and Hiro could only look at him in confused horror.

Sergeant Gerson wasn't amused. "Are either of you, of, or over the age of eighteen?" He asked in a tired voice as he removed Hiro's handcuffs.

"No."

"Then you'll both wait out here until your parents or legal guardian can come and bail you out. The holding cells are for adults only." Gerson drone on.

"You mean you don't arrest people under eighteen?" Varian asked in disbelief.

"Oh you're still under arrest alright," The sergeant explained, "but we don't put minors into jail cells."

Now it was Varian's turn to look confused. "Not ever? Not even if they do something really bad, like theft or something?"

"Nope. This is just the police station. You're here until you pay bail or are released. If charges are pressed, you then have to go to court and there your sentence is decided. Typically minors are sent to a juvenile correction facility if their crime is severe enough."

Varian turned his eyes upwards and screwed his lips in thought as he tried to process this new information. "You mean that there's a dungeon just for children?" He asked slowly.

"If you wanna call it that, sure." Gerson shrugged. He was a little surprised by the kid's wording but then again too tired to care. He'd been in the force for ages and was getting on in years so he just chalked it up to 'kids these days and their slang.'

As Gerson removed Varian's own cuffs, the teen mulled over the differences between the legal system here and in Corona. “Weeell.. What if the kid in question does something really, really, bad, like murder? Do they still go to this ‘juvenile correction facility’?”

“Depends,” Gerson shrugged, “what state are we talking about and what degree of murder?”

Varian rubbed the wrists of his now free hands. He wasn’t sure what a ‘degree of murder’ was so he simply asked, “Uhhh… assassination?”

“Well now, then you’d go to federal court, that is, ‘ Gerson paused and looked around,’ if the CIA doesn’t get you first.” he whispered conspiratorially.

“Ahhh… the elite guard.” Varian concluded as if he knew exactly what the CIA meant.

“Uhhh, can we change the subject now?” Hiro interrupted. He stood off to the side looking back and forth between the two of them nervously. Sergeant Gerson may have thought of Varian as just nothing more than some weird precocious kid, but Hiro knew there was more to it than that. His friend was asking all these questions because he genuinely didn’t know anything about their judicial system, but the subject of the questions, paired with the glib way Varian asked them, unnerved Hiro.

Fortunately, Hiro was spared any more uncomfortable conversions about the nature of the American justice system when Chief Officer Cruz walked in.

‘Hiro, your aunt has been called and she’s on her way. You can wait out in the lobby for her instead.” he said. “As for your friend, I have a few questions about his records. If you’ll follow me.” Cruz indicated that Varian should come with him and the boys filed out of the holding room followed by Sergeant Gerson.

“Bye, Louie!” Varian called out and waved at the cell full of criminals as he left.

The last thing Hiro saw before the door closed was ‘Louie’ giving a little wave back in surprise only for his boss, Yama, to smack him in the back of the head for being friendly to the kid that had humiliated him earlier.

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Hiro sat waiting in the lobby of the police station as he swung his heels together nervously, his feet still not quite reaching the floor yet. Sergeant Gerson had moved back to his customary place behind the front desk and was busying himself with paperwork. Meanwhile, he could see the silhouettes of Varian and Chief Cruz behind the frosted window pane of the office door. He couldn’t hear what they were talking about, but Cruz had mentioned something about records. Hiro could only hope that Professor Granville had been thorough enough in forging Varian’s documents.

Just then the door opened and Varian sauntered out, still looking as unperturbed by the arrest as ever. He turned back around to face the chief of police again though, as Cruz continued to ask him questions.

“And you’re sure you haven’t any legal guardian or adult sponsor here in the states?” He pressed.

Varian just shrugged and paused as if an idea just struck him. “My college roommate is nineteen, does that count?” he offered.

“Hardly.” was Cruz’s annoyed response. Student visa or no, Cruz wasn’t comfortable with the idea of a minor being abroad without any adult supervision, and he couldn’t believe that the kid had gotten past customs with just a college acceptance letter. Well, no, he could believe it, he just didn’t approve of it. Who was the kid to call upon when he needed help? Like now, for instance.

Cruz was just contemplating calling the head of the university, to give the woman a piece of his mind if nothing else, when Hiro’s aunt burst through the front doors. She spotted Hiro and ran to him first, wrapping him in a big hug.

