#dd may 26

[another-chaotic-bisexual-vampire]

[writinglittlebeasts]

77-word warnings page

[space-station-nursery]

◜ 🍯𓂃 Little Snacks! ‧ 🧃◞

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People regress to all ages from infancy to young teen years, check out these snacks ideas and if there are any you'd like to try!

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⧼ 1 ⧽ Infancy/baby [0-2]

Yogurt melts teething waifers puff cereal [apple cinnamon ones are my favorite from gerber] puff cheetos dry cereal [as long as its not too sugary!] baby food pouches/apple sause/yogurt pouches finely cut fruit!

⧼ 2 ⧽ Toddlers [2-4]

Soft granola bars apple Sause/yogurt pouches Cheese sticks [string cheese] Crackers/goldfish dry cereal pretzels mini bagels yogurt tubes Graham Crackers Mini ravioli from Gerber

⧼ 3 ⧽ Kiddos [5-9] DO NOT RE-WRITE OR POST AS OWN

Teddy grahams/Scooby snacks Fruit snacks Single serving chip bags Frosted animal cookies trail mix Simple/easy sammiches Fruit slices[apples, oranges]/Whole fruit [berries] Fruit cups veggies and dip Anything you may have eaten during this age!

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18+ Blogs|| AB!DL|| DD!LG|| Over age 26 (27+) || Do not interact

Fact OTD: Sharks do not have bones! They are a special type of fish known as "elasmobranchs", which translates into fish made of cartilaginous tissues

[dunmeshistash]

Dungeon Meshi Character Birthdays

Compiling these after noticing their years of birth, all information is from their profiles in the Complete Adventurer's Bible. Format is [MM/DD/YYY | Age] (Only some of them have years of birth)

Touden Party

Laios 11/26/488 | 26yo

Falin 12/01/491 | 23yo

Marcille 04/19/464 | 50yo

Chilchuck 05/18/485 | 29yo

Senshi 10/02/402 | 112yo

Izutsumi 04/21/497 | 17yo

(Rest + Fun Facts under the cut)

Nakamoto Party

Toshiro (Shuro) 06/13 | 26yo

Maizuru 09/13 | 41yo

Hien 04/01 | 26yo

Benichidori 03/15 | 23yo

Inutade 12/23 | 17yo

Tansu Party

Namari 06/30 | 61yo

Tansu 11/25 | 210yo

Yarn 12/29 | 204yo

Kaka and Kiki 09/26 | 20yo

Kabru Party

Kabru 05/28/492 | 22yo

Mickbell 02/22 | 22yo

Kuro 09/22 | 18yo

Daya 01/07 | 58yo

Holm 08/03 | 76yo

Rin 07/08 | 24yo

Canaries

Mithrun 05/12/329 | 185yo

Pattadol 06/21 | 82yo

Cithis 06/17 | 149yo

Fleki 10/23 | 130yo

Lycion 10/17 | 126yo

Otta 05/28 | 137yo

Milsiril 07/25 | 189yo

Flamela 09/23 | 170yo

Dwarf Miners

Gilin 06/16 | 79yo

Brigan 02/19 | 78yo

Totan 05/11 | 95yo

Invar 02/14 | 58yo

Null 10/01 | 98yo

Golden Kingdom

Thistle 02/21

Yaad 11/02

Delgal 12/05

Other

Zon 12/12 | 21yo

Leed 11/22 | 14yo

Fionil 08/27 | 62yo

Doni 05/28 | 18yo

Now for the fun facts

Everyone that has a year of birth is actually a year younger than their profile says because the story happens during March and April, I think their birthdays were picked after the ages were set and probably it wasn't taken in consideration that it would make them younger than their profile says (if you take the year of birth in their timelines) for Marcille and Izutsumi it doesn't count much cause they actually have their birthdays at the end of the story. But honestly I wouldn't take that too seriously, I think the age in their profiles is the intended age they are and the birthdays were probably an afterthought that wasn't considered when setting their ages for the story (So I'd think their year of birth is wrong rather than their ages if that makes sense)

Anyway, the story happens between 03/15 and 04/27 of 514 so these characters had birthdays during the story

Benichidori 03/15 (Day before Falin was eaten)

Hien 04/01 (During the time Marcille was petrified)

Marcille 04/19 (During the Faligon banquet)

Izutsumi 04/21 (During the Faligon banquet)

Something else that's interesting is that Kabru's profile says his name is unknown but his birthday is there, same with Izutsumi and Thistle who don't know about their origins, so maybe the birthdays are word of god information? Either that or they remember their birthdays or those aren't their actual dates of birth but symbolic birthdays. My guess is that is word of god info so we can celebrate their birthdays.

