#watched the trailer and found this line so funny I had to draw it immediately

[yak-al]

Yeah, it's Adaman alright

#watched the trailer and found this line so funny I had to draw it immediately #adaman is just very loveable #art #fanart #pokemon #pokemon fanart #digital art #pokemas #adaman pla #pokemon legends adaman #adaman pokemon

[minimitchell]

benmitchellweek day 3 - “So none of it was real? You didn’t mean any of it?”  (ao3 link)

.

“So none of it was real? You didn’t mean any of it?”

“Course not. I only said it to push you away, to protect you. I, I love you. With every fibre of my being.”

“Cut!”

Ben lets his hand fall away from Callum’s face, letting out a long sigh. It’s the sixth take they’re on and even he can tell that the scene is bad. And for once, he has to admit that it’s not just down to the ridiculously cheesy script but to him and his co-star.

Ben wasn’t averse to his new love interest being a man; he’s always played his character as very open-minded anyway and it’s definitely paying off in terms of promotion. The general public and the fans online are ecstatic about the representation and it’s proving to be a huge factor in drawing in audiences for the third and last part of the trilogy he’s starring in.

He’s loath to admit though, that a lot of that draw comes from the casting announcement of one Callum Highway.

Callum Highway, who apparently has quite some experience as a theatre actor and has built up a decent-sized following from being on some TV show - that’s according to Ben’s agent at least. Callum Highway, who’s supposed to play his love interest now. Only, the chemistry between them just isn’t there. Or rather, there is chemistry, it just really isn’t a romantic one.

It’s quite the opposite in fact.

Things had been fine at the screen test; they had gotten along great and there had been this unspoken draw between them. Their director Matt had been ecstatic and had casted Callum almost on the spot. But ever since they started filming things have taken a turn for the worse; they’re snapping at each other constantly, making snide remarks and only pretending to like each other for the press outings.

It’s even worse that Ben feels like absolute shit whenever he gives Callum a rude response and sees the flash of hurt in his eyes. He doesn’t even know how or why it started but the fact that he feels so bad about it all and has to think about it, and him, constantly just adds to his frustration.

Their director stands up from his chair behind the screens, ripping off his headset and rubbing his hands over his eyes.

“Alright, that’s it for the day. We’ll try this scene again tomorrow. You two better use tonight to practice. I want that scene perfect tomorrow and I want to actually feel like you two are madly in love with each other. Understand?”

They both murmur an affirmative, not brave enough to look their director in the eyes but instead glaring daggers at each other.

-----

It’s how they find themselves in Callum’s trailer later that night, going through the script again and again, trying and failing to get this scene right.

“You could at least try to make it seem like your character wants to be there with mine, you know.”

Callum throws his copy of the script on the little table beside them, running his hands over his face in frustration. It’s not working out any better than it did this afternoon; they’re still wooden and lacking any believable chemistry, and it’s setting both of their nerves on edge. They only have a couple of hours to get it right and Ben really doesn’t want to be the reason this movie is getting delayed.

“I can only work with what I’m given, alright.”

When Ben looks up from his own script, he sees Callum’s mouth dropping open, eyebrows knitting together. It was the wrong thing to say - again - that much is clear from the way Callum’s face morphs into anger, and Ben regrets it immediately. Him and his big mouth and penchant for lashing out at everyone around him.

“God, you’re so fucking full off yourself, aren’t you. You know, I was proper excited about working with you because you always seem so funny and charming in your interviews but it’s all just acting, isn’t it. You’re really just jealous and insecure.”

It’s the first time Callum has ever raised his voice or been outright rude to him and to be honest, Ben doesn’t like this. They hit a little too close to home; his words. His first instinct is to fight back, spit back words full of venom at Callum as well, but he can’t. He doesn’t want to. He doesn’t want to hurt Callum; he never did.

It seems like Callum was also expecting him to give a retort back, because when Ben simply falls silent and looks at the ground, he immediately steps forward to apologize. Ben thinks he really is something else because he definitely deserved Callum going off on him and him saying sorry now just confirms that he’s a much better person than Ben could ever be.

“Ben, I’m so sorry.”

Ben tries to clear his throat and go back to business, but for some reason there’s a lump in his windpipe he can’t seem to swallow back down.

“Let’s just do the scene.”

“Hang on. I feel bad ab-”

“Let’s just do the damn scene, Callum, yeah. Let’s get this over with so we can finish this stupid movie.”

He’s getting louder now, his voice sounding more desperate than he intended to. This doesn’t happen to him, he doesn’t lose his cool over a guy, his co-star, who’s probably not even into guys. But his heart keeps screaming at him to reach out and touch Callum, to just fall into his arms and not care about the rest of the world.

But it’s not that easy. Callum just made it clear what he thinks of Ben and that he messed everything up beyond the point of fixing. And Ben does what he’s always done, what he’s come to know since he was a child, he pushes people away before they can detect any vulnerability and use it to their advantage. It doesn’t matter that Callum doesn’t seem like the type of guy to do that, his self-preservation is screaming at him to do it.

“Is it really that much of a chore for you to play with me? What did I ever do to you, Ben?”

It’s what breaks the dam. What makes everything Ben’s tried so hard to keep hidden and locked away since they’ve begun filming bubble over and break out of him.

“You know what? It is! It is a chore to see your stupid, pretty face every day, to hear your voice everywhere I go, to not get you out of my damn head. You’re always there, Callum, and I hate it. And even when you’re not there, I can’t stop thinking about you. So let’s just finish this movie so I can get over you.”

He regrets saying anything the second the words leave his mouth, watching Callum’s mouth drop open in astonishment. There’s complete silence between them, the eerie quiet of the otherwise abandoned movie set providing no background distraction, and all Ben can do is wait it out and deal with the fallout. The only silver lining is that the movie is almost done, so if Callum is about to reject him and throw him out of his trailer he at least only has a few more days and some press events to get through before he can start to repress this whole situation.

He doesn’t get thrown out. What ultimately happens is something entirely different. Callum moves forward, face hard and determined, both of his hands coming up to take Ben’s face securely in them, tilting his head up. Ben is trying to keep up with the situation but all of a sudden there are soft lips pressing against his - Callum’s lips. 

No camera or crew or script to be found.

Ben’s kissing back instinctively, threading his fingers into the soft material of Callum’s hoodie. There are some desperate noises escaping his throat without his say but Callum answers one of them with a groan on his own so Ben feels less bad about them, slipping his tongue into Callum’s welcoming mouth.

When they eventually part again, their foreheads stay close against each other, small smiles on both of their faces.

“I wasn’t sure you liked men.”, Ben confesses quietly, trying to justify why he’s let this simmer until it eventually spewed out of him.

“I immediately said yes to this project. Because of you. I just wanted to get to know you.”

“We’re idiots, aren’t we. At least I am. I’m sorry.”

Callum seals their lips back together, one hand curling into Ben’s hair and the other running down his chest until it finds Ben’s, tangling their fingers together.

“Guess we don’t have to worry about chemistry anymore.”

#ballum #ballum fic #benmitchellweek2020 #bm2020 #my writing #ngl i don't like this one as much

[sweetfogarty]

In the Pursuit of Justice || Chapter One

Summary: After taking theatre classes after school for months, Midge Klump is delighted to be cast, albeit by a technical default, as Carrie White in the Riverdale High production of Carrie: The Musical. On debut night, Midge is murdered in cold blood and a witch hunt ensues to find the killer and bring him to justice. Fangs Fogarty finds himself in the crosshairs of this witch hunt, which culminates in him being arrested and charged as Midge’s killer.

Robin Allard, a public defender, is assigned to his case and together they fight the uphill battle to try and prove his innocence in court, finding skeletons in each other’s closets along the way. Robin may believe that Fangs is innocent, but will 12 jurors think the same? And will Fangs Fogarty be found guilty or not guilty of the murder of Midge Klump?

Rating: Mature

Word count: 9.2K

Chapter warnings: Violence, reference to character death, blood (minor), systemic racism, anxiety.

MASTERLIST 

Fangs ambled out of Riverdale High, carrying his scripts and twirling the keys to his motorcycle around his finger as he eyed the bike which was sitting alone in the darkened school car park, the well-maintained body catching the light slightly.

Under a streetlight a few meters from the double doors of the school stood Midge Klump on the phone, wrapping her leather jacket a little tighter as a particularly cold gust of wind sent a chill up her spine and raised goose bumps on her bare legs. She looked tiny stood by herself, her petite frame illuminated by the light, but otherwise surrounded by the eerie darkness of the Riverdale night.

“Okay Moose, don’t worry, I’ll find another way home- tell Huxley I hope he feels better soon,” Midge spoke sweetly, her smile faltering as her gaze dropped to her shoes. “Love you too, bye.”

Fangs quirked an eyebrow from over at his bike as he watched Midge sit on the steps outside the school, twiddling her thumbs as a deep sigh rumbled from her chest. He fiddled with his helmet, pausing to look between the bike and Midge. She’d left rehearsals with everyone 25 minutes ago whilst Kevin left Fangs to pack away, so it was odd for her to still be here, especially as Moose was usually her ride home.

Normally, Fangs would be on his bike and on his way home by now, weaving through the streets of Riverdale without a care, heading home to Sunnyside and his Mum, and then maybe later he’d go to the Wyrm with Sweet Pea, Toni and Jughead for a game of pool and some drinks. But something about Midge sat by herself under the streetlights in the dark had him hesitating, especially when there was a serial killer on the loose. She would be the ideal target- a petite, dainty girl sitting by herself in the dark with no one around to help her.

