#They take the last titles of Quint to SCHOOL

[shiroselia]

Okay so I guess I have the five last titles of Squirrel Punt done.

[comixconnection]

Choose Your Three Free Comics!

At long, long last...Free Comic Book Day is here! Unlike the usual “first Saturday in May” celebration that has defined the even in normal years, due to issues with the ongoing pandemic the folks in charge have decided to move this year’s celebration back to August 14th. Want a sneak-peak at the books...?

The following titles will be available at Comix Connection on Aug 14th (while supplies last!). Everybody gets to pick three! Unlike previous years, we will NOT be accepting FOOD DONATIONS in exchange for additional comics. Instead we will be collecting monetary donations to give to the Central Pennsylvania Food Bank. For every DOLLAR donates, you may select an additional free comic book!

We know the line for the FCBD comics can get long (if you want to come in and shop first, you can skip the line and head straight inside!) so in an effort to both entertain you while you’re in that long line and to help it go a little faster by giving you a preview of the various titles so you can decide ahead of time what looks good, the Comix Connection Counter Monkeys have read and reviewed all of the available FCBD books! Take a peek!

CHOOSE YOUR FREE COMICS:

One hundred years before the Skywalker Saga began, the Jedi Knights were the guardians of peace and justice in the galaxy! In this prelude to the ongoing Star Wars: High Republic Adventures comic series, follow padawans Ram Jomaram, Lula Talisola, and Zeen Mrala as they try to save Lonisa City from the dreaded Nihil. Also read the beginning of Star Wars: High Republic Adventures #1! [All Ages]

“Two brand-new adventures from the world of Avatar: The Last Airbender! In Clearing the Air, Tenzin attempts to teach his rambunctious children a lesson Aang taught him about how to resolve conflicts. In Match Makers, Iroh runs into some trouble with a few friends...that just might lead him to something fun he’s been trying to hide from!” [All Ages]

Who Sparked the Montgomery Bus Boycott? gives a sample of the upcoming graphic novel by the same name, a tale telling the true story of the “Mother of the Civil Rights Movement,” Rosa Parks! This excerpt features the immediate aftermath of Rosa’s arrest, and her decision to start a legal battle that would change the course of American freedom! [All Ages]

“There's nothing better than a beautiful sunny day reading comics, so join us for a look at this summer's fantastic all-ages reads, courtesy of Oni Press! From the gentle, magical worlds of The Tea Dragon Tapestry (by K. O'Neill) and The Sprite and the Gardner (by Rii Abrego and Joe Whitt), the adventurous magical mystery of Mooncakes (by Suzanne Walker and Wendy Xu), and the action-packed Jonna and the Unpossible Monsters (Chris and Laura Samnee), there's something for everyone. Sneak a peek at these four fantastic fantasy graphic novels!” [All Ages]

Sonic is 30 years old! Celebrate the anniversary of the world’s fastest hedgehog with this peek into the ongoing Sonic comic series. Things get meta when Amy Rose starts drawing a comic about Sonic, Tails, and their friends...but what will Sonic think when he finds out he’s been turned into a comic book? Prepare for the big 30th Anniversary Sonic Celebration here! [All Ages]

It's the crisis of infinite Archies! Celebrate 80 years of the Riverdale Gang with this tale featuring a dimension-hopping Archie Andrews in his quest to save the multiverse. Then, witness Archie go toe-to-toe with... himself?! May the best Archie win! Plus, get a preview of the newest Archie One-Shot in shops! This title includes several versions of Archie (from classic to TV to horror) and showcases his evolution as a character over eight decades, all while being a tie-in to the company's 80th Anniversary plans. [All Ages]

“Despite the pandemic and the swirl of world events, back issue comics are booming! It's not all record prices (though there are many) or bargain basement deals, but rather it's many different categories! The team that brings you The Overstreet Comic Book Price Guide shines the spotlight on this exciting part of the universe of comic books. Includes tips on how to collect, care for your comics, and preserve them, among other things.” [All Ages]

“Get a sneak peek at book four in the bestselling InvestiGators series! With agent Brash trapped in a mysterious coma, the technicians at S.U.I.T. have designed the ultimate replacement: RoboBrash! This high-tech replica has been programmed with all of the original Brash's crime-fighting skills and know-how--but it seems he's got a few bugs in his system! Will Mango and his new partner be enough to stop the giant ants that are on a rampage in the city? Orchestrated by the spaced-out villain, Maestronaut, and Houdino, the dinosaur escape artist, it seems criminals are certainly upping the ANT-e!” [All Ages]

“My name is Grace, not ‘Kyle's little sister’!” Having a good-looking, friendly, outgoing older brother sucks--especially when you're the total opposite: someone who likes staying home and playing video games. Your parents like him better (even if they deny it!) and everyone calls you "Kyle's little sister" while looking disappointed that you're not more like him. Grace was really hoping she'd get to go to a different middle school, but no such luck. At least she has her friends...until he finds a way to ruin that, too! What will Grace have to do to get out of his shadow?! [All Ages]

Jewish mythology has it that when God created the universe, He left one corner of it unfinished. Opinion is divided on why, but everyone agrees that the Unfinished Corner is a dangerous place full of monsters. Twelve-year-old Miriam is too busy preparing for her Bat Mitzvah to care about the Unfished Corner. She spends her days wrestling with whether she even wants to be Jewish--until a peculiar angel appears, whisking her, her two best friends, and her worst frenemy off to this monstrous land with one mission: finish the Unfinished Corner. [All Ages]

“The City of Gloomhaven isn't "safe" at the best of times, but lately, more folks than usual seem to be disappearing. In a city paralyzed by an unknown menace, only one adventuring crew will do: The Jaws of the Lion! Based on the hit games, Gloomhaven and Jaws of the Lion from Cephalofair Games, comes a fantasy adventure with humor and heart.” [All Ages]

The Last Kids on Earth and their friends each tell their own best story of the Monster Apocalypse, including Jack's high-stakes baseball game, Globlet's attempt to take over the world, Quint's bad-day-away invention, Dirk's bragain with a witch, and June and Skaelka's creepy carnival--plus a surprise story from some bad guys on the run... [All Ages]

Being the new kid is tough, even for a superhero/ward and heir to a billionaire, Damian Wayne (aka Robin)! Join Damian as he struggles to learn patience and understanding from the students at Gotham Metro Academy, including star student and all-around Great Guy, Howard! Plus, an adventure of Amethyst, princess of the mystical realm of Gemworld by bestselling authors Shannon Hale and Dean Hale! [All Ages]

To celebrate the new animated TV series premiering on Nickelodeon Fall 2021, Papercutz is releasing a new series of graphic novels entitled The Smurfs Tales. Preview it here with a number of silly short Smurfs Tales, with a back-up appearance by one of Peyo’s other beloved creations: Johan and Peewit, the young page and the court jester. [All Ages]

In Edge of Balance, a new High Republic story set in the wake of the Hyperspace Disaster, meet new Jedi and their enemies 100 years before the events of the Skywalker Saga! Young Jedi Knight Lily Tora-Asi is assigned to help displaced civilians relocate to Banchii in the Outer Rim. She and her padawans will face more threats there than just anxious settlers, from the insidious Drengir to the Nihil! And in Guardian of the Whills, encounter Baze and Chirrut before they join the Rebellion against the Empire in Rogue One! Presiding over the Kyber Temple on Jedha, the Guardians of the Whills had hoped to maintain the balance despite the growing presence of the Empire in their Holy City. Yet when a rebel named Saw Gerrera appears, Baze and Chirrut must decide if they're willing to compromise for peace, or if Saw's plan is too dangerous to risk. Read the first chapter of these two new Star Wars Manga Graphic Novels here! [Teen]

It wouldn’t be the Teen Titans without heightened teenage emotions and romance! Fan favorites Beast Boy and Raven are travelling away from the dwellings they know to find homes they can feel comfortable in. Along the way, their paths cross, sparks fly, and even a destiny or two might be found. [Teen]

“Street Fighter heads back to school, as the world's young fighters flex both their academic and martial arts prowess! Fan favorites Sakura, Ibuki, Karin, Makoto, and Elena come face-to-face with a new challenger - the leather-clad, motorcycle-riding Akira! It's a square-off of (rival) schools in this action-packed one-shot!” [Teen]

[NOT FINAL ART] “This Fall, jump on board here as VALIANT UPRISING overthrows the status quo with new titles, new creators, and new takes on Valiant's most iconic characters! The VALIANT UPRISING FCBD SPECIAL features: A brand new X-O MANOWAR story from Harvey Award-winning writer Dennis Hopeless and breakout star Emilio Laiso. It's the perfect jumping-on point as Valiant's flagship hero prepares to "Upgrade the World"! Then, get a special advance preview of THE HARBINGER #1, an all-new series from co-writers Jackson Lanzing and Colin Kelly join superstar artist Robbi Rodriguez that promises to take Valiant's psiot rebel in a vivid new direction! Plus, find out how the world's greatest spy responds to being unmasked, hunted, and trapped in a first look at NINJAK #1, the pulse-pounding thrill ride from Ringo Award-winning writer Jeff Parker and legendary artist Javier Pulido. Finally, get a sneak peek from writer Cullen Bunn and artist Jon Davis-Hunt of what's to come when SHADOWMAN returns!” [Teen]

Three epic new Marvel moments begin here! Read the beginning of the upcoming Spider-Man Beyond story that will be starting in Amazing Spider-Man #75! Big changes are coming to everyone’s friendly neighborhood Spider-Man...but are they for good, or ill? Also discover the new Venom series, which will take spider symbiosis to whole new levels in the wake of King In Black. And last, sneak a peek at the Luke Cage: City On Fire mini-series, which will pit Luke against not just the Kingpin, but Daredevil too! [Teen]

Gotham is under attack, and it’s by the people claiming to keep it safe! Billionaire Simon Saint has slowly been taking over the institutions of Gotham with his insidious private security Magistrate program. Meanwhile, Batman finds his mind infected by Scarecrow’s fear gas, forcing him to question every decision he makes. It is all leading to the DC-spanning event FEAR STATE that will rock Gotham to its core. Plus, read a preview of Oscar-winning screenwriter John Ridely’s I Am Batman series in which the sons of Lucius Fox struggle with the legacy of both their father and Bruce Wayne as they take up the cowl to defend Gotham. [Teen]