“Are you okay?” She asked, as she still held him.

“I’m... I’m okay.” Hiro admitted not returning the hug, guilt still pricking at his mind.

Aunt Cass eventually let go of him and walked over to speak to Cruz. She and Cruz had been childhood friends growing up and she owed him a great deal for not throwing the book at her nephew. Hiro was a multiple offender and his age couldn’t shield him from his consequences forever.

“I am so sorry, Diego, but thank you for calling me first. I’m sure after today Hiro will think twice about bot fighting again.” She said sternly while looking directly at her nephew and Hiro shrunk under her glare.

“Oh, Hiro wasn't ‘bot fighting. I was.” Varian explained. All three looked at him in surprise as he continued. “I didn’t know that it was illegal and Hiro was only there to warn me. He tried to get me to stop, but I didn’t listen. So it’s my fault, if you want to blame someone. Hiro didn’t do anything wrong.”

The adults exchanged glances while Hiro only looked at Varian appreciatively.

“Hiro, is this true?” Aunt Cass asked and her nephew nodded yes.

“He didn’t have a robot on him when arrested.” Cruz admitted, basically confirming Varian’s story.

“Soo, now what?” Aunt Cass asked looking back at Cruz.

There was another silence as everyone waited for the chief of police’s decision. Cruz heaved a sigh of resignation. “I suppose, given that you’re not from San Fansokyo and are a first time offender, I can let you both go with just a warning this time.”

Everyone perked up at the news but before they could bestow any gratitude the officer continued. “However, I’m still not comfortable with releasing a minor without an adult on hand to grant custody to.” He gave Varian a stern scowl as he said this.

“Maybe I could take him?” Aunt Cass gently offered. “I’ll make sure he makes it back to the dorms safely.”

“Alright then,’ Cruz relented. “I leave him to you Cass.” And with that the chief went back to his office to finish work and the trio made to leave.

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As they walked out of the building into the late afternoon sun, Varian gave a wide grin and was just about to thank Aunt Cass for helping him, when she whirled around and gave the teen a furious glare.

“What were you thinking!?” She snapped and for the first time that day Varian’s cheery façade fell away. He stood there stunned by her sudden change in demeanor and hurt by her accusatory question.

“Get in the car.” She ordered before Varian could offer up any defense and both teens sulkily obeyed.

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Aunt Cass was beside herself with anger and anxiety. There was also another, more disturbing feeling, that she couldn’t quite name at the back of her consciousness, like a cross between a half forgotten nightmare and deja vu. The phone call, the police station, walking out with two teenagers in tow; it all felt eerily familiar and yet somehow, off.

She was repeating history and yet it wasn’t Tadashi that sat across from her now. She kept glancing over to the dark haired boy slouching in the front seat, reminding herself that it wasn’t actually her child sitting there, back from the grave.

With a deep breath, she took a look through the rear view mirror to see Hiro sitting in the back. He had just finished texting his friends telling them where he and Varian were at.

“Is Baymax with them?” She asked.

“Yeah, he’s with them.” Hiro replied and put his phone back in his pocket. He knew his aunt would want to start lecturing them soon and he knew it’d be best if he paid attention to that.

“So” Cass asked, “do you want to tell me why you were at the bot fight today?”

The question was mostly for Varian since he had been the one to participate in the competition, but the teen only remained silent. He instead stared ahead out the windshield not wanting to meet her gaze.

“Well, I hope you realize now how dangerous and reckless that was. You were incredibly lucky the police showed up when they did, and that Officer Cruz was willing to let you both off with just a warning.” She admonished and gave a meaningful glare at the rear view mirror; hoping Hiro would see how serious she was and realize that he too wasn’t fully off the hook. He did see and wiggled uncomfortably in his seat. Varian, however, still gave no indication that her words had reached him.

“You could have been hurt,” She continued, “or gotten yet another blemish on your record. And for what? Money? Bragging rights? You’re both so smart and have such bright futures ahead of you. Why waste that on a game?” She slammed the brakes hard as they came to a red light, growing more frustrated by the lack of acknowledgment from the blued eyed teen. “Do you have any idea how many times I’ve been down to that police station in the past two years? It’s not a pleasant experience to know your child is in trouble. It’s.. well, it’s frightening, is what it is. A million questions run through your mind. Are they hurt? Did they hurt someone else? Will they be let back out? Am I going to have to close the shop again? I hope you keep that in mind next time you want to go show off your robot making skills.”