She’d already been through it once before, when the Black Hood had come out of nowhere and attacked her whilst she was with Moose, shooting point-blank into the car they were cozied up in, with a murderous look in his eyes. They’d both survived, but part of their innocence was lost that day. Fangs didn’t want to be the reason that she became another addition the the death toll.

He slung his helmet over his handle and approached Midge, not quite sure what he would say to her, but hoping that he could be useful.

“Hey, Midge,” he started, drawing her attention from her phone. A sweet and friendly smile enveloped her face, making him more at ease almost instantly as he realised she wasn’t worried by him approaching her in the dark. His Serpent status had a habit of hindering his attempts to be kind, but Midge’s non-judgmental attitude had him feeing relaxed and somewhat appreciated. “What’re you still doing here? I thought you would be home by now.”

Midge let out a breath of a laugh, stuffing her phone into her back pocket as she looked up at Fangs, taking him in. “Moose is at Riverdale General with Huxley, apparently he landed funny after a tackle and hurt his back pretty bad so he’s getting an x-ray. Moose was my ride home and my parents aren’t picking up their phones. I’d usually walk but we finished late today and it’s dark- I don’t really like walking in the dark by myself after… you know.”

Midge shifted uncomfortably, knitting her fingers together in her lap, as she momentarily flashed back to looking into the barrel of the Black Hood’s gun. She didn’t need to explain what she was referencing, alluding to it was enough. It had been the talk of the school for the time she was off recovering, but it was an unspoken rule to not discuss it unless Midge instigated the conversation explicitly. For a while she’d experienced survivor’s guilt- Moose had taken all the bullets for her and she’d miraculously come out unscathed, and as much as she put on a brave face for her friends, she often felt like the walls were closing in on her. Nightmares were frequent and flashbacks inevitable.

“I would offer you a ride, but I’ve only got one helmet,” Fangs tried to break the tension, motioning behind him towards his bike that still sat lonely in the far corner of the carpark. “But I can walk with you if you want, so that you’re not alone?”

Midge hesitated, looking between the Serpent and his ride. “What about your bike?”

“I’ll come back and get it after, or I’ll make Sweet Pea give me a ride in tomorrow.”

Midge laughed shyly, grabbing her bag from next to her and slinging it over her shoulder before extending her hand out to Fangs from the step she was sat on. “Okay, sure. Give me a hand to get up, will you?”

The start of the walk home was quiet as the pair wandered the Northside streets of Riverdale. Fangs had been to the Northside before plenty of times, but he’d never stopped to look at his surroundings in so much detail. This walk really hit home for him the privileged lives that Northsiders lived, compared to what the Southsiders had. Here, the roads were quiet, there were no blinking and broken streetlights, there was no litter on the floor, hedges and lawns were trimmed, the houses were immaculately painted. Everything was perfect. The Northside represented the picturesque neighbourhood that any family would want to raise their children in.

The Southside, by comparison, could not have been more different. Buildings were left baron or filled with squatters, the town was decorated with graffiti of every variety on every street, the drug trade was no secret and there were more trailers than houses on that side of town.

Fangs wondered how his life might have been different if he’d been born into some kind of privilege.

Living on the Southside had its perks and although he made the best of the situation, there was no denying that it had its drawbacks at times. People took double looks at him as he walked around clad in leather, shop keepers watched him extra carefully when he went to get milk for his Mum, he had to work twice as hard as Northsiders he knew he was better than to equal them because people constantly doubted him.

Northsiders looked down on the Southside. But in spite of that privilege they had, there was nothing the kids of the Northside loved more than having fun with Southside culture. They’d attend drag races, stroll into Southside bars, graffiti Southside territory, having their fun and then never accepting the consequences that befell normal Southsiders. Northsiders were loud in their laughter, but silent in the Southside suffering.

All except Midge.

Fangs and Midge rounded a corner, walking past the Sheriff’s Station, the tall building imposing an eerie shadow over the already darkened path.

“How are you finding your new role?” Fangs asked, casting a glance her way as her face scrunched up even at the thought of Carrie.

“Don’t get me wrong, I’m so excited to be Carrie- it feels like all my hard work has paid off. I just feel really behind the rest of the cast and I don’t want to let anyone down,” she replied, looking up at Fangs briefly before dropping her gaze to the floor. “I’ve been trying to run lines, but Moose is busy with football between rehearsals, so I’ve just been trying to get through the rehearsals without looking like a total flop.” Midge gave Fangs a short shrug, pulling up her backpack that had slipped down her shoulder a bit.

“I’ve got the spare time to run lines with you, if you’d like?”

Midge let out a loud bark of laughter, looking up at Fangs with a smile that met her eyes and lit up her whole face. “First you walk me home, and now you’re offering to run lines with me- some would say you’re trying to court me, Mr Fogarty.”

Fangs’ face dropped into an expression of worry, his brows immediately knitted together and eyes widened, only causing Midge to double over as an even louder roll of laughter roared out of her.

“Oh my god, you should see your face,” she started, barely catching a breath as she clutched her sides, tears of glee prickling her eyes. “I was only joking, I know you’re gay. I was gonna set Kevin up with you actually.”

Fangs’ attention snapped towards Midge, his eyes wider now than they were before, making his forehead crease slightly. “Uh, I’m not actually fully gay- I just like who I like, whatever gender they may be,” he bumped shoulders with Midge, shaking his head. “And after that ‘courting’ shit, I retract my earlier offer. You can keep practicing by yourself now.”

“No, please, I’d really appreciate the help,” Midge tried to stifle her laughter, a lopsided smile settling on her face instead. “Wow, and to think I thought you were gay all this time. You’re a lady-killer too.”

Fangs rolled his eyes playfully, shaking his head as an inkling of a smile quirked the ends of his lips. “You need to stop talking before I leave you to walk the rest of the way by yourself.”

Midge feigned offence in response, placing her hand over her heart and dropping her mouth open before her signature grin settled back on her face. “I’d actually be offended if we weren’t literally four houses away from mine. Thanks for walking me home Fangs, it means a lot. I’d really like to run lines with you if you were seriously offering?”

“Yeah totally, Tuesdays and Thursdays after school work for me, we can do either day or both if you want.”

The pair came to a steady stop outside of Midge’s house. It was exactly what he thought it would be- picture perfect and quaint. There were no cars on the driveway and all the lights were off aside from the porch light. A ginger cat sat expectantly on her porch step, meowing as it set eyes on Midge. Fangs scratched the back of his neck nervously.

“Tuesdays and Thursdays sounds perfect. Thank you again Fangs, I’ll see you tomorrow!” Midge fished for her keys in her pocket and waved as she set off up the driveway towards the cat, who meowed even louder as she approached, a loud purr rumbling through it as it brushed up against her leg.

“See you then Midge,” Fangs waved her off, waiting until she was safely inside before he set off back towards Riverdale High to grab his bike.

Part of him felt excited to spend more time with the Vixen tomorrow running lines. It was an odd sensation to be excited about being around a Northsider after years of associating them with being the enemy, but Midge was nothing like an enemy to him and he found himself forcing away a small, content smile as he thought about their future rehearsals.

----

The Sheriff’s Station is a cornerstone of Riverdale.

The red-bricked monster sits on the corner of the town’s main crossroad and stands as a reminder that the rule of law will be enforced; that is, that no man is ever above the law. For some residents it is a beacon of safety and of justice, a symbol of protection for them in a town that as of recent had been plagued by nothing but darkness. And for the other half of the town it is nothing short of a nightmare which has taken the form of an institution. They do not view it as a sign of protection, but as the hunting ground for a police force that has done nothing but terrorise their kind for generations.

One year ago, the Sheriff’s Station was quieter. The town was quieter. The only people frequenting the Station were the police staff and the public attorneys – arrests were infrequent, usually only being made up of speeding charges and public disturbances. But over the last year Riverdale had descended into a chaos of sorts. Gang violence had increased, drug use had spread across both sides of the tracks and a murderous venom had seeped into every vein of the town; starting with the death of high school football star Jason Blossom and culminating in the murder of River Vixen, Midge Klump.

The Station was built in 1939 and in all its years it had never been as overwhelmed as it had been over the those few months.

Midge Klump was a town sweetheart who met an untimely fate. Compassionate and youthful, she had been cast as Carrie White in Riverdale High’s production of Carrie: The Musical and was making her debut when she was found murdered in cold blood. Her death became symbolic in Riverdale; enough was enough. The town didn’t want to have to worry about the safety of their kids anymore.

After the initial plume of dust settled, a witch hunt began to find killer and bring him or her to justice. The town was ruthless, working alongside the police to leave no stone unturned. As the hunt continued, the crosshairs closed in on Midge’s classmate, Fangs Fogarty, and the Sheriff pulled the trigger with no remorse, arresting him on school grounds and dragging him into the Station by the scruff of his collar with no intention of letting him leave.

Across the road from the Station, public defender Robin Allard threw her car into a parking space, gathering her folders into both of her arms before shutting the passenger seat with her hip. She’d received a call from the reception clerk that an unrepresented teenager had been taken into custody and was in interview with Riverdale’s Sheriff, Michael Minetta. Minetta was new and so Robin hadn’t had the chance to personally meet him yet, but from what she’d heard from Sierra McCoy, a legal acquaintance within Riverdale, he was ruthless. 

