#Masquerade (Fu)

[smokefalls]

All homes are manifestations of the psyche; home is the material expression of one’s state of being, the interior made exterior.

Mike Fu, Masquerade

[nervouslywaitingforlife]

This came to me in a vision.

[lgbtqreads]

New Releases: October 29, 2024

Middle Grade Sir Callie and the Witch’s War by Esme Symes-Smith This is the third book in the Sir Callie series Being a hero is nothing like the ballads promised it would be. Scattered across the realm, Callie, Willow, Elowen, and Edwyn have learned that when the fate of their world is at stake, choices are hard and the consequences are harder, even when striving for good. Hunted by both Helston…

[dyavol]

She's gonna boop the vampire (Dioooooo) and the demon (Fuuuuuuuuu) on the noses!

How did she move in my frozen time...

"You understand of course that all this...

means war, don't you?"

[cultfaction]

Pamela Susan Shoop

Pamela Susan Shoop is an American actress who has made a name for herself in the film and television industry. She was born on June 7th 1948, in Hollywood, California, and began her acting career in the late 1960s. Over the years, Shoop has appeared in a number of popular film and television productions, earning critical acclaim for her performances. Shoop’s first film role was in the 1969 film…

[help-im-a-gay-fish]

Before an after.

How do you create one of the worse sequels I have ever seen? Welp, Love Never Dies is probably the perfect example. I could rant for hours about that.

I think my relationship with it is the purest form of a love-hate relationship, as it's so bad it's almost funny. If anyone wants to know, shoot me an ask, and I will explain whyyyyyyy

*takes breath*

Anyway, I drew Nightmare in the Red Death Outfit from the Masquerade scene, and ohhhhhh, I love ittttt. Yet another outfit that the movie didn't do justice, seeing it on stage was fantastic!! And it's actually a reference to another book called "The Masquerade of the Red Death" and it is essentially a huge FU to everyone at the party.

I'm gonna say it againnn anyone who's a fan of the movie should listen to the 25th anniversary sound track, my poor gf has had to listen to me rambling about it lol.

Original cross jakei95

Original Dream and Nightmare by jokublog

Crossover is by me

And @zu-is-here you asked me to tag you, here you go!

[saphira-artandoc]

C3 Swap AU

Fearne Calloway

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This post can contain spoilers!

If you wonder what the swap AU is, I recommend checking it out right here!

Major thanks to @theplatinumcritter and many members of the Dorym Nation discord server for helping me with this insane AU, you guys are the GOATS!

Character information

Title: Lady Fearne Calloway, Fey Heart of the First Spark

Age: 24 (born 819 P.D)

Class: Druid (Circle of the Moon)

EXU - Campaign 3

Fearne Calloway is a Ruidusborn satyr. She was raised and lived most of her life in Zephrah with her parents, Birdie and Ollie Calloway. They went to seek sanctuary when she was still a baby, trying to escape the Unseelies and The Sorrowlord Athion Zathuda, her biological father.

She was partially raised by Nell, who taught her about healing herbs and took the same classes as Maeve to become a druid. She wished to repay the kindness The Voice of the Tempest, Keyleth, granted them by giving her family sanctuary. She has a close bond with the triplets, Will and Orym.

By the time she got older, her parents became more absent, working with Ira Wendagoth and successfully stole the Moontide Crown from the Unseelies.

When the shadow assassins attacked, Fearne’s parent thought they were send by Zathuda to get back the crown, only to realize none of them were fey in nature. They were after their leader, The Voice of the Tempest, and almost succeeded in their task, killing Derrig and Will in the process.

Her parents left her to Nell’s care after the attack, believing she would be in good hands. They left Zephrah and work with the Nightmare King since then.

She left Zephrah 4 years later after the attack to find Orym and her parents. She managed to rejoin with the halfling in 842 P.D. and with her parents in 843 P.D. with the help of Bells Hells.

Despite sharing the same last name as Morrigan Calloway, the Fatestitcher, she has never stepped a hoof to the Feywild before joining with Bell’s Hells, and got close to it with the Crown Keepers. She also isn’t 112 years old, since she was born earlier in the timeline and lived in Exandria instead of the Feywild with Morrigan.

Because of her druid Circle, Fearne lacks the help of Little Mister, her canon self’s familiar.

She had a fling with Chetney Pock O’Pea and Deanna Leimert. She is currently in a relationship with Ashton Greymoore.

Masquerade ball

Fearne Calloway manage to steal the original gown from the Dreamscape Theatre costume set, and spruce it up with flowers, feathers and a beautiful pink sheer overcoat.

Her mask is matching her ball gown, with various feathers and flowers surrounding it.

She was Dorian’s plus one at the ball. He introduced her as Lady Fearne Calloway of the Air Ashari.

Uthodurn - Saviour of the Diarchy

With Uthodurn saved, she was able to change her clothes into something more Fey-like, and wear the Gloomscale breastplate and Deanna’s shawl. Her staff changed to match with beautiful flowers growing from it, matching her.

Vasselheim - Fey Heart of the First Spark

In Vasselheim she changed herself once more to be ready for battle… in style! Her dress was changed to a beautiful pink to coral flowy dress shirt and pants. She wears part of FCG’s jacket over her dress shirt, a black corset and the Gloomscale breastplate. She also kept Deanna’s shawl and wears one of Orym’s jade stone on her left leg in a makeshift leg brace. Her staff got even more flowers, following her theme.

Her pupils have an orange tint to them since swallowing Rau’shan’s shard. She has a mark of Asmodeus burning on her central knuckle, from her deal with Teven Klask.

Shard of Rau’shan - titan form

Pretty much the same as canon. The main difference is elements of the clothes are burning, including the Gloomscale breastplate. Every flowers on her also burned away in her transformation.

Feywild

When Fearne is near a gate or inside the Feywild itself, her form changes to a more elongated state and goat-like : her eyes are big and her entire body is covered in fur. Her nails turned into claws and those on her left hand, blackened by the Ciclet of Barbed vision with her time with the Crown Keepers, are longer and sharper.

Relationships:

The Crown Keepers : Fearne’s very first band of misfit. She cares for each of them, especially Opal whom she sees as a sister. When she left with Orym and Dorian, she was worried to leave Dariax and Opal behind but was reassured by the former that they would be fine, and they might even stick with Fy’ra Rai if they cross paths again.

Ashton Greymoore : current partner. Both have feelings for the other but have not labeled their relationship yet.

Orym of the Air Ashari : like an older brother. She knows his pain of losing Will and Derrig more than anyone else. She was worried about him the years following their death and decided to go and find him.

Berenie, Maeve, Lita and Will : they sees her as a little sister. She also sees them as her older siblings.

Dorian Storm : partners in crime. If Orym isn’t supervising them, they will cause chaos. She had a hard time saying goodbye to him, being one her closest friends. When he came back with Keyleth near the excavation site, she run up to him with Orym in tow to greet him back.

Chetney Pock O’Pea : she had a fling with him and Deanna Leimert back in Wildemount. She sees his wisdom and often confides with him, as seen when Ashton almost died following their decision of taking Rau’shan’s shard.

The Calloways : her relationship with Birdie and Ollie is a bit tense due to them leaving her in Zephrah after the death of Will and Derrig, but she still loves them. She got to spent more time with them than her canon counterpart.

Morrigan Calloway, The Fatestitcher : despite not knowing about Morrigan, the hag sees her as an extended granddaughter from Birdie. The hag still helps her and Bell’s Hells, since they are friends with Dorian, the hag’s protégé. If anything were to happen to him, Morrigan would not hesitate to put them all under The Loom.

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With that, our first character has been revealed! Next in line will be Chetney, who might come later this week.

[rey-jake-therapist]

Those who know me know I'm not usually a shipper, because fictional romances tend to bore me or make me roll my eyes lol So it's interesting how the only two ships that got me obsessed enough to write multiple posts about them, Hannigram and Saurondriel, both involve a male character that's literally the devil incarnate, and a "lover" who's revealed to be very complex, as far from perfect and "all pure and good".

Spoilers of Rings of Power S2 after the line!

The universes they originate from are of course very different, but I recognize similarities in the dynamics between Will Graham and Hannibal, and Galadriel and Sauron. Especially now that The Rings of Power season 2 is airing.

In Hannibal, Will keeps saying that he hates Hannibal and wants him dead or in jail, but he can't help being irrevocably drawn to him even knowing what he is. At some point it's very clear that he uses his "duty" as an excuse to get closer to Hannibal, because he can't find peace if he can't reach him. Part of him still believes Hannibal is the devil and must be slayed as the monster that he is, but he also recognizes the darkness in Hannibal as being in him as well, and is torn apart because Hannibal is the only being who truly knows him, and understands him. Hence why in season 3, he knows the only way to be free of his torments is to die with Hannibal (for the record, I still refuse the idea that they survived this. It was the perfect outcome!).

