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[bao4aohao]

WELCOME EVERYONE!

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ONGOING

teacher's pet - t.kei (yandere!teacher x student)

COMING SOON..

die with a smile - b.katsuki bookshop - t.kei

© all works are done by @ bao4aohao do not copy/rewrite/steal thank you.

[dont-diy-zine]

"Don't Repeat This at Home" Zine is a fan project born out of love for Chinese novels and dramas. We brought more than 100 artists and writers together to create our magnum opus and now YOU ARE WELCOME TO JOIN US! The fandom: ➜ "The Scum Villain's [Self-Saving] System" Mo Xiang Tong Xiu ➜ "Grandmaster of Demonic Cultivation" Mo Xiang Tong Xiu ➜ "Heaven Official's Blessing" Mo Xiang Tong Xiu ➜ "Thousand Autumns" Meng Xi Shi ➜ "The Husky and His White Cat Shizun" / "Erha" Rou Bao Bu Chi Rou (Meatbun) ➜ "Faraway Wanderers" Priest ("Word of Honour" is canon too)

The key theme: 百感交集 (bǎi gǎn jiāo jí) — all sorts of feelings well up in one's heart — fluff, drama, humour and beyond ❗ 18+. No minors, please Some arts and texts may make you cry, beware, triggers may be found (or not) The book: ➜ ~300 pages ➜ 106 double-page spreads with arts including: • 12 comic strips • 13 illustrated poems ➜ 8 fanfiction stories with • cover arts • internal b/w illustrations

[All 6 fandoms in one book] ❗ All texts are in Russian

➜ Physical copy (hard-back) — 3 200 roubles (it's around 37.4$ or 34.7€) ➜ Digital copy (.pdf) — 700 roubles (it's around 8.2$ or 7.6€)

The merch: ➜ 6 fandoms ➜ 3 sets for EACH fandom: • Aperitif — very small (1 postcard, 1 sticker pack, 1 key fob) — 1 500 roubles (it's around 17.5$ or 16.3€) • Half Portion — small (Aperitif + 1 acrylic stand with the main pairing, 1 plastic bookmark, 2 more postcards, 1 mini card) — 2 600 roubles (it's around 30.4$ or 28.2€) • Portion — large (Half Portion + 1 acrylic stand with secondary characters, 2 acrylic earrings, 1 more sticker pack, 1 bank card sticker, 1 round plastic badge, 1 more postcard) — 4 000 roubles (it's around 46.8$ or 43.4€)

[1 set = 1 fandom] ❗ You can get the merch only as the sets and only WITH the book (physical OR digital copy)

• Full 6 fandoms set — 22 000 roubles (it's around 257,3$ or 238,4€)

The plan: ➜ Right now till September 7, 2024 we collect funds ➜ September — production and manufacturing ➜ October — shipping starts ❗ We send digital copies AFTER shipping the physical ones We ship from Saint-Petersburg, Russia International shipping is available, but you can pre-check it via postcrossing.com/postal-monitor/RU

How to get the book or merch: ➜ go to Google Forms and follow the instructions: forms.gle/CdTis5wdYPmg2U6p8 ❗ We collect funds via Boosty; all prices are in Russian Roubles and include the comission of the platform You can use the currency of your country for the purchase, Boosty automatically converts it Shipping is charged separately

The project is not for profit [just for lulz] All money we make will go to production and manufacturing If we hit a breakeven, the authors are going to receive a free book. Any surplus funds will then be used to make extra merch FOR YOU

English is a foreign language for us, so sorry for inaccurate wording, we tried. We tried hard. We keep trying

More info: vk.com/dont_diy (in Russian)

[eilwen]

Visiting the Dragon's Nest District

Most cities and towns in No Man's Land have been similar in appearance, with a ship or a portion of a ship watching over its people. However, in Ryutsu, where many things happen, the ship is not the only structure that dominates the landscape.

I wanted to do a dive into the city, what inspired it (and speculate on some of the visuals) and what we can potentially understand about No Man's Land.

Some spoilers for Vol. 4 and 5. Also, this is long.

Even without the baos and wonton-fonts on signage, Ryutsu visually does not match with other cities in No Man's Land. It’s not just the citadel which can be seen from afar, but it’s also the crammed housing and confusing architecture. The tone of Vol. 4 shifts and leans towards neo-noir. As this arc's villains move into the city, Hoppered says: "This place is truly the bottom of the dark. [...] We'll walk into a place where the light does not enter." These lines may not be literal but it certainly brings ideas of seedy places. They move through pitch black and eventually…

The big showdown happens at the city's main feature: the Dragon’s Nest District - an area that brings up memories of the old Kowloon Walled City in Hong Kong. No Man's Land is a sparsely populated planet, yet for whatever reason, people have sardined themselves into this city and into this district.

Kowloon Walled City had been called ‘City of Darkness’ and it was possible to move through the city without ever seeing daylight. It carries a bit of romantised nostalgia because of its weird part in Hong Kong colonial history, its uncontrolled and chaotic construction, and its lawlessness (though apparently the ungoverned city was tight-knit and communal). The city became a source of inspiration for a lot of media, but not many films were shot in the city itself. Those that I had seen tended to use the city as a 'cool film location' so apart from the examples below, there aren't many I know to recommend (happy to take suggestions for films I may have missed).

Clip from Bloodsport (Arnold, 1988)

"No joke, man. It's a random piece of No Man's Land in the middle of a tourist paradise. It goes way back to the old lease agreement between Great Britain and China. Once you step out of the sunlight into the narrow corridors, it's time to protect your nuts, guys."

Clip from Crime Story (Wong, 1993). This is the climax of the film, which featured actual explosions from Kowloon's demolition, according to its wiki page.

Off the top of my head, good fiction film substitutes (unrelated and unlike Trigun/Trimax) which more illustrate what life might have been like in these places, may be films like Wong Kar Wai's Fallen Angels (1995) and Chungking Express (1994) - though these films take place at the Chungking Mansions, Kowloon Walled City's more modern cousin. I thought of Wong's films because he treated the mansions as a character more than as a location. His films showed examples of immense density, globalisation, and a bit of that noir crime stuff within small and unusually intimate spaces. They also reflected Hong Kong's complicated anxiety as the city was approaching its handover from British to Chinese rule.

Panel from Vol. 4 Ch. 7; Screencap from Chungking Express (Wong, 1994).

To talk more about Hong Kong cinema itself would be much longer than a tumblr post but if Nightow is connected with Rodriguez's films via Desperado (1995), Rodriguez and his collaborative friend Tarantino are connected with Hong Kong films from those like John Woo and Ringo Lam. One example: Mexican standoffs are tropes used in various films, but we see them frequently enough in Tarantino's films and in Hong Kong action cinema that it becomes noteworthy.

Panel from Vol. 5 Ch. 3

Panel from Vol. 5 Ch. 5

Kowloon Walled City which was demolished in 1993, was visually ‘resurrected’ as Ryutsu's Dragon's Nest. Kowloon Walled City was not a city that just looked interesting. It was an agreement between China and Great Britain that was then kind of weirdly botched, thus leaving it pretty much ungoverned. Trimax Vol. 4 was released in 2000, three years after Hong Kong's handover from Britain to China. We don’t get Ryutsu’s history and with the multiple panels of silhouetted buildings against the night sky and hanging laundry in balconies, Ryutsu’s citadel falls into the 'cool manga location' category. Also, I should be clear: these chapters in Trimax are not an analysis or an allegory of Hong Kong's colonial history.