It was Robin’s job to protect Fangs Fogarty from the merciless swing of the Prosecution’s scythe and so it was of paramount importance that she got to her client as soon as possible to enforce his constitutional rights and to make sure that he didn’t seal his own fate before she even got a chance to help him.

“Where is he?” Robin boomed as she burst through the looming double doors of the Station, startling the receptionist who had been tapping away absentmindedly with her pen on the desk. Robin heaved a heavy sigh as she dropped her folders onto the reception desk, waiting for a reply from the brunette before she noticed her confused expression. “Come on Gwen, you rang me 40 minutes ago. Where’s my new client, Fogarty?”

Gwen’s face lit up in realisation as she turned to her keyboard and mumbled a quiet ahh yes, typing frantically and opening a few folders on the screen. “He’s down the hall with Sheriff Minetta, but I’ve got to sign you in before you can see him.”

Robin’s heels tapped a staccato rhythm as she waited impatiently for the police clerk to sign her in as a visitor to the station. She knew that her client was in danger every second longer this simple administrative task took and she was growing increasingly frustrated with the delay. Nothing ever seemed simple in Riverdale in all the years she’d worked there and despite all the town’s recent murders, the station was still as slow as ever at these mundane tasks.

All the while this was taking place, Fangs Fogarty was barely managing to keep his head above water in the interview room. The Sheriff had been waiting for an excuse to bring him in for questioning, and possession of a bladed article on school property was the perfect excuse. An excuse which also further implicated him in Midge Klump’s murder.

“You were in Midge Klump’s dressing room doing what exactly?” Sheriff Minetta asked, his voice tearing through the room and bouncing off the walls like broken glass, trapping the high schooler who sat opposite him. This was his territory and he wasn’t going to let Fogarty out of that room until he had what he wanted from him. Minetta stood at the end of the table, his hands splay against the wood, looking down at his suspect with venomous eyes, willing him to give in and confess.

“We were just talking,” Fangs choked out in response. He knew he was being cornered and he had no idea how to get himself out of this situation. He felt like he was drowning in this interview room and that the Sheriff was taunting him with a life raft. “I didn’t kill her!”

Minetta sensed blood in the water and his lips quirked into an evil smile as he realised that this was his chance to finally pin Fogarty down and make him squirm. “Didn’t you? With this knife you had on your person?”

Robin stormed down the hallway, hoping that she wasn’t too late. She’d rushed to the station as quickly as she could when she heard that she had a new client who was currently in interview with the town’s Sheriff, but she didn’t know if they had already managed to extract a confession from him. Down the hall she could hear Minetta’s raised voice and so she began to run towards his interview room as fast as her heels would allow her.

Robin grabbed the handle in desperation and without knocking threw the door open. “Don’t say another word,” she instructed sharply at Fangs, giving him a small nod of encouragement before turning her attention swiftly to the Sheriff. “I’ll be representing Mr Fogarty from here on out and I’d appreciate it if you stopped harassing my client.”

A tide of relief washed over Fangs and he felt all the colour flood back into his face. His eyes flickered between the two other figures in the room who seemed to be staring each other down in a display of authority. Sheriff Minetta stood half a foot taller than Robin, but her attitude more than made up for that in this situation.

Minetta tore his eyes away from Robin and he looked towards Fangs, his eyebrows settling angrily on his face as he prepared to leave. “You don’t know how lucky you are, this conversation is not finished.”

Robin took a step to the left, stopping Minetta in his tracks as he let out a deep sigh and bit his tongue. “I don’t know who you’ve been dealing with before now Sheriff Minetta, but you will not talk to my client under any circumstances if I’m not present, or I will report you for violating Mr Fogarty’s Sixth Amendment right to assistance of counsel. I hope I’ve made myself clear.”

Robin set her folders on the desk Fangs was sat at, huffing as she did so, quickly shutting the door behind the Sheriff once he’d left. She straightened her dress out, fanning herself to alleviate the sweat from her frantic journey to this very room from her flat one town over. She took a seat across from Fangs and sent him an empathetic smile. He looked dishevelled. Being arrested on school premises is something that would be enough to rattle any student at Riverdale High and even more so when the whole town was looking to hammer the nails in his coffin and had already branded him a murderer.

“Now we don’t have much time, but are you okay?” Robin asked, scribbling a few words on her battered notepad. “It seems Minetta really sprung this situation on you, huh?”

Fangs let out a shallow breath of a laugh, the first laugh he’d had in the four days since Midge had been killed. Those four days had taken him to rock bottom. He was used to looking over his shoulder, but an entire town denouncing him as a killer had him using every energy reserve in his body to keep himself from crumbling. “I’m as okay as an accused murder can be, I guess.”

“Good. What did you tell Sheriff Minetta?” Robin had no intention of concerning herself with small talk beyond checking that he was okay. It was in times like this where she knew clients could really use an offer of compassion even as small as asking about their mental state, but she was acutely aware that they were working on borrowed time.

“That I didn’t kill her.” Fangs searched Robin’s face for a hint of anything to reaffirm that he’d done the right thing, and the way that relief washed over her alleviated the constricting sensation that was tightening around his throat.

Robin gave him a small nod with a smile, muttering a ‘good’ as she sat back in her seat. “That’s great, I was worried that he would have managed to crack you before I got here. Good job Mr Fogarty-“

“Fangs. You can call me Fangs,” he interrupted, a sincere smile creeping onto his worn and tired face. His smile looked out of place on a face that looked like his did; gaunt and tired.  

“Okay, Fangs,” Robin emphasised, shaking her head slightly with a small grin. “I’m Robin Allard. I’m your publicly appointed defence attorney because you currently don’t have any other representation. Obviously, you’re more than entitled to seek alternative legal representation, in which case they will be your acting attorney in my place, or if for some reason you can’t or don’t want another attorney, I’ll act for you whilst this situation continues.”

Fangs sent Robin a confused look, leaning forward into the table. “Are you serious? After what you just did to Minetta after not even meeting me? I’m sticking with you.”

Robin gave Fangs a curt nod as a breathy laugh escaped her, scribbling in messy cursive in her notepad.

Upon her arrival into the station, Gwen had given Robin a copy of Fangs’ arrest report. Her eyes scanned over it quickly as she picked out all the key parts of information. She shook her head as she read over it, realising what Minetta’s game was- he had no reason to arrest Fangs for questioning about Midge’s death, so he’d had to find something else to use as his excuse for hauling him in.

“In terms of why you’ve been arrested, that’s for carrying a bladed weapon on school premises. The Sheriff has 24 hours maximum to hold you from the time you were processed here, so he has to release you by 9:43am tomorrow at the latest. Riverdale laws prohibit people carrying knives with a blade of four inches or more so provided yours had a blade of less than four inches, you should be released with a caution,” Fangs nodded along eagerly to Robin’s digest of his report and her knowledge on the law at hand. He was trying to make a mental note of everything she was saying in case he needed to quote her against the police staff later. “Have you had your phone call yet?”

Fangs shook his head, fiddling with his rings nervously. “No not yet, I asked for it but they said later.”

“Okay well when you go back to your cell, I’ll ask them to give you your phone call. My advice is to call your family. You don’t need to waste it on sorting anything legal, that’s my job, so call your family and let them know you’re fine. And when you get released you call me, okay? I’ll leave my contact details for you at reception, we’ll arrange a meeting once you’re released,” Robin’s head snapped to the door when there was a knock. “Look our time is up because this wasn’t a prior arranged meeting between us, but call your family now, call me when you get out and keep your head down okay? Until they find another suspect you’re still top of the list.”

Fangs and Robin stood as Sheriff Minetta re-entered the room ready to escort the teen back into his cell. Fangs could feel his heart in his throat as it dawned on him that he was about to be alone again and a nervous sweat began to break out all over his body.

“Before you put him back in the cell, he hasn’t had his phone call. He’s entitled to it within the next-“ Robin stopped to check her watch. “35 minutes, so now’s probably a good time before you put him away again and then have to get him back out.”

Sheriff Minetta huffed and shook his head, stopping and turning Fangs towards the telephone sitting lonely on a bare wall. “Go on then, Fogarty, you can take your phone call now.”

Fangs practically lurched at the beacon of hope that was the station telephone. His mind went blank for a few moments before his Mum’s number flooded into his brain and he frantically pressed the buttons, whispering repeated come on’s as it rang. After what seemed like a lifetime, the line picked up and his Mum’s voice rang through the receiver with an overwhelming cast of concern.

“Mum?” Fangs spoke, his voice catching in his throat as he realised the severity of the situation he was in. “I know Jughead’s probably told you everything and I’m okay. But this situation? It’s bad...”

----

It had been 16 hours since Fangs has been arrested and he was finally being released, although his release wasn’t quite what he’d hoped it would be.

He and his fellow Serpents were trapped in the Sheriff’s Office, surrounded by protesters who were out for blood and wanted to tear Fangs limb from limb. Fangs stood by himself by the telephone, his hands shaking as a deep dread settled into the pit of his stomach and he realised the likelihood of him getting out of this building alive was slipping away. Around him the Serpents were frantically trying to figure out a way to get out, but all he could hear was a high-pitched ringing sound in his ears.

“We can’t take Fangs out the front, we have to take the side entrance,” Jughead spoke frenziedly at Sheriff Minetta as he approached, rattled by the angry mob outside. The beanie-clad Jones had never imagined he’d find himself in a situation remotely like this and he hoped the town’s Sheriff would be able to give him some reassurance.