Shared Birthdays:

Kabru, Otta and Doni share a birthday on May 28, other than that only the twins Kaka and Kiki share a birthday on September 26

If you wanna see a proper Birthday Calendar with the birthdays organized by months the wiki actually has it

[sp-the-list-tournament]

Welcome to Round 2 of Tumblr’s Cutest Boy Tournament 2024!

Thank you to all who have participated thus far in the tournament. We’ve had some great propaganda and well-meant feuds over these characters, so I am pleased to see a round 2 where a community of dedicated voters has been cultivated, with good energy and no current issues or rule-breaking.

The same rules as before still apply, and I’ve not got a doubt that you all will adhere to them as wonderfully as you have in the previous round!

Dates for round 2 are under the read more.

Dates (DD/MM/YY):

26/10/24:

Craig Tucker vs. Stan Marsh (8:00 AM BST)

Tolkien Black vs. Scott Tenorman (4:00 PM BST)

27/10/24 (BST ends, GMT begins):

Kyle Broflovski vs. David Rodriguez (8:00 AM GMT)

Nathan vs. Kenny McCormick (4:00 PM GMT)

28/10/24:

Jimmy Valmer vs. Christophe DeLorne (8:00 AM GMT)

Tweek Tweak vs. Butters Stotch (4:00 PM GMT)

29/10/24:

Clyde Donovan vs. Pete Thelman (8:00 AM GMT)

Timmy Burch vs. Scott Malkinson (4:00 PM GMT)

Final polls may not be finished by the time round 3 is announced, and therefore results seen at the time of the post being made will be used. This may cause inaccuracies, but that comes with the deadline for the tournament being the 14th of November, the original episode’s 17th anniversary. Apologies for that again.

[spiciestmango]

Is this how you pinned post here?

Hewo! I'm Mango and welcome to my blog! :3

You can use any pronouns on me! The more the merrier really ^w^

I'm a bisexual, polyam, dom-leaning service switch. Also a dog/pup/flareon and I'm 26 as of making this post!

This is a heavily NSFT blog (although not exclusively), so absolutely no minors, or ageless accounts. Interaction/follow will result in immediate and permanent block. Sorry not sorry <3

I will not follow back 18 yo's but feel free to follow.

Follow @drippiestmango for my omo/piss focused blog!

Other DNI/Block: Trans/NB/Homophobes, Ableist folk, TERFs, Racists, Generally any bigot really, AI """art""" users, Pedophiles, Zoophiles. This list is not exhaustive and subject to additions.

I am happily married to @usefuldogboy and my tail wags in their direction 24/7

Click here to praise me :3

More info about DMs/kinks/limits/other interests below the cut!

DM Status: DMs are open! I may not respond right away but feel free to chat with me ^w^ NSFW/SFW allowed!

Keep in mind I am not solely horny so if you only ever talk to me about horny things I will be discouraged from replying. I like talking about horny things but also talk to me about other things I'm not an AI NSFW roleplay bot yknow! :P

Other Places:

I have a couple bluesky accounts! Here for IRL Pics, (Both me AND partners, extra horny) Here for Poke/furry art

Also some twitter accounts here (Cringe, i know): IRL Pics twitter (Removed all our content cus fuck you elon) and the token Poke/Furry twitter (This has way more of my art if u want to browse the media tab)

If you like our content, we have a CashApp for tips: $MangoStrawbie

ASK Status: Asks are also open please send them I wanna feel included! NSFW/SFW asks both encouraged!

Kink stats below!! Some of these only apply in a fictional setting (If impossible), All assume full enthusiastic consent from all parties

If I post about any of these I'll try to tag them to the best of my ability for those who have muted tags/triggers

Fav Kinks: You can get me to need you carnally pretty easy with these,,

Petplay ♥♥♥♥♥ (Clicker training, leashes, commands, etc. The whole package!)