“Yes ma'am.” Came the hollow whisper from Varian. It was an automatic response, one meant to placate rather than confirm anything the other person had said. Varian wasn’t used to lectures. Even back home when his father would get on to him for something, it was usually just a single order or a weary sigh of disappointment. Quirin had always been a man of few words. Hiro’s aunt however never seemed to run out of words. Had it been anybody else, he may have not cared, but the woman had been so kind to Varian that he now felt nauseous with guilt.

Aunt Cass huffed in exasperation. She wasn’t getting through to him. And why would she? She wasn’t his mother. He barely knew her outside of the few times he’d come over to visit her nephew. There was nothing to it, she’d have to call the boy’s father and let him know what had happened. Though she had no idea what time of day it was in, where was it, Russia, no, Corona?

“I’d ground both of you if I could, but I can’t. So we’ll just have to call your father once we get back to the café.”

That got his attention. Varian looked at her wide eyed with fear and even Hiro seemed worried at that.

“You better have his number ready when we get there. No weaseling out of it.” She ordered. “Just think what your father will say when he knows you’ve been arrested.”

The face Varian gave her when she said that statement nearly broke her heart. He looked like he was about to cry. But there was no time to dwell on why he was so upset as the light changed to green again and she had to focus on driving instead. However just as the car began to move she heard the sickening sound of a car door opening and feet hitting the payment.

“Varian!? What are you doing!?” Hiro called out and Aunt Cass turned just in time to see Varian running away from the car and across the street. She froze in horror as the boy dodged oncoming traffic and the cars behind her began to loudly honk their horns, ordering her to move. She only unfroze when she saw Varian make it to the sidewalk, breathing a sigh of relief. Only to sharply inhale again, when she saw him take off running once more down an alleyway and out of sight.

Her mind raced. What could she do?

“You want me to go after him?” Hiro asked.

“You stay in this car young man!” She ordered. She wasn’t about to have two children lost in the city. Coming to a decision, she made a U-turn and headed back to the police station.

------------

Varian ran. He ran past buildings, parked cars, and street vendors. He pushed his way through crowds and ducked down dark alleys. He ran until his legs ached and his chest stung with each breath but still he kept on going, blindly turning every which way, not really caring where he went. He only knew that he needed to get away. Away from this strange city and away from his shame.

Neon signs flashed above and tall glass and metal spires towered over him, increasing his anxiety. What was once a world of wonder now seemed frighteningly alien. The swarms of oddly dressed people that surrounded him started to make him feel claustrophobic as they passed by without giving him a second glance. He just wanted to go home, back to the normalcy of the green fields and the warm fireplace that he would sit by in the kitchen. Where he could look out the window towards the forest and see the stars in the sky as he curled up with a good book or a hot cup of cocoa that he’d managed to save up for.

Finally, he came to the large bridge that connected the metropolis to the other side of the bay. There he saw the inviting woodland in the distance and took off down it’s walkway. The sun was beginning to set and city lights started to twinkle in the distance as he made his way across. Tears stung his eyes but he dared not stop to wipe them.

He made it to the other side as night began to settle and the moon started to hang overhead. He ran along the side of the road for a little ways more before taking a sharp turn and diving straight into the forest. The ground was rougher here and he stumbled once or twice over a root or a rock he didn’t see in the dark, but still he kept on running.

He only stopped when he came to the foot of a giant tree. It wasn’t like any other he’d seen before, massive in size and shooting high into the night sky, but it smelt kind of like a pine or a spruce, but not quite. Whatever, at least it wasn’t another skyscraper, he thought as he collapsed next to the thick trunk, his hands digging into the soft red bark of the tree. He slid down to the forest floor as he began to sob and other more familiar scents and sounds assailed his senses. The smell of earthy moss, the rustle of tree leaves above, the damp grassy ground soaking through his coat, all of it reminded him of the woods near his home and helped to calm his nerves.

