new finn website

well folks, from now on, please check out the finn comic strip line at the new website www.finncomics.com. see you all there!

- johnny nguyen

deep trench

wow, finn has been going thru some rough times (as some of you commented to me!). well, this week we finally see finn start to make progress in moving on. and as some of you know, moving on is no easy feat. perhaps if finn had gone in a bit more guarded, he wouldn't have recover from such a deep emotional trench. but then again, in order to have that truly deep relationship, don't you need to let down all your guard, leaving yourelf exposed?

i think i'm getting kinda comfortable with the panels within panels look. just seems to keep to have more action than the breaks in the panels. what do you think?

-johnny
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do something

so, our character finn is still struggling with his recent breakup. and although we each prob deal with it differently, it's probably a proven fact that with time, things get easier. whether that's chilling on the couch watching a friend's marathon with ross and rachel or spending time in the gym working muscles suffering from atrophy, the progression of time seems to having a numbing effect on the memories.

and don't worry, we'll see finn moving on starting next week! enough of this sad sad stuff!

- johnny
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self inflicted

why do we like to torture ourselves? i mean, here we are just suffering through a heart wrenching breakup - and we do things to remind ourselves of how awful we feel! there's prob some sort of psychological diagnosis for that type of behavior and maybe it's therapeutic, but somebody needs to snap him/her out of it. true it hurts, but there's just so much to do in life, like maybe get a playstation 3 and play the hell out of it!

hope you like the dance moves!

- johnny
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reminders everywhere

what's harder than going thru a breakup? well, in the moment, prob nothing much. and undoubtedly, almost everything is a reminder to the way things were. but i'd venture to say teh best way to deal with it is to simplystay busy and let time do its thing. and hopefully, we'll realize things happen for a reason and we're better off for them.

ahhh, the animated tv. gives it more life don't you think?

- johnny
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It's a Wash

Hey guys! I know I've been away for while. And I'm sorry to disappoint my fans...all 3 of them. I kind of fell off the comic strip wagon. But I'm back baby!

This week's strip deals with a topic I'm definitely familiar with: washing the car. And by that I mean FINALLY washing the car. So, our guy Riley is finally getting around to it. What's the occasion? You have to read on my friends!

-Kevin

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emotional impact

breaking up is never fun. and everything about it is so much about perspective. maybe she's not getting enough time. maybe he feels like he's not being appreciated. maybe she doesn't like comic books. maybe she wants 10 kids. they're all valid excuses and the bottom line is that needs and expectations just aren't being met.

hmm, not sure how well i succeeded in drumming up more emotional impact with that darker panel. hopefully you can feel the empathy towards finn.

- johnny
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tecchnology!

ahh, how technology infiltrates every part of our lives. and when it comes to relationships, has technology helped or hindered? with so many ways now to communicate and meet people, such as online dating services (match, eharmony, plentyoffish, etc.), have we just become lazy with what we say? instead of saying one sentence that really means something, maybe we really on 5 text messages, instant messaging, and then a phone call to convey what we mean. i think there's a way to maximize the technology to maximize the message - that whoever you're talking to is special.

in terms of artwork, it's all about perspective!

- johnny nguyen
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IM

with the advent of techonology, there's just a slew of ways to communicate with each one offering just the right amount of personal touch. there's text messaging, which lets you communicate without the time investment. there's instant messaging, which is great for updates and joking (or flirting) but not so great for long, deep conversation, which requires reading of tone. and of course, there's the classic, very personal phone call.

i had the dialogue for this week's strip proofread and the reaction i got was, "ehh. but it's genuine." so, i'm gonna have to amp up my comedic skills but at least i got the sentimental parts down pat.

- johnny
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long distance communication

i was thinking about long distance relationships and how that would affect the communication. maybe because you're further apart, unable to see each other anytime, there's a need to talk more often. just to make sure you two are in sync. whereas if you're living close geographically to each other, you communicate less and depend more on the actual dates. ehh, just a thought.

this week's strip is my second foray into the sunday comics format. taking a cue from calvin and hobbes, bill watterson had strips where there were basically no text. just the images alone were enough to evoke the reaction he desired. well, i cheated a lil.