Panel from Vol. 4 Ch. 4; Photo of Kowloon Walled City's alleyway from wiki article.

At the same time, many eyes, including those outside of Great Britain and China, were on the news when the handover occurred. The point is not if Nightow was considering that historic moment or if he happened to be watching Hong Kong films when he was working on these chapters. Instead, I wonder if readers, when they picked up these volumes from the bookshelves, had thought about Hong Kong, Hong Kong’s movies, and Hong Kong’s past and uncertain future, as they were skimming through the pages. But you know… this is 2023 me thinking about 23 years ago. All of this is daydreaming.

I bring up Hong Kong's history and cinema because I wanted to see what I can envision and interpret about Ryutsu and thus about No Man's Land. If Hong Kong via cinema brings imaginations of transnationalism then Ryutsu via Vol. 4 and 5 could do the same for No Man's Land.

There is no literal ocean to divide cities and there are no named countries. There is a broad ‘Federal Government’, so I assume that means the government concerns itself with all settlements in the entire planet. If Ryutsu itself is No Man’s Land’s ‘Hong Kong’ (which opens another discussion of the use and/or misuse of Hong Kong in media - some other time), then despite No Man’s Land being an incredible dystopia, the elimination of borders is, very plainly, very interesting. I am leaning to this being a good thing, considering that one major problem in No Man’s Land tends to be ‘Humans vs. X’ (plants, worms, the planet’s environment etc.). Also, No Man’s Land is already very sparse. No spoilers for later volumes but I am curious about the planet’s future if the population demographic changes.

Panel from Vol. 4 Ch. 4. Western and Eastern hats in the same panel.

There are also thoughts about its class struggles. Vash says in Vol. 4 Ch. 4: "There are too many people here. I don't like it. The lower and upper class all cramped together." ... which really made me think about the conditions the upper class were living in. Kowloon Walled City was known to be unhygienic, dark and cramped and the wealthy did not live there, so how rough was it to live in Ryutsu when a rich person might still need to live in the citadel? I didn't interpret Vash's statement to mean 'citadel plus those outside of it' when the high stakes in these volumes were because of the high density and maze-like streets.

Panels from Vol. 4 Ch. 6; Ch. 7; Ch. 7.

The above panels remind me of establishing shots in gritty crime thrillers than the sci-fi western I had been reading up to this point.

Featured is the Juukei Building - a building that looks pulled from the 20th century. It is tall, drawn sometimes in narrow panels to emphasize its height and to show how small the characters are in the claustrophobic space as they navigate towards it. As characters move through the structure once inside, it becomes more difficult to tell where in the building they are or if they are somewhere adjacent. Combining historical and futuristic designs in Trigun/Trimax isn't new, but it's not often you see 20th century structures. Maybe wealthier residents lived in buildings like this, though the interiors of Juukei look like abandoned offices.

Panel from Vol. 5 Ch. 3.

Or maybe this was meant to be a mixed-use building? But it seems the entire building is abandoned anyway.... So I'm not sure where the upper class is supposed to live or how I should imagine the upper class to be.

Panel from Vol 5. Ch 6.

... After the end of the battle, once morning comes, we no longer see the citadel. The landscapes return to those reminiscent of American Southwestern deserts. Like we dipped into darkness then we returned to the light.

Anyone who knows about Kowloon Walled City would instantly recognise it in Trimax. The imitative Ryutsu Citadel could be read as a cool manga location where a massive shootout plus some serious revelations occur, but I personally am always interested in what else a location can do. It matters if you set a film in New York City versus a nameless location and how you visually convey that city because it can tell us about its people and helps us understand its characters. So to me, I thought it would be fun to look at certain locations in Trimax (with all of Nightow's free-form inconsistencies and confusions) and imagine or interpret what they can tell us about No Man's Land and by extension, the people in No Man's Land.

Other fun facts include: "[...] Japan, in particular, developed a keen interest towards Kowloon. Its demolition in 1993 was broadcast on national television."

[yamayuandadu]

thank you for the reply and the information! I was curious how the other fox would fit in with PCB Extra's metatextual mention of Three Lands, but I hadn't even considered it might be three worlds and not three countries. this is neat

(Original post for context)

I forgot I left the response to this in my drafts, sorry. Luckily, this means I could update it with recently acquired knowledge when I found it again. Truth to be told, my point is less that the other fox is a better match, and more that Ran being Tamamo no Mae is one of these things which make sense at first glance, but the deeper you look into it, the less coherent it becomes.

This got much longer than I planned, so for organizational purposes let's refer to this post as Revenge of the "graveyard god", or why I don't think Ran is Tamamo no Mae. More under the cut.

The early Tamamo no Mae

The main point of connection between Tamamo no Mae and Ran are the nine tails, but that’s not even really a consistent part of the former's background. The oldest version of the story - which is really fun, the seduction section is pages upon pages of Tamamo and emperor Toba discussing esoteric Buddhism -  states that she was “an 800-year-old two-tailed fox from the Nasuno Plain in Shimotsuke Province”. Early depictions of her true form follow this pretty closely:

Nezu Museum of Art, via Monsters, Animals, and Other Worlds. A Collection of Short Medieval Japanese Tales

Kyoto University Rare Materials Digital Library

Suntory Museum of Art

As far as I am aware, the two tails are actually unique to her. Other foxes of note have either one tail or nine. While it does seem the belief in the number of tails growing with age is genuine rather than a modern misconception, it’s hardly central to fox folklore (I’ve seen the portmoneu “foxlore” at least once btw, it’s very funny). And, as I will outline later, it doesn’t even seem to be behind the idea of nine-tailed foxes in the first place. Anyway, the oldest version does provide Tamamo with more backstory, but it’s closer to presenting Shuten Dōji as a manifestation of Mara than to a straightforward “Tamamo is x under a pseudonym” popular today. As we learn, the two-tailed fox is in fact a reincarnation of a “graveyard god” (塚の神, Tsuka no Kami) from India, described in the apocryphal Humane Kings Sutra (it gets namedropped directly), likely originally composed in China.

How come? It all started when Kalmashapada, a prince of Devala in India, wanted to offer 1000 skulls of virtuous rulers to this deity because a suspicious “heretical” preacher convinced him it’s a good idea. After defeating and imprisoning 999 such kings, he encountered Shrutasoma, one of the previous incarnations of the historical Buddha, who managed to show him the error of his ways. All of the kings were released, and Kalmashapada was redeemed. The “graveyard god” was less than thrilled, and swore to keep reincarnating as a fox in kingdoms where Buddhism flourished to destroy it. We are told that happened many times, but only one past identity, that of Bao Si (Hōji), comes up. Obviously, eighth century BCE China was not exactly an area famous for Buddhist devotion, but that’s irrelevant here. We are told the endgame is not just to overthrow a righteous ruler, but also to become his replacement. Alas, Tamamo no Mae obviously fails at both of these goals. Still, points for trying.

