#and there's a league i'm pretty sure that's relatively new

[zipzin]

i'm really not a podcast listener, but occasionally will listen. and my favorite is when the host(s) start talking about something that you know more about than they do and they get stuff so wrong that you're like should i submit a review to correct you? like you aren't being factually incorrect because you're talking about your experience with something, it's just you clearly don't know enough about this tangential topic to realize the stuff you're saying is hilarious to people who know more

[starry-bi-sky]

I am absolutely loving your Danyal Al Ghul au. While I have a soft spot for the whole plotline of Danny becoming his canon personality almost right after breaking away from the LOA all because of Jazz, I'm just as much for your take in which he goes through the same character development as Damian.

Now I'm curious. You already tackled his relationship with Dani, will you eventually take a stab at when he, Sam, and Tucker meet Gregor? Given that it's one of my hated episodes as I couldn't stand Sam's infuriatingly hypocritical attitude to Danny's suspicions of him, I'd kill to see your spin on it.

Aw, thank you! Danyal Al Ghul aus are what got me into DPDC first, so I have a major soft spot for them. That being said, uh, its exactly that soft spot that causes me to have Many Opinions about the trope you just mentioned. Like the trope is all fine and dandy, i don't blindly hate it, my main issue with it is that most aus i've seen treat his backstory as an ex-assassin more like a pretty cosmetic accessory rather than something that actually should have had an impact on him. Especially if he remembers being in the league.

Like i cannot stress enough the fact that being in an ecofascist assassin cult (regardless of his standing in it) should've left him, in some way or another, screwed up morally and psychologically because that's just how development works. Nature vs. Nurture is like a game of tug-o-war that never ends, where they are constantly fighting against each other and one side usually has the upper hand or greater influence. Children model the behaviors of the adults around them (ex: bobo the clown doll experiment), and what impacts them in childhood can stick with them permanently.

Like how my psychology professor put it: a baby's brain is like wet cement; if you slap your hand on it, it leaves an imprint, and the cement dries that way. The same rings true for small children.

I could go on, but I frankly have so many thoughts on that alone that I would end up completely derailing from the second half of your ask, and I don't want to be more critical than I already have. Especially since you just mentioned you have a soft spot for the trope.

[Okay, hold onto your hats because this is long. Naturally lmao.]

Gregor! Man, I'll admit I last watched the show back in middle school on a dodgy illegal website (it had surprisingly good audio and visual graphics, and full episodes. But really annoying porn ads.) but I only made it to like season 1 before my hyperfixation faded and I lost interest. So I never actually saw the Gregor episode.

But... it is relatively easy to find free websites that stream Danny Phantom :), so finding the episode took me like. Thirty seconds. Plus the Tv.Tropes recap page because my damn earbuds just died and im out in public as of rn.

I'm not sure if I'll write something for the gregor episode like I did with Dani, since Dani's a bit of a special case in that she's a clone and tends to be a reoccurring presence in DPDC, and I thought the new dynamic with Danyal would be interesting.

Plus, I'm not a big amethyst ocean shipper for the pure reason of I'm just not all that interested in it; its kinda bland to me. I'll admit I've entertained the thought in this au due to the whole balcony scene i wrote, but I would've entertained the thought anyways if it was Tucker in that position instead. Big multishipper, me.

But, if I had to make it official? Danyal is not interested romantically in Sam when the Gregor episode happens, regardless of his relationship with Valerie. Who, speaking of I'm trying to think about how that would go, and I'm torn between including him almost-dating Valerie or not.

Because on one hand it helps point out Sam's hypocrisy (and i love her but i am always happy to point out her flaws and address them in au) in this episode in terms of Danny spying on them, but on the other hand I'll want to include a lot of set up in order to make Gray Ghost work in this au and wow will that take a while.

Especially with the Flirting with Disaster episode because it happens due to Technus' meddling, and Danny is, well, the son of the Batman? A trained assassin? An ex-assassin nonetheless, but still an assassin? A prodigy child in this au? He might not have needed to use most of his skills in the last few years, but like... there's just a bunch of 'what if' and 'well technically...' and 'would he? he could, but would he?' things that is getting in the way of my thought process and making my head spin.

.

Mmm. Okay. Flirting with Disaster occurs relatively the same as canon with a few exceptions; like Danyal noticing the strange coincidences, and he might take the idea into proper consideration because Sam has a point it is strange, especially out of nowhere.

However,,, he really enjoys Valerie's company, and he does really like her. He's been adjusting to civilian life for the last four years and while he's made a lot of progress, he's still. an ex-assassin child living like a wolf amongst sheep. This is normal, typical teenager stuff, and usually his friends like to encourage him doing normal teenager stuff.

So he's stubbornly holding out on the thought that this is normal, that ghost stuff isn't interfering here. He's a little hurt that his friends are discouraging this, he's not bothered by the fact that Valerie is a ghost hunter and he a ghost -- his mother is an assassin, and his father is Batman, and they still had a relationship. (Granted, he's not gonna tell them that)

If anything, being diametrically opposed to each other but still being in love is part of the family! Granted, usually both parties are aware of said opposition to each other, but he'll make a special exception this time around.

(And man now that i'm thinking about gray ghost, im now thinking about various like. scenes i could write between the two of them. maybe in a reblog.)

Anyways uhhh things relatively go the same as canon. Yeah. I think Sam still has a crush on Danny and still spies out of jealousy with Tucker.

.

Now, the Gregor episode! With that out of the way; the TVTropes recap for this episode isn't the best because it doesn't go into detail about the entire episode like it does with Flirting With Disaster and Shades of Gray.

(which i looked at earlier because I made a section of this post talking briefly about what changes I'd make to the Shades of Gray episode to help set up Gray Ghost, but ended up deleting because it was kinda irrelevant for the matter at hand.)

So I'm taking in bits of the episode clips at a time, I'll try not to get too nitpicky about how each scene goes because then it's gonna take me a longer time to write this.

But! First thing's first; since Danny is not romantically interested in Sam, he is also not jealous of Gregor. He is however, a bit eyebrow-raisey at him in their first introduction, but that's because Gregor is coming off as obnoxious.

Danny thinks he's kinda annoying, and it doesn't take a genius to see that Gregor is trying to impress Sam. But since they've only known him for five minutes he takes the good faith assumption and assumes that Gregor is genuinely trying to show interest in Sam's interests too because he likes her, so he keeps mum. The fake hungarian accent is weird, but it's overall harmless, so he doesn't point it out.

He does do the spying thing when he starts suspecting that Gregor might be working for the GIW. The episode only has this happen twice, but for the au this happens a handful of more times over the course of the week, with Danyal's suspicion steadily rising more and more each time.

Hah, when he brings up wanting to spy on Sam and Gregor because of this reason, Tucker still does his "woah! you wanna spy on Sam?" thing.

Danny immediately turns to him, completely unimpressed, and crosses his arms. "Tucker," he says, deadpan, "you and Sam spied on me and Valerie."

He uses a combination of his ghost powers and his regular stealth ability to spy on them. He's hiding in a tree when they're skipping rocks, close enough that he can use his powers to hear them talk but far enough away that he has a good view of their surroundings.

He's invisible in the cinema, but doesn't accidentally get in front of the projector. He checks the inside of the room for the GIW, and then waits outside the actual room itself, keeping an eye on the area and occasionally flying in to watch the movie out of boredom. It reminds him of being back on a recon mission with the League, but it doesn't end with him orchestrating someone's death.

Then when they're at the mall he stays in human form, blending in with the crowd. He runs into the GIW there, but realizes that they're not there because of Gregor; they're just shopping. They didn't show up at either of the last two locations, and he follows them to make sure they're not also trying to blend in. But they're literally just there for shopping.

Danny is rather pleased with this turnout; so far Gregor isn't a spy, he's just annoying. The next day at lunch he asks Sam how her date with Gregor went, and that's how she figures out he spied on them, because well, she didn't tell him that.

"Have you been spying on me?"

Danny messes with his food a little bit, and Tucker is sinking into his seat with embarrassment. He frowns, "Only last night. Those incompetent government dodos--"

His lip curls up; he gets all 'Shakespeare-y' (as Sam and Tucker put it) when he's insulting someone, "--kept appearing whenever Gregor did. I followed you and him last night to make sure he wasn't a spy."

A roundabout way of saying, "I was worried".

Sam is, as canon, furious. Danny understands why, he knows generally speaking that people don't like being spied on. But he's confused on just how angry she is, and is a little irritated by it.

"Why would you do that!" She exclaims, "That's way out of line, Danny."

"How? You spied on me when I was going on dates with Valerie." He narrows his eyes, and points his fork at her, "I'm not blind, I noticed."

"That's different, we told you why we were suspicious. And we don't have ghost powers like you do."

"I don't need ghost powers to sneak around, Sam, you've seen this firsthand. And I just told you why I followed you, I thought he was working with the guys in white--"

"So you think someone can only be interested in me if they're after you?" (this is a paraphrased quote, folks ;D)

"No! If that was the case I would have voiced my concern the moment I thought it. I don't get why you're so angry, you spied too."

Iiits.... a mess. Sam storms off with Gregor, Tucker tags along because okay, yeah, maybe Gregor isn't with the GIW, or maybe last night was a fluke. Either way he ends up tagging along. Danny overhears that conversation between the GIW and Mr. Lancer, and maybe he's right, maybe he's wrong; but something is up.

I've gotten to that scene in the locker room where Gregor tells Danny that he knows he doesn't like him, and I've paused at Danny's reply to say this: Danyal doesn't even bother trying to deny it.

"I know you do not like me."

"You're right; I don't."

"Ah, let me finish. I know you do not like me because you want to protect your friend, Sam, and I respect that."

"...That's correct."

"Good! Because I am going to ask her out."

"I had a feeling you'd say that," he stands up, claps his hand tight on Gregor's shoulder, and leans close to him with a threatening smile, "so you understand me when i say; if you break my best friend's heart, you're as good as dead, right?"

"Ah,, yes. I am so glad we got that cleared out of the way, and now I hope after we can.. how you Americans put it, hang out?"

In the episode he hugs Danny and gives him a la bise (which is that french greeting where you kiss someone on the cheek two or more times) after they end their conversation. But here, when he goes to do that to Danyal, Danny leans away, points an accusatory finger at him, and says; "Absolutely not; we are not close."

The next scene after that is like, end of day. Sam, Tucker, and Gregor walking away. Sam looks over her shoulder to glare at Danny, then gets forlorn. Tucker looks back and just looks forlorn.

(When did I start narrating each scene?? Eh, I'm writing this in brief spurts of time throughout the day. Don't fix what's not broke)

After that there's this whole scene with the two GIW agents that have been chasing Phantom all episode. They're there because they have Tucker's PDA that Skulker took, and it's got the information of their purple backed gorilla assignment on it. They've been going around seeing who Tucker associates with in hopes of catching Phantom.

Uhh ahaha and that is where this gets a little interesting imo, and also allows me to mention that im retconning Danyal's (already) redesigned ghost form. Which I've wanted to retcon even before this moment bc it was just too busy. I'll get to that in a moment.

The GIW suspect Gregor for being the Phantom because of his white hair and green eyes, which is all fine and dandy until you remember: Danyal (and by extension Phantom) has that very noticeable, rather identifiable facial scar that goes across the middle of his fucking face. The GIW could easily suspect that Phantom hides his scar with makeup if he's in disguise, but if they meet a kid with a seemingly identical facial scar and similar disposition? Hoo boy.

Solution? I've got two: Gregor is canonically a kid from Michigan who faked everything to impress Sam. Considering he knows she's gothic and knows that she's ultra-recyclo vegetarian? He probably watched her from afar or got information on her somehow. His hair is dyed, his eyes might just naturally be green, but if he notices that she's got a crush on either Danyal or Phantom? A little sfx makeup could help him recreate a similar looking scar.

My second solution that's gonna happen anyways bc its that suit redesign; Danyal does hide his face as Phantom. Ghosts are emotional creatures and its a popular headcanon that their interests, ambitions, etc, influence the way they look as a ghost, not just their death. A big reoccurring theme of my au is that Danyal did not leave the League unscathed, and that being an assassin is an important part of his identity.

So i'm discarding the hazmat suit look entirely and leaning into the 'assassin' thing. But the general (stylized) feel is like, white ribbon/cloth vambraces that he has used as a garrote at some point, a hood, a gaiter scarf-type thing. I'm keeping the cape. I did a doodle a few days back that's not the official redesign, but a redesign for Phantom. I may reblog this post with that attached because it's got the general feel down. There's very little white involved, but the inside of his cape flares out and looks like the night sky.

Now, the hood and gaiter scarf gets rid of most of the problem, but Danny's hood doesn't stay on all the time, so the GIW have likely seen the upper half of the scar. :] Gregor's own drawn-on scar doesn't have to be 1:1, but it looks close enough, right? A small scar cutting through the edge of his brow and ends right below the corner of his eye. A 'cool, badass' one opposed to Danny's 'garish' scar.

But! Back to the episode scene. Canon Danny gets written off as being 'too prepubescent' to be Phantom, and honestly it'd be hilarious if Danyal was written off for the same reason (he's calling them idiots in his head if they do). But instead -- leaning into the GIW's incompetence here -- he gets written off as being too mature or too talkative. Or something equally as absurd.

Sam breaks up with Gregor for canon reasons, but when Gregor does his "i really like you, but, come on-!" and gestures to tucker, he adds on "and that scary friend of yours too, seriously!"

Things go relatively the same as canon after that. Danny does end up apologizing for spying, however. Sam does it first. Sorrows, prayers, all that.

.

