#its like. wow this is down right terrifying and making quite a lot of commentary on a lot of things

[red-dyed-sarumane]

i like to think & joke about the girlies in my free time bc i think their personalities are a fun combination but do not for a second think im only into aru sekai series for the shipping or even general jokes. this is something so serious to me & i can and will take my opportunities to write dissertations on it

[tabloidtoc]

National Enquirer, October 26

You can buy a copy of this issue for your very own at my eBay store: https://www.ebay.com/str/bradentonbooks

Cover Story: Death Mysteries -- Whitney Houston autopsy cover-up; Kenny Rogers’ body is missing 

Page 2: Reba McEntire’s new romance with Rex Linn convinced Kelly Clarkson she needed to walk away from her unhappy marriage -- while Reba’s love life was heating up Kelly’s relationship with husband Brandon Blackstock who is Reba’s former stepson was hitting the rocks and Kelly remained very close with Reba and Reba would tell her how happy Rex had made her

Page 3: Control freak Tom Cruise is a basket case after he couldn’t charm Cher into leaving their steamy fling out of her upcoming memoir and the image-conscious actor was so panicky over Cher spilling their sexy secrets that he personally called her -- they had a strong physical attraction when they met at a White House event back in the ‘80s and eventually they hooked up and it was very hot and very intense and over in a matter of weeks but it left a nice impression on Cher so she only has good things to say about their relationship but what happened between them could prove very embarrassing if it got out and Tom doesn’t want that to happen -- unfortunately for Tom Cher wouldn’t say anything about what she intends to write and wouldn’t promise to leave Tom out and that’s made Tom even more paranoid and he’s wondering if he’s going to have to take legal action

Page 4: Kanye West is keeping a secret divorce diary to use against wife Kim Kardashian and its potential dishy dirt has her famous family quaking in their boots -- Kanye’s convinced Kim’s about the kick him to the curb and is putting together collateral to crush her and her family is the couple spirals into a $2.2 billion divorce, Jennifer Garner at 48 is flaunting her best body ever and her motivation is to compete with ex-husband Ben Affleck’s 32-year-old girlfriend Ana de Armas because Jen was tired of hearing how Ben’s fallen head over heels for Ana and wanted to remind him what he’s missing -- Jen’s always been very confident of her looks but she decided to step out of mom mode to remind everyone how hot she still is 

Page 5: Devastated Lisa Marie Presley has been relying on an old pal Smashing Pumpkins rocker Billy Corgan to repair her shattered life in the wake of the suicide of her son -- Lisa Marie and Billy were spotted together at Graceland not long ago and he’s been a huge source of support for her -- though they were rumored to have had a romance in 2018 Billy’s fully committed to his baby mama fashion designer Chloe Mendel and Lisa Marie would like nothing better for them to make beautiful music again but she knows he’s taken and she needs his friendship more than ever. 

Page 6: Ambitious anchor Gayle King is calling the shots at CBS This Morning after executive producer Diana Miller quit in the latest backstage shake-up; there was tension between Gayle and Diana and now Diana is gone -- it’s like the show gave Gayle the keys to the car and even if she runs it into a ditch the network gives her more power -- Gayle also clashed with former co-host Norah O’Donnell who successfully snagged the anchor chair at CBS Evening News but Norah hasn’t wowed in the ratings and it’s a matter of time before Gayle gets the coveted job 

Page 7: The mystery over the fate of country great Kenny Rogers’ body has left his own family members in the dark -- sources close to the singer said he’d been cremated while others charged his body is still on ice and Kenny’s body is missing as far as most people are concerned and there’s no place fans can go and pay their respects -- it’s most likely he’s been cremated and the ashes have yet to be scattered but there have also been whispers in certain circles that he could have been cryogenically frozen to preserve his body for a later date, many of Hollywood’s biggest names are abandoning Tinseltown to escape the COVID-19 pandemic and a collapsing entertainment industry -- Julia Roberts hightailing it to San Francisco and Tom Hanks and Rita Wilson getting citizenship in Greece and Pierce Brosnan put his Malibu mansion on the market and Jim Cameron is peddling his prized L.A. compound

Page 8: Frustrated Jon Stewart’s plans to reinvent himself as the next Steven Spielberg have flopped and he’s pretty unhappy about it and he wants to be viewed as a respected serious filmmaker but he’s hit more roadblocks than he ever saw as a comedian or talk show host -- he was left fuming when Irresistible his latest outing as a director was met by mediocre reviews and limited to pay-per-view and streaming services last summer even with box office draw and best buddy Steve Carell in the cast -- he could snap his fingers and get any TV project but he’s setting his sights much higher and he’s walked away from millions of dollars to go back to TV because he wants to prove he is a creative force in the film industry 