Who is Avenger Prime? And what has spurred the chronal collapse that has them sending their army of Deathloks out to save all of space and time? Discover the start of the end here! Then, journey into the unknown with the Incredible Hulk! Bruce Banner never wanted to smash, he wanted to discover. Now, it’s finally time for the Hulk to expand his horizons with Operation: Smashtronaut! [Teen]

In this story from Critical Role, explore a small but important corner from the adventures of the Mighty Nein. Then, in The Witcher, it's an original tale featuring the iconic witcher himself, Geralt! Created in close collaboration with CD Projekt Red! [Teen]

A fascinating graphic adaptation of historian Timothy Snyder’s book On Tyranny, a collections of essays and reflections on lessons from history and how they can help America steer away from the course of authoritarianism. Recommended for anyone looking to learn more about how tyrants all through history have manipulated people and systems to take away the freedoms of others. [Teen]

“Side A: "BLACK: Interlude" What else was going on the night Kareem Jenkins was shot by police and discovered only Black people have superpowers? Find out in this FCBD one-shot! Side B: "CALEXIT: Hollywood Babylon" Once California refused to be ruled by the US government, its resistance fighters became overnight celebrities. Zora used her infamy for recruiting, but Emmie-X has other ideas.” [Mature]

In 2019, James Tynion IV (Batman) and Werther Dell'Edera (Briggs Land) introduced the world to Erica Slaughter, the iconic monster hunter who came to Archer's Peak, Wisconsin to save the town's children from the monsters only she can see. But Erica is not the only member of the House of Slaughter... With nearly half a million copies sold, Something is Killing the Children has become a true comic phenomenon and this Free Comic Book Day you are invited to enter the House of Slaughter...if you dare. [Teen]

Crewed by teenage geniuses frozen in cryosleep, the JEMISON is on a mission to terraform other worlds and provide hope for the human race. But when the ship is mysteriously stopped over a planet that isn't on any of their maps, the crew finds themselves suddenly awoken ten years early. One half remains behind to try and assess the damage and the other is dispatched to the planet below to figure out the answer to a perilous question: What stopped the ship, and is it friend or foe? [Teen]

As the earth dies, salvation is offered to five thousand children who will be spirited away from our planet’s apocalypse -- but what of the other children, still hoping to find one of the bracelets that give them their ticket off planet? In this wistful one-shot from the sci-fi hit We Live, go into the Broken Lands with a group of friends...but there are four of them, and only one bracelet to be found. How will they decide who gets to leave? Then, preview the Rainbow Bridge graphic novel where Andy has to help his beloved dog Rocket save eternity! [Teen]

“The comic adventures of Max, Chloe, and Rachel from the award-winning video game Life Is Strange continue in this exclusive lead-in to an epic new story arc! This FCBD special features the first comic book appearance of an all-new character who will feature heavily in the Life is Strange universe in 2021! This FCBD issue contains exclusive original material!” [Teen]

“To reclaim the Dungeon that fell to the scheming William Delacour, the plan is simple: Marvin the dragon, Isis, and Herbert the duck must find some magic “fugus purit” and use it to dislodge the current occupants of the fortress. But is this really the Guardian's plan? Our heroes will have to fight against everyone to save the Dungeon. Meanwhile, will Marvin succeed in his engagement blast-of-firebreath 'Tong Deum'? Preview the new series here!” [Teen]

See the next chapter of the super-powered scifi epic The Resistance, and then meeet the “Moths”: a subset of the super-powered Reborn. The pandemic that granted the Reborn their gifts during The Great Death gave power to people like  Emily Kai and the rest of the Moths, too...but the moment they use their gifts, their clock starts ticking and they have six months to live. Also, get a sneak-peek at the just-released Not All Robots futuristic techno-depressive-thriller! [Teen]

The second semester of School for Extraterrestrial Girls is in session! Peer into the lives of Tara Smith (fire lizard!), Misako Sato (extra-dimensional fairy!), Summer Cortez (pink tentacle void beast!), and Ekaterina and Zvenislava (anthropomorphic Russian kittens!). They’re all normal teenage girls...except that they’re all aliens stuck on Earth, and since Tara partially destroyed their old school they’ve been sent to bunk at the School for Extraterrestrial Boys while it’s repaired...that’ll go fine, right? Read the first issue here! [Teen]

This official spinoff manga of Rent-A-Girlfriend, the rom-com turned hit anime, features fan-favorite Sumi, the shy girl longing to come out of her shell. Written and illustrated by original creator Reiji Miyajima! Catch up on the manga before the Rent-A-Girlfriend anime returns for a second season, coming soon! [Teen]

Zom 100 is a violent and funny take on the zombie apocalypse! Its main character, Akira, is so depressed in his soul-crushing job that he uses the undead hordes as motivation to finally complete his bucket list! Also included is a sample of the hit fantasy manga Demon Slayer. [Teen]

“Known as the the Weakest Hunter of All Mankind, E-rank hunter Jinwoo Sung's contribution to raids amounts to trying not to get killed. Unfortunately, between his mother's hospital bills, his sister's tuition, and his own lack of job prospects, he has no choice but to continue to put his life on the line. So when an opportunity arises for a bigger payout, he takes it...only to come face-to-face with a being whose power outranks anything he's ever seen! With the party leader missing an arm and the only healer a quivering mess, can Jinwoo somehow find them a way out?” [Teen]

In the small Pennsylvania town of White Ash, there isn’t much going on aside from mining...and keeping the fact that there are elves and dwarves living in the town secret, of course! In this pre-launch of Season Two of the ongoing series, a romantic rendezvous for the grieving dwarf Alex and mischievous elf Lillian doesn’t go as planned...with potentially disastrous consequences! Also read a preview of The Game, a new series where your every action affects impacts the score of your life! Plus a sneak-peak at some vampiric troubles in colonial America in Stake! [Teen]

World of Zorro gives readers a peak at the upcoming titles for the legendary masked swashbuckler, both new stories (that range from the familiar to supernatural horror) as well as newly-translated classic tales! [Teen]

For FREE COMIC BOOK DAY, enjoy this special expanded edition of the hit IMAGE series, STRAY DOGS! Stray Dogs is a comic thriller that features art inspired by classic Don Bluth-style animation, telling the story of a group of dogs brought together by a mysterious loner. Rather than behave like four-legged humans, the brilliance of Stray Dogs is that it gets inside the heads of its canine characters, showing the human world from their perspective. Unique, entertaining, and creepy. [Teen]

The undead Vampirella has been around since 1969, and as the celebrations of her 50th anniversary draw to a close, Dynamite presents a reprint of the first issue of their series that kicked-off her modern adventures! [Teen+]

Take an inside look at everyone’s favorite bipedal shark god, King Shark (aka Nanaue)! Suicide Squad’s many-toothed muscle is currently inside Belle Reve prison, but he won’t remain there for long. PLUS: a sneak peak at the just-released Suicide Squad miniseries Get Joker! [Mature]

“After 20 years of antics coming out of Sunnyvale trailer park, the underground TV phenomenon Trailer Park Boys is finally coming to comics! Full of short stories and activity pages, several of comics' finest join to create a series of comic book specials in 2021 and beyond honoring Ricky, Bubbles and Julian and everything fans have come to love about the series.”  [Mature]

Fungirl is a humor comic that is as unpredictable and hilarious as it is observant and smart. Cartoonist Elizabeth Pich’s creation does as much smashing the patriarchy as she does dreaming of delicious donuts and being spit on by llamas. [Mature]

“Tensions between the clans are high, so when Cecily Bain, an enforcer for the Twin Cities' vampiric elite, takes a mysterious new vampire under her wing she finds herself in over her head and dragged into a massive undead conspiracy! Meanwhile, on the outskirts of the city, a rebellious found-family of clan-less vampire cast-outs investigates a vicious killing.” [Mature]

“Preview the forthcoming full color, original Space Pirate Captain Harlock series from ABLAZE, personally overseen by the legendary Leiji Matsumoto!  In this brand-new Captain Harlock adventure, planet Earth is threatened by an upcoming invasion by the Sylvidres and despite being banished as a pirate, Captain Harlock won't give up trying to save the world. Will Captain Harlock and his crew manage to solve this mystery and save the Earth from yet another menace?  Also includes teasers for 3 highly anticipated upcoming manga/manhwa releases from ABLAZE, including The Breaker Vol 1 omnibus (critically acclaimed martial arts manhwa), Versus Fighting Story Vol 1 (Capcom e-sports shonen manga) and Crueler Than Dead Vol 1 (zombie horror seinen manga).” [Mature] 

“An evil so profound it threatens all mankind... the mightiest heroes on the planet uniting to defend us all... a secret crisis of such utter finality that a countdown to civil or infinite war seems unavoidable... but have you ever wondered what really happens during Crossovers? The Seven, Payback, Teenage Kix, Fantastico and every other supe on Earth team up for an annual event like no other... and where the supes go, can a certain "five complications and a dog" be far behind? Vought-American prepare to make their move, in a story that will change the world of the Boys forever: Herogasm #1. The first-ever Boys spin-off mini-series features the pairing of Ennis with Hitman artist John McCrea and covers by Boys artist and co-creator Darick Robertson!” [Mature]

“The most eagerly-anticipated series of 2021 gets the FCBD treatment with this ALL-NEW "bonus" issue of the series! Featuring 33 pages of comics produced exclusively for FCBD, from the creator of Hip Hop Family Tree and X-Men: Grand Design, designed as a perfect entry point for new readers and a must-have for those already on board. Aided by the anonymous dark web and nearly untraceable crypto-currency, there has emerged a subculture of criminals who live-stream and patronize webcam murders for entertainment. Who are the murderers? Who are the victims? Who is the audience? How do we stop it? An outlaw, splatterpunk masterpiece, as seen on Piskor's YouTube channel sensation, Cartoonist Kayfabe!” [Mature]

“An award-winning comic and soon to be Netflix anime series!  When dusk arrives in the city of Manila, that's when you become the most likely prey of the underworld. Kidnappers and thieves will be the least of your worries. Beware the criminals that can't be bound with handcuffs nor harmed with bullets.  Beware the ones that crave your blood, those who hold your heart ransom, and the ones that come to steal your soul. When crime takes a turn for the weird, the police call Alexandra Trese. Featuring a preview from TRESE Vol 2: Unreported Murders, a section on the forthcoming Netflix TRESE anime series launching this summer (including an interview with Director Jay Oliva), bonus pages with w/ background about the monsters of Philippine myth as told by TRESE creators Budjette Tan and Kajo Baldisimo, and a teaser on TRESE Vol 3: Mass Murders, coming this Sept from ABLAZE!” [Mature]