He shuttered another sob and choked back tears. He didn’t know what to do any more. He didn’t want to face anyone he knew or think about how he’d let his father down, again. All he wanted was just to be back where he belonged though he knew deep down that he could never return to that place in time two years ago. He huddled under the tree, resigned, and cried himself to sleep.

#hiro #aunt cass #Hiro Hamada #varian #officer cruz #tangled #big hero six #BH6 the series #tangled the series #rapunzel's tangled adventure

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hopeymchope · 6 years

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Seeking Security - Naegiri Week 2017, Day 3

Happy Day 3 of Naegiri Week 2017!

The prompt for today is “Safe.” Be sure to click “Keep Reading” at the bottom, or follow one of the links below to see the whole story; this one ran longer than I intended.

Links:

Seeking Security on An Archive of Our Own

Seeking Security on FanFiction.Net

Sayaka Maizono was staring out the window of the Hope's Peak dining hall, looking over the plastic trees. "Pretty soon, these phony closed-in courtyards will be as close as we can get to the outside world," she said.

The entire 78th Class was seated around various tables in the dining hall - save for one Aoi Asahina. Even so, the room was largely quiet when she spoke, and the mood was somber.

Leon Kuwata was sitting in a chair pointed outward from one of round tables nearest the window. His attention quickly snapped to Sayaka when she spoke. "First off," he began, "We're still gonna be able to watch TV and use the 'net and that stuff." He tried to sound more confident as he continued, "And second, you don't know how long this thing will last. Maybe we'll go on lockdown and have to crack the school back open within a month — maybe even a week!"

Sayaka turned towards him and smiled sadly. "I kinda doubt it," she muttered.

Junko Enoshima was leaning on the back wall of the dining room, positioned just to the right of the board that was previously used to display each day's menu. Mukuro Ikusaba was standing near her sister as usual with her arms folded, apart from any wall or table, but Junko wasn't paying Mukuro any mind. Instead, Junko was filing her nails when she said, "Worried about somebody, Maizono-san?"

Sayaka turned and looked at her with some surprise. "Why would you ask me that?" she asked, her voice breathy.

Junko looked up at her and smiled. "You're staring out a fake window talking about wanting to see the outside world, which is basically a hellhole right now anyway, right? Seems like maybe you're thinking about some of the people who won't be as safe as us during this nastiness."

"Wow," Sayaka said. "Yeah, I was thinking about some people I was worried about." Her expression shifted from shock to a warm smile in an instant. "Are you psychic, Enoshima-san?!"

Junko raised a hand to her face, covering her mouth and nose as she leaned back dramatically. "Maybe I just have really good intuition," she said coolly.

"HA!" yelped Yasuhiro Hagakure, who was hanging out next to Leon. "That's funny 'cause you just said the thing that Maizono-chi always says when she-"

Celestia Ludenberg, over at the end of the longest table situated in the center of the room, lowered her teacup from her mouth. "That was the point of Enoshima-san's remark, Hagakure," she scolded Hiro. Hiro hung his head, facing down towards the surface of the table.

Junko looked at Hiro and Celestia with irritation. "Ignore them, Maizono-san," she said. Turning her attention back to Sayaka, she continued, "Why not tell about the people you're worried about? It'll probably help to get it out, right?"

Sayaka looked down at the floor. "Maybe... " she conceded.

Makoto Naegi was seated near the middle of the center table. He finally turned his attention to Sayaka and Junko. "You don't need to talk about anything you don't feel comfortable with," he advised Sayaka. "We all know this is... it's a tough time."

His neighbor was Kyoko Kirigiri. She was sitting down to Naegi's right as she reviewed some notes in the Kirigiri Case Notebook. She'd been researching what they knew about the tragedy that had rapidly engulfed the world in an attempt to understand how it had spread so quickly and was only faintly following the conversation in the room. However, the sound of Makoto's voice finally shook her from her focus. There he goes again, she mused. Always quick to offer sympathy and support.

As Makoto finished speaking, Aoi Asahina walked into the room. "I'm all done with my video record," she announced. "Ishimaru? The headmaster wants to record your acceptance next."

"Understood!" Kiyotaka said firmly. He stood up from one of the smaller round tables, where Mondo Owada gave him a thumbs-up as Taka headed out the door. Hina passed by him on her way to another one of the round tables. She took her seat next to Sakura Ogami, who put one of her large hands on Hina's shoulder sympathetically.

