#New Harbor Anthology

[kurgy]

i like redrawing memes when im the only one with context

[highrook]

The Two Worlds of Highrook

(part 1 ) Blacksands

There are actually two worlds that collide to create the highrook experience. The first is the town of Blacksands and its surroundings (such as the Highrook estate where the game is based). The second is the shadow cosmic realm of Nibiru. When these two planes are brought into contact, via magics and ritual, the intersection results in horrifying consequences.

Blacksands is a decaying sea-port, settled on the broken coast of the inmost ocean. Its ash colored beaches fold in and out of dank coves and dreary estuaries.  The town itself consists of a handful of shambolic districts, tumbling from the storm battered heights of Highrook down to the rotting docks of Aldwerth. 

Hemmed in by the oily sea to the east and treacherous cliffs to the west, the streets and its inhabitants exhibit a sense of dreamlike stoicism. Trade is sparse but well weathered ships still dock at the moldering port, bringing supplies - both mundane and exotic - into the town. Its isolation has made it a haven for those who do not wish to be found; thieves and heretics alike. And because of this gathering of minds and materials, the shadowed streets of Blacksands harbor wonders both revelatory and horrifying.

Blacksands is an amalgam of the many gothic locations that have inspired me over time. From the narrow streets of Bram Stokers Whitby, through the rotting shanties of Innsmouth and the candle-lit cities of games like Thief and Dishonored. Even though our game takes place on the cliffs overlooking the town, the characters, their background and their personal goals all align with their positions in the town itself. 

Blacksands also diverges from a purely accurate historical representation of similar locations, specifically with the addition of more steampunk and magical elements. This is most obvious with the introduction of the mecanists, a guild of expert engineers and machine workers. Ritualistic practices, backstreet medicine, smuggling and underhand diplomatic espionage are all part of the bustling but covert city scene. Even though Highrook - the game - takes place outside Blacksands  proper there are continual references to the geography, politics and history of the city. 

Influences

Cities have always been a favorite fantasy location for me.  They are usually more grounded in reality than the open world, which suits my tastes more. You don’t tend to get dragons or giants hanging out in cities, they are mostly the domain of human(oid)s. This doesn't mean that fantasy cities are relegated to being historical stage sets  though. Some of my favorite fictional cities; Viriconium, New Crobuzon, Sanctuary, Leá Monde, Gormenghast are far from realistic settings.

The city of Viriconium is the location for several novels and short stories by M. John Harrison. Like much of Harrison's work it merges styles,settings and tone in a way that feels deliberately inconsistent and dreamlike. In one tale it is the site of quiet poetic recollections, in another it becomes a hub for almost sci-fi events. But throughout all the iterations it very definitely seems to have a life of its own, beyond the page.. China Miéville’s New Crobuzon, featured in Perdido Street Station and other novels, is similar in its hybrid mix of sources, but feels less dreamlike and more cinematic. Instead of the blurred edges of dreams Miéville’s city is  described in cinematic clarity, like film sets ready to frame the action of the story.

Thieves' World was an anthology series published throughout the 1980s, it took the city of Sanctuary as its central theme, but allowed various writers to interpret the city as they wished. As a result the sense of place evolved over time through a number of fairly unreliable narrators and different authors interpretations. It wavers from complex tales of diplomacy to page-turning action-adventure. But the city as a container really appealed to me when I first read the series.

Gormenghast illustration by ian miller

Finally the ruined worlds of Gormenghast and  Leá Monde have always been visual touchstones to me. Both places are abandoned crumbling citadels where the remnants of once powerful families still cling on, alongside phantoms and decay.

Leá Monde is the only city listed here that is from a game rather than a book, but that makes it no less inspiring. It's the setting for the  PS1 game Vagrant Story (2000) and like the crumbling towers of The Last Guardian or the derelict districts of the Thief and Dishonored games it offers an incomplete history of a cities past, full of ghosts and half told tales.

In all these examples, and in the case of my own Blacksands, there is an interesting contradiction between people and place. All these cities are clearly a product of their successive inhabitants, yet also seem to have their own identity that persists beyond their population.

Highrook sits at the top of the salt cliffs of Blacksands, overlooking the smog filled port and its ashen coast. But it also sits on top of a gateway to a very different world, the hidden citadel of Nibiru, which I will talk about in another post soon!

[momachan]

"A mask of confidence to the world... and a private one racked by conflict and wounds. I imagined myself as a young Bruce witnessing my parents attacked and crumbling in front of me. I saw them lying in their blood in the filth of Crime Alley. I saw my own father lying drunk in a pool of his dried blood. As Bruce, I held them, comforting them in my arms... as Kevin, I cradled my bloody father as he struggled for life. As kevin, I held Chris... cradling him as he raved at the voices plaguing him. As Bruce, I felt disoriented and lost, not sure of my identity as my parents were cruelly yanked from me. I felt disoriented and lost as an actor whose identity was being yanked from him. Was I my public face or my private facet? Had I made too many compromises? My heart pulsed, I felt my face flush, my breath grew deeper, I began to speak, and a voice I didn't recognize came out. It was a throaty, husky, rumbling sound that shook my body. It seemed to roar from thirty years of frustation, confusion, denial, love, yearning... Yearning for what? An anchor, a harbor, a sense of safety, a sense of identity. Yes, I can relate. Yes, this is terrain I know well. I felt Batman rising from deep within."

DC Pride: The New Generation (DC Cultural Anthologies (2021). "Finding Batman."

[the-guilty-writer]

Damaged

Agent Rossi-Reid

Anthology Masterlist

David Rossi x daughter!reader, Criminal minds x BAU!reader

Summary: After twenty years, Rossi-Reid learns why her father stopped putting up the Christmas Tree.

A/N: This is basically a rewrite of S3E14 “Damaged”. I wanted to include it since it’s such an important part of Rossi’s arc and other significant events (even if only snippets are shown) happen during this episode.

CW: So many Rossi-Reid feelings, Hotch getting a divorce, regular crminal minds violence, talks about santa not being real

---

“Spencer!” you called. “You’re going to be late!” You packed a snack in a small tupperware container and stuck it in his satchel. 

He walked out of the bedroom, tucking in his shirt and striding forward at the same time. You looked over at him and made a face. “What?” he asked. “Is it my hair? I was thinking it looked a little long this morning-”

“It’s not your hair, Spence.” You smiled. “Your hair is wonderful as always. It’s just, you and Hotch are going to do that interview tomorrow at the prison.”

Spencer grabbed his satchel and put the strap over his shoulder. “When you say it like that it sounds like we’re competing to see who gets to be the last inmate at a luxury detention facility. They’d pick me off my hairstyle alone.”

You couldn’t help but giggle just a bit. Spencer had recently acquired a rather new-found confidence and you loved it. “You’re wearing a tie,” you said.

“I wear ties all the time,” he retorted.

“Yes, but you’re going to be in a room with a killer and I’d rather not get a call that you were strangled,” you admitted.

Spencer knew that even though your tone was joking, you were actually rather serious. Behind your humorous exterior you harbored fear. As you turned from unlocking the apartment door to walk him out, he took you by the waist and pulled you into a kiss.

The older the two of your got and the longer you were married the more your kisses had evolved, and the more you understood what each type of kiss ment: there were the soft ones that lingered before you went to sleep or before the two of you parted which was a simple and strong “I love you”. There were the feather-light ones used for teasing and deep, all consuming ones for passion. There were ones on foreheads and knuckles for comfort and rare pecks on cheeks in public just to show you were marito and moglie- staking your claim on one another for the world to see. But recently you and Spencer had developed a new type of kiss- one that was deep and full, that caused a feeling to spread through your whole body as if you were being engulfed in Spencer while the rest of the world just faded away. It was different than a kiss of devouring lust or everlasting love- it was a kiss that knitted the fabric of your souls together for a few sweet seconds of eternity.

This new kiss was by far your favorite, and it seemed to be Spencer’s too.

“You’re going to be late,” you whispered.

Spencer purposefully tilted his head so his nose touched yours ever so slightly. The intimacy of delicate touches drove you crazy and he knew it.

“I should probably get going then,” he murmured.

“You probably should.”

You had to be the one to pull away, taking Spencer’s hand from your hip to intertwine it with your own. The two of you would hold hands until you exited the apartment building, and then you’d have to let go and wave goodbye to him as he climbed into the passenger seat of the SUV with Hotch.

Delicacy would have to wait.

---

You weren’t used to sleeping alone. With Spencer’s absence you found yourself seeking companionship and headed to work particularly early only to find yourself in an empty bullpen for the majority of the morning.

Growing up, your house had always been rather empty and lonely, and something about your Italian heritage made you long to go back to your grandparents' home country to live in a family house full of aunts and uncles and cousins. You wished for a house that was loud and never stopped moving. You wished for a family that never left you alone. Then you got old enough that your dad could bring you to the BAU after school and on weekends that he had to work. Suddenly you had everything you wished for- aunts that baked you cookies and scolded you for running in the halls, uncles that paid you a quarter to bring their reports to other departments so they didn’t have to, and eventually a brother; the young agent Hotchner who was trying to get on your dad’s good side. The BAU was the only true home had ever known, and you couldn’t stand to feel like your home was empty.

That’s how you ended up in JJ’s office that morning, sitting in the corner chair working on files while she went through her own manila folders. At some point, Garcia burst into the office and began to pace, but you didn’t really pay attention to what she was saying until you heard your own name.

“-Rossi showed up at my door in the middle of the night while I was enjoying a post-coital shower with fellow FBI technical analyst Kevin Lynch?”

You and JJ both looked up at Garcia, and then at one another.

“Sit,” JJ said to Garcia. You put your work on the chair and went to perch on the corner of JJ’s desk. You weren’t sure what was more intriguing about the whole thing- the fact that Garcia was in the shower with some guy, or that your dad had shown up at her apartment in the middle of the night.

No, you were definitely more interested in the guy.

“I need your help.” Garcia looked between the two of you.

“With what?” JJ asked.

“Agent Rossi,” Garcia said, concerned. “We're not supposed to date fellow bureau employees.”

“From what I hear, Rossi is the reason most of these fraternization rules even exist, okay?” JJ said.

“Oh, he is,” you confirmed with a smirk. “And it’s not like they even enforce those rules… I mean, Spencer and I got married and both of us still work here.”

“He's not gonna tell anyone,” JJ tried to ease Garcia’s nerves. “Just relax.”

“What was my dad doing at your apartment?” you inquired as casually as possible, hoping Garcia would spill.

“That's a good-” Garcia stopped herself. “I’m not supposed to tell anyone.”

Now you were even more curious.

“Why?” JJ drew out the word.

“I didn’t press the issue,” Garcia answered.

You tuned out JJ and Garcia’s voices, thinking about what your dad could possibly be hiding when another familiar name caught your attention.

“Mrs. Hotchner,” JJ answered the phone.

Your heart sank in your chest- Haley had been a big part of your life for a long time. Her and Hotch were newlyweds when you met them- all young and googly eyed and disgustingly in love. Back then, the BAU had also been quite the boys club, and Haley had taken you under her wing. You finally had someone that could teach you about clothes and make-up and boys. She was the first real consistent female figure in your life.

But despite your efforts to contact her, she hadn’t gotten back to you since she served Hotch with divorce papers.

“Well, that- that would make sense because he's in a prison right now, so sometimes cell service can be…” JJ trailed off and you tried not to overhear the angry words on the other end of the phone. “Oh, yeah- well if-yeah, if I can get ahold of him I'll… okay.” JJ hung up the phone. “That is one seriously pissed-off lady.”

You didn’t want to imagine Haley angry- she’d always been such a caring and understanding person, and selfishly, that’s how you wanted to keep seeing her. Once again, you tuned out the conversation and went back to your paperwork, but now your mind was flooded with questions and anxieties. You doubted you’d get any paperwork done now.

JJ got on the phone and Garcia left the office. You looked down at the files and wished that Spencer was there. It wouldn’t have taken much for him to make you feel better- just a small brush of hands or shoulders, maybe a few badly spoken Italian words- but he wasn’t there. As soon as JJ hung up the phone she looked over to you. “Are you okay?”

“Am I really that easy to read?” you asked.

JJ sighed. “No, but Hotch is getting divorced and I know you were close to Haley. You’re Jack’s godmother. On top of that your dad apparently has some massive secret that he’s been recruiting Garcia to help him with. I’d be feeling a little sad right now if I were you.”

You shrugged. “I’m not all that worried about my dad to be honest,” you admitted. “And I guess if Haley only had me in her life because of Hotch... then she was never really my friend in the first place.”

JJ didn’t have time to respond because Prentiss opened the door without knocking. Her eyes expressed concern and she spoke quickly. “You guys should come see this.”

“You go,” you told JJ. “I’ll be there in a minute.”