In Rings of Power, I feel the same thing happening to Galadriel. When in her first vision, she asks "he has returned already?", it's unclear if she's afraid of hopeful; actually, she looks and sounds as if she's both. I don't talk enough about Morfyd's flawless acting, she's amazing!

Her attitude when she talks about Sauron has changed from season 1: he's still the enemy to defeat, he's still the devil incarnate. But he's also still Halbrand in her heart, as the slip on the tongue she makes proves when she's discussing him with Gil-Galad. She won't admit it, but she's conflicted now. Worse maybe (from her point of her view), vulnerable. Despite everything, he's still the only being in the world who understands her, who knows her, just like for Will and Hannibal. She let him in because she felt seen at last, maybe for the first time...

Again Morfyd's acting... flawless. WOW.

Elrond is no fool and has figured her out better than she did: the problem is not that she might let him in again, but that "he never left". The darkness in Sauron resonated in her, they're now bonded. There's no turning back from that.

In season 1, there was no ambiguity: she wanted to find Sauron to destroy him, period. But now? Sure, she wants to prevent him to do damages in Eregion and all the Middle-Earth, so it's a good reason to go after him, but I think part of her also craves this precious connection she lost, and wants to find it again. I mean, the way she's always touching her ring? She acts like a drug addict always coming back for more. And we know there's no way Sauron couldn't have corrupted these rings. When the ring tumbled at her feet, it may have been a move made by Sauron himself, from afar. It also can be no coincidence that the vision she sees in Episode 4 is Sauron masquerading as Halbrand: it's a calling.

Now, of course there's no way Galadriel and Sauron's story end like Will and Hannibal. Galadriel will overcome this, she'll soon tell Sauron to fu*k off for good and they'll both spend the rest of their long lifetime sulking in their corner and being forever miserable content with what they have. Still, while it lasts, I'm enjoying the hell out of it!

[symphonic-scream]

Okay. The P4 Tokyo au. Here are the outfit themes

Yu Narukami [Prince]

For this, it's half royal half knight. So he has gauntlets and some metal plating on his legs, but leather boots, and a prince costume style top. He's got a black crown of thorns on his head, and his mask is pure white, with gold accents. Sharp angles and shit

Teddie [Kuma]

He's Teddie. He looks like Teddie. In the real world he's a little Bolognese style dog, toy poodle size. Fits in Yu's bag

Chie Satonaka [Merc]

So she's. Based on Kung Fu movie garbs. I was thinking a bright green version of the iconic Ip Man look, with a dragon themed mask. Fangs down the bottom, and two little mock horns in her hair?? But she'd have like, sneakers. Big chunky sneaks

Yosuke Hanamura [Captain]

Camo pants. Big leather boots. A black techwear/tactical jacket, and his mask is like the upper half of a paintball mask. Dark green. His lower face is exposed, but he has an orange scarf that's torn up a bit

Yukiko Amagi [Phoenix]

She's based on ribbon dancers! Flowy red/orange shirt, into pants of the same style that are the kind that look like they're a skirt sometimes? Flowy and billowy. Hair is an elaborate ponytail bun thing, with a sort of halo of red feathers. Her mask is also feathered, but they look like fire

Naoto Shirogane [Rider]

For Naoto, I went with a highwayman theme. A gentleman robber. The large tricorne hat, the suit, a cloak, older leather shoes or boots, all navy and black, with a cloth mask. Like, for the mask. Think of the Princess Bride

Rise Kujikawa [Starlight]

A skirt, thigh highs, sneakers, bows in her hair, long gloves, sleeveless top. All a base colour of black with pink and silver glitter, so she shines, drawing all the attention to herself. Her mask is themed like a masquerade mask, all elegance and beauty and shine

Kanji Tatsumi [Fixer]

It's a play on the sort of nickname someone would get in the mafia or Yakuza. His mask is like shaded glasses, and he's street link styled but. He's carrying knitting needles and spools of thread and wool. His main tone is purple

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So yeah. That's everyone?? Let me know what you think

[lullabyalikpoptarot]

Seungcheol (S.Coups) Perspective Reading

So, I have done a reading on a member from my favorite groups, except Seventeen, so thought I start working on them and there are 13 of them, so it is time to get started. I was stuck between him or my bias Woozi, but he pulled me in more, so will start with him. I am actually not that familiar with them to deeply as my other favorites, so it will be nice to look into these members. The song that popped up for him was Cheers by Rihanna and my thought was why!? Anyway, I can interpret that as he likes to have a good time, or he likes to cap off a hard workday or week with some drinks and a good time. I will now get into the cards with him.