- johnny
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inner voices

ever get so close to a person you can start hearing their voice inside your head? or maybe you're right next to someone and it's like they're the furthest person away? it's amazing how that dichotomy could exist for the same person, but it's prob what makes it so exciting at the same time. we'll see how finn starts to deal with a long distance relationship.

what do you think about this week's humor? i'll tell you this, as i was discussing the punchline with friends, it gave us a good laugh!

- johnny
(click to blow it up!)

ramifications

oh no, what will happen between finn and elle?! it's a tough question really, will elle take the job offer and move away? if so, does that mean a long distance relationship? how will finn handle all this? usually a relationship will start off as being long distance and evetually one moves close to the other, so it's not that bad. but going from a close relationship to bein further apart? that could hurt.

in today's strip, trying to use a tactic where i intentionally have a large panel with not much going on to depict the passage of time. the reader's eyes will relax, as if to slow down and give the illusion of more time passing. did it work?

- johnny
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Book It

Hey guys! Sorry, I've been away for a while. And by "away" I mean vegetating on the sofa and and totally slacking off. But I'm back with a new strip this week!

Anyway, I recently booked an airline flight for an upcoming vacation. I've got to say that I was surprised by some of the fees. I know times are tough. But geez! The airlines seem to be tacking fees on to everything!

-Kevin
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i'll hear what i want to hear!

assumptions are killer! i've done my share of thinking i know what people are thinking and man, have i been wrong. and the consequences in a romantic relationship could be huge! so, despite what we hear, what we see, sometimes it's best to just simply ask, "hey, what's up?"

this week in artwork, we make small steps, small steps. further use of the eyebrow, playing of the panel layouts and the non-bubble for dialogue. small steps.

- johnny
(click to, well, you know what happens...)

foundation

i found last week's poll results to be pretty interesting. when asked what's the most aspect to a successful relationship, it was almost a tie between love, trust, and communication. surprisingly sharing a common set of belief didn't get any votes. so i guess as a continuation of last week's strip, in order to deal with jealousy in a healthy way, you just gotta have love, trust, and communication as the foundation.

and continuing my inspriration from calvin & hobbes, played some more with the panel layouts. also, i gave in and used eyebrows. it was so hard sometimes to convey emotions correctly but add in two tiny lines for eyebrows and BAM, instant emotion!

- johnny
(click to enlarge)

Picture Perfect

Picture it, Sicily, 1945...Oh never mind. I was whipping out the old Golden Girls reference, but roughly 2 people would get the joke! So, I'll just cut my losses now. haha. Anyway, this week our guy Riley takes a picture of Rob. But what happens next?

-Kevin
(click to enlarge)

no limits

within any relationship, there's always a certain level of jealousy. the key i think is to keep at a healthy level of jealousy, when you know both people are that into each other without limiting any freedoms. and of course, there's got to be a strong foundation of trust.

continuing to draw inspiration from calvin and hobbes, i've layed around with the panel layouts. hopefully it adds to the storytelling.

- johnny
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Shake it Up

I've been enjoying these two or three-strip story arcs. Each time I think I'm getting better at utilizing the sequential stories. The trick is to make it so that the audience can understand the current story without having read the previous one. I think I'm doing a pretty good job of it. Of course, let me know if you think otherwise!

This week's strip continues the story in the sports nutrition store. Our protagonist Riley is still looking at buying a protein shake. But he has a few concerns...

-Kevin
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louder than thots

i've gotten feedback for my strips both way - they're too sappy or they really like the emotional content. this week, we go the way of sappy again. my goal for the Finn comic strips is to make it both humorous and relatable. so, i don't know how many of you do what's stated below, but every so often i get those thoughts in my head and it a question of whether they should truly ever be uttered out loud.

in terms of artwork, i really wanted to portray finn's emotions through body language. so, take away the words, does the first three panels still work with the 4th panel's dialogue?

- johnny
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Way Good Whey Protein

I've started hitting the gym more frequently as of late. And by "more frequently" I mean more than once a week! It seems like I end up lumping all my workout sessions into the weekend though. I should really spread it more evenly over the week. Anyways, I've also been using protein powder as part of my regiment. I've always hesitated in the past, because I wanted to make sure there weren't 't some unsavory ingredients in the mix! Anyways, that's a long-winded way of talking about the inspiration for this week's strip. Hopefully, my creativity and my muscles will continue to grow as one! haha! As always, enjoy!!