Emily and JJ left you alone in her office. You picked up your phone and scrolled through your contacts, looking for Haley’s number. You weren’t sure what you were going to do. You weren’t going to call her- she never picked up anymore. Every text you’d sent had gotten no reply. There wasn’t anyone there to tell you what to do… except for you.

Your dad would have scolded you for being too involved, Spencer would have just taken your phone and held it above his head so you couldn’t reach, and Hotch… Well, for the first time in a long time you didn’t know what Hotch would do. So you typed the message out and pressed send before putting your phone in your pocket and pushing the thought to the back of your mind.

You walked to the bullpen to find Emily and JJ, but the two of them and Morgan were leaning over the railing outside your dad’s office, talking to Garcia.

“The guy is a fussy, anal-retentive neat freak who-” Emily stopped herself when you approached.

There was a pause and all of them looked at you. It was the same way agents used to look at you when you were a teenager and walked in on them conversing about a brutal case- you had heard something that you weren’t supposed to hear.

“Let me guess,” you started. “We’re talking about my dad?”

You peered behind Emily to see what all the fuss was about, and indeed it was something to fuss over. Your father’s files were scattered all over his office- the desk, the table, and the floor were littered with papers that would take hours to organize properly. Never in your life had you seen your father’s space look so messy.

“Oh, Papa.” Your jaw fell slack in shock and you rushed up to your dad’s office to get a closer look. Nothing was broken- his favorite mug was empty on his desk, the lamp stood tall, and the glass of the picture of the two of you was still intact- but your father’s filing system was like an extension of his brain and at the moment it was destroyed. “Fuori come un balcone…” You muttered as you looked around at the disarray in front of you.

“Say what?” Morgan asked.

“She says he’s gone crazy,” Emily interpreted.

You looked back at Garcia. You loved Penelope, you truly did, but if she didn’t tell you where your father was, you thought you might become the next unsub the team had to hunt down. “Where did my father go?” you asked, your tone serious. Almost dangerous.

Garcia turned serious as well. “He’s in Indianapolis on a 20 year-old double homicide. He said it’s time someone pays for it, and he was upset.”

You shook your head in slight disbelief- you must have been around seven or eight when it happened, but you had no distinct memory of your father coming home upset over a case at that age. When you were that little he tried to keep you as far away from the bad part of his work as possible, but surely you would have remembered something that disturbed him this badly.

The rest of the team’s chatter was background noise until Morgan tapped you on the shoulder. You turned to look at the team member who was probably least impressed by your father, but a team was a team to Morgan and that’s all that really mattered.

“Rossi-Reid,” he said. “Let’s go.”

---

It felt like the start to a bad joke… You, JJ, Morgan, and Prentiss walking into a bar. But seeing your dad look so defeated made you want to do anything but laugh. You’d grown up thinking he was invincible, and even though you knew better now it still hurt something inside you to know that he wasn’t. You couldn’t even bring yourself to speak as the rest of the group convinced your dad to let them help.

Rossi finally turned away from the bar. He looked at everyone, but his gaze lingered on you just a bit longer than the others. “Why do you care?” he asked.

You wanted to speak, but you couldn’t bring yourself to open your mouth.

“Because you do,” Emily said.

Without another word, Rossi grabbed his drink and walked over to a section of the bar that looked more like a lounge. All of you sat down and your dad began to talk. The case wasn’t even supposed to involve the BAU- your dad just happened to be in the car with the detective when he got the call. They were first on the scene of a brutal murder, leaving three kids as orphans, and there wasn’t anything to lead them to a suspect. The murder weapon, an ax, had been wiped clean.

“It turns out it belonged to the family,” your dad said. “The oldest daughter, Connie, told me her father bought it on Christmas eve a few months earlier to cut down the Christmas tree.” He sighed heavily and suddenly things started to make sense. “Now I always associate the whole thing with Christmas… Never been able to put up a tree myself again.”

You gazed down at the floor, unable to look at your dad. You recalled the first year the two of you didn’t go to pick out a tree; how you’d found the ornaments in the trash and suddenly your dad began giving you gifts on New Year Eve instead of Christmas day. You always assumed that he thought you’d outgrown the holiday- you knew that Santa wasn’t real and reindeer couldn’t fly. Snowmen didn’t come to life if you gave them a magic hat and the north pole was just a place full of snow instead of candy forests and elves that built toys.

You’d attributed his sadness on Christmas day to the fact that you were getting older, but the whole time it was because he was mourning parents that would never get to see their children grow up and children who would have to grow up without their parents to take care of them.

“When we arrived on the scene, before any of the other units got there, I could hear them before I even got out of the car.” The look in your dad’s eyes was distant, as if he was still at the scene from long ago.

“It was a warm morning and the windows were open in the upstairs bedroom… And their voices floated out into the street. They were crying and calling for their mommy and daddy.” You’d never heard your father so close to tears. “Three terrified children, screaming for their murdered parents. I've seen so much death and pain, but that sound… It's been twenty years and I can still hear them screaming every night, crying.”

You’d known your dad had nightmares occasionally- it came with the job- but it had been so long since you lived under his roof, you’d wondered if they had gotten worse as time went on. You wondered if, just like an unsub could be triggered by an anniversary, a profiler could too.

“If I can't tell them for sure that whoever’s responsible will never do it again, that screaming might never stop.”

Your dad finished off his drink and you, JJ, Morgan, and Prentiss looked around at one another. You’d been quiet for a while now, letting the rest of them do the talking while you sat with your memories and feelings, but now that you had processed everything you were ready to get to work.

“Well,” you said, looking at your dad. It was a good thing you’d gotten his stubbornness. “Let’s find who’s responsible for it then.”

---

It was easy enough for Garcia to find out where the children were living now, and before you knew it, Morgan was pulling up to the house and the team was getting out of the SUV, ready to face the case that had haunted David Rossi for two decades.

“Hi, Connie,” he greeted the oldest daughter. She couldn’t have been that much older than you. No wonder this case had hit him so hard. “I brought the team-”

“You need to stop this!” It was almost as if she was begging.

“Excuse me?”

“We thought that if we didn’t call you back the last couple of times you would just give up and leave us alone,” she said, her voice unsettled.

“Well, I know that it hurts, but I’m only trying to make sure someone pays for your parents’ deaths.” After nearly six months at the BAU, you’d never heard Rossi be so gentle with someone. The last time he used that tone was when he talked to you after Gideon left.

“We don’t care anymore!” Connie stressed. “It’s been twenty years. We need to be able to move past it, please!”

Your dad had always been a pusher, so when he responded with “I won’t bother you kids again,” and turned to get back into the car it surprised you a little. Part of you wanted to push for him.

“And you’ll stop it with the gifts too?!” That made all of you pause and turn back towards the family.

“Gifts?” The wheels in your dad’s head were beginning to turn.

“What are we supposed to do with a bunch of toys that remind us of the worst day of our lives?”

Rossi paused, his stare pointed at the girl with the intensity of the agent you knew he was. “I never sent you any gifts.”

Within ten minutes the three kids, who were now all adults, compiled the toys they had been mysteriously given over the years. You put on a set of rubber gloves and began to inspect them. You automatically knew your dad would never send toys like these to anyone- the material was falling apart in your hands, the stitching easily ripped, and they smelled like chemicals from a warehouse. One of them even left colorful dye on your gloves. Rossi was a best selling author, but even before that he’d always had expensive taste. Your own favorite childhood toy was an FAO Schwarz Teddy Bear that was older than this case and was still in decent condition- considering how much the stuffed animal had been through.

“See, an unsub like this, when they seek out children, they want to play with them,” Morgan explained. “They don’t really want to hurt them, but it’s their size- it frightens people.”

You stood up and stripped off your gloves. Done inspecting the evidence, you looked over at your dad. “This could be that piece you were looking for.”

Soon enough Garcia had gone through crime records and the team was on the move, searching the grounds of a carnival. Rossi and Prentiss paired up while you, JJ, and Morgan inspected the grounds.

“I can’t believe people actually pay good money to play these fixed games,” Morgan said.

“Men,” JJ said blankly. You snorted.

“Excuse me?” said Morgan.

“It’s not people,” you clarified. “It’s men.”

“Is that a fact?” Morgan tried to seem unbothered, but you’d known him long enough to know he’d probably tried to impress several ladies by winning them prizes on impossible ring toss.

“Only a man would waste fifty dollars trying to win a three dollar stuffed animal,” JJ said.

Morgan huffed a little, but the three of you kept walking, looking for anyone who could possibly resemble the unsub you were looking for.

“Clown.” You spotted him, white make-up still half on his face and red smeared around his lips. Morgan and JJ looked in the direction you nodded in. The clown looked back at the three of you and promptly dropped his trash bag before walking off.

The three of you went to look for him, trying not to look too threatening or suspicious. It didn’t take long for Morgan to spot the man’s discarded broom near a covered platform. Drawing your side arm and preparing for the possibility of a fight, JJ pulled down the cover to reveal the unsub hiding like a small child. It took you and Morgan combined to get him out from under the platform and cuffed. JJ kept her side arm ready just in case while Rossi restrained the unsubs father and Emily aided you and Morgan.

You took a moment to look over at your dad, but he was looking at the unsub- the man who he had spent twenty years trying to find. You expected him to look relieved, at least a little bit, but more than anything Rossi looked disturbed, as if he truly couldn’t believe that someone who had done such a horrible thing had a right to exist on earth. He should have been nothing more than a speck of dirt on your Papa’s spotless shoes, but he was a monster in the shape of a man- the reason three children had screamed for their dead parents; the reason your father heard their screams every night. And when your dad looked at you, you knew that he was thinking about twenty years worth of Christmas’s lost- twenty years worth of childhood and twenty years worth of memories.

At least you could make up for them now.

---

The jet was quiet- JJ filling out the paperwork to make the case official, Morgan with his headphones, and Prentiss with a book. Everyone except your dad was busy with something. He was just looking out the window, lost in thought.

You closed the file you were working on and moved to the other side of the jet, sitting across from him. He looked over at you, breaking his gaze away from the clouds.

“Mio passerotta,” he said, a smile in his voice. “You did a good job today.”

The compliment surprised you. Really you had done no more than the rest of the team, but the way your dad looked at you was different than he had before- like he was seeing you as more than a kid and more than an agent. He was seeing you as both.

“You know, I really wish you had told me,” you said. “Maybe not when I was little, but before you threw your files all over your office and we had to fly two hours to find out why.”

“Well,” he sighed. “Now you know.”

“And now you know why we work as a team,” you said.

He nodded once, slowly. “I guess I do,” he said. “But, mio passerotta, you and I have always been a team.”

“Does this mean you’ll start treating me like a team member?”

“It does,” he confirmed. “But you’ll still always be my daughter.”

You smiled. “I wouldn’t have it any other way.”

---

The mood was light walking back into the bullpen, and you felt yourself brighten even more when you saw that Spencer was back. Every ounce of you wanted to run up and embrace him. The past twenty four hours had been an emotional roller coaster and your body craved to be pressed against his. Spencer must have known, because when you walked over to his desk, he took your hand lightly and planted a soft kiss on your knuckles before answering Morgan’s question and directing Rossi to his office where Kevin was waiting for him.

“Just when I thought nothing scandalous was ever going to happen around here.” Emily smirked as your dad closed his office door to talk to Kevin in private.

“What?” Your husband looked confused. “What does that mean?” Then he looked up at you- an inter-BAU marriage was rather scandalous in theory, but you and Spencer were so tame in front of everyone that it really didn’t count.

“Didn’t you hear JJ?” Emily said.

“The song meant something? No- no I missed it,” Spencer began to ramble.

“It-it-” Emily sighed. “You know what, never mind.” She sat down at her desk.

“What?” Spencer looked towards Rossi’s office.

You touched his hand lightly, still leaning against his desk. “I’ll explain it when we get home, Spencer,” you told him. He nodded, but then went back to gaping at the closed door.

You looked up too- seeing that Hotch was in his office. Normally you would have gone to say hello and maybe tease him about having missed all the fun, but even from where you sat you could tell that he was far more distressed than normal. The papers he was holding weren’t just from a case. They were personal.

Your phone vibrated in your pocket and you pulled it out, expecting a text from Garcia, or maybe Morgan. But when you saw the name on the screen your stomach dropped. With shaking hands, you opened the message:

From Haley Hotchner:

I want you to be a part of Jack’s life. You’re an amazing person, (Y/N). I love you and Jack loves you. You’re right that he shouldn’t have to grow up like you did, with only one parent to rely on, but Aaron needs to figure that out himself.

“Mio amata?” Spencer said low enough so that Emily couldn’t hear. “Are you alright?”

You shoved your phone in your pocket. “Tesoro,” you whispered, holding back tears. “Portami a casa?”

Spencer grabbed your go-bag and his satchel, his eyes wide and sympathetic with understanding. “Let’s go home.”