Page 9: Frustrated Brad Pitt is threatening to have ex Angelina Jolie dragged to jail if she refuses to end her harassment campaign against him and hash out a divorce and custody agreement and he’s had it with Angie’s intimidation tactics and is fed up with being labeled a bad dad and it’s no exaggeration to say Brad’s scared of Angie and he wants professional witnesses around them at all times when he attempts to see their children but for Brad though it would be the ultimate revenge to see Angie led away in handcuffs, Nashville legend Travis Tritt is trying to keep up with country music’s up-and-comers by getting a lift from plastic surgery and recent photos show the 57-year-old almost unrecognizable with a line-free face and skin as tight as a drum -- Travis is getting ready to put out his first album of new music in more than ten years and it’s hard to blame the guy when he’s completing against singers 30 years younger 

Page 10: Hot Shots -- Julia Garner got a touch-up on the Staten Island set of Inventing Anna, Reverend Run visited a mural of slain Run-DMC bandmate Jam Master Jay in NYC’s Hollis Queens, Vanessa Paradis and daughter Lily-Rose Depp in Paris

Page 11: Lovestruck Chrissy Metz is already talking marriage and babies with newly unveiled beau Bradley Collins but she has a history of falling for guys fast which has previously been a recipe for heartbreak and while nobody’s doubting Bradley’s intentions there’s a lot of confusion about why they kept their romance totally hidden until now, the devastating fire that tore through Rachael Ray’s home has made her reassess her life and she and husband John Cusimano are now considering adopting a baby -- losing so many of their possessions in the fire made them realize they weren’t all that important anyway so they bulldozed the house and are rebuilding and the word is they’ll add a nursery

Page 12: Straight Shuter -- Danny Trejo cuddled a rescue pup (picture), Lizzo is the first plus-sized Black woman to ever grace the cover of Vogue but pulling off the shoot was a challenge with most designers unable to find clothes that fit her, Justin Timberlake and Jessica Biel are very private and they’re livid with Lance Bass after he confirmed that they had another baby, when he was NBC’s biggest star Matt Lauer conducted almost every high-profile interview and now editors and doing a lot of cropping and zooming to preserve archived footage while removing Matt 

Page 14: Crime 

Page 15: Rock guitar god Eddie Van Halen who tragically died after a brave battle with cancer wanted to be buried with one of his Frankenstrat guitars that he created to define his signature sound -- Eddie felt like he owed his whole life to that instrument and he loved that thing as much as his family, Perez Hilton dished he kissed notorious skirt-chaser John Mayer in a New York nightclub and the lip-lock happened right in front of John’s then girlfriend Jessica Simpson who didn’t seem to know whether she was incredibly embarrassed or really turned on

Page 16: Cover Story -- explosive new autopsy evidence proves superstar Whitney Houston didn’t have to die -- eight years after she passed mysteries about her final moments and blatant blunders at the death scene point to murder and a shocking coverup and now investigators are demanding a new probe into the 2012 tragedy in a Los Angeles hotel bathroom and for Whitney’s body to be exhumed -- a private eye believes the autopsy proves Whitney was murdered but the case was never pursued because she was dismissed as a druggie and she was marginalized by law enforcement as a dead drug user 

Page 18: American Life

Page 19: Horror movie legend John Saxon’s family started battling over his fortune even before he passed on July 25 -- in legal papers filed in May his son Antonio claimed the actor’s third wife Gloria Martel had been pocketing money against John’s wishes, Netflix faces criminal charges in Texas over the controversial film Cuties -- according to court documents a Tyler County grand jury indicted Netflix claiming it knowingly promoted visual material that depicts the lewd exhibition of the private parts of a clothed or partially clothed child younger than 18 -- Netflix said in a statement that Cuties is a social commentary about the sexualization of young children and this charge is without merit 

Page 20: Suzanne Somers recently cheated death when she and husband Alan Hamel fell down a flight of stairs at their Palm Springs home and although Alan wasn’t seriously injured the terrifying spill left Suzanne in agony with two displaced vertebrae and forced her to undergo delicate neck surgery but she said the surgery went off without a hitch and promised she is on the mend, Hollywood Hookups -- Sofia Richie has unfollowed Scott Disick on Instagram, Zac Efron hopes to marry Vanessa Valladares, Sharon Stone and Mindy Kaling are both on the market 