-Kevin
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sunday comic

picked up a great book this week, Calvin and Hobbes Sunday Pages 1985-1995: An Exhibition Catalogue by Bill Watterson. unlike most calvin and hobbes collections I’ve seen, this one has the original artwork by bill Watterson on the left page, and the finished, colored published piece on the right page. so, it allows you direct comparison between his black and white, with white out errors, to what he envisioned it to be, colored. it also has his inside comments on every strip!

undoubtedly, it inspired me for this week’s strip, to make it a full sunday strip. mine is inspired by july 5, 1987, a sunday strip depicting calvin as spaceman spiff. little tidbits of info I found interesting, the first row are meant to be throwaways by newspaper publishers. i guess some newspapers reserve the right to throw out that first row of panels and thus, your strip has to work even without that first couple panels. and it used to be (still is?) that there were some panel placements that were required by the publisher. that way they could break up the strip to make it fit the newspaper’s format. bill watterson eventually was able to break this requirement, and hence, we’re lucky enough to have some great storytelling and artwork!

hope you enjoy, Johnny
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How was the Date?

Hey guys. I'm little bit late again on the post this week. Sorry. :( Anyways, I'm continuing a bit a of my Olympic storyline. I promise to be back on track next week! As always, enjoy!

-Kevin

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guy talk

so, what do guys talk about when they're just hanging out? besides comic books, battlestar galactica, superhero movies and other manly things, we also talk about our relationships. it's prob one of the first things we ask, "so, how are things going with your girl?" "she hasn't left you yet?" "you know she's too good for you, right?"

i'm liking the perspective changes and this week's strip was condusive to playing around with the angles. hope you like it.

- johnny
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Fired Up

So, I've been watching a lot of the Olympics over the last 2 weeks. Sadly, it's coming to an end this weekend. But what an awesome display it's been! I've never really been much into swimming, but it's been one of the best part of the Beijing Olympics. If you've been watching it, you understand what I mean. Anyways, I was inspired to write this week's strip (late as it is). Enjoy!

-Kevin
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going to the movies

i absolutely enjoy going to the movies. and usually after the movie, there's the let's-stand-around-and-talk-about-it thing. and that's where you learn how your opinion compares to those of your friends. you find those who are easily pleased and basically like every movie, those who just can't be satisfied, and those who critically analyze them. whichever one you are, hey, i'm just glad you went to the movies!

this week's strip has some new things, such as the overhead perspective and the first panel with kinda no borders.

- johnny
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The Heat is On

This week continues the airplane saga of our hero Riley. Cutbacks at the airline are forcing him to suffer through a hot flight. What awaits him? Read on fans!

This is certainly one of the more enjoyable story arcs I've done. I've a lot of fun with the humor in the last few strips. I hope enjoy it as much as I do!

-Kevin
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tabu

like the great weezy says, the best humor is drawn from real life experiences. and undoubtedly, playing board games always leads to some sort of funny comment or situation!

i had a particularly tough time writing the dialogue for this week's strip. the joke works best with a bit more adult theme but i really want to keep this strip and it's content PG rated. hopefully i didn't cross any lines with this week's strip!

- johnny
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Boarding

I heard recently that an airline (or airlines, I don't remember which ones) was considering removing the in-flight television/movie equipment to reduce weight. Another consequence of rising fuel prices, of course. So, I thought, what else could they cut back on. That led to last week's strip were we discover that Riley's flight will have no air condition! It's all fiction...at least we hope so.

As for art techniques, I've been playing around with adding more background detail. It'll take some more work for me to get it to where I'm satisfied with it. In the mean time, enjoy!

-Kevin

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frustrating day

everybody has frustrating days, when nothing seems to go right. and how do you get over it? well, hopefully there's someone you can turn to to make it just a bit brighter.

couldn't help myself with another agent finn story/artwork. even tried to toss in some black and white effects. enjoy!

-johnny
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Airplane

I think most people enjoy travelling. I certainly like it. I guess it depends on what the occasion is, though. Vacation is always a good time (unless family is involved, ha!). Business travel can be fun too. In any case, the part that's usually roughest is travelling itself. Especially these days, airplane travel can be more and more...interesting.

-Kevin

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rough mission

ever have them days when it just seems like things aren't going your way. it's as if the world has it out for you and just getting through the next hour is going to be hardest, longest thing. and it's during those moments when we retreat back into our minds and take a minute to indulge in our plight. but if you're lucky, you've got people (partner, friends, family) who can help you snap out of it.

this week's strip continues the alter ego of Secret Agent Finn. i'm really enjoying the more detailed art style while retaining a bit of humor. you got any ideas as to what "missions" you want finn to go on?! thanks as always for reading.

- johnny
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First Day

This week, I continue with story arc I started a couple strips back. Riley has come back from his venture into the gym and it was a rough one!

I'm getting more comfortable with the art style. But I still haven't quite perfected it yet. That being said, I made a minor mistake on proportionalities. I guess that's what happens when you rush to complete it!

-Kevin

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good friends pt 2

who would we be without our friends to back us up. but i'm sure, in good humor, they also talk about you when you're not around. and obviously, good friends should be able to say whatever they think about you in front of you too. so, maybe here's a conversation that could happen to finn whether he was there are not. good friends.

hmm, does the character with his back towards the audience do anything for you? i don't think i'm using that technique properly...

- johnny
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Fee for All

It seems like there are fees for EVERYTHING! Concert fees, academic fees, gym membership fees, etc. And that's on TOP of the actual "price." Do you ever wonder what all those fees are really for? Sometimes they tell you what it's for, but it really doesn't tell you anything.

This week's strip continues a story started last week where Riley has decided to get in shape. He joins a gym! Or at least he's trying to...

-Kevin
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introducing the secret agent

i'm not sure about the general populace, but i tend to let my imagination run sometimes. i might envision myself as some sort of secret agent or superhero, or whatever. the point is, well, i guess there's no point. it's just fun and why not.

this week introduces a new art style, a bit more real and detailed. it's supposed to let the audience know they're in a different state of mind. hope you enjoy it!

- johnny
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Out of Shape

Lately, I've been feeling like I've been slacking off in the exercise department. I keep poking my muscles to see if they've gotten flat yet! It's so easy to slack off once you get out of rhythm. Sometimes you just need a friend to motivate you to get back into the gym!


-Kevin

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is it a good gift?

so, how do you know if you gave a good gift? consensus says by noticing how often they use it, or in the case of apparel, how often they wear it. so what happens if you get a crappy gift? well, for girls, they have the option to dress in layers, which means that shirt you gave her just became an undershirt (that no one can see). for a guy, well, we "accidentally" stain our shirts all the time! of course, somewhere in the relationship, honesty becomes the best course of action. :)

this week's strip features the return of the window glare (ooohhhh), and dialogue across panels. hopefully it's easy enough to read. feedback always appreciated!

- johnny
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The Letter

I kind of like these continuing story lines. In previous stories, I felt sort of trapped in trying to keep the story going and then wrapping it up. I think I'm getting a better feel for how to do them.

I'm still rocking the black and white! I may hit up the colors soon again though. In the meantime, enjoy!

-Kevin

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a present

even though we all know being materialistic is not a good thing, i know getting presents feels pretty darn good (even though it's the lowest of my love languages). i also find it a bit interesting what the present is, because it's probably a reflection of what that person thinks of you! (hmm, wait a sec, i always get cologne for christmas!) then again, the art of giving a gift is pretty hard sometimes - what if you don't know the person that well, if they're hard to satisfy, and what's the price range. in the end, if it's heartfelt, you almost can't go wrong.

a bit of an inside joke, finn finally gets the right shirt.

- johnny
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The Follow Up

I'm sure I don't need to tell you that dating isn't easy. "Does she like me?" "Will she return my phone call?" "Is she going to knee me in the groin?" These are questions that a man has to ask. After you meet a potential mate, the kind of follow up that occurs will determine if it's "go" or "no go."

In this strip I use my first thought bubble! Sometimes I forget that I CAN depict internal dialogue. After all, some of the funniest things are internal thoughts.

-Kevin
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direct reflection

i've been to a couple weddings this year already and some other formal events. what i've noticed is that your date is such a direct reflection on you too. so, the question comes, what would your date have to do to really embarrass you in front of all these people?!

this strip works on facial expressions for finn. i like the look of the characters being so simple with just little eyes, but the drawback is that without eyebrows the white of the eyes, it limits the amount of expressions.

- johnny
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Words of wisdom

Every now and then, when I give advice, I find myself repeating familiar things. "Keep thinking positive," "It'll be alright," "Just keep pushing forward..." Then, I have to remind myself to not just dish out the same old phrases over and over! After all, advice should be personal and particular to each situation.