So, he pulled me towards the Astrology deck first. The House 11 card came out reversed. I don't read these cards in reversed, but I felt there is a reason this was put that way. House 11 is about friendships, networks and likeminded people. With this being reversed, it is like he may not feel like he belongs or fits into a certain group. He may feel like an outsider. Now he gave me the Gemini and Aquarius card, which are all about networking, communicating, friendships, kin ship I am getting. He may feel out of place. I wonder if this has to do with him not being able to go to the Military with his brothers, like he feels like an outsider in that sense. The cards also talk about humanitarian and philanthropy in it, doing something that brings great benefit to others, his duty. It is like a sense of failure there. I am getting the wounded healer from the Chiron card I got. He might express his hurt through writing or communicating to others. He wants to do things for the greater cause. He is using the power of thought, logic, ideas and his mind to work through his hurt. He may have been destined to have this set back to spread awareness of something somehow. What that is I don't know, but there is something he should communicate to the collective that can change the perception of the collective or Korean society, since he is Korean.

So, on to the Dark Mirror deck I have. The Masquerade card came out in reversed, and once again that seems significant to me. It is like he wasn't able to put on a show. His true colors were revealed. Maybe he shown some vulnerability he did not like to show. There is kind of a blocked transition here. I see the number on the card, which adds up to 6, which makes me think of the 6 of wands and swords, which is about success and transition, it is like he was blocked from that. The cards kind of fell for him. There is a sense of regret he feels with this Gilded Regret card here. The number 5 is on this card, which is difficulty and challenges. He may have not been able to rise up to that. It is like parts of him that he may have not wanted to be shown were, something about him being revealed that he did not want. He may be pissed off at the world. He may feel things are a bit unfair. He may be seeing things from a negative perspective at the moment.

Now with the fated to suffer card, it is like he feels that could be his destiny. He may be tempted to do things that may put him on the wrong path. And may fall prey to addictive tendencies. He should be careful not to get tempted into doing things he may regret being in the headspace he may be in. I get the message the house of cards is falling from the Masquerade card in reversed. Now that is a system that is failing, or does that mean himself? Something is crumbling, maybe his mindset on how the system works. It is like he may see it as unjust and fu**ed up I am getting. Focusing in on the numbers on the card, so you got 5, which is disorganization, competition, fighting, conflict and 2 cards that equal to 7, manipulation, hiding, lies etc,. The one card that is 6 is reversed, which means blocked from transitioning, or moving ahead. This is weird and wild, don't have the full picture of what that means. He needs to be careful not to be tempted by something that may lead him down a path he does not want to go to. I am going to move on, because this is a bit confusing.

These cards are giving me whatever thoughts he has or beliefs he may have of this world and himself can be brought into reality. The power of his words. As people say words are spells. He should recognize if he says things about the world and about himself it will reflect back on to his reality. He has the power to make his world more positive or more negative by the magic of his words. Spirit wants to remind him that he is not alone, and that there are people who suffer the same consequences as him. But also, he has the power to comfort others. I am also getting bring awareness. He should also lean on his loved ones, be it family and members. He may feel alone, but that is just his perception, not the reality.

He should connect with himself from a place of love and self-acceptance. I feel he may lack a bit of self-awareness here. To connect with his heart center. I don't see him knowing the power he holds within himself. He should connect through his work. He has strong abilities to create. He is a creative individual, and he can utilize that to get to know himself, but also to help others. His creativity can be very therapeutic for him. He can mold things to how he wants. It is like there is a sense of control he may like, but this world is unpredictable, so it can knock him out a bit if it doesn't fit to his standards. He is consistent, loyal and dependable. Balance needs to be restored, not sure what that means, but getting that. There is power within himself, but if he can't connect with himself. He blocks his true creative potential. I see a lot of colors in these two cards. He needs to make his world a bit more colorful and reflect a beautiful world around him. What reflects back to him is what he believes. If he sees the world as dark and gloom, then that is what his reality will be.

He tries to seek enjoyment out of life. Although, he may see things in a negative light. He may know he should find enjoyment in it. He may seek enjoyment through his desires and external needs. Just going to say this, could be sexual desires that may help him find joy. It is like it is hard for him to look for the joy within himself, so he seeks it outside himself. But these pleasures are short time, and, in the end, he could find to regret that. Once again, I am getting there is something he should share with others, some wisdom he has. He could be a mentor or teacher to others. Light the way for others. He has a lot of knowledge and wisdom he can give to others. I just feel what he has experienced can be a lot of help to others so he should share that to others. I can also see him gaining guidance from others as well and gaining knowledge from them. He seems like the type that likes to learn and observe the world around him. He seems to be a bit of an old soul as well. I feel he may have experienced many lives here.