---

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[wouldvecouldveshouldve]

i think clara bow and the manuscript are both strong closers for the original vs the anthology albums, but they send two different messages that really change the way we see the album. clara bow seems to tell us about how she's come to terms with fame, kind of like "the lucky one" and "nothing new." on the other hand, the manuscript is about how she's come to terms with her personal life and (hopefully) closing those chapters. with the manuscript, part of the impact is reliant on if she truly closes these chapters.

the first half of the album may very well be a metaphor for her struggles with fame - waolom is a pretty crucial song that ties it all together, this idea that she's been 'caged' by her celebrity/image and this idea people have of her, hence the various vague entities she refers to over and over that she thinks only want "grey" and "long suffering propriety" from her. the girl at the end of clara bow has 'edge' which taylor, the so-called good girl, never did. and because people never saw taylor as anyone with edge to her, they looked at some of the things that happened with her and said "oh she's gone crazy". its this vision of a crazed "poet", who's been caged and hurt by the people around her. it's a whole theme that encapsulates the first half, the original version, of the album.

meanwhile, the second half of the album, the anthology, was the following ups of all of that anger, the quieter, more vulnerable moments in which she was feeling while all of the "craziness" happened. hence the calmer, more folksy sound and quieter, (somewhat) less dramatic songs. of course, this doesn't apply to all of the songs on the anthology, but they're the unheard thoughts and feelings she harbored during the pain and mishaps of 2022-2023. which is why, with the manuscript, it's more vulnerable - it's evaluating the pain she's been through, the hurt, and making sense of her feelings throughout the years. throughout the fame, the harm, the encounters.

i think the manuscript is a better closer for an album as vulnerable as this one, and although clara bow was strong and punctuating and introspective of the way that fame is handed down, it was a glimpse into the pain that we see unfold during the entirety of ttpd - and the beginning look into the anthology, where we see what was hidden behind the original album's persona, and where all of the vulnerable thoughts and feelings which weren't all upbeat and happy songs actually were kept.

[remnant-cain]

Final Frontier

Cw: Unreality, Body Dysmorphia, mentioned apocalyptic scenarios, Gore, Possession, Identity Death, Body Horror, Pluto Erasure

Author's note: I meant for this to be a longer anthology series but I fucked up and now it's a short story :/ Inspired slightly by Gemini Home Entertainment. Happy Halloween!

There are many wonderful facts about our solar system! Our eight planets are all uniquely different in a very interesting way!

Mercury is the closest planet to the sun, and the smallest planet. Named after the god of commerce and communication, this crater-marred planet is believed to have had an ocean of magma in the past and is still one of the hottest planets in the solar system.

Venus is the second closest to the sun, and is considered Earth’s sister because of their similar size and mass. However, it is unlikely that any of us will ever be able to live on this planet. Despite being named for the goddess of love and beauty, this planet has an atmosphere of sulfuric acid.

Our planet is the third from the sun, Earth. Also known as Gaia, a name taken from the goddess of nature, this is the only known planet to support life. This is due to the fact that Earth is the only planet able to harbor surface water that covers 70.8% of our planet.

The fourth planet from the sun, Mars, is known as the rust planet due to its rusty red coloration. The northern plains are much different than the cratorous bottom half giving us the term, “Martian Dichotomy.” Ice caps have recently been located on Mars, suggesting there was once water on the planet.

Jupiter is the fifth and largest planet in the solar system. As a gas giant, it has no solid surface, however its sheer size causes it to share a name with the chief Roman god. The eye of the constant storms, the Great Red Spot can be located on the face of this gargantuan planet.

 Saturn is the sixth planet from the sun, and it sure enjoys showing that off! On its North Pole, one can see a six-sided hurricane-like structure known as its hexagon. Being named after the god of wealth is fitting as Saturn is the only planet with visible rings and the planet with the most moons.

Uranus, despite its silly name, is the seventh planet from the sun. This ice giant is one of the coldest planets with the cause unclear. Uranus has very dark rings, however - like the planet - these rings are on their side. Uranus is the only planet named after a Greek deity.

Neptune is the eighth planet with a very strange origin. It was discovered due to causing deviations in Uranus’ orbital patterns. Named after the god of the sea, this planet, similar to Uranus, is an ice giant. This planet also has rings, although just like Uranus, they’re too dark to be seen. This planet was once believed to be a much darker blue, but is now known to be the same color as Uranus

—-

I’m frustrated. Tired. Hurting. Every step I take is a new wave of white hot agony. My body was never supposed to be in this form, I can’t even tell which came first. Me, myself, or I? A human body was never meant to contain this consciousness. Will I walk alone, forever, until I meet a person who can perceive me as myself? Is there anyone else like myself? Who would follow me to this place?

Let the records show that I was never a human. Let them show my red, empty eyes and my lungs only built to process poison. Let them show what they thought was a human body rotting away to a charred interior. Every trace of me will be destroyed in a manner that leaves them questioning if I even existed. And if I die, then I’ll take the world with me in a manner they never thought was possible.

I believe I am content with this fate. A fate which I am to experience all on my own. The weight of all life lay on my shoulders, and if I am to fail it would mean the end of all things. I am content with this. As long as this land continues to exist, to prosper, and to live, then I am satisfied. I wouldn’t wish this upon any other person but myself. I believe that I was worth it all.

Everything feels wrong. I’ve been tearing this form apart and rebuilding it to make it fit but barely anything works. I took a cleaver to my legs yesterday. Shredded them up nice and fine like they’re supposed to be. I bled and bled and bled, but I didn’t die. I didn’t die. I know how to fix myself now. I know what to do. I just need to rip myself apart and become an effigy to myself.

Why do people stare at me all the time? Nothing’s wrong with me, is there? Maybe they’re all just rude. They’ve never seen a doll this big before it seems. Although, it’s a little funny. This entire world is too small for a big guy like myself. I’m kinda lonely. I miss my friends, I want to see them again. I made dolls of them but they look nothing like the people I see around me. And why does my face hurt?

I’ve finished the last batch of tests and I can confirm that I am not the person I was six days ago. The person who began these tests isn’t me. I do not know her. And that scares me. Either I have replaced someone, or someone has replaced me. I do not know which is true. I don’t know who I am anymore. Is the name I remember really mine, or is it the name on this paper?

I’m cold. I can’t stop shivering no matter how many layers I put on, how hot I make the room around me, no matter what I eat. The thermometer always shows the correct temperature but I can’t find any peace. My skin feels rock solid as if it’s frozen over, and I can’t even blink because my eyes are stuck open. This is torture. I wouldn’t be surprised if I had really died.

Where are they? Something was taken from me, something I can’t remember. They would know. They always know. I’m nothing if not like them. All my originality stripped from me and I’ve become their own. And yet they’re always the one running to me. Hah. As if humanity ever knew anything. What was taken from me was taken from them too, and I need to see what it is.

[melishade]

Number 11?

This ask game

Gabi's perspective for when she and Wheeljack are found in chapter 93.

Gabi felt tears streaming down her face as she cried out in the desperation. No one was going to come! It was over! Even so, she screamed out.

“HELP US!” Gabi cried out, "HELP US, PLEASE! SOMEONE HELP US!"

Gabi's cries echoed throughout the area. She hoped, prayed for salvation, but nothing happened. Gabi’s face contorted into one of agony as she crumbled to the ground in anguish. She was completely helpless. She was all alone and powerless. The world was being destroyed and there was nothing she could do. Megatron was right. She was arrogant and selfish. If only she hadn’t stormed the ship, if only she didn’t harbor this hatred in her heart, this wouldn’t be happening right.

Gabi was alerted to the sensation of wind blowing in her face, getting stronger with each second. She looked up and gasped at the sight of a massive ship in the air, much larger than Wheeljack’s ship. It landed on the ground in front of her and the unconscious Wrecker. Gabi froze in fear when the bottom of the ship opened up and she was face to face with three colorful titans. One was massive and blue. The other was round and green. The third was yellow and looked athletic.

The green one’s gaze immediately fell to Wheeljack and Gabi could see the panic in his eyes. “Jackie!” Gabi yelped when the green one bolted to Wheeljack’s unconscious body, trying to check him over.

“Don’t-! Don’t touch him!” Gabi cried out as the blue titan ran towards the green one.

“Hey, it’s okay, we’re here to help,” Gabi gasped at the sound of another voice behind her. She turned her attention to see a human in a black military uniform, kneeling down to her eye level.

“You okay? What’s your name? How did you find Wheeljack?” He had asked her.

Gabi’s confusion was immediately replaced with tears and she let out a cry of relief and sadness, startling everyone there.

“Wow she has pipes!” A girl in the same military uniform had covered her ears.

“I tried!” Gabi sobbed, “I-I tried! But I could do anything! I couldn’t save Wheeljack and I called Optimus like he told me but he didn’t answer! Why didn’t he answer?! He promised me!”

Gabi continued to sob into her hands while the Autobots stared at each other in shock. Another human on this planet had encountered Optimus? A living Optimus?!

“Hey, listen, you wouldn’t happen to know where he is right now?” The man demanded.

“No!” Gabi answered, “He told me to watch Wheeljack and went south! But I don’t know where he is! I don’t know if he’s dead! Did the Colossal Titans kill him?!”

The blue titan immediately hauled Wheeljack’s whole body over his shoulders like a sack of flour. “I need a space bridge to my location! Wheeljack has been critically injured!”

“How much energon did he lose?!” The yellow one asked.

“He left a trail!” The green one gasped in horror at the blue trail behind them.

“W-wait! What about the Rumbling?!” Gabi begged, clinging to the man’s shirt, “What about me?! Don’t leave me alone! I don’t want to be alone!”

The man had placed a hand on her shoulder. “We won’t leave you alone. We’re going to take care of you and make sure you’re safe.”

“Jack, I don’t think taking a human child with us is the best idea,” the yellow one proclaimed.

“Worst case scenario, we drop her off at Earth.” Jack helped Gabi to her feet, “You’re gonna be okay. I promise.”

Gabi continued to sob, feeling at least some form of relief. At least her call wasn’t in vain.

(I know I don’t reference majority of them by name, but this is from Gabi’s perspective. She doesn’t know who they are. And I was originally going to save this for the new anthology, but I figured I’d write this scene from the Autobot perspective instead. Anyway, the rest of the questions on that list are free game.)

[lgbtqmanga]

New Releases Oct. 29, 2024

Checkmate (manhwa) vol. 1 by TAN

Detached. Disinterested. Dispassionate. All words used to describe Soohyun and his uneventful, mediocre life. He’s nothing like he once was. As a teen, he had a fire, a passion burning within, all thanks to one person: bright-haired and brilliant Eunsung. Throughout high school, Soohyun obsessively competed with Eunsung for the top spot in all things, only to consistently come in second place. And as high school ended without victory, so did his passion for anything. But all this changes when, as an adult, he suddenly sees Eunsung again—except the other man is in the news, embroiled in scandal! Seeing Eunsung in a state of shame ignites something in Soohyun. Fiery hate, long thought dead, comes alive within him once more. Determined to see a fallen Eunsung with his own eyes, Soohyun reinvents himself as a reporter and begins dishing out one dirty article after another. He’s sure that with each scathing article, Eunsung will come crawling to Soohyun and begging for mercy. Except, it doesn’t happen. Eunsung doesn’t react at all the way Soohyun expects! Just who is being manipulated, and who, the manipulator?

The Dangerous Convenience Store (manhwa) vol. 4 by 945

After learning more about Gunwoo’s shrouded past, Eui-joon realizes he’s in love with him. Just as Eui-joon finally decides to tell him how he feels, Gunwoo vanishes. In desperation, Eui-joon goes to Gunwoo’s associate, Chaehyun, to see if he knows where Gunwoo has gone, and if he’s all right. While there, Eui-joon receives a call about his hospitalized brother, whose condition has taken a turn for the worse. With Gunwoo’s absence, Eui-joon turns to the only source of comfort available—Chaehyun!

Even Though We're Adults (manga) vol. 9 by Takako Shimura

The new term comes, and Ayano starts work at her new school while Akari relishes the joy of living with her. They can’t escape their guilty feelings, but their relationship moves forward nevertheless. Meanwhile, Eri is wrestling with her adulterous love for Morita when she gets a call from Morita’s wife!

Love is an Illusion! - The Queen (manhwa) vol. 1 by Fargo

Free-spirited Alpha Do-gyeom has finally decided to put her promiscuous past behind her and settle down. As a 39-year-old woman, however, her options for marriage partners have dwindled. Luckily she has her beleaguered Omega secretary, Seung-ah, to do most of the work of finding a suitable match for her. It shouldn’t be a problem, even if Seung-ah and Do-gyeom have harbored secret feelings for each other for years. In fact, arranging Do-gyeom’s marriage may just be the catalyst for the two of them to finally admit their attraction…unless another Alpha gets in the way!