Somno

Bondage/Shibari

Breeding/Impreg

Pokeplay (im a furry nerd sue me)

Omorashi/Bladder control

Piss/Watersports

Exhibition/Stealth Toys

Spanks/Impact Play

Facesitting

Plushies

Teasing

Squirting

Praise

Worship

Erogenous zone abuse

Furry related in general

Frotting

Knotting

Strip games

Oviposition

Biting

I also enjoy: I still really like these kinks theyre just not my fav fav

Hypnosis

Waxplay

Body writing

Humiliation

Embarrassment/Teasing

Degredation

Shower/Bath

Gags

Drool

Scent Marking

Facefucking/Oral Fixation

TF/TGTF

Costumes/Lingerie

Foodplay

Forced Masturbation/JOI

Casual/Distracted sex

Rimming

Fauxbeast (As the feral creature)

Piss drinking

Ass on Glass!

Clothes Ripping (Accidental reveal or intentional!)

Knifeplay

Breathplay

Filming/Posting

Micro/Macro/Sizeplay

Pawplay

Electrostim/Shock collar

Musk/Boysmell/Girlsmell/whatever let me sniff your crotch

Sapient feral pkmn/dragons (Thats me btw >:3c)

And theres a lot more but thats all I can remember rn >w<

Not my thing: I'm not into it, but feel free to talk to me about how they make you feel!

Vore (Ironically alternate Vore like AB/UB is good tho idk ask my brain)

Feet (Human feet not paws!)

Feederism

Vacsuits/Latex

Heavy CBT

Findomm/e

Cuckoldry

Cheating (In a kink sense)

I need a genuine bond for: These kinks I will only participate if I trust you wholeheartedly and have a long lasting connection with you. No offence but its probably not you, dear reader.

Caregiver/little (DD/lg but gender ambiguous!)

Fauxcest (2+ Adults RP as like sis/mommy/daddy/etc)

CNC (Consensual nonconsent)

Heavy pain/ Heavy impact play

ABDL

Dacryphilia

Drugging/Chemsex

Knifeplay (Actually using it)/Branding/Scarring

Limits/+Possible Block: Please do not talk to me about, @ me with, or involve me with the following

Loli/Shota/Cub

Scat/Farting

Sissy kinks

Raceplay

Non-RP Incest

Non-sapient/sentient Feral

Heavy Gore/Snuff

Necro

Sexualization of eating disorders

Fetishization (Chasers, Race fetishization, body-type fetishization, etc)

Everything on the lists above are subject to change, and not exhaustive!

Other interests:

I hyperfixate on a lot of things! Here is a list of things I am very very interested in and if you bring them up in a conversation (or if you incorporate them somehow into horny when applicable) my tail will be wagging so hard wruff!!! :3

Magic: The Gathering

Custom Magic

Board gaming as a hobby

Video game design

Roguelikes in general

Indie Games

Slay the spire (In particular)

Omori

Pokemon (But im not very technically knowledgeable (Shockingly))

League of Legends (Sorry Sorry Sorry Sorry So)

Arcane (Not sorry abt this one, Jayvik shippers)

Cooking/Baking (Send me pics of your rad dishes!)

Animation as a medium (Including but not limited to: ATLA, Steven Universe, Adventure time, Infinity train, Owl House, Gravity Falls, etc)

Photography

Digital Art

Thank you for taking the time to read through all of this! You get a bone shaped treat!! ^w^

[daresplaining]

Hi! So, this may get a bit long but there’s a Spider-Man issue that I only read the start of and haven’t been able to find since where Peter goes temporarily blind while working with DD and DD has to lead him around (just remembered it was titled The Blind Leading the Blind! I think I found it in one of the epic or masterworks collections) but that’s not the part that stuck with me:

while Peter can’t see he relies heavily on his spider-sense to get around, and after a short time it starts to function nearly identically to Matt’s radar sense; they’re heavily implied (and maybe explicitly stated) to be the same power, and I personally have kind of latched onto it as my radar sense explanation even if it’s never brought up again.