I am very surprised he gave me all Earth cards for my Tarot deck. With him being a Leo, he gives me more of an Earthy energy. I think I mentioned earlier, he really likes stability and security. For things to remain consistent. He is definitely showing this energy here. There is a sense of duty he feels he has, not sure why that came up, but that is what I get. It is like when things get a bit disorganized and out of order. He does not like it. I feel like him not able to do his service in the military is kind of bugging him, like he is let down he can't do it. This Virgo card that I got the keywords self-critical, sense of duty and being of service stick out to me. It is like it shook him a bit. He may be critical of himself about it. He is a very ambitious, hard-working person. He is very loyal to others and whatever cause he stands for. I say he is in a very practical energy at the moment. Focusing on his goals and working towards long-term plans. Just figuring out how to proceed in life and move forward. His energy seems serious and may lack a bit of playfulness. It is like get down to business and work energy, or he is trying to plan things out, being a bit meticulous about things. I am still trying to figure out what the song I got has to do with this reading. It may be that because he can be very serious. He needs a drink to let loose, or it is telling him to celebrate and have fun once in a while.

Well, this was an interesting ride. Not too intense, but not the lightest energy either, a bit of a mixture. His energy was a bit confusing in some parts, but I feel I got a bit of what was going on energetically with him. It was nice to get a bit of understanding of him, since I never really dug into Seventeen, even though they are one of my favorite groups, so I am excited to get to all of them eventually and step a bit into their world.

[justlookatthosesausages]

After continuously pushing the day I'd finally watch it, I eventually watched Kung Fu Panda 4 today and... I'm so sad to confirm that it's exactly as disappointing as I feared it to be

Of course it has some little good points and I'm sure that it found its audience. Kids could identify themselves, laugh, adults had their fair share of action and humor.

But everything else was a pile of disappointment. The plot barely stands. There are plot devices at every corner. It's not as steady, original, and compelling as the 3 previous movies, its story and animation quality doesn't even come close to Kung Fu Panda 1, 2 and 3... It's like they decided to make the movie at the last minute, or were forced by Dreamworks execs to do it at the last minute which could... Actually be true?

There are too many tropes that have been seen before and again and again: the splitted screen, the predictable betrayals, the emotional talk under the rain, the adorable kids who actually are violent, the anti-climax end, the easy ways, the pep talk shortcuts... It's crazy that such a resounding and deep and dazzling saga as Kung Fu Panda has such basic fight choreography and scenery in its 4th film.

I've said it before and I'll said it again, this is always what is doomed to happen when a studio makes a movie that 1) literally nobody asked for, not even the biggest fans, 2) releases 8 years after the previous opus, 3) has a story happening after what is generally and objectively seen as the final closure of the main character's story

of course I get the whole "We conclude the saga further with Po choosing a successor" thing but doesn't it destroy the entire premise of the Kung Fu Panda saga? Oogway chose the next dragon warrior when his time was not far off! Why does Po have to chose the next dragon warrior now?

I'm so sorry but I can't let this movie pass, the Kung Fu Panda trilogy is amazing and this is just a masquerade

[smokefalls]

No matter how he tried to keep cool and take things slow, he could feel with grim certainty that he was falling headlong in love. How delicious and thrilling the descent was, the body tumbling head over heels, metallic momentum in his belly, so much air blasting upward into his mouth that he couldn’t even scream.

Mike Fu, Masquerade

[blueraspberrydreams]

🌠🌀 !! my interests!! 🌀🌠< last update: 01/09/2025 >

favorite shows of all time!! 📺

sonic underground

courage the cowardly dog

chowder

misadventures of flapjack

bluey

my little pony

sonic boom

spongebob squarepants

sonic the hedgehog (1993)

clarence

adventure time

gravity falls

the muppet show (1974)

my life as a teenage robot

the grim adventures of billy & mandy

favorite movies of all time!! 🎬

princess bride

the lion king 2

ice age (all of them!!)

fantastic mister fox

bolt

the polar express

the spongebob squarepants movie (2004)

madagascar (all of them!!)

ponyo

howl's moving castle

kiki's delivery service

kung fu panda (the trilogy)

meet the robinsons

the emperor's new groove

nine

favorite video games of all time!! 🎮

stardew valley

animal crossing: new horizons

the legend of zelda (all of them!!)

stray 🐱

fields of mistria

fallout 4

indigo park

cult of the lamb

bugsnax

resident evil (all of them!!)

five nights at freddys (all of them!!)

minecraft

red dead redemption 2

pokemon (all of them!!)

slime rancher

favorite music of all time!! 🎶

glass animals

icon for hire

stardew valley ost

neffex

mr. kitty

odetari

mother mother

three days grace

jack stauber

lemon demon

the weekend

michael jackson

porter robinson

starset

john denver

favorite youtubers of all time!! 💻

8-bitryan

markiplier

gamegrumps

ray narvaez jr.

zaypixel

welcomintv

h20delirious

babish culinary universe

lazy masquerade

special edd

neytirix

louixie

finchwing

mummy joe

krinxtv

dead meat

whew!!! that took a hot minute, but that should be enough (for now)!! sorry if this was a bit overboard, hehe, i'm a bit of a rambler!! i hope that you all like hearing about the things i like!! hey, do you like any of these things too??? lemme know!!! it's always nice to share interests!!

🔹 all credits for banners/dividers: cloudy night sky gif // blue stars divider // dainty chain divider // sparkly night gif // blue dot divider🔹

[bookclub4m]

45 New & Forthcoming Indie Press Books by BIPOC Authors 

Every month Book Club for Masochists: A Readers’ Advisory Podcasts chooses a genre at random and we read and discuss books from that genre. We also put together book lists for each episode/genre that feature works by BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, & People of Colour) authors. All of the lists can be found here.

Fiction

Weird Black Girls: Stories by Elwin Cotman (AK Press)

False Idols: A Reluctant King Novel by K’Wan (Akashic Books)

Sister Deborah by Scholastique Mukasonga, translated by Mark Polizzotti (Archipelago Books)

Bad Land by Corinna Chong (Arsenal Pulp Press)

These Letters End in Tears by Musih Tedji Xaviere (Catapult)

The Coin by Yasmin Zaher (Catapult)

Cecilia by K-Ming Chang (Coffee House Press)

Fog & Car by Eugene Lim (Coffee House Press)

We’re Safe When We’re Alone by Nghiem Tran (Coffee House Press)

A Woman of Pleasure by Kiyoko Murata, translated by Juliet Winters Carpenter (Counterpoint Press)

Bad Seed by Gabriel Carle, translated by Heather Houde (Feminist Press)

The Default World by Naomi Kanakia (Feminist Press)

The Singularity by Balsam Karam, translated by Saskia Vogel (Feminist Press)

I'll Give You a Reason by Annell López (Feminist Press)

Tongueless by Lau Yee-Wa, translated by Jennifer Feeley (Feminist Press)

Outcaste by Sheila James (Goose Lane Editions)

Silken Gazelles by Jokha Alharthi, translated by Marilyn Booth (House of Anansi Press)

Dad, I Miss You by Nadia Sammurtok, illustrated by Simji Park (Inhabit Media)

Secrets of the Snakestone by Pia DasGupta (Nosy Crow)

The Burrow by Melanie Cheng (Tin House)

Masquerade by Mike Fu (Tin House)

The World With Its Mouth Open: Stories by Zahid Rafiq (Tin House)

I Love You So Much It's Killing Us Both by Mariah Stovall (Soft Skull Press)

Non-Fiction

RAPilates: Body and Mind Conditioning in the Digital Age by Chuck D and Kathy Lopez (Akashic Books)

All Our Ordinary Stories: A Multigenerational Family Odyssey by Teresa Wong (Arsenal Pulp Press)

Dispersals: On Plants, Borders, and Belonging by Jessica J. Lee (Catapult)

My Pisces Heart: A Black Immigrant's Search for Home Across Four Continents by Jennifer Neal  (Catapult)

Beyond the Mountains: An Immigrant's Inspiring Journey of Healing and Learning to Dance with the Universe by Deja Vu Prem (Catapult)

Out of the Sierra: A Story of Rarámuri Resistance by Victoria Blanco (Coffee House Press)

Thunder Song: Essays by Sasha LaPointe (Counterpoint Press)

Born to Walk: My Journey of Trials and Resilience by Alpha Nkuranga (Goose Lane Editions)

Jinny Yu (At Once/À La Fois) by Jinny Yu (Goose Lane Editions)

Log Off: Why Posting and Politics (Almost) Never Mix by Katherine Cross (LittlePuss Press)

Becoming Little Shell: A Landless Indian’s Journey Home by Chris La Tray (Milkweed Editions)

World of Wonders: In Praise of Fireflies, Whale Sharks, and Other Astonishments  by Aimee Nezhukumatathil (Milkweed Editions)

Opacities: On Writing and the Writing Life by Sofia Samatar (Soft Skull Press)

The Story Game by Shze-Hui Tjoa (Tin House)

Black Meme: The History of the Images That Make Us by Legacy Russell (Verso Books)

Poetry

i heard a crow before i was born by Jules Delorme (Goose Lane Editions)

We the Gathered Heat: Asian American and Pacific Islander Poetry, Performance, and Spoken Word edited by Franny Choi, Bao Phi, Noʻu Revilla, and Terisa Siagatonu (Haymarket Books)

A Map of My Want by Faylita Hicks (Haymarket Books)

[...] by Fady Joudah (Milkweed Editions)

Comics

A Witch’s Guide to Burning by Aminder Dhaliwal (Drawn & Quarterly)

Oba Electroplating Factory by Yoshiharu Tsuge (Drawn & Quarterly)

Lost at Windy River by  Jillian Dolan, Trina Rathgeber and Alina Pete (Orca Books)

[handsome-girl-competition]

now that thats over i can finally share the competitors list! here's who made it into the competition:

Gideon Nav from The Locked Tomb Series

Rika from Whichever Pokemon Game That Was

Vi from Arcane (League design doesn't count, obviously)

Haruka Tenou/Sailor Uranus from Sailor Moon

Rachel Lindt/Bitch from Worm

Yuu Kashima from Gekkan Shoujo Nozaki-kun

Scorpia from She-Ra

Utena from Revolutionary Girl Utena

Undyne from Undertale

Susie from Deltarune

Noi from Dorohedoro

Lady Oscar from The Rose of Versailles

Haruhi Fujioka from Ourah High School Host Club

Beauregard Lionett from Critical Role (Campaign 2)

Han Sooyoung from Omniscient Reader's Viewpoint

Catra from She-Ra

Kaoru Seta from BanG Dream

Olivier Mira Armstrong from Fullmetal Alchemist

Quanxi from Chainsaw Man

Juri Arisugawa from Revolutionary Girl Utena

Kotoko Yuzuriha from MILGRAM

Eda Clawthorne from The Owl House

Mitsuki Koga (my specialest lil guy) from The Guy She Was Interested In Wasn't A Guy At All

Bismuth from Steven Universe

Jolyne Cujoh from Jojo: Stone Ocean

Merrin from Fire Emblem Engage

Sevika from Arcane

Kira Nerys from One of Those Star Treks

Ermes Costello from I Think That Same Jojo?

Tao from Gokurakugai

Jasper from Steven Universe

Amanda O'Neil from Little Witch Academia

Maki Zenin from Jujutsu Kaisen (post-shibuya look... dreamy sigh)

Lady Maria from Bloodborne

Korra from The Legend of Korra

Pyrrha Dve from The Locked Tomb Series

Fu Hua from Honkai Impact 3rd (did you know i thought it was 3d until now for some reason? the more you know)

Reinhardt from Alchemy Stars

Rekka from Hi Fi Rush

Akira Kenjou from One of Those Pretty Cures

Lupe García from A League of Their Own

Ellen Ripley from Alien

Percival King from Epithet Erased

Adora from She-Ra

Shima Nishina from Kiss Him, Not Me!

Joan Watson from Elementary

Baiken from Guilty Gear

Anne Lister from Gentleman Jack

Cassandra Jones from Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles

Max Chapman from A League of Their Own

Gebura from Lobotomy Corporation/Project Moon

Sakura Oogami from Danganronpa

Zero from Final Fantasy XIV

Xena from Xena: Warrior Princess

Imperator Furiosa from Mad Max: Fury Road

Graham Eaton from But I'm A Cheerleader!

Tsubomi Kido from Kagerou Project

Lin Beifong from Legend of Korra

Motoko Kusanagi from Ghost in the Shell

Villanelle from Killing Eve

Pearl from Steven Universe

Tain Hu from The Masquerade Series

Amaya from The Dragon Prince

Naoto Shirogane from Persona 4

[oblivious-aro]

Fast Food Masquerade Thoughts (Spoilers):

-I actually believe that Jax did not mean to do that.

-Oh, a fast food episode. That's fu- wait, it's like an actual fast food restaurant? Not a video game one? 