"Okay everyone," Sayaka announced, clearing her throat. "It's like Enoshima-san said... I was thinking about the people I'm leaving behind."

Makoto stood up and adjusted his position, turning to sit down on the table itself. Kyoko looked over from her notebook when his butt came down beside her hands on the table. She stared at it for a few seconds, silently admiring how his jeans hugged his thighs and rear until she forced herself to turn back to her notes. Hormones are the enemy of an alert and productive mind, she reminded herself. I wish dad had invested some of Hope's Peaks resources into finding ways to control invasive biological urges...

"We're all thinking about them," Makoto said to Sayaka while remaining oblivious of Kyoko's attentions. "But all of us who have families waiting for us have talked to them and gotten their support. Heck, my family was shocked that I would ever not want to take this opportunity."

"It's not just my family," Sayaka told him. "The ones I'm most worried about are the other members of my group. We all worked so hard to succeed. We made our careers together, ever since we were kids, and I just want all of them to be okay." Sayaka lifted her hand to her mouth and put one finger against her lower lip, looking up towards the ceiling. "Ummm, especially Haneyama-san. She's always been my best friend from our idol group, but she lacks a lot of the confidence that put the rest of us up-front on the stage. I hope she's gonna be okay."

Junko laughed a little. "Girl, you have nothing to worry about," she said. "My agent was already planning to squirrel my butt away in some safe house before he heard about Hope's Peak's lockdown plan. I'm sure the reps for your group have similar plans. They're gonna wanna keep their stars shining as inspiration for the world and all that."

Sayaka smiled at Junko. "I'm sure you're right," she said brightly. "Thank you for that, Enoshima-san!"

Junko smiled so brightly that she squinted. "No big!"" she said. "Maybe we should all share the people we're most worried about, yeah?" She looked out across the dining hall and spoke up loudly as she continued, "This is an awesome opportunity, peeps! We can let out the fears we all have about the people stuck outside of this school, and grow even closer as a class in the process." She grinned a big, toothy grin and threw her arms wide as she shouted, "So c'mon, people! Let's give it everything we've got! Iiiiit's bonding tiiiiiiiime!"

Kyoko placed the notebook on the table and turned her head to Junko, frowning as she did so. Typical of Enoshima, she thought with irritation. Ever eager to stick her nose into other people's business.

Hifumi Yamada adjusted his glasses and chortled a bit. "Our Enoshima-dono has such stirringly dramatic flair!" he enthused. "You should become a narrator on an anime someday."

"Shit," Mondo groused. He leaned back in his chair and swung his feet up onto the surface of the table in front of him. "If we're really doin' this, who's gotta kick it off? I mean, I'm not sayin' it's not an okay idea. I'm just sure as hell not goin' first," he grumbled.

"Maizono-san already went first," Sakura pointed out from two tables over. "Just because Enoshima-san hadn't yet announced the idea that we can all share our concerns for others doesn't mean her admission doesn't still count."

"Whatever - I'm not going fuckin' second, either!" Mondo shot back. He turned and looked over the room with a scowl until his eyes locked on Byakuya Togami seated at a table by himself in the far corner. "Hey, why not do an easy one next?" he offered, his expression brightening. "Let's make the poor little rich boy tell us about all the nobody he's worried about."

Byakuya was reading a book in the corner, doing his level best to ignore the fact that Toko Fukawa was staring at him at the adjoining table. He didn't bother to look up as he fired back, "I never agreed to participate in the fashion model's latest farce."

With little more than a tiny smirk on her face, Kyoko laughed inwardly at the way Byakuya managed to make "fashion model" sound like an insult. That short distraction left her unprepared when Makoto opted to speak up with surprising authority in his voice. "No one is pressuring anybody to talk about their loved ones," Makoto said. "If you want to talk, I think that's great. But no one's gonna make anyone open up." Kyoko sneaked an admiring look at Makoto's face when he finished, and she couldn't help but smile a little. She allowed herself another quick glance at the curvature of his butt before she picked up her notebook and attempted to return to her intended task.