I find that with each strip I get more comfortable with drawing the characters. While there's nothing new and earth shattering in terms of art technique in this strip, hopefully, the improvement in artistic style has become evident over the last few strips. Enjoy!

-Kevin
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friendly feedback

ever look back on how things are going and kinda realize how time got away from you? and before you know it, the things you wanted to do ends up never getting done? priorities is a hard thing to juggle. concentrate too much on one and other people may get neglected. that's why honest feedback is so darn crucial.

this strip i think rounds up the scheduling/priorities story arc. for the past few weeks, i've been trying to explore that issue to i'm not sure how much success. as much as i love story and character development, i'll def have to intermingle some more straight humor. thanks for readin.

- johnny
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car technology

chibar has been a little busy globe trotting and he's asked me to sit in for him this week, posting a comic. but have no fear, he'll be back next week thursday with a brand new strip.

recently i've been astounded by the technology in cars nowadays. now, i've got a relatively recent car i think with some cool gadgets, but apparently, the car industry has taken some leap and bounds. i don't know a thing about engines, but if the car starts responding to your voice and you don't even need a key to start the ignition, that's pretty darn cool.

in terms of artwork, i got trees and a window glare? hey, it's something! hope you enjoy.

- johnny
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appreciate

for me, sometimes life just gets too busy. and after all the prioritizing, it still seems like not enough. but i find that "inadequate" feeling gets swept away so quickly with the simple feeling of being appreciated.

one of my fav strips thus far involves the bedroom scene, and no, not because of the obvious reasons. i really like how the striped sheets and the perspective/angle helps the overall mood.

- johnny
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Taking charge

I don't know about you, but sometimes I feel like the "man" pushes me around at work. Sometimes you just want to stand up for yourself and be assertive. It has to be a balance being assertive while not being belligerent. After all, don't forget they still sign the paychecks!

I'm back to the old BW this week. A little bit of travelling tends get in the way of artistic productivity!

-Kevin

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priorities

i think we all know people who manage their priorities great, and those who manage them poorly. so, what's the key difference? it's a pretty tough thing to handle really, with so many things going on in life, how we prioritize things and people directly affects our happiness. not sure how well it's worked for me, but i make my tough decisions by simply asking myself, what would i regret less. should i stay home and relax, or go out for a night on the town? depends on what i would regret more - not having gone out or missing out on some quiet time at home? try it out, let me know if it works for you.

most of my comics involve basically two characters talking about something, and it's the backdrop i try to spice up, to keep you interested. this week's backdrop is perhaps one of the happiest places on earth. ;)

- johnny
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Crazy People

Once again, this week's strip takes place in the office. I'm continuing from last week's story line. I spend so much (waaayyy too much) time in the office, that I figure I can pull lots of goodies from that setting! The stress, the politics, oh the horror! Hopefully, it's still makes for interesting stories!

Not too much in the way of new techniques this week. I'm still coloring this week. I'll try to stretch my creative legs a little more next time.

-Kevin

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logistics

the logistics of a relationship- from the beginning, to the middle, and sometimes even the reason why they end. when i stop to even think about it, how two grown people can 'mesh' their schedules for the sake of a relationship is quite astounding. hopefully during the mesh, each person gains something from it (new experiences) rather than lose out too much.

hate to say, but nothing too much new in the way of art. i played around some with the perspective, kinda turning the camera as you read it. i had to actually because of the way the dialog played out. let me know if you were able to follow it or if it was confusing what's going on.

- johnny
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The office

If you work in a cubicle environment, then I think you can appreciate this week's strip. I'm sure you know someone who's seriously overworked (maybe it's you). And you probably know someone who surfs the web all day (heck, maybe that's you). I think it makes for some interesting and hopefully funny story lines.

Once again, I make an attempt at coloring the strip. It turned out okay I think. Let me tell you, what a nightmare it was to pick colors! Anyways, enjoy!

-Kevin

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what happened after the date?!

continuing the dating saga of ace, this week's strip talks about a topic we all come to face sooner or later. as for ace, i'm trying to do some character development. he's clearly a ladies man but there's something deeper, where he's actually looking for a meaningful relationship. but it's a conundrum, because the type of women ace brings home might not be the kind that's able to give him that deeper connection.

- johnny
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