For one, it fits with the original portrayal of the radar sense as a sort of warning when Matt is about to walk into things, and considering that Peter and Matt got their powers in very similar manners (radiation) it would make sense that they have an overlapping powerset. Both get enhanced senses, but because Peter can still see he doesn’t depend on them the way Matt does and instead perceives them more instinctually.

depending on what you prefer you can also make the argument that the spider-sense and radar sense aren’t even an extra sense at all, just an amalgamation of all the other senses, but I do think it’s a cool theory and it would be cool to see the similarities between the two explored more! (Also, if you do know what issue I’m talking about I would love to know so I can finish it ❤️❤️❤️)

The story you're thinking of is told in Peter Parker, the Spectacular Spider-Man (1976) #26-28 (right here). It's a favorite of mine, and a really sweet episode in the development of Matt and Peter's friendship.

You're spot-on here, and I love your point that seeing Peter try to navigate while blind calls back to that first iteration of the radar sense, which was very clearly based on the Spider Sense. I've also never thought about the possibility of Matt's powers and Peter's being connected, and it's a really interesting and thought-provoking hypothesis. Thank you so much for sharing!

[aster-blogging-dracula]

Reading BlueCatWriter's Dracula along with Dracula Daily

Ok so I've been meaning to read all of @bluecatwriter 's wonderful Dracula hc fics in order for a long time but I never have time to get with it so I decided to read it along with Dracula Daily this year.

If anyone else wants to do the same, here are the dates (or aproximante dates*) for each fic. (idk if someone has done this already but oh well) (BlueCat if you read this feel free to correct me if i got any date wrong)

*(Since there's 2 pre-canon fics and 2 days of may before dd, i'm setting those fics on those dates. Dates of undated fics are also adjusted to not overlap with date of other fics)

*(The order during the varna stay is a bit wacky since the book gets pretty vague for 2 weeks there but I tried to adjust it as well as possible.)

1-A picnic in may. May 1st 2-Home before you know it. May 2nd 3-I too can love. May 16th 4-Three letters. May 19th 5-The prisioner. May 28th 6-Tonight is mine. June 29th 7-Stay awake. August 14th 8-In sickness and in health. August 24th 9-Full of vague fear. August 24th 10-A golden afternoon. August 31st 11-A doctor’s confidence. September 2nd 12-I come to my friend when he call. September 2nd 13-Blood she must have. September 7th 14-After the transfusion. September 7th or 8th 15-Sleeping beauty. September 10th 16-The wolf in the window. September 17th 17-Sympathy. September 18th 18-Things will be different. September 19th 19-My only son. September 19th 20-Come, my husband. September 29th 21-These others. September 29th 22-Lucy’s second death. September 29th 23-How good and thoughtful. September 29th 24-Brandy, bath, and beadtime. September 30th or October 1st (preferably the former since the dd entry is slightly shorter that day) 25-A pale orphan. October 2nd 26-You will not call in vain. Between September 30th and October 11th?? 27-Renfield’s death. October 3rd 28-Safe for one more moment. October 3rd 29-A week in varna. Between October 15th and October 27th? 30-Waiting. Between October 17th and October 27th? 31-Hungry. Between October 17th and October 27th? 32-Judge moneybag. Between October 15th and October 27th? 33-How i miss my phonograph. October 24th 34-Mem. get recipe for mina. Between October 15th and October 27th? 35-Farewell, sweet friends. October 30th 36-Starlight on the sereth. October 31st 37-Step into the light. Between October 15th? and November 6th (if reading in one sitting wait until november 6th)

38- Love multiplying. November 7th onward

Omg guys it's may already I'm so exited for this. This year I know I will be up do date with everything even tho I'm busy with my End of Degree Project because the dracula fixation i caught last year is a part of my life now I have been planning this so long guys.

[another-chaotic-bisexual-vampire]

My re: Dracula fan-friend who isn't on tumblr guessed that today's 26-second episode would be:

[its-time-to-be-silly]

Ooh la la Art!

[space-station-nursery]

◜ 🎒𓂃 Regression backpack ideas! ‧ ◞

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Regressing or staying small while in public can be hard, but consider some of these items to carry with you!