Things usually end up changed or different when I actually write it down, so I'd likely add more or adjust different scenes according to the flow of the oneshot. This is just like, a general vibe of how things would go, and where some of the more obvious changes would be if I did write this oneshot.

Hope you enjoyed! Thanks for the ask :]

[zexapher]

Vacuan Nights, Like Vacuan Days

They’re just so great together! I’d love for Jaune and Weiss to get a little downtime in Vacuo to live out a moment like this. They really deserve it, and I’d love to see Jaune’s guitar make a reappearance.

The comic here was inspired by u/Silverstar1243’s excellent piece of art, A Serenade Under the Moonlight. Send some love to them on their twitter, commission some art if you’re willing and able, they’ve made some great stuff.

You folks may have noticed I threw in a couple of references for those in the know; the Golden Oreos behind Yang (double stuffed, I might add) for the trio’s ship, Weiss liking it rough for Mallobaude’s great fic, and of course I made a whole theme around the Arabian Nights Disney song. A song, along with its Aladdin compatriots, which I spent the better part of a day finding covers for just to listen to on repeat while I worked.

This one’s now officially my longest comic project, with 14 panels, two over the past record since I added the White Knight kiss at the end. I’m pretty happy with how it turned out. Not sure I’d say it was more difficult than my Vanity of Vanities post, but for this one I actually knew how to use my editing software going into it (at least somewhat).

Put a lot of work into this one, been working on it on and off since February. Took a few breaks for vacation, to make my memorial post for Rooster Teeth, and another five meme edits or so, but I came back around to it. First half was pretty easy, relatively minor edits inserting characters into scenes and so on. The second half with Jaune and Weiss was tougher though, with color correcting, merging poses, redrawing features, drawing Jaune’s entire head to fix some lighting issues, etc. Really like how the edit to make Jaune strum his guitar turned out.

The time it took to make the whole comic got me down a little, until I did a bit of math. Including my side projects since starting this, all the scripting and editing and all, I’ve been pumping out a panel every two days. That seems pretty good to me, that kind of accomplishment makes me a little proud of myself.

Really need to get around to watching the second part of the Justice League Crossover movies. It’s got a few Vacuo scenes that might make things a little more authentic instead of me just using Saphron’s house and pretending it’s a suite in Vacuo. I do love taking yet more character stills from Jaune and friends experiencing deep trauma and turning it into something positive, been making that a bit of a personal habit. And I’ve got to say, the background for Jaune and Weiss’ scene is really beautiful, pulled it from when Sun and Neptune hear Ruby’s message about Salem. That’s just a really good shot all on its own, I even saved a copy for my computer’s wallpaper after editing out the two.

Posting a big RWBY White Knight edit, watching not one but two RWBY Beyond episodes, and all on the trail of the news that RWBY’s found partners that they’re negotiating with and that the creative team is expected to stay on. And I'm sipping bubble tea. Life is good.

Anyway, pardon the long write up. I’m invested in this one, and am quite pleased with how the comic turned out. I hope you all get a kick out of it as well!

[dcficrecs]

The One Where the Justice League Almost Didn’t Figure it Out: The Training Room Incident

By batsandthebirds on AO3

The premise of this fic is "Nightwing joins the Justice League and no one knows he was the first Robin, so they think he's crazy for being so normal around the goddamn Batman." My favorite scene is the entirety of chapter 2, where the League sets up a sort of test fight while Nightwing is still pretty new to get a sense of his abilities as a fighter. I'm not gonna spoil how it goes, so here's the excerpt from it:

 “Look, I’ll fight him if you want, but I’m not sure it’ll be that useful. If pitting me against someone because of superpowers is really the issue, why don’t I just fight him?” Nightwing pointed, and it took Clark a moment to register that he wasn’t pointing at him or Diana, but between them, where Batman had stood looming silently this entire time.

You could have heard a pin drop. Before Clark could attempt to let the kid down easy, explain that there was no way he was fighting Batman as a new recruit and lasting more than a few seconds, and also that he’d really rather not have their newest member further on the Bat’s bad side than everyone else way, Batman stepped forward between him and Diana and regarded Nightwing with a frown.

“That’s not a good idea,” Batman growled.

Somehow, this just made Nightwing smile even wider. “Oh, I think this is a great idea, B.”

Clark had just enough time to think, Okay, that settles it, Nightwing has a death wish, before he registered that the corners of Batman’s mouth twitched up in a nearly imperceptible smile.

Without any other words spoken, Batman and Nightwing positioned themselves on either side of the mat and the small crowd of spectators all stood back. Clark thought about trying to stop this, and he could have, in theory, but he thought it prudent to let this die now. A lot of new recruits came in with a bit of a cocky attitude, trying to prove themselves against the more powerful heroes on the roster. A lot of times that meant trying to beat Batman at his own game. Best Nightwing got knocked down now, rather than screw something up on an actual mission later. But there was still a nagging feeling in the back of his mind that something was off about Nightwing. He came off as cocky, yes, or maybe just too fearless for his own good, but something told Clark that there was more substance to that disposition than most young heroes had.

The two opponents squared off, and Clark took one look at Batman — imposing, heavily armored, and trained to his absolute peak — and Nightwing — young, lithe, relatively short, and still a virtual unknown - winced inwardly on Nightwing’s behalf, and signaled for the fight to begin.

The fact that Nightwing didn’t immediately end up on his back was a miracle in itself. He dodged the first blow, then the second, then the third, and flipped out of the way of the fourth, kicking Batman in the chest as he did so. Batman stumbled, recovering in a fraction of a second, but it was enough time for Nightwing to get the escrima sticks off his back. They crackled with nasty looking blue electricity, which would have worried Clark, if he didn’t know that they had no chance of getting through Batman’s suit.

Clark thought that Nightwing’s luck would run out, and soon. But the fight went on like that. Nightwing dodged any blows that would have knocked him down in an instant, and traded his own blows back with a vengeance. Neither could get the upper hand. After a minute, Clark remembered that he was supposed to be analyzing Nightwing’s abilities, not just staring dumbly as the young hero continued to stay on his feet. He was fast, that much was obvious, and his brain could certainly keep up with his body, if not think ahead. He landed strategic hits, trying to knock Batman off balance, using the weight of his suit against him, and, at one point, even managing to tangle Batman up in his own cape momentarily.

Then — absurdly — Nightwing started laughing. As the opponents traded blows, Nightwing cackled like he was having the time of his life, dodging when he could, taking the hits he couldn’t get away from without faltering, and landing his own blows in the slight windows of opportunity afforded to him. Clark caught sight of a fierce smile on the young hero’s face too, different from the rehearsed, easygoing expression he wore around the League. It was pure, unbridled excitement.

Just as Clark thought that the fight might go on forever, Nightwing raised a hand to throw one of his escrima sticks, but Batman lept at him, swinging his fist in an arc that Nightwing easily should have dodged, but he didn’t. Batman’s fist connected with the side of his face, the laughing stopped, and the weapon Nightwing was throwing went wide. Nightwing reeled from the harsh blow, and that should have been when Batman knocked him to the mat, ending the fight. He could have, easily. But Clark watched as Batman faltered, just for a split second, but it was enough for Clark’s ears to pick up on a ping, ping, ping noise, before Nightwing suddenly sidestepped, and the escrima stick that Clark thought he’d thrown wide connected squarely with the back of Batman’s head, having bounced around the room and off the back wall.

Batman fell forward, hitting the mat hard, and Nightwing stood victorious, laughing again as red bloomed on the side of his face and blood poured out of his mouth from a split lip. He picked the escrima stick up off the mat and attached both of them to his back again, then offered a hand to help Batman up.

To Clark’s further surprise, Batman clasped Nightwing’s hand and allowed himself to be hauled to his feet. This was so unprecedented that Clark had no idea what to expect next, but Batman wordlessly turning and leaving the training room wasn’t it.

I cannot express how this is one of my favorite moments in any fic ever. I left a comment saying that writing a character outsmarting Batman usually doesn't end well: the writing doesn't make sense, it falls flat, or underestimates a character's (usually Batman's) abilities. This fic, however, does it so perfectly. Nightwing using Batman's care for him against him, and embarrassing him in front of a bunch of Justice League members including Superman and Wonder Woman. Later on in the same chapter, Bruce asks Dick why he didn't dodge the punch and Nightwing explains the whole "using your fear of hurting me to my advantage" thing and Batman is obviously disapproving of that, but it is so in character for Nightwing. He would totally get punched in the face if it meant harassing and/or embarrassing Bruce. It is so clever and absolutely brilliant and everyone should totally read the whole fic. I am in love with this.

[glassygate]

I find it funny how DPxDC fandom has replaced the early 2000s "Danny&Dick are siblings/twins" trope with "Danny&Damian are siblings/twins."

But I also wanted to try and figure out why it happened.

The main reason why Damian wasn't originally even considered as posibile relative for Danny is quite simple: Damian literally didn't exist until September 2006; a month before DP season 3 started airing.

Sure, the concept of Talia and Bruce having a son is much older. Kingdom Come from 1996 is probably being the best known example of this and I'm pretty sure there is even older comic where Talia has miscarriage. Plus, when have the fandoms cared about canon relationships when coming up reasons to make two characters related?

But in the early days there was another reason keeping Danny from becoming related to Bruce:

A little show known as Teen Titans.

Teen Titans cartoon originally aired from 2003-2006. This meant that when Danny Phantom started airing in May 2004, it was only natural that the fandoms of these two superhero teen cartoons would overlap.

Teen Titans was also very strong on the "found family" trope. The show had also already shown that the Titans were more than willing to take in additional members (Terra, Januarry 2004) so adding Danny in the team as a new member of the team was an easy base for a crossover. However, even back then, Phandom was just angst and gore loving as it is today so a lot of fic writers wanted a tool to ensure that the freshly traumatized Danny had a reason to trust and stay with group of strangers. And making Danny Robin's brother or twin was a perfect trick for that.

(Plus if you have two shows, with overlapping fandoms, that have characters with even slightly similar traits... You bet that someone in the fandom is going to make them related.)

So that was Teen Titans era... What next?

Well first we had "The Batman" cartoon which was allowed to add Robin in its 4th season thanks to Teen Titans ending (Bat-embargo). I don't really remember there being any bigger crossovers with Danny Phantom, but it did keep the idea of "Dick Grayson is Robin in cartoons" idea living.

2010, we got Young Justice. And once again Dick Grayson is the Robin.

If I remember correctly, Danny&Dick are sibling fics were still a thing back then, probably thanks to TTxDP fandom being still fairly active in FF.net. And of course a lot of these people would be influenced by, or move to, YJ fandom. Heck... I personally was introduced to YJ thanks to its influence and characters bleeding to TTxDP fics.

But YJ had something TT didn't: the Justice League and mentors. The Team being a "training school" for young heroes gave the show multiple reason for Danny to stay around, no matter the backstory. Danny could still be Dick's long lost brother. Or like Connor, he could be a laboratory experimet with no other place to go. Or perhaps, the League had found him solo-heroing like they did with Artemis and now wanted to train him.

So yeah, the Dick&Danny are sibling trope was still alive but slowly losing it's popularity. Early 2010s was also the time when people started to move from FF.net to AO3 and some fandoms and tropes just... didn't seem to survive the move as well as the others.

But the question still remains.

Why and how Damian replaced Dick as Danny's sibling?

And to answer to this question, we need to narrow down when it happened.

Though Damian had made several animated cameos over the years, his first big role as animated Robin started in 2014 thanks to the DC Animated Universe films (Son of Batman ->). When it came to Dick, he aged naturally into his Nightwing identity and ended his 10 year career as the main animated Robin.

So surely; this was the turning point that started it all?

Well... It turned out... that the answer to that is no.

Let me show you AO3's "Danny and Dick/Damian are siblings" tags

Damian didn't appear in Danny Phantom fandom tags until 2015; a whole year after his movie debut. And even after that, it took almost 7 whole years for "Danny and Damian are siblings" tag to appear.

(Sure, the "Danny Fenton and Dick-or-Damian are siblings" excludes a lot of potential fics (including the oldest ones), but it seemed to be the parent tag and gives a good idea of how this trend has evolved.)

Heck! Damian Wayne is tagged in Danny Phantom fics only 24 times by the end of the 2021! I knew Phandom is going through its "DC renaissance" but with his ever growing role in animated media, I still assumed Damian to be more commonly used character.

So the new question is: what the heck happened in 2022?

All animated and video game appereances I can find for Damian are from before 2020s. Sure, shows like Harley Quinn continued after that but I don't think that is the reason for Damian's sudden popularity.

So I decided to dig a little bit deeper.

In AO3, the first time I could see a fic with Damian and Danny as siblings is January 2022. The parent tag "Danny Fenton and Damian Wayne are Siblings" appears later the same month.

Before August, the tag has been used 3 times.

Then 22 times in the remaining 5 months.

And when I looked into those 22 fics, "What happened in 2022" turned out to be a completelly wrong question.

What I should have asked was WHO happened.

Because out of those 22 fics written between August adn December 2022... 14 were written by a single author.

I'm not going to name them in case this post causes unwanted traffic for them. Plus they might just be the one popularising the tag but not the trope itself. However, I have read some of their fics before this little project and they are a good writer. So no surprise if they managed to inspire other people to use this idea more often.

I also know I am probably missing something. The previously mentioned DCxDP renaissance was already started/starting back then. Of course it made people to make up a biological connection between Danny and Bat-family member with similar-ish age. It is the same logic that early 2000s fandom used to connect Danny to Robin the first time.

But if you just look at AO3 statistics... It creates an image of a trope being created by handful of fics and less authors than I have fingers to count.

And that is definitely one of the main reasons I love internet fandoms.

[stuffnonsenseandotherthings]

January Drama Wrap Up

January was a month of ups and downs (and some very big let downs) but over all I enjoyed what I watched. I tried out a new country's dramas and discovered some classics at the same time and I've built myself a pretty solid Currently Watching List to take me into February.

📊 The Stats

Total Dramas: 12

Currently Watching: 3

Completed: 4

Dropped: 2

On Hold: 3

My To Watch List: 60

🎭 The Dramas

🤼💰 Like Flowers in the Sand - Currently Watching

Like Flowers in the Sand is going to be another one of those k-dramas I am never going to be able to explain to my non k-drama watching friends without sounding like I've lost the plot a little.

"It's a small town drama about a minor league ssireum team and a wrestler who's been in a years long slump. There's also an investigation into a murder linked to match-fixing but that's kind of a side plot and it's linked to the wrestler's childhood friend who's reappeared incognito after disappearing mysteriously many years ago ... I promise it's good!"

It's probably not the drama for everyone but as someone who has historically loved sports centered k-dramas and who loved When Camilla Blooms this drama ticks so many of my boxes. I'm very excited to watch the complex relationships and politics of small town life be put under a microscope and dissected and I can already tell I'm going to love how morally grey all the characters are.

It also doesn't hurt that the ML is the biggest himbo to ever ever himbo and I love him and his empty brain to bits.

Prediction: I become a ssireum fan.

🕹️💌 Love For Love's Sake - Currently Watching

I've been staying away from K-BL these past few months because I've been struggling with their short run time but Love for Love' Sake lured me back in like a moth to the flame and I have no regrets.

Is Love For Love's Sake Perfect? No, there are definitely some pacing issues that are leaving me feeling very temporally confused about how quickly or slowly events are unfolding and the lower than average k-drama budget does show at certain points but, do you what?

I don't care.

I wholeheartedly love this drama and it's going to have to mess up its last 2 episodes Last Twilight style to change that.

The relationship between the main couple? Adorable. The openly gay leader of the school delinquents? We stan. The oddball friendship group forming because they're all slightly crushing on the ML? Sign me up! The addition of a glitch in the game that's starting to mess everything up? Horrifying and I love it.

Prediction: A new favourite K-BL is born and it's all thanks to this mf

🩺😭 Doctor Slump - Currently Watching

I'm watching this because it's on my Plan To Watch list and Netflix started playing the trailer after I'd finished watching an episode of The Way of the Househusband.

I won't lie, this is definitely the drama, out of all the dramas I'm currently watching, that I'm least certain I'll finish but, at the same time, I was pleasantly surprised by the first two episodes. Yes, it does do that typical comedy k-drama thing of mixing ridiculous over the top laughs with some incredibly difficult topics (because who doesn't want to be laughing hysterically one minute and then doing some deep self-reflection the next?) but so far the balance and the boundaries between the two moods has been relatively well struck and only time will tell if it manages to stay that way.

I appreciate tackling the topic of burn out and depression in a country that still champions overwork and mental fortitude above all else and I'm interested to see where it goes with that part of its arc. The "being framed for murder" I am a little less certain about, but it has definitely added a layer of intrigue to a story that would otherwise be relatively mundane and by the books.

As I said, time will tell if I continue to enjoy Doctor Slump but I'd say my only quibble with the drama so far is that I'm not sure "accused of (and potentially framed for) murder" and "suffering from depression due to burn out and work place abuse" quite fit what is normally meant by the word slump.

Prediction: Maybe I won't drop this half way through like I thought I would.

👨‍❤️‍💋‍👨🎥 BL Drama no Shuen ni Narimashita - Completed

My first Japanese BL ever and it was a good one. Yes, it was 3 episodes long, but it used its runtime perfectly. All of the main characters felt properly fleshed out (and the side characters were caricature enough that you only really needed one scene to know who they were and what they stood for), the pacing was great (it couldn't afford to drag but it didn't speed through scenes either), and it found the right balance between BL shenanigans and forrays into deeper messages. This was exactly what I needed at the time and, for someone who doesn't normally like mini-dramas that much, I enjoyed myself immensely.

Verdict: 8/10, I also want a life-size cardboard cutout of Aoyanagi to cuddle and hide behind when I open the door.

✒️💕 Cherry Magic, Japan - Completed

I'm planning to buy the manga.

I plan to watch the film next month (I never watch films).

I may have even checked out the fanfic scene in a bout of withdrawal.

Anyway, what I mean to say is that I get the hype, I really really do. This drama is fantastic.

Cherry Magic is one of those classics that you watch as a newbie and go "oh yeah I get why everyone is obsessed with this". The premise is novel and well executed, the characters are oh so easy to love, the main romance is so incredibly shippable, and the friendships are just as endearing.

I personally love the role Adachi's mind reading plays in shaping his relationship with Kurosawa and how the way it's handled means the audience feels what Adachi is feeling right alongside him. How can you not be charmed by the inner monologue of someone so sweetly and respectfully head over heels for you? But at the same time just because you're charmed, does that mean you like them back or is it just because you can see them at their most vulnerable? And what about once you're in the relationship? Do you give up the thing you know made it possible? Or do you pull back so you can't mess up once the crutch you rely on is gone?

There was so much quiet nuance to Adachi's and Kurosawa's relationship to each other and those around them and, when I one day sit down for a rewatch, I'm looking forward to unpicking them all.

Verdict: 8.5/10, Adachi and Kurosawa are going to be one of those couples that's impossible to leave behind. This is going to stick with me for a while, and once it's unstuck I'll just watch it again.

📸🌦️ Welcome to Samdal-Ri - Completed

I know some people thought the premise of Welcome to Sandal-Ri was unrealistic but, personally, I found it hard not to draw parallels between what happened to Cho Sam Dal in the drama and what happened to Kim Seon Ho in real life. Yes, the situations may differ somewhat (Sam Dal faces false accusations of work-place bullying by an employee while Seon Ho was accused of coercing his girlfriend into getting an abortion) but there were enough similarities (the media frenzy and the sheer intensity of the backlash, the scandals happening just as their careers peaked, the gradual revelation of what actually transpired) that I would be very surprised if there was no link at all.

For that alone, Welcome To Samdal-Ri had my attention from the get go. If this story were from a Western perspective, I would certainly have been much more wary of a story tackling false accusations (looking at you Euphoria) but from a Korean perspective, where celebrity culture is far more intense and volatile and in which false accusations have happened before and cancel culture can indeed end a career for even minor infractions (like dating), I wanted to see how it would be handled.

Ultimately I was satisfied, not wowed, not disappointed, satisfied. The show didn't dig that deep into the subject (personally I would have appreciated Sam Dal's case juxtaposed against another case in which the accusations turned out to be true) but it handled it deftly enough and felt "case-by-case" enough that I didn't feel as though it inadvertently gave off the message of "not believe anyone bringing accusations against celebrities".

Other than my own personal interest in the premise, Welcome to Sandal-Ri did a good job of holding my interest. In terms of overall vibe, it felt like a mix between (perhaps unsurprisingly) Hometown Cha Cha Cha (the idyllic small-town community filled with friends and loveable elders) and Our Beloved Summer (childhood lovers unfairly broken up but still pining for each other after years apart). The pacing was good, the characters loveable (I am now in love with Cho Hae In), and each episode felt like sinking into a warm bath for an hour.

Verdict: 8/10, it tackled an interesting topic while providing its audience with plenty of comfort and heart. It could have done without the love triangle though, just saying.

📃👩‍❤️‍👩 Out of Breath - Completed

I don't have too much to say about Out of Breath given it was 3 episodes long and less than an hour run time in total but I'm glad I watched it. Firstly, because it was nice to watch a (rare) Korean GL and secondly, because it managed to fit a lot into its short run time. Two break ups, a love triangle/unrequited love, cute dates, commentary on living queer in Korea, commentary on being out in Korea.... This show really had it all.

It was short, it was sweet, and it had a lot to say. I can't say I'd watch it again in a hurry, but I would definitely recommend it to anyone looking for a realistic portrayal of queer (and specifically) lesbian life in Korea.

Verdict: 7.5/10, it unpacked a lot in a short amount of time, the couple was extra cute too.

🫂💕 Cherry Magic Thailand - On Hold

I realised very early on into watching Cherry Magic Thailand that I'd probably get a lot more out of it if I watched the original first. I'm not normally someone who says watching the OG is necessary to watch the adaptation (in fact I normally rebel against that idea with a whole lot of passion) but in this case it became very clear that without watching Cherry Magic Japan first, I was missing important reference points and comparisons that were pretty key to understanding and appreciating that plot fully.

Anyway, I've now watched and loved Cherry Magic Japan so Cherry Magic Thailand is back on the menu, I just want to give myself enough time away that when I go back to it, it's with completely new eyes (and I'm excited for when that moment comes).

Verdict: On Hold until I can give it a proper fresh start.

🩺🍲 Cooking Crush - On Hold

I watched this at completely the wrong time. I struggle with rom-com dramas at the best of times but by now I should know that I absolutely should not try to watch one when I am going through a period of high stress.

I am not kind to rom-coms when I am stressed, even the ones I might otherwise enjoyed.

As it is, I initially dropped Cooking Crush because I was struggling to stay focussed enough to finish an episode and the characters were grating on me. Looking back, part of me thinks that my lack of focus and general irritability may have had less to do with the drama itself and much more to do with the fact I could barely focus on anything during that time period and that I had barely any spoons left to give people in my actual life, let alone fictional ones.

So...

Anyway, Cooking Crush has continued to come across my dash in gif, meme, and analysis form and I've realised that I actually really like what I'm seeing, enough so that I've moved it out of the "dropped" pile and into my "on hold" list so as to give it a second shot in the not so distant future (something that doesn't normally happen).

I genuinely think I might like this drama, I just need to make sure I'm in the right mindset for it first to give it a fair shot 💪

Verdict: On Hold until my next holiday.

🐍🦅 The Sign - On Hold

On paper The Sign sounds like it's right up my street, after all what's not to love about star-crossed lovers doomed by the threads of fate and history to lose each other?

But that's the thing, "on paper". In real life The Sign is well, messy and a bit too cop-heavy for my liking. Sure there are some great moments, Billy and Babe's chemistry is on fire, and it may have one of the best and most artistic sex scenes ever to grace the BL screens of the world but sexy times does not a good show make and I've found myself torn about whether or not I should keep going or just give up at this point.

To help me decide I've taken the "on paper" part of The Sign very literally and bought the book to read. If I like the book (the translation is a bit choppy but I can overlook that if the story is good) then I'll finish the show, if I don't then into the land of the dropped it goes.

Verdict: On Hold until I've actually experienced it on paper.

🌄🖕 Last Twilight - Dropped (episode 10)

I won't lie, this is the second time (the first time being Only Friends) that I've ended up being grateful my busy schedule got in the way of my drama watching because wow this show really took a tumble at the last hurdle. There was so much Last Twilight could have done, so many societal boundaries it could have crossed and reshaped and re-imagined but instead it went with... well a literal "fix it fic" ending that fixed nothing but instead broke all it had built up beyond repair.

I'm not going to go into detail about how Last Twilight let nearly every single one of its principal characters down, about how Mhok was never allowed screen time to process his own emotional trauma, about how the show briefly touched upon and then completely glossed over the very different social and financial circumstances of the both couples and the effects this would have on their experience of the world, of how there was so much ableist messaging around both the treatment of Dad's character which was always lurking under the surface but which only really came to light alongside the ending..... All I'm going to say is that, up until episode 9, Last Twilight had a choice about what messages it wanted it's audiences to come away with at the end, and it picked the wrong fucking ones.

It could have been a challenge to the ableist and classist mainstream norm so often portrayed in the media, instead it perpetuated harmful and hurtful rhetoric and stereotypes against the very people it claimed to champion.

Maybe one day I'll watch it again, but only because I want to properly break down what went so wrong.

Recommended reads by people who expressed it better than me:

This Discussion under "Last Twilight, episode 12: final reflections" by @waitmyturtles

"Last Twilight: Ep 12" by @wen-kexing-apologist

"Last Twilight Episode 12" by @lurkingshan

This post by @simplemindedmockingjay

Verdict: Dropped for betraying it's audience and those it claimed to champion.

👨‍⚕️⏳ Triage - Dropped (episode 10)

This one hurts me.

This one well and truly hurts me.

Because, the thing is, I loved so much about this show. It does so much right and up until episode 10 I was preparing to rank it among my favourite BLs of all time; the plot was fast moving and carried you from episode to episode in a whirlwind of anticipation, the romance (although minor compared to most other BLs) was highly shippable, the characters had depth and flaws and strengths that made you root for them, and the time loop plot device was doing things that were genuinely new and innovative.

I was hooked.

And then everything I loved just disappeared.

I don't know what possessed the creators of this show to completely change the universe of the drama for the last 2 episodes, maybe they thought the old one was getting stale (it wasn't).

All I can say is I absolutely hated the new turn of events.

Familiar characters with entirely new personalities and character arcs who I was apparently expected to root for (I don't know who they are anymore), time travel rules thrown out of the window because the plot demanded it be so (I'm sorry but the notebook time travels now? And a kiss will bring back memories?), the entire premise of the show just dropped and never even properly answered (why did Tin need to save Tol????? What about his heart murmur????)....

No.

Just no.

I'm out.

Verdict: Dropped for becoming a completely different drama in the last 2 episodes

⭐ The Awards

I fell in love with a lot of people and things this month so let's talk about them

☺️ Smile That Could Launch A Thousand Ships

Yuuichi Kurosawa (and his actor Keita Machida) is, quite frankly, a ridiculously gorgeous man in the most normal of circumstances but his smile takes it to a whole new level.

Truly a sight that could light up a room (and the whole building the room was in), this smile is filled with such genuine happiness and love that it's hard not to smile right back just as brightly, whether you be a hapless audience member beaming at your computer screen or a flustered Adachi trying desperately to hold on to your heart.

What I also love about this smile is that it only comes out when Kurosawa is properly, over the moon happy. He's got other smiles for other occasions and they're all very pretty but this one? This one sits above them all and makes them pale in comparison.

🩷 Biggest Crush

I have a type and that type is Cho Mina (and quite possibly Kang Mi Na, I clearly need to work through her filmography for... science). But seriously, this woman is STUNNING and is made all the more so by her dedication to her daughter and her refusal to let society pressure her into being ashamed of being a young single mum. She's strong, she's kind, she's independent, she's beautiful both inside and out. I don't care if she got the least screen time out of all the sisters, she stole the whole show for me and I am smitten.

📃 Line That Hit Me Like A Freight Train

"I'm used to pretending to be normal"

"pretending to be normal"

I'm going to be forever grateful to Cherry Magic for giving me positive and thoughtful Ace rep in Fujisaki, for showing her happy and confident and unbothered by society's expectations that she should one day couple up and settle down, for giving voice to the Ace experience of "pretending to be normal" in simple line that holds so much meaning and so many layers.

I know it's not canon, but in my head Fujisaki does tell Adachi out loud one day, and she gets her response of "is that so".

🛌 Plot Device That Made Me Sit Up and Go "Yes"

I may have ended up dropping Triage but credit where credit is due, it did do a lot of things right and one of those things was its ideas around time loops/ time travel. The idea that where you fall asleep at the end of the time loop directly affects how far back you travel back in time for the start of the loop?

Genius.

Why haven't I seen this done before??? It's such a clever way to provide the loop-character with the agency they need to actually make changes without breaking the established rules of the time loop and it allows for each iteration of the loop to be significantly different depending on how early or how late the changes to the timeline are made.

It literally solves almost all of my usual issues with time loop narratives.

It was genuinely intriguing watching Tin try to work out where he needed to fall asleep in order to go back as far as he needed and it was such a shame that, as the show neared its end, that aspect of the time loop experience just sort of fell away.

I want more time loop ideas like this and I want them now.

🌄 Scene That Took My Breath Away

Last Twilight may have ended by taking this scene and its significance and flushing it down the toilet but you know what, the author is dead and I killed him. I'm taking this scene back.

Day wanting his last experience with his quickly disappearing sight to be a homage to the book that helped him come to terms with his disability and see the world anew, his description of the sunset he could see in his mind's eye that is far more brilliant and beautiful than reality could ever dream to be, his clear moment of realisation that yes, he could live without his sight and not only could he live without it, he could well and truly thrive, the last thing he sees being Mhok's face as the ultimate declaration of love....

The last twilight in episode 9 could have been a truly special moment and, taken in isolation, it still is. It's just such a shame that such a beautiful depiction of growth and healing and self-love and self-acceptance was ultimately papered over with an ending that didn't fit it at all, one that erased the positive and affirming messages this scene held.

[somebodys-nuisance]

Hey, Our Life Fans, who wants a Baxter End-Game Fic Idea?

Okay, hi, so, Baxter and his love for ballroom dancing means so much to me. Dancing has always been a big part of my life, and when I played through Baxter's DLC I was just floored by how much we had in common with our interests. I love finding stories that I can really relate to in that way. I was a bit disappointed I wasn't able to really lean into the idea my character was into dance, even before Baxter's DLC, and I had always wanted to make a version of the story that could be more focused on the dancing element, while also being Baxter End-Game (cuz I love Cove, but I LOVE Baxter.)

So, the idea goes a little something like this:

Jamie Last becomes obsessed with ballroom dancing (and dancing in general) when her older sister Elizabeth joined the non-member junior golfing league when she's a child. It'a a program that rents The Cypress' space, but you don't need to be a member to join, and it's relatively affordable. Jamie peeks in and catches a ballroom dancing class and is like WHAT IS THAT GET ME IN THERE and moms see what they can do. Turns out they'd need to become members (I'm pretty sure they are in the actual game but SHHHHHH, it's a fic, and I'm trying to make a STATEMENT here about what I know about ballroom dancing) and the class prices on TOP of the membership price are just astronomical. They absolutely can't afford it. Poor Jamie's sad and doesn't understand (she's like, 6,) so moms sign her up for general dance classes at the local studio. Not ballroom, her first dance love, but close.

Cut to the beginning of the game timeline-wise, and Jamie's performing in her dance recital. She's absolutely in love with dancing and is VERY talented. Anyway, after the recital, in the lobby, Jamie's awkwardly approached by a strange man who shoves 20 bucks in her face and asks her to be his son's dance partner. She's like uhhhhh, stranger.... danger? And she runs away before he can fully explain himself. Runs back into the theater, comes across boy with green hair and glasses. Get to talking, finds out he's the dude's son. Son kinda sorta explains his dad teaches dance and he used to co-own a studio back where they came from, and boy's been dancing since he can remember. But, boy seems kinda sad about it. Through a combination of Cove's explanation and Cliff eventually approaching moms and being less weird and awkward (love Cliff,) Jamie finds out he's a former ballroom dancing competitor turned teacher. Used to own a studio with his wife, they're not together anymore, and she's kept the studio. So, he has to start from scratch over here in Sunset Bird and form his own studio. He tried to inquire with The Cypress to use their studios to teach the classes, and the owners told him absolutely not, and shooed him off. But, the teacher, Mr. Suarez, told him if he could prove he's a skillful teacher, he could put in a good word and get him in. So, he's going to use his only student, his son, and find him a partner. He says Jamie was the best dancer he saw today, so he wants her to be Cove's new partner.

And, Jamie's like, um, YES? Cove seems shockingly sad about it initially, but Cove and Jamie hit it off almost immediately. Jamie picks up ballroom real quickly, and they enter a competition against some of Mr. Suarez's students, including his own son, Derek. Jamie and Cove SWEEP and are FANTASTIC, and not only does Gregorio allow Cliff to use the space, but they eventually become business partners, running ballroom dancing classes that are specifically affordable and accessible to the average person, as well as being a bit more daring, fun, and modern in their styles compared to the traditional Cypress classes.

Meanwhile, the underdogs from Cliff and Gregorio's classes go up against the hoity-toity rich kids that can afford the members-only classes, and Jamie and Cove begin to cross paths with certain partners consistently, like an especially captivating and elegant pair with a boy with grayish hair...

Story follows the basic plotline of the game from there! Cove and Jamie are only close, close, nearly inseparable friends in this one, with Derek being the only other possible love interest. It's essentially your classic competitors to intriguing acquaintances to friends to lovers to exes to enemies to begruding acquaintances to friends to lovers with lots of dancing, both ballroom and otherwise. We'd get more into Baxter's background, his parents, and Golden Grove in general, and the story would HIGHLY DEVIATE from Step 4 to allow room to fully center dance in some form. Also, YES. Every one of Jamie's friends are involved in ballroom in some way, shape, or form except for her immediate family in this au. Everybody's dancin'.

Would anybody be interested in something like this? My ADHD means it will almost definitely not happen, but figured I'd throw my ideas out into the horizon since I haven't been able to get it out of my head for literal MONTHS. Whaddaya think?

[divineerdrick]

Warhammer 40,000 Balance Changes for December 11, 2024: Xenos

Aeldari

The former menace of the edition is still a shadow of what it once was. The only good thing I can say about Eldar is that the internal balance seems to be really good right now, with no “must have” units and a lot of variation between lists. But they definitely need some help. Still with their Codex announced, I'm wondering if GW will address much here.

And with a Codex around the corner, there are no rules changes for Aeldari in the Balance Dataslate. So they'll have to get their help from the MFM. Aeldari players got an updated index, but it's just a past change being added.

But there is no help for them in the MFM either. Not a single change. Like many other armies, they can potentially benefit from the rest of the meta tanking, and they do have a shiny new vehicle detachment. But I think this is still bad news. Hopefully they'll get their new Codex soon.

Drukhari

Last MFM, I started by saying Drukhari didn't really need much in the way of nerfs. At most GW could give them a love tap and they'd probably be fine. But when I saw their points changes, I argued they got hit worst of any faction. And the data bares that out. The only reason Drukhari is showing any results at all is because of a few dedicated faction specialists. They are otherwise really hurting.

The nerfs were targeted at Skysplinter, and they did indeed hurt that detachment. Now the faction is reliant on their original Index detachment again. The only quirk I want to note is that Drukhari are one of the few armies with good Aircraft still.

However, any help looks like it will have to come from the MFM. While the changes in the Balance Dataslate don't affect any Drukhari strats that I see, they don't get any new buffs there either. Drukhari has a newly updated Index, but there don't seem to be any actual changes to it.

And wow! Just wow! What is going on here? Now I understand some of the conspiracy theories I'm seeing around the faction. The Void Raven bomber I get. Well, that's not true, I don't get it. But it's at least consistent with GW's apparent policy that Aircraft shouldn't be showing up on competitive tables. But Scourges getting another nerf is brutal. They're one of Drukhari's few forms of solid anti armour. And was anyone actually taking Grotesques? Wracks go down a point a model, but I don't think that moves the needle much. Drukhari are already hurting, and they're going to be hurting more.

Leagues of Votann

The Kin have some good stats to them, but they're still a niche faction. They're also still relatively new, so they don't have dedicated specialists with multiple editions under their belts yet. We can see this in the trouble they're having in reaching top tables. And, as we'll keep saying for a while I'm sure, they really need more units. Nearly all their datasheets regularly see play, because there just aren't many to pick from.

Oathband is another Detachment with an Armour of Contempt style strat, so they have to take a nerf too. They otherwise aren't seeing anything in the Dataslate or their new Index download.

For the MFM, Thunderkyn are going down 5 pts for 3 models. These are a less used unit for the faction, so this is a pretty nice internal balance change. Considering that Leagues of Votann are a solid army, and other factions above them are being brought down, this is potentially really good news for them.

Orks

While Ork players are occasionally seeing success, on the whole the faction is struggling. After being on the receiving end of the dreaded triple nerf, they just can't seem to make an impact. There are some positive signs though. While War Horde is probably still the best detachments, undoing some of the nerfs to Mega Nobz seem to have Bully Boyz in a much better position again. Additionally, there's a mad lad who's still running around with Green Tide. But while some players try to get Dread Mob to work, none have succeeded. And nobody is touching Kult of Speed or Da Big Hunt.

But Orks have finally gotten a buff they have wanted for some time now. You now Call the Waaagh! in your Command phase! Your opponent now has to play the game knowing you can buff your army on your turn, instead of getting a full turn to react if they're going first. Bully Boyz have had their rule changed to match too.

Da Big Hunt can now just select any Character as the target of their hunt by default. Dat One's Even Bigga! gets a nice boost too, now just granting your unit Advance and Fall Back and Charge. And if you target your Prey, you get to re-roll the Charge roll. Finally Ghazghkull's buff now just refers to the Waaagh! being active instead of being called that round.

This is a nice start for the Orks!

The MFM does bring a little bad news. Both Warboss datasheets have gone up 10 pts. Honestly this is probably fine with the changes to the Army Rule. And that's honestly the change that matters most. I think Orks are in for some fun now!

T'au Empire

Tau aren't in the best place, but they're definitely still a good faction. Their internal balance could definitely use some love though. Basically it's Ret Cadre or bust, unless you happen to be the mad lad winning games with Kroot. Similarly, Battlesuits may be a little too good right now, especially Enforcers, Sunforges, and Stealth Suits.

The Balance Dataslate says no changes for Tau, but don't let that fool you. Ret Cadre's Shortened Blade strat gets the nerf to 6”. A meaningful nerf considering how much space a Crisis brick can take up.

Okay! Who took the Tiger Shark off their shelves? No! Bad! Stop that! It's up 50 pts. I hope you're happy!

Joking aside, no news is good news. The nerf to Shortened Blade probably hurts them a bit more than other similar stratagems. But on the whole the meta is going to get tighter, and Tau should be just fine in that environment.

Tyranids

It is a good time to be Tyranid player! We have good stats. You can win with nearly all of our detachments. Hell! We've already seen a tournament win from Warrior Bioform Onslaught! Our Datasheets still need some love though. Most of them really aren't seeing play.

For starters, Tyranids do have an Armour of Contempt stratagem in the form of Synaptic Nexus's Reinforced Hive Node. So that takes a nerf. However Assimilation Swarm gets a nice buff. Harvesters no longer need to be on or controlling objectives to use their ability. The amount they heal is also up to D3+1. Additionally, while Mawlocs still aren't Harvesters, Norn Assimilators now are. So that's at least one more Harvester for that detachment. Trygons, however, get the relevant rewording to their ability similar to Aquilons.

And the MFM is nothing but good news! We might be able to dust off some unused units and get them on the board again. Both Norn bioforms are down 15 pts, Trygons are down 20 pts, and Tyrant Guard have gone down 5 pts/3 models. And with Sisters, Guard, and GSC all taking serious nerfs, we can only stand to gain. It's a good day to be a part of the Great Devourer.

[thetruearchmagos]

Alright I have been working on this off and on for months. I need help. I want to decide what rank Alyss had in the Ritanian Army because I have a scene in mind but it depends on her rank how it goes. So, Alyss is from the working class, but has considerably more education than the average person. She enters the army with some weapons training, primarily shooting and polearms from the Church, she can read, write, and do math easily, and she has fire magic which is basically like martial arts training. I am going to assume that she enlists as just a private, but probably gets promoted at least once in the two years of fighting she is involved with. Would it be reasonable for her to be promoted early on to Lance Corporal for her clerking abilities, and possibly up to Corporal? I have no sense for how these things work. You are the expert I know.

HAHAHAHahahahaha yesss!!!

You, have come to the right blog!

Now, I foreshadowed a pretty hefty worldbuilding process to you earlier, but just in case things get in the way of that rabbit hole I wanted to come up with a short-ish, succinct-ish answer to your immediate question. That question being, as far as I can tell;

What 'rank' within the Ritanian Army would Alyss, a skilled commoner, attain by the end of a military career featuring at least 2 years of wartime combat service?

The answer that you seem to have now is 'Lance Corporal, maybe Corporal', and my reply would be that said ranks, or more accurately their equivalents in the Ritanian Army as you'd have it, are absolutely possible, given the details I outlined above.

Truth be told, there's a lot potentially going in favour of pushing her towards 'seniority' in general.

Don't You Know There's A War On?

If there's one thing that's sure to bring about rapid and unexpected career progression in the military, it's war!

Honestly, this accounts for about 90% of why I'm so firm in approving the ranks you've put forwards; if Alyss is even remotely competent, and lucky, there's a non-zero chance she attains both those ranks within the first year. (Lance) Corporal isn't exactly the big leagues, and if the pre-War soldiers holding those ranks in Alyss's unit get bumped off and she shows any talent at all, you could absolutely see her get field promoted to fill the slots mid-battle, albeit within a much-reduced unit. After that, it's a matter of not joining your predecessors.

On this topic, by the way, I recalled a lovely piece of historical trivia that had much to do with young bucks hungry for promotion, this time in the Royal Navy;

(She Has A) Special (Set Of) Skills

A subject I'd absolutely love to delve into the is the broad increase in the ratio of specialists and special skills VS 'the general infantry' in most militaries as they progress technologically. How exactly specialists function in Ritania depends on a lot of things, its state of technology (and magic!) among them, but a general rule is that the fewer people exist in the relevant 'pool' of potential people who could be promoted, the more likely specific (competent) person in it is to get promoted.

If, for example, the Army decides it needs to rapidly expand its corps of 'whatever Alyss's speciality is' (flame-troops, or something, right?) then all the people already in it might get bumped up and given the authority to whip new recruits into shape. On the other hand, if this is the sorta job that gets an above average number of people killed, then the rate of career progression for those still alive is correspondingly faster.

Miscellaneous

Outside of these two factors, there's a whole grab basket of stuff that might potentially work in Alyss's favour. One of them, again, is how relatively low the ranks you specified are; they're called 'junior Non-Commissioned Officers' for a reason, after all. To be quite honest, in two years and with my pretty optimistic guess at her competence I'm surprised she didn't make Sergeant (or equivalent). For comparison, here's something I found on the - peacetime! - US Army for promotion to Corporal, which for them is the 4th enlisted rank from the bottom.

A bit over two years in a 'modern' style of Army, and given what I mentioned above I think cutting down the timeline would be perfectly believable.

There's also some of her pre-Enlistment traits that you brought up. I'm a little suspect on whether most of them would impact her rate of advancement much, since they appear more likely to influence her actual vocation upon joining rather than what happens once she has. After that, a lot of them are likely to never be used or trained on, though that depends on just how specialised the Ritanian Army actually is, which is... something I'd love to talk about.

Literacy, then, might help, but that depends on both how prevalent literacy is across society, and whether or not the duties expected of an 'enlisted leader' would need that skill. Off the top of my head, I recall that one reason for aristocratic officer corps was that literacy was concentrated to that class only; if so few other 'rank' soldiers could be expected to be literate, an Army might just not bother to create pathways to allow them to get into a position where literacy was needed. Of course, if the case is not that extreme, but still one where literacy is limited, then it'd be the sort of trait that a professional Non-Commissioned Officer would need, and thus one looked for in troops. All of that, then, is one way in which the character and substance of a military is heavily dependent on the society that it exists within, a subject beyond the purview of this ask!

Though I will say, I can't imagine 'clerking' working out well for fast promotion, unless you meant 'administrative and organisational talent' more than 'actually being a full time adjudant or staff officer'. That whole track of the profession of arms is a crucial and fascinating one, but you don't often here tales of glory or heroic career arcs coming from those quarters; 'desk jobs' don't get half as much love as they deserve.

The Unknown... For Now!

With my answer in the 'Affirmative!' already given and explained, right now I'd just love to get into the weeds of all this even deeper and worldbuild the everloving crap out of the Ritanian Army and its career advancement process. Here's two questions I came up with that might help with articulating the actual promotion system Alyss would be going through;

Who gets to decide, and 'write down', a promotion? Are they exclusively processed by the Army's central personnel department, handed out by senior or direct commanders of a certain rank and office, or something with inputs from both? At higher ranks, it's not unusual for civilian leadership to oversee this process, but the average enlisted doesn't need to care about that.

What does it take to 'get' promoted? More specifically, is it a subjective process dependent on specific individuals decisions and perspectives, or a rigorous, standardised process with inflexible rules? Keeping in mind, of course, that it is ultimately people who execute such rules.

To end off this answer, which might I add was an absolute joy to write, I'd like to ask for two clarifications;

First of all, do you have a rank structure in mind already? Your use of Lance Corporal and Corporal suggested something pretty in line with how it's been IRL since Napoleon, but couldn't hurt to ask. I'm a bit of a sucker for unusual rank structures - screwing around with the Officer-Enlisted distinction always seemed cool, but as I mentioned above that'd be a whole discussion for another time.

Secondly, and on that topic... would Alyss have made a good officer, or in fact, been able to become one? Taking it very loosely, that is. Is Ritanian officership class-restricted? Literacy, like I mentioned, is the sort of quality that is exceptionally beneficial for long-service leaders. Of course, there might be a whole host of reasons personal and external which make this particular question moot - in which case, I'd love to hear them!

And with that... I'm done!

[theconstitutionisgayculture]

Concussions aren't an uncommon risk of playing volleyball and she would likely have gotten one regardless of the sex of the person who spiked a ball in her face. You know like most people who get hit in the head suffer concussions.

Most people who get hit in the head don't suffer concussions. If that were true, MMA fighters would be concussed in every fight and the sport would be banned. In volleyball, the concussion rate is 3.57 for every 10,000 "exposures", where exposures means practice or match. Which is pretty low for a sport. Football, for example, has about 11.6 concussions per exposure. Hell, I'll just put the chart up

It's harder to find data on professional leagues, but the rate I found for the NFL matches the 11.6 out of 10,000 shown for college football, so I'm going to assume the college numbers line up more or less with the professional league numbers for the rest of the sports too.

So no, not all hits to the head result in concussions.

The question is, does allowing biological men to compete in women's sports increase the risk of injury to biologically female athletes? If you want a comprehensive study, join the club, because none are being done. Probably partly because certain groups are scared about what the results might show, but also because letting men compete in women's sports is a relatively new phenomenon. We just don't have the data sets yet to say for sure one way or another. But we can look at situations like what happened to this volleyball player, and what happened with the trans female MMA fighter, and we can see the plethora of sports where biological men who couldn't compete with other biological men start playing women's sports and end up dominating, and see that there's definitely a basis for the concern. To say that there's no risk, or inherent unfairness, in letting men play women's sports is ridiculous. And if this nonsense isn't stopped, in a few years we'll have a wealth of data to go through to see just what those risks and unfairness are. If anyone has the balls to actually do the study.

[jessy-the-martian-girl]

Okay, I´ve finally finished it. And I've started on June, 2nd. This story was intended to be something short and fluffy, but it turned out bigger and with some sad themes (loss of a close relative in particular, and attempts at coping with it).

~5.7k words. Luis x OC.

Sorry for any mistakes and typos. Some things might seem weird - as I'm not completely sure if real people do talk like that.

Idea: Beach day with Luis.

Summary: Sea and cats are the best cure for the soul.

By the Sea at the Edge of Forever

“The sea is everything. It covers seven tenths of the terrestrial globe. Its breath is pure and healthy. It is an immense desert, where man is never lonely, for he feels life stirring on all sides. The sea is only the embodiment of a supernatural and wonderful existence. It is nothing but love and emotion; it is the Living Infinite. ”

― Jules Verne, Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea

- So, this is your hometown, eh? - Luis could not resist asking this question in the late evening, when the priority tasks were finished.

Other relatives and friends of Jessy's brother were notified of time and date of the funeral. The newfound cats were fed, the minimum cleaning in the apartment was done too. Even soothing tea was brewed and handed to a young dark-haired woman, who looked pretty upset by this sad event.

- Almost, - the girl who settled in Serra's arms smiled mirthlessly and, after taking a sip of tea, continued even without more questions. - My parents moved here when I was a little less than a year old. For the climate, they said. Sea air, and all that, you know...

- Speaking of sea air... Maybe we can go to any beach? - the Spaniard felt that he was treading on uneasy territory, but he also felt the urge to cheer up his girlfriend. - I once heard that cure for everything is salt water: tears, sweat and the sea...

Silence fell over the room. For a while, Jessica just sat there, clutching a mug of tea with both hands, as if trying to warm up her fingers. But when Serra was starting to worry that he might've crossed a line with this proposal, beyond which she would simply stop talking to him (just after asking him to leave), the girl emerged from her trance and finally answered.

- You know, I dig this idea of yours, - she turned a little in the ring of hands to see the face of her Spaniard. - I've had enough tears for now. There is one small beach here, quite secluded. I like it. But it's not easy to get to it, and your back...

- It's fine, mi luz, - Luis smiled at her reassuringly. - I'm in pretty good shape already, such a walk won't hurt me.

- Well, okay then, - still, Jessy decided to play it safe. - However, we can always change the route and stop at any other place on the coast. It's not the high season, so it's not like there will be no free space on the beach.

- ¡Bien! - the Spaniard beamed and hugged his girlfriend a little closer, mindful about the mug of hot tea in her hands. - Then we'll leave tomorrow morning.

The next morning came quickly. And while Luis was cooking breakfast, despite the cats' attempts to sabotage all the preparations (or, at least, to get these new people to take their feline friends with them wherever they were going), Jessy went on with packing stuff they would need. Surprisingly, this apartment still had some of her belongings, although she has not been living here for almost a year: working, traveling, getting stuck in that mess in Spain and staying by Serra's side at the hospital and even after that...

Two small backpacks readily accepted beach towels and a compact beach mat, sunscreen lotion, water and a light snack (sandwiches with butter and cheese, dates and a few oranges)... Besides, she managed to rearrange the contents of the backpacks so that Luis got a lighter one. The same stab wound on his back that almost ended his life was healed, of course, but doctor's orders were to avoid any serious strain until the end of the rehabilitation period. And there were at least a few more weeks before it, so the girl did not want to worsen the condition of the person so dear to her. Also she was used to go hiking with a backpack three times heavier and it was not a big deal for her.

Among her clothes left in this apartment brunette unexpectedly found men's swim shorts, which she once bought for herself as a part of beach outfit. But they remained brand new as Jessy never dared to wear this piece in public because of unusual design with pictures of turtles in various poses from the Kama Sutra. Luis, on the other hand, didn't have any problems with that, he just grinned at the offering and tried the shorts on to make sure it suited his size.

After having breakfast and, at Jessy's insistence, applying sunscreen on their faces and hands, the couple set off. At first they went by public transport almost to the outskirts of this small coastal town, and then by foot, along forest trails. They tried to keep slightly away from the wider road: though its condition was terrifying, there still were some reckless souls who seemingly enjoyed bumpy and dusty car rides.

On their way Serra chatted almost incessantly about all and everything at once. He even told a story how he learned to read animal tracks as a child. Then he asked something about the surrounding area, and, after listening to the answer, gave out a new bunch of questions. But as they came to the seashore, he stopped mid-sentence and stared in fascination at the expanse of water spreading before his eyes. Jessica sighed happily by his side - she had always harbored deep love for the sea, and now she was glad to share this love with someone significant.

- Well, hello, here we are, - the girl said softly, wiping away the welled up tears and not being afraid to seem ridiculous because of this and because of her words addressed to the majestic water element.

For some reason, she was absolutely sure that Luis *would understand* that. And he did, silently squeezing her cold fingers in his warm hands.

- Perhaps, we will have to walk in the water somewhere, and, please, be careful with stones, even large ones, - brunette gave out the warning on the rights of someone who had scouted all the surroundings in her childhood. - I was about six years old, and that stone seemed very reliable... As a result, twisted leg, slightly cut arms... And my dad and my brother took turns carrying me back to town.

At the mention of her relatives, Jessy´s voice quivered, but she managed to regain control of her emotions.

- Point taken, - the Spaniard nodded seriously, adjusted the straps of his backpack and, wincing from the short jolt of pain in his left arm, added with his usual charming smile. - Vamos, I can't wait to see that beach you were talking about with such a dreamy expression on your face.

And they headed to the border of the first beach, where the sand was almost hidden beneath rather large stones. Jessy was leading the way, maneuvering between those stones with ease, but never forgetting to cast a side glance at her companion to make sure that he was all right and that she wasn't too fast for him. Well, another reason for those glances was to take some sweet time to admire Serra's grace.

It turned out soon, that their's timing for such trip was not very great. The high tide period quickly had them taking off their shoes and rolling up their pant legs. However, the first water obstacle also had an unexpected effect: Jessica barely took a couple of steps only knee-deep in water and froze, feeling sudden dizziness and nausea. The water was so clear and shimmering that it was hard to understand what real depth lied ahead. Some underwater stones and common unevenness of the bottom only added to said effect of uncertainty. The brunette almost offered to turn back, unable to overcome this weakness combined with irrational fear of suddenly going under water, but then Luis was the first to step forward and, turning around, held out his hand to her.

- Hold tight and look at me, not at the water, - understanding and care were reflecting in his gray eyes, and confidence that nothing bad would happen.

Jessy nodded and, clutching to the offered hand, also took a step. She almost went off balance immediately, but Luis never allowed her to fall, simply pressing her to his chest and letting to wait out this dizzy spell. Her next step was much more confident, but she never let go of her Spaniard's hand. Fortunately, there wasn't much distance left to go, and just a little bit longer before their intended destination.

The entrance to that small beach was partially covered by a pile of stones — and without knowing that there was a passage there, it could be easily missed. Jessica confidently dived into this very passage, waving to Serra to keep up. To a casual observer it would seem as if they had vanished into the barrier. And there they were met by light sea breeze, gentle sun and salty spray. The couple could also hear the even roar of the surf, accompanied by the rustle of stones carried away by the waves. And absolutely black sand was quite striking addition to the view.

- Vaya, - the Spaniard breathed out in pure fascination. - How beautiful...

- It is, - the girl responded quietly, leaning into her man's shoulder. - I've missed this place so much...

They dropped the backpacks and set up the place for their base camp, spreading the beach mat and pinning it down with suitable cobbles so that it wouldn't be blown away.

- There is a natural pool of a kind here, that area surrounded by rocks, about waist-deep for me... The water usually warms up faster in there, - and Jessica fell silent, realizing that yesterday she was so desperate for any kind of distraction that she did not even ask what exactly they plan to do on the beach. - By the way... You *can* swim, right?

- Only in fresh water, - Luis, who has already managed to pull off his shirt and jeans and even settle on the mat, saw the mentioned "pool" and smiled in anticipation. - There was a swimming pool at the uni, and we didn't always have our lake contaminated with that... thing. But I haven't got a chance to swim in the sea yet.

- It's said it's easier to swim in salty water, it pushes you to the surface, - the girl relaxed a bit and reached for a bottle of sunscreen. - Do you want me to help with your back? The forecast said that sun can be quite active today.

- And why only my back is worthy of your attention? - the Spaniard pretended to be indignant, nevertheless obediently turning over on his stomach. - What about the rest parts of my body?

- Well, if you insist... - Jessy readily played along, squeezing the lotion onto the man's back and applying it with confident movements on his shoulders and neck, trying not to disturb that new scar under his left shoulder blade. Skin at that place was still too sensitive.

She even touched top of his ears with the lotion out of an old habit, explaining to Serra, who jerked in surprise, that people rarely think that such body parts need protection too, and sunburned ears are really unpleasant experience.

- The only thing worse is getting the scalp sunburned in the parting, - the girl giggled, recalling that *unforgettable* experience of hers. - Moreover, no one believes you when you get sunburns in such weird places. So, roll over and let's continue.

A new portion of the sunscreen was squeezed on a broad chest with the older scar, and soft hands got back to work — gently rubbing the lotion onto chest, arms, stomach... Throughout the process gray eyes were never turning away from brunette's slightly smiling face. However, when those hands slipped on his sides, Serra tried to squirm out from under the light touches.

- Don't, Jess, - the man pleaded through involuntary laughter. - Por favor...

- Sorry, sunshine, - the girl quickly removed her hands and gently touched the tip of her beloved's nose with her finger, leaving a little bit of lotion there. - I guess, you'd better finish this on your own.

While Serra was finishing with his face and legs, his companion got rid of her T—shirt and hiking pants, fished out from her backpack another bottle with a sunscreen of higher SPF, and began to apply the protective coating. With her rather pale skin using a more powerful remedy was quite a logical choice.

- And now it's your turn, - the Spaniard almost purred, not even trying to hide a playful glint in his eyes. - Get down and hand me your lotion.

Jessica stretched out on the beach mat with a smile, exposing her back to the man who knelt next to her, ready to return the favor. Suddenly it dawned on Jessy that she really trusted Luis. Not forcing herself to trust him - it was simply there. During their "Spanish adventure" she had absolutely no time to stop and muse about such things, but now the realization has finally caught up with her.

She only instinctively tensed for a second when deft fingers unhooked the top of her swimsuit. It was a public place, after all, and she was not quite ready for being that explicit. It felt just like a quick test for developed trust, so Jessy relaxed. Luis still noticed her reaction and stopped to explain his intentions.

- This is just to cover all of your skin, - his words did not diverge from the deed, with strong hands smoothly sliding along the curves of the female body, carefully wrapping it with an even layer of sunscreen. - The straps and belt are too thin, if they shift, you won't like the outcome.

- Been there, done that, - the brunette admitted with a stifled chuckle, patiently waiting until the Spaniard hooked everything back, in order to roll over on her back and put her chest and stomach under his caring hands.

Of course, she could have managed on her own from that point, but it felt so nice to be taken care of, that the girl just mentally shushed her inner voice and allowed herself to revel in such an uncommon feeling.

They chatted a bit more, while waiting for the sunscreen to "cure" on their skin. Jessy shared a couple of funny sea-related stories from her past. Though shocked expression on Spaniard's face openly hinted her that the particular story about her almost drowning at the age of five was not that funny as it seemed to her.

- Hey, it was okay, - she tried to lighten the mood. - My dad was close by. He plucked me out of water in no time. It was not enough time for me even to get scared.

- I just can't imagine that I could've never met you, if it wasn't for your dad... - Serra whispered, slightly shaking his head and reaching with his hand to touch the shoulder of his vis-à-vis as if to make sure she was still real.

- But I made it to this day nonetheless, - brunette shrugged and smiled warmly.

After a few more minutes of silence Luis easily got to his feet and stretched out his hand to Jessica, helping her to get up. Then he pulled her towards the "natural pool", not letting go of girl's hand. The water, however, was not yet fully warmed up, but it already felt quite pleasant. And it was much, much warmer than in the mountain creeks in the wilderness of Valdelobos, as the Spaniard mentally noted.

As soon as Jessy was knee-deep in the water, she stopped for a while and took a deep breath, taking some time to adjust to the temperature. And then, gently freeing her hand from Serra's hold, she pushed off from the sandy bottom and slid into the water with a soft exclamation. The first dive after a long break was always a little uncomfortable for her and required some efforts. After taking a couple of strokes, the girl swiftly turned over on her back, exposing her face to the sun and letting the water catch her. Fortunately, there were no big waves this time.

Luis followed suit right away, relaxing on his back close by and just occasionally touching his girlfriend's hand or shoulder with his own. His pose was an expression of a tacit agreement for "no active long-distance swims yet".

After floating in the water like this for a little, they slowly swam together to the stone borderline that separated this small lagoon from the open sea. The couple settled there, enjoying beautiful views of the sea or their secluded beach.

Jessica, in gentle reverie, admired how small waves rolled over hardly visible rocks in the water and crashed on the shore. And Luis, amazed by the transparency of the water, tried to look at the bottom of their improvised pool — his gaze was captivated by nimble fish, colorful starfish, colonies of shellfish and corals. Suddenly, an unusually shaped shell lying a little further away caught his eye, and Serra decided to dive for it to get a better look. It took him a few tries, and it also got Jessy's attention. Finally resurfacing with the loot, Luis turned the find over in his hands, then handed it to his girl. She put the shell on the palm of her hand, but suddenly, with an ouch, shook off the object of study into the water.

- What's wrong? - Serra asked, with concern evident in his voice.

- Something pinched me, - the brunette was obviously embarrassed by her own reaction. - Not that it hurts much, more like I just didn't expect it...

The Spaniard examined Jessy's palm for possible damage, then looked for this shell again. When he spotted it, he carefully knelt down, plunging into the water almost up to his shoulders, and took the shell out, turning its aperture to the light. Something with pincers was clearly stirring inside.

- Oh, so it's one of the Paguroidea species, - Luis smiled involuntarily. - I didn't think they can be found here too. - A hermit crab? - Jessica instantly forgot about her palm and, literally hanging on the Spaniard's shoulders, stared curiously at the shell resident, who was clearly dissatisfied with such intense attention. - This is the first time I've ever seen one, not on TV, not in the aquarium and not in the encyclopedia. Awesome!

- They are usually not aggressive to bigger opponents, - Serra nodded, watching how a representative of marine fauna menacingly moved its claw. - We seem to have just scared this one. - Let's put it back to its natural habitat then, - Jessica expressed their shared thought, adding with a chuckle. - As long as it doesn't come back to bite our heels for this.

- It'll rather be glad that it was released and will not risk another encounter, - Luis laughed heartily, arranging the shell in the water closer to the stone barrier.

The girl also laughed at this joke and hugged her man as he swam closer to her again.

- You know, it's warmer around you, - the Spaniard suddenly remarked in a soft voice, returning the hug. - You're like a little sun with an aura of warmth. To hide her embarrassment at such a compliment, Jessy splashed this eloquent subject and, with a laugh, twisted out of his hands, trying to swim away. This unexpected childishness resulted in a small water duel, which ended in a draw. Or, as the girl proclaimed: "friendship always wins!" - after which, with her arms outstretched, she fell backwards into a small wave, raising a cloud of salty spray... only to be almost immediately back in the firm embrace. Luis was glad that his crazy idea worked and his querida is still able to enjoy simple things. Even after such great loss. Only the shadow of guilt lurking in her hazel eyes kept him a bit worried. He himself had only one night *then*. Afterwards there was no time: his studies and the need to provide his living completely absorbed even hints of free time for several years. He managed, and developed the mask of “a good-for-nothing guy, who happens to be quite a ladies' man”. And under that mask there was an acute, painful sense of guilt: he was not there, he could not help, he did not prevent... Now his own experience seemed to be quite useful. Luis could roughly imagine the direction of his girl's thoughts, and see where it would be possible to intervene and lend her a shoulder. After all, even the strongest and most hardy at some point may break down.

- Let's go back to the shore and get some sun? - the brunette, who went quiet in his arms, offered hesitantly.

Her fingers were absentmindedly tracing some patterns on his chest, and it was... rather pleasant.

- I like the idea, mi vida, - Serra planted soft kiss on his girlfriend's temple and pushed her in the right direction. - A snack would be nice too.

The sea did not quite share their intentions, trying to knock the pair down, like a too playful puppy would, and then drag them back into its depth. Thankfully, it was much easier to get out together.

After drying off with beach towels, the couple paid the closest attention to their food supplies. Sandwiches with cheese and dates were delicious, although the sea air usually made everything tastier anyway. And Luis was very surprised, when Jessica took out a thermos with green tea - the most unexpected and uncommon option for a picnic on the beach. However, it turned out that she forgot to take mugs, and they only had the lid of the said thermos at their disposal.

- One for two is a great option, - Serra stated with a playful grin, deliberately taking a sip so that his lips touched this "mug" in the same place as his companion's.

- I'm glad that we share this opinion, - the girl returned both the gesture and the smile. - An orange for a dainty?

- Sure! - the Spaniard grabbed their improvised mug with his left hand so that Jessica could peel the citrus, but then his shoulder was pierced by a sharp pain and his fingers went numb and weak, forcing the man to hiss through clenched teeth. - Mierda...

The girl with a soft cry threw another small towel over the spilled tea and scurried behind Luis's back. He was clutching his hurting limb to his chest and it was such a vivid and unexpected reminder of the past injury.

- Guess, I've overestimated my condition... - the Spaniard's voice sounded strained.

- The doctor warned me that you might still have twinges like this from time to time, - Jessy's hands confidently glided over his aching muscles, starting from the upper back, stroking, pressing harder, kneading carefully. - He was talking about build-up of scar tissue as a possible cause. Now, it should get better... And the pain really subsided, yielding slowly to firm but gentle touches. When Serra's back finally relaxed under her fingers, brunette sighed with relief and pressed a small kiss upon that creepy scar. She remembered how they had to cauterize the wound with the same plaga removal laser, wrecking all the settings and restoring them again to get rid of those parasites. All because there was nothing left to sew up the wound with.

Shaking off those memories, girl wrapped her arms around Luis, pulling him a bit closer. He, in response, covered the palms that settled on his chest with his own and slightly leaned back, sinking into that warm embrace. - Gracias, querida mía, - his fingertips slid over her forearms in a tender caress. - I hope I didn't scare you too much... - I was more scared when you passed out on the operating table in your own lab, under my hands, - the girl admitted with a nervous laugh, carefully moving to her former place next to Luis and snuggling against his side. - As of today... Thank goodness, that the tea was not boiling hot. We'll do just fine without any burns.

After calming down a little, she finally peeled an orange, handed it to the Spaniard and reached for the second one, this time for herself. She noticed the fact that Serra was willing to share only when a slice of orange was already touching her lips. Jessica did not turn down the treat, followed by the man's fingers weightlessly brushing over her lips, his warm palm resting comfortably on her cheek. She smiled and leaned slightly into Serra's touch, turning her face to him for a kiss with an orange-salty taste.

The kiss was short though and when their lips parted, the couple just finished their snacks and went to lie down on the beach mat, snuggling side by side. Pebbles rustled softly, carried by the waves along the bottom, gulls cried in the sky, sunlight caressed the skin... Luis and Jessy were having fun cloud-gazing, sunglasses in place. Strings of fantastic images floated through the sky above them, driven by the wind: a large turtle, a dancing couple, a kitten playing with a ball of yarn, "Enterprise NCC-1701", that space station "Babylon 5", a sailboat, a dragon, an archer...

Soon the wind changed and brought in black clouds. Noticing this, Jessica reluctantly offered to call it a day and, as soon as their swimsuits were completely dry, slowly move towards their temporary home. Even if it wasn't supposed to rain, weather forecasts did not always pass the reality check.

To pass the wait a little, the girl sat up and reached for a small pointed pebble. She drew several lines on a larger flat stone with it. To Luis's surprise, these lines stood out on the black surface in a gray-brownish color, though the pebble was black too. The first clumsy lines were gradually turning into a simple silhouette of a lighthouse above the sea.

- Hey, you're good, - the Spaniard smiled upon seeing the final picture.

- Nah, I can't draw, - the girl dismissed his comment with ease, throwing her pebble "pencil" into the wave that ran ashore. - That's just my itchy fingers, nothing more.

- I dare to disagree on this statement, - Serra squinted slyly, taking the flat stone with a drawing from the brunette's hand before she sent it into the water too. - A little more practice, and it will no longer be "good", but "excelente".

In response, Jessica vaguely shrugged and, picking up another handful of dark pebbles, consistently sent them into the water, immersing in her thoughts. However, she was not allowed to stay like that for a long time and was soon distracted. Drying off after sea bathe, her hair fluffed up a little, curling and framing Jessy's face with a light-brown halo, trying to get into her eyes and mouth. Second distraction was Luis, who plucked a long blade of grass, and took part in the fun mini-game "tickle-a-friend". The Spaniard was quickly caught doing this, but at a reproachful stare, he just smiled broadly and stretched out his hand to smooth his companion's disheveled hair, which only resulted in another hug.

With all this childishness in action, time to go back home came swiftly. Their swimsuits finally dried out, the wind grew stronger, the sea became stormy... Luis and Jessy had to hurry up with packing, yet the first drops of rain caught them almost at the forest edge. Luckily, it gave them a chance to hide from such weather under the green dome of branches, at least for a while.

They still had to run from the forest to the bus stop to avoid getting soaked to the skin. However, it didn't help much. But when Luis and Jessy got back to the neighborhood where they lived at the moment, it looked like there was no rain there at all. After exchanging puzzled glances and quickly assessing their appearance a la "we went swimming in our clothes", they both burst out laughing. That attracted the attention of a passerby who turned out to be one of Jessy's distant relatives. And that man didn't hesitate to express his disapproval for such behavior of the girl in mourning for someone as significant as her own brother. Jessica visibly stiffened from being scolded, her guilt rearing its ugly head again. Serra noticed this change in his girlfriend's mood, and realized that he neither can nor should tolerate it. He stepped forward, as if trying to shield his girl from unpleasant conversation with his body. It was hard to contain his anger, but Luis mustered the calmest tone he was capable of at the moment. He was not aiming for a fight after all.

- I don't know about you lot, but I personally prefer that miss Jonzz here stayed among living, - he added more menacing undertone to his voice, pinning the other man with a slightly disgusted glare. - And not cried herself into heart attack or cardiac arrest just to maintain someone's else believes of how it's appropriate to grieve.

This rebuke somehow silenced an uninvited do-gooder and forced him to beat a hasty retreat. As soon as this person disappeared from sight, Serra turned to face brunette and gently pushed her chin up with one hand just to meet her unsure hazel eyes with his steel gray ones.

- It's not your fault, Jess, - Spaniard's tone was all about firm, but gentle care mixed with a tint of worry. - You are absolutely allowed to take care of yourself under any circumstances. Remember that, por favor.

- I know, - Jessy tried to smile, almost successfully, and to shook off the dreadful feeling of guilt's filthy paws reaching to claim her soul. - I... I'm okay. Let's go, Luis?

- Sure thing, cariño, - with a wide smile Serra swung his hand over girl's shoulders and pulled her into the right direction. - Our new cats must be waiting us already!

The cats were really waiting, and their patience was finally rewarded. Chirrups, squeaky little trills and cute meows filled the space of the murky apartment, making both Luis and Jessy smile and giggle at such enthusiasm. In fact, little calico cat and his gray brother acted like they knew that right now their humans needed all the positive attention they could provide. Gray one even tried to climb up Serra's leg, but was quickly and gently picked up and placed over Spaniard's shoulder. Meanwhile calico cat sniffed and licked at Jessica's ankles, as soon as she took off her shoes, of course.

- Hey, fur baby, it tickles, - brunette laughed and knelt down to pet this welcoming committee. - I know, I know: you and your little brother missed us.

Smiling to another almost shy meow, Jessica stood up and, after asking Luis if he didn't mind, headed to the shower, to wash off sea salt and sand still stuck on her skin. Serra wished he could join, but this bathroom was too small for two, so he stayed behind to occupy cats' attention instead.

He scooped up the second cat and sank into the nearest (and only) armchair. Those cats, although young, were very skilled at common cats' things, and they've purred their new man into light sleep in no time. When Jessy was done, she came right to a snooze-town. The sight was heartwarming and peaceful, but to shower was a must, so the girl had to wake Luis up.

Brunette watched her loved one go, yawning and carefully pulling off his shirt on the way. Cats yawned in sync and jumped down from the armchair. The movement caught Jessy's eye and she noticed a book with colorful cover lying on the floor. She changed from her bathrobe into T-shirt and funny shorts with TMNT print, then reached to pick that book up and smiled fondly at it's name: “50 best baking recipes from around the world”. It was her gift for her brother's last birthday. This memory made Jessy's heart sank again, and she quickly flipped through a few pages to detach herself from this sorrow for just a bit longer. The girl checked out some recipes and stopped at one, baked churros. It seemed pretty easy to cook, and all ingredients were present in the fridge.

- Oh, temptations... - Jessica sighed softly after considering some other options from this book.

- Are you talking about me, mi amor?

Her train of thought was interrupted by Luis, refreshed and relaxed... and wearing only a towel around his hips. His hair still slightly wet from the shower and his smile as charming as usual - a real eye candy.

- And about you, too, - Jessy couldn't help, but smile in response.- But, actually, I've been thinking about trying this recipe... What do you think?

- Sounds great, - Serra pushed the damp hair out of his face and headed to change into something more suitable, than a towel. - Wait for me.

He was rather fond of this idea for even more quality time together, and it worked out pretty well.

As the late day gradually turned into early evening, sorrow, that was almost perceptible the day before, finally shrunk and hid in the darkest corner of the apartment. Combined efforts of Luis and two impish kitties left no chances for it to overtake again.

The rest of the evening went pleasantly and peacefully, with tea and home-baked churros, and heartwarming talks on the sofa. Cats tried their best too, singing cats' songs, kneading and even clawing lightly at their humans' limbs. And after a while tiredness, mixed with loud purring lulled Jessy to sleep.

Tight embrace of her beloved Spaniard, his steady heartbeat, and her feeling secured helped the matter too.

Luis smiled gently at the girl lying in his arms, and closed his eyes too, drifting off to sleep. Both cats immediately seized the opportunity to pin their humans to the sofa for more feline comfort, and the apartment went silent.

This spontaneous beach day turned out to be the much needed breather for Jessy. A little something to make future look brighter and less hopeless for her, even with all those unwanted changes. It was easier to believe now, that she won't be struggling with everything on her own. And it became plainly obvious that she was not alone anymore. They were not alone.

[eliteoftheskies]

( @taraka-at-naranjauva )

You look cool…so, what’s your home like?

Oh, how flattering, thank you!

Hm... I can't be certain if you're referring to the Hyrule region as a whole or my own home, so I'll discuss both.

The Hyrule region is an incredibly diverse place in terms of both climate and the peoples you can find within it. To the northeast, you may find a volcano, rather originally (and aptly) named Death Mountain. Only Fire-types and Gorons can spend much time outside there when it is erupting, and while as a rule the Pokemon League tries not to restrict trainers from traveling, when it is legitimately dangerous without special equipment, we really try to make sure trainers have that equipment before they go there and risk burning to death. (The Goron Gym may be found near the summit of the volcano, even higher up than Goron City, but they maintain several buildings near all the major routes into that part of Hyrule to make sure that people are ready to go up there.)

Maybe they should call it Death Mountain Gym. Or just Death Gym. It would make my job keeping idiots from getting themselves and their Pokemon from being set on fire so much easier...

Directly to the west of Death Mountain, you can find the Great Hyrule Forest. Korok Gym is deep within its depths, and trainers are not normally allowed to venture into the forest without a guide. Fortunately, there are a lot of guides. Unfortunately, a lot of particularly foolish individuals tend to try their luck without a guide, and subsequently find themselves getting very lost. The guides make a sweep of the forest every couple of days, or sooner if any lost trainers have smarter friends who let them know that their friends are missing.

To the southeast, you may find Hateno Town, Kakariko Town, and Zora's Domain, all of which also play host to gyms. Hateno Town also has the dubious honor of being our new Champion's hometown, as well as home to Professor Purah's Lab. The professor is willing to give a Sheikah Slate as well as a starter Pokemon to anyone fifteen years of age or older that does not already have a Pokemon of their own—I have only recently persuaded her to grant me a Sheikah Slate of my own, and can now confirm that, in addition to the Pokedex app, these pieces of technology also include several games (such as five-dimensional chess with multiverse time travel, a game where one attempts to figure out where in Hyrule a picture was taken, and solitaire) and the capability for unlimited storage.

...Also, this strange manner of connectivity by the name of Rotomblr. Given how new I was told it was, I'm rather surprised that there are so many others here already...

Not that I'm complaining, it's nice to be appreciated!

Hateno Town also has a gym, though it is far from common knowledge how to access it and who the leader is. I won't be revealing that particular secret here.

Then we have Kakariko Town, which—owing to its relative nearness to Hateno Town as well as its gym leader's connection to the regional professor—tends to be the first gym most aspiring trainers take on. It's a quiet place, even with trainers traveling through, and even with the many businesses that have sprung up to cater to beginning trainers.

Zora's Domain is a very pretty place. It is also a very wet place, and I can't say that I particularly enjoy being drenched as I so often am when I pay a visit, so typically when League business requires one of us to go there, I strongly encourage Mipha to be the one to go.

It isn't as if she needs much encouragement. She was the gym leader there before her brother.

Then, I suppose... to the southwest, we have Gerudo Town and the gym there, as well as... whatever is going on with the Karusa Gym these days. I was there recently and I still don't know what is going on with it, but despite it being a gym ostensibly specializing in Dark-types they really, really seem to like Tropius in particular.

Between the Gerudo Gym and the Karusa Gym, while one can in theory take on the various gyms in any order, in practice a lot of trainers tend to take on those two last, including the new Champion.

I may be a Flying-type specialist, but I have to say, I'm still rather impressed by that Garchomp... Patricia, I believe her nickname was?

Then, of course, in the northwest of Hyrule, we have the most important gym of all: Rito Gym! It is in my hometown, and while I no longer run it myself, I can confidently say that it was left in very capable wings when I moved on to the Elite Four.

I don't spend much time in Rito Town these days—while I'm of course more than capable of making such a flight to commute back and forth, it is a long flight and there is no reason for me to make it daily when I can instead live and work in Castle Town, the city built around the Pokemon League countless years ago upon its founding.

...In all honesty it is more than big enough to qualify as a city, but tradition is tradition I suppose...

Of course, we are still rebuilding in the wake of... recent incidents... but that does not affect the Pokemon League, and the new Champion is very much available for challenges. Look for the castle, and don't mind how... er, damaged... it looks in places. Fixing people's actual living accommodations is a slightly higher priority than keeping up appearances for us. You understand.

Thank you very much for your ask~

[twinhood-2dot0]

Psychology of Superheroes

Good evening Alex , I forgor and now i'm pressed for time and have no idea what to write :(. Luckily, I've been reading the New 52 Batgirl series so that gave me this idea. So, people have this weird thing where they think comics are for kids. Sure, they may have started off as a kids' thing, but the comics nowadays are much, much more mature, and I'm a DC fan, who're called the darker franchise, which I get, but more so because of the Zack Snyder movies (which I love, but WHY THE HELL IS MAN OF STEEL SO DARK??? SUPERMAN IS THE BEACON OF HOPE AND THE CHEERY GUY ON THE JUSTICE LEAGUE although Henry Cavill slays the role, okay, back to the topic) and TDK trilogy, and DC has, like, so many R-rated movies and series, but DC does have it's comedy, like Shazam!, The Suicide Squad, Harley Quinn and such, anyways, on to the psychology of the comic book characters.

Batgirl

As my favourite character, I'm gonna be talking about her first. Barbara Gordon had a relatively mild childhood, uncharacteristic of a Bat, but, she did have a psychopathic brother and her mother left early on because of him. Being the daughter of the commissioner has it's drawbacks as showcased in the highly controversial graphic novel Batman: The Killing Joke. One of the issues people have with the comic is the crippling (and much more I really don't want to talk about) of Babs by the Joker just to further Batman's character. She did not let it get the best of here though, and took the role of Oracle, an information broker to the Batfam and the Justice League. She also mentored Cassandra Cain, the new Batgirl, which I also loved, relationships in comics just hit different for me.

Come New 52, DC's reboot of the whole franchise in 2011, controversially, gave Barb the use of her legs back with a neural implant. She was an icon for the differently-abled community, and fans were understandably upset at DC for backpedaling on it. However I think Gail Simone handled it pretty well as she did not just erase her history, she's shown with survivor's guilt for being able to walk again, and doubting herself as Batgirl again, but, that's just my two cents, I'm not the best person to comment on it. The comic was relaunched in 2014 however, which I'm not a big fan of, so far, I've only read 4 issues though, but I don't know, it just didn't feel like a Barbara Gordon storyline to me, here's to hoping it gets better. Also, in the Rebirth relaunch, she's Batgirl for a while, before going back to the role of Oracle and mentor to the new Batgirls, Stephanie Brown and Cassandra Cain (yeah, after New 52, Cassie was never Batgirl, so she's the new Batgirl, again. If you think this is confusing, oh boy, DC's timeline is just plain broken). Funny story, fans of Steph sent waffles to DC HQ to get them to bring her back.

The rest of the Batfam

Everyone and their grandparents know Bruce Wayne's backstory, so I won't be getting into that. Dick Grayson, I've talked about before, but a few events I haven't talked about: Batman's (apparent) death in Final Crisis and the dilemma of the Batman legacy, Damian Wayne's death, who he saw as a brother, Jason Todd's death, also brotherly, Barbara's crippling, his on-again-off-again girlfriend and 2nd best couple in all of comics, his identity being revealed to the world in the Forever Evil storyline which I absolutely loved, one of the first comics I ever read and never understood anything then revisited recently and makes a ton more sense now. Oops, sorry, I'm bad at staying on topic. After Forever Evil he was forced to pretend to be dead and go undercover in Spyral, a, you guessed it, spy agency. Not really undercover, since everyone knew who he was, but he was there to report back to Batman. Also, don't ask me how no one connected the dots and wondered who Batman could be when the identity of Nightwing, frequent collaborator of Batman, and whose adoption lined up with his appearance as Robin, was revealed.

Jason Todd was a juvenile delinquent who was unfortunate enough to stumble upon Batman when he was depressed after Dick left. He also uh, died and was brought back to life, and resented Batman for not killing Joker and avenge him.

Tim Drake's parents were deadbeat and his father and girlfriend ended up dying. I'm really sorry, I've read like 3 comics featuring him lmao, I know very little about him. Even DC seems to forget him sometimes, and his secret identity is a mess. He was Robin, then he became Red Robin when Batman died and Damian became Robin, and, I'm not kidding, Drake. Yep, master detective, shown to be smarter than Batman, chose the secret identity of Drake. Sure, that's a bird name, BUT THAT'S ALSO YOUR LAST NAME YOU DOLT!

Damian Wayne was raised by an assassin to be an assassin and his dad dies very soon after he met him, and he also dies. Strong correlation between Robins and death.

Stephanie Brown's father is Cluemaster, a C-list supervillain who spent most of his life in jail, so, deadbeat and villainous dad.

Cassandra Cain's father was David Cain, master assassin, who raised her to be an assassin, poor girl can't even talk because her speech center is a body language center so she can react to moves before it's made.

Kate Kane was in the army, kicked out for being lesbian, idk anything else about her except she has a complicated relationship with Batman.

The Flash

Barry Allen's mother was murdered by Reverse Flash who swore to ruin Barry's life for being The Flash, and his father was sent to jail for her murder because the police can't arrest a time traveling speedster from the future. Barry grew up to become a CSI to absolve his father when one day he was struck by lightning and doused in chemicals which made him lightning fast. Eobard Thawne was obsessed with The Flash and tried to live up to his legacy when he got superspeed but failed and decided to ruin his life instead. So Eobard caused Barry to become The Flash which caused Eobard to become the Reverse Flash and so on.

Wally West is my favourite flash WHO DC HATES FOR SOME REASON. Wally had abusive parents, got his speed when visiting Barry's lab in the same exact way. After Barry's death in Crisis on Infinite Earths, he had to take up the mantle and deal with his grief and settling into his role. Okay, now for the sad part. In 2011, DC rebooted everything ,as stated before. Wally was one of the casualties of the reboot. He was replaced with another character, whose name was, Wallace/Wally West. Not joking. He's pretty much exactly the same person, but biracial and less fun, for diversity reasons I guess??? I'm all for diversity but come on, don't do it by erasing a much beloved character. He's brought back 5 years later in the Rebirth relaunch, and Wallace's story is retconned. Wally is the only one who returned and his wife and twins are erased, but he still remembers them, and his wife exists, but their history never happened, so Wally has to deal with the loss of his wife and kids. His friends in the Titans also forgot that he existed, but remember him after uh, shock therapy. And then, Heroes In Crises happened. God, how I hate this story. This is the only story I've ever read concurrently and the wait was painful and each issue got more and more controversial. I won't go much into it, but in brief, Wally accidentally kills a bunch of heroes from overload of emotions from the trauma he experienced and he tries to cover it up. First of all, Wally is the last person who'd do something like this, given all that he's experienced, and second goddammit I hate how the story treats him. He's sent off to Iron Heights Penitentiary at the end of the story. He does get his wife and kids back later on, but this is where I'm at now. I have to read the New 52 batfam because Dick dies and I need to know his whole story and also Barbara's story, and then I need to catch up on Rebirth Batfam and Rebirth Flash, I read most of Rebirth Flash, but I'll need to re-read. Okay, that's it from me today, catch you later. - Alia

[pretensesoup]

Queer Books 2024: You Should Be So Lucky

Last year I think I decided to limit myself to one book/author when I was writing these, but I know I wrote about a few different Cat Sebastian novels, including We Could Be So Good, which was the book that eventually beat Dionysus in Wisconsin for the Lammy. So this year I have to cover her follow-up, You Should Be So Lucky.

Okay. First things first: it's at least nominally a sports romance. Sports romance is...a weird genre, given that the Venn diagram of "writers" and "sportsball players" tends to be two completely separate circles. As someone who has run ultramarathons, I'm a little disappointed that none of the really hilarious sides of sport stuff is ever touched on, like how sometimes you buy a loaf of spicy cheese bread and it vanishes in a few days and somehow the rest of the household protests that they didn't get any... Or like the way my weightlifter spouse has invented a meal called second dinner... Like the characters in this book joke about sharing a milkshake but in reality, that bitch is mine, back off.

Luckily for my complaints, this book is only nominally about a sport (baseball; to be fair it's not the most athletic of sports either). And one of the main characters, Mark, feels approximately the same way about baseball as I do:

He and Nick have been paying attention to the trials and travails of the city's new baseball team--Nick because he loves baseball, and Mark because he loves drama. But Mark doesn't follow the game; a passing familiarity with baseball is something he caught, like the measles, not something he did on purpose.

Mark Bailey is a somewhat recently bereaved reporter; he quit his job at the Chronicle (the newspaper Andy Fleming becomes the publisher of in the previous book) but keeps going in because he doesn't really have anything else to do. He's sent to ghostwrite a weekly diary column for a guy on the new baseball team (the Robins, who I guess are...in a major or minor league...you know what, don't ask me how baseball teams work). The guy in question is Eddie O'Leary, who is from Kansas, newly arrived in NYC, and going through a pretty bad batting slump.

Okay. So the weird problem with big 5-published novels is that they get MARKETED by professionals, and this one was marketed as: slow burn (yes), grumpy/sunshine (I don't see it?), golden retriever/barn cat (mmm...no?), sweaters and crying (I mean, that's every Cat Sebastian novel)...I don't know. I think the reduction does a disservice to how good this book was, how it deals with Mark's grief at the death of his longtime partner without making the partner a bad guy (a major feature of the last bereaved-person-falls-in-love-with-a-baseball-player book I read). It was soft and gentle, while also being about someone might try to live a public life but also be relatively open about their sexuality in 1960 New York City. There was a lot about homophobia in this book! More than in We Could Be So Good, which was already about homophobia! But when I say that, it never feels bogged down or frightened, just realistic about the possibilities the characters face.

Anyway, I'm sure this will be up for a Lammy next year. Which is kind of too bad, because I think Troth is pretty good. But whatever, if I lose to Cat Sebastian again, I guess I'll be good with that. It's like being outmaneuvered by a chess master--one enjoys seeing how they do it.

[senstless]

Splinterlands Highlights - Featuring AVES STURIGS dominating a low mana match

Featuring Bronze League Summoner and Monsters in Action!

I was pretty excited when I pulled this from rewards the other week. Getting a new legendary card is always fun and figuring out how to use it in the best use cases and I'll be very rewarding. I think I finally found my preferred use for this card although I'm sure there's more. I can think of a few where adding some high mana non-attacking cards from the untamed set could also be very beneficial but for today we're going to highlight low man a match.

Weekly Highlight -AVES STURGIS

Edition: SOULBOUND REWARD Rarity: LEGENDARY Element: LIFE Attack: MAGIC Abilities: WEAPONS TRAINING Abilities" Health: 3 Speed: 2 Attack: 2 Armor: 1 Reasons Why I like it

Weapons training is relatively new, but it is one of my favorite abilities. Having the ability to give one half of the cards base attack to the neighboring otherwise non attacking cards can be one of the most powerful abilities there is. A couple of the use cases I have found is weapons training a Gladius card that has bloodlust that otherwise can't attack, adding an attack to low One Man cards and giving them a two arrow attack, or in this case giving cards that usually don't have an attack or they already have another ability like repair a one magic attack in a low manner match

The Matchup - Where Rules Sets, Splinters and Mana Collide

The Rule Sets

Watch the Match Here

MANA: 12

Ruleset: Standard: No modification to the standard gameplay rules and mechanics.

SPLINTERS: Life, Dragon

Initial Rule Set and Mana Gameplay Thoughts

** Rulesets Luckily it's a standard rule set match so there's no special considerations to factor when picking your line up. This is useful since it's only 12 mana and two splinters to choose from. Adding an additional rule set would make it even harder.

Mana I will be the first to admit that long mana matches are my Achilles heel. I typically have very poor lineups and I don't do a good job of balancing or focusing on attack. I either focus too much on a singular card hoping it can do everything, or at best I end up being unbalanced and run over very quickly. ** Splinters

Having only the two splinters made it pretty easy in my mind. I wanted to go with life and I want to add the extra health given the low mana I figured an extra health might go a long way for some of the cards I'm going to pick.

Summoner MOTHER KALA Like I mentioned before I clearly wanted to plus one health as well as only wanting to spend three mana on a summoner versus for, I feel like spending that extra man I can be the difference in this game.

First Position SOUL FIEND Traditionally I wouldn't put it first but given the rest of my lineup it clearly had to go first and get taken out right away

Second Position PELACOR CONJURER Normally a very solid choice for first position, only costs two mana has a high speed of four with flying and it might generate some misses. But now if I get to add one magic attack to it it becomes much more powerful as it lasts a couple of rounds before getting taken out.

Third Position AVES STRUGIS

Had to put it in second position so I can surround it with other one mana non-attacking cards. I would have liked to hide it a little bit but it does have for health after the boost from the summoner so it will have to do.

Fourth Position CHAOS AGENT I put it at the back in case they chose to play so melee cards. The off I'd hope that the Dodge can come through for me and the additional magic attack should help out quite a bit. It now means I'm delivering four magic damage every round.

Opponent Lineup & Match Play

Summoner QUIX THE DEVIOUS The reduction of speed will be detrimental to my team and make it easier for me to be hit, but luckily the minus one arrows doesn't do anything for me. It does give them access to dragons which is why they probably picked it

DJINN CHWALA My old go to every single time low man of match card. It's just such a well-balanced card dealing three damage on melee, two on Thorn for a melee attacking cards, and has some hefty armor and health to boot

SOUL FIEND Clearly just put it back to take up some attacks or maybe pull through if it moves to the front line

Round 1

Before the match starts I'm actually feeling pretty good for once. I feel like I have picked the perfect counter to traditional powerhouse lineup. While I'm going to lose some cards, dealing for magic each round is going to be their Achilles heel.

Round one is mostly uneventful. I lose sulfiend as expected, but the good news is I took away for health from Djinn Chwala

Round 2

Round two is really looking in my favor. While Pelacour conjurer did take three damage from Chwala, the four magic damage I dealt was far more significant. This is the power of weapons training as I turned one monster dealing to damage into three monsters dealing for healthy drowned.

Round 3

Wow my speed is reduced, I still attack first and I knock out Djinn Chwala, quickly followed by soul fiend. This was a fairly quick victory only lasting three rounds but I guess that is to be expected with a 12-minute match

Thoughts

This is going to be my new low mana lineup. I think it gives a excellent blend of health, attack, and defense against a variety of teams. I'm sure that there are teams that can beat this but it feels like a pretty solid choice in most scenarios.

~~@senstless

[ashknife]

(Note: I am halfway through season 5. While I have seen spoilers (e.g. I'm pretty sure Bakugo isn't just walking away from that wound in his chest), I actually don't know what all is going on currently. My analysis will necessarily be missing those parts.)

All Might's retirement signaled a massive change in the power struggle between heroes and villains in Japan. Without the ever-present threat of All Might, villains are growing bolder and are more eager to form alliances, which is strengthening All for One's and the League of Villains's position. For much of season 4, this change was noticeable but still ambiguous. It isn't until the episode "His Start" that the transition from the relatively peaceful old world and the new, dark age of villainy is complete. Whether or not this was intentional, the author uses imagery from recent history to signal this transition.

In the episode "His Start," Endeavor steps into his role as the new Symbol of Peace to give people hope. However, he is no All Might. He is aware of this. The people are aware of this. Yet he fights all the same, and he is finally recognized as a beacon of hope during his grueling fight against the Nomu.

During this fight, a skyscraper is heavily damaged. It is fortunate that there were heroes on the scene to see the people's safety.

Without Hawks's intervention, most, if not all, of those people would have died. We know in later episodes, when he is instructing Deku, Bakugo, and Shoto, that Endeavor has heightened perception as well as a skilled information network, so we can assume that he knew those people were flown out of the building. This allowed him to perform Flashfire Fist: Hell Spider against the Nomu and the damaged part of the skyscraper, reducing it to small bits of rubble.

The careful actions of the heroes prevent a greater tragedy from loss of life and massive damage to the city. However, anyone who has lived long enough probably shifted a little uncomfortably while watching this. This is really similar to something else that actually happened, where there were no heroes to save thousands of people and spare a city and a nation massive losses.

I was 20 when the attacks on the World Trade Center happened on September 11, 2001. The aftermath of these attacks brought a darker turn for American and world politics. In the show, although people were saved and Endeavor victorious, there was a tense undertone to it all, that things were going to get much more difficult. For me to have lived at the time of the real event and then watch this episode, the parallels were not hard to see.

War is coming.