Provocation and Ecstasy (manga) vol. 1: Gachiiki Chouhatsu Night by Ikuyasu

Matsumi is the handsome ace of the sales department who’s known for turning the heads of both men and women alike. Even straight guys can’t help but think, “I want to be held by him,” when they see the charismatic man. Meanwhile, Satomura, who works in planning and development, couldn’t be any more different. Unlike his popular counterpart, Satomura is often rejected due to his cocky personality and his single-minded desires. Despite their contrasting personalities, Matsumi and Satomura both hang out in the same friend group, and are known throughout the company as being close buddies. However, not all is as it seems as, in reality, Satomura can’t stand Matsumi! I mean, how could he, when the man is constantly triggering his inferiority complex! And yet, how did Satomura end up alone and drunk in his house with Matsumi?! Not only that, but…?! Provocation and Ecstasy: Gachiiki Chouhatsu Night is an action-packed anthology of captivating tales by the brilliant Ikuyasu. From a boxer who’s easily aroused by other’s gazes, to a clingy former delinquent cousin, and even a manager who receives punishment after standing up for his subordinate. You won’t want to miss out on Ikuyasu’s debut work, and all the other hot muscle-packed stories included in this book!

[kwebtv]

Character Actress

Diane Brewster (March 11, 1931 – November 12, 1991)  Television actress most noted for playing three distinctively different roles in television series of the 1950s and 1960s: confidence trickster Samantha Crawford in the Western Maverick  with James Garner; pretty young second-grade teacher Miss Canfield in Leave It to Beaver; and doomed wife Helen Kimble in The Fugitive. Brewster was a direct descendant of William Brewster, a Pilgrim and Governor of the Plymouth Colony.

On January 31, 1959, Brewster played Lisa Caldwell in the episode "Runaway Train" of NBC's Cimarron City Western television series starring George Montgomery.

She made almost 50 appearances in various other television and film roles, including episodes of Crusader starring Brian Keith, Wanted: Dead or Alive with Steve McQueen, Tombstone Territory (as "Julie Dixon" in season 1 episode 33), Tales of Wells Fargo (as "Dr Alice" S2/E25) with Dale Robertson, and Harbor Command with Wendell Corey. In 1959, she played the girlfriend of Ronald Reagan's character in an installment of the General Electric Theatre anthology series, "Nobody's Child", and portrayed Marian Dell in the episode "Law of the Badlands" of the syndicated series Frontier Doctor starring Rex Allen.

In 1960, Brewster had a starring role as Wilhelmina "Steamboat Willy" Vanderveer in The Islanders, an hour-long adventure series set in the South Pacific, with William Reynolds and James Philbrook. That same year, she also portrayed the titular role in "The Lita Foladaire Story," an episode of Wagon Train with Ward Bond and silent film star Evelyn Brent, in which Brewster's character had been killed before the start of the show, with her sections of the story posthumously depicted in flashbacks.

Brewster subsequently guest starred on Empire and in The Rifleman episode, "The Jealous Man" in 1962; on The Dakotas with Jack Elam in 1963; on the 1963 Perry Mason episode, "The Case of the Potted Planter" with Raymond Burr, and in the premiere episode of Kentucky Jones (1964) with Dennis Weaver and Harry Morgan.

Brewster appeared several times in flashbacks as the murdered wife Helen Kimble in The Fugitive, most prominently in Episode 14, The Fugitive (season 1), "The Girl from Little Egypt," broadcast December 24, 1963. She appeared in two episodes of Death Valley Days, in a 1966 episode of Family Affair, and in an installment of Ironside (1968) before retiring. She reappeared in four episodes of The New Leave It to Beaver.  (Wikipedia)

[bakuliwrites]

Mirror, Story Two: Ventricles

Disclaimer: Post-Game Spoilers!!!!!!

Previous Story, Next Story

Rating: 18+ (MINORS DNI) for Eventual Smut

Fandom: Baldur's Gate 3

Relationship: Astarion x Tav (OC)

Chapter Summary: After a year of adventuring, Astarion and Orlando are back in Baldur's Gate, excited to begin their newest adventure: home ownership.

An anthology of short, post-game stories featuring Astarion and my Tav, Orlando.

Chapter Tags: BG3 SPOILERS, ACT 3 SPOILERS, domestic fluff, suggestive conversations, lots of banter, Astarion getting bit in the ass (and not in a sexy way, though that might happen in a future chapter)

Read here in this post or over on my AO3.

Astarion smooths his hand along the wall, creamy stones cool and uneven under his fingertips. His touch ripples along the seams between each one, bumping gently as he trails along the perimeter of the house. In the darkness, it glows like a lantern, warm light pooling on the grass from the diamond-paned windows. Astarion thinks back to over a year ago when the image of this house had first been presented to him, during the celebration after the defeat of the Netherbrain. At the time, it had seemed like a pipe dream. Neither he nor Orlando had much money to their names, and the thought of settling down seemed almost too good to be true. Unbeknownst to Astarion at the time, this little cottage on the outskirts of Baldur’s Gate was a gift to Orlando from her mother, who had received a sizable inheritance from the sale of their ancestral property. Who knew decaying estates with inert portals to the deep sea would be worth so much?

The cottage is perched on a low cliff overlooking an isolated cove, just beyond the city limits. A narrow, winding road leads up from the harbors of Baldur’s Gate and splits into three different paths. The property sits just off the southwestern-most of the three paths, private but only a ten minute walk from the city. Orlando surprised Astarion with the house a few days after the ceremony, once they had recovered from the raucous festivities. However, neither felt ready to settle down just yet. They dumped what few belongings they had with them there and set off on the road, itching for adventure. Though Astarion wonders if it wasn’t adventure they were looking for, but a means to escape the mounting pressure of being named Heroes of Baldur’s Gate. 

On the road, Astarion and Orlando were just two travelers of little to no renown. In the furthest reaches of Faerûn, they could venture forth in quiet anonymity for a while. A smattering of people here and there might have recognized them, but overall, they were left well alone. However, the exhaustion of travel got to them and the decision to settle down, at least for a little while, was made. It was back to Baldur’s Gate, where the hullabaloo had died down and they could walk the streets well-liked, but not fawned over (or sneered at, in the case of the few remaining Absolute supporters). 

As Astarion leisurely paces through the garden of his new abode, bathed in starlight and humming softly to himself, he feels awash with relief. Relief and a bit of apprehension. This will be the first time in over two-hundred years he’ll have a home. A real home. Somewhere he can feel stable and secure, safe and comfortable. And yet, this building does not yet feel like home. Nevermind the lack of furniture or the dusty, cobweb-riddled corners. The house, in all its newness, is a foreign body. A husk, aching to be filled with memory. But it brims with potential. With promise.

As Astarion passes the window that will soon belong to their bedroom, Orlando gives him a small wave, approaching the cloudy glass with some excitement. She struggles for a moment trying to tug at the rusty old deadbolt, but finally manages. With some help from Astarion, she pushes open the casement window, sending up a cloud of dust as the panes swing open.

“Sorry,” she laughs, which swiftly turns into a cough. The house sputters out years worth of abandonment in gray puffs, dousing Astarion and an overgrown rose bush that has certainly seen better days. He and Orlando wave their hands around to dispel the choking motes, scowling until the air clears. 

“Gods, it looks as if I’ve gone crawling in the dirt,” the Elf grouses, dusting off his now grubby shirtfront with the back of his hand. 

“You look like you’ve been crawling in the dirt? What must I look like then?” Orlando exclaims, tugging down the hem of her oversized work shirt to show off the sandy brown fruits of her sweeping labor. 

“Like the Princess of Dust and Cobwebs,” he teases, leaning in to steal a quick kiss. He feels her smile against him, soft lips feathering kisses at the corner of his mouth. When they separate, Orlando wears an impish smirk.

“And are you the Window-Cleaning Prince, come to rescue me from my tower?” she coos, batting her eyelashes in an almost mocking fashion. Astarion rolls his eyes.

“Hardly,” he scoffs, grabbing a cleaning cloth from where it was draped over his shoulder and whipping the air with a sharp crack, “Now close it, so I can clean it,” 

“Yes, sir,” Orlando returns, though her tone does not house a single ounce of actual obedience in it. She merely does as she is asked because she, herself, has work to get back to. Astarion chuckles alongside her as they each return to their cleaning duties. He watches Orlando from the window while he scrubs at glass stained with dirt and rainwater. She’s beaming to herself, happy as a clam as she removes the offending layers of dust from the bedroom hearth. He thinks about her excitement as they made their long journey back to Baldur’s Gate, the elation she felt at finally getting the opportunity to “nest,” as she put it. To make a home for the two of them. 

The two of us, Astarion repeats in his head, a thought that fills him with a quiet, fluttering joy. 

Out loud, they had dreamed of all the empty rooms they would fill with furniture, furniture they would get to pick out together. Astarion, in his imagination, leaned towards a gothic, ornate look with dark wood, crushed velvet, and shades of crimson or merlot. Orlando seemed satisfied with this aesthetic, though she requested the kitchen remain light with its already colorful tile backsplashes and touches of sage green, terracotta, and cream. A bit of a hodge-podge home, perhaps, but uniquely theirs. The time had come to start their interior design, but they needed to build up their savings again. For now, however, they were content with making do with what they had and imagining what could be. 

Astarion finishes up with the windows before returning inside to help Orlando unpack some of the various trinkets and talismans they’ve collected along their travels over the last year. He unwraps a vintage bottle of Elverquisst, gifted to them by Shadowheart when they met up with her on their way to visit Halsin, and stores it in the cellar until such special occasion warrants its consumption. He watches as Orlando carefully positions a crystal figurine in the shape of an octopus on one of the windowsills, a treasure that they may or may not have pilfered from a Goblin camp just outside Daggerford. A Githyanki greatsword hangs over the mantel, Lae’zel’s way of thanking them for helping her people. A sun catcher, either meant to be darkly humorous or perhaps an awkward attempt at consolement, hangs at the kitchen window.

“Who gave this to us?” Astarion questions with the raise of an eyebrow as he pulls the object out of a little velvet bag.

“I don’t know, honestly,” Orlando admits, gazing at the object, perplexed, “It was in our pack after Withers’ get together, with a little note addressed to you.”

He sighs, holding it up in front of his eye and peering through the prismatic crystal. Something about it screams Minsc to him, in which case, the gift is no doubt a clumsy attempt to make Astarion feel better about losing his ability to walk in the sun. He can practically hear Minsc proclaiming that this “magical item” is supposed to capture sunlight, perhaps allowing Astarion to temporarily wander out in the daytime.

“And what good would a suncatcher do for a vampire spawn?” Astarion sneers, testing its weight in his hand, about ready to toss it back into the crate he found it in. 

“You could thrash it around like a flail and whack people with it,” Orlando half-jokingly suggests, mimicking a swinging motion with her hand.

“Could do,” he muses, dragging a fingertip along one of the pointed edges, “It’s rather sharp, actually. Might even do a fair bit of damage.”

Should there ever be a home invasion, if he’s desperate enough, Astarion will snatch it from its resting place in the kitchen and make good use of it.

When all but a few of the crates have been unpacked and the night sky starts to lighten with the first threat of day, Astarion and Orlando adorn each window with thick, light blocking curtains. Satisfied that not a single sliver of light can pierce in or out of the house, they settle in for slumber sometime around dawn. In the heat of the morning, there’s no need for a fire in the hearth. But the discomfort of their thin bedroll, padded only by an ornate rug Wyll sent as a housewarming gift, has the two of them searching for softness and comfort. Weary from a night spent cleaning, Orlando promptly passes out in Astarion’s arms, snoring softly against the crook of his neck. Astarion follows not long after, falling into a deep, dreamless meditation.

Sometime around early afternoon, Astarion senses Orlando’s restlessness. He feels her slip from his grasp, taking special care to rearrange the blankets back over him. Her lips brush against his temple before her warmth is temporarily lost to him. Astarion’s eyelid briefly flutters open to catch a glimpse of the bioluminescent spots on Orlando’s back retreating in the darkness. A while later, he hears the front door open and close, but is far too exhausted to pay it any mind. He dreams of sitting on the porch, enjoying the rushing sound of the waves down below and feeling the gentle prickle of sunlight on his skin. Orlando sits at his side, fingers carding softly through his snowy curls, her lips tasting of sugar and lemon. 

A ruckus awakens Astarion later that evening. He jolts awake, joints aching, left arm asleep, and back ferociously sore. Orlando is nowhere to be found, at least not in the living room. And the terrible racket is only getting louder by the minute.