Hiro, who was still looking downward at the table in front of him, swallowed so hard that many of the people around him actually could hear it. "Okay... sure," he began, speaking haltingly. "I'd kinda like to talk next. 'Cause I'm just... well, I'm super worried about my mom," Hiro told the room. "She's always been there for me. She's like, the most important person in my life, and-"

"Hagakure-kun is a mama's boy!" Junko interrupted, momentarily gleeful. Her face fell as soon as she finished, though. "Actually, that may be kinda cute, but it's also pretty predictable. Couldn't you have picked, like, a fortune-telling mentor some crap like that?" She let out an exaggerated, overwrought sigh. "Going with the parent is just so obvious and boring."

"He-hey!" Hiro cried. He shot upright and pointed an angry finger at Junko. "You didn't set up any rules beforehand! And my mom is not boring!"

"Whatever," Junko said, rolling her eyes. "Fine. Let the record show that Hagakure loves his mom and blah blah blah."

"Stop it," Makoto said sternly.

Kyoko's attention was once again diverted to Makoto. Mukuro also spun to look at Makoto, her eyes wide with either shock or fear — it was difficult to say. Junko's own face looked just a bit taken aback. "What now?" Junko asked.

After taking a deep breath, Makoto answered her. "Listen, Enoshima-san," he said calmly. "I know you're stressed out about this. We all are. And I trust that your intentions are good by trying to have us open up to each other. But that doesn't mean you can take your stress out on us while we do it by... by insulting us while we bare our souls. That's just going to make things worse for everyone here — and it's going to make people resent you." He pushed off from the table and stood upright. "You want us to bond more? Start by not being cruel about it."

Kyoko smiled reflexively. He can get rather intense at times, she thought. Very admirably so. He doesn't tolerate unfairness or injustice... it's hard to not be attracted to that.

Further down the table, Hifumi Yamada pumped a fist in the air "Incredible protagonist speech, Naegi-dono!" he cheered.

"Well damn," Junko said with a giggle. "I didn't realize you could get so commanding, Naegi-kun." She smiled at him, letting her eyes droop to a half-lidded stare. "Fine," she acquiesced. "I'll concede that I got a bit harsh. My bad; I'll try to tamp down the sarcasm."

"Yeah! G-good!" Hiro said, still sounding a bit rattled.

Makoto smiled and nodded to Junko in appreciation. "Thanks," he told her. "I just... um, sorry if that was... I mean, Ishimaru-kun wasn't here to make that kind of speech, so I tried to do what I think he would've done," he said softly, casting his eyes down to the floor. He ran one hand nervously through his head of hair before he sat back down on the table with an uncomfortable chuckle.

Junko cocked an eyebrow at him in a way that made him wonder what she was thinking. With that, she looked to Hifumi. "Well, since you liked Naegi-kun's speech so much, Yamada-kun, would you like to go next?"

Hifumi rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "Hmmm... " he hummed. "And you, who has not always been kind in regards to my talents and hobbies? What assurance can you give me that I shan't be mocked for my weaknesses, m'lady?"

As Junko attempted to debate Hifumi, Kyoko leaned towards Makoto. "I think you did very well," she said softly with a gentle smile on her face. Makoto turned to his side and looked down at her when he heard the remark. "However," Kyoko continued, "If your intent was to sound like Ishimaru-kun, I must confess that to my ears, you failed."

Makoto's eyes widened as the corners of his mouth simultaneously turned down. "What do you mean?" he said back.

She looked him in the eyes and said, "As far as I could tell, you sounded like Makoto Naegi."

He looked genuinely shocked by the compliment. "Re-really?" He blurted. He leaned forward, averting his eyes as he whispered. "I mean, well, of course I sound like me, but... you don't think I sound kinda dumb when I get all gung-ho like that?"

"I think you sounded like the exact opposite of 'dumb,'" she whispered back with more than a hint of unintended affection. She felt her chest flutter a bit, and something in the back of her mind screamed at her: Don't betray your emotions. Don't expose yourself to vulnerability. Not again.

Before she could give into her feelings any further, she slid her chair from the table and stood up, turning to face Junko. "I have a suggestion," Kyoko stated, interrupting the model's appeal to Hifumi. "Why not tell us whom you are worried about, Enoshima-san? I think such a gesture would be the ideal way to kick off your 'bonding time' activity."

Junko shrugged. "Sure, why not?" She winked at Kyoko before tacking on, "And in exchange, you get to go next! I know you like to keep your feelings on the D-L, but I'll show you mine if you show me yours!" Junko smiled her huge smile, her eyes widening as she did so. "A fair deal, n'est-ce pas?"

Kyoko folded her arms, already exasperated with Junko's antics by now. "I suppose it is," she conceded. "Provided that you go first."

Junko wrapped her arms around herself as though she were embracing her favorite person and closed her eyes, smiling so hard that she started to blush. "The truth is that I've got it better than most!" she enthused. She turned and looked at Mukuro, then opened her arms as though preparing to hug the air before her. "The most important person in my world is my big sis, and she's gonna be right here with me for this whole boring lockdown!" Mukuro smiled back and blushed happily as Junko immediately turned away and looked towards the false window. She curled the end of one ponytail around her finger, and spoke wistfully as she explained, "There is something I've been doing with my spare time, though. Something you all probably don't know about. Something that... well, honestly? You might be a teensy bit surprised by it."

Leon leaned forward in his seat. "Are we supposed to guess?"

Junko half-smiled at Leon and giggled. She put her hands on her hips, suddenly speaking haughtily as she declared, "You shan't be able to guess in even one hundred tries! Nay, not even a thousand!" Dropping her hands, she looked at the floor and resumed her previous tone of voice. "So, y'know, I'll just tell ya straight up," she said, instantly depressed. "I've been kinda getting to know the class of 77-B a whole lot over the past few months. Even though I'm the underclassman, they've really gotten interested in learning about how I deal with this big, ugly world. I mean, I do see some pretty messed-up stuff in my line of work, so I guess it makes some kinda sense they'd want to know how I cope, I guess?"

Kyoko frowned only slightly, unsure if whether this was one of Junko's jokes. There didn't seem to be a clear patch to a punchline, though. "I suppose it does," Kyoko answered her. "It explains why you've gone missing for extended periods during the past semester," There's something else, she sensed as she watched the blonde's expression. Something she's not telling us. What would be the point of lying about this though? Perhaps just to serve another one of her bizarre jokes or group activities... ?

Junko's face lifted a little, taking on a satisfied, pleasant look "Yeah, I've hung out with them a lot lately," she concluded. "We've gotten pretty tight. I want them to secure their futures as soon as possible," she told the room. "And I want them to take all necessary precautions as they do it."

Sayaka lifted her left hand to her mouth as she gazed on Junko now. "That is surprising, Enoshima-san," she said shyly. "Don't take this the wrong way, but I didn't know you had that kind of interest inside you."

Junko waved Sayaka's concern away. "No offense taken," she promised the young idol. "I try to keep how much I care about stuff buried deep inside sometimes. I mean, if I'm going to be real, I should tell you that there are some other people I love a lot, too." Spinning to face the entire room, Junko spread her arms wide and announced, "It's you, my classmates!" She rocked back and forth eagerly as she said, "I know I tease you all a lot, but I haven't had a family for years now... " She looked down and quietly claimed, "You guys are like, the next closest thing."

Chihiro Fujisaki clapped his hands together and began to tear up. "Th-that's... that's incredibly sweet of you, Enoshima-san!"

"I agree," Makoto told her, beaming.

"Extremely kind, Enoshima-san," Sakura followed. "And I believe most of us would agree with that same sentiment."

Junko soaked in the praise for a bit before turning her attention to Kyoko. "Well, detective girl?" she pressed. "Are you okay to go next?"

Kyoko had her hand to her chin when Junko asked. From there she paused and looked around the room slowly. "I am," Kyoko finally confirmed." With just the hint of a smile, she told the group, "My situation is surprisingly similar to Enoshima-san's," she told everyone. "There's just one person left on the outside of this school that I'm concerned about - my grandfather, who raised me and taught me how to become a true Kirigiri detective. He means very much to me, but in truth, I'm not that worried about him. I know he can handle himself."

"So... how's that similar to Enoshima-san?" Hina asked from her own table.

Kyoko pivoted towards Hina. "Because just like her, most of the people I care about are going to be safely locked within these walls."

"You mean like your father?" Makoto asked.