“Crowd’s out there too- pick your poison Serpent,” Minetta replied nonchalantly, a shrug rolling easily off of his shoulders. Minetta didn’t care about the Serpents- when they got out of his station, they were no longer his problem and the quicker they were gone, the better. Jughead had been naive to think Minetta would help them, even accidentally.

Silence enveloped the room, making the sounds of the angry crowd seem even more ferocious now that they could all really hear them. The jeering, shouting, banging on the windows- it filled them all with fear for their lives.

Sweet Pea became particularly unsettled, ringing his hands together as nerves took over his body. “What do we do man?” he questioned, voice low and full of dread.

As if at once, Fangs’ attention snapped back to reality and there was only one thing on his mind that escaped his lips before he even had the chance to register what he was saying. “I don’t wanna die,” he fretted, his voice breaking.

His words made the Serpents’ hearts sink. Jughead closed his eyes in a moment of composure before he turned back around to the group who were relying on him for guidance. He knew he had to put on a brave face for them right now, even if he didn’t know what to do. He could have never imagined that this could ever happen in Riverdale, especially to his friends.

“Hey, you’re not going to. Look at me, okay?” he clasped Fangs’ face as he spoke, noticing how his eyes were full of tears and how he was trying desperately to swallow back any chance that he was going to cry. Fangs gave him a shallow nod and a whimper, knowing that his life was in the hands of his friends. Jughead moved his left hand, settling it on Sweet Pea’s shoulder to bring the group into a close circle of trust. “We stand together so that none of us falls. In unity there is strength.”

The group pulled together, their hands splay over each other’s backs as their heads touched as a symbol of togetherness. That may well be their last moment as a group of four, and so they needed to make it count and to make it something to remember. This was what it meant to be a Serpent. It was their last stand. “In unity there is strength!”

The small group of Serpents banded together, forming a protective shield around Fangs. In that moment, they were willing to give their lives for him. It was them against the world.

As the Station doors burst open the pack of Serpents surged forward, shoulder to shoulder, pushing their way through the crowds of angry townsfolk. Older Serpents joined the younger members at the front, elbowing and pushing people out the way to make room for their convoy.  There were people everywhere, angry fists and picket signs being forced into the air in protest of Fangs’ release. People spat. Booed. Hurled insults like murderer, Vixen Killer, dead man. Fangs Fogarty was not innocent until proven guilty, the citizens of Riverdale had already assigned their judgment and that was that he deserved nothing more than an empty cell and a life of misery.

That night Riverdale could not have been further removed from its reputation as ‘the town with pep’. The bodies packed together radiated nothing short of disgust for a teenager who hadn’t even been formally charged. Their disdain had been led almost singlehandedly by one woman who had repeatedly posted inflammatory articles about the inhabitants of the Southside - Alice Cooper. Although she previously identified as a proud member of the Southside and of the Serpents, she repeatedly used the Riverdale Register as a vehicle to criminalise an entire population article by article, branding them as second-class members of the town. Despite her prickly personality, Alice Cooper was a respected Northside citizen, and so her words carried weight with her affluent kinsfolk who ate up her pieces on the Southsiders, word by word. It would be fair to suggest that for most of those who were at the riots, their scathing hatred of Fangs Fogarty was in part due to the rhetoric Alice Cooper had spewed, especially in posting an ambiguous video of him with Midge in her dressing room shortly before her demise.

Although they had a tough exterior, on the inside the Serpents were scared for their lives, and for Fangs’. They were used to abuse and used to being classed as outcasts because they were born on the wrong side of town; a lot of them knew no different. But this was unlike anything they’d ever experienced- no one had ever wished death on them. And yet here they were, desperately trying to push their way towards the light to save themselves from a fate like Midge’s.

From the right a protester charged at Sweet Pea, trying to get through the barricade to Fangs, practically frothing at the mouth in anticipation of getting his hands on the young Serpent. Sweet Pea shouldered him in the face, contemplating stopping to throw a punch at the entitled stranger, but he knew that if he left Fangs’ side for even a second, he’d be torn apart by the mob. Sweet Pea could not be a weak link in Fangs’ only source of protection, otherwise he’d never forgive himself for what could happen to his best friend. They needed each other and Sweet Pea wasn’t going to let the mob get to him without a fight.

From inside the human shield every single one of Fangs’ senses had dulled. The shouting had faded into a ringing in his ear, his hands felt like static, his vision was blurred and all he could smell and taste was smoke. But deep down beneath his obscured senses he was scared. Scared that he would never go back home to his Mum, scared that his friends would grow up without him, scared that his family would have to plan his funeral before his life had really even started. His legs had turned to jelly and the only thing keeping him moving was his pack of Serpents willing him forward towards salvation.

When the Serpents broke through the last of the protesters, they were exhausted. Many had scratches and bruises up their arms, FP sporting a particularly nasty scratch across his right cheek that had already began to weep, dotted with blood. The group panted and heaved, checking Fangs over before piling onto their motorbikes ready to go back to Sunnyside Trailer Park, the only place they felt safe in their town.

Fangs clambered onto the back of Sweet Pea’s bike, his breath quaking and hands shaking as he held on ready for the ride back to the Southside. Sweet Pea glanced back, looking at his paled friend before he gave him a look of reassurance. They often exchanged looks, but this one was different. It was panic, relief, brotherly love, hope and anguish all wrapped up into one, brooding exchange. Sweet Pea turned his attention back to the road and revved his engine, pulling away and racing home to get Fangs out of this situation and back to his family.

The ride home was quick, although for Fangs it felt like hours. The roads were littered with broken glass and cars on fire, windows were boarded up and covered in spray paint, the product of sheer anger at him. Riverdale resembled chaos. The convoy of bikes passed Pop’s and the neon sign which usually washed the town in a warm red glow, radiated a glow that was menacing and hell-like. Fangs wanted nothing more than to go back a week, to a time when he could sit in a booth with his friends and gorge on burgers without the fear of someone throwing a brick through a window at him. Those days seemed so long ago now, almost like they’d never even happened.

By comparison to the scene outside of the Sheriff’s Office, Sunnyside seemed like paradise. It was quiet, familiar, safe. Within an instant Fangs’ Mum, Maria, erupted from his trailer, the rumble of the bikes signifying that the group had returned. She stood in her slippers and dressing gown, the cold night air nipping at her skin. Fangs’ head snapped towards her figure, tears lining his eyes as his feet carried him towards her.

Their embrace settled Fangs’ stomach and unsteady hands as he clutched at her like his life depended on it. “My boy,” she breathed quietly, relief washing over her. “I’m so glad you’re okay.”

Fangs couldn’t muster any words in response, knowing that if he tried to say anything all that would come out would be a choked sob, and so instead he just stood holding her trying to regain some courage. Everything he did was for her and yet in this moment he felt like he couldn’t do anything at all other than be in her arms.

The familiar rumble of a motorcycle broke the silence of the moment and FP stepped off of his bike, his brows knitted in concern. He shook out his hair before approaching Fangs, slapping him on the back with a fatherly smile. He’d stayed behind to make sure the boys got away smoothly and to assess the situation after they’d left. Damage control, he’d called it.

“I’m glad you’re okay, kid,” he began, ruffling Fangs’ hair and sending a nod of approval to his Mum for getting him home safely. “But don’t get too comfortable. There’s a group of protesters from the station on their way here, led by your Bulldog pals from school.”

Fangs’ heart dropped. He’d brought protestors to the heart of the Southside community. The Northside was a mess, broken and battered by the protesters who had ruined their own half of the town- God knows what they would do to the Southside where they had no regard for the people or the property. Profanities and curses were littered from the mouths of the other Serpents, with Sweet Pea’s hands closing into tight fists. The Northsiders had taken everything out from underneath them, made their daily lives that bit worse, and yet they wanted to come to Serpents territory and pick a fight? All of the Serpents knew that that could get ugly.

“Topaz,” Fangs shouted, gaining the attention of not only the pink haired girl, but the rest of the group. “You need to take my Mum somewhere safe, she can’t be here when they get here.”

Protests came from both women who wanted to stay and protect their homes, but Fangs wouldn’t take no for an answer, thinking only of protecting them from whatever was about to happen on their home soil. If things were going to get as ugly as he knew they could, he didn’t want either of them to be collateral damage, especially at the hands of Northsiders who were out for his blood.

“Tones, I’m asking you as my friend, please take her somewhere away from here- to Pop’s or something where I know she’ll be safe,” he turned his attention to his Maria, addressing her eye to eye, his voice dropping to a soft plead. “I know you want to stay but if anything were to happen to you, I would never forgive myself. If I go with you, they’re gonna tear this whole place apart to find me and I can’t let these guys lose everything they’ve got because I ran away from fate. Please Mum, I’ll be okay. But right now, I need you to be okay too and I can only be sure of that if you go with Toni.”

Maria’s eyes filled with tears and as she dropped her head into a small nod, pulling her son into a tight hug, internally willing him to just survive. Truth be told, she didn’t want to leave him, or for him to leave her, but the look in his eyes as he begged her to go was too much for her. She placed a kiss on the crown of his head and held him by the shoulders as she took one last look at him. “Call me as soon as you can, I’ll be waiting ready to come home to you.”