“Darling?” he calls out, groggily wandering from room to room, cradling his numb left arm. There is a brief moment where Astarion has half a mind to grab the suncatcher-turned-flail from the kitchen window. He and Orlando have just started to settle into this house and he’s not about to let intruders ruin the sanctity they are trying to create. His anxiety is quelled, however, when a moment later, Orlando’s voice calls out to him.

“In here!” she shouts from somewhere at the back of the house. Astarion fumes off to the bedroom, towards the source of the commotion, relieved he won’t have to defend his property, but irritated to have been so rudely awoken. What on earth could Orlando possibly be doing this early (or late, rather, given that it was well past sunset)?

“What in the nine hells-” Astarion begins, fully awake and incensed. However, upon entering the bedroom, Astarion is greeted by the sight of two rather burly looking Dragonborn carefully lifting a plush looking mattress onto a canopy bed. Orlando sits on the floor, hair up in a messy bun, fussing over the drape of the crimson bed skirt. Her beam upon seeing her beloved is enough to brighten the whole room and temporarily make Astarion forget about the ache in his body.

“Ta-da!” she enthusiastically greets, clambering to her feet and gesturing towards the newly assembled bed in the center of the room. Befuddled, Astarion blankly stares at the newest addition to their furniture- well, one of the only additions to their furniture. 

“Thank you, my friends,” he distantly hears Orlando twitter, forking over a hefty bag of coins and showing the two Dragonborn to the door.

“No problem, O,” one of them returns in a gruff yet jovial voice, “Say hi to your mom for us.”

“Will do! You’ll have to join us all for dinner sometime,” she returns, before the door falls shut and she traipses back to join Astarion in the bedroom. She closes the door behind her, an apprehensive look on her face.

“Do you like it?” she ventures quietly, hands clasped behind her back and tail hesitantly swishing against the floor, “I tried to find one I thought you’d like. If you don’t like it, we can return it!”

Astarion silently inspects the bed, inching closer and smoothing his palm along one of the sturdy, oak posters. The thick, velvet curtains, parted and held open with some gold tassel cords, are luxurious underneath his fingertips. He presses a palm against the mattress, testing its firmness. This bed is everything he has ever dreamed of, right down to its gothic, ostentatiousness. He feels his chest constrict, overwhelmed with emotion. Orlando bought him a bed. Bought him a bed that he actually likes. Went out of her way to pick one out that she thought he might appreciate. He can’t remember the last time someone did something like that for him. 

“Like it?” he dreamily starts, sidling over to the side of the bed he’d like to claim as his and flopping down onto the mattress. He bounces briefly before sinking into its heavenly plushness.

“Oh,” he groans, letting his eyelids flutter shut as he luxuriates in the comfort he wishes he had had last night, “It’s magnificent, my darling.”

“Oh, wonderful!” Orlando joyously cries, throwing herself down right beside Astarion, who turns to drape an arm over her. They’re eye to eye, centimeters apart, gazes searching.

“Where in all of Faerûn did you get the money for this?” he exclaims after a silent moment, flabbergasted, “And why couldn’t we have done this yesterday so my arm wouldn’t have to feel like it’s falling off?”

“Well, while you were busy cutting off the circulation to your extremities, I went into town to purchase a couple of necessities using the last of the money we made outside Candlekeep-“

“Money you made,” Astarion cuts in.

“We made,” Orlando emphasizes with a wicked little grin, “Helping that sweet old lady find her missing Gremishka.”

“The wound still stings, you know,” Astarion murmurs, gingerly rubbing his backside.

“Well, think of it this way,” Orlando begins, scooting closer and cupping his face. Astarion rests his hand on the small of her back and smirks as the Tiefling goes on, “Thanks to the small sacrifice your derriere made, we now have one of the nicest, most comfortable beds I could find at Fredweard’s Furniture and Upholstery. Reed and Aria, the owners of the shop, owed me a favor and agreed to help me assemble it. I was hoping it would be done before you got up.”

“Well, it is much appreciated, darling. I-“

Astarion pauses abruptly, casting a suspicious glance at a rather proud looking Orlando. 

“Did you say they helped you assemble it?” he questions, the bed frame creaking ever so slightly as he shifts his weight, “As in, you had a part in the assembly process?”

Astarion recalls Orlando’s insistence back when they visited Gale in Waterdeep, claiming that she knew how to properly reassemble a broken chair with a confidence that would’ve made Professor Dekarios himself look like a diffident neophyte. With a flick of her wrist and an unintelligible utterance, the chair pieced itself back together, only to collapse under poor Gale as soon as he set himself down in it. After several minutes of breathless laughter, Orlando went back to a more traditional method of mending. By the time she was done, she had it sturdier than when Gale bought it, though she vowed never to try to use magic to fix anything ever again. Though skilled in spells pertaining to the mind and the otherworldly, furniture mending is not Orlando’s magical strong suit. Though, she’s picked up enough building skills from her many years partnered with Gortash to make her a threat (albeit, only when it comes to small household items). 

“Mayhaps,” she drawls noncommittally, glancing demurely away, “Magic played no part in it this time. I promise!” 

“I just want to guarantee that I’m not going to be rudely awakened in the middle of my rest when the bed comes crashing down underneath me,” Astarion posits, somewhat jokingly. But only somewhat. Orlando gives an insistent reassurance that the bed will, indeed, hold together. 

“Jokes aside, darling,” Astarion begins after a bit more teasing, smoothing back some errant strands of her dark hair. Orlando’s eyes are bright when they meet his, curious and loving. 

“Thank you,” he whispers, leaning his forehead against hers and holding her close.

“I’m glad you like it,” she murmurs, voice muffled against him. They lay in one another’s embrace for a while, enjoying the softness of the mattress and each other’s company. This is not Astarion’s first real memory of home, post-Cazador. But it is his first memory of stability. Home has always been wherever he and Orlando are, so long as they are together. But life on the road, in the year after the defeat of the Absolute, was never stable. There was always a constant search for shelter, for food, for money. This house, however, feels solid, sturdy, and comforting. Though it is a work in progress, already in the first two days of living here, Astarion can feel it welcoming them. One day, this cottage will be alive with memory. These first few days are the spark, the strike of a match lighting a hearth. The slow trickle of blood into ventricles aching to burst into life.

“You know,” Orlando slowly starts after a little while, drawing back to look Astarion in the eye. Her gaze is dusky, cheeks dusted pink in the low candlelight, “I can think of a few activities that might test the mettle of this frame.” 

Astarion raises an eyebrow, an impish, lopsided smirk tugging at the corners of his lips. 

“Hmmm, perhaps we ought to test if your construction skills have improved,” he purrs, gently gripping Orlando by the back of the neck and swallowing up her laughter with a fervent kiss.

A/N: I wanted to do some dialogue and banter practice this chapter, which was lots of fun! I really enjoy writing domestic fluff and I don't do it nearly enough! Looking forward to writing some more in future chapters. Up next will finally be some smut. Breaking in the new bed and what not, of course. Thank you for reading! Lots of love <3

[kurgy]

concert fits

[burningexeter]

[PITCH]

The Nightmare Chronicles

What is it —

An animated horror anthology series that is as incredibly dark, twisted, macabre, sinister and horrific as can be. Top it off, it will actually be scary, disturbing and straight-up horror whenever it wants to be which will be all the time.

EPISODE IDEAS:

The Girl With Nine Lives — a shy, timid and socially awkward teen girl is tricked into having the nine lives of a cat by a mad witch and becomes a carnival sideshow sensation as the 'Girl Who Can't Die'. As her success becomes more and more grand however, her life falls apart as she becomes an egotistical, vain, self-centered, spoiled rich princess who alienates and pushes away all of her friends and family. It's then until her last act where her closest friend finally walks away wanting nothing to do with her and her mother, heartbroken, leaves her daughter to be by herself, that she realizes all too late that she may have miscounted how many lives she actually has.

Fleshhouse — a struggling blue collar married couple own a just as struggling restaurant that's about to be closed down by their landlord and want what's nothing but the best for their kids (one of whom is disabled). It's then that a longtime and close but strange partner/friend of theirs offers the answer to their solutions that could save their restaurant - a secret recipe and a special supply of steak with such a delectable taste to it and one that harbors a horrifying and dark secret.

The Fogs Of War — Set in 1916 during WWII, several lost squads of soldiers converge and must hide out in a mysterious and abandoned maze-like series of trenches and tunnels that they discover far too late and rather horrifyingly so that the entire place is a gateway to hell that has opened by accident due to the war on earth. Now the soldiers all must fight for their lives and through the night from demons - each of whom represents their deepest, darkest and most personal fears - from dragging them into hell itself for their sins.

Something Wicked On The Runway Shoot — The mother of an aspiring model takes her daughter to a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity in Los Angeles for a potential membership and mentor under the hugely successful and gorgeous but mysterious and camera-shy Ruth Rose. Therefore, it's revealed that the mother was once an up-and-coming model on her way to fame until she turned it down to start a family with her child.... and it's also revealed the true, dark, grotesque, siamese secret of Ruth Rose.

Fat Tuesday — a man still-in grieving from the tragic death of his wife, moves himself and his three kids to New Orleans as a chance to start over and begin a new life after her death affected every one of them. However in trying to start anew, they all find themselves entangled in a bizarre voodoo ritual that includes their own family history with the man's own father and deceased wife stuck between two worlds as horrifying zombies emerge from the deep and thick swamp with cravings for flesh.

NOTES/TRIVIA/DETAILS:

• With the animation style, I picture it being a good, strong cross between Laura Hollingsworth's art for Keeper Of The Lost Cities, Tony Moore's art for the first six issues of The Walking Dead and Charlie Adlard's art for the entirety of The Walking Dead. It would fit in perfectly with the stories I'm trying to tell with this here.

• All of the stories will have plenty of things in common with each other despite being very different one from the other. Not only are they all just as dark, twisted, mean, cynical, horrific and surprisingly genuinely heartfelt at times but they're also very character driven. All of the events that happen happen because of the character or characters' actions, it's not something weird or fucked up happening to someone randomly. It's always that the characters did something that caused this event to happen to them and of course, there are repercussions so they have absolutely no one to blame but themselves since they caused this to happen to them and them only.

• Another things is that with some definite exceptions here and there, basically sprinkled in every now and then, almost all of the stories or episodes will have bad endings but in unconventional ways. What I mean by that is that there's always a real, true, genuine moment of victory where the character or characters defeat the wendigo or break the demented curse or seal the sandman whose been harvesting childrens' souls away so he can never harm anyone ever again....

But then there's always that extra thing that immediately happens after that goes "Nope!" which ends with an equally effective, memorable and haunting final image to end on.

• The sprinkled in happy endings however are the ones that feel the most earned where the character or characters realize the errors of their ways and come out as better people so the happy ending feels both warranted and deserving.

However, all of that somehow has got nothing on this right here —

• When an episode or "story" ends, it dissolves into a campfire to be revealed that the episode was in fact a campfire tale all along told by either a cynically dry yet charismatic at the same time magician named Nicolas Channing (voiced by and directly modeled after Ryan Beil) or a character from a piece of media such as Demona, Zhalia Moon, Mikasa Ackerman, M.O.M., Badger, Ratboy etc.

[legion1227]

Black Mirror Review

My favorite thing about Black Mirror is how the writers and creators collectively decided that the first episode should be about a man having to fuck a pig or someone will die.

Black Mirror is an anthology series. Each episode follows different characters and stories full to the brim with suspense and satire. Some might refer to it as the modern-day Twilight Zone as it also tackled issues relevant today, such as the consequences of new technology on society and individuals. Several episodes focus on advanced tech in a futuristic version of the modern world.

And then there's the first episode, where the British Prime Minister has to have sex with a pig, or the princess of the royal family will die. The premise and juxtaposition of the first episode, "The National Anthem," against other stories that grapple with themes of love or loss are hilarious to me. The episode itself isn't too funny, though. It's just an insane premise.

I watched the first two episodes a couple of years ago and found myself intrigued. I also indulged with the interactive film Black Mirror: Bandersnatch, back when that first dropped. It wasn't until this year that I rewatched those first two and followed up with the rest. I wasn't sure what to expect following the first two stories or the movie. After following through, I can say that the show is good but not great. Let's break it down by season.

Season 1 has three episodes. All of which have solid acting and engaging storylines. The pig-fucker episode has to be my favorite based on being quite ludicrous. The following episodes, "Fifteen Million Merits" and "The Entire History of You," have stronger stories to tell, though the former has better execution than the latter, in my opinion. Fifteen Million Merits also introduces Daniel Kaluuya before he blew up big in films like Jordan Peele's Get Out and Nope, to name a few. And his performance in the episode may be just as engaging. The Entire History of You has an intriguing idea where people have memory implants that allow them to record everything a human sees or hears. Unlike the previous two episodes, though, I feel it lacks a likable main character that I can latch onto.