“2000 AD Presents All-Star Judge Dredd is a thrill-powered showcase of the past and shocking present of the iconic lawman of the future! Witness the birth of the world of Judge Dredd in an incendiary preview of upcoming prequel graphic novel Dreadnoughts by Michael Carroll with art by Watchmen's John Higgins. Fan-favourite Judge Hershey travels to the ends of the earth to dispense her own brand of justice in long-anticipated blockbuster spin-off, Hershey: Disease by Rob Williams (Suicide Squad) and Simon Fraser (Doctor Who). Along-side these teases for Fall 2021 epics enjoy a bone-rattling all new stand-alone Dredd caper from elite writer Al Ewing (Immortal Hulk, Marvel's Empyre) and Caspar Wijngaard (Star Wars, Home Sick Pilots)!” [Teen]

“Four titanic tales of pure fun and entertainment for everyone to enjoy! First up. It's no dog and pony show here! Bringing back the iconic puppets from the San Francisco Bay Area "Charlie and Humphrey"!! The modern-day Gumby and Pokey! A true love for al ages featuring a tale by Justin Sane and John Hageman! Next up is "Red Dawn" Written and created by Brandon McKinney, with inks by Bill Anderson and vibrant colors from Ross Hughes!! The government has created the first "controlled" superhero doing the bidding of a shadow operation until things go bad leaving our hero to blame and now on the run. The following story is only exclusive to this FCBD edition. Written by Greg Boucher and illustrated by Victor Moya they bring you "Rock and Roll Biographies: FIGHt" See how a troubled Rob Halford leaves the world biggest heavy metal band to form his own supergroup and take metal back!! Our last preview is written by Mel Smith, illustrated by Frank Cirocco/Alex Sheikman and hand colored by Gerhard! "Becoming Frankenstein" takes down the journey of a troubled Victor Frankenstein as he grieves the loss of his mother while harvesting the body parts of victims to create life again for his monster! Learn the tales of the victims and who they were before they became what becomes Frankenstein's ultimate creation! : This will be the only edition to feature this Rock and Roll Biographies story featuring FIGHT “ [Mature]

Enjoyed your Free Comic Book Day books? Want to read more? Let your friendly neighborhood Comix Connection Counter Monkey know which ones caught your eye, and we’ll be happy to direct you to the next part of the story!

[ryqoshay]

How to Handle a Nico - The No. 1 Masseuse in the Universe

Primary Pairing: NicoMaki Words: ~1.8k Rating: T’ish? Time Frame: Summer break of Maki’s 2nd year of high school and Nico’s 1st year of college. Story Arc: “Beach Reunion” Sunscreen The No. 1 Masseuse in the Universe

Author’s Note: This was originally intended to be about a 100 - 200 word addition to the end of Sunscreen, but I thought I might be able to build a full scene around it. So I did.

I’m also hoping my readers have seen the LL movie by now, as it’s referenced a little bit here.

And here she comes… Nico thought to herself as she spied a certain meddlesome purple haired girl heading in her direction. Ughn… that smug face of hers… Unfortunately, Nico was busy tending the grill as her part of preparing dinner for the group and thus had no means of escaping the teasing she knew was incoming.

“Ne~, Nicocchi~,” Nozomi drawled as she approached “I heard someone was having a bit of fun earlier.” She emphasized the word heard, accompanied by a wholly unnecessarily waggle of her eyebrows.

“Shut up, Nozomi.” Nico grumbled, trying to make it obvious she was focusing on the meat skewers in front of her.

But of course, someone like Nozomi would never just let something like this go. “You and Maki-chan seem to be getting along nicely as of late.” She continued. “I haven’t even heard much of your usual study session bickering. Are you two perhaps making some progress I should know about?”

“No.” Nico dismissed flatly. “And you know the reasons why.”

“I see, well, that’s too bad.” At least that part sounded sincere. “I still think you two would make a cute couple, and you know I’m here to support you however things go.”

“I know.” Nico nodded. “Say, what’s that behind your back?”

“Oh, Elicchi and I just prepared some fruit kebobs” Nozomi revealed the food “with the extra sticks and thought the No. 1 Grill Master in the Universe would be willing to cook them up.”

“Wow, those look amazing.” Nico marveled. “I mean,” she puffed out her chest with pride “of course Nico would be more than happy to reveal more of her mastery of the flame.” She clapped her tongs together a couple times for emphasis.

Nozomi giggled and started to place the kebobs onto the grate.

“Wait, not quite…” Nico snapped up one of the meat skewers and turned it for inspection “well, maybe it’s fine. Uhm, hand me that plate so I can put these on it.”

“Here you go.” The purple-haired girl did as instructed.

“And don’t be stealing any of these before putting them out on the table.” The raven-haired girl warned.

“I wouldn’t dream of it.”

“Uh-huh…”

Once the plate was full, Nozomi turned and began to walk away.

“So that was it?” Nico couldn’t help asking.

“Hmm?” The other girl paused and turned to look back over her shoulder.

“I mean…”

The Cheshire cat grin returned. “Don’t worry, Nicocchi, the cards told me something good will happen very soon.”

“Hrm… Hey! What did I say about taking…” Nico was about to chase after Nozomi when she remembered the freshly loaded fruit kebobs that now needed tending.

“Oh, Mama just messaged me” Maki announced, retrieving her phone as the credits began to roll for the movie the girls had just finished “she says she’s sorry for not remembering earlier, but the staff moved all of the futons to one of our other places for some retreat a friend of hers hosted last week and they haven’t been able to bring them back.”

“So, we can’t all sleep here like the other times?” Honoka asked.

“Well, we could.” The redhead acknowledged. “I’m sure there are enough blankets, but there are four bedrooms we could use if we don’t mind sharing.”

“So kinda like our New York trip?”

“Something like that, though each room only has one bed...”

“That’s fine! Umi-chan and Kotori-chan and I can share one.”

“The biggest guestroom is at the end of the hall.”

“Alright, let’s go to bed!” Honoka cheered, grabbing the arms of her two fellow third-years.

“H-Honoka…” Umi protested verbally, though didn’t appear to offer any appreciable resistance. “You had better not start snacking on chips the moment the lights go out.”

“That was just one time!” The orange-haired girl pouted.

“More like pretty much every time…”

“Don’t worry, Umi-chan,” Kotori chimed in “I’ll be sure to check her bag for any contraband.”

“Kotori-chan!” Honoka whined. “You two are mean.” Though despite her words, she continued to drag her friends up the stairs toward the room she had claimed for them.

“Rin and Kayo-chin are fine with the smallest bedroom.” Rin proclaimed next. “We’re used to sharing a bed these days, nya!” She pulled the other second-year into a one-armed hug.

“Rin-chan…” Hanayo murmured but didn’t disagree.

“Actually, the remaining two guest rooms are the same size.” Maki explained.

“You’re taking the master bedroom, Maki-chan?” Nozomi asked of the host.

“Of course, I thought that much was obvious.”

“Then Elicchi and I will take whichever room Rin-chan and Hanayo-chan don’t use.” She tossed a quick wink to Nico.

“See you all in the morning.” Eli said before yawning and following her girlfriend.

“So, that leaves…” Nico turned to the other remaining occupant of the living room.

“You can stay with me in the master bedroom.” Maki offered quietly. “If that’s alright with you, of course.”

If it’s alright? Nico thought to herself. Of course, it’s alright! This is how I wanted the room arrangements to be in New York!

But instead of giving voice to these thoughts, what came out of Nico’s mouth was “I suppose it can’t be helped. Nico will grace Maki’s bed with her presence tonight.”

“Or you can sleep on the couch.” The younger girl motioned to the mentioned sofa.

Nico giggled before striking a dramatic pose and held out her hand. “Lead the way to the master suite, Maki-ojou-sama.” She teased with the title she had heard used by the Nishikino household staff.

Maki rolled her eyes but took the older girl’s hand anyway as the two headed up the stairs.

“Ne, Nico-chan…”

“Mmm?” Nico looked up from the idol site she was browsing on her phone and took in a pleasing view.

Maki had just exited the bathroom, clad in her favorite purple pajamas with white stars and still drying her hair. She had insisted that since Nico was the guest that the older girl take the first turn in the tub and was now done with her own.

“About that offer of a massage…”

“Oh ho!” Nico couldn’t help feeling a bit giddy. As if sharing a room wasn’t enough to make her believe Nozomi’s prediction, this certainly solidified things. “Maki-chan is anxious to take advantage of the No. 1 Masseuse in the Universe’s skills already?”

“Just realized in the bath that I’m a little sore after everything we did today.” Maki admitted.

“Someone having a bit too much fun?” Nico happily added a sing-song tone to her voice.

“…” Maki puffed out a frustrated breath as she made her way toward the bed.

“Well, Nico is ready to provide the service, even if Maki-chan hasn’t paid for it yet.”

“You know I’m good for it.” Maki lay down on her stomach. “Besides, I’d probably end up helping you anyway, even without this; heck I’ve probably already paid for it several times over.”

“You sure you want to strike an attitude with someone about to give you a massage?”

Maki sighed. “No, you’re right. It’s just that cram school has been really stressful lately…”

“Yeah,” Nico said, getting up off the bed “I figured that when you upped your order from quad to quint.”

“Nico-chan?”

“Just getting you some water. I’ve read studies recently that say drinking before a massage may actually be better than after, as the water is already starting to work through your system when the toxins are released from the massage.”

“Hrm…”

“Trust me. Here.” Nico held out a bottle.

“Alright.” Maki accepted the water and drank a good portion of it before handing the remainder back. “Thank you.”

“You’re welcome.” Nico put the bottle on the nightstand.

“Anyway, this little vacation has honestly been the best break I could ask for…” Maki continued. “And… I’m happy you’re here with me for it.”

“Wouldn’t have it any other way.” Nico couldn’t help smiling at the unexpected, but by no means unappreciated honesty. “Nico always enjoys her time with her favoritest Maki-chan.”

Maki hummed an affirmative response.

“So, how thick are the walls here?”

“Hm?”

“Because…” Nico placed her hands on the other girl’s back. Immediately, she found one of the knots she had noticed earlier that day and pressed into it with her thumb.

“Ughn…” Maki pressed her face into the duvet.

“That’s why.”

“I’ll… be fine…”

“So you say…” Nico chuckled as the redhead was forced to muffle herself again.

As Nico found yet another knot, she wondered how hard she should work it. She had taught herself many advanced techniques over the years to help her mother deal with the stress of working multiple jobs, and nowadays to help a certain roommate deal with tensions stemming from things that made Nico jealous. As such, if she really put her weight into things, she could probably completely alleviate most of the smaller knots, if not a few of the larger ones as well.

However, it was almost time to turn in for the night and the group still had another day of fun planned as well as a long train ride back to Tokyo. She didn’t want to leave Maki too sore because as much as the tsundere’ish girl would deny it if confronted, she would want to participate in tomorrow’s activities. With this in mind, Nico decided to keep things on the lighter, more relaxing side. If Maki enjoyed the massage and its benefits, Nico could offer another one later that would leave the redhead unwilling to leave the couch the next day.

Of course, with that thought, Nico began imagining other things she could do to Maki that would leave her sprawled out on the bed, exhausted. For example, she could…

No. Nico shook her head. Focus. Now is very much not the time for that… We’re not even going out yet! … yet… She sighed with that last thought.

Having been lost in her own mind for so long, Nico suddenly realized that whatever conversation she had been holding with Maki had ceased, likely a while ago.

“Maki-chan?” Nico ventured quietly.

Silence.

Did she fall asleep? Nico smirked to herself before leaning over to confirm her suspicions. Sure enough, Maki’s eyes were closed and her breathing had slowed to a soft and steady rhythm. Good thing I had you drink beforehand. Nico glanced at the mostly empty bottle on the nightstand. Or else you’d really be sore in the morning.

Now Nico faced a dilemma, Should she wake Maki so she could get under the covers or find something else to use and let her sleep? Hrm… Nico eyed the closet door for a moment before getting off the bed to investigate. Thankfully, her suspicious proved correct as she located a small collection of folded blankets. As it was summer, she chose the lightest one and brought it back to the bed.

As Nico spread the blanket over Maki, she noted that it was not the right size for the humongous mattress and as such, it didn’t leave much room for her. She could, of course, just retrieve a second blanket, but… After a moment, Nico shrugged and slid in close to the other girl.

“Good night, Maki-chan.” Nico murmured as she pulled her share of the blanket over herself and closed her eyes.

Author’s Notes Continued in Followup Post

[talesofafangirlwithadvr]

AUGUST PICKS!

And we’re back with another month wrap up! August involved a lot of TV watching (as per usual), but I feel like I watched a lot of things I’ve already talked about before (ex: The 100, Violetta). So it was a little bit harder to feature some new titles. I felt accomplished this month because I finished quite a few series. So, without further ado...let’s do this!

Spoilers!! But you knew that already :) 

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...

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So I know I’ve spoken about some of these shows A LOT recently, but I still had to include them in this wrap up because they were a good amount of the month. (Even if they feel like they were so long ago.) 

CURSED

This book to screen adaptation on Netflix following Nimue (AKA the Lady of the Lake) re-invents the King Arthur myth. It was an entertaining and enjoyable watch that makes me hope there’s a second season. There were certain parts that bothered me and I wish some characters had more time on screen, but as someone who likes King Arthur and fantasy TV I’d recommend it. 3/5 for me. 

For more on my thoughts regarding the show check out my earlier post: **Spoilers** Featuring Cursed

DC’S STARGIRL

A show that I’ve often been documenting my reviews/feelings after watching each episode. (That’s how you can tell IT’S THAT GOOD.) While it was a bit slow in the beginning (mainly because of it having the quality of being on a streaming service-ending on a cliffhanger for you to binge the next episode immediately kind of feel), it picked up and has easily become one of my favorites for the year. (YEAH...I KNOW. I SAID YEAR.) You can check out my page for more specific reactions in my posts, but here are some of the moments that stick out to me the most when I think about season 1.  

I can’t wait for season 2!!

AVATAR THE LAST AIRBENDER

June doesn’t feel like that long ago, but because I started season 1 two months ago (and because of the world of quarantine) it feels like a long time ago. Especially when this show is only 18-20 episodes that are each about 20/25 minutes. For me, I enjoyed season 1, but not as much as seasons 2 and 3. I definitely watched the first season slower because of this. Once the Ba Sing Se plot happened I was very invested. I enjoyed most of Book 2 in the Earth Kingdom before this, but Ba Sing Se was definitely the best. I was so impressed that they put that into a kid show. Then again, there’s so much in this show that is well done and brings up such relevant issues to a younger audience. I loved following Aang, Katara and Sakka and enjoyed Toph’s addition to Team Avatar. Overall I think Uncle Iroh is my favorite character in the show. I loved all the wisdom he had and how he saw the best in Zuko the entire time. Their team up was great and I am so happy he got his tea shop in the end. His escape from prison was amazing. I love a good redemption arc and from the start was excited to see Prince Zuko’s (it’s one of the ‘spoilers’ I knew going in). I think it was really well done and I liked how they showed him struggling with it. The last agni kai between Zuko and Azula was such a beautiful scene and the music score behind it was so chilling. I love how they chose a slow, instrumental song to play in the background. It’s not what I was expecting and it was such an awesome choice. Overall, I really liked the music and have added it to my writing playlist. I’m really glad I decided to watch Avatar the Last Airbender. 

From one binged show starting in June to another....

VIOLETTA SEASON 2

It’s crazy; you don’t think 80 episodes would go by that fast, but they do. Once you hit episode 50, I just zip by the rest in the season. So many of the plots get SO GOOD, you can’t help but watch so many episodes back to back (to back). For season 2, episode 75 was one of my favorites for the whole season. I love how some of the cast actually got to go to Madrid. (Even the intro music changed when they were there.) Diego really grew on me. I loved the added plot of discovering who his dad is! Feels very telenovela. Gregorio’s reaction was priceless-such great acting-and I loved how much it has changed his character so far. I’m excited to see where he is headed for season 3. 

Leonetta forever! The reason they weren’t together was a bit weak, but I get they needed the love triangle. Overall the Leon/Violetta/Diego love triangle was a lot stronger than season 1′s (in my opinion). It felt better developed. I enjoyed a lot of the couples this season. Frederico and Ludi are a pair I didn’t know I wanted till it happened. Olga and Ramallo actually got a kiss!!! I loved hearing Ramallo talk about how Olga is the only woman in his life. So rare to see such emotions from him. Fran and Leon’s friendship was adorable. I loved their moments in Madrid. She was their #1 shipper. I know in the beginning I said there wasn’t a lot of music and performances, but as the season progressed we definitely got a lot of new songs (which I cannot stop singing). I miss my time at the Studio and hope the third season will be streaming on Disney Plus soon. I heard it could be September 18th so fingers crossed!! 

THE INBESTIGATORS

Filling the void that was left by Little Lunch (and produced by the same studio) is the InBESTigators! A show that follows 4 elementary students who live in Australia and solve mysteries. One of the things I really loved about Little Lunch was how serious they made really trivial, kid-like things sound. I have often described it as an Office-like children’s show, where they talk about their problems directly to the camera and give several ‘Jim’ stares and glances to the camera. With the InBESTigators it’s a similar set up where our four sleuths, Ezra, Maudie, Ava and Kyle, relay a mystery they solved directly to us the viewer, while we watch in flashback. All of the mysteries are typical things that could happen in school or home; from overwatering a neighbor’s prize-winning flowers, packages getting stolen, a lost notebook or catching a cheater during a test. All of the kids are entertaining and funny. They each have a different dynamic that brings something to the team. Currently two of the seasons are on Netflix, and there will be a third season (but who knows when it will be filmed-I’m just happy it will eventually happen). 

If you’re looking for a fun/light-hearted watch look no further. You’ll have a good time. 

UNITED WE FALL

This ABC sitcom fits well on the network and like it would be on Friday nights, but has a stronger day in airing thanks to the pandemic. I hadn’t really heard much about the show and then BAM it was advertised. It felt like the network had it in its back pocket. Nevertheless, I am really enjoying it. The actors have a nice dynamic and it is very funny and relatable. I like how it represents a family with two different cultural backgrounds, but doesn’t make that the main focus of the show. Instead it is discussed naturally. Overall, I don’t know how many people know about it, so I wanted to share it as one of my picks for the month and suggest you watch it if you are looking for something both funny and optimistic. 

DOUBLING DOWN WITH THE DERRICOS

I LOVE this family! As TLC is a network with predictable choices in TV shows, one about a family with multiples does not seem shocking. However, this is not your average family with multiples. At the start of the show, Karen and Deon have a total of 11 children (with only two of them being what they called ‘singletons’). They have twins, quints, and another set of twins (that would have been triplets). Her last three pregnancies were multiples and then she becomes pregnant with triplets. AGAIN! This family is considered a miracle because she had no IVF or anything like that for her conceptions. I love watching them because they seem like a great group to be apart of. They are what the epitome of family should be like. There is so much love. I know when my family watches the show we are all so impressed by how well behaved all of the kids are. People with half the amount of kids often have trouble teaching them to behave. I highly suggest giving the Derricos a watch. New episodes are now airing on TLC. 

SOME LAST MINUTE ADDS....

I know Ben Platt’s concert has been available on Netflix for a while now, but I just got the chance to watch it this month. It was SOOO GOOD and I was upset when it was over. It felt so fast! I had already added a lot of his songs to my playlists, and after watching added the last few I had missed. Now I’ve been listening non-stop. I loved how his concert welcomed us so much into his personal life. The added stories in-between songs helped to see why he created that specific one. Watching the concert was a fun time and something you should consider if you are feeling down during quarantine. 

Every Saturday night we try to watch a movie while we eat dinner. It’s become a new tradition since quarantine began and we were unable to go out to eat or to the movies. This week Jojo Rabbit was the pick. Going into the film, I didn’t know much expect, but that it was a comedy and I assumed a satire. What I didn’t expect was how dark of a turn it would take. It’s amazing how a film can have you laughing uncontrollably at the start and then have you crying at the end. This is definitely a film I could see analyzing in a film studies class. There was so much foreshadowing and moments where so much more was going on then what was shown on the surface. I think it did a great job making the viewer think not only about the time in which it was supposed to take place, but also our current world. I know it’s a good movie when it still has me thinking about it days later. I even did some research into it after watching. Definitely can understand the hype about it and will watch it again in the future. 

When I was putting this list together I was just starting to watch Umbrella Academy. I know, I’m late to the party, but with the newest season coming out this summer I knew it was now or never. (I just had to finish some of the other stuff I was watching first.) Currently, I only have 1 episode left in the first season and am really enjoying it. I was pretty good about spoilers going into it, so a lot of it was new to me. I made some theories on who I thought would be the cause of the apocalypse and so far I am right. I am very interested to see how this season ends and get into the next one because I heard that the majority of people liked that one more. I’ll have a more detailed review in my September Picks, I’m sure of it!  

[recentanimenews]

Bookshelf Briefs 5/28/20

Dr. STONE, Vol. 11 | By Riichiro Inagaki and Boichi | Viz Media – Balloons! Yes, Dr. STONE is taking it upon itself to do something it does best, which is show off the gorgeous vistas of this not-really-that-explored future Japan it takes place in. And that means hot air balloons. It also means speedboats! But alas, just because Senku is a scientist does not mean he can cook. So they use some of the last remaining fluid to un-stone a butler-cum-chef-cum-everything, Francois, who is flamboyant and also a lot of fun. There’s actually some really good humor in this volume as well, be it the reporter getting her camera and its undercutting right afterwards, or Senku’s Einstein impersonation. This remains one of the essential Jump titles. – Sean Gaffney

Dungeon Builder: The Demon King’s Labyrinth Is a Modern City!, Vol. 2 | By Rui Tsukiyo and Hideaki Yoshikawa | Seven Seas – After wrapping up the cliffhanger from the first volume (he names his first monster girl, which gives her the power-up (and bust expansion) she needs to win), the cast gets down to the nitty-gritty of what he wants to do: build a city, not a dungeon, which feeds on positive emotions. Of course, there are a few problems. Location, labor costs, the neighboring demon lords, and of course Marcho’s impending death, which she seems to have accepted more than Procel has. This remains sort of mid-tier manga—not interesting enough to stand out, but the pages turn easily, and you could do worse. Also, brilliant pun for the back-cover blurb. – Sean Gaffney

Éclair Blanche: A Girls’ Love Anthology That Resonates in Your Heart | By Various Artists | Yen Press – The second of the Éclair anthologies to come out over here, this one seems to focus more attention on love that is already in bloom when the story begins than love that we see the start of. There’s a nice mix of funny, heartwarming, sad, and generally melancholic. Some highlights are “Azalea Corner,” about a minion’s crush on the arrogant ojou she follows; “The Unemployed Woman and the High School Girl,” which should be awful but is by Canno so is cute instead; and “That Summer Won’t Come Again,” about a girl trapped in her sister’s past who bonds with a senpai and learns to swim again. There’s good and not-so-good here, but overall well worth buying. – Sean Gaffney

Éclair Blanche: A Girls’ Love Anthology That Resonates in Your Heart | By Various Artists | Yen Press – This is the second Éclair anthology, but aside from two continuations, all the stories here are new. The quality varies, and it seems the better stories are in the front. The first story, Fly’s “Flowers in a Storm,” sets the tone for bittersweet, ambiguous endings with the tale of a first kiss that comes too late. There are also several stories about unrequited love for a friend who loves someone else, be it another girl, an idol, or a guy. Kabocha’s “Though Summer Won’t Come Again” is a standout, about a girl who assumes the senpai she’s developed feelings for prefers her older sister, as everyone else seems to. Unfortunately, I found the stories toward the end of the volume to be less enjoyable, particularly the final one, which includes the most awkward teacher-student embrace I have ever seen. Still, I will read the next installment when it comes out! – Michelle Smith

I Didn’t Mean to Fall in Love | By Minta Suzumaru | Futekiya (digital only) – Yoshino Kiritani is a beautiful 30-year-old salaryman who happens to be both gay and a virgin. With no relationship prospects on the horizon and wanting to finally have sex, he goes to a gay bar, meets a charismatic college student named Rou, and sleeps with him. The back-and-forth that follows between these two guys is so well done. Rou is a notorious playboy with a hot-and-cold routine he has employed many times to manipulate his conquests into falling for him and confessing their feelings. He tries this on Yoshino, even though he’s actually serious about him, but it doesn’t work. Self-effacing Yoshino genuinely thinks Rou wants nothing more to do with him, forcing Rou to face the seriously scary prospect of rejection by declaring his feelings first. There are a few explicit scenes, but they serve the characters and story well. Highly recommended! – Michelle Smith

Love Me, Love Me Not, Vol. 2 | By Io Sakisaka | Viz Media – First of all, a word of advice to the author: don’t sink people’s ships in your author’s notes, OK? Secondly, this continues to have the strengths of Io Sakisaka titles—it gets teenage love in a good way, has characters who are likeable but clearly flawed, shows gradual character growth, and has clean, easy-to-follow art. She’s still trying to balance out the idealistic girl with the realistic girl, though it may be leaning towards the former. Sadly, it also contains what’s always been one of this author’s big weaknesses to me—I like her series but never love them. Each volume is fun to read and I’d call it good, but it’s never going to be tops in my favorite shoujo manga lists. It’s not life-changing the way a Yona of the Dawn is. – Sean Gaffney

Ping Pong, Vol. 1 | By Taiyo Matsumoto | Viz Media – Ever since Matsumoto was a guest at TCAF in 2013 and spoke in depth about the series, its development, and how it fit into his overall career, I’ve been desperately wanting to read Ping Pong in English. When the excellent anime adaptation came and went soon after and the original manga still hadn’t been licensed, I didn’t expect that we’d ever see it translated. But it is actually here! The first of two beautifully designed omnibus volumes. And I am absolutely in love with Matsumoto’s Ping Pong. Ostensibly a high school sports manga, Ping Pong spends very little time explaining the ins and outs of the game even though table tennis is essentially omnipresent; instead, the series devotes its attention almost entirely to the characters themselves. With strong psychological elements, in part the work’s themes explore talent, motivation, and self-determination, all supported by Matsumoto’s distinctive and spectacularly dynamic and expressive artwork. – Ash Brown

Prince Freya, Vol. 1 | By Keiko Ishihara | VIZ Media – The land of Tyr is threatened by Sigurd, the empire to the north. Our “wimpy and weak” heroine, Freya, happens to be the spitting image of Prince Edvard, who’s just been poisoned by Sigurd, and so takes on the role of impersonating him to protect her country. Alas, Freya’s performance as Edvard (and characterization in general) is inconsistent and in a way that doesn’t seem intentional on the mangaka’s part. Sometimes she boldly and capably takes action, sometimes she just cries. In my notes I wrote, “This ain’t no Basara,” prompted by a panel in which Freya is making an extremely insipid face because of something sappy her love interest has just said, but then something super dramatic and unexpected occurs and… well, now I’m cautiously on board. It may turn out to be fluffier than I would like, but I will at least give it a couple more volumes. – Michelle Smith

The Quintessential Quintuplets, Vol. 9 | By Negi Haruba | Kodansha Comics – There’s less swapping in this one, but the one time there is a swap it blows the reader out of the water. I suspect Ichika’s popularity took a nosedive after this volume, as her ideal of “all’s fair in love and war” is taken to a somewhat cruel conclusion. She’s not even the thirstiest of the quints, as both Nino and Miku are trying to make their feelings for Futaro as clear to him as possible. Meanwhile, Yotsuba is trying the opposite tactic, saying that she’ll support whichever sister that isn’t her he picks, showing off a core of self-deprecation that we’ve seen before, but never to this level. And then there’s Itsuki, who seems to have forgotten she was supposed to be first girl. Great harem antics. – Sean Gaffney

Sacrificial Princess and the King of Beasts, Vol. 9 | By Yu Tomofuji | Yen Press – I missed reviewing the eighth volume of this, for some reason; I’m not sure why. It continues to be quietly sweet, with a heroine who perhaps leans a little too much towards “can save everyone by the sheer power of being really nice.” That said, nice can only go so far, and when she discovers a country that’s being blackmailed into slavery, nice becomes determined and fierce. There’s also some tortured romance at the start—the king’s chief bodyguard and the princess’s attendant clearly are headed towards each other, but there are a few steps back here before we can move forward once more. I admit that I’d likely enjoy this more without its central conceit of animal people, but oh well. – Sean Gaffney

Snow White with the Red Hair, Vol. 7 | By Sorata Akiduki | Viz Media – I admit I was a bit more surprised than Shirayuki was at the identity of the leader of the Lions of the Mountain. That said, it does remind us that Shirayuki is another one of those great “shoujo heroines who underreacts to everything,” which can be quite amusing when done right. That said, this volume is when the series transitioned from the quarterly DX to the main LaLa magazine, and as such much of the middle part is taken up with introducing new readers to the main cast and the situation. This includes an amusing “personality reversal” chapter where Mitsuhide starts acting like a chivalrous knight. the book ends with the implication that their love is going public. How will that go? Great shoujo. – Sean Gaffney

Wandering Witch: The Journey of Elaina, Vol. 1 | By Jougi Shiraishi, Itsuki Nanao, and Azure | Square Enix – This is a manga adaptation of the first fourth or so of the light novel, and it’s a very good adaptation. I will admit that Elaina is a lot more expressive than I was expecting… her delivery in the novels is somewhat cool… but it makes sense given the manga’s visual medium, and she’s cute. This volume shows off what we’re going to get from now on: some cute fluffy stories, some melancholic stories with deaths, some stories of Elaina having to extricate herself from a situation, and some backstory showing how she came to be wandering. The final story was one of my favorites in the book, and it’s the best one here too. A nice adaptation. – Sean Gaffney

By: Ash Brown

[bookaddict24-7]

FIRST CHAPTER CHALLENGE!

This week’s picks had a lot more success than the previous weeks. Not all books were unhauled, and I finished and loved one of the three. I’m a little worried because I’ve started to wane on this challenge and I want to keep going. So, I’m pushing myself through! If you’re doing this challenge too and you’re finding that you’re experiencing the same thing, either take a brief break, or go through your shelves and decide if there are any titles you want to unhaul without even reading the first chapter. 

A gentle reminder: Just because I’ve unhauled the books in this post and in future posts, it doesn’t mean that they’re books not worth reading. They’re just not right for me. This is more of an incentive for me to free up space and give these books better homes than my basement.

Read my original post and how I’m going about this challenge here.

Have any of you practiced this challenge this past week?

Places No One Knows by Brenna Yovanoff

Decision: Currently Reading!

I’m really enjoying this one so far. The writing has me curious and the main character’s personality is both kind of intriguing and creepy. The story is told in two different perspectives, making this even more interesting to me (I love multiple perspectives). 

Synopsis: 

“Waverly Camdenmar spends her nights running until she can’t even think. Then the sun comes up, life goes on, and Waverly goes back to her perfectly hateful best friend, her perfectly dull classes, and the tiny, nagging suspicion that there’s more to life than student council and GPAs.