Page 21: Twelve years after she was placed under conservatorship Britney Spears remains unable to sign her own name on official documents -- Britney recently made moves asking to allow a different financial group to step in and help run her life as well as gain more freedom but lawyer Andrew Wallet said Britney to this day does not have the capacity to sign documents and make decisions for herself and she is susceptible to undue influences, the audience for the Saturday Night Live season premiere came away with more than just a few yuks they also received $150 because to get around New York State pandemic guidelines SNL gave each guest a parting gift of $150 paychecks as if they were employees, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle may soon have a new neighbor in heavy metal maniac Tommy Lee -- the drummer was recently spotted checking out a $2.3 million three-acre plot next to the rogue royals’ $14 million home in Montecito and he was obviously pumped about living there but building the tattooed rocker’s home would mean tons of truck traffic and hopefully Harry and Meghan don’t get upset with the building work he’s planning 

Page 22: ABC is reeling from a barrage of allegations from employees and on-air talent who’ve blasted it as a toxic and racist working environment -- the network which is owned by the family-friendly Walt Disney Corporation was rocked when Sunny Hostin the popular co-host of The View accused company executives of institutional and personal racism in her memoir and in later interviews about the book

Page 26: Lonely country singer Kenny Chesney is looking to find a new ladylove and is talking about finally settling down for good -- he is unhappily single after his eight-year relationship with model Mary Nolan hit the rocks -- he spends all the time he’s not on the road at his island paradise in Antigua but he misses having a partner and he’s even asked pals Matthew McConaughey and Richard Branson to play matchmaker 

Page 28: America is preparing for World War III as China amps up war games in the South Pacific and readies plans to invade U.S. allies -- military insiders warn China and Russia and their tyrannical accomplices in Iran and North Korea and Syria and Turkey are bracing to launch a coordinated attack against America and the west that could end in nuclear disaster 

Page 36: Health Watch 

Page 38: Rolling Stones guitarist Ron Wood has traded in his debauched days of sex drugs and rock ‘n’ roll for knitting, Rod Stewart revealed there’s a deep freeze between him and former close pal Elton John and that Elton refused his attempts to that things out -- the two ‘70s icons had been friends for decades before Rod blasted Elton’s biopic and his most recent music tour -- when Rod realized he was in the doghouse he tried to bait Elton with a bone for his kids by inviting Elton’s boys Zachary and Elijah to come play soccer with his sons Alistair and Aiden only to be greeted with the sounds of silence 

Page 42: Red Carpet -- The Christian Siriano collection 

Page 45: Spot the Differences -- Sophie Okonedo in Ratched 

Page 47: Odd List 

[courage-a-word-of-justice]

Double Decker 12 - 13 (FINAL) | Golden Kamuy 23 - 24 (FINAL) | Merc Storia 11 - 12 (FINAL) | Zombieland Saga 12 (FINAL) | Gridman 12 (FINAL) | Cells at Work! 14 (OVA) | Shield Hero 1 | Boogiepop 1 - 2 | Egao no Daika 1

Trigger warnings for rape and slavery in the Shield Hero commentary.

Double Decker 12

Deana’s actually kinda tsundere…that’s kinda amazing to see, really.

I noticed Doug’s phone says “Dr. Apple”. Haha.

Kirill’s special. But why? You never answered that, people! Update: It’s because his antibodies are an antidote for Anthem.

There appears to be a Shell logo on one wall of Derick’s bar…LOL. Shell exists in real life. Why do we want it in an anime, now…?

I laughed so hard when I saw the landlady with what remained of Seven-O, hahaha.

Travis and Sophie, huh? Is it a ship or a working relationship? Who knows?

Oh! This didn’t make sense until Derick declared the bus was a bar. Rigggggggggght.

Kirill, believe in the Doug that believes in you…or something like that…

Kirill’s holding two guns, so when Cooper says, “Put down the gun,” which one does he mean???

“And Then There Weren’t None!” – Parodying (Agatha) Christie again, I see? (Referring to Hyouka’s Why Didn’t They Ask Evans parody, Why Didn’t She Ask Eba?.)

Golden Kamuy 23

How did “pig food” in a sentence become so terrifying???

Why is Tsurumi’s head leaking???

*Sugimoto bashes the earless twin with his prosthetic foot* - Well, that’s one way to get a leg up on someone…okay, I’ll see myself out.

Merc Storia 11

If Orthos is complaining about rain, why is he a water-element unit in the game???

This show is gorgeous. Not to mention the backgrounds look like they’ve been ripped out of the game…

Aw, Orthos is kinda cute. Kinda tsundere. I wonder if he wanted to hear “happy birthday” from Raviol…?

Every time I watch through the ED, I think Raviol’s going “Geddