#I REALLY LOVE BLUE CATS WITH ISSUES APPARENTLY

[absolutebl]

This Week in BL - We Are Surprised

Organized, in each category, with ones I'm enjoying most at the top.

May 2024 Wk 2

Ongoing Series - Thai

Wandee Godday (Sat YT) ep 2 of 12 - Oh it’s fucking great. It could all go horribly south, of course. But it’s awesome at the moment. Messy gay and one of them is already pining? Got to love it. Including the negotiation.

I’d love a good sex negotiation, it’s almost as good as linguistic negotiation. This show makes me happy. All that said, it’s moving awfully quickly for a 12 episode run. Not sure what’s gonna happen on the backend. 

My Stand-In (Thai Fri iQIYI) ep 3 of 12 eps - I’m still enjoying it but I’m ready for him to die again now. 

We Are (Weds iQIYI) ep 5-6 of 16 - Toey is going after the Namgoong Award for Best Wingman this year, I see. And in exchange, literally all the rest of the friends are going to be his wingmen. It’s adorable. I also like that Phuwin got to be the aggressor for the first kiss. I like that this is mostly just boys flirting, and not really any prescribed seme/uke stuff. In general, I think these last two episodes I improved the show in my regard a lot. But then middles are always GMMTV's strong point, it’s whether they can stick the landing that’s an issue.

Two Worlds (Thurs iQIYI) ep 9 of 10 - Apparently we have the Frodo walking into Mordor episode. Also the sides were cute. In Thailand (like Taiwan) all gangsters are gay, apparently. 

Only Boo! (Sun YouTube) ep 5 of 12 - It’s cute but very cringe and dorky. Silly singing. Terrible pickup lines. Still, that was a ridiculously charming confession.

Ongoing Series - Not Thai

Unknown (Taiwan Tues YouTube & Viki) ep 12fin - Oh so good. Very few shows that feature one-sided long-term pining of this kind can resolve the unevenness of that power dynamic into a more stable and equal footing with such class. We really got to see the object of the desire turn completely around and become equally besotted. An age gap, stepbrothers trope like this one is hard enough but at this length? Very well acted boys! Unknown managed to show the older brother softening in a believable way that’s pretty unusual in narratives of this type.

All in all?

Unknown is a wonderful BL with a pitch perfect portrayal of long term pining, age gap, and the stepbrothers trope. The acting and chemistry are ON POINT (especially from the leads) which made the resulting characters very believable. When it dwells in intimate family drama, it's stunning. It's slightly less successful when it leaves the home and goes gritty. It's few flaws are the result of curtailed length. It could have used more breathing room to deal with side plots, characters, and companion character development. The editing was occasionally choppy and packed with flashbacks that broke the emotional tension. Still, those are mere quibbles. This is an excellent show that I know I'm going to be recommending a lot. 9/10

Finally Taiwan hits another one out of the park.

About.

Damn.

Time.

Blue Boys (Korea Sat YouTube) 4 of ? - Oh it’s so good, and they are so tortured and it’s just charming and I can’t EVEN. I just love it. I love that Korea is giving us this right now. You’re an idiot if you’re not watching this show, it’s truly spectacular.

At 25:00 in Akasaka AKA 25 Ji Akasaka de (Japan Thurs Gaga) ep 4 of 10 - Well well well Japan. I see how you kneed. I enjoyed this episode better than the first two, and I am way into our Bad Boy second lead. I can already feel myself succumbing  to the syndrome. Next week = the obligatory onsen ep! 

Living With Him AKA Kare no Iru Seikatsu (Japan Thurs Gaga) ep 5 of 10 - Omg most adorbs failed linguistic negotiation. 

Boys Be Brave AKA Roommates (Korea Thurs Viki) ep 5-6 of 8 - I love the side couple. It’s a shame we’re finally getting some truly great class conflict and it’s relegated to crumbs.

Love is like a Cat (Korea Mon Viki) eps 11-12fin - Well that was a waste of time. There was no connection (of any kind) between the leads. The language thing was hella weird and likely added to that. The past history of the Korean character was necessary to know from the start, its lack throughout, meant there was no depth to his character. They tried to tackle all the interesting stuff in the final 2 eps. AND they even killed the dog. I never thought I'd type this sentance, but Peach of Time is better.

I don’t know. 5/10 I guess

All in all:

A disappointing lackluster and barely cohesive BL about a jerk Thai actor (speaking Thai) who has to work for a Korean animal rescue cafe as a publicity stunt. It's difficult to believe the leads like each other, let alone fall in love. The acting is stiff, the characters lack motivation and cohesion, and there's not much to recommend this show beyond some pretty visuals. Also, they kill the dog. All in all, a disappointing and unsuccessful joint venture that mostly highlighted that between Thailand and Korea the style of BL, narrative approach, language cadence, and acting techniques all clash.

It's airing but...

Lady Boy Friends (Thai WeTV grey) 16 eps - reminds me a bit too much of Diary of Tootsies only high school. Not my thing. DNF unless it turns a corner and is truly amazing.

You Made My Day (Thai YT) ep 1 of 5 - mini series staring the I Will Knock You couple Tar & Bom, started but I couldn't find it. I also didn't try very hard.

A Balloon's Landing (Taiwan movie) trailer - A frustrated Hong Kong writer, Tian Yu, meets a Taipei street gangster, Xiang (Fandy Fan from HIStory2: Crossing the Line), and the two of them embark on a journey to find the Bay of Vanishing Whales. Along the way, they discover unexpected twists and turns and close bonds, which brings out the message that "there is always someone like you in this world who is waiting for you. This released to cinemas in Taiwan, no word on international release.

Memory in the Letter (Thai WeTV) - it's done, tell me if I should bother?

Fan's Only Corner

Someone asked in a comment (which tumblr promptly ate) about group sleepovers in BLs. It's happened a few times but the only one I can recall being noted and particularly lovely (and VERY college) was in Nitiman. There's also one in Lovesick.

Next Week Looks Like This:

5/16 Blossom Campus (Korea Thurs Gaga & iQIYI) ep 1 of 6 - Strongberry doing classic uni BL! Weeee!

5/19 OMG Vampire (Thai Sun ????) ep 1 of 10 - LeeFrank are back - not unlike the undead (as it were). But how do we feel about it? Unsure given their track record.

Upcoming BLs for 2024 are listed here. This list is not kept updated, so please leave a comment if you know something new or RP with additions.

May Releases

VBL (Taiwan) is releasing 4 'Special Episode' epilogues to their 4 2023 shows every Friday this month on Gagaoolala, Viki & Viu. Not sure on search terms or how to find these. (Or, frankly, if we need them.)

5/10 – You Are Mine

5/17 – VIP Only

5/24 – Stay By My Side

5/31 – Anti Reset

5/25 The Time of Fever AKA Unintentional Love Story 2 (Korea movie) trailer - HoTae & DongHee are back but unfortunately not in a cinema near me. Side couple from Unintentional Love Story, same actors, same character names. I love them. I NEED TO SEE THIS.

5/28 My Biker 2 (Thai movie YT?) - trailer

5/31 The Time of Huannan (Taiwan movie) - May not be BL

THIS WEEK’S BEST MOMENTS

LOVE a smile kiss. Love it. Two killer kisses from PondPhuwin. Elegantly done, boys. Thank you very much.

I love them a lot all of a sudden. (All We Are)

It's hard to give MaxTul a run on their crown as best bodies in BL, but boy these two are giving it their, erm, best. (Wandee Goodday)

(Last week)

Streaming services are listed by how I (usually) watch, which is with a USA based IP, and often offset by a day because time zones are a pain.

The tag BLigade: @doorajar @solitaryandwandering @my-rose-tinted-glasses @babymbbatinygirl @babymbbatinygirl @isisanna-blog @mmastertheone @pickletrip @aliceisathome @urikawa-miyuki @tokillamonger @rocketturtle4 @blglplus @anythinggoesintheshire @everlightly @renafire

If ya wanna be tagged each week leave a comment and I will add you to the template. Easy peesy.

[whoishotteranimepolls]

Poll analysis part 5

This one isn't so much related to fandom behavior. Overall, it's more about how certain characters or apparently where some people draw the line enough to have made a fuss in the comments or my inbox. I find it interesting where the standards are for some people and I mean I just drew the line at no sentient weapons or mechs

And when I say cause a fuss that would mean causing crap in the comments to messaging me asking me to ban characters or entire franchises because they're problematic for various reasons which I will get into. To flat out harassment of me for allowing these characters in my polls and the people who voted for whatever character they have a problem. It's the full spectrum of bad behavior. This is going to get weird

Izutsumi from Dungeon Meshi why is she the only character people are causing crap about for being 17? I have gotten so many messages about this one character. No one gives a crap about the other underage characters apparently, but the 17 year old cat girl is too much. And again, I think I would have gotten at least one message about one of the 15-year-olds but no just the underage cat girl. I am so confused why this is the line for so many people. When I say she has been a problem, she has been in two polls and she has been the source of 7 polite messages. 12 not nice messages full on harassing messages. Calling me a disgusting pervert for even allowing her in my polls. 11 comments that had to be deleted 12 tags/Reblogs that had to be hidden. All because they said something like she's 17 you perverts. I have set a new record for the amount of people I've had to block over a single character and she's been in two polls. I didn't get this much crap over the character that looked 12.

Kikuri Hiroi from Bocchi the Rock! My original problem character because of her Moe art style she looks 12. Even though she's 28, I've resorted to just putting her age in the post to avoid the things turning into a dumpster fire after that first poll.

Uncle Iroh was a character. I did not expect to cause issues because everyone loves Uncle iroh. Apparently some people find it weird that some people find him hot. Because multiple people have made a fuss in comments or in my inbox about how it's gross or weird to find him hot because he's a grandpa. Ironically, one of the people making a fuss about iroh really has a crush on Silvers Rayleigh the irony in that is hilarious.

Toji Fushiguro I've gotten a few messages about him saying he should be banned because he's a crappy father. A terrible person and anyone who finds him attractive should seek psychiatric help. People he's a villain calm down This is Tumblr. I feel like people have forgotten Loki mania where he was considered the god of Tumblr. I think Tumblr has a thing for villains. Look at the persistence longevity of the Hannibal fandom. So please calm down people it's still not a justifiable reason to ban a character from my polls.

Dracula from Castlevania because genocide and sexism once again I'm sorry people sometimes find villains hot. I'm confused about the sexism part. I think it's because of the way he treated Carmilla, But I'm still confused because that man loved his wife

Franken Stein from Soul Eater. I've gotten a message that he should be banned because he's a groomer. I watched Soul Eater and I'm also confused about this one. If any Soul Eater fans can anyone help me? I'm again so confused about this one. If anyone from Soul Eater should be banned for bad behavior, it is not Stein

Gojo, is a little bit of a headache character for me for the thousands of comments I've seen calling him the Blue-Eyed demon seriously Tumblr what has this man done to you? How did he hurt you? He is also a character I have had people message me asking me to ban because apparently he's racist. I'm so confused.

And to build upon this, someone sent an entire list of characters that should be banned because they have blonde hair and blue eyes because if they win that reinforces white centric colonial beauty standards I should have screenshotted that message. These polls are done for stupid fun and I don't think they are going to reinforce colonialism. In fact, many of you have told me they're going to kill the British monarchy and I think that's the opposite of reinforcing colonialism. That list is too long to post in its entirety here. Remember I said this was going to be a little weird.

Someone actually messaged me saying I should not put Victor from Yuri on Ice in future polls because he is not a good representation of the lgbtq+ community

I've also received similar messages about Grell Sutcliff and Yamato for the trans community

Dungeon Meshi You think would be free of criticism because it's so loved however Laios Touden should be banned because he's blonde with blue eyes and a bad representation of people with autism. I wish I was making this up. Marcelle and Falin are not safe either because some people have it out for blondes and they are also not good representation of the LGBTQ+ community

A bunch of Fullmetal Alchemist characters should be banned including Mustang, Hawkeye, Ed, Alphonse, Armstrong, Hughes basically everyone but Scar. Because those characters perpetrate and promote genocide, racism, ethnic cleansing, imperialism, the military industrial complex, colonialism, fascism, sexism, misogyny, and white supremacy. I honestly think someone missed the entire point of the show but that's just me.

Someone wants the entire Apothecary Diaries franchise banned because it's sexist, misogynistic and a poor representation of Chinese culture.

And basically any villain or abusive parent. Someone has complained about or pushed to get banned because it makes them uncomfortable. Because God forbid characters have flaws

So many One Piece characters are problematic just for being One Piece characters not for anything they've done in the story or their character arc or anything like that. It's really because I have a group of people that think I should ban the entire franchise from my polls because the one piece art style is misogynistic. Oh boy. I should have screenshotted some of the essays I received in my inbox. Some of you need to take a chill pill because if I get another essay about one piece being misogynistic because of the art style, I'm going to shame you by posting that crab publicly. Because I will admit the art style is not for everyone, but especially when it comes to the female characters. But those female characters are some of the best written you will find in all of Shonen anime. Plus if we really want to start banning anime franchises for being misogynistic, It's going to be a bloodbath. Because if One Piece is misogynistic for the art style, Naruto is misogynistic for the writing. And I could probably find something misogynistic about most Shonen anime. So again let's not even go there.

The only justifiable reason I would ever ban a character is if the fandom becomes so toxic it's no longer worth it for me to put up with the drama. Now all the blogs I have had to block have been dedicated to one of two things. Naruto or Dungeon Meshi. One of those fandoms I already refer to as my problem child fandom and the other one I hate to say is quickly becoming its twin.

So can we all just agree to calm down because if I banned everything someone had an issue with because it's sexist, misogynistic, racist, etc. There would be no characters left. So let's calm down everyone and please keep the complaints and the tantrums to a minimum. I am a fellow fan that runs this blog for fun and I'm very tired of this crap.

[rjthirsty]

Time for some Ikemen Prince theory crafting! Today I will be talking about Kagari, a future character that has been revealed in Japan and hinted at in English with a very unfortunate sprite malfunction in Leon's sequel.

This post will not contain any spoilers, as it is all my own theories rather than anything that has yet to be released, but the theory itself is a possible spoiler if it turns out to be true, so I'll be putting it under the cut. It will also contain pictures of promotional material for an upcoming (probably now released) event in Japan, but nothing you can't already find on social media.

Let's get to it!

First, let me show y'all the promotional post for the event with Kagari in it so we're all on the same page.

Look at this man. I fell in love with his design when he was first revealed. Red hair, green eyes, a collar with a bell - he's the cat man we always needed.

Then this card was released and I think my soul left my body.

But someone pointed out something odd about this card (and I'm so sorry tumblr user, I can't recall who it was and I follow 250 people, and I don't think we're even mutuals) and that's that the Kagari in this picture has BLUE eyes. Weird, right? I mean, Cybird definitely has some issues with color consistency with someone like Clavis' hair, but the green his eyes usually are are VERY green. And the blue in this picture is pretty blue, I can't see them accidentally mixing them up.

Then we get this from the same event.

Guys, look at his eyes! They're blue in this photo of the avatar items! He has never had blue eyes! What in the heck? That's really weird. So I went back to the first picture and zoomed in on the avatar there, and....

Kagari's eyes are definitely green! And while this picture is grainy and gross, take note that his facial expression is different between the previous picture and this one. It's not common for avatar items to change between one post and the next a few days later. As you can see, the female items are all exactly the same, and the only thing that has changed is Kagari's smile and eye color.

Which led me to go on this crazy idea that Kagari is two different people.

First, I thought perhaps a body double. Not unheard of. And apparently there's a lot of fighting in fake Japan Kyogoku. It would make a lot of sense to have someone appear in public with the possibility of fighting, and have the real Kagari only making appearances in safe places like inside his own home, or in foreign countries.

But this is Cybird. Cybird loves twins. (I also love twins.) This is probably not as easy as a body double, but instead a set of twins. That's my theory. Kagari is really two brothers whose only distinguishing feature are their eye colors being blue or green. And since twins were once considered bad luck in several cultures (we've seen them do this whole thing with the Klein twins, so we know they're running with that in IkePri), and Kagari is royalty in a place where "chaos" and bloodshed is very common - wouldn't it make sense to keep both children alive until the time comes that one takes the throne?

That's my take, guys. That's it. One card with a different eye color, and one avatar with a different face, and that's all I needed to decide they're twins and they're both going to be mine.

[firewolf111]

Request from @ihavealargecat Intruality with a little angst. (Self worth issues and heterochromic Patton)

Patton was so excited to give a gift to his loving boyfriend, Remus. He happily skipped to Remus's door, raising his hand to knock, before pausing at the sound of voices. It sounded like Remus was busy working on something with Roman. Well, Patton would hate to intrude, so he decides he'll leave and come back later. As he turns to leave, he hears something that makes him pause.

Remus: And his eyes aren't even! Like what are you doing? It's all wrong and weird looking. And you say I'm the weird and bad one. At least my eyes are the same.

Patton feels his blood run cold. He reaches a hand up to his eyes, finger tracing the mismatched blue one. He thought Remus liked his eyes. Apparently not. He knew they made him a freak. How could he ever expect someone to be able to look past them, let alone like them? He turns and walks away, hands gripping the gift tight. His mind runs too wild to hear the rest of the conversation, not even Roman's indignant defense. His heart shatters as he heads to the kitchen.

A little later, Remus comes down.

Remus: What's cooking, good-looking?

Patton: *winces and continues his stress baking*

Remus: What's wrong? Cat got your tongue. Or can I have it?~

Patton: ...

Remus: Seriously? No reaction? Are you okay, squishopus? Would a movie make you feel better? We can cuddle. Whatever you need, my cuddly cactus.

Patton: Just stop. Okay? You don't have to pretend like you love me.

Remus: What? Pretend? What are you on about? I do love you!

Patton: No you don't! Stop pretending to be nice. You're nothing but a...but a... a jerk!

Patton storms away, leaving Remus, standing there crestfallen beside a half-iced tray of cupcakes

Remus: *to himself* What did I do wrong? Did I say something bad? Was I too much? Too inappropriate? Too disgusting? Ugh. Stupid Remus. Couldn't you keep yourself from screwing up one of the few good things you had in life? You hurt him, like the idiot you are. Stupid, stupid. You never change.

He drags his feet back to his room. As soon as the door closes behind him, he flops onto his bed and stares at the ceiling. All he can think about is what he did to hurt Patton. Maybe he is destined to break everything he touches.

The next day, Patton knocks on his door. In his arms is a black hoodie with a neon green octopus decorating it, bright tentacles printed down both sleeves. When Remus opens the door, he shoves the hoodie at him, avoiding eye contact.

Patton: Here. I figured you'd want this back.

Remus: Lovebu- Patton. Can't we talk?

Patton: What is there to talk about?

Remus: Please. Just tell me what I did wrong. I'll fix it. I'll make it up to you. I promise. Just tell me what I did. I'm sorry. Okay? I'm sorry if I was too much or too gross or if I offended you somehow. I didn't mean to. I didn't mean to cross any boundaries. Just tell me what I did. Please.

Patton: It's okay. I'm not going to make you date a freak like me.

Remus: Freak? What are you talking about? You're not a freak. Did I say something that made you feel like that? I'm so sorry. But I promise, you are not a freak.

Patton: *Finally looking at Remus* It's okay. I know what you really think of me.

Remus: What are you talking about? I love you. I think you are the most amazing person in the world. Just talk to me. What did I do to make you think like this?

Patton: Remus, really, it's fine. I want you to be happy. So you don't have to pretend like you love me. It's fine. You can just... *he trails off as he goes to look away, not wanting to keep looking at him. He pauses as he catches a glimpse over Remus's shoulder. Two sculptures sit on his desk. One is of some beast that's half octopus, half wolf. The other is of a prince in a fighting stance, sword drawn. Something about the second statue catches his eye. Is that...?*

Patton: Wait. Can I...? *he steps a foot in the door.*

Remus: *Stepping out of the way* Of course.