Kyoko rotated her head before spinning her body to face Makoto completely. Part of her wanted to explain everything right there — to tell him exactly who she was thinking of when she mentioned 'people.' It's you, she thought. Who made me start to come out of my shell when I first arrived. Who I've gotten to befriend and know so well over the past year. The one who brings down my walls and makes me feel like it's safe for me to open up again. You blind idiot... of course I mean you.

Instead, she just told him — and the others, too, but she mostly seemed to be speaking directly to Makoto — "Yes, that's one example." She hesitated a second before adding, "Along with my wonderful classmates and friends, of course."

#naegiri week #naegiri week 2017 #makoto naegi #kyoko kirigiri #kyouko kirigiri #kirigiri #naegi #naegiri #danganronpa #danganronpa fanfic #danganronpa fan fiction #danganronpa fanfiction #dangan fanfic #danganronpa fic #naegiri one-shot

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quillyfied · 7 years

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Kind of an epiphany I had in the emotional wake of T.AZ 68, bear with me.

Art that resonates and MEANS something is not the work of a moment. Sometimes, yes, impromptu moments of creative genius add to the overall masterpiece (Justin McElroy in T.AZ 66, for instance), but nobody sits down and creates their opus in one go, with no editing or review necessary. Griffin McElroy didn't go into the Balance arc with self-admitted little experience in fiction writing and pound it all out in one go. He took time, and effort, and hours and hours of planning, and given the interactive nature of the medium, it took the inclusion of the rest of the Family McElroy to really give the story the heart and zing it needed. But it didn't happen at once. It didn't become something that makes devoted listeners weep in public and almost get hit by cars in one or two sessions. It took time. It took real time.

This is not a profound epiphany, but as a writer who struggles with creative perfectionism and procrastination and has for over a decade, this is something I, a "smart kid" growing up who got good grades effortlessly and didn't pursue anything I wasn't good at the first time I tried it, am still learning. I was incredulous, when Griffin said this was his first foray into fiction. I was almost outraged. Keeping in mind this is my first encounter with McElroy work, I was floored by the fact that a person who hadn't done it before was already much better than me at the fiction game. And it's a familiar train of thought that only leads down: so many people are so much better at this than me. I have nothing good to offer narratively. Everything I write is trite garbage. I wasted my years and money and time on a degree I can't use for something I thought I was good at, but I'm not.

And, like, pardon my French, but

Fuck that shit.

The creative process is a PROCESS, implying steps and time and effort and metamorphosis. Eggs don't drop from the chicken-womb and hatch as fully-formed chickens, they have to grow, and develop, and that's just before they hatch. After hatching is a whole 'nuther mother and this metaphor is getting away from me, but the bottom line is: art takes time. Art takes effort. Art takes metamorphosis, progressing from one stage to another in the piece's growth as well as your own. Coming from someone with the gorgeous anxiety/depression cocktail I have, with student debt and a job unrelated to my field and living at home at 25, this is an important message to all artists: it's okay to take it easy on yourself. It's okay to create garbage. It's okay to not be satisfied, and to try again, but it is NOT okay to stop. It isn't okay to hang your head and decide your voice doesn't matter. It IS NOT OKAY to stifle your artistic growth because you don't think you're good enough or worth it, or that because you didn't get it right the first time, you aren't good at it. This is as much an open letter to myself as it is to you. I am absolutely my harshest critic, and I am not fair to myself, and I haven't let myself make the mistakes I need to make in order to grow. I've been afraid. I've been frustrated. I've been ambivalent.

I want to make the kind of art that gives people goosebumps and makes them cry. I want to make art that resonates, that sticks with people in the darkest times. I want to make a living thing, something that breathes and grows. And in order to do that, I have to put in the work. I have to make the effort. I have to stop being so hard on myself, and let nature take its course until I am the most beautiful creatively-fulfilled tasty chicken I never thought I could be.

So thanks, Griffin McElroy and co. Thanks JK Rowling, and Michael Dante DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko, and Bill Watterson, and Hiro Mashima, and Walt Disney Studios, and Joseph Fink and Jeffrey Cranor, and Hayao Miyazaki, and Rebecca Sugar, and hordes of other creative-types who have inspired me and continue to inspire. Thanks so much for making stuff that makes me cry and want to be a better person as well as a better artist.

Thanks

#artistic meta #quilly has issues #i guess that's safe to file there

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