Marshall Holt is a loser. He drinks on school nights and gets stoned in the park. He is at risk of not graduating, he does not care, he is no one. He is not even close to being in Waverly’s world.

But then one night Waverly falls asleep and dreams herself into Marshall’s bedroom—and when the sun comes up, nothing in her life can ever be the same. In Waverly’s dreams, the rules have changed. But in her days, she’ll have to decide if it’s worth losing everything for a boy who barely exists.”

The Ruinous Sweep by Tim Wynne-Jones 

Decision: Unhauled

I will admit that by halfway through the first chapter I was already disinterested. The synopsis shows a lot of promise, it just didn’t grip me. I think this might also be a strong case of a type of story not meant for me. 

Synopsis: 

“A rainy night. An empty highway. And no memory. From award-winning author Tim Wynne-Jones comes a riveting murder mystery that will keep readers enthralled until the last page.

On the night Donovan Turner is thrown out of a car on a highway in the middle of nowhere, he can barely remember his own name, let alone the past twenty-four hours. Where is he? Where is his girlfriend, Bee? In an attempt to flag down the next passing car, he startles the driver, causing a fatal accident. 

With sirens in the distance and the lingering feeling that he’s running from something — or someone — Donovan grabs the dead driver’s briefcase and flees. Meanwhile, Bee is fighting for Dono’s life every bit as much as he is. But when the police show up and hint that he is the prime suspect in a murder, Bee is determined to put together the pieces of what happened and clear his name.”

The Last Kids on Earth by Max Brallier & Douglas Holgate 

Decision: Read & Loved!

I thought this would be a fun, but silly read and I wasn’t wrong. This was probably one of the most fun books I’ve read in the last few months. I’d strongly recommend this book for any reader looking for a quirky main character and hilarious illustrations. 

Synopsis: 

“Ever since the monster apocalypse hit town, average thirteen year old Jack Sullivan has been living in his tree house, which he's armed to the teeth with catapults and a moat, not to mention video games and an endless supply of Oreos and Mountain Dew scavenged from abandoned stores. 

But Jack alone is no match for the hoards of Zombies and Winged Wretches and Vine Thingies, and especially not for the eerily intelligent monster known only as Blarg. So Jack builds a team: his dorky best friend, Quint; the reformed middle school bully, Dirk; Jack's loyal pet monster, Rover; and Jack's crush, June. With their help, Jack is going to slay Blarg, achieve the ultimate Feat of Apocalyptic Success, and be average no longer! 

Can he do it?”

Have you read any of these three books? What were your experiences with them?

I’ll be back next week with another three picks!

Happy reading!

[stardustpug]

Title: Learning to Love the Cold Chapter Title: Crossovers Chapter: 11/? Fandom: snk/aot Pairing: jeanmarco Summary: In this part, we spend quite a bit of time following Armin around, and some time peeking into Jean's life while he cheers his boyfriend on from across an ocean. AO3 | FF.Net

At 4:00 AM, Jean wakes up to his phone buzzing with notifications. He wipes his eyes, trying to clear the blur of sleep to see who was blowing up his phone and why. He had about fifteen snaps from Marco, with more coming in every few seconds. He stares at his phone as it continues to buzz in his hand, trying to decide why the fuck Marco would be sending so many messages this early in the morning.

Suddenly, everything connects in his tired brain and he realizes that Marco is seven hours ahead of him and in Russia. For the Olympics. He’s scrambling to unlock and open his phone because it’s the coolest thing that’s ever happened to him, and he’s not even there. He quints through the brightness and opens the snaps, letting them all play through. A picture of Marco on the plane, a video of the airport, a video of the city, and then a continuous stream of pictures and videos from the Olympic Village. Jean feels a little odd seeing the insides of the village. He had always wondered what the inside looked like, and now he was finally seeing it. Of course, he supposed the inside of each Olympic Village looked different, but still. The experience would probably be the same, being an outsider and all.

After Marco’s snaps finish, he checks out what everyone else has been posting. Mostly the same things, showing the village in all its glory and all of Jean’s friends posing in various areas. He guesses he feels a little jealous, since that’s a feeling he’ll never have. But at the same time, most people will never stay in an Olympic Village, so he shouldn’t too feel left out.

Throughout his friends stories, he sees multiple candids of Marco walking or smiling and laughing with friends. He resists screenshotting them. After all, he doesn’t want to be that boyfriend. Or, he does, but he doesn’t want anyone else to know.

Glancing at the time, it’s now 4:15 and he groans. There’s no way he could sleep now, but he really needed more sleep before he had to wake up for school. He sends a blurry snap to Marco with a thumbs up and plops his phone down on his bedside table, rolling over with a grunt. Slowly, he takes in a deep breath and lets it out, feeling relieved that he can breathe right now. He would’ve noticed it earlier if he couldn’t, but the thought hadn’t entered his mind until now. He manages to drift back to sleep pretty easily.

Armin wakes up to over a hundred notifications on his phone, the main one being that school has been delayed due to heavy snowfall. He had sort of been hoping that wouldn’t happen; he really needed a distraction from the flow of snaps and messages he had waiting him. He should be there. But he’s not. He swings his legs over the side of his bed, reaching forward to turn on his lamp. His skates are placed on the other side of the room, untouched from the last time he wore them in Boston. With a sigh, he stands up and stretches, wondering what he should do with his two hours.

A thought hits him as his phone lights up with another message from Eren. The ice will be empty today, everyone is literally in another country. He was told he would never be able to walk again, but he walks fine. What if, this one time, he tried to skate again? If it didn’t work, he could head straight home and deal with the consequences later. He desperately missed the feeling of the ice beneath his feet, gliding along with the wind cooling him off from his program. He walks across his room, picking up his skates with a newfound determination. He slowly cracks his bedroom door open, checking for any light. If his grandpa was awake, there’s no way he would be able to pull this off.

Lucky for him, his plan had worked perfectly. Grandpa was still asleep when he snuck out of the house, and the rink was, as he planned, empty. Now was the hard part. He sat in clubroom for the first time in what felt like forever, staring at his skates sitting on the floor. Did he even remember how to skate? Would he still be able to jump, or would he crash and fall?

He leans down and pulls on one boot very carefully, his fingers shaking slightly as he laces them. He could blame it on the cold all he wanted, but realistically he was nervous and scared. If he couldn’t do this, then it really would be over. This spark of hope could have been for nothing, and he didn’t know if he could handle losing skating twice in his life.

He sits there for five minutes after tying his skates, contemplating what he’s about to do. This has to work, he thinks as he stands and walks out of the clubroom, down the winding hallway, and out to the rink. He opens the door and a blast of cool air hits him and he feels so alive. He swallows down the excitement building up in his throat and chest, telling himself that this may not work and it’s really only a last ditch effort at feeling okay. He pulls of his guards and tries not to think of this as the moment of truth. It is though. If he can still skate, everything will change for the better. If not, he’ll continue to watch his friends do what they all love with him on the sidelines. Can he do that for the rest of his life?

Carefully, he steps onto the ice, his toe picks digging in for a moment before he lets the entire blade settle. Then he pushes off with his other toe pick and it’s happening. For the first time in years, Armin is gliding across the ice, guards in hand. It’s like old times. The ice may be empty, but it’s like old times.

He reaches the boards and sets his guards down, and then checks to see if the radio is in the music box. It is, but he would rather hear the ice crunch under his feet for now. He starts off with simple stroking. After all, it had been so long he didn’t want to push it. He wanted to take the moment in, and hold close to it for as long as he could, in case all he could do was stroke.

Crossovers came naturally to him and he reaches the short boards, and instinctively he turns backwards and falls into his normal warm up routine. Alternating backwards crossovers, forwards and backwards power pulls, and so on. He comes to a stop beside his things, breathing heavily. A smile crosses his face because he can still do moves, at the very least. Glancing at his phone, it lights up once more, this time a snap from Sasha. He starts to reach for his phone, but decides against it. He wants to see what else he can still do before he replies to everyone.

He skates to the middle of the rink, and pushed himself into a spin. It feels odd, like all of his blood is rushing to one side of his body, but he still managed to do it pretty well after all this time. He looks down at the markings left over and he didn’t travel too far, so he guesses he should be pretty proud. His eyes trace their way around the rink and he realizes the only thing he has left to try are jumps. He definitely can’t do doubles anymore, and really he should start with a waltz jump to keep things easy, but he wants to try something else, something harder.

He settles on a flip. Not too hard, but harder than what he should be going for. He loops around the rink to gain speed and decides flinging himself into it is really the only way to do it after so long. He turns, his toe pick digging into and crunching the ice beneath him, pulling himself up and over his leg. And then, it happens. He’s in the air.

If you has asked the Armin Arlert of three years ago what it felt like to jump, he probably wouldn’t have had much of answer. If anything, he hardly noticed it all because he did it all the time. It was normal to fly through the air on a daily basis. But now? Not so much. It was different. Similar to the feeling of landing his first double, but still. It was better. He could feel how his entire body was positioned, the crisp air against his skin, the weightlessness.

His landing is a little scratchy, a little too forward on his toe pick. But he landed it. He comes to a stop and stares at the ice, not knowing how to respond. There’s no one around the celebrate with. He glides back to his phone, finally deciding to watch all of the snaps that he’s been ignoring. Draped across the boards, he opens Sasha’s first. The snaps are about what he thought - everyone showing off where they were and what they were doing. He didn’t mind now though, it suddenly didn’t hurt as much. He wishes he could be there, that he could’ve been training this whole time with everyone, but he also didn’t want anything to take away this magical moment of falling in love with skating again.

He checks messages both from Eren and Mikasa, who are keeping him the most updated of the bunch. He can tell through their messages how apologetic they are that he’s not there. He debates if he should post a picture of his skates on his story, or maybe a video of him doing something. He sets his phone carefully against the glass portion of the boards and begins recording. He settles for a camel spin, deciding it was probably the easiest thing for him right now that still looked somewhat impressive (if he could still do it).

As he steps into the spin, he goes through each step mentally: stepping with his knee slightly bent, hunched over, whipping his arms around as if he’s clearing a table, snapping his knee, and pushing his other leg into the air. When he comes out of the spin, he feels satisfaction flowing through his whole body. He couldn’t believe that he was actually out on the ice, doing what he loved after being told he never could again.

He posts the snap to his story and realizes that he’s going to be late for school if he doesn’t leave now. He quickly checks that school hasn’t been canceled and sighs as he skates towards the door. He didn’t want to go already, not after knowing that he’s still capable. But he supposes there’ll be another time that he can come and work on getting back what he’s lost. His phone buzzes with a notification that Eren is typing on snapchat, and then a message notification pops up. He slides his phone open and taps on the message.