Patton approaches the sculptures. At the base of each, a name is carved into it. The creature has Remus's name at the bottom and the prince has Roman's. But what really catches his attention is the prince's face. The face is uneven, one eye noticeably lower than the other. The eyes were uneven. The eyes were uneven!

Patton: *whirls around to face Remus* When did you make these sculptures?

Remus: Yesterday. Me and Roman spent the day working on them. Why?

Patton nearly facepalms right there. He is such an idiot.

Patton: Oh my. My love, I'm so sorry. I am such an idiot. I overheard you and Roman talking and I thought you were talking about me, but you were talking about the sculpture.

Remus: Wait. What are you talking about?

Patton: Yesterday. I heard you talk about his eye being uneven and ugly and weird. I thought you were talking about me.

Remus: *eyes widening with realization* No! No. My squishopus, I'd never. I love your eyes. They are very attractive and hot. *he winks* I was just making fun of my idiot brother's failed attempt at sculpting.

Patton: *giggling and blushing* Well, I know that now. Sorry that I doubted you.

Remus: *taking Patton's face in his hands* It's okay, my chocolate covered deodorant. I know how insecure you are about your eyes. Maybe next time, talk to me. Call me an idiot or something so we can clear things up.

Patton: I know. I should have. I'm so sorry. ...well not the whole calling you an idiot thing. But you are right that I should have talked to you. I'm so so very sorry.

Remus: I told you. It's fine, Lovebug. Movie night?

Patton: *nodding* Movie night.

............

Yeah...I really wasn't kidding when I said angst requests would probably be longer. Also, I suck at romantic pet names, lol. Anyways, hope you enjoyed and thanks for the request. <3

[moonlight-tmd]

Continuing on Bee having chronic phantom pains.

So Bee has several medications to deal with this on top of his normal antidepressants and adhd meds. It kinda sucks for him, but it could've been worse...

The worst part about having those pains is that even tho he's taken meds he'll often get these sudden flare ups that'll leave him unable to do anything for an hour or so. When that happens (which is like 2-3 times a week), he has little bottle of medical grade on him to soothe the pain faster.

It definitelly limited his options to do fun stuff cuz if he goes somewhere alone there's more of a chance he'll become stuck in that place for a long while unable to do anything. He still can go skating or do donuts, exercise is good for him but it also sucks cuz most bots can't keep up with him or he can get the flare up during whatever he's doing and hurt himselft of accident.

After the accident, Bee has been mostly going out with other bots- Bulkhead most often gives up his free time to go somewhere with Bee, if he can't do that cuz of something important then Prowl will go.

In other post i said that Ratchet takes some of his medical supplies from Swindle bcuz the usual supplier either won't give certain stuff or doesn't have them. Therefore, the medication for Bumblebee's issues are being supplied by Swindle. And we know how this guy is- snooping into private information to find out what whoever needs so he can have them spend more money on him.

And this is exactly what he did with Ratchet. Old docbot made the supply orders with Swindle in secret. One time Swindle asked why he was getting so many medications, Ratchet declined to tell anything besides what he needs but Swindle's silver tongue turned the conversation in the right direction...

It was nearing christmas at that time and everyone tried to get gifts for one another. They had the usual family party and gift giving. At some point Optimus gave a look to Ratchet who nodded and slipped out to get something.

"Actually, there is one more gift for you, Bumblebee." Bossbot said with a smile. Bee was sitting on the floor with Sari and Prowl, trying out some board game they just unpacked.

"Really? What is it!?" Bee was excited.

"You need to close your optics first." Bee was quick to oblige and slap with servos on his faceplate, he loved surprises! Then Optimus gave Ratchet a signal to come into the room... what the others didn't expect was him leading a small-sized cyberhound in. Optimus quickly gave a signal for the others to stay quiet as Ratchet made it sit in front of Bee.

Bee was both very confused and excited when he was allowed to look. Ratchet explained that this was a service hound for him; her name was Murk and apparently she could sense when the flare ups are gonna start and help him get thru them. This was so cool! And it got confirmed rather quickly; while Bee was petting his new companion she suddenly pulled away and started pushing into him. Bee leaned back to sit on his aft instead of knees and Murk quickly climbed onto his lap and pressed herself into his chassis, she started making this quiet hum similar to a cat's purr. The vibrations and odd feeling seeped into Bee just as the sharp pain hit him. But it wasn't as bad as it was the other times- this time the pain was bearable and most of it was replaced with this odd numbness. He could actually speak and move some while it was happening. Both Sari and Prowl were trying their best to not pet this cute robot dog while it was working.

Swindle had prompted Ratchet into telling him Bee's condition and he gave him contacts to the places with Service Creatures. He also helped him get a hound that will be an good match for Bee. It was a lot of credits spend but definitelly worth it. Who knew Swindle could be actually kind and helpful.

Murk was a little above Bee's knee height and similar to a doberman, all black with red optics. She had a special blue paint on her chest armor- a painted-on jacket with white cybertronian writing "Service Hound". She looked quite intimidating... and for a reason.

Turns out, she was also a defence hound on top of being a service hound. Sentinel got to discover that when he came to close to Bee(despite the hound growling) and roughly poked him while arguing. Ratchet almost refused to put his ripped servo back in place, he asked for it.

Bee could once again go back to his usual stuff. Murk was very friendly and tolerated most of folks, she was also playful when it was time for it- although she never played catch with him, Ratchet explained cuz that her job to stay close to him.

She was also trained to bring him stuff like fuel or meds. If Bee can't get out of his berth in the morning then he'll tell Murk to bring him fuel (a can of oil). It sometimes ends up in her bringing Optimus with a tray of oil and freshly baked goods when he's doing his baking in the morning. (I imagine Murk has this thing where she can play back commands that were said to her when some other bot asks why she's alone. She played back Bee saying "Murk, bring me fuel." to OP and that's how he knew.)

Bee also has more leeway like before, he doesn't need another bot to come with him in case something happens. When he's driving somewhere, Murk sits in his backseat and barks when something is gonna happen so Bee has time to drive off the road and take a break.

Of course, Bee is not really allowed to go fighting anymore. But i suppose it won't be long until they catch Megs and put him in jail so they can live a peaceful life.

[someone-always-cares]

chapter 5, page 79

first - previous - next

[image description: an sac webcomic page. "hold on, stay still for a second". rami says, as he puts his hand close to lewis, the angle making him almost look like he's cupping lewis's face, as lewis stares back at him with very wide shining eyes. he then rips off the duct tape off, lewis jolting and making a weird face, the panel borders shaking from the shock, before lewis makes a different face like a grimace or like a cat would make after smelling something foul right before slapping the shit out of it. "sorry. you alright?" rami asks, holding a swiss army knife down near lewis's bound arm, the knife already out. "i- what- i will be? not important. what the fuck are you doing here??". lewis replies. "saving you, apparently. and your friend- sorry i'll get to you in a minute" "no really, why the fuck are you here? how did you find us? why did you come?" lewis says. this last panel is entirely black, aside from the speech bubbles. "you're the one that sent me the location. Is your friend concussed? They're not responding to me. Or you. And are either of you injured in general?" rami responds. "What? I don't think either of us are. And no, she can't hear you, just wave or something. Uh, not with the knife, like a friendly not about to kill you wave, like-" lewis's rambling is interrupted. "It's pitch black in here? Waving won't help?" end id]

edit: a bit late but forgot to mention: next con i have is on june 1st, at animangapop cardiff! feel free to say hi if you're going!

i've always gone back and forth internally if rami's supervision gave him better night vision or not but i'm going to go with yes, it does. lewis also has better night vision on account of his eyes being cat-like. jade has normal human vision unfortunatly. on the bright side (pun not intended), she can make her fingernails glow.

also, thought on book cover? tried a few ideas and this is what i came up with

[id: concept a book cover. mostly sketched, styalised like a corkboard with various photos, pins, ect. the front side (right) has a piece of torn paper with the title and a couple stickers, one star and the other rami's logo. below is a drawing of rami surrounded by eyes. the spine has a strip of washi tape, blue with star patterns, with the title and a "1" at the bottom. the back (right) has a few photos of various panels from chapter 1 and two, a top corner of a missing poster, a business card for iris's ice cream shop, pins of mindforce's eye, and pride pins of the asexual and transgender flags, and lastly a scrap of notebook paper with eye doodles (like iris's eyes), rami's logo, titled "blah blah blah" and placeholder text of the bee movie script opening. red string is scattered around. end id]

note: the panels featured will be redrawn (for the cover. the actual pages will not be) and the one on the front is just a placeholder. not sure what i'll change it to, but something with both rami and lewis.

so, this is fashioned similar to the back of the flyer i use to advertise my comic at conventions, it allows me to show off multiple things, allows me to put in easter eggs and similar, and it feels right, yknow? it looks like the same board i use for story planning, concept art, to do lists, and trinkets for conventions, ect.

i look up and i see my corkboard covered in all that, so it feels like me. like i'm already pouring everything i have into my comic, why not this? also, red string murder board. thematically appropriate, and similar to the one omen has. expecially fitting since they appear end of chapter two bonus pages, which is where issue 1 of the physical book ends (not including bonus pages)

anyway would love to hear your thoughts!

more rambling under the cut

keep jumping from task to task. eg started planning the cover. jumped from irl task to task and then got back but then needed to figure out 100% how big the book is page-wise, because spine width

so i go do the bonus pages first but despite me collecting all the stuff for that before i keep finding more. because i have been making pages for 7 years and worked on it for longer with just having them as ocs roatating in my mind

and, yknow, i am not an organised person at the best of times. and over the past 10 years, not much has been the best of times. so you can imagine the chaos i've gone looking through. most of it isn't too recent, because turns out i had a lot more time working to draw when i was still in school. and also right after school. also 2020.and most of it is bad due to me improving my skill over time! which is good but still. going to have to carefully pick out what to use

also unrelated but i want to make one of the exclusive kickstarter print rewards foiled because i just love how they look. specifically i want to do one of tsunami and the foil (silver or holo) being the sparkles his water does because it'd look cool!

[tigirl-and-co]

Middle-Aged Man (But Not a Dad (Probably))

Heyooooo, back at it again with a super rough draft for a fic!

inspired by @dballzposting but especially THIS post!

Basic plot summary is Trunks accidentally imprinted on Yamcha like a baby bird but is too emotionally stunted from growing up with the least familial family in all of classic anime to realize that he's being weird as hell about it.

To nobody's surprise, it's a character study! Woohoo!

And before we begin, I wrote almost all of this while dead tired, so it's probably even rougher than my usual rough drafts, but good god I wanted to write this sooooo bad.

Obsession ran on both sides of his family. This was an issue for Trunks, as he'd really fucking rather be thinking about quite literally anything else. But here he was, at the get-together-slash-party-slash-ritual-to-appease-a-big-purple-cat-with-food-so-we-don't-get-blown-up, staring at his mom's ex from the other side of the dessert table.

And praying said ex wouldn't look up from the eclairs he'd never be able to afford otherwise and see Trunks' stupid, stupid eyes staring at him.

But he did.

Fuck.

"Hey, Champ! How've ya been, Buddy?" Yamcha said, in his stupid fucking aging dudebro voice that filled Trunks with an overwhelming sensation of warmth and comfort. He hated it. Yamcha smiled at him the way, Trunks thought, a dad smiles at his somewhat estranged son.

It was probably a kinder smile than his real dad gave when he hugged him for the first time. Not that Trunks would know. Couldn't really see Vegeta's face, too busy experiencing every emotion he could name and also being shoved against Vegeta's inhuman, statuesque form.

It fucking felt like being shoved face-first into a statue, too.

Not like Yamcha probably felt, with his all-too-human physique. There was a softness that covered his features, even though he was still as tough and muscular as ever.

He kinda reminded Trunks of the big blue guy from Monsters Inc. But like, less serious. And very slightly less hairy.

Trunks had been staring too long, but apparently Yamcha was willing to write off the icy glare as a genetic thing and not an actual threat, because he approached the teen with no hint of trepidation.

He stood in front of Trunks and hucked a thumb at the spread of confections behind him. "Yo, you tried the weird cream cake thing? The one covered in chocolate? No idea what it is, but it is good!"

Trunks tried desperately to claw himself out of this conversation with "It's called an eclair cake." He wasn't sure whether or not he had meant to sound that gruff. Either way he sounded too much like his dad, and it pissed him off more.

"Yo, what? They can make eclairs into cake? That's crazy!" Yamcha took pause and then nearly busted his gut, laughing a bit too loud like guys that age tend to do. "But I guess when you're rich, you can pay people to cook up just about anything!"

There! An opening! Trunks knew how to win this conversation and then make his getaway!

"Actually, Yamcha, I think it's just graham crackers, pudding, and chocolate. Pretty simple recipe. I can ask the cooks to give it to you."

Yamcha blinked. "R-Really? That's it?" He sighed. "Well, as much as I'd love to eat cake all day, I really shouldn't." He slapped his gut, which jiggled slightly. "I'm at that age where I've gotta start watching what I eat or I won't be in any shape to show off to the ladies, haha!"

Trunks immediately threw his gaze to his shoes. He fucking lost that interaction, and now he'd have to talk to Yamcha for however long the older man could stand him. Fuck. Well, Trunks knew how conversations worked. He'd seen the guys at Kame House get into it sometimes, and since Trunks was no longer a child, he figured he should talk like that. The ball was in his court.

"Ladies, huh? What... sort of ladies are you into?"

Fuckin' killed it.

~~~

Now it was Yamcha's turn to be cornered. Was it okay to be talking about that kind of stuff with a kid? With someone else's kid? With the kid of somebody he dated?

But he couldn't just say that! Trunks was at the age where he was starting to go after the ladies himself, and Yamcha didn't want to discourage that! He had to find a middle ground, hopefully there was an avenue in this conversation that wouldn't lead to either of Trunks' parents hitting his head clean off his shoulders.

"Um. Your-" NONONONO CAN'T MENTION BULMA. "I m-mean, I like women who..." and how is he supposed to word this? Obviously he's not gonna say 'pretty women' because that would sound so damn shallow, coming from him. "I like. When girls. Can stand on their own... but enjoy having someone around to make their lives easier? I guess?"

He ran his hands through the hair on the back of his head. "To be honest, kid, I'm not really sure anymore! The more I think about it, the more I realize that sometimes people you think should work don't, but the real crazy shi- the real crazy stuff ends up better." Yamcha laughed the kind of shitty laugh you let out when you're nervous and stalling for time. "What about you, Trunks? You a ladies' man? Got a preference?"

~~~

Well, Trunks had been expecting an answer like 'I like redheads' or 'I'm a boob guy' so he was a little unsure of his next move, but he had to think of something to say!

"Um idk there's this one YouTuber I like." Trunks crossed his arms. "So you like women like my mom, right? It kind of sucks that she ended up with my dad."

Yamcha couldn't move. He wasn't sure he was breathing, either. "H-Huh?"

"Yeah 'cuz you probably woulda been a way better husband. All my dad does is train all day and then sit at the table and stuff his stupid face." Trunks put his fist on his hip. "You like watching movies and being nice and shit. I dunno."

~~~

Yamcha was desperately hoping Vegeta wasn't going to manifest behind him and reduce him to ashes. The things Trunks was saying were weird, sure, but the whole family had always been blunt. Trunks probably didn't mean anything by it. Not that that would stop either of his parents from hunting Yamcha down if they heard.

And Yamcha wasn't stupid! He had issues with his own parents, way back when. It's what eventually led him to become a bandit out in the middle of the desert for Chrissake! But he had just wanted to be a dude Trunks could come talk to if he was having the sort of human troubles an ex-evil alien dad couldn't help him solve, and apparently he had been too approachable. Or Vegeta really did just suck that bad.

Either way, oops.

"Hey kid, l-listen! You can't just say things like that!" Yamcha sighed deeply, trying to compose himself. He was still looking around like a raccoon that could hear hound dogs braying, but at least he stopped stuttering.

And then he saw Trunks' face harden even further, scowling angrily. The tykebomb looked like he was barely resisting shouting his next statement, and Yamcha was very glad for that.

~~~

"I'm not a fucking kid! Goddamnit, I'm just trying to have a normal fucking conversation, why are you being so fucking weird about this?" Trunks would have been a truly intimidating sight to behold at this point if he wasn't three-foot-five with lavender hair. "And I was gonna apologize for suckerpunching you that one time when you stayed over, but you can fucking forget it! I'm glad I punched you!"

~~~

The older man knew he had to take responsibility here, because apparently he was right and neither of the kid's parents bothered to teach him the difference in how you're supposed to talk to people outside your own home.

...Thinking on it, neither Bulma nor Vegeta had ever deferred to authority in their lives. Vegeta had a habit of trying to kill anybody stationed above him, and Bulma either screamed until listened to or flashed her tits at someone until she got her way.

Fuck him, maybe he would have made a better parent! Too late now, though.

"No, Trunks, that's not what I meant," he reassured the stunted youth. "I want you to know you can talk to me about stuff, alright? But maybe- maybe not out where your parents can hear? The earth dragon balls can't bring me back again, y'know?"

Trunks looked back up, waiting to hear the rest of the statement.

"And I mean, actually you probably shouldn't say that sort of stuff, because it makes people uncomfortable, but-" here he took the chance of fucking it all up even worse and ruffled Trunks' hair. Trunks didn't even flinch and Yamcha didn't know what that meant. "We're already friends, right? And friends can totally say that sort of stuff. In private."

Trunks met him dead in the eye, unblinking and unemoting. "Okay."

Yamcha chuckled unconvincingly. It fooled Trunks, though. "So, were you actually gonna apologize for that gut punch, or...?"

"No."

"So, what? You were just gonna feel like shit about it your entire life? Until you died?"

"Yeah."

"Haha, okay then! Did... you want a slice of this, um, eclair cake? There's not a lot left!"

"Sure. Can I call you 'Uncle?'"

Yamcha tensed up just slightly, before letting it drain out of him. "Not where anybody who might tell your parents can hear, okay?"

"Deal."

[literatureismyentirepersonality]

Plastic Theatre In Prose: Aşk-ı Memnu

For a while I’ve really enjoyed reading what I can only describe as ‘Plastic Theatre’, not simply in plays, but in prose.

Plastic Theatre is known as a technique used by 20th century dramatist Tennessee Williams, known for A Streetcar Named Desire, The Glass Menagerie and Cat on a Hot Tin Roof among other plays (these three that I have read/seen are excellent). It involves a symbolism that borders on the surreal and a heavy awareness of the spaces that characters operate in as representative of their inner states or relationships. If the curtains are blue, there’s a very good reason.

I haven’t, however, been able to find any criticism that makes the jump from Williams’ on-stage Plastic Theatre to its mirrors in prose. (If anyone knows of any, please direct me to it)

Margaret Atwood is the author who I saw it in first. She is an incredibly deliberate author, playing with language constantly, and so, of course, when she describes a space, she does not do so without good reason. The constant and intoxicating symbolism of The Handmaid’s Tale may be forgotten sometimes in favour of its high-concept, but one must note that the actual plot of the novel is very limited (just as our narrator is very limited). It is the prose, the linguistic entanglements and the imagery of flowers, of eggs, of corpses, that sustains engagement and creates such a powerful and meaningful story.

Angela Carter’s The Bloody Chamber (which I have some issues with, plot-wise) is linguistically and symbolically incredibly rich. Where I was tired by the constant returns to that (I don’t want to talk about it; if you know, you know) as apparently the only means of darkening a fairy tale, my interest was maintained by the cleverness of the prose and the richness of the text. As with Atwood, every detail has a secondary meaning or a hundred secondary meanings.

Halit Ziya Uşaklıgil’s Aşk-ı Memnu seems also to have an element of plastic theatre in its construction, gesturing not only to symbols of space, dress and action but also to genre. Plastic theatre in Aşk-ı Memnu is not so sustained as in the works of modern writers, but equally it is more sustained and intrusive onto naturalism than its contemporaries.

Firstly, Halit Ziya is luxuriously heavy-handed in the names he gives his characters; even in the text, he cannot help but inform us that ‘through a strange irony she was taller and more slender than her name’, a playful hint not at all distant from Williams’ Blanche dissecting her own name so falsely in A Streetcar Named Desire. Beşir, bringer of good news or prophet, seems almost to give the game away before he has begun.

Yet Halit Ziya does give the game away before he has begun. Forbidden Love and the immediate rendition of Firdevs’ history sets up Bihter’s fall from the very beginning and, like all adulterous women in such novels, her death feels inevitable (I am feeling very tempted to write another post about the agency dynamics of why these women must, narratively, at least, end in disaster). There are few narrative surprises in Aşk-ı Memnu. What is there in abundance, however, is linguistic and symbolic art.

I will only consider the first chapter in detail, but to do so will require much ranging across the text regardless.

From the first chapter, Halit Ziya puts perhaps excessive emphasis on the colours around the Melih Bey set, ‘Melih’ alluding to charm and beauty, the white of Bihter’s veil and the white of their boat against the mahogany of Adnan Bey’s— the innocence of Bihter and the stately rigidity of grief that her marriage to Adnan Bey will bring— and Firdevs’ wish to erase the whiteness of her own hair to prevent the returned innocence and what she perceives as the neutered sexuality of old age.

When ‘[Firdevs’] husband’s name was erased’, this is reflected in the narrative by the literal absence of him or his name. He is subsumed into Firdevs’ in the same way Nihal’s mother is into Adnan and part of Adnan and Bihter’s conflict is perhaps that neither can swallow the other into their world entirely until Bihter is dead.

The scenes between Firdevs and her husband are incredibly rich. The letter in the bouquet not only foreshadows Firdevs’ letter to Behlül, but also renders an image of Firdevs’ nature: a beautiful exterior which conceals an interior of unknown substance. Halit Ziya is a writer; he treats word and narrative as powerful (see the semantic field of literature, narrative and the physical object of the book when Behlül discusses his romantic feelings). No matter how grotesque Firdevs’ external pursuit of beauty becomes, she is notable for having the power of word and falling into the trap of its becoming revelation. She keeps her love letters in the yonic drawers and her husband savagely destroys in what can be read as an attempt to wrest back the masculinity that was lost in the erasure of his name, but when he is dead, Firdevs reasserts herself as masculine in power. She will hunt for a yonic ‘purse’, predatory, though unsuccessful.

The dynamic between public spaces and private spaces is also masterfully utilised. It is in the semi-public space of the river and the boats that Adnan Bey and Bihter’s relationship is born, but it is also there that Firdevs is first revealed to her husband. Forests also function in a similar way— a space where social convention is briefly confused, as in Chapter Seven’s picnic and Chapter Nineteen’s magical forest, oozing with the mutability of a Shakespearian or folkloric forest.

Outside, the narrative concerns itself with fashion, with known histories, with reputation and with mere flirtation, but when Nihat Bey brings the women inside, into their private sphere, the narrative immediately switches to domesticity and marriage. Where the externally focused Firdevs had managed to dominate the novel’s opening, now the internal world belongs to Bihter.

The more the narrator retreats, with Bihter, from the outside world, to the interior of the house, to her own small room, the more aware of her interior thoughts we become and the more tightly she seems to be bound by circumstance.

The early imagined ‘rainbow [...] deluges of green, blue, yellow and crimson, [...] sunshine composed of emeralds, rubies, diamonds and turquoises were being poured’ seems to signify a point of multiple paths, but also becomes the world of her relationship with Adnan. Like Stanley and Stella’s coloured lights in Streetcar, colour becomes dualistic in Chapter Eight, the luxury of jewels and silks becoming the oppressive greens, blues, yellows, and reds flowed over the shadows, creating and destroying each other. These colours of experience, pulling her from her initial ties with white, will once then again morph in to become an emblem not of Bihter and Adnan Bey’s relationship, but of her independence. Reconfigured, Chapter One’s rainbow is now representative of Bihter’s escape from Firdevs, just as Chapter Eight’s is her escape from Adnan into the arms of whatever love she can grasp, be it from herself, or later from Behlül.

Note also that the main item of jewellery Bihter will eventually receive is emerald green as Halit Ziya employs literary shorthand to emphasise Nihal’s envy.

The final confrontation of this chapter takes place on the şehnişin, a space neither inside nor outside, private nor public. Firdevs is most comfortable in the public arena, she wishes to draw Bihter outside, at least partially; it is in this space that Bihter assumes a ‘demeanour peculiar to children’, emphasising her own initially liminal state between childhood and womanhood. It is a ‘dark night’, yet through ‘half-closed eyes’, Bihter watches ‘a speck of light’. Halit Ziya refuses to allow the pair to exist certainly in any capacity.

Even in a single chapter, so many symbols and generic references are invoked. Later, Nihal will repeatedly signal the gothic and the folkloric without the narrative ever truly becoming either of these; Mlle Courton, in Chapter Three incessantly invokes the French sensibility tradition, yet this too, cannot overtake the narrative. Behlül persists in his romance. Yet, in death, Bihter reclaims the genre of the book for her own, enforces her own story. Nihal can try to evade it, try to pretend that she is the heroine who survived the wicked stepmother and her wicked prince, but Bihter’s stamp on the novel cannot be erased. She could not swallow Adnan Bey into the Melih Bey set, but she could swallow his narrative into her genre: the domestic drama wins out.

(I feel like I have to make a little addendum because this is a Tumblr post and not an academic essay; I write with excessive confidence as a stylistic choice. Every single point made here is up for debate.)

[hyperfixation-or-death]

answer some or all I wanna know more about you 👁️👁️

Do you have freckles? 

 Do you drink tea or coffee? How do you take it? 

What was the last song you listened to? 

Do you sleep on your back, stomach or side? 

Do you sleep with a stuffed animal? 

Do you prefer drawing or writing? 

What’s your ideal number of blankets to sleep with? 

What’s your favorite band/artist? 

When is your birthday? 

How tall are you? 

What color are your eyes? 

Who are five (or more) people you want to hug right now? 

Fears? 

What’s your favorite color? 

What’s your favorite season? 

Want any tattoos? What of? 

Want any piercings? Where? 

Who is the last person you texted? 

Do you have a best friend? How long have you been friends? 

What/who do you miss? 

How was your day today? 

How much sleep did you get last night? 

Do you believe in aliens? 

When was the last time you cried? Why? 

What’s your favorite decade? 

What are some seemingly childish things you like? 

What’s your favorite book? Or just one you’ve read a few times? 

How are you, really? 

Does it take you a long time to make decisions? 

What are you looking forward to in the near future? 

What are you looking forward to in the distant future? 

If you could go anywhere right now, where would you go? 

Do you sleep with your door open or closed? 

What’s your favorite flower? 

Do you currently have a squish? 

Do you like your middle name? 

Do you prefer dogs or cats? 

Do you have any phobias? 

Do you stay up late?

Do you like the beach? Do you prefer it sunny or cloudy? 

What’s your favorite cartoon? 

Tag 5 of your favorite blogs

Do you have siblings? How many? 

Who was the last person you said “I love you” to? 

Is there anyone you would die for? 

What do you need when you’re sad? 

Have you memorized your phone number? 

Who’s someone you can trust with your life? 

What does your last text say? 

Wild Card. Any question, ask away. 

i'm answering all of them >:)

Not a lot, just three on one arm and two on the other, I think. The three are in a triangle shape though! (edit: i looked in the mirror; i have one on my collarbone that i forgot about.)

I like both, but I drink coffee way more often. I drink coffee with a slightly unreasonable amount of creamer. I like the green tea that's infused with peach flavor, and I drink it plain.