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⧼ 1 ⧽ Toys/Stim toys ⧼ 2 ⧽ A small or normal sized comfort stuffie [if it fits!] ⧼ 3 ⧽ Chew toys/Chew jewlery ⧼ 4 ⧽ Small bags of snacks like dry cereal, chips, crackers etc ⧼ 5 ⧽ A Water bottle! For regressors, I recommend bottles that have a sippy straw DO NOT RE-WRITE OR POST AS OWN ⧼ 6 ⧽ Baby/Hand wipes, Band-Aids, Kleenex and sanitizer! ⧼ 7 ⧽ A small coloring book and crayons/markers ⧼ 8 ⧽ A cozy sweater if you're going somewhere cold and its not winter ⧼ 9 ⧽ headphones! Whether they be ones for music or noise cancelling ones ⧼ 10 ⧽ Any medication you may need [if necessary!] but also things like Tylenol, Advil or allergy medicine

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18+ Blogs|| AB!DL|| DD!LG|| Over age 26 (27+) || Do not interact

Fact OTD: Rabbits cannot vomit! The smooth musculature of the esophagus allows movement only in one direction. Knowing this is very important, because it demonstrates the need for a balanced diet.

[cosmogify]

Friday Night Fightin - Pico Reference Sheet

Got a bit lazy with this one but it was still fun pfft, here's the last of the fightin RGB trio, Derrick the Dino bodyguard.

Friday Night Fightin BF Ref Sheet Friday Night Fightin GF Ref Sheet

Name: Derrick Dino

Nickname: Pico, Dee, DD

Birthday: 30th December

Age: 26

Orientation: Biromantic Aceflux

Species: Dino creature (yes)

Height: 5'6ft

Weight: 185 lbs

Voice: Riikami but a bit more guttural kekw

Relationship Status: Dating

Family: John Dino (fightin!Tankman)

Partners: Stacie Daemon (fightin!GF), Mikey Angel (fightin!BF)

Friends: Neena Arachnes (fightin!Nene), Darnell Phoenix (fightin!Darnell)

Acquaintances: Skid Skelly and Pump Pumpkin (fightin!SkidandPump), Marco Daemon (fightin!DaddyDearest), Janice Daemon (fightin!MommyMearest)

Enemies/Rivals: Darnell Phoenix (fightin!Darnell), Ayumu Obake (fightin!Senpai)

Personality: A taciturn and seemingly distant young man with a permanently annoyed face, but acts more of a tsundere when shown affection by other people, especially from his partners. He doesn't want to admit, but he can be quite the loverboy and would occasionally flirt with either Stacie or Mikey (mostly Stacie, Mic is as oblivious as a rock but that's part of the charm) from time to time. When fighting however, he would become a lot more trigger happy to shoot a bullet through your skull and acts a lot more aggressive and expressive. He takes his role as a bodyguard half seriously at first, but he gets more invested in his job overtime as he fell in love with Stacie and later Mic.

Personality flaw: Whenever something irks him, he becomes more antsy, impulsive and hot headed about it. He has a very hard time trusting others around him, especially strangers and people he doesn't like and would be more protective of his partners. Loud screams and epileptic lights reverts his brain back to the time of the school shooting during middle school, causing himself to hyperventilate and huddle in a dark area or a corner and will instinctively shoot anyone that would suddenly touch him. He's slowly getting better from it, though there are times he would regressed back progress if the trigger was severe.

Likes: Vocaloid, Crunk hip hop, working out at the gym, spending time with his partners, card games, initiating fights, compete in tournament battles with Mic, showing his muscles and physical flexibility, but likes to wear baggy clothing when spending alone time with Mic, hamburgers, Pepsi, gun shooting practice, firearms in general, showing and giving affection his partners (despite how hesitant he may be).

Dislikes: Stacie's parents (doesn't show it), loud screams and flashing lights, green tea, coke (joking), his impulsivity, being vulnerable, waiting.

Powers: Claw slashes, fists and dropkicks (basic combo attacks), Bazooka missiles! (Heavy combo attacks), Air dash and wall climb (launches himself in the air with a bazooka as a double jump), Bullet spray (fires his Uzi's at a certain direction), Claws strike (Pivots and slashes with all three claw hands at the target, Strength boost (Temporarily makes his attacks stronger and faster), Jelly Bones (Is able to contort and bend his body with relative ease).

Backstory (summary): John Dino was definitely a strict father, being a retired military officer and all. Now he works under the Daemon family as a bodyguard and brought him along to get life and work experience at a young age, which was when he met Stacie. At first he didn't really like her, but that soon change down the line as he would spend days together with her, finding her nice to be around now. Since Stacie was still homeschooled he would the mornings and afternoons at his own middle school with his other friends Neena and Darnell who would also visit Stacie from time to time when walking home together. One day without warning, all hell broke loose at the school. Fellow students were screaming and dying as light bulbs would break one by one from the stray bullets, Derrick think of anything else other than to survive (I will not go further than that, I'm not good at writing devastating scenes). Years passed, the memory was still fresh in his mind but kept suppressing it even during college years, and even after meeting Mic. However, he's finally trying to make a change to it as of late, maybe it won't be so bad. So long as he's with his loving partners, he'll definitely be fine.

Additional notes:

He's farsighted so he would wear reading glasses when needed, but rarely wear them.

Man is a love bug in denial, cuddle him and he will wrap around in his appendages in seconds.

Wears silver ear piercings, usually the thicker kinds

Likes contorting his body in odd places to spook his partners and friends.

Strangely likes to hang upside down when bored.

[muralikesgames]

A VERY DESCRIPTIVE PROFILE OF YOUR MUSE Arisen & Pawn Edition ↓

Name: Hildegard

Nicknames: Hildy, Hilda, Hilde, Redmane Age: 26 Race: Human Gender: Cis woman Oientation: Asexual Zodiac: Unknown Moral alignment: Chaotic good Class/subclass: Fighter, Warrior Background: Orphan and raised in Harve Village before leaving to become a soldier. She was trained for a time under Beren, before taking the duty of carriage guard. She was tasked to guard carriages going to Checkpoint Rest Town, where she met a fellow guard on the other side of the town named Kassandra, a Battahli mage. They became best friend despite the political tension between the two countries, treating the Rest Town as their meeting spot. Through their relationship, they learned a lot of each other's culture. Interests/hobbies: Exercise & swordsmanship; aged meat; long travels on foot; the sound of nature; camping; writing about recurrent pawn hires in her journal Spoken languages: Common tongue Profession: Ex-soldier and carriage guard. Height: 183cm Colors: Black, maroon, emerald green, sea & sky blues Fruits: Strawberries Drinks: Spring water Alcoholic beverages: Vermundian wine & mead Smokes: No Drugs: No Drivers Oxcart license: No Ever been arrested: No

—

Name: Kassandra

Nicknames: Kass, Kassy, Quince Age: Unknown (appears in her mid 30s) Race: Pawn (Human) Gender: Cis woman Orientation: Pansexual Zodiac: Unknown Moral alignment: Lawful good Class/subclass: Mage, Sorcerer Background: She believes she may have been born around the same time as the death of the Battahli mage of the same name, but her experience and wisdom suggests her essence may come from an older time beyond the Rift. Regardless, she focuses on the present, serving her Arisen with high regards and loyalty to fulfill their charge, wherever it may lead them. Interests/hobbies: Collecting flowers & fruits; checking her attires; meditation; drinking tea; basking in the warmth of Battahl; writing foot notes about recurrent pawn hires in Hildy's journal without her knowing Spoken languages: Common tongue & Elvish Profession: Healer & support Height: 202cm Colors: White, deep greens & blues, burgundy Fruits: Quince, apricot Drinks: Teas made of herbs, fruits and/or spices from Battahl Alcoholic beverages: Cider and wine of any kind Smokes: Yes (pipe smoking) Drugs: No Drivers Oxcart license: No Ever been arrested: No

Tagged by @sangre. Thank you! Tagging @beastren @brinehater @thehappiestgolucky @bees-tes-blog @dd-wyd

[ilovealonelystar]

5 songs that YiZhan got me addicted to:

How can you make a YiZhan playlist and not include 'Nan Hai' (男孩) by Liang Bo (梁博)

But for real, I got so addicted to it because this song IS ABSOLUTELY AMAZING! And I love this version too. :)

Why is it Yizhan related? DD said it was his favorite song, DD singing it at a Produce 101 bts, DD choosing it to represent GG in an interview, DD singing a tiny bit of it looking into GG's eyes on his birthday filming CQL, DD singing it at DDU's YiZhan episode (timestamp 38:14) -- and the editors adding the caption IT'S THE BOY THAT YIBO LIKES below GG --, and many other occasions.

2. 爱爱爱 (Love Love Love) by 方大同 (Khalil Fong)

Wow, this song gives me such good feelings and eases my mind... Thank you, DD!

Why is it Yizhan related? DD had it on his playlist from the YiZhan DDU episode (timestamp 26:17)

3. 愛麗絲 by Li Xingyu

I may love it because I low-key picture in my mind GG listening to this song and painting back at home while DD builds a new LEGO set? Yes. But also, his songs are so peaceful and gentle to the ears.

Why is it Yizhan related? GG included Li Xingyu's album on his playlist from the YiZhan DDU episode (timestamp 26:30)

4. Obviously, here is 克卜勒 (Kepler) by Stefanie Sun

The intro is so lovely in this version, with the cricket sounds and her soothing voice... PERFECTION!

Why is it Yizhan related? GG singing it looking into DD's eyes on his birthday on CQL filming, GG singing it at the CQL fan meeting -- and changing the lyrics, GG singing it in a 2019 interview, and many many other occasions.

5. Last but not the least, Brother and Sister (兄妹[國]) by Eason Chan (陳奕迅)

Eason Chan is one of DD's favorite singers. AND the MV portrays the love between two girls! There's an AMAZING and super detailed analysis here :)

Why is it Yizhan related? This song was the first one on DD's playlist from the YiZhan DDU episode (timestamp 26:17)

#BONUS SONG: I Really Want to Love This World (好想爱这个世界啊) by Hua Chenyu (华晨宇)

It is KIND OF YiZhan related but not completely. I just wanted to add this song here because 1. I LOVE IT 2. The lyrics are soooo so so beautiful, emotional, sad, poetic, and incredible 3. It helped me get through some tough times 4. Hua Chenyu's voice is FREAKING AMAZING!

Why is it (kind of) Yizhan related? Because I got to know Hua Chenyu when he went on a DDU episode. And I started watching DDU because of DD, so... related?

[daresplaining]

Mike Murdock's Sunglasses: On Character Design and Autonomy

I've written a little in the past about character design in regards to the translation of zany alter ego 1960s Mike Murdock into slightly-more-grounded, at least 85% more real 21st century Mike Murdock. Specifically, I talked with artist Phil Noto about Mike's outfits in Daredevil #606-612, and analyzed the clothing choices made by the creative team in the 2020 Annual. However, one specific detail that I find interesting in Mike's transformation from Matt's hyperactive id to his own autonomous person that I haven't really written about yet is his sunglasses-- when he wears them, when he stops, and how this shift may or may not align with his journey.

Matt: "Let's see now-- I'll just muss up the mop, to give myself that carefree tousled look! A fella like Mike wouldn't be caught dead with a simple Ivy-League hair comb! And, I'll have to give my specs a coffee break for a while, as I cover my sightless eyes in a more colorful way-- If the attorney-at-law business ever gets slow, I might just decide to open a school of method acting! Yessir! Stanislavsky had nothing on me! Now, all I've gotta do is change my personality! I figure a clown like Mike Murdock is sure to be on all the time!" Daredevil vol. 1 #26 by Stan Lee, Gene Colan, Frank Giacoia, and Artie Simek

Matt and his dark glasses were inseparable in the 60s-- literally, to the point that he even apparently wore them under his Daredevil mask (fortunately, he doesn't do that anymore). The clear hesitance of DD artists in this period to draw their blind protagonist's uncovered eyes is likely one of the reasons that when it came time for Matt to invent himself a fake sighted twin, the sunglasses stayed on. This has not always been the case. In the years since, Matt has taken on several sighted identities in which he does not wear glasses at all-- notably, con artist Jack Batlin in the 90s. Of the two approaches, the former makes slightly more in-universe sense. As someone with no vision at all, who was blinded in a physically damaging accident, logic suggests that Matt's eyes would look different from those of a sighted person-- most likely due to chemical burns/scarring, but at the very least from things like a lack of eye contact. Thus, the choice for Matt to simply switch up his style of shades for the Mike look, rather than taking the risk of foregoing them entirely, feels logical (even if it doesn't always match up with the way Matt's eyes are actually depicted, but that's a topic for another post).

As it turned out, the oversized, colorful shades ended up tying perfectly into the loudness of the rest of "Mike's" outfits, becoming a memorable staple of the look that Matt crafted for his fake twin-- a look that was as distant from the classic Matt Murdock suit and tie (and simple, dignified shades) as he could manage. These shades were iconically, undeniably Mike's. However, they were still born from the use of sunglasses as a visual shorthand for-- and Matt's in-character response to-- his blindness. A Daredevil reader in 1968 might have looked at ol' Loudmouth Mike and asked the question: If this guy were a real person, independent of Matt, with his own backstory and reasons for dressing the way he does-- would he still choose to wear dark glasses?