The story does not provide the deity with a specific identity. However, Nobumi Iyanaga notes that in the referenced sutra he’s Mahakala (the original Makakaraten version, not the joyful Daikokuten). In East Asian Buddhism he is described as dwelling in the graveyards due to acting as both the chief of dakinis and their subduer. At the same time, Iyanaga argues in the context of the Tamamo no Mae story it can be argued he is either implicitly replaced by the dakini par excellence, Dakiniten (closely associated with foxes), or that the deity has no identity other than the fox one.

Later Tamamo developments

Two elements which are mainstays of modern retellings are missing from the oldest version, as you might have noticed. It doesn’t feature the Sesshōseki, which was only added later, seemingly as a way to promote Zen Buddhism, since this extension of the story casts a member of this school as the new protagonist. In the early variants Tamamo’s corpse was brought to the imperial treasury, the same one which shows up in a similar context in the tale of Shuten Dōji, and there is no indication she came back as a vengeful ghost, let alone that she repented and accepted Buddhism, as she does in some of the Sesshōseki variants.

The other difference is, as I already pointed out, the tails. The oldest depiction of a nine-tailed Tamamo no Mae I am aware of is Sekien’s. Based on a few papers I read it would appear textual variants of the story giving her nine tails might have been in circulation earlier, but that’s not reflected in any of the illustrated scrolls shown above. 

Sekien's nine-tailed Tamamo (wikimedia commons)

Sekien claims that Tamamo no Mae is one and the same as Daji (I’ll get back to her later), and specifies the latter was a nine-tailed fox. He cites Zhang Dingsi’s Langye Dai Zui Bian (浪挪代醉編, “Langye’s Substitute for Drunkenness: A Compilation”) as his source for this tidbit, but does not explain where does the conflation of the two foxes come from. In contrast with the elaborate reincarnation scheme from the older version, he states Daji simply flew across the sea to reach Japan, without reincarnating.

What is now essentially treated as the “definitive” version of the Tamamo no Mae story, and what cemented her image as a nine-tailed fox, only dates back to 1805. That’s when Ehon Sangoku Yōfuden (絵本三国妖婦伝; “Tales of Enchantresses in the Three Kingdoms”) finished publication. The author, Ranzan Takai (高井蘭山), was an enthusiast of neo-confucian thought, and he wanted to write a story highlighting the time honored confucian belief that dynasties are brought down by suspicious concubines. The real goal was somewhat broader, though -the story of Tamamo no Mae was essentially repurposed as a critique of the concept of women playing an important role in public life.

It needs to be noted here that it is not impossible that the original was already part of a political polemic. Arguments have been made that Tamamo is a fictional representation of Bifukomon-in, for instance. They are certainly linked to the same emperor, Toba.

Bifukomon-in (wikimedia commons)

However, while I would not rule this out altogether, it’s hard to deny the typical medieval penchant for reinterpreting Buddhist material feels more central to the story. It is ultimately a very elaborate twist on the Humane Kings Sutra first and foremost. It belongs to the same world as other fabulous tales about figures from distant Buddhist lands arriving in Japan, alongside the likes of the legend of emperor Suwa of Hadai or the medieval Amaterasu narrative involving Mara (stay tuned for my post about that one).

Ideological motivations aside, in Ranzan’s version an anonymous nine-tailed fox appears as Daji in China, Kayō in India (seemingly a leftover of the original “graveyard god” story; here the prince is convinced to carry out his evil plans by his concubine instead though), and finally Tamamo no Mae in Japan. He also gives a unique account of Tamamo’s arrival in Japan, as far as I am aware: in his novel, she was brought there by Kibi no Makibi, a famous historical envoy to China. This was not his first time as a literary character, a much earlier picture scroll about his adventures is pretty funny (I have Touhou ocs based on it), but I’ll save this discussion for another time.

Not quite Tamamo: the influence of Daji

Daji, as depicted by Hokusai (wikimedia commons)

Daji requires some further discussion. She was initially regarded simply as a non-supernatural wicked concubine, but came to be treated as a fox posing as a human by the Song period. According to Xiaofei Kang the oldest evidence for that comes from 1101, from a Japanese text presumably reflecting an already extant Chinese belief. By the Yuan period it became a commonly accepted view, with Quanxiang Pinghua (全相平話) specifically stating Daji had nine tails. Her fox-like image was finally cemented fully by popular novels in the Ming and Qing periods.

Since there was a preexisting tradition in which Daji was a human woman, a remedy was developed: the “real” Daji was possessed by a fox, who took her name and identity. Curiously, the fox component of her story is otherwise not very important, and some modern authors basically characterize it as “tacked on”: she is the quintessential evil concubine bringing kingdoms to ruin out of a sense of cruelty who just happens to be a fox, and her story doesn’t really depend on preexisting fox-related motifs. 

There are multiple accounts of Daji’s deeds, but the most famous one, and at the same time the most likely influence on Razan’s portrayal of her (and thus Tamamo), is Investiture of the Gods. However, he skips the origin attributed to her here: in the Chinese original, Daji is an agent of the goddess Nuwa, though she eventually overdoes it and is rebuked by her former boss for excessive cruelty. This doesn’t really fit well with Tamamo’s backstory, obviously; making her and Daji interchangeable was detrimental to both characters, I feel. A Chinese story dealing with Daji reincarnating does exist, but it’s not exactly similar. In the Ming novel Zhaoyang Qushi (昭陽趣事) she reincarnated as Zhao Hede, a concubine of emperor Cheng of Han. What happens next has been described as “pornographic entertainment enlivened by supernatural and historical costumes”. For more details, check out Rania Huntington’s book from the bibliography below.

Curiously, it is possible Daji was simultaneously an object of active cult, since there is a Song imperial edict outlawing the shrines dedicated to her, Wutong (a southern Chinese spirit who was believed to bring wealth and bewitch people, compared with foxes in the north) and “General Shi” (no clue who that might be, I’d hazard a guess one of the popular pacified vengeful spirit cults but don’t quote me on that). However, another contemporary source instead mentions the outlawing of temples of “fox kings”, so it might also mean that the name of Daji was applied by officials to an unrelated popular fox cult (“fox king” is a reasonably common appellation for supernatural foxes). Both regular and nine-tailed foxes are attested in such a context across history.

Early nine-tailed foxes

An early Chinese depiction of a nine-tailed fox (wikimedia commons)

The early portrayals of nine-tailed foxes are something I started looking into recently because of Ran’s freshly revealed connection to Yuuma: I figured it makes sense that she’d be in origin someone who belongs to the same world as the taotie.

Looking at the earliest Chinese sources, multiple nine-tailed foxes appear in legends about virtuous rulers like Tang, Wen or Yu the Great, essentially as generic good omens, without much fanfare. According to confucian commentaries from the Later Han period, the nine tails were understood as a sign a given emperor will have many descendants. The exception from this generally positive tendency is the Classic of Mountains and Seas, where the nine-tailed fox is described as “man-eating” (something very uncommon in Chinese fox literature). However, it also doesn’t exactly get more spotlight than the other creatures. It’s also treated as a separate animal from regular foxes, not as a particularly old fox. You could say it is to the fox what a bai ze is to an ox, I think. Visual arts add further specimens: the source of this discussion, the nine-tailed fox attendant of Xi Wangmu, later seemingly “decanonized”, and another belonging to the entourage of Zhong Kui. Both of these are hardly eminent and seem to fit the mold of auspicious omens. In Zhong Kui’s case the fox is in one case listed alongside the bai ze which only strengthens this impression. However, it also makes sense that its inclusion would reflect Zhong Kui’s role as a demon queller: he is often portrayed with conquered demons as servants, after all.