It wasn’t long before the women had whisked themselves off into the night in hopes of finding somewhere safer out of the chaos. The reality of what was about to ensue settled on the remaining Serpents. They had a whole community here of people who already had so little, and yet the entitled folk from the other side of the town were about to descend upon them like locusts and try to take even more.

FP went door to door, waking up as many families as he could. He knew the mob was close- he’d passed them not five minutes ago and they were half way to the trailer park. He knew he wouldn’t be able to wake everyone before they got there if he was doing it by himself. He shouted to the other Serpents to start banging on doors, knocking until they opened up and groggy snakes appeared in the doorway, scratching their heads and yawning, blissfully unaware of what was about to happen.

“They’re coming,” FP announced, his voice full of disgust as he began to pace around. “The Northsiders are coming for Fangs, and they’re coming here to our homes to get him. Now we all swore an oath to look after our own and to stand together- obviously we are going to fight to protect you and everything that you all have, but if you want to come out here and stand by our sides, it would be an honour to show these Northsiders off of our property with you all.”

By now the Serpents could hear the hum of the mob in the distance and they were beginning to become antsy. They didn’t know what their Northside rivals were hoping to achieve by coming to their front doorstep, but things were not going to end well if they overstayed their welcome.

As the other Serpents were mentally preparing themselves for the worst-case scenario of an all-out war, Fangs was beginning to panic. All of this was because he’d got himself caught up with Midge, and now the entire town was coming for him. He wanted to defend himself, but he knew one wrong move would incriminate him even more. Everything he did from this point on had to be done with the upmost precision and thought behind it.

The Serpents slithered to the boundary of Sunnyside as the mob approached, Bulldogs leading the pack in their letterman armour, Reggie Mantle taking pride of place at the head of the group with a nasty scowl on his face.

“What do you want boys?” FP called out as the group stopped a few feet from them, chests puffed out with a look of danger dancing across their faces. He wanted to defuse the situation and move them on without an issue, but he knew that if the other Serpents could sense blood in the water, they would strike.

“We want him,” Reggie spat back, his eyes narrowing on Fangs who was stood towards the back of the pack, hoping not to be seen.

“No can do, boy’s innocent. That’s not up for negotiation. Now go home to your parents before I have to call them to come and collect you.”

“He killed my girlfriend,” Moose sneered, using anger to cover how utterly broken he was by the situation. Midge was the single best thing that had happened to him, and in a few short days he would be burying her. The pair were the ‘it’ couple of Riverdale and it had all been snatched from him in one fell swoop. Inside he was reeling, but outside he looked like a bull ready to charge at a red flag.

“Moose, I know Midge is gone and I can’t begin to think about how you’re feeling, but do you really think she’d want to see you doing this when no one’s even been charged?” Jughead chimed in, stepping forward to try and reason with the boy who he could clearly see was struggling. He knew that deep down Moose was only here because Reggie told him that it would make him feel better, not because it was the right thing to do.

“Get her name out of your mouth, snake,” Reggie bit back, taking a step towards Jughead as his brows furrowed in anger and his hands balled into fists.

“Shut the hell up Mantle and take a step back,” Sweet Pea ordered firmly, putting an instinctive protective arm in front of Jughead as he internally begged Reggie to give him an excuse to break in his new brass knuckles with the Bulldog’s jaw. Sweet Pea had never seen eye to eye with Jughead. The son of FP Jones had swanned in and assumed a position of importance without even proving himself and that irked the inky teen, but he knew better than to let personal issues rear their head in a situation where they had to act like a pack.

“Or what?” Reggie spat back, shrugging and looking towards his Bulldog companions in solidarity.

“Or I’ll put you down, mutt,” Sweet Pea had a razor sharp and calculated voice, his eyes narrowing as he clenched and unclenched his fists. He finally stood at full height, looking down his nose at the group of hostile Northsiders with a grimace of disgust.

Reggie’s face contorted into a something grotesquely furious and he almost threw the first punch, instead barely holding himself back. He wanted the Serpents to make the first move so that he could justify his actions as self-defence. He’d spent far too many nights talking to Sheriff Keller about his behaviour and had finally worked out that if he provoked them into fighting, he might get let off with a caution and no phone call home to his parents.

But it was Moose Mason who made the first move, charging into a teenage Serpent fist first. He wondered if fighting would help him to feel anything other than empty and like a part of him had died with Midge on that stage.

The two sides clashed together almost instantaneously after that. Sweet Pea wound his arm back and swung with all his might, barely catching Reggie’s left cheek as the Bulldog jerked his head back, just out of the way of the brass-clad fist. Sweet Pea may have had strength on his side, but Reggie was quicker and nimbler. Reggie pounded at Sweet Pea’s stomach, winding him, before a junior Serpent charged at him and knocked him into the dirt of the inroad into Sunnyside. Sweet Pea gave his junior a quick nod of thanks before embedding the steel toe cap of his boot as hard into Reggie’s stomach as he could, eliciting a choked groan from him as his body shunted at the impact.

Jughead got himself between Moose and a Serpent, grabbing the torn-up Bulldog by the scruff of his collar to try and reason with him. Moose grimaced at Jughead, pushing him off of him with all of his frustration-brooding strength. The beanie wearing teen stumbled back, barely stopping himself from falling into the dirt.

As he managed to recover from the shove, a Bulldog he recognised as Huxley approached him, wringing his fists ready to fight. Jughead backed up, trying to persuade him that this wasn’t a good idea and soon he found himself in a corner with nowhere to go.

“I’ve always wanted to do this,” Huxley started, taking a step towards Jughead and closing the space as he cracked his knuckles, his voice and face equally menacing. “But you’ve always had someone to protect you. Not now though, and I’m gonna enjoy this.”

As Huxley wound his arm back, a pristine blade came against his throat and a petite arm wrapped around the top of his head, holding him still as burgundy nails dug into the skin of his forehead and yanked his head back, exposing the soft flesh of his neck. Relief washed over Jughead has he saw his sister Jubilee pressing her switch blade harder against the fullback’s throat with a look of danger in her eyes, daring him to move even an inch.

“You get the fuck out of here, now,” Jubilee murmured harshly into his ear, eliciting a panicked nod from the football player. “If I ever see you here, or near Jughead again, you won’t be walking away next time. Am I understood?”

Huxley frantically shouted yes, his voice a panicked beg, and reluctantly Jubilee let him go, pushing him out of the trailer park as she clenched her grip on her knife a little tighter. She and Jughead exchanged a brief look of thanks, no time to stop and talk. Had Jubilee not been there, Jughead wasn’t sure how he would have ended up, but he knew it wouldn’t have been pretty. 

The pair scanned the chaos in front of them, seeing Serpents old and young fighting Northsiders, some of whom they knew and some they didn’t. Jughead ran towards the Serpents who he could see were hurt, ready to help get them away from the clash and towards the first aid trailers, and Jubilee went fist first into a group of women who she knew her fellow male Serpents wouldn’t fight with, ready to give them a reason to never come back to the Southside.

Fangs couldn’t believe what was happening. It was as if in the blink of an eye, hell had descended upon him. Around him, Serpents and protesters alike were hobbling away with broken noses, blood pouring from their faces. Some had been so badly winded that they couldn’t move or had slashed and bruised. Others were still going, including Sweet Pea, who Fangs couldn’t take his eyes off of. Sweet Pea was tearing through Bulldogs and Northsiders like there was no tomorrow, having finished with Reggie Mantle. He was throwing fists wildly, daring anyone to challenge him. The giant Serpent looked like a wreck. His fists were covered in a mixture of Northsider blood and his own from where the brass knuckles had cut him from the force of his own fists, and he was already sporting matching black eyes.

“Fangs!” FP shouted, bloodied and bruised as he took a punch to the gut from an older protester. “Go, hide!”

Fangs turned on his feet and ran deep into Sunnyside through the fighters and towards his own trailer. Out of the corner of his eye he saw Hot Dog cowering next to an armchair, sounds of terrified whining coming from him, and another pang of guilt flooded his body. He stopped in his tracks and whistled for the shaggy dog, willing him to come to him so that he could get him out of this battle zone before he got hurt.

To the left of Hot Dog, he spotted Kevin stood idly watching the interaction as he grasped a golf club, not really sure what do with himself. Fangs shot him a pleading look, hoping that he wouldn’t rat him out to the others he’d come with. Kevin contemplated his position momentarily before turning his head away, acting as if he’d never seen the wanted Serpent. Fangs picked up the terrified dog who was now at his feet, carrying on his frantic run towards his trailer. 

Once inside he locked the front door, putting Hot Dog under his bed and shutting his bedroom door as he sank to the floor in his living room with his head between his hands, exhaling shaky breaths, waiting for the fight to end. His head was spinning wildly, bones rattling and his chest felt impossibly tight, like his ribs were going to break any second. He was on the cusp of a panic attack, but he was trying with all his strength to keep it together for a little longer.

It wasn’t long before a violent banging started at the door. Someone must have seen him.

“Get out here Vixen killer!” A battered Reggie Mantle spluttered, only just recovering from being winded by the toe of Sweet Pea’s boot. “Either you get out here or I come in. You’ve got 10 seconds!”

Fangs began to panic, looking frantically for something to protect Hot Dog and himself with. But before he could find anything a brick crashed through his trailer window, shattered glass flying everywhere, nicking at his skin as he tried to shield his eyes. For a moment, he was thankful he’d shut the door and that Hot Dog was okay, but the relief he felt didn’t last long when he saw the end of Kevin’s 7-iron being used by Reggie to bash out the remaining glass so that he could get into the trailer through the window.