Season 2 tries to up the ante and go bolder than 1. The storylines are more elaborate than in the previous season, but there are only four episodes. It's a mixed bag of a season. Its first episode, "Be Right Back," is one of the shows more depressing watches. Honestly, all the endings this season are downers. The third episode, "The Waldo Moment," is one of the weakest episodes of the entire run, with a bizarre premise about some comedian voicing a cartoon bear that gets mixed into politics.

Okay.

And yet, episodes 2 and 4, "White Bear" and "White Christmas," are some of the best episodes in the show's run. Lenora Crichlow, in the former, and Jon Hamm, in the latter, steal each episode with the best performances. Both have an equally excellent cast to work off of and feature surprise twists. Writer Charlie Brooker crafted two tense and breathtaking episodes that stand out from the series.

Season 3 has six episodes, and the only story I would put on par with the epics of "White Christmas" and "White Bear" is episode three's "Shut up and Dance." Like those episodes, "Shut up and Dance" features top-tier performances, excellent writing, and a story where you're not sure what will happen next. No other episode in the season comes close. "Nosedive" has an enjoyable performance from Bryce Dallas Howard but gets more interesting halfway through the episode. "Playtest" is a fun episode to watch around Halloween, which I did, but harbors one too many twists. "San junipero" is a love story that doesn't tear at the heartstring as much as I want it. "Men Against Fire" is the first story to fixate on war but remains dull. And "Hated in the Nation" is an equally unengaging snore-fest that equates to a detective drama. I'm not a fan of that genre, so that episode did not work for me. There were also metal bees in it or something; I don't know. It's dumb.

Season 4 had the same amount of episodes as season 3. The first and fourth episodes are the standouts of the season. Episode one, "USS Callister' is practically an homage to Star Trek, The Original Series. I haven't seen Jesse Plemons play someone so unlikable so well since his role as Todd in Breaking Bad. And Episode Four's "Hang the DJ" provides a unique spin on a love story. The remaining episodes of the season are all varying degrees of mid. "Arkangel" and "Crocodile" are depressing episodes without substance. "Metalhead" is visually interesting, and that's the most it has going for it. "Black Museum" is an ambitious, decent episode. The only episode that tells a couple of short stories, but the stories themselves could've worked as separate episodes themselves.

Lastly, season 5 has three episodes, with only the first one truly worth noting. "Striking Vipers" is odd, but the performances from the leads Anthony Mackie and Yahya Abdul-Mateen II elevate it. In the episode, they play old college friends that reconnect through a VR version of a fighting game. From there, they make unexpected discoveries about one another. The other two episodes aren't worth noting. "Smithereens" has an open-ended ending that I like, and "Rachel, Jack, and Ashley Too," well, I like that Miley Cyrus is in it; Oh, and the movie Bandersnatch is fun as hell; Of the handful of interactive films Netflix has, I enjoyed Bandersnatch the most. Choose-your-own adventure tales are a genre that I adore, especially in movie form. It's meta, clever, has replayability/rewatchability unlike others, and sometimes funny while other times anxiety-inducing.

In conclusion, Black Mirror is a mixed bag. There's no episode I would say is awful or terrible, but some are weaker than others. It's the type of show where you'll prefer some episodes over others. Not every episode will hit, but the ones that do will hit hard. Every episode is worth watching at least once. Some storylines fair better than others, but the acting is consistently great. It's a good series that's almost great. 3.5/5.

[crimson-ace-reviews]

Crimson Ace Reviews: Ultraman (1966), the Start of a Legend

For my first review, I took a look at the first tokusatsu series I ever saw, and today, I'm going to take a look at arguably the first tokusatsu series anyone ever saw, if not the most popular (apologies to any Nanairo Kamen fans reading this). But before we dive into this cosmic tale, I should probably explain the importance of another show to new readers looking to get into tokusatsu, as well as the man behind it, Eiji Tsuburaya.

Born on July 7th, 1901, Eiji Tsuburaya is considered by many to be the Father of Tokusatsu. This is a man who has been involved in the production of movies since he was eighteen years old, starting off as an assistant cameraman as he gradually started to pioneer new special effects in his craft. After working on countless war propaganda films for Japan's military during World War II (with the effects in one film in particular, Hawai Mare Oki Kaisen, being so convincing, it is said that General Douglas MacArthur assumed the movie had actual footage of the attack on Pearl Harbor), Tsuburaya teamed up with Ishiro Honda and Tomoyuki Tanaka to work on a little indie film involving a character with a very minor presence among several of Japan's historical cultural icons. You might know it better as Godzilla.

While it initially got mixed reviews from critics at the time due to touching on the impact the atomic bomb had on Japanese society only nine years after the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, over time, Godzilla became a hit, so obviously, more sequels were commissioned, and Tsuburaya was involved in the filming of more movies. Rodan? Mothra? King Ghidorah? Eiji Tsuburaya might not have been the sole creator of these characters, but it's thanks to his talent that these iconic monsters made to the big screen in the first place.

By the early 1960's, Tsuburaya had clearly made a name for himself, but he wanted to focus more on a project of his own. Something that wouldn't just be credited as a project he did the special effects for. With television growing in popularity at the time, Tsuburaya set his eyes on making it to the small screen. In particular, he was inspired by American anthology shows like The Twilight Zone and The Outer Limits. And of course, that show eventually became known as... Ultra Q. What, you thought I was going to mention a different show?

Similar to The Twilight Zone, Ultra Q (named after a popular phrase at the time, “Ultra C”) would focus more on a group of scientists investigating supernatural phenomena more often than not caused by giant monsters or aliens, with the occasional exception. The show was a massive hit with audiences, so the Tokyo Broadcasting System, or TBS, wanted a new show like it, only in color. Remember, this was the 60's when color TV wasn't as common as it was now, so seeing broadcasters want Tsuburaya's work to be in color was a big deal. There were a few conditions though, like more focus on monsters, and for there to be a heroic monster on humanity's side like what Godzilla had become at the time.

In spite of those requests, the show I'm actually here to talk about premiered on July 17th, 1966, and essentially kicked off a long line of tokusatsu heroes on the small screen. But how does this show hold up more than fifty-five years later? Well, let's find out as we take a look at the original Ultraman

THE STORY

The Science Special Search Party (SSSP) is a government organization dedicated to investigating scientific anomalies and protecting Earth from invading aliens and giant monsters. One night, Shin Hayata (Played by Susumu Kurobe), is sent to investigate a mysterious blue sphere landing in a nearby lake, only to accidentally collide with a red sphere. Inside the red sphere is an alien from Nebula M78, who feels remorseful for accidentally killing Hayata, so to make up for the cosmic vehicular manslaughter, he offers to give his life to save Hayata. The two merge, and when the situation calls for it, Hayata is now able to use a device called the Beta Capsule to transform into the alien to fight giant monsters other and aliens head on with his energy attacks, calling himself Ultraman (Played by Bin Furuya).

Of course, Hayata isn't alone on his quest to defend the Earth from danger. In addition to himself, the SSSP consists of Captain Toshio Muramatsu (Played by Akiji Kobayashi), a very serious, yet fatherly leader to the team who stays cool in a crisis, Mitsuhiro Ide (Played by Masanari Nihei), a bumbling inventor who helps develop the technology needed to deal with whatever threat they face, Daisuke Arashi (Played by Sandayu Dokumamushi), an expert marksman with a bit of an itchy trigger finger, and Akiko Fuji (Played by Hiroko Sakurai), the primary communications officer and sole female officer who isn't afraid to speak her mind. They're later joined by Isamu Hoshino (Played by Akihide Tsuzawa), a child who tags along with the team, before he is eventually made a full-fledged member himself.

Seeing how this was a TV show in the 1960's, there's obviously no major shifts in the status quo or the character dynamics. It's just a very simply formula: The SSSP is called in to investigate a weird occurrence, they spend time figuring out what's behind it, it turns out to be an alien or giant monster, they try their hardest to engage the threat once the situation escalates, Hayata conveniently manages to duck out so he can transform into Ultraman and save the day when all seems lost. There's nothing wrong with this necessarily, seeing how this was before TV shows became more serialized. In the modern age of streaming and YouTube, this kind of formula also makes watching shows like this easier for newcomers, as watching every episode isn't a requirement thanks to how interchangeable they can be.

At the same time, it also makes marathoning the show a bit confusing, with how inconsistent the characters can be. While there are decent focus episodes for characters like Ide and Arashi, the development rarely sticks. Arashi in particular suffers from this, as in one episode, “Don't Shoot, Arashi”, he learns about how dangerous his trigger-happy nature can be, but two episodes later? He goes against orders and tries to shoot a giant monster. While it's not too bothersome, it is still important to note, as it doesn't really hamper your enjoyment of this show.

Generally, the tone of these episodes can vary. While there's still a giant monster for Ultraman to fight every episode, there's almost always something interesting to shake things up. To list a few examples, “The Coast Guard Command” features a subplot about some kids uncovering a diamond smuggling scheme, “The Rascal from Outer Space” is more lighthearted in tone with how the monster of the week is created from a wishing stone, “Brother from Another Planet” was more of a conspiracy episode with the alien invader's plan to trick the SSSP into appearing benevolent, and “Phantom of the Snow Mountains” has a supernatural mystery element to it revolving around this little girl. You never know what kind of episode you're going to get with this show, and I think it makes sense when you remember this was a follow up to Tsuburaya's take on The Twilight Zone.

THE HEROES

Once again, because this would serve as the basis for countless tokusatsu shows after it, Ultraman has a fairly basic cast of characters, but they're not exactly boring. The actors all do a good job with that they're given, and they play off each other nicely.

Hayata is a... pretty decent lead. Much like a lot of main characters in the 60s, there's not really a lot of character development on his part. He's meant to be this paragon to look up to, this heroic figure meant to inspire others. It's something the show focuses on more by trying something that future installments wouldn't really do: Make Hayata the second in command of the team. Normally, Hayata is the one the others report to when Captain Muramatsu isn't around, and generally has more of a commanding presence compared to later main characters, who are usually portrayed as everymen with more flaws. At the same time, he'll do what he can to help the others when they have problems to deal with, almost like a big brother.

Even compared to the others who have their own flaws like Arashi's temper, Ide's immaturity, Hayata doesn't show a lot of vulnerability, at least, in the sense of character flaws. Yeah, he gets in trouble and there are times where he can't transform into Ultraman to save the day, it's usually not done to test Hayata's resolve or set up an interesting conflict. It's just done to explain why Ultraman can't stop the bad guy of the week. The few times Hayata isn't able to transform into Ultraman, it's normally resolved by circumstances outside of his control, like when he lost the Beta Capsule in the two-part episode, “The Prince of Monsters”, he didn't even know he lost it until some kid gave it back to him, robbing us of a conflict where Hayata tries to stop a monster without Ultraman's powers.

In general, the show also kind of glosses over what happened to Hayata in the first episode. The whole thing with him merging with an alien is rarely touched on, and it's never made clear if any of Hayata's actions were influenced by Ultraman, especially when the final episode shows he can still talk. What, was Ultraman just sleeping whenever Hayata didn't need to use his powers?

Captain Muramatsu is meant to be the more reasonable person in the SSSP, which makes sense, given that he's their boss and all. He's usually the least likely to suggest violence as a first option, best shown in the second episode, “Shoot the Invaders!”, where he opposed the Japanese government's idea to try using a nuclear missile against a bunch of alien invaders whose motives they don't even know yet. He's generally one to act more like a father to the team, and compared to the others, doesn't have any quirks. He makes for a decent straight man for the show.

I don't think it's really controversial to say Ide is my favorite character in the show, and for multiple reasons. Masanari Nihei is clearly having a ball in this role, and gives the best performance out of the entire cast. Ide's antics lead to some pretty funny moments, and for a comic relief character, he's not as annoying as you would think. He has his moments where he likes to prop himself up as this genius in order to boost his ego, but is usually subjected to some form of slapstick.

At the same time, there have been a couple of episodes that show another side to Ide's character, like “My Home is Earth”, where he hesitates to fight a monster that used to be a human, or “The Little Hero”, which shows him doubting the effectiveness of his inventions when Ultraman is usually the one to save the day. I'd argue of the entire SSSP, Ide is the one with the strongest resolve, as he always tries to come up with new weapons and gadgets for the team to use to save the day, and more often than not, they come in handy with it comes to dealing with whatever the SSSP is struggling to beat.

Arashi is honestly the most boring member of the main cast in my opinion. He's usually the most bullheaded of the SSSP, itching to get into a fight and shoot whatever threat the team is facing. At the same time, he does get some moments where he helps put the clues together when the team is trying to understand the monster of the week's powers and MO. He still gets the least amount of focus and moments to shine compared to the others, and compared to Ide's comedic moments, Arashi's trigger-happy nature gets a little annoying after a while.

For being the only female lead in a TV show that aired during the 1960's, Fuji is a surprisingly strong character. Yeah, she gets kidnapped and endangered a lot, and yeah, she's normally the one to man the communications center for the SSSP, but at the same time, she's not really shown to be an idiot, and can be just as clever as the others. In the very first episode, when Ide said that she was “still a girl” despite being part of the SSSP, she immediately fired back, showing she isn't one to be teased. She also has a tendency to tease the others and mess with them a little, like in “Five Seconds Before the Explosion”, where she claims to be going to a resort with someone for her day off, only to reveal it was Hoshino she was going with. While she's not a total snarker on the level of Lois Lane, she still has a lot of spunk that prevents her from just being “the girl” of the team.

Hoshino is arguably the only member of the SSSP who goes through an arc in this show. He starts off as a very reckless kid who stole Arashi's gun to fight a giant monster himself, but throughout his appearances, he's shown to grow as a person and take things more seriously, making his official welcome into the SSSP feel natural. Unfortunately, he wasn't able to stay for long, as Akihide Tsuzawa had broken his leg on a skiing trip, so he went the way of Chuck Cunningham.

Overall, while the cast is seen as basic by today's standards, they're still enjoyable enough on their own.

THEIR ARSENAL

Hayata's Beta Capsule is a very simple transformation device by modern standards. There's no trinket he needs to insert, and there's no jingle that plays when he transforms. Hayata just presses the button, and boom, he's Ultraman. It's honestly kind of funny to look back on this when you know how toyetic tokusatsu shows can get. Hell, compared to the other transformation devices of the Showa Era, this is somehow the most complex with it being a piece of technology, as opposed to the rest (Sans Ultraman 80's Bright Stick) being fashion accessories like sunglasses, badges, and rings.

Ultraman's suit, designed by Toru “Tohl” Narita, went through three designs throughout the show's 39-episode run. There were a few complications that led to the cheaper looking suit used for the show's first third, mainly the plan to originally make Ultraman's mouth move before it was scrapped. The next two suits would give Ultraman a much sleeker look and a shinier color scheme that would better fit the iconic design of the character that is still used to this day. Compared to most of the monsters we've seen in Tsuburaya's earlier works, this is a suit that really screams “alien”, yet it has a look that makes it appear benevolent.

Ultraman's fighting style really helps him stand out from Tsuburaya's other creations, as unlike Godzilla or Rodan, Ultraman's attacks aren't really fierce. They're more coordinated and he isn't as destructive as someone like Godzilla is. In combat, Ultraman specializes in wrestling with his opponents, tending to find a way to exhaust them into a state where they're vulnerable to his energy attacks. The Specium Ray is Ultraman's signature attack, and it's really cool, being a simple energy ray fired through his iconic pose.

Be honest, if you're an Ultraman fan, you've most likely made a hand gesture like this before. I'm sorry, but I don't make the rules.

Ultraman's other primary attack is the Ultra Slash, where he creates a sharp energy blade to slice up his enemies with.

Both of these attacks have essentially become synonymous with the franchise, much like how the Rider Kick has become synonymous with the Kamen Rider franchise.

On the other hand, there's the other powers you don't really hear about when talking about Ultraman, though I call them the “We only have two minutes to wrap up the episode, so let's have Ultraman do whatever the plot needs him to do” powers. He has X-ray vision, laser eyes, the ability to shoot water from his hands, the ability to spin at high speed, and in one case, somehow turn a monster into a constellation for reasons that are way too confusing to explain. And I'm sure I missed some powers that even the Ultraman Wiki doesn't know about.

Of course, with all of these powers, you'd think there wouldn't be a lot of tension in the story. You would be right, and a lot of the producers realized this, so they gave Ultraman another one of his defining features: The Color Timer. Whenever Ultraman is struggling in a battle, or if he starts to run out of solar energy thanks to our sun not having enough light to power him, the Color Timer, a blue emblem in the middle of his chest, will start to blink and let off a beeping sound, sort of like a video game. If the Color Timer goes out, Ultraman will lose the power to ever stand up again. If you forget, don't worry, because the narrator reminds the audience of this nearly every episode, with a handful of exceptions. This is a great way to add stakes to the conflict, as the Color Timer going off can punctuate how much of a struggle this is for Ultraman.

The SSSP has some pretty cool suits. I really love how they switch from the blue suits to the more combat-oriented orange battle gear. It's such a 60's spy show thing, and I love it. The helmets also go really well with the suits. Their badges are also a unique way of communication, and it shows how advanced their technology is.

The SSSP has a very basic arsenal. The Super Gun is their primary firearm, shooting lasers capable of harming monsters. Arashi in particular gets the Spider Shot, a bigger gun more power. Another gun that sees use is the Mars 133, a rifle with more power than the Super Gun. There are also other guns and inventions made for the SSSP to use thanks to Ide, but like some of Ultraman's powers, they're usually situational.

Their primary vehicle is the Jet VTOL, a fighter jet that can travel to space when equipped with a special engine. A simple plane, but nothing short of iconic. And again, while there are other vehicles, they don't see as much action.

While the arsenal seems very barebones for a tokusatsu show, it doesn't really stop the SSSP from doing their job really well. In general, the SSSP gets a surprising amount of kills to their name. Not only do they manage to take out about ten monsters/aliens with standard SSSP weaponry, seven giant and three human-sized threats. I want to emphasize the “about”, because a lot of episodes focus on the SSSP's attempts to stop the monster of the week, and while Ultraman typically gets a lot of the kill shots, there are plenty of monsters that are already weakened as a result of the SSSP's tactics. Generally, despite being the character the show is named after, Ultraman is usually used as a last resort. Even though they're the first attack team in Ultraman history, the SSSP's arsenal arguably makes them one of the most effective in the franchise.

THE VILLAINS

Monsters in the Ultraman franchise are very different from other tokusatsu shows. Rather than a comical monster of the week who works for a greater evil, most monsters in the franchise, especially the Showa era, are standalone threats for the heroes to take care of. Usually, they tend to either be alien invaders seeking to conquer the Earth, or monsters that the humans accidentally woke up and/or pissed off. Like I said, the twist usually comes from the other element thrown into the plot of every episode.

While it's a bit of an oversimplification, there are still a lot of creative monsters and aliens here still have quirks and abilities that make them stand out from each other for the most part. You have Baltan, an insect-themed alien with teleportation abilities, Neronga, an ancient monster with the power to consume electricity to make himself invisible, Zarab, an alien who can disguise himself as an evil version of Ultraman, Dada, an alien who tries to abduct humans as test subjects with the help of his shrink ray, Keronia, an member of a race of mutated plant monsters who tries to enslave humans for their blood, and Mefilas, an alien who tries to conquer the Earth with trickery rather than brute force. And I haven't even gotten to the other monsters in my highlights list, who are just as creative.

Of course, there are still two other monsters I want to talk about here, the first of them being arguably the most iconic monster in the franchise, Gomora. Gomora was one of the first monsters to actually give Ultraman a challenge, and was the star of the franchise's first two-part episode. Since then, he's gotten a lot of focus in later installments as a more heroic monster. When you see all the forms and powers Gomora has gotten over the years, it's kind of funny to see Gomora beat Ultraman in a fight with nothing but his brute strength and long tail. Here, he's just a giant dinosaur who was pissed he was woken up from his nap and kidnapped like King Kong, yet he still managed to overwhelm Ultraman. It's like watching a wild coyote get the better of Superman.

The other monster I want to talk about is infamous, not because of the episode it came from, but rather, how he looks.

This is Jirass, and yes, that is an old Godzilla suit. Well, technically the head of the one used in Invasion of Astro Monster and the body of the one from Mothra vs. Godzilla. The thing is that most of the monster suits were reused from the Godzilla movies thanks to Toho letting Tsuburaya's production team borrow them for this show. While there's actually a lot of reused suits, this is the one people tend to talk about the most, and for obvious reasons.

For the most part, in spite of a lot of them being reused from older suits, the monster designs really hold up today. A good example of how versatile the suits are is the Baragon suit from Frankenstein vs. Baragon. It was reused to make three different monsters during the first nine episodes (Neronga, Magular, and Gabora), and they all look visually distinct from one another. There were a lot of times where I was genuinely surprised to learn some of the more memorable monsters in this show were reused from older monster suits. The effects work is that well-done.

HIGHLIGHTS

As a whole, Ultraman had a lot of great episodes, and it was hard to find the ones I thought were outright bad. Most of the “worst” ones were more boring than anything else. The fact that I struggled to find five bad episodes is a good sign of this show's quality.

Top Five Worst Episodes

#5: Secret of the Miloganda

Several botanists are being killed by a mysterious plant creature, one by one, so the SSSP is called to investigate before anyone else can be hurt.

This episode isn't really bad, just slow. The plot is more of a mystery than your standard monster of the week plot, with several scientists recalling their side of the story, and there's some decent buildup to it. The problem just lies in how underwhelming the monster and climax is. The killer, a mutated plant called Greenmons grows giant out of nowhere after seemingly being killed, and the suit just looks so cheap.

Be honest, is this really what you think of when you hear “mutant plant monster”? A moldy oven mitt? All Greenmons does is spray stuff from the hole on its... I want to say face, and move around the one arm it has. This is what you do with a killer plant? Make it a giant can of Lysol? Even the death is underwhelming. All Ultraman does is shoot it with a Specium Ray, and it just catches fire. You can really tell this episode was when the writers and costume designers were still experimenting with new ideas, because it really doesn't hold up.

A later episode, “Who Goes There?”, would do a much better job with the idea of a plant monster in the form of Keronia, and would do so with a much better horror element to it. I'd watch that episode instead of this one. Again, this one isn't bad, just underwhelming.

#4: The Endless Counterattack

While Hayata escorts Indian SSSP member Patty around Japan for her vacation, Zambolar, a monster with control over fire starts to rampage through nearby construction sites, so it's up to the SSSP to take him down.

Compared to most monster of the week plots, this one is pretty boring, and Zambolar himself is a very underwhelming monster. The writers try to throw in an environmentalism message by implying he was woken up by some construction, but it's kind of hard to see Zambolar act like this guardian of the environment when most of his screentime is spent burning stuff down. The chemistry between Hayata and Patty was also forgettable. I guess they were trying to set up some kind of romance compared to other girls Hayata has met in this show, but there honestly wasn't much of a reason to include this character in the story.

Again, it's not a terrible episode, just really boring.

#3: Terror on Route 87

The SSSP is called to investigate a strangely glowing mountain, where they encounter a giant bird monster called Hydra. The monster soon sets his sights on the titular Route 87, all while learning about a connection between it and a child who was killed in a car accident on the same route.

This is an episode where you can tell there were good intentions, but the execution was pretty bad. See, during the mid to late 1960's, there was a high number of traffic accidents in Japan, to the point where people called that time the “War on Traffic”, so this episode was meant to serve as social commentary on it. The problem is how the lesson gets across. Okay, so the monster of the week is connected to a boy who was killed in a traffic accident. That could work for a tragic story. What's less tragic is how the moral of the story seems to be in favor of Hydra, in spite of his massive body count.

Yeah, what happened to the kid was tragic, but how does that make Hydra killing more people as a result of that okay? As a matter of fact, why make the giant monster attacking a highway a bird? I don't get why it's sad that children are killed in car accidents, yet the moral seems to downplay the amount of people killed by Hydra (some of them probably being children too).

This is a pretty lousy episode that needed a lot of work.

#2: The Monster Graveyard

While on patrol in space, the SSSP stumbles upon the bodies of several past monsters they've killed in the past, dubbing it the Monster Graveyard. After heading back to Earth, they're followed by the spirit of another fallen monster, Seabozu. Can the SSSP defeat this latest threat, or is there more than meets the eye to this creature?

This is an episode with a really good idea that would be expanded upon in later entries, and to its credit, it manages to have a pretty solid first act. The SSSP feel remorseful for all the monsters they've killed, especially Hayata, and the scene where they hold a memorial service for them is very powerful. Unfortunately, things go downhill once Seabozu enters the picture. Despite saying they feel bad for having to hurt monsters who weren't able to coexist with humanity, the SSSP has no problem shooting at Seabozu, and even after they learn it just wants to go home, they don't really change their method of operation and keep shooting at it.

Seriously, the second half of the episode is pretty much “Maybe this monster wants to go home, so let's find a way to send him back to space... by shooting him with grappling cables and dragging him towards the rocket against his will because he doesn't know what a rocket is”. Do you want to have a more nuanced story or not? It's a really mean-spirited episode disguised as something pretending to be deep.

#1: The Pearl Defense Directive

Gamakujira, this hybrid toad/whale monster, starts eating pearl oysters, driving the prices of pearls up exponentially. Taking this as a declaration of war, Fuji takes on a more active role than usual to save her favorite kind of jewelry with rest of the SSSP.

While most of the episodes in this show are pretty timeless, this is an episode that has definitely shown its age in a few ways. The way Fuji is written reeks of negative stereotypes regarding women. I'm sure there were good intentions, but the way the conflict is handled is just awful. Put aside the fact that this is the third aquatic monster with a craving for a specific item in the past seven episodes (cacao beans for Guesra and oil for Pestar), the only reason why Fuji is upset at Gamakujira isn't because of the potential damage it's doing to the ecosystem or the economy, but just because she loves pearls.

Because, you know, a girl's just got to have her pretty jewelry, right? I feel like if they exaggerated the level of anger Fuji was feeling, it'd be easier to tolerate. Instead, it's like we're supposed to take her anger at her precious pearls completely seriously.

While Gamakujira isn't completely forgettable, it's nowhere near the same level as memorable as other monsters in this show. The goofy tongue and croaking noise it makes is pretty interesting though.

Overall, it's just a terrible episode that's an obvious product of its time.

Top Five Best Episodes

#5: Passport to Infinity

Two meteorites with reality bending abilities are found by a pair of scientists, who each choose to study one individually. One of them comes to the conclusion that if the two meteorites are brought together, bad things will happen... right as the SSSP decided to place them together. After the new meteorite monster, Bullton, is formed, it starts to send the scientists and the rest of the SSSP into the fourth dimension, so they need to try and get out.

For something that aired in 1966, the effects work in this episode is pretty creative here. Yeah, there are some obvious wires and green screen effects here and there, but there are also a lot of clever cuts and camera angles that give the illusion of realty being distorted. Even for being a giant rock, Bullton is an interesting kind of monster. What it lacks in strength, it more than makes up for with its powers.

Yeah, the final battle is kind of weak since we don't get the usual fight choreography on account of Bullton being a rock, the rest of the episode is still a blast, and is a visual highlight for the show.

#4: Present from the Sky

One day, Skydon, a monster randomly that randomly fell from the sky, starts to make its home at a local construction site, and and the SSSP is called to deal with it. There's just one problem: None of their weapons work on it, and it's too heavy for even Ultraman to move. Thus, the SSSP has to employ some more unusual tactics in order to get it off the planet.

We go from one of the trippiest episodes in the show to one of the goofiest episodes of the show. If you're here from my Miraculous Ladybug blog, you'll remember I referenced this episode when talking about “Mr. Pigeon”, an episode featuring a villain with such a wacky idea, you just have to roll along with how weird the action is. I stand by what I said, because this episode is a blast.

The humor in this episode in the form of the SSSP's plans to get rid of Skydon is top-notch. Things just so outlandish, it starts to resemble a Looney Tunes cartoon, and I love it. Just seeing the SSSP continually fail to stop Skydon to the point where one attempt leads to them running away from after shooting it with a rocket is hilarious. The gags that parody the usual Ultraman formula are just so well-timed, and an episode all about stopping a really heavy monster has no right being this funny.

This is easily the funniest episode of the series, and it's also one of the best episodes in the series as a result.

#3: The Lawless Monster Zone

The SSSP is called in to investigate the mysterious disappearance of a research team of scientists on an unexplored island. It turns out that the island in question is swarming with monsters, and after meeting up with the only surviving scientist, what started as a rescue mission turns into a “try not to die before we get the hell out of here” mission.

This is a really nice take on the usual formula of the show. Usually, it's the monster or alien the SSSP stumbles upon that they need to fight off, but this time, they're on a place full of monsters. We have Red King, Pigmon, Magular, and Chandler to deal with. Could there beany more monsters? There's a lot that makes this place a hostile environment, so you wonder how the SSSP will escape.

There's also some cool monsters introduced here too. Aside from Magular and Chandler, we have Red King, a bully who loves to beat up weaker monsters, and Pigmon, a tiny creature who's the one of first benevolent monsters in Ultraman history. These characters both get some good focus and like a lot of the monsters I've talked about, become iconic in later entries.

Overall, it's a really action-packed episode that's a blast to watch.

#2: My Home is Earth

Several planes carrying guests for an international peace conference are being mysteriously shot down by an invisible spaceship. Just when it seems like destroying the spaceship would end the conflict, the pilot of the ship, a giant monster appears. It's soon revealed that the monster was named Jamila, a human astronaut who was mutated into this form after a space flight went wrong. After learning the truth, Ide is left conflicted as to whether Jamila is beyond saving or not as the SSSP is ordered to kill him to cover up the story of what really happened.

Many Ultraman fans consider this to be one of the saddest episodes of the franchise, and for good reasons. The tone is very somber, and it raises questions about whether the SSSP is doing the right thing by trying to put Jamila out of his misery. The fact that Ide isn't the usual bumbling comic relief really says a lot about how serious this episode is, and it makes sense when you remember his inventions are the reason why the SSSP is even able to fight Jamila in the first place.

The cinematography in this episode is gorgeous, some of the best of the show. There's some great uses of lighting and shadows during the dramatic scenes. I especially love this one shot of French SSSP member Alan standing in front of a spotlight while he repeats the orders to kill Jamila while he's obscured by the light, almost like a soulless drone with no empathy for his fellow man.

Jamila's story would go on to be one of the most tragic in the franchise's history, and even though it was covered up in-universe, it's unforgettable to us.

#1: Farewell, Ultraman

The SSSP gets word of an invading fleet of aliens who had visited Earth for over forty years, but before they set their sights on humanity, they decide to go after the Japanese branch and Ultraman. As our heroes prepare to fight against near insurmountable odds, it turns out one of the invading aliens disguised himself as one of their allies, and even when it seems like the tide of battle is turning, Ultraman himself has one more challenge that not even he may be able to overcome...

As the final episode of the show, this episode really does a good job to show how high the stakes are. Right from the start, we're dealing with a full-blown alien invasion, from aliens who actually planned ahead instead no less. There's a lot of awesome action, great effects work, and drama from how tense the conflict is.

There's not much else I can say without spoiling anything, seeing how it's the final episode and all, but this one is a must-watch.

FINAL THOUGHTS

Being the first in a long line of tokusatsu TV shows, Ultraman does a lot of amazing things. The effects hold up really well, the characters are very likable, and it introduced a lot of concepts that would endear us to the franchise over fifty-five years later. While it may seem like I don't have as much to say compared to my last two reviews, it's mainly because I'm not sure what else I even have to say.

If you're looking to get into tokusatsu as a whole, please check out this series. It's a classic, and for a damn good reason.

[sigridstumb]

Celebrating Dorothy Ellis

My grandmother, Dorothy Ellis, died a few years ago.

She was in her 90s, a long and very full life. She was a schoolteacher, high school math, for most of her adult working career. She absolutely loved teaching. She loved the process of getting teenagers to love learning.

Dorothy also loved history. She was a member of at least one historical society. She traveled, learning about places and peoples far removed from her everyday life. She was a voracious reader, and loved recommending books to people.

Dorothy was the first person in my extended family to go to college. She went to a women's teaching college in the 1930s, in a time and place that did not encourage that.

Dorothy met my grandfather during WWII. He was a navy corpsman and survived the attack on Pearl Harbor. The war destroyed him. he spent the rest of his life as a barely-functional alcoholic who abused his entire family. Dorothy stayed with him and they had six children together. My father is the oldest and at age 11 was raising his younger siblings because Dorothy had to work to support them all. She made decisions that I do not know the details of and cannot truly understand.

Throughout my teen years, Dorothy wrote to me. Long, chatty letters, full of her joy in life. I did not appreciate any of it at the time, and I regret that, very much.

Dorothy always told me she wanted me to be a teacher and a writer. I spent fifteen years of my career as an air traffic controller training new controllers. I homeschooled both my kids. I co-edited two anthologies, have written published essays, and a short story I wrote made the long-list for the Otherwise (formerly the Tiptree) award.

I did what you said, grandma.

You are missed.

[animehouse-moe]

Pride Month Manga Recommendations Week 2: Yuri / Girls Love

So week number two has rolled around, which means a new focus/set for the recommendations, and a new charity! This week's theme/genre is Yuri/Girls Love, which can get a bit of a bad rap sometimes. It's absolutely true that a lot of same sex romance manga can suffer from sexualization of gender and sexual identities, but I really hope that these recommendations can be something people find interest in.

Also, a quick aside so you don't have to go all the way to the end of the post, this week's charity is GLAAD, an organization that focuses on advocacy and fair treatment of LGBTQ+ in media.

Run Away With Me Girl by Battan is a short but bittersweet story about the regrets of a pair of girls as they move forward in their adult lives. Maki drifts aimlessly through life, unable to forget the hurricane that was Midori who swept her off her feet in high school, only to leave her behind to become an "adult", while Midori finds herself trapped in an engagement to someone who who she doesn't love, burdened with the fear of becoming a mother.

The two have a chance meeting one night, years after they have last seen each other, and the facades that cover each began to crack and break apart as they spend more and more time together, rediscovering themselves, struggling with trauma and fears and hesitations, and fighting to find a way for their love to come true. It's a very beautiful story, though not without it's dark moments with things like scarily real manipulative and abusive significant others. It refuses to sugarcoat its story, but still finds its way to a rose colored end.

Bloom Into You

Our main character (right) Yuu has wanted a lovey dovey relationship like the manga she reads for as long as she can remember, but no matter where that confession comes from, it can't move her heart. She continues to turn down confessions until it's the student council president (left) Nanami that comes to her with her own confession.

It's not a series that knows exactly what it wants to do and where to go, but it matches the cadence of high school life in that stumbling. Finding the right words and approach, struggling with what love is, accepting yourself as you are, and living up to expectations. It's a tangled mess of many emotions that all find their core in love and desire, as it explores various characters and approaches to romance.

My Cute Little Kitten/Milk Morinaga

Now bear with me here, I know we're not getting the next volume until January 2024, so I want to just sort of broadly recommend Milk Morinaga's works in English. Hana and Hina After School just recently go its (print on demand) reprint, but they also have stuff like Syrup (a series of Yuri anthologies), and a good few short Yuri series that you can get digitally (most of them are oop since they're so old).

But anyways, My Cute Little Kitten. As the name implies it's cute, of course, but it's also steamy. Rena and Yuna are roommates that date all the way back to their college era, with Rena harboring a crush that slips out into words one drunken night thanks to Yuna's words spurred on by the kitten she picked up off the street. The pair end up slipping into a relationship that has them moving apartments and exploring each other while peeling back layers of themselves. It's a very comfortable story, but doesn't shy away from reminding readers that these are adults. I really enjoy that it keeps that bit of sexuality to it, but doesn't force it to coat the relationship in its entirety. There's still plenty about the characters and their anxiety that stems from their new lives.

Otherside Picnic

Ever wanted to see girls explore another world of mystery, horror, and terror while also exploring each other? Look no further than Otherside Picnic! This series is a bit different as the romance goes hand in hand with the adventure, rather than the romantic aspect spurring other pieces on. If you're not a fan of horror, you probably won't enjoy this story, but if you do, I can't recommend it enough.

Sorawo is a loner that discovered the Otherside as a way to escape from her own world, but ends up subject to the dangers of it and on the brink of dying in a puddle of water. Fate has other plans for her though, as the blonde (and Canadian) Toriko stumbles upon "Ophelia" in her puddle and saves her, setting the story in motion. The pair continue to explore the Otherside over the span of months and even years, initially for the sake of searching for Toriko's teacher Satsuki, but as their relationship deepens and they come to further understand each other, the purpose becomes more muddy.

I really just want to drive home how good this story is. I really really love it for how the characters are presented, and how the use of horror and fear is used to show how deep and strong the relationship between Toriko and Sorawo grows to be. Though do be warned, it's a bit of a slow burn, but I absolutely think it's worth it thanks to how great and unique the characters are.

Futari Escape

Now I'll level with you, this isn't a yuri romance series, there's not even many displays of affection. But still, I think it's a yuri series that countless people out there would enjoy.

It's the story of Senpai, a short girl who loves to mooch off of her mangaka roommate/girlfriend, Kouhai, and their journey(s) through life as they endeavor to enjoy the smaller things. Going on random trips, reminiscing on days gone, or getting themselves into a spot of trouble that they conveniently forget about. It's incredibly endearing and comically passionate about dodging work and responsibility. Because of that though, it's the perfect manga to take a break from life with. To find just that little bit of comedy, or a random idea you wouldn't have thought of, or to let your mind wander aimlessly as you flip the pages. It's a wonderful rest stop in the relentless onslaught that is the present reality, and on that alone it's such an easy title to recommend.

And so we find ourselves at the end of another week of recommendations, and a new charity to check out! GLAAD is a charity that focuses on advocacy and cultural change for LGBTQ+ in media. They do quite a bit and even have their own media awards. Once more, I don't want to push people to donate, but I do highly recommend everyone check out their website to see what it is that they do, and how you can get involved.