Conclusions

To sum up: ultimately it just doesn’t seem nine-tailed foxes are quite as big of a deal as popculture makes them seem, and nine tails are neither exclusive nor innate to Tamamo no Mae. Since that’s the only real point of connection between her and Ran save for a throwaway PCB line which leads to no further references, I maintain there’s no strong case for identifying them with each other, especially since there is no shortage of other candidates. 

There’s also the fact that, Daji aside, most other nine-tailed foxes are largely blank slates you can do anything with, while Tamamo has many fairly unique characteristics which would be wasted by randomly slapping her name on Ran, in my opinion. To be fair, ZUN does occasionally make similar mistakes - Yoshika is the main example (remember, the actual legend about Yoshika’s immortality claims he decided to pursue eternal life after having a thrilling affair and has him call himself “strongest madman under heaven”).

I would personally argue ZUN himself probably did not feel strongly about who Ran is supposed to actually be when he originally came up with her, though. None of her spellcards reference Tamamo no Mae. Or any other fox identified with her, for that matter. They do have a more or less consistent theme, but that theme is, broadly speaking, “magic arts”, from onmyodo (Shikigami "Banquet of the Twelve General Gods"), through shugendo (Illusion God "Descent of Izuna-Gongen", Shikigami "The Protection of Zenki and Goki", Superhuman "Soaring En no Ozunu") and esoteric Buddhism (Shikigami "Channeling Dakiniten", Esoteric Sign "Odaishi-sama's Secret Key"), to contemporary stage magic (Shiki Brilliance "Princess Tenko -Illusion-"). In other words, I do not think canon actually strongly supports any specific option. 

I will admit I’m biased but personally I think picking a different fox makes it much easier to accommodate Yuuma and their shared animal realm past, the most thrilling Ran development in ages. As for Tamamo, I do think she would be fun to see in Touhou, but preferably as her own character - with two tails, if possible.

Bibliography

Bernard Faure, The Power of Denial. Buddhism, Purity, and Gender

Rania Huntington, Alien Kind. Foxes and Late Imperial Chinese Narrative

Nobumi Iyanaga, Under the Shadow of the Great Śiva: Tantric Buddhism and its Influence on Japanese Mediaeval Culture

Idem, Dākinī in: Brill's Encyclopedia of Buddhism (vol. 2)

Xiaofei Kang, The Cult of the Fox: Power, Gender, and Popular Religion in Late Imperial and Modern China

Laura K. Nüffer, Lady Tamamo in: Keller Kimbrough and Haruo Shirane (eds.), Monsters, Animals, and Other Worlds. A Collection of Short Medieval Japanese Tales

Sumiko Sekiguchi, Gender in the Meiji Renovation: Confucian 'Lessons for Women' and the Making of Modern Japan

Chun-Yi Joyce Tsai, Imagining the Supernatural Grotesque: Paintings of Zhong Kui and Demons in the Late Southern Song (1127-1279) and Yuan (1271-1368) Dynasties

[stellarcanopy]

Behold! The thing I've been spending most of my time on for the past few months years!!

In the time since my last post, I've finished building the main game (stages 1~6) of Treasure Castle Labyrinth, one of my long-time favorite Touhou fangame concepts. It's fully playable! Start to finish! Right now! (On most Windows operating systems!)

TCL creator's official game page: https://irodorian.com/houten Bulletforge DL page: https://www.bulletforge.org/u/naudiz/p/dong-fang-bao-tian-jing-treasure-castle-labyrinth

The EX Stage and other extra content will be added over the following months. I'm really proud to have gotten this game out the door, and I hope a lot of people enjoy playing it! :D

[deyzalee]

Dear God,

Thankful and blessed today. I woke up at 1030 AM with the help of my alarm and Mama. Mama complained regarding the electricity here in the condo. There is no electricity since 9AM. So I contacted the property owner and we got a little arguments. I drank my vitamins. I scrolled my social media accounts, chatted my family and friends. Good thing the electricity came back. I prepared myself for our itinerary today. We went to Diwata Pares overload via grab car. We arrived safely. I ate the Fried Siken and pork pares with rice and soft drinks for our brunch. We were not able to have a picture to Diwata because he is asleep. I bought a dirty ice cream and ate it. We had little picture on the area. We rode a taxi going to SM Manila and arrived safely. I bought a luggage, umbrella. We also ate empanada of Ilocos and Bread at bread talk. I also bought RA Lapid’s lechon Laman. We rode a Piagyo going to Binondo Eng Bee tin and arrived safely. We walked going to the main branch. I bought some Hopia Mongo, Yema and Pastillas. I also lined up at the famous Xiao Long Bao and Lava But chi. I think it took 1 hour for me to line. We walked going to the area where Jeepney’s and tricycles ate. We arrived at Green Residences safely. I ate the Xiao long bao, yema and pastillas. We also fixed our luggages. I checked cooking fever and my e-mails. I read few pages of the Bible. I will do my self and skin care routine. I will drink my medicines. Have mercy on us Oh God. Guide us always to the right path. Remove sickness, danger and negative things our life. Answer our prayers in your perfect time. Thank you and I love you God.

[grupitiers]

nói thật là roshidere bị overrated :)))

cốt truyện ko có gì mới mẻ/thú vị, chả khác gì một typical romcom cả: nữ chính xinh đẹp như thiên thần nma tsundere, nam chính giấu nghề, bạn thưở nhỏ/em gái (mẫu kouhai điển hình) tinh quái hay trêu chọc main, đàn chị khóa trên sẵn sàng spam ara ara lúc bạn cần (average senpai) :)) một bộ harem đóng khuôn y như bao bộ harem khác

nma cốt truyện có vẻ ổn, nam chính ko phải loại loser đụt cận trĩ lòi nên xem ko ức chế, thiết kế nhân vật nữ đẹp (gái tóc trắng mắt xanh chưa bao h out meta cả :))), và quan trọng là momoco - sensei vẽ đẹp vl (carry the whole LN ngl). chưa kể trước và sau khi lên anime lại được các page seeding pr nhiệt tình, anime thì fanservice thừa thãi vl xem tưởng ecchi không :))). được cái studio cũng mạnh dạn ��ầu tư ep nào cũng chèn một quả ending riêng. xem hết tập 1 là t drop r :)))

nói tóm chung nếu phải đánh giá xin chỉ cho 7/10 🤫 mid show thì cũng chỉ thế th :))) lạ gì gu của mấy thằng nhật :)))

[jules-has-notes]

Happy Now — VoicePlay music video short

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A post shared by VoicePlay (@thevoiceplay)

Talented musicians can make even the melancholy that follows a breakup sound beautiful. And somehow, VoicePlay managed to feature each of their members' talents in a single minute of singing with this bittersweet tune.

Details:

title: Happy Now

original performers: Zedd & Elley Duhé

written by: Jonnali "Noonie Bao" Parmenius, Sarah Aarons, Linus "Lotus IV" Wiklund, Anton "Zedd" Zaslavski, & Eric Barker

arranged by: Layne Stein

release date: 29 August 2018 (uploaded to YouTube on 1 January 2019)

My favorite bits:

starting simple with Earl's crisp melody and some sparse rhythm from Layne and Geoff

that intricate percussion line

such a lovely bell chord

those lush four-part harmonies

J.None's smooth runs

the little echo on Eli's solo ♫ "Are you happy?" ♫ before he launches into those deft riffs

Earl adding some high stacatto rhythm to the end segment

Trivia:

This is the second of three short videos the guys recorded in a single session, and released between late August and early September so that they could spend most of the month concentrating on their shows in the Philippines.

It was initially uploaded to their IGTV and Facebook pages, then reposted to their main Instagram page two weeks later. It was uploaded to their YouTube channel at the beginning of 2019, and their TikTok account in May 2021.

[wondereads]

Personal Review (09/16/22)

Strike the Zither by Joan He

Summary

Zephyr is a strategist, a brilliant one, for Xin Ren, a warlordess. Ever since Miasma, a corrupt official, took on the role of regent for Empress Xin Bao, Ren has been working to gather enough forces to free the young empress. Zephyr knows she's talented, and she knows what she needs to do to win, but the complications are unending. No one is who they seem, not the enemy strategist, not her lost family, and not even Zephyr herself.

Plot 1  2  3  4  5  6  7  8  9  10

On one hand, I loved the political, military style of the story. This is a retelling of Romance of the Three Kingdoms, a classical Chinese work, and I've never read one of those before. The strategy is so interesting to read about, and there are so many good plot twists. On the other, one of those plot twists, arguably the biggest one, seems to come out of nowhere. It totally took me by surprise, but it felt rushed, and the context isn't explained enough. I think an extra fifty or so pages dedicated to contextualizing that twist and the new elements it introduces would have helped a lot.

However, I did overall enjoy the plot. I've said it before, and I'll say it again: I love political fantasy. The way the events of this war unfolded was so interesting, and since the story was through the perspective of an unusually clever character, we as the readers get to be privy to many details we may have missed out on otherwise. The worldbuilding is intriguing, though there's more I'd like to know. There's enough to keep the story afloat, but I do wish there was more about the political system (i.e. how Miasma came to power, who else might have influence over the empress) and the supernatural elements (i.e. the extent of their powers, especially in different forms).

Characters 1  2  3  4  5  6  7  8  9  10

I loved the characters in this book. Zephyr is my favorite kind of main character; calculating, scheming, manipulative, and wholly unashamed of it. She did what she had to do, she was prepared to make sacrifices for the greater good, but that didn't stop her from building connections. Her relationships with other people seem to make her hesitate every once in a while, adding a level of humanity, but there doesn't seem to be the sort of statement that she must choose between being capable of emotions or efficiency.

There are a lot of characters in this book, as there are a lot of moving parts, but the side characters are done well for the sheer number of them. My personal favorites were Crow, Ku, and Tourmaline. Some characters seemed pretty one-dimensional, but I feel like everyone had a little bit of depth to them by the end. Ironically, some characters only got that development after they died, but it added to the emotional weight. The only thing I could say is that Miasma, the antagonist, while she's interesting, doesn't have much depth. It's unclear whether she's seizing control to serve her own, power-hungry ends or if she has a greater reason for her actions.

Writing Style 1  2  3  4  5  6  7  8  9  10

For the most part, I really like the writing, but there were some parts I just couldn't ignore. Most of the book fits the setting, a high fantasy world based on Ancient China, but there are certain lines here and there that are so crazily anachronistic. For example, one of the characters, a more formal one at that, says "Hey, is everything okay?" It's such a modern, casual phrase that it sticks out like a sore thumb, so much so that I was actually stuck on it for a while. If those occasional bits would be fixed, it would greatly help the immersion of the piece.

Also, I briefly mentioned this in the plot area, but this story is pretty rushed. I appreciate when a book is fast-paced, but this just went by way too quickly. For the kinds of developments that were taking place, the story desperately needed to slow down, take a breath, and explain things before moving on. For example, Zephyr plays the role of a double agent for a good portion of the book, but we don't really get to see her earning Miasma's trust. Instead, she's immediately put on the front lines opposing those she supposedly betrayed, and it feels unrealistic. If this book were fifty or a hundred pages longer, I think it would benefit it drastically.

Overall 1  2  3  4  5  6  7  8  9  10

I did really like this book! I'll definitely be reading the rest of the series, and I loved the characters, especially Zephyr. However, there are certain issues, especially with the pacing, that are pretty glaring looking back. I think the overarching plot and characters did a lot of heavy lifting; looking closely reveals a lot of issues in the smaller details. I would still recommend this book—it did a pretty amazing job with the space it had, I just really wish there was more.

The Author

Joan He: Chinese American, also wrote Descendant of the Crane and The Ones We're Meant to Find, started writing fanfiction because of Spirited Away

The Reviewer

My name is Wonderose; I try to post a review every week, and I do themed recommendations every once in a while. I take suggestions! Check out my about me post for more!

[heroes-cf-hope]

The Heroes of Hope

Rock Howard- Hero

https://picrew.me/image_maker/210483/complete?cd=BV3IEA2xgZ

Age 8. (Lil Ultimate Cooking) His mother killed and his father wanting nothing to do with him, he ran away.

Alice Nakata- Fighter

Age 8. Actually there’s nothing bad in her home life like at all. She just hangs out with them thinking they’re latch key kids and have a home to go to at the end of the day.

Hotaru Futaba- Mage

https://picrew.me/image_maker/1387003

Age 7. Her mother was also killed, with her father and brother mysteriously vanishing, only leaving her with her stuffed stoat plush, Itokatsu. She joins them after Rock saves her.

B Jenet- Rouge

https://picrew.me/image_maker/1500446/complete?cd=WuUwmHJeXm

Age 9.

Orphaned and the orphanage wanted nothing to do with her. One of the original founders, and has two mascot plushes, Tizoc (a red griffon) and The King of Dinosaurs

Hokutomaru- Theif

https://picrew.me/image_maker/338886 (just remove the headband and his scarf is red)

Age 7. ADHD gremlin whose parents won't control/parent. Not because they don’t know how, they just want society to raise him for them. One of the original founders.

Shun’ei- Bard

https://picrew.me/share?cd=7Nd13DDu9N

Age 8. (Lil Ultimate Music)

Isla- Bombardier

https://picrew.me/image_maker/75517

Age 8. (Lil Ultimate Art) A rambunctious but anger filled girl who loves art. She was originally running away from the orphanage with Meitekun when she met Shun’ei and later joined the others. Has an imaginary friend named Amanda.

Meitenkun- Cleric

https://picrew.me/image_maker/75898

Age 8. (Lil Ultimate Nap Time)

Bao- Alchemist

https://picrew.me/image_maker/327/complete?cd=pogusa8hE0 (Hat is a lot bigger and Orange)

Age 10. (Lil Ultimate Science)

Kas- Knight

https://picrew.me/image_maker/43303

Age 9. Lil Ultimate Mimic

No one actually knows what happened to Kas… she refuses to speak about it and a good look in her head reveals only smoke clouds… Doesn’t really help she doesn’t really speak either. Her main form of communication is through her plush doll, Billy who the others call “her second in command.” Though she may have picked up a not so rough one…

Next Page >>>>>

[ourimpavidheroine]

Wuko Fic Character List - submission by Tortoisesforhire

So I’ve definitely missed some but I think I got most of the recurring character and all the main story characters. Hopefully this makes sense and isn’t confusing, I put all the side characters or one-off’s at the bottom. Please let me know if I got anyone’s name wrong. 