This it is, Fangs thought. He said a silent prayer for his Mum, hoping that after whatever was about to happen to him, she would be okay. He hoped the Serpents would look after her and that she’d have a good life. He hoped he’d been everything she’d wished for in a son and that he didn’t let her down. He hoped that even if he died at the hands of the Bulldogs right now, that she knew he was innocent.

His prayers were interrupted by a sound of salvation, the shrill siren of the Sheriff’s cruiser. A single warning gunshot rang out silencing the crowds and halting the fighting.

“Disperse!” Tom Keller shouted, causing most of the protesters to retreat away from the trailer park, a few lagging behind due to their injuries. Reggie quickly ducked away from the trailer, staggering back towards the Northside, hoping to not get caught by Tom or his own parents.

After a few moments, Fangs cautiously unlocked the door, cracking it and peaking his head out to see that the only people left were Serpents and the Kellers. He left Hot Dog in his room, not wanting him to cut his paws on the glass and went outside to see the damage. Fences had been kicked down, there was broken glass everywhere, the trailer park looked unrecognisable and most importantly it was littered with Serpents who were nursing injuries ranging from bruises and minor cuts, all the way to fractured eye sockets and major gashes.  

“Tom,” FP sighed with relief, slapping his old friend on the back. “Didn’t you resign?”

The older Keller let out a hoarse laugh, running a hand through his hair. “I did, but I haven’t given back the cruiser yet. But I’m glad I didn’t because it looks like you guys needed some help over here and I didn’t see anyone else coming to give you that help.”

There was a low chorus of ‘thank you’s from the Serpents, old and young, who were all thankful that the night’s debacle was over. Generally, the Serpents didn’t like fighting, but they would if they needed to defend themselves and their honour. Tonight’s riot night fight, however, had been the worst fight many of the Serpents had ever taken part in, and they, for once, were thankful to hear the wail of the cruiser.

----

The next morning the Serpents were up, cleaning the mess from last night.

Sweet Pea was sporting two black eyes and matching bruised knuckles with deep, bandaged cuts, his ribs sore from Reggie’s punches to the gut, painted with bruises varying in colour. Jughead had escaped unscathed thanks to Jubilee, however his father wasn’t so lucky as FP wore a badly split and swollen lip, two black eyes and a scratch across his face with pride.

When Toni and Maria arrived back at the trailer park, they both felt thankful that Fangs had insisted on sending them away for the night. The state of the trailer park and of the Serpents themselves told them exactly how bad thing had gotten and it was worse than either of them could have imagined.

Maria had been inside cleaning up the glass from her smashed window when the familiar uniformed devil stepped into the trailer park, his eyes narrowing on Fangs as a smug smirk enveloped his face. He had him, finally.

“Fangs Fogarty,” Sheriff Minetta started, pulling his handcuffs from his belt upon his approach. “You’re under arrest for the murder of Midge Klump. You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law. You have the right to speak to an attorney, and to have an attorney present during any questioning. If you cannot afford a lawyer, one will be provided for you at government expense.”

#It's finally here - enjoy! #fangs fogarty #fangs fogarty fic #riverdale #riverdale fic #midge klump #fangs fogarty x midge klump #fangs fogarty imagine #drew ray tanner #fangs fogarty x oc #robin allard #ITPOJ #in the pursuit of justice #riverdale OC

[cooper-r-r-jones]

CC wrap up 2019

Thursday: I woke up bright and early hoping to get into Hall H (stupid me, you can never get in unless you camp over night).  So Stood in line for the exhibit hall and bought a bunch of junk (will post pics later).  Down side I was walking to Sea Port Village (small shops and restaurants), it’s about 10 minutes away and one of the places I usually go to was closed.  Permanently >_< had lunch, rested for a bit and then went back to the exhibit floor and bought more junk.

Friday: Early once again and managed to get into Ballroom 20.  First panel was Syfy’s it came from the 90′s, there was some nostalgia but most of the things they had were shows I’ve never heard of or watched.  Then again I was a kid in the 90′s and mostly watched cartoons.  Got stuck watching Veronica Mars Revival, tried to keep an open mind but it’s not my cup of tea.  Finally got to see what I wanted to afterward, Steven Universe.

We got to see a new trailer and hear a new song from the movie, sung by Estelle.  I think the most interesting question was since Pearl knew Rose’s identity, why doesn’t Sardonyx? Rebecca Sugar said it’s like a relationship between parents and children.  Where you have Garnet and Pearl as ‘parents’ and Sardonyx is a ‘child’ and Sardonyx only knows what she is told.  Since Pearl never said a thing about Rose, therefore Sardonyx would not know about Rose.  The other question I liked was someone asked how the cast feel about ships and do they like them.  Michaela Dietz answered she liked Onion’s dad’s ship XD

Once it was done I ventured out for food, yet another mistake.  I went to the mall nearby (also a 10 minute walk in another direction).  No one bothered to tell me 90% of the mall had it’s business closed which included the food court.  Left the mall and tried to go to the sushi place the year before, there was a sign in the window saying it was closed permanently >_<  Found a burger place and inhaled it.

Sat in one of the rooms waiting for Roosterteeth.  First on I saw went over the horror genre in comics, I don’t care much for horror but it was very intriguing to listen to.  Got stuck with a comedy show by Fred Savage (I didn’t think it was funny) and a new show called neXt which is about a super computer trying to take over everything (I didn’t care for it).  Then Roosterteeth showed up (hooray!), we got to see Adam Kovic’s new show which looked like a bunch of silly shorts.  A clip from RWBY, it was a fight scene but it wasn’t complete yet, you could still see what needs to be animated.  It was pretty cool.  Saw a trailer for Achievement Haunter season 2 and the bury Gavin alive.  I was cringing the whole time.

Saturday: Last time I woke up really early and dear god it was taking it’s toll!  I stayed in room 6bcf all day cause there were a lot of panels I wanted to see.  First off was a new series on netflix called Seis Manos which is about these martial artists in Mexico, there seems to be a super natural twist to it was well.  It stars Mike Colter, Jonny Cruz, Angélica Vale, Vic Chao, and Danny Trejo.  Looks promising!

Saw Quick Draw which was always funny, cartoonists such as Sergio Aragonas, Scott Shaw and Floyd Norman are given prompts and they draw them.  Scott Shaw told a story once he drew himself as well poop.  One of his lesser known creations, he put peanut butter all over himself at one Comic Con and walked around like that.  He went back to his hotel and cleaned himself.  A week later the plumbing in every room exploded with peanut butter.  Ew!

Cartoon voices came immediately after, which had Marieve Herington, Adam McArthur, Laraine Newman, Lex Lang, Eric Lopez, and Fred Tatasciore.  They did a cold read of Repunzel and were free to ad lib what they wanted to say.  I wish I could’ve recorded it, my sides were splitting by the time they were done.

Saw Sesame Street for it’s 50th anniversary and the cast of Critical Role.  Beging to wonder if I should start the series, but I have no idea on where to start.  What I really wanted to see was Hideo Kojima, he did not disappoint.  And as usual kept a number of things in mystery.  We got introduced to Nicolas Winding Refn who will also be in Death Stranding.  He was in the clip we saw, the guy has a device on his heart and technically he’s dead.  The device starts his heart and he lives in 21 minute increments.  For the 3 minutes he’s dead he’s looking for his family on the other side.  It was awesome!

Last panel of the day was What We Do In The Shadows, we saw the episode with the vampire council.  When it was done the cast came out along with the creators Jemaine Clement and Taika Waititi.  They were all very funny, although I do feel bad for Matt Berry since now every time he goes to work and someone see’s him, they yell, ‘bat!’.  The moderator was going to as Kayvan Novak if that was his real hair or a wig, it was his real hair.  He says in Nandor’s voice “Yes and I have Guillermo comb it for me”.  I was dying.

Sunday: Nothing really exciting, just last minute things to buy if I didn’t get them on Thursday.  Went home and passed out!

#but over all i had fun #comic con 2019 #sdcc2019 #me #my life #long post #will post pics later #it's been a lazy week #and hot

[wolfie-dragon-rider]

Big Hero 6: Baymax Returns, review

The new tv show based on Big Hero 6 began airing just now, and I watched the opening movie, Baymax Returns. It made me feel a lot of things, so I figured I’d write them down! I’ll split this into two parts. First part, below the cut, will be spoiler-free, while below the cut I’ll go into a bit more detail about the plot and characters and what I thought of it.

Before I started watching, I was very worried it was going to be a goofy silly ‘childish’ show that had forgotten what made the original movie so great. I had this problem with Race To The Edge, from How to Train your Dragon, for example. But I’m glad to say it really hasn’t. It keeps the focus on science and technology, and how they can help and hurt people. It’s about grief, but also about moving on. It’s about inclusion and being nerdy and how that can be freaking awesome.

Animation-wise, it’s very good. I’ll be honest, I’d would have loved to see BH6′s beautfully rendered San Fransokyo return, with its bright neon lights and dark alleys, the floating wind turbines providing power for the high-tech electric trains below. The 2D handdrawn animation has its drawbacks compared to the original 3D. Characters have little depth, look kind of cardboard-cutout-y, and the colors are awkwardly shaded with very clear transitions between light and shadow.

However, this style has its own charm. It has a lot of tiny details, with all kinds of writing on screens and machines drawn to the tiniest gear. It keeps San Fransokyo’s neon lights and dark corners, and the minimalistic style easily draws the eye to what is important. Another thing to note is that each main character has a very distinct silhouette, making it easy to identify each character at a glance, even if they’re far away or there’s a lot of action going on:

Character-wise, it stays truthful to the movie. Fred had a little too much focus in the first episode, and came off as annoying (more on that below the cut), while GoGo didn’t say much. A new character, Professor Granville, is an interesting addition with lots of room for backstory and growth. Her being a female African-American dean continues BH6′s inclusive and diverse message that anyone can be smart and nerdy, not just white boys.

One thing I didn’t really like where some of the new voices, particularly for Wasabi. He came across as kind of hammy at times, whiny at others, but it wasn’t too bad.

It has a lot of great comedy, particularly visually. I don’t want to be too spoilery, but the background event when Big Hero 6 decides this superhero thing might not work out well, after their first patrol, made me laugh for two minutes straight. It was brilliantly done, slapstick without being idiotic or too cheesy. Baymax’s dry understatements makes for more funny, yet also heartwarming, moments. There were a few jokes I kind of groaned at, mostly because they dragged on for a little too long, but overall the comedy is good. It’s obviously not dumbed down to appeal only to little kids, instead it assumes the kids are smart enough to grasp the slightly more complex jokes.

Some foreshadowing was kind of blatant and obvious, but often used for comedic effect. The writers are very aware of how their audience will perceive it.

Some of the trailers made me worry the villains in particular would be too cartoony and silly, like the themed villains from Batman, but so far that hasn’t happened yet. The villain in the first episode is genuinely scary, and there are hints of a greater evil still.

I’ll now go into a little more detail on the plot below the cut, but if you haven’t watched it yet, I’d definitely recommend it. It’s funny, cutely drawn, and overall just... smart.

SPOILERS AHEAD:

The episode starts out really well, with a short clip of Tadashi, making us remember him and what he meant to Hiro. The slow pace of the first 10 minutes or so reiterate the message of the movie: That it’s okay to grief, and that mourning and moving on takes time. Hiro is clearly not yet over Tadashi’s death, and he’s not expected to be. The rest of the team is supportive, letting him have his space when he finds Tadashi’s lab.

This entire first section is really just a reiteration of the end of the movie, where Hiro finds the chip and rebuilds Baymax, but it doesn’t feel boring. It adds detail, substance, humor, it lets Hiro adjust to ‘nerd school’, especially nerd school without his brother.

This part also introduces us to Professor Granville, the new dean, and the one in charge of the Robotics Institute, apparently taking the role Callaghan left behind. On that note, I wish we could have seen a little more of Callaghan or Abigail other than the one line in the opening where he’s said to be in jail. Perhaps in future episodes.

Professor Granville is well-written and, unusual for a kids show, is actually a responsible and caring adult figure. She doesn’t mince words, and can come across as harsh, but she clearly cares about Hiro, and doesn’t want him to waste his talents. She lets him mourn Tadashi, but also reminds him that he can’t wallow in guilt all the time.

Aunt Cass didn’t get much screentime, but she was funny and awesome in the few scenes we had. The fish scenes on the train were pretty funny, if slightly cheesy.

After this introduction where Hiro starts rebuilding Baymax, we get a sequence where Fred is trying to get the superhero team back. I found this a pretty weak part. Fred’s enthusiasm was clearly meant to be funny, but to me it came across as sad and a little pathetic. Doesn’t he have anything else to do? Doesn’t he get that his friends clearly don’t want this? Especially his pestering of Hiro seemed pretty mean and bordered on bullying behavior at times.

Yama threatening to kill people was a pretty big mood whiplash, but I liked that the show isn’t afraid to get dark and gritty. Baymax’s suit running away was a plausible reason for Hiro to meet Yama again. Yama made a good villain, he’s genuinely intimidating and a clear danger.

The sequence where Hiro and Fred tried to scan Granville’s chip was kind of groan inducing from Fred’s incompetence. I hope he’ll become more than just the team’s permanent goofball.

I laughed really hard when Hiro broke out of Yama’s jail and got captured immediately, the scene reinforced very well that they’re not gonna win on brawn. The fight sequence with Big Hero 6 dropping in was fast-paced and overall well done, though the enemies didn’t feel like too much of a challenge.

The second episode was also really well done, the lack of introduction allowing it to set up a bigger plot with the robot army. I really liked the scene where Hiro and Baymax try to sneak into Yama’s army at SFIT, and their discovery was well done, showing that the healthcare chip still overrides the superhero chip.

The statue being a sort of supercharger was an interesting twist, though I feel more could have been done with it. Perhaps we’ll see it again later.

The train sequence I really liked, best action scene in the episode probably, showing off each part of the team, while putting Hiro and Baymax in genuine danger. I would have liked to see a bit more aftermath. What happened to Yama exactly? How did Aunt Cass react to the broken train, and how did she get home? Does she realize Hiro is in Big Hero 6? What does the city and the news think of all this? I would have liked to see more on that.

I did like the final scene with Granville, with Hiro becoming more confident and deciding he’s gonna find his own path, not just blindly follow Tadashi’s. Granville is, again, supportive, and offers him Tadashi’s lab, though refuses his hug. It’s a budding mentor-student relationship with great potential.

Overall I liked the characters and plot, not too cheesy and cartoony, while staying true to the themes and messages of the movie. So yeah, I’ll definitely watch the rest of the show when it comes out!

If you have any thoughts, let me know!

#big hero 6 #baymax returns #review #hiro hamada #professor granville

[chepsi]

#txt #you REALLY don't have to and shouldn't read this it's mostly for my own reference and i love to talk so #it's really really long and incoherent don't read it #it's 3 am

[gjgriff736]

Well, folks.  My week back at it has been unbelievably busy.  I went to New York Comic Con and attended book launches for Saeed Jones and Zadie Smith.  I’m tired!  This is gonna be a long one, so stick with me.  Okay, let’s get to it.

NEW YORK COMIC CON

So this year, I went to New York Comic Con no longer a newbie.  I went with the focus of someone who knew how things work.  Was it perfect?  Of course not.  But did I have fun?  I absolutely did.

Instead of killing myself to try and make every single panel, talk and event, I strategically chose what I would do.  I mean, I have a regular job so I had to take that into consideration (Note to Self:  TAKE THE WEDNESDAY BEFORE NYCC OFF!).  So I skipped Thursday and Friday and just made sure to show up on Saturday and Sunday.

Saturday was a day of panels, which meant I basically stayed inside the Hulu Theatre at Madison Square Garden all day.  I attended panels for The Walking Dead, where Danai Gurira (Michonne) talked about her last season with the show, and we all learned that Lauren Cohan (Maggie) would be making her return.  Cailey Fleming, who plays Judith Grimes, came to her first NYCC and she handled the crowds like a pro.

I had a break until the next panel, so I made my way to Johnnie Walker’s pop-up for the brand’s Game of Thrones-inspired whiskey tasting.  At one of New York City’s art galleries, I was able to taste A Song of Ice, which was smooth and tasted great in a mixed drink I tried called Queen in the North, and A Song of Fire, a spicy and stronger version.  Guests sampled both whiskeys, struck a pose in the photo booth (including yours truly) and interacted with each other.  It was a lot of fun.

Afterwards, I headed back to the Hulu Theatre for the Castle Rock panel.  Attendees were treated to the Season 2 premiere episode and it was BANANAS!!  Season 1 already had me on edge, but Season 2 is going to be absolutely crazy.  The audience was not ready for what happened in the episode and neither will the rest of you.  Lizzy Caplan as Annie Wilkes is a dream!  Get ready for her take on an iconic character when the show airs on October 23.

Once the screening was over, the cast took to the stage for a lively discussion about the season, even though they couldn’t say too much without spoiling anything.  I was fine with that because I want to be surprised.  I’m pretty sure I’m going to be more than surprised when I watch.

Once the Castle Rock panel was over, it was time to prepare for Outlander, a show and book series I adore.  I’ve been to three screenings/panels for the show so far (twice at NYCC) and it’s ALWAYS a great time.

One of the things that happens between panels is what I call the Seat Shuffle.  Hulu Theatre is not cleared out after each panel, so attendees who stick around for the next one have the chance to move to a better seat, if they can.  I already had a pretty good seat for Castle Rock, but I moved anyway.  I found an even better seat closer to the stage and sat with some die-hard fans of the show.  We talked, laughed and sang songs during a contest we could have easily won had we jumped on stage to participate (if you don’t know the words to the Saved By The Bell theme song, I don’t want to know you).

As always, the Outlander panel was so much fun.  The cast was so funny and very gracious to the fans.  David Berry, who plays fine ass Lord John Grey was especially charming and I was psyched to see Duncan Lacroix, who plays Murtagh, on the stage.  One of the funniest things during the panel was hearing the cast say lines from the show in a New York accent.  Caitriona Balfe won that challenge easily when she delivered her lines sounding like she grew up in the Boogie Down Bronx.

Since Season 5 was still being filmed, there was no screening of the premiere episode, but fans did get to see the new trailer for the season.  As always, Claire and Jamie have to deal with some mess, but they deal with that mess together and still very much in love.

And finally, I watched the Season 10 premiere of The Walking Dead.  The gang is in full-on training mode after the Whisperers massacre, Carol and King Ezekiel are still broken up (dammit), Michonne is still kicking walker ass and this season looks like we’re gonna see an Alpha/Carol showdown.