Eren: yooooo what the fuck how

Armin can’t help but smile. Such a typical Eren response.

Armin: :-)

Eren: why the fuck would you use a nose

Armin: I thought you were shocked about my skating?

Eren: no we gotta talk about this nsoe bullshit first

Eren: *nose

Jean grabs a gallon of milk from the fridge and starts to chug when his mother comes out of nowhere and whacks him over the head with a rolled up newspaper.

“Ow! Hey!”

“What do you think you’re doing?”

“...Nourishing myself.”

She sighs and sets the newspaper down, learning against the counter. “You know school was delayed?”

“Really? Fuck, I could’ve slept in.”

“Jean!” his mother gasps, “Language!”

“Shi- sorry mom,” he says sheepishly, grinning at her.

After glowering at him for a minute, she offers to make him breakfast. He says yes and sits at the counter, idly chatting with her as she cracks the eggs on the side of the pan. “Scrambled?” she asks, heading for the fridge. He nods and she pulls out a few slabs of American cheese and milk, setting them beside the stove top. “How are you feeling?”

“Good,” he says, “I can breathe still, so. I assume the new medications is doing what it should be.”

She nods again, this time to herself, before saying, “I’m glad. I was so worried when the doctor decided to switch you over. That is your main medication, after all.” She pauses, glancing over her shoulder at him, “Tell me right away if you start to have any trouble breathing.”

“Mom, you know I will.”

“I know, but I worry,” she says, adding some milk and the slices of cheese to the eggs and stirring. “The last time you switched was hard for all of us.”

“I know it was.”

She plates the eggs and set them in front of him. “Milk?”

“Yeah?”

She pours a glass and slides it over to him, then begins working on cleaning up the kitchen.

At 1:00 PM, Jean begins to impatiently twist in his seat, glancing at his phone. He couldn’t stand paying attention in class anymore. Opening ceremonies were starting and his boyfriend was literally in it. How could he miss his boyfriend on international TV? He guesses that America will be pretty far back in line, starting with a U and all, and the performances should add some time as well. But still, he would’ve liked to watch the whole thing live.

Time slowly ticks by as he fidgets in his seat, ignoring whatever his teacher had to say. When the final bell rings, he’s the first one out of his seat and rushing through the door. He quickly piles away his things in his locker and goes over the few homework items he actually has to worry about and slams them in his backpack. And with that, he’s headed for the backdoor of the school, towards student parking.

By the time Jean flipped on the TV and found the channel, Serbia was headed around the Olympic stadium. After a few minutes he realizes he was lucky with his timing, because they announce the USA. The crowd of red, white, and blue begins their walk, and he wonders if he’ll even see Marco or any of his friends considering the amount of athletes the USA has.

But then he sees them - right there, in their own portion of the group, phones out, smiling and laughing with each other. He leans forward on the couch, fingers gripping the edges tightly. He felt some kind of rush as he watched Marco flash a smile directly at the camera, and then they were gone. His phone buzzes beside him.

Snapchat from Marco.

He swipes his phone open, feeling weirdly light. Could he now breathe again? Or was this something else?

First, a selfie from Marco backstage. Jean decides he doesn’t care and screenshots it. Then, a video from inside the arena. It shows the crowd and how large it really is, and Jean can’t help but wonder what it would feel like to walk through with his best friends and teammates, knowing that you’re the best of the best.

He decides the feeling must be some kind of sadness because he knows he’ll never do something like that.

Jean wakes up early the following day to catch Eren and Mikasa’s short program in the morning. He thinks they did pretty well, but he guesses he doesn’t know enough about skating to really judge. By the end, they’re placed in second, so he decided he must know something.

During their event, he receives multiple snaps from Marco. Marco and the rest of the skaters are shown a few times, sitting in the crowd, along with Eren and Mikasa’s parents.

The afternoon brings the ladies short, leaving Sasha in first and Mina in third.

The rest of Saturday passes agonizingly slow, with nothing but homework to be done. Jean can’t bring himself to look at it, but he knows he should get it done before tomorrow. Tomorrow afternoon is the men’s short, and he absolutely cannot miss that.  

[topbeautifulwomens]

#Riyo #Mori #Biography #Photos #Wallpapers #blackandwhite #challenge #colors dress #holiday #igers #jewellery #modelswanted #skincareroutine #theferragnis

The Miss Universe of 2007 Riyo Mori, born on 2fourth December, 1986 at Aoi-ku, Shizuoka in Japan is a dance instructor by profession

As an ardent dance enthusiast Riyo started learning dance from an early age of 4, the 1st institution she enrolled to learn dance was Quinte Ballet School of Canada. At Quinte ballet School Riyo started learning and perfecting her Ballet skills, before moving to Belleville based Centennial Secondary School where she completed her secondary school education. After graduating from Centennial Secondary School Riyo Mori enrolled to Victoria based Mount Douglas Secondary School and completed her grade 11. With due gratitude toward the art of dancing Riyo Mori still retains her first ballet shoes.

Riyo Mori was crowned Miss Universe on 28th May 2007, by the former Miss Universe of 2006 Zuleyka Rivera of Puerto Rico. As the reexistingative of Japan in the Miss Universe 2007 pageant, Riyo traveled to Mexico City in May to take part in 4 weeks of rehearsals, promotional events and preliminary competitions along with 77 other delegates representing nations worldwide.

In final competition for the miss universe crown, Riyo was asked to move forward to compete with 15 other semi-finalists. Mori scored highest in the swimsuit contest which hurled her in top 10. Mori was placed fourth in the evening gown contest. Her kimono-inspired floral black gown came from spring 2007 collection of Italian label Gucci.

In the Ultimate round of the competition, Riyo was asked by Nina Garcia, Elleâ€s fashion director, to tell about one lesson of childhood that still affects her present working day life. In response to this Riyo said that she has been dancing considering that her childhood and hence she was surrounded by teachers and students constantly. Due to their interactions, She has learned to be patient, happy and positive in all aspects of her life.

Mori was bestowed the title of Miss Universe by the organizers based on the scores given to her by the honorable judges. With her victory in the Miss Universe pageant 2007 Riyo Mori became the second woman of Japan to hold the coveted title. The first Miss Universe of Japan was Akiko Kojima who received this title in 1959. Mori is the 11th Asian woman to win the Miss Universe pageant and the most recent one after Lara Dutta of India who won the Miss Universe title in 2000.

Riyo is the 3rd Japanese woman to get into top 5 at the Miss Universe competition in the past 5 years. Miyako Miyazaki was the 4th runner-up at Miss Universe 2003, and Riyo’s predecessor Kurara Chibana was the first runner-up in 2006. Riyo has aimed to use her grand success & popularity for humanitarian brings about.

After receiving the honour, Riyo traveled to Spain, Indonesia, the Bahamas, China, Mexico, St. Kitts and Nevis, Canada, Germany, France, Russia, Vietnam, and Italy in addition to her a lot of trips to her hometown Japan.Mori has crowned Miss Universe 2008 to Venezuelian Dayana Mendoza with a 120,000 U.S. dollars tiara on July 14th, 2008 in Nha Trang, Vietnam.

Riyo currently acts in Donald Trump’s clean MTV reality show Pageant Place along with Miss USA 2007 Rachel Smith, former Miss Teen USA 2006 Katie Blair and Miss Teen USA 2007 Hilary Cruz. This show started on 10th October, 2007.

Mori proven her future plans to establish a multi-cultural dance school in Tokyo. Mori has also expressed her interest in the role of Yaeko on the television series Heroes.

I was born December 24, 1986 in Aoi-ku, Shizuoka, Japan) I’m a Japanese dance instructor who won the Miss Universe 2007 title in May 2007. I began dancing at the age of 4. I studied at Quinte Ballet School of Canada and also is a graduate of Centennial Secondary School in Belleville, Ontario, Canada. I’m still in posession of mt first ballet shoes. I was crowned Miss Universe Japan on 15 March 2007 and I was crowned by outgoing titleholder Kurara Chibana. As Japan’s representative in the Miss Universe 2007 pageant, Mori I travelled to Mexico City, Mexico in early May to participate in four weeks of events, rehearsals and preliminary competitions with the other seventy-seven delegates. In the final competition, broadcast internationally on May 28, 2007, I was announced as one of fifteen semi-finalists who would move forward to compete for the title. I achieved the highest score in the swimsuit competition, which advanced me to the top ten and the evening gown competition, in which I placed fourth. In the last round, I was asked by ELLE Magazine fashion director and Project Runway judge, Nina Garcia, to speak about something she learned in past but benefited from also in youth. I said that since childhood I was dancing and hence I am always surrounded by students. Due to interactions with them, I have become happy, positive and patient. I was crowned Miss Universe 2007 by outgoing titleholder Zuleyka Rivera of Puerto Rico at the conclusion of the competition, so I was crowned Miss Universe, becoming the second woman from Japan to hold the title. The first Miss Universe winner from Japan was Akiko Kojima in 1959. I am the ninth Asian woman to win the pageant, the most recent being Lara Dutta of India who was Miss Universe 2000. I was the third Japanese woman to place in the top five at Miss Universe in the past five years. Miyako Miyazaki placed fourth runner-up at Miss Universe 2003, and Mori’s predecessor Kurara Chibana was first runner-up in 2006.

Name Riyo Mori Height 5'8 Naionality Japanese Date of Birth December 24, 1986 Place of Birth Shizuoka, Japan Famous for

The post Riyo Mori Biography Photos Wallpapers appeared first on Beautiful Women.

source http://topbeautifulwomen.com/riyo-mori-biography-photos-wallpapers/

[bigfootmoviereviews-blog]

The Shadow of Bigfoot 2013

Well this is different, a British made Bigfoot movie. Will that be a good thing or a bad thing? (Hint, it’s not a good thing). I am all for new perspectives and such on Bigfoot, but it is a little tricky when you have an ocean between you and the proper filming locations for your subject matter. It does make me question though why on earth would you just pretend the UK is the US? The whole prospect of the main character going broke, ruining his career and such would make even more sense when you add in the cost of trans-atlantic flights. It would greatly aid the suspension of disbelief as well, ‘cause his “expeditions” appear to be just regular camping trips. And I don’t see ‘em even paying for the campsite. Like Howls, the only real point in the favor of this trainwreck is that it is not found footage so it actually has a plot of sorts. That isn’t nearly enough to save it. All we ever see of Bigfoot is a shadow, so the title is accurate, but the idea that this is based on true events is utter shit. Unless it is based on the idea that three guys went into the woods, one of em was a total jerk, one was kind of a jerk and one was named Robin.