I hope you’re feeling well Impavid! And I hope this helps with anyone’s confusion with characters. 

By Family

HouTing

King Kuei HouTing - (various wives)

    King Zaichun HouTing - Yu - Narumi - Xiaozheyi - Wan - Ji

        (Wu’s father) - Meili - (Lady Chun)

             King Wu HouTing - Mako - Qi Beifong

                 Naoki HouTing - Sozui

                    Firelord Lozan

                Yaozhi HouTing - Ping

                Meili HouTing - Tupilek

                    Linyi HouTing

                    Tarralikitak HouTing

                    Aglakti HouTing

               Sayuri HouTing - Zu Chongzhi

                    Radiant HouTing

                    Star HouTing

                          Zetian HouTing   

Beifong

Lady Poppy Beifong - Bao

     Toph Beifong - (two unnamed men)

        Lin Beifong - Lozan I

           Qi Beifong - Wu HouTing*

       Suyin Beifong - Baatar Sr

           Baatar Beifong Jr - Ikki

               Goba Beifong - Kelden/Hua Beifong

                     Yimu

                     (several other children)

          Huan Beifong - Ikki

              Katara Beifong

              Tseten Beifong

              Bhuti Beifong

         Opal Beifong - Bolin

             San Beifong - Amak

                (two sons)

                    Avatar Bo Beifong

             Norbu Beifong

            Pearl Beifong

                Emerald Beifong

          Wei Beifong - Sitiak

         Wing Beifong - Nuo Beifong

            Orchid Beifong - (two unnamed husbands)

               (at least four children)

           Iris Beifong - (unnamed wife)

           Rose Beifong

           Poppy Beifong - Jai

               (two sons)

Airbenders

Avatar Aang - Katara

   Bumi

   Kya

   Tenzin - Pema

      Jinora - Kai

      Ikki - Huan Beifong/Baatar Beifong Jr*

      Meelo - Dolma

         Gyatso

         (unnamed son)

      Rohan

Fire Nation

Iroh I

   Li Ten

Firelord Ozai - Ursa

   Firelord Zuko - (assumed to be Mei)

      Firelord Izumi - (unnamed husband)

         Mizuko - (unnamed husband)

            Firelord Juziya

            Sozui - Naoki HouTing*

         Iroh II

         Ursa

   Azula

Water Tribe

Chief Tonraq - Senna

   Korra - Asami Sato

Chief Unalaq - (unnamed wife)

   Desna

   Eska

Side or Small Characters

Grand Secretariat Gun: a father figure in Wu’s life

Lighting Bolt Zolt: Gang leader, Mako’s first teacher

Madame Zong: secretly Narumi, Zaichun’s second wife

Miwa: Wu’s ember island majordomo

Bora: Lin’s cousin on her father’s side

Yung: airbender, father of Bora’s children

Grandma Yin: Mako and Bolin’s grandma

Liling, Chow, Chow Jr, Tu, Bai, Rong: Mako and Bolins family

Shu: Liling’s daughter, found with Naoki as a child

Yumi: Kyoshi Warrior, Meili’s birth mother

Mauja: Amak’s mother

Cork: takes over as HouTing majordomo after Lolo

Zip: Qi’s childhood friend

Chiyo: Mako’s police partner

Varrick: canon character, inventor

Zhu Li: canon character, Varrick’s wife

Tahno: canon character, pro-bending waterbender

Changying: Imperial Jade Hotel concierge

Grandmaster Kana: one of Naoki’s teachers, briefly

Iraka: stuffy embassy consul

Sir Sotan: Sozui’s former bodyguard, asshole

Ambassador Tora: fire nation ambassador to republic city

Lady Feiyan: tried to scold Sayuri once

Koska: pro-bending healer

Madame Tan: HouTing dancing teacher

Bingwen: yangqin player

Apirlaat: pro-bender

Setsu: pro-bender

Jiahao: one of Yumi’s students

Hiro Mononobe: fire nation noble that Naoki killed

Maya Mononobe: left at the altar by Sozui

Hina: Naoki’s handmaid

Zihao: son of Bora and Yung

Kaito: boy Naoki kissed to make Sozui jealous

Noriaki: boy that zhi had a crush on as a boy, father of budding lepidopterist

Kame: Noriaki’s wife

Yumisa: budding lepidopterist

Kyra: shop girl at little ba sing se mall

Jun-Yi, Tsung-Han, Koemi, Risa, Dihn, Soon-Ja, Xinyi: Spring Festival Committee

Yuka: Naoki’s school friend

Aruna: Museum currator

***********************************************

Impavid here! Okay, this is pretty amazing! I do need to make a few corrections (Zaichun was never king; his older sister Guang was the queen - the Hou-Ting killed by the Red Lotus, for example) and sure there are a few missing characters (how could there not be, there are so damn many) but even still, AMAZING.

Also, I laughed a lot at your little comments, @tortoisesforhire. “Budding lepidopterist.” “Tried to scold Sayuri once.” (Tried being the operative word, good luck on that one.) THAT MADE MY DAY.

I can also add in some of the missing names, for sure.

Anybody else? Please add in. I know @peoniequeen is also making a list just as I know there are a lot more characters. (God help us all. But me. Especially me.)

Once this is all complete I’ll create a page for it here on Tumblr and post it permanently. Also, I think I can post it on AO3 as well.

[bixgirl1]

New Fic

*facepalms* Okay, I’ve been TRYING to keep my love of Xiao Zhan and Wang Yibo on the dl over the last several weeks so as to not unnecessarily squick people who don’t like rpf shipping but, honestly? I am a slag for these boys. I just am. So, I’ve created a new ao3 pseud and tumblr sideblog to rant about them whenever I feel the urge. This is the only time I’ll be sharing either of them on my main page. *hides* 

Title: Body Language Author: c’est moi, Bixgirl1823 Pairing:  Xiao Zhan/Wang Yibo Rating: I should honestly only post this one when it’s not explicit. Y’all know me by now. Hard E. Word Count: 10.1k Content: Established Relationship, Complicated Relationship, Closeted Relationship, Communication, Relationship Dynamics, Trust, mild angst, References to Fandom, a hint of praise kink, a lil edging, a bit of domesticity, pretty much all the sex. (Specific sex tags within fic.) 

Summary: Sometimes they understand each other perfectly without saying a word. Then there are the times when they have to talk. Tonight, it's a little of both. (Or: What happens when Xiao Zhan stumbles across the clip of Wang Yibo dancing with Xiao Bao on SDoC.) Author’s Notes: This is NOT MY FAULT. (A list of people at fault is provided within the fic.)

Read on AO3

[destinymalfoy73]

Best Bitcoin Casino In Malaysia – Top 7 Sites Listed

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[valdsforest]

Qi Wei Shang - “The Wife is First” Character/Location List

might have SPOILERS BELOW!