-“Never say you hate the customer while the customer is still here! We wait until after hours for that!” My coworkers wait for the exact amount of time it takes for the customer to be out of earshot.

-They’re really getting their mileage out of that scary angel face, huh?

-Ugh, Gangle’s speeches are bad. And not in a good way. At least there’s a lot of them… sigh…

-“She’d rather be with an NPC than us…or something.” Whoop, drugged-up Ragatha's negative feelings are leaking.

-Yeah that’s pretty much how I figured/hoped the Gummi Goo reunion would be. Simple, kind of trippy, a little tragic, but not a huge thing. *Nod of approvement*.

-“I like…hate you, but I don’t want you to hate me. Is that weird?” sigh… I don’t like that I feel that. Idk if it's weird, but it's probably not healthy Ragatha.

-Lol Pomni’s did-I-just-have-a-positive-interaction-with-Jax face. Been there. It’s trippy. 

-”I guess we’re doing this again.” Okay I can excuse that one because it was quick, but cut it out with that self-aware stuff. It makes you look insecure.

-“Oh Ragatha… I love her, but… after a while it gets hard to tell how genuine she’s actually being.” …fuck. Hey show, I said I didn't like relating to Ragatha. But yeah, that's the thing about being a people pleaser; others will catch on you're hiding your true self eventually. 

-Pomni tried with Gangle, and it was appreciated, but I do get that what Gangle really wanted was to be appreciated, not just helped. Zooble doesn't really want to be involved in adventures, but they seem like a really considerate person. I like their little exchange.

-*Parouses the TADC tag* I feel like more energy was put into theory teasing than the actual plot and writing this episode.

Well TADC, you had a pretty great streak, but we’ve hit your first miss.

This episode jumps back and forth between a lot of undercooked ideas. There’s some good jokes, but overall it’s an incredibly boring time. I don’t know what it is exactly, maybe an editing thing or the direction of line delivery, but the whole episode has this oppressive dragging feeling that really screws up the pacing. You could argue it’s on purpose for the retail-torture vibes, but episode one had this problem too, so I think it’s a kink they have yet to work out. Even if it hypothetically was on purpose, it actively makes the show unpleasant to watch, so I hope they figure that problem out.  

Speaking of retail-torture, why was this episode about retail? It seems more like they were trying to pick a “trendy” or “relatable” topic rather than because they had ideas for how this kind of an episode would fit in the show. As I mentioned earlier, making it (basically) a real retail setting divorces the concept from the show’s video game themed purgatory setting, and they don’t really seem to have anything interesting to say or make the characters do in said retail setting. Gangle’s speeches aren’t entertaining, insightful, or accurate. Drugged up Ragatha isn’t that funny, and making characters loopy is supposed to be playing comedy on easy mode. Pomni’s story is fine, but completely disconnected from everyone. Zooble doesn't do anything interesting until the end. Jax… okay I actually found Jax decent this episode. He didn’t completely take over like he did in the candy adventure, and it worked so much better for him.

It just would’ve made so much more sense if it was a Papa’s Pizzaria style video game or something. And there’s so many fun and interesting ideas you can do with the concept. Have Jax serve a customer a hamburger with 256 cheese slices. Someone can be annoyed that they can only get 99% on their grilling score. The central theme could be about how coworker synergy makes the retail experience easier to bear. That would fit really well with the overall theme of the show.

Gangle’s storyline was… I see what they were trying to do (because it’s really unsubtle /neutral observation), but it felt forced and awkward. It feels like the writer’s goal was to make a story about ‘masking’, not an episode of TADC. It feels like we’re examining parts of Gangle’s character that were only applicable to her life before the circus, and what we learned isn’t really going to feel relevant to future endeavours in the circus. 

‘I’m sad because my shitty job gets in the way of pursuing my dreams as an artist.’ You don’t even have that job anymore, Gangle. I know audiences will generally find ‘retail job’ more relatable than ‘circus purgatory’ (cirgatory?), but if you have to stray that far from your show’s identity for that relatability, it makes the episode feel detached.

The last episode was also about fleshing out a relatively one-note character, and they did that by giving the audience information that recontextualized the behaviour we’d seen in past episodes. What do we learn about Gangle in this episode? She’s sad and kind of a loser? We already knew that. There is something in there about how hard it is for her to connect with the people around her, something which has repeatedly been shown to be paramount to Pomni and the others' morale, but it really gets overshadowed by everything else going on up ‘till the very end.