The Plot:

Jon Morgan is a professor at Fake University That Is Totally Not In the UK, and he gets fired because he keeps talking about bigfoot instead of doing his job. Deciding that he needs to go and actually find bigfoot this time instead of just failing again, he recruits some friends and gets his “guns” for one last expedition. The trio glimpses something, but Jon isn’t just after proof, he wants a corpse. Or at least enough of one to prove he’s right. So he take a shot at it with his BB gun, I mean, rifle, and wounds it. The three of them then go after the corpse, then get chased around by the unseen Bigfeet that respond. Robin gets got, Carl gets a broken leg and Jon has goes full out Quint. Instead of trying to leave he drags Carl around in circles, then eventually kills one and cuts it’s head off. Head bag in hand they finally try to leave, Carl lets Jon die, then he trys to run off with the head and gets killed himself.

My Thoughts:

What accent is this? British fake southern? Why would you do that? It hurts. Why not just have it be an English expedition to NC?

“True Events” huh?

That's a terrible fake recording screen

That is an awful fake footprint

Why is the lecture only attended by 4 people?

Why is this lecture being given in the middle of an office building? Surely a high school or local college would have let you film that one shot

Take a shot, someone said dermal ridges.

This is a very English Pub to be in North Carolina.

Hmm, comments on fake face photographs, I think I know who he is supposedly based on. That must be the “true events”

Is this his wife? Why is she so shocked to see him? Does she not know he was fired? Did she kick him out?

That is not proper firearm storage

That's also not how you carry a firearm when you want to use it. Take the blanket off.

How did Robin, who was farthest away, get to Carl and the prints first? Morgan was directly in between them?

What's with this movie and things being 30 feet away? That's practically nothing.

Oh look, he took the blanket off the rifle

Is that a pellet gun? Could you not find a prop gun or an old shotgun you could borrow? At least now I know why they kept it wrapped up. At best that would be a 22.

Great, it’s wounded, now let's split up and wander around. There's nothing safer than a wounded animal.

Ha! I love the comedic timing.

Carl is the smart one

Are those CGI stones?

Why didn't he pick up his “rifle”

Is that the same real stone?

I rewound to check, that was the same stone. Why would you do that? You can literally find them lying on the ground for free.

The idea of isolation doesn’t work when you can see buildings in the distance. And if your actors are standing in a clearly man made path

Brave sir Robin ran away away.

And now he’s dead.

Things ain't looking good for Carl either.

Carefully strewn litter is carefully strewn.

Oh look, a “rifle” didn't stop one, but now he has a pistol. I bet those Bigfoot are screwed now.

Oh no, Morgan has gone full Quint, doubling down on killing one instead of calling for help.

I'm guessing Morgan is planning on using Carl as bait at this point.

Potato head Lied about the phone, and now he's lecturing Carl about taking Bigfoot seriously.

“We're being hunted and need to stay quiet. Let's have a shouting match,” Intelligent Well Written Characters.

Carl asked Potato Head how he knows what the Bigfeet are going to do. Potato Head angrilly replies that he's knows because he has studied them for 25 years. That would have been the perfect time for Carl to point out that he was wrong about them being solitary

Oh that was a dick move with the flask potato head. but on the other hand, you're not supposed to take alcohol and painkillers at the same time. That's how Heroin Bob died in SLC Punk

Take a shot, they mentioned the smell. Wasn't Carl supposed to have done this before? Shouldn't he know some of this stuff?

Uh oh, it's getting sexy, Potato Head tool off his jacket.

Wait, no. he kept his shirt on.

Carl's about to find the phone

He found the phone

Carl isn't going to live through this, is he?

Why confront the deranged man with the gun when you can't walk? Just make the call

Or grab the gun and then make the call

Annnnnd now he dropped the phone

They're really upset about the body they left lying around being mutilated.

Well now at least he grabbed the gun.

And he shot potato head and left him for dead, because that way the Bigfeet will let him leave.

Carl is clearly an optimist. Stupid, but an optimist

Potato head, you do not have the right to call Carl names.

And shadowy comeuppance has arrived.

And even dying he insults Carl.

Uh oh, Carl, who is injured and knows that the Bigfeet don't want anyone taking the head, is trying to take the head, proving that he is no better than Potato Head.

Makes you wonder why they didn't take the head when they had the chance.

And now Carl gets killed too.

It really doesn't make sense in why they ripped up Robin, but just tore the head off Morgan.

This is aptly named “The Shadow of Bigfoot” because that's all we ever see of it.

Well there's a company called USA Cop Cars Ltd over in the UK. That explains the shot of the cop car on Potato Heads way to the pub.

According to the credits, this has elements based on true events, but these characters are all fictitious. Well that's good to know, otherwise we would have had zombies coming back to recount their story of being killed by Bigfoot.

[recentanimenews]

Bookshelf Briefs 7/21/20

Glaeolia, Vol. 1 | Edited by Emuh Ruh and zhuchka | Glacier Bay Books – One of the newest and smallest publishers of manga in English translation is Glacier Bay Books. Glaeolia isn’t its first project, but the planned series is its most ambitious so far. As stated in the introduction, “this publication originates from a desire specifically to shine a light on the small press and indie manga scenes and the literary power that resides there.” The first volume succeeds magnificently in doing this by presenting twelve short manga with a wondrous range of artistic styles and expressive narrative techniques. It’s a fascinating, engaging, and arresting collection in which many of the creators are making their English-language debut. For anyone interested in contemporary independent and alternative manga, this series and Glacier Bay Books’ other publications are well-worth seeking out. As for me, I am eagerly anticipating the next installment of Glaeolia, whenever it may be released; the first volume was remarkable. – Ash Brown

A Man and His Cat, Vol. 2 | By Umi Sakurai | Square Enix – “All the feels” may be the most overused phrase in the English language right now, but I can’t think of a more succinct way to explain A Man and His Cat‘s appeal: it will make you smile, laugh, and cry big, ugly tears, mostly because the title characters have sad backstories. Volume two delves a little deeper in Kanda’s marriage (he’s a widower) and childhood (it was unhappy), helping us understand why he’s developed such a strong attachment to Fukumaru. Interspersed with these sniffle-inducing vignettes are jokes about hairballs and cat paraphernalia, as well as a few flashbacks to Fukumaru’s kittenhood. The tonal shifts are jarring and the artwork somewhat crude—Fukumaru looks more like a bowling ball than a cat—but Umi Sakurai still manages to convey the warmth of Kanda and Fukumaru’s interactions with a direct simplicity that’s hard to resist. -Katherine Dacey

The Misfit of Demon King Academy: History’s Strongest Demon King Reincarnates and Goes to School with His Descendants, Vol. 1 | By Shu and Kayaharuka | Square Enix Books – I hadn’t even realized the anime had debuted when I was reading this first volume of the manga, and so found I was echoing folks’ concerns about the title as they watched it: this book is all about the overpowered protagonist, and is not only proud of that it’s smug about it. Our hero is reincarnated and grows to adulthood in a month because he wants to, goes to magical academy, passes the test by literally killing and resurrecting a man over and over again, and immediately makes a fast friend of the school’s Rei Ayanami clone, whose dark past we will no doubt get into in book two. The parents are very silly, and I liked them, but honestly, this is only if you like ludicrous heroes. – Sean Gaffney

The Quintessential Quintuplets, Vol. 11 | By Negi Haruba | Kodansha Comics (digital only) – This is a volume of two halves. The first half finally gives us the backstory of the quintuplets, and shows us that it was Yotsuba who met Futaro… mostly. And seeing that her relationship with him can easily be faked by one of the others, decides to make herself different. Sadly, her overconfidence regarding academics destroys her self-worth, which explains why she spends so much time helping anyone but herself. The other half of the book has Itsuki, oddly enough, still being the only quint not in love with Futaro (oddly as she was first girl) and Ichika making a career-based decision to leave school, though she is at least convinced to make it a leave of absence. Still fantastic. – Sean Gaffney

The Quintessential Quintuplets, Vol. 12 | By Negi Haruba | Kodansha Comics (digital only) – It’s School Festival time! Futaro and Yotsuba are overworked, the class is having a rivalry between pancakes and takoyaki, and Itsuki’s college prep is… not going so hot. Miku isn’t doing college at all; she wants to go to culinary school, which ends up being fine with Futaro. Most importantly, Futaro admits he loves all the quints… but knows that’s not the answer they want. He asks them to each get a focus arc till he can decide. Thus we get each of the sisters getting a “what we did at the festival” arc, which features two sisters in this volume, and no doubt has the other three next time. We also get kisses. That said, it’s still up in the air, as Futaro doesn’t think he’s going to choose ANYBODY. That never works in harem manga, guy. – Sean Gaffney

The Quintessential Quintuplets, Vol. 13 | By Negi Haruba | Kodansha Comics (digital only) – The majority of this volume is the other three quintuplets having their arcs. Miku’s arc involves her gaining courage and self-confidence, never a good sign when you’re in a harem manga. Yotsuba’s involves her literally collapsing from overwork and having to take the last day off (to apologize to everyone for collapsing), and learning to stop blaming herself, which goes… sort of well-ish. Itsuki has the best arc, confronted with her real father, who immediately tries to control her life and gets obliterated by nearly the entire cast in epic fashion. That said, I wouldn’t blame anyone for only thinking of the last 20 or so pages, when Futaro makes his decision on who he wants to spend his life with, and the fandom, no doubt, goes berserk. – Sean Gaffney

Ran and the Gray World, Vol. 7 | By Aki Irie | VIZ Media – I didn’t anticipate that I’d be reading Ran and the Gray World in its entirety, but here we are. The battle against the bugs concluded in volume six, and taken solely on its own merits, volume seven is a pleasant denouement. Ran finally wakes up and her sorrow over Otaro’s fate makes the whole town cry. From there, time accelerates as we see her beginning to mature for real, becoming more conscientious and eventually leaving home to work on her magic. By the end of the volume, it’s years later and Ran purposefully refrains from telling her nephew about the magic shoes that could turn him into an adult before he’s ready for it. I like this growth in her (and her age-appropriate romance with Hibi) but it’s impossible to forget the problematic Otaro stuff that led to it. Still, I would read more by Irie in the future. – Michelle Smith

By: Ash Brown