Incomplete / Work in Progress

[Back to Main Page]

Jing Shao (JS):

3rd Prince with title “Cheng Wang”

Jing Chen’s younger Brother

Nickname: Xiao Shao

works at Ministry of War

Mu Hanzhang (JQ):

Courtesy name: Jun Qing

title: Wang Fei aka Cheng Wang Fei

2nd son of the North Marquis(born to a concubine mother making him a ‘bastard’)

 Jing Shao’s Household Concubines:

Song LingXin (SLX):

originally secondary wife, demoted to 3rd rank concubine

daughter of Minister of War Song An

Concubine Li

send to nunnery

Concubine Yan

gave away to 4th prince

was planted as a ‘spy’ by the 1st prince

Jing Shao’s Household servants:

Ren Feng (RF)

Commander of JS’s close Imperal Guards

Steward Yun

Housekeeper / Manager of the servants

Yun Zhu (YZ)

JS and JQ’s young servant boy, mainly JQ

Dou Fu (DF)

JS and JQ’s other main servant

Zhi Xi

responsible for the food

Meng Xi

responsible for the tea

dead for drugging JQ’s food with an aphrodisiac

Miao Xi

responsible for lighting/candles and bedroom arrangements

Lan Ting and Lan Xuan

responsible for cleaning and washing

Ge Ruo Yi (GRY)

Family was killed by the King of the Southeast

JS remembers her from his past life, she helped end the war

JQ’s personal maid

Royal Family

Emperor Hong Zheng:

Current Emperor

Father of Jing Chen and JS with Empress Yuan

Empress Yuan:

Mother of Jing Chen and JS

passed away/dead

Empress Wu:

New Empress after Empress Yuan died

Mother of 4th Prince, Jing Yu

Jing Rong (JR):

Eldest Prince

works at Ministry of Work

Jing Chen (JC):

2nd prince

First born of Empress Yuan

JS’s older brother

works at Ministry of Confucian Rites

Jing Yu (JY):

4th Prince

responsible for the arrangement tributes of foreign lands

North Marquis Family

Mu Jin / North Marquis:

JQ’s father

Mu Ling Bao (MLB):

Eldest son of Mu Jin, legitimate

Older half-brother of JQ

Mu Yangwen (MYW):

JQ’s cousin

Mu Huafeng (MHF):

JQ’s cousin

Ministry 

Minister of War -> Minister Sun

Assistant of Ministry of War -> Song An

Assistant of Ministry of Revenue -> Xiao Yuan (XY)

courtesy name: Heng Zhi

JS’s friend and adviser of JS regarding on relationships

Husband to Zhou Jin 

others

Zhou Jin (ZJ)

wife of Xiao Yuan

owner of Hui Wei restaurant

close friend to JQ

Maiden Mei - old aquaintence of JS and owner of a wine store

Grandma Zhou - JQ’s wet nurse

[outtamywayskinny]

30 questions tag game!

tagged by @clubolive​ thank uuu! under read more cause this is long and i personally amvery boring

name/nickname: issy / iz / toe rag 

gender: [redacted]

star sign: libra

height: 5′6 on a good day

time: 1:36 PM GMT

birthday: september

favorite band(s)/group(s): fleetwood mac, talking heads, gorillaz, scissor sisters, ABBA!!

favorite solo artist(s): mitski, grimes before she went elon, orv*lle p*ck, abner jay and uhhh joni mitchell

song stuck in my head: hungry eyes but not from dirty dancing from the caleb in the shower/billy and karen make up/three way cuddle montage in the gay and wondrous life of caleb gallo episode 3 

last movie: crouching tiger hidden dragon

last show: succession / four more shots please! / the sopranos 

when did i create this blog: i think september?

what do i post: mostly other peoples excellent atla content, sometimes my own mediocre atla content, general nerd shit

last thing googled: "how to boil” ?????

other blogs: mutual eyes only soz

do i get asks: ive had like 3 

why did i choose this url: excuse to be skinnyphobic on main

following: 191

followers: 90

average hours of sleep: 6 hrs 44 minutes

lucky number: no such thing for the mathmatically illiterate :(

instruments: :(

what am i wearing: lockdown uniform i.e. jim jams i.e. pyjamas

dream job: restaurant critic

dream trip: central asia tho it would be SICK if i could start in the caucasus and take a ferry from baku or smth. more realistically tho i would probably bum about in russia for a bit then take a train to tashkent and go from there. 

favorite food: 1. caviar 2. butter 3. xiao long bao

nationality:  i’m from- 😐e- 😰 eng- 🤢 england 🤮

favorite song: this is literally an impossible question. as of right now i guess my top three are 1. bam bam by sister nancy 2. total control by the motels and 3. hit me with your rhythm stick. bonus this song. like all time ALL TIME it’s proably gotta be video killed the radio star or helplessly hoping

last book read: Im 342 pages into solzhenitsyn’s ‘in the first circle’ which is 741 pages long :’)

three fictional universes you’d like to live in: 1. atla obviously but like without all the war and trauma and stuff 2. lotr but with same stipulations, i would like to be a hobbit 3. clifford the big red dog but instead of clifford the big red dog its just my dog :)

tagging @vietzuko @zuzuslastbraincell and @emperormomo if you want to!

[gokinjeespot]

off the rack #1316

Monday, March 8, 2021

 Coming up on a year since the pandemic started. I hope you're all healthy and safe. I am hopeful that vaccines will be deployed widely and help us all feel less anxious. I am fortunate enough to be one of those people who is happy as a bug snug in a rug while self isolating. I do really miss my dear friends and family but hugs can wait until we're all vaccinated.

 My thanks to Doug for lending me these comic books to read.

 Batman Annual #5 - James Tynion IV (writer) James Stokoe (art) Clayton Cowles (letters). It's the origin of Clownhunter and it's not very original. If I had to pay $4.99 US I would have passed on this and lived with leaving a hole in my Batman collection. If you're not familiar with this new vigilante, he's an Asian teenager named Bao who decides he's going to kill the Joker and all of the villain's sycophants. The reason he becomes Clownhunter (and killer) is very mundane. I wish they could have come up with a new motivator. Maybe the philosophical discussion about what to do about the Joker might interest some fans but I found this story quite tedious. I also didn't like the way Bao and his parents were portrayed. Did they really have an Asian saying "Ah, so"? Yes they did on page 8. Shades of Charlie Chan, Batman. I was not offended, just disappointed.

 Batman/Catwoman #3 - Tom King (writer) Clay Mann (art) Tomeu Morey (colours) Clayton Cowles (letters). I was thrilled to see the town of Port Orange, Florida mentioned on the first page. My pal Al lives there. It's also where Selina finally catches up with the Joker and does what Batman never did. I love this Black Label book taking familiar characters and treating them in a new and interesting way. Here's a future where Selina has survived her husband Bruce's death and their daughter Helena is the new Batwoman. Now I wait to see how mother and daughter deal with the Angel of Death.

 And now, more Future State books.

 Future State: Robin Eternal #2 - Meghan Fitzmartin (writer) Eddy Barrows (pencils) Eber Ferreira (inks) Adriano Lucas (colours) Pat Brosseau (letters). The consequence of Tim Drake/Robin being dunked in Lazarus resin is that now he's immortal. Whoop-dee-doo. Not only is this a boring Robin beats up bad guys issue but the art lacked any logical perspective. This issue takes place on a train but you would think it's in a huge building based on the art. I know it's comic books but I hate when one doesn't make visual sense. I think that's just laziness.

 Future State: Kara Zor-El Superwoman #1 & #2 - Marguerite Bennett (writer) Marguerite Sauvage (art) Wes Abbott (letters). This 2-issue fairy tale was not meant for old farts like me and Doug. With it's soft pastel colours these books should have included glitter and bubblegum flavoured lip gloss. Maybe young tween girls will like this. The moral of this story is "no one is born wise".

 Future State: Dark Detective #3 - Mariko Tamaki (writer) Dan Mora (art) Jordie Bellaire (colours) Aditya Bidikar (letters). There are not one but two Batmans in this issue. You've got Bruce in his new capeless costume but here he's wearing a trench coat to give that fluttering effect, and then there's the new guy in the Bat suit, cape and all. The "uh-oh" point of the story hits here when the bad guys discover where Bruce is hiding out. The Matthew Rosenberg (writer) Carmine Di Giandomenico (art) Antonio Fabela (colours) & AndWorld Design (letters) Grifter story concludes here too with a double cross and a whole lot more of Helena/Huntress. This is my favourite Future State book so far.

 Future State: Superman of Metropolis #1 & #2 - Sean Lewis (writer) John Timms (art) Gabe Eltaeb (colours) Dave Sharpe (letters). If you're wondering how a grown up Jonathan Kent takes over for his dad as Metropolis's protector then these two $5.99 US books will satisfy your curiosity. The villain of the story is an evolved Brainiac who is a big multi-mouthed ball now. Metropolis is shrunk ala the bottle city of Kandor, the citizens go nuts but Jon returns things back to normal in the end with the help of Kara/Supergirl. I don't know why Kara's a girl in this story and a woman elsewhere. Each issue has two back-ups so you get your money's worth. One features Mister Miracle and the other the Guardian. They are both dealing with bad things inside the bottled Metropolis. You won't miss much if you don't read them. The Mister Miracle story "The Metropolis Menagerie" is done my Brandon Easton (writer) Valentine De Landro (art) Marissa Louise (colours) Dave Sharpe (letters). The Guardian story is brought to you by Sean Lewis (writer) Cully Hamner & Michael Avon Oeming (art) Laura Martin (colours) AndWorld Design (letters). This one got me excited because a villain wants to throw Jimmy Olsen off of the Daily Planet building.

 Future State: Catwoman #2 - Ram V (writer) Otto Schmidt (art) Tom Napolitano (letters). Read this to find out if Catwoman saves the lives of the people on the train. You will also find out if Bruce is freed from the bad guys. Talia Al-Ghul appearing is the deus ex machina in this story. I like the new Cheshire and Onomatopoeia is always fun.

 Future State: Superman: Worlds of War #2 - Phillip Kennedy Johnson (writer) Mikel Janin (art) Jordie Bellaire (colours) & Dave Sharpe (letters). In "The Many Deaths of Superman" the Man of Steel fights in the arena of Warworld where Mongul resurrects him after every death match. It's the typical brutal battle scenes and super villain gloating. What's more compelling is an old newspaper story that Clark Kent wrote that inspired a young woman who travels to Smallville. I was totally confused by the three back-up stories featuring Mister Miracle, Midnighter and the Black Racer because they were not very good. I am a completist and have to finish what I start. I could have stopped reading after the $3.99 US main story in this bloated $7.99 US comic book  but my obsessive compulsive nature wouldn't let me. It's a character flaw I wish I could change.

 Future State: The Next Batman #1 - John Ridley (writer) Nick Derington (art) Tamra Bonvillain (colours) Clayton Cowles (letters). All the teasers for this book hyped the fact that this Batman is black. You won't get the secret identity in this first issue but there are a bunch of likely candidates. Lucas Fox is a possibility but it's confusing because he's a bad guy in another Future State book. This is another $7.99 US book with back-ups. These are more coherent than the ones in Future State: Superman: Worlds of War.

Future State: Outsiders by Brandon Thomas (writer) Sumit Kumar (pencils) Sumit Kumar & Raul Fernandez (inks) Jordie Bellaire (colours) & Steve Wands (letters) gathers together some old Batman associates helping Gotham City citizens escape persecution by the Magistrates outside Gotham City's borders. Get it? It was nice seeing Katana in action.

Future State: Arkham Knights by Paul Jenkins (writer) Jack Herbert (art) Gabe Eltaeb (colours) & Rob Leigh (letters) gathers together some of Batman's rogues gallery to fight the oppressive Magistrate. Two-Face, Mr. Zsasz, Dr. Phosphorus, Killer Croc and other ex-inmates of Arkham Asylum are being lead by an armoured Astrid Arkham. It's super villains being super heroes.

 Future State: The Next Batman #2 - John Ridley (writer) Nick Derington (breakdowns) Laura Braga (art) Arif Prianto (colours) Clayton Cowles (letters). We learn the secret identity of the new caped Batman in this issue. It's Lucas Fox's brother. He has a brother? This also has three new back-up stories.

"Batgirls" is by Vita Ayala (writer) Aneke (art) Trish Mulvihill (colours) & Becca Carey (letters). Batgirl/Orphan Cassandra Cain gets locked up in the Magistrate Detention Facility where both good guys/white hats and bad guys/black coats are incarcerated. She got caught on purpose because her mission is to find Oracle and Batman and free them. She gets help from Spoiler who is queen of the inmates. In this reality Cass is way more articulate than she used to be. I didn't like that. I also didn't like that in the other Future State stories the Magistrate foot soldiers have a shoot to kill order for any masks that they encounter. Why are all of these masks alive? Anyways, this part ends with the white hats and black coats forming an alliance so Cass can get on with her mission.

"Gotham City Sirens: Ladies' Night Out" is by Paula Sevenbergen (writer) Rob Haynes (breakdowns) Emanuela Lupacchino (pencils) Wade von Grawbadger (inks) John Kalisz (colours) Becca Carey (letters). Catwoman and Poison Ivy spring a domestic droid named Dee Dee (get it?) from servitude and they have a night on the town at a bar. The bar is run by Sam Bradley and both super heroes and villains can imbibe in peace. Fans of Sex and the City may like this. Not a lot of drama until the last page when the joint is raided by Magistrate goons and major characters are shot.

 Future State: The Next Batman #3 - John Ridley (writer) Nick Derington (breakdowns) Laura Braga (art) Arif Prianto (colours) Clayton Cowles (letters). This is the "uh-oh" moment in the story where the hero is felled by the villain. A wounded Batman is attacked by the murderer he's trying to bring to justice. I saw that coming.

I like the change with Black Lightning in the Outsiders back-up.

I like the art in the Arkham Knights back-up even though the dialogue is eye roll inducing.

 Future State: The Next Batman #4 - Jace/Batman lives, as if that was in any doubt. This story would have been a lot more interesting if Bruce/Batman was really dead. Even if the Future State line of comics dies out this Next Batman is a cop out. The Batgirls story ends with Cassandra/Orphan saving Barbara/Oracle and the Resistance gaining ground on the Magistrates. The Gotham City Sirens story ends with Catwoman and Poison Ivy helping the Resistance get an advantage in their war with the Cybers thanks to Dee Dee.

 I admit that I was sucked in by the hype for this mini. The Next Batman being black intrigued me. The story itself was meh and I would not have missed anything by not reading it. I was not engaged as a mature reader but I think someone in their teens might like all the stories in these four issues.