Sunday was not as busy, but I did attend a couple of cool book panels.  The highlight of my day was meeting and taking a picture with author N.K. Jemisin, and folks, I was a damn geek.  I am normally very cool when I meet celebrities or authors but for some reason, I geeked out when I met Nora (yes, that’s how she introduced herself to me so that’s what I get to call her now).  But she was incredibly gracious and handled my spazzing like a champ.  After that, I walked around so I could take pics of all the cosplayers.  As always, attendees went above and beyond.  See all of my pics from NYCC below.

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SAEED JONES

The next evening, I had the pleasure of attending the book launch for Saeed Jones’s new memoir, How We Fight For Our Lives.  The launch was held at BAM Fisher in Brooklyn.  The event began with a reading by a young student named Jada Wilkinson, a senior in high school chosen to read her work.  This young queen read her poem, “Removal,” which was powerful and moving.  With her amazing blue hair, strong voice and beautiful smile, Ms. Wilkinson had our attention and received a rousing round of applause when she was done.  I hope to feature her one day on this blog, and I made sure to meet her (and her mother) to tell her so.

After the reading, Mr. Jones came running out to give Ms. Wilkinson a giant hug and to congratulate her on the poem.  He then read from the poem at the beginning of his book called “Elegy with Grown Folks’ Music” and then part of the first chapter.  I loved the poem because it perfectly captures how kids feel the first time they realize that their parents were other people before they were parents.

After his reading, Mr. Jones was joined on stage by playwright extraordinaire Lynn Nottage.  The two of them together made for a truly wonderful talk, both providing the audience with the kind of engagement you hope to have when you attend a book event.  Mr. Jones is gregarious and witty, with a personality that makes you want to be friends with him immediately.  Ms. Nottage provided the soothing but also empowering side, drawing the audience into her own experiences and how she reacted to the book.  This talk was something special, and I’m always grateful to be able to attend these events.  See pics below.

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ZADIE SMITH

People, this was the talk I had been waiting for.  I have been a fan of Zadie Smith’s since I read her debut novel, White Teeth in college.  I’ve read just about all of her books and essays (I still need to read Autograph Man) and I was lucky enough to see her at BAM’s annual event “Eat, Drink & Be Literary.”  But this time, I would get to see her up close and personal.  She did not disappoint.

Held at the Barnes & Noble Union Square location, fans listened to Ms. Smith read from her new collection of short stories, Grand Union.  Her voice is made for reading and I was soon in her thrall (yes, I know that sounds dramatic).  Once she was done, Ms. Smith and The New Yorker‘s Vince Cunningham engaged in a great discussion about the book and what her life is like now that she lives in New York full time.  One of the things Ms. Smith says she enjoys is people watching.  If you’ve never done it, people watching in New York City is a blast.  You will see so many different types of people of all ages, sizes, temperaments, etc.  I love people watching in NYC and often wonder what they’re thinking about as they walk by.  It was nice to know that Ms. Smith enjoys doing that, as well.

After the talk, guests were given the chance to have their books signed.  Before you ask, of course I got my book signed.  And I got to chat with her briefly, as well.  I kept my cool and spoke to her like a normal human being.  She was absolutely lovely.  See the pics below.

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And that was my week!  I had such a great time and I hope the rest of the year proves to be just as full of literary goodness.  Stay tuned.

My Week: Comic Con, Saeed Jones & Zadie Smith Well, folks.  My week back at it has been unbelievably busy.  I went to New York Comic Con and attended book launches for Saeed Jones and Zadie Smith. 

#BAM #BAM Fisher #Barnes &amp; Noble #New York Comic Con #NYCC 2019 #Saeed Jones #Zadie Smith

[piekam-blog1]

Payment Models in the Video Game Industry

***This is a makeup post for my 3rd absence***

Through taking this course, I have learned a lot about consumer culture, but for my makeup assignment I figured I’d look through the lens at consumer culture into something I consume almost daily: video games. I will go through the different ways people consume video games, making some allusions to the readings as well as some autoethnography.

First, a little background. I've found that there are 5 different pay models in today’s video games. The first is the single payment model. That means paying a flat price for a game, and receiving that game permanently. The next method is downloadable content, or DLC. In recent years it has become implied that DLC means paid DLC, which is additional content you can pay for after the game is released. Free-to-play is another popular model among certain genres, but informed gamers must be wary of the pay-to-win structure (or “Freemium”) where the game is free to play, but you have a far greater advantage by investing real cash into the game. There are also games such as the popular “World of Warcraft” which have a subscription model. Various services have taken this road as well, such as online multiplayer features on the Xbox One. Lastly, there is the category of crowdfunded or early access games.

In my experience, there are two types of gamers.

The first is the casual gamer. This person plays the sports games, the popular first person shooters, and whatever else others are playing at the time. I would consider these people similar to the “Industrial Consumer” in the sense that for the vast majority of them, they draw the line at consumption, or the exchange between two parties. They aren’t too concerned with what they as consumers could do to impact the way video games are being marketed, developed, or sold, because to them, it doesn’t really matter.

The other type of consumer is the one who reads reviews, watches new video games as they are announced and demo’d at conferences, and plays enough video games to consider themselves an informed consumer. This person has more than likely faced every type of pay model there is. This person (usually) knows if they’re being duped.

So what is the most concerning to consumers of video games in this day and age? As you could probably tell, most informed gamers would prefer the single payment model of buying a video game. Pay one price, keep it, play it all you want. There is a shift away from this model because of the current standard of internet connectivity. To earn the trust of consumers in the 80′s and 90′s, developers had to make sure that CD they shipped had everything on it, and worked flawlessly. There are many examples of publishing companies fragmenting the final game these days, because you can easily buy the rest and download it via paid DLC. One personal example I have of this is a game called Destiny. A huge concern of the community was that the story had no substance. One line from the script said “I don’t even have time to explain why I don’t have time to explain,” when the main character asks about a seemingly main antagonist of the game. Two or three expansion pack DLCs later (which total to about $60 on top of the original $60 price tag on the base game) and it finally gives a decent story. This is a big way the publishers take advantage of consumers. I found a pretty funny depiction of the general sentiment of informed consumers, seen below:

Gamers’ complaints aside, this is definitely not the case with every game. A lot of gamers will justify the price of games in number of hours played. For certain games, if they’ve sunk hundreds or thousands of hours into it, they will pay for some extra content (mostly in single player games, so extra stories or levels to play). In multiplayer games, it’s a little different. For example, I’ve sunk around 200 hours into a multiplayer game called Rocket League. It was $15 to buy, and it has a variety of cars available to purchase, along with paint jobs, hats, and antenna designs. There are also loot crates which drop more exotic looking items. I’ve probably spent around $30 or $40 on cars and loot crate keys to unlock the crates (crates are more of a random lottery than anything else). Because to me, they had earned my money in the sheer amount of entertainment they provided me with a good game. In order for a game to be well received by the community, paid DLC should be solely cosmetic, and should not affect performance in online play. Which is where another concerning pay model comes into play. Free-to-play can be a solid business model if the consumers are provided with the option to earn in-game the same rewards you can buy outright. But just a simple search on pcgamer.com for “pay to win” shows the major concern with any game that is made free to play.

If a game does free-to-play right, the purchasing of objects outright is actually, in a way, status spending. I remember a game I used to play where you could buy the “shortcut kit” that would immediately unlock all the weapons and accessories. This means that someone with the highest level weapons either a.) played a lot and is level 50, and is good because of their experience or b.) bought the shortcut kit and may be brand new to the game, but could be seen as good because they have the status of owning all the guns.

A final big no-no in today’s gaming community is the Early Access/Kickstarter/General hype train nonsense. I lump in hype with early access and Kickstarter because the general notion is that the consumer pays before receiving the game. For this we must visit Diderot’s lesson on stopping the upward creep of desire. Firstly, controlling desire is a key aspect to avoiding getting burned by a failed product. Many publishers up their graphics settings on pre-rendered trailers and teasers - making the game appear beautiful and polished. A well directed trailer for a new video game gets everyone excited about it, but we must always be skeptical about the final product, and put our expectations in check. Putting emphasis on durability is valid too, in order to not need another game maybe you buy the one that you will get the most playtime out of. For me that has been Rocket League, my buying habits have significantly slowed when I found a game I received lasting value from. The games that informed consumers know do not have lasting power are any Call of Duty’s, Battlefields, etc. that are released yearly. The available multiplayer base quickly dies out upon the release of another game, and in order to keep playing, you have to follow the spending habits of everyone else (buying the latest and greatest, kind of like keeping up with the Joneses). But the biggest factor in consumer pull on the game industry has to be Diderot’s 5th point, being an educated consumer. Don’t buy into the hype, even if you have trust or confidence in the people who are doing the Kickstarter, even if you see no possible way something could go wrong. Reviews come out days before a game is launched, and it is important to use resources readily available (YouTube, various review sites on the internet) to see if it is a game you really want to buy.

https://benwebber94.wordpress.com/2014/02/12/the-5-different-payment-models-for-video-games/

www.pcgamer.com

http://www.msn.com/en-us/money/other/with-netflix-like-service-could-video-games-go-the-way-of-blu-rays/ar-BBAOBZU

http://www.newstatesman.com/culture/2015/02/should-videogames-let-you-pay-win