It was either Remember Them by Jorge Rivera-Herrans, or Glory and Gore by Lorde.

Either stomach or side, I don't remember.

I technically have several stuffed animals somewhere on my bed, but the main one that I sleep with is a very long stuffed cat, like a squishmallow, but long. She is excellent, I use her as a pillow a lot.

6. Writing!! I've been getting into drawing lately, too, but writing is my favorite thing on earth.

7. Just one large blanket, so it doesn't get tangled.

8. Probably the Crane Wives!

9. May 19th.

10. Short enough for my entire family to make short jokes at my expense, apparently.

11. Blue.

12. My queerplatonic bf. My little sister. This creature I dreamed about the other night that was a combo of a panther, dog, and bear and also loved me. My beloved mutual @ashclouds366 (hi <3). And you, I am metaphorically hugging you right at this very moment. >:)

13. When I was in first grade, I read the magic tree house book, High Tide In Hawaii; it was about a tsunami. Despite living in a landlocked state at the time, it freaked me out. To this day, the majority of my nightmares are about tsunamis, and I don't know why.

14. Green!! <3

15. Maybe fall? Either fall or winter; I like the cooler weather, and I feel like spring and summer don't have as many holidays as the colder months do. Also summer is the season of existential crises, and spring is the season of being bored and wishing it was either winter or summer.

16. I love tattoos in theory; in practice, I don't think I have a very good pain tolerance. But if that wasn't an issue, I think I'd get some kind of green plant that symbolized something cool. Or something with some kind of sun imagery, that would be neat.

17. Previous issue of pain tolerance, but if i could get an eyebrow piercing, I think that would solve literally all my problems. I love eyebrow piercings. They're awesome.

18. At the time of reading this, it was my family's group chat, but then I texted my sister a keysmash in all caps in response to some screenshot she sent me.

19. Well. I have anxiety around calling people my best friends, because what if it's a one-sided sentiment, or whatever. But if it weren't for that anxiety, I would say that a long distance friend of mine (who I am not naming in case she sees this) is probably my best friend. We've been friends since eighth grade. She's awesome. <3

20. The aforementioned friend, eating grilled cheese, not having a cold, and watching Parallels. (Technically, nothing's stopping me from watching Parallels right now, but I still haven't watched it in a while, so I miss it.)

21. Not too bad; I had a cold, I had some fun conversations, I fell asleep at one point and briefly forgot what day it was, and I had some pretty good pasta. Kind of all balanced out.

22. Not a lot; had to stay up past 1 AM writing a current events paper that I left to the last second.

23. When it comes to complex aliens, I feel like it could go either way, honestly. But I think that things like alien bacteria species or simple organisms like that definitely exist. I don't know a lot about aliens, though, so take that with a grain of salt.

24. I think it was last week? I was stressed about an essay, and I cry pretty easily.

25. I'm gonna pick the boring answer and say 2010's; I think there are good and bad things about all of history's decades, but since that one just finished up, it's all still fresh in the world's mind. Good things from the 2010's just off the top of my head: My dog was born, my little sister was born, Jorge Rivera-Herrans started working on Epic the musical, I met an incredible friend of mine, Into the Spiderverse came out, and I'm sure there's other good things I'm forgetting.

26. Oh, there's probably a lot. I've ended up absorbing a lot of what my younger siblings like. Can I admit that I saw the second paw patrol movie in theaters? My little brother is obsessed with paw patrol, so i've seen both the movies about a thousand times. and they're pretty good. as for kids' shows that i like, The Inbestigators is a fun show, and odd squad will never not be a cinematic masterpiece.

27. Ooh, probably a tie between When Did You See Her Last? (All The Wrong Questions, book 2) and Shouldn't You Be In School? (All The Wrong Questions, book 3). Haven't reread ATWQ in a while, but I love it, especially the two middle books in the series.

28. Emotionally? Doing great, I did a lot of fun stuff yesterday and I now feel socially fulfilled. Mentally? Kind of stressed, I have a huge paper due tonight that I still need to make an edit to. Physically? I'm on the tail end of a cold, so not as well as I could be.

29. Oh, absolutely. I was told just yesterday that I am the most indecisive person in existence, and I wholeheartedly agree with that sentiment. It's part of the reason it takes me so long to text people back.

30. I'm going to a concert for the first time this Thursday! Definitely looking forward to that.

31. Not sure how distant it would be, but I would love to take a creative writing class at some undetermined point in the future!

32. I would go to Texas, because I know people who live there that I would very much want to visit.

33. Closed, so that my dog doesn't sneak out to go wake up someone else in the middle of the night. Also, it keeps the cold air from escaping into the hallway, which is warmer.

34. Sunflowers!

35. short answer: yes. long answer: this is such a loaded question because i literally have an entire blog on another account dedicated to rambling about my love and appreciation and platonic pining/yearning for specific people. and i am resisting the urge to link to it because i know for a fact that one of the people i have rambled about on there follows me on this blog, and I will have you know that emotional vulnerability is Harder Than It Looks. but yeah, i get squishes a lot. people are so cool and nice and i love them all. <3

36. Kind of? It's pretty good for a middle name, I guess. I'm kind of neutral on it, since I don't hear it a lot. It's one syllable and it flows kind of nicely.

37. Extremely difficult question; I love them both. I only have a dog, though, so I might have to choose dogs out of loyalty to him. But in all honesty, I think I might love dogs and cats the exact same amount. They're both wonderful little creatures in completely different ways, y'know?

38. Nope.

39. Yes. I procrastinate on assignments a lot, and I'll have to do them the night before they're due, or I'll go on tumblr late at night. This past week, I've gotten very little sleep, and I'm definitely feeling the effects now.

40. I like the beach, it makes me kind of anxious at night, though. I like it sunny if I'm swimming, and cloudy if I'm just wandering around looking for shells.

41. Probably Ducktales 2017. Favorite episode is probably A Nightmare On Killmotor Hill. I also liked the Dragon Prince, but I haven't seen it in years, and I think I only made it a few episodes into season 3? So idk what any of the later seasons were like, but I really liked the parts of the show that I did watch.

42. Here's a few blogs + one of their main fandoms: @ven10 - very cool ASOUE posts. @aka-ar - very cool Parallels posts. @foxymc - very cool Ducktales posts. @ashclouds366 - very cool Ninjago posts. (also, if ocs count as a fandom, then also Incredibly Cool oc posts.) @platonic-moment-of-all-time - okay, this one's a tournament blog, but it's one i'm very invested in that (I think) is still waiting on submissions. Very cool tournament idea.

43. Yep! I'm the eldest of four. Two sisters, one brother.

44. My dad, I think the sentence was: "Okay, goodnight, love you!"

45. Depends on the circumstances; I would probably freeze up or have an anxiety attack if I was actually given the definite choice. There are a ton of people I'd definitely risk my life for without putting a lot of thought into it, but if it was a clear-cut situation where I knew for a fact one of us would die, I feel like I wouldn't be able to decide in time.

46. Physical contact and human interaction, without a doubt.

47. Yes.

48. Hm...tough question. I think I have different people who I would trust with different parts of my life. Like, depending on what my life was depending on, the person I would trust with it would probably change.

49. ...unfortunately, at the time I started writing this, the last text I sent was this:

(the context is that I have a cold, and I was annoying my family's groupchat with that information.)

50. Wildcard answer, uh. Well. I dreamed last night that I was in a timeloop. After I saved the person I was trying to save in the timeloop, I ran around yelling at everyone about how I solved the timeloop, no thanks to them. And then I stepped in mud while wearing socks, which was so annoying I almost woke up. But before I did, a limo rolled up and invited me to join some kind of organization due to the fact that I had time loop powers. Very interesting dream.

[zahri-melitor]

Newish Comics:

Batman #141: What. What if you got back to writing about someone other than Joker, Zdarsky. As a treat. For me.

Fire & Ice: Welcome to Smallville #5: I have such a soft spot for this comic. Bea and Tora finally figure out they’re hurting other people and pushing them away. It has some stunning Icemaiden design for Tora when she was younger. It’s funny, it’s self-aware, and I still don’t have my accidental kiss. Final issue come through for me!

Blue Beetle #5: Victoria Kord I still do not like you at all. Jaime, you self-sacrificing idiot, I love you so much. The colouring on this issue!!!

Birds of Prey #5: I really enjoyed getting to hear Sin in her own voice. I like the little glimpses of the monastery we get here (even if I’m still bitter she was there). I’m ready for a few more explanations to come through on this.

Shazam #7: sad to see a switch in artist. Happy to see more dinosaurs. I might need to read back, as I’m confused as to where Freddy is right now, as he’s not with the other kids.

The Warlord #33: this week in Skartaris Travis is still hanging out with Shakira, who turns into a cat. They are attacked by 'Hawkmen' (whose outfits do indeed make them look Thanagarian), our titular Birds of Prey. He's still feeling guilty about killing his son Joshua, even though he clearly killed Joshua's clone and Joshua himself is alive and very nearby.

After the fight Travis crashes into what's either Munchkinland or a dwarf village, where he makes friends after they realise he isn't a Hawkman.

Travis apparently can't take his whiskey.

[rockheadcd]

@electrivolt said: "Are you, huh... are you sure about this?" With the kind of weather Tural had to offer, once the star-endangering issues were solved Volkner was very much in need of a change to something more appropriate. Or rather, something that wouldn't boil him by just walking around. Turns out, plates of steel aren't very friendly in the warmth. On the bright side, Roark was more than willing to assist on that regard. "Not that I'm complaining—! It looks great, I like it, just—" it just so happens that saving the star multiple times doesn't particularly make for an exercise in building confidence outside of battle. Still, Volkner wasn't lying, especially after all the effort Roark went through not only to find something comfortable, but also taking into account both his personal taste and the discomfort that fresh bandages can lead to. And his love does know him well, the new clothes are just as comfortable as he's used to, with the freedom to let bruises and wounds breathe and all the range of movement he requires when it comes to battle, not to mention the exact range of colors he favors to top it all off. He just isn't all that used to exposed skin, no matter the amount of times he's already been exposed for one reason or another. ( even though those reasons tended to be blood forced out of his body just a little too often for someone supposed to fight at a range regularly. ) "... How does it look?" He just needs a little validation as the last little nudge to really feel completely comfortable stepping out like that, that's all. / smn fit real.

By the time the two and their company had survived the voyage to Tuliyollal, the climate change was already getting to the cat in particular—Roark had a plan very quickly, all to excited to be in t he place where apparently half of his family hailed from. Finally in their cabin and situated, apprised of their duties here as welcomed teammates of the Third Promise, the Au Ra had quickly left as he came, bound for the bustling markets for a change of attire for Volkner. This side of the world was more apt to work with the mixture of arid and humid climates here, the local flora and fauna making something ideal to survive both with minimal discomfort.

A good hour and a half passed before Roark came tumbling back, beaming with his prizes stuffed in a satchel brought along for the ride.

He was already pleased that Volkner was willing to try it all on at least, and give it an honest judgment.

"Of course I'm sure! I'll probably need a change myself, but, that can wait. After all that chaos in Ultima Thule, getting all this armor off was driving Krile and Alphinaud insane... we're gonna be in a land with more bountiful nature than even Labyrinthos could have offered, and that means plenty of opportunities to need a bandage or two... knowing you, ehe.." Roark explains excitedly, but eventually calms down and ends with a warm smile.

"You look great. Very comfortable, to boot," he hums, stepping closer just to wrap his arms around the Miqo'te and squeeze, far too hand to grab at exposed sides that peek out between dyed leather panels, tough hide that can handle Volkner's insistence on standing next to him despite being a caster. "I had to run laps around the markets trying to find that kind of blue you like, ya know!"

Eventually, he lets go, happier when he pauses to take the entire outfit in it's entirety, pleased when he's matched his eyes near perfectly. "Wait.. I take that back. You look handsome." Another gentle smile, those of which have been appearing more and more after the events of saving the star.. again. Among other things, of course, having the island sanctuary to thank for that. He can't just help himself, can he—just smitten over this new adventure, being able to finally see for himself all the stories and sights that were described to him as bedtime stories. Roark can't help but sweep up Volkner and give him a kiss, just radiating excitement in everything he does. Really, if someone doesn't stop him, he's two seconds from diving into the shallow seas just outside their cabin.

[lilflowerpot]

Hi~! It's been a while since I last watched Voltron but I was looking for hcs for another pointy eared alien character with a purple homeplanet and you came to mind while I was reading about the "Purple Earth hypothesis" and thought you'd find it interesting for Daibazaal or in general. You can find some yt videos like "When The Earth Was Purple" and how, based on this, purple planets are being looked into as potential life holders. (1)

(cont.) I was also looking into sky colors and since apparently the star color wouldn't really affect blue skies (as long as they had atmospheres), particles on suspension would with the right size, like on Mars, or due to some volcanic eruptions or forest fires. Sometimes it even turns the Sun and the Moon blue which would look pretty interesting for a red sky. Would cold colors be ominous for the Galra? or sacred? Ofc this is how _humans_ would see things and maybe Galra see things differently (or maybe it still applies since cats can see in colors too). I wouldn't really be surprised if you already knew some or even all of this but thought I would share! I've been following LB for a while and it's always a pleasure to read again, thank you so much for sharing it! Sorry for such a long message! Hope you have a nice day~

-

The Purple Earth Hypothesis is actually not one I’d heard before, but after a little digging I found it to be quite the interesting theory—I can certainly see potential for Daibazaal’s plantlife to have been retinal-based rather than chlorophyll, and as an entirely alien planet I see no reason for this not to be the case! As for the colour of Daibazaal’s sky,,, hold on tight my lovelies, because I am about to take you on a Journey™.

So something you’re likely already familiar with is the fact that different wavelengths of light define different colours, with longer wavelengths erring towards the red/orange end of the spectrum, while shorter wavelengths appear blue/violet (see below). As you say, the colour of the sky on any given planet is not primarily dependent on the colour of its primary star, but rather the dispersion of electromagnetic radiation—known as rayleigh scattering—by the molecules that make up said planet’s atmosphere; consequentially, the more aerosols in the atmosphere, the more sunlight is scattered, resulting in more colourful skies.¹ Simply put, the shorter the wavelength, the more broadly it is dispersed, and therefore Earth’s sky appears blue during the day when our sun appears high in the sky and its light need only travel a short distance through our atmosphere to reach us. During the mornings/evenings, however, when our sun sits closer to the horizon, the light has to travel further through our atmosphere and the blue light is scattered away, so we instead perceive only the longer, red/orange wavelengths.²

Now you might be asking yourself, “if the above is true, and shorter wavelengths of light are the most scattered during the day, the why is the sky not violet?” which is an excellent question, and to answer you: it technically is! The issue being that human eyes only possess three cones (colour sensitive cells), and it's our brain’s interpretation of the combined input from these cones—red, green, & blue—that dictates our perception of colour. So although violet light is scattered the most by our atmosphere, the cones in our eyes aren't as sensitive to it. If only violet wavelengths were scattered, then we would see violet light with a reddish tinge, but when you combine the blue and violet light of the sky, the greenish tinge of blue and reddish tinge of violet are about the same, and cancel out.³ Meaning, so far as wavelengths are concerned, Earth's sky really is a bluish violet! But because of our eyes we see it as pale blue ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

So what would it take for Daibazaal’s sky to be red?

Well, a denser atmosphere for one, so that Daibazaal’s sky at midday would emulate Earth’s at dawn/dusk, with the shorter wavelengths of light being scattered away—though, importantly, any additional aerosols would have to be non-toxic to humans while also being non-vital to galra, because neither Shiro (during his time as a gladiator), nor Krolia (when stranded on Earth) required breathing apparatus to exist in their respective alien environments. A second key component could be that, as Daibazaal was a largely desertous planet, the increased quantity of sand in the atmosphere serves—like dust in a sandstorm here on Earth—to absorb blue light, which gives the sky a primarily red color, just as on Mars; this means that the reflected light is primarily red, and due to the sheer quantity of particles, the sky is much brighter than we would expect if no dust were present.⁴

The final component worth consideration is, as you mentioned, the galra’s perception of colour, which I’ve spoken about before [ 1 | 2 ], but shall repeat now what I did then: I think of the Galra as being able to differentiate more shades of red/purple than other species (as an evolutionary benefit from when they lived on a planet that largely consisted of this colour scheme) allowing for them to better distinguish prey from landscape, in much the same way that Humans can see more shades of green than any other colour. Because of this, they perhaps perceive Daibazaal to be a richer red than a human would—and, who knows, maybe the reverse is true and we perceive Earth to be greener than it might appear to them!

In terms of colour preferences and what the galra as a people typically gravitate towards, I have an obscenely long compilation post regarding that which the galra find appealing which covers a LOT of ground and I,,,, physically cannot go over it all again. I don’t think I mentioned any particular ominous/sacred colours though? So let’s say that the deepest darkest truest black is about as divine as it gets, considering that Sa is the void, though I do imagine gold would also be of great cultural significance seeing as it is the colour of raw quintessence. As for those of a more ominous association... probably white! As I’ve said in several previous posts, the galra—having quite sensitive eyesight—tend to have an instinctual dislike of pale/washed-out colours that bounce too much light, and white is the epitome of this; plus, as the perfect antithesis of black (and therefore Sa Herself) it might denote an absolute absence of Her, meaning their quintessence would never be able to return to the Mother of the Universe, condemning them to a spiritual exile for eternity.

[dhampiravidi]

here's my favorite HCs for Jason Todd

6'2" = 1.8796 m (apparently). in other words, he IS just the teeniest bit TALLER than Bruce Wayne, his dad. & it's even better when they're both in costume, because his boots add a teeny bit MORE (ofc it's offset by Bruce's Batman boots, but stfu). he's a big boy who Alfred insists is "still growing" & therefore he deserves lots of food. specifically, bread, which he's always had a fondness for. that, hot dogs & spicy noodles (pad thai, Nona's* spaghetti, Alfred's secret recipe chicken noodle soup)!!

he's half Latino & half Italian. yes, I know that "Todd" & "Haywood" are names of English origin. I am aware. & I don't care. he speaks Spanish as a second language & Italian as a speaking-only third (since some of the families in the neighborhood know some Italian). yeah, he was born with auburn (reddish-brown) hair, but he dyes it black. no one knows why & no one asks. and ofc there's the white streak, which almost magically pops back up every time he tries to dye it.

his eyes were more blue, maybe a glassy hazel when he was Robin. after the Pit, dark green leaked into his irises, even more so when he gets incredibly angry/upset.

his butt is toned, duh, but his thighs and pecs are the stuff of legend. he just naturally has a broader chest and thicc thighs (that can crush watermelons--and they will, if you're close with him and you ask nicely, promising a gift of cookies or cuddles in return). he's actually kind of self-conscious about his thighs, because they're so big.

he's always had a soft spot for innocent creatures, to the point where he's unfazed that they're attracted to his presence. strays try to follow him home when he patrols, to the point where he keeps a bag of cat food in each of his hideouts. one, out of the many reasons why he has a motorcycle is to outrun the strays. when he visits Selina, he plans to stay for at least two hours because they're all gonna lie on him, and who is he to move?? also, babies calm down as soon as he makes noise (speaking normally, singing a lullaby, goo-go-gah lingo, etc.).

he's pansexual, but demisexual and demiromantic. I mean, the guy had a rough childhood home, he was ratted out by his biological mom, and he still has issues with most of his family. ironically, he tends to put his heart into everything he sees as worth doing, even when that comes to people he doesn't know. that's why he takes being a vigilante so seriously. he wants other Gothamites to have a better city than he had growing up, even if it'll never be free of crime.

you bet your ass he likes the classics, namely The Prince, Hamlet, some Jane Austen, and The Catcher in the Rye. do not ask him if he has read Moby Dick or Ulysses. he has (at least, partially) and he hates them both.

he respects women, and with the exception of Alfred, he tends to prefer them to men when it comes to working and doing platonic activities. is being a BIG Wonder Woman fan related to this? no. but he is one.

he saw Barbie. he read about Oppenheimer before the movie came out, and he wasn't amused.

Jason can't do horror movies, especially ones like Saw, or anything that has to do with psychological scares or torturing characters. considering how he died, plus the times he's been hit with fear gas...yeah, he'd much rather watch some action-suspense, a good book adaptation (he gets so fucking unhinged when they don't follow the books), or a witty historical romance.

he actually respects all of his siblings for the most part, and he'll help them with whatever if it's serious. he just feels uncomfortable regularly associating with them because they still have some kind of allegiance to Bruce, who he refuses to treat as a superior/leader of his. he and Bruce do talk one-on-one when Alfred guilts him into coming home for a meal, or when the world's almost ended (for the 59,211,948th time) and they want to say "I'm glad you're not dead" without really saying it. he loves Bruce but he doesn't fully trust him with his heart, if that makes sense.

he mentally separates the Gotham Rogues into those he'll let off with a warning, and those who are scum. the first kind only gets confronted and fought if they're actually hurting people (physically or socioemotionally).

yes, he still uses guns and knives.

[littlehouseplant]

Jumin x reader.

Here we meet, again

It had been two years rsince you joined the RFA, and boy oh boy, the things you’d experienced…

You could ALMOST officially call yourself mrs Han now. You got engaged to Jumin not too long after the party, and things had been going great for the two of you! Sarah and Glam were officially canceled, so no more of that drama! C&R had a few issues after the whole spectacle, but the business’s image quickly restored since the people were apparently so moved by the Love story between the two of you.

“All the girls at school are talking about your two!” Had Yoosung said

“They’re all dreaming about their own love story’s now. Wishing they had a cold guy who only had eyes for them, seriously when do nice guys get a chance !?*_*”

Not only that, the stock prices even went up! The company was doing better than ever!

If you were being honest though, this whole new life was not really easy to get used to… All the attention you got now, headlines, gossip papers.. it could get to you. And the whole rich life! Wow, there was a lot of culture shock in the beginning, but living with Jumin was getting more natural by day. And Jumins dad welcomed you warmly into the family, and you really appreciated that. Now the wedding just had to be planned…

You’d also grown much closer to everyone in the RFA. You often had coffee with Jeahee, saw Zen’s musical, helped Yoosung with studying or supervised Seven while he visited Elizabeth (he could visit her once every few weeks, if Jumin was feeling generous). But everyone really grown fond of you, and the whole RFA was closer than ever.

I

You slowly sipped your hot morning tea as you looked at the amazing view from the penthouse. You looked at the beautiful landscape. You may think Jumin is a city man, but he really loves nature.

A kiss pressed on your forehead. “Goodmorning, my love.” Jumin wore a blue bathrobe and his hair was slightly messy.He stroke your head, as if you were a cat.. (jk jk) then he sighed. “Ah, being with you always calms my mind”

He had been working overtime lately. You were worried for your fiancé, especially now his eye bags were really noticeable now. “Sweetheart, are you okay?” you asked “you look so tired.. I’m worried about you. You really ought to take a break”

Jumin sat down next to you and mindlessly grabbed your hand. It was a reflex for him now. “If I would be completely honest, I feel…. unpleasant. Is this what people call stress? There is a lot going on at work with a very important business proposal . it takes a while to explain but let’s just say that it tires me.. I just want to be fully focused on you and our wedding.”

You brought your hand up to his cheek. “ I’ll always be there for u you, you know that. Is there anything I could do for you so that you’d feel better?” You smiled as you wiped a strand of hair out of hiss face.

“You’re an angel sent by god, my darling. I’m happy with you just being here.,” he looked at you and lifted his hand to caress your cheek.” I have a flight to catch this afternoon. I know, it’s very sudden and I apologize. It’s a very important meeting I must attent.” He sighed. “But I’ll miss you so terribly.There’s nothing I would want more than to stay by your side right now.” Jumin still found it hard to leave you at times.

“I’ll be here when you get back, as always.”you put your hand on his. “Really, don’t worry. Now go catch your flight !” You send him a reassuring smile.

He sighed and stood up. “You really are such a sweetheart .” He briefly kissed your forehead. “I must get ready then, I’ll see you darling.”

You waved at him as he went back inside and took another sip of your tea. Bzzt, you got a message.

UNKNOWN:

• ag@/n14

• We728:!/9

• M382ts

• Did you miss me.?

You shivered. You hadn’t thought about this unknown person since the planning of the first party, and here he was again.

[loveandscience]

been in and out of intense anxiety the last couple days, so maybe writing it here will help

Okay so my old dentist who I loved retired, and gave his practice over to a new guy. Tuesday, I went to try out the new dentist and very loudly in the next room while I had my teeth cleaned, he was telling someone how they didn't need a crown or something because God designed the perfect teeth system?????

And as soon as he introduces himself to me, he out of the blue goes on about a "beautiful sermon I heard" on the way to work, and how this really ill woman had so much faith that she would just get better, and that she "touched Jesus" and was instantly healed. I'm sitting there with his sharp tools in my mouth and he's going on a religious rant and what the fuck am I going to do? He does tell me I have 2 cavities, then overcharges me for the cleaning and "exam."

Decided I really needed a new fucking dentist, and thankfully my friends suggested some to try. So Wednesday, I called a place and they got me in, and they were so nice and professional and I really liked them! They did another exam on me and apparently the last dentist (maybe the one before, too) had missed an entire fucking dead tooth???? It's been discolored for years but old dentist never thought it was an issue... Apparently it's dead and needs a root canal. Who the fuck knows how long it's been dead. Terrifying. Also they say it's 3 cavities not 2.

Anxious about the root canal, I've never had one, and it's so expensive. The same day I have my root canal, I also am driving somewhere I've never been an hour away to see my new liver doctor, and that's also terrifying.

On top of those expenses, I'm hoping to sign kiddo up for Brazilian Jiu Jitsu lessons bc I think it'll be really good for them and they are really interested.

But I've also had several clients transition to every other week or end, which is good they're doing better. I also have less income though so need to market again for new clients. Husband was planning to increase his income by taking classes paid for by work, but the classes are taking so long that I wouldn't be surprised if it takes all year, which is not what we'd hoped for a timeline.

Pet Day at kiddo's school is coming up and last year's Pet Day, we brought our cat who ended up dying shortly after. He had cancer which obviously wasn't caused by Pet Day, but I do think he picked up a virus which might have exacerbated the cancer. I'm planning to make sure every kid sanitizes their hands before touching the cat we bring this time, and bringing the young healthy one instead of the old frail one. Still some anxiety.

Wanted to take kiddo to this snow place in FL this weekend, but tickets plus parking are 100 dollars, yikes. So been incredibly anxious about that. Just before clicking buy I checked and it's supposed to be thunderstorms that day, so texted the friend we were planning to go with and hoping we can put that off... Really anxious they might have already bought tickets even though they said they'd wait til after I bought ours (maybe they could pick up on my anxiety around committing, idk).

So the common theme, laying these all out, seems to be financial. Which is sad, because I wanted to scale back on work and be able to rest more and focus on my health, but with husband not likely to be making much more money any time soon, it means I need to work more hours. Which is hard with the amount of dr appointments I'm going to have to be having.

At least... I got a little while of getting to work out almost daily and rest up.

[lucienne-thee-librarian]

Best and Worst sandman spinoffs 👀

Ooh okay, thanks!! Now I kind of feel awkward because in compiling this list I realize I might have to walk back what I said in that tag a little. I mean I did mention "obvious stuff like Overture and the Death comics" but putting all the stuff I think is good out there it really makes me realize how many good Sandman spinoffs and side issues there are. So...sorry if the Worst list is a lot shorter than the best *shrug*. I kinda wrote those tags without thinking too hard, and still bitter off reading the one thing that topped my Worst section. But if you just want whatever my opinions are anyway, then I figured why not?

So, in this list, I'm counting anything that isn't the original Sandman series that ended with the Wake as spinoff. That includes things written by the original author. This obviously contains spoilers for everything I'm gonna mention.

Best:

Sandman Overture (slight spoilers incoming): Obsessed with absolutely everything about this book. The story: immaculate and ties up a lot of loose ends about how our sad wet cat of an anthropomorphic personification got weakened enough to be imprisoned in the first place. Desire and Dream have to work together to literally save the cosmos and the group project goes off so well it makes their constant rivalry feel all the more tragic, because it shows what a massive cosmic goddamn waste it all was. What was it all for? What could they accomplish together if these characters were different enough to be capable of putting their pride and grudges aside more than once in a blue moon? What could their world look like? We find out the origin of Dream's Hope, a thing we thought we understood but this gives that moment a whole new meaning. And the art - good lord, sometimes I just like to stare at a panel, because every artist who worked on this comic apparently snapped and it is glorious.

Death: The Time of Your Life. I mean: this is a story written by the series original author and it shows. It has two dysfunctional lesbians at the center whose love for each other and their son still manages to be powerful enough to be the core of the story and catch the attention of an Endless. Also: Death is here and wonderful as always. And it's beautifully written and I'm never going to stop being weak over it. It means so much to me.

Endless Nights: again, written by the same author as Sandman and the illustrations in almost every section are either gorgeous or fucking haunting: and each one is a story where the other Endless get to shine. How can I not stan.

Death, the High Cost of Living: It features Death really heavily so right there...yeah. And the male protagonist, while he seems annoyingly broody at times, feels like a really realistically written teenager who's gone through some serious stuff in his life. I just love this story, it's short but wonderful.

Dream Hunters: this feels like a simple fairytale at first where Dream barely features at the end, but it sucks you in and the art style is unique and very well done. This book to me is proof that a story doesn't even need to be cosmic in scope to be a compelling tale that even still feels like one small story in that same world. It's not like, my favorite but I stand by what I said that it is a solid story with lovely art to bring it to life.

Worst:

Simon Spurrier's run of the Dreaming. If this is a favorite of yours, please just skip the bulleted sections lol, I'm sorry.

Honestly it's not all bad, some people hate it a LOT more than I do, but it just frustrates me so much. Because to me, it could easily have been salvaged, with heavy editing or some things being better fleshed out. In the end, it just SCREAMS wasted potential to me. It started off being decently written, and there were some not-terrible ideas in theory such as Dora's backstory, or the greatest threat to the realm of human dreams being an AI made up by someone who wants more control over the world and thinks he could run it better. In theory I even like the idea that Daniel makes some poor life choices and it causes consequences for his realm as he has to learn the responsibility of a ruler.

I like those elements in theory...but in execution?? God. It all felt SO half baked and several people (Lucien and Mervyn) got pulled pretty far out of character. And in the end, Daniel and Dora both left me utterly cold. I honestly feel like the writer couldn't make up his mind what he wants Daniel to be as a character, and Dora just...ehh. She was clearly meant to be sympathetic and there were moments I WANTED to sympathize: but idk, I just couldn't connect with her. She kind of had the vibe, to me, of someone's first OC they wrote when they were 13 who's bitchy in a kind of cringey #Girlboss way, but it's supposed to be charming solely because she has a tragic backstory.

Then you take the fact that the Walker clan gets brought back - and yet with no real resolution, no more than the Wake left?? This could've made the frankly baffling plot Rose got in Kindly Ones be the start of something more, maybe Desire's actions could have been given some purpose or explanation. But...nope.

Miranda Walker is half Endless yet she manages to die of cancer - even if she was half human, I find it a little difficult to believe that she would be able to die the exact same way a normal human would given what we know of Orpheus' fate in the original series. She's in pain but it doesn't feel like there's any real struggle in the end. But that's a pretty minor nitpick...my real beef is, she gets next to no lines and nothing to do, she contributes nothing to the plot. We learn little to nothing of her relationships with Rose and Jed, or Ivy. This woman is the child of Desire and I have ALWAYS thought she deserved to be more fleshed out. But we get even less than Neil Gaiman ever gave us, her character is quietly poofed out of things without so much as a whimper, and we never learn anything more about who she was. Jed fares little better, I don't think he even appeared.

Rose does get more to do, thank God. But in the end she gets no resolution, even a tragic one, no answers, she isn't allowed to grow. She even gets to interact with her grandfather but the possibilities for serious drama and tragedy dealing with the fallout of that are all swept to the side in favor of plot drama from characters like Dora Daniel and Ivy, who...existed, I guess.

If you're wondering why I'm not talking about Waking Hours, Kiernan's Dreaming or the Season of Mists manga at all, its simple: I haven't actually read any of them all the way through. I've only seen some panels of the manga in passing online and the descriptions of the premises. I REALLY want to see if I can get my hands on copies or find them online and read them for myself. I've heard that the Season of Mists manga and Kiernan's Dreaming are kind of cracked out and weird, but that only feeds my curiosity tbh. I've also heard Waking Hours is good.

Sorry this list was so incomplete, but thanks!! I appreciate the chance to ramble lol