Mike: "Well, as I live and breathe! You're Daredevil, right? Friend of my brother, if I don't miss my guess. Real pleasure to meet you at last." Daredevil vol. 5 #606 by Charles Soule, Phil Noto, and Clayton Cowles ("As I live and breathe" is such a funny thing for him to say in this scene.)

Enter: Fragment-Boy Mike, and the beginnings of an answer.

When it came to transforming the concept of Mike Murdock into a fully realized character of his own -- not to mention pulling him out of the 1960s and into the 2010s-- some core Mike Murdock elements were dropped by the creative team, both for the sake of streamlining the narrative and in order to match the tone of the contemporary comic. Fragment Mike is no longer Daredevil's alter ego; in fact, he claims in his first appearance in Daredevil #606 that he has never even met DD before. Gone are the loud clothes, the primary colors, the waistcoats, the fedora with the feather in it. Curiously, all that remains of his original Look(TM)...is the sunglasses.

Foggy: "That is...correct. How did you...?" Mike: "Because I ain't him. I'm me. And now, Foggy...you need to call my brother." Daredevil vol. 5 #608 by Charles Soule, Phil Noto, and Clayton Cowles

Fragment Mike existed in a kind of limbo that neither he, nor Matt, nor even his "creator" Reader really understood-- a tortuous state of both being and non-being, in which he believed himself to be real and then had his worldview shattered by learning that no one else saw him that way. Mike claimed his autonomy and fought for his right to live throughout that story arc, but the simple truth was that he was born out of Matt-- specifically, out of Matt's case files, from which Reader accidentally spawned him-- and the memories he possessed of being anyone/anything else were false. He was nothing but a twisted, reanimated echo of an identity his brother had created, dark glasses included; Matt but not Matt, physically separate but still bound to his brother.

Mike: "I'm Matt Murdock's twin brother, but...but I'm not. I've got some fake memories. I'm like a shell of a thing...but inside...I can tell I didn't live through anything...and I think...I think it's driving me crazy." Daredevil vol. 6 Annual #1 by Chip Zdarsky, Manuel Garcia, Le Beau Underwood, Chris Mooneyham, Rachelle Rosenberg, and Clayton Cowles

But! Fragment Mike, just like Matt, maybe because of Matt, is a fighter. He does not take being fake lying down. Through some Norn Stone magic, our fragment became a Real Boy, with real memories of a real backstory. And if we take a look through that backstory, we finally receive an answer to that 1968 DD fan's hypothetical question, because...

Daredevil vol. 6 Annual #1 by Chip Zdarsky, Manuel Garcia, Le Beau Underwood, Chris Mooneyham, Rachelle Rosenberg, and Clayton Cowles

The moment Mike Murdock becomes a real person, the sunglasses vanish.

Look back through Daredevil volume 6. Once he is officially, cosmically real, the only time we ever see Mike wearing dark glasses is when he is dressed up as Matt (ohhh, the poetry of it all!). He is wearing them, standing in Matt's apartment, when he dies in Matt's place-- fated, in the end, to never entirely escape his brother's gravitational pull-- but what matters is that the sunglasses tied Mike to his origins as his twin in a costume, and the loss of them indicates fully and utterly that Mike has broken away and become his own person. We even get this fascinating scene at the beginning of volume 7:

Matt: "...It was Matt. He came back from rehab, went to his apartment... I don't know what the #$@% Fisk was thinking, but I know they've got history and... Ah, Butch. He killed my brother." Daredevil vol. 7 #1 by Chip Zdarsky, Marco Checchetto, Matthew Wilson, and Clayton Cowles

This is Matt Murdock, in the year 2022, once more pretending to be Mike...post-Norn Stone reality rewrite. And this time? No sunglasses. In fact, Matt claims that the key to a foolproof Mike Murdock disguise is in the eyes: "Not just making sure they faced the right direction...but that no matter what, he had kindness in them..."

Do I love Mike Murdock wearing smarmy shades? Of course I do. But I love a good piece-of-clothing-as-allegory just as much, and I love peeling back the layers of identity to discover who Mike really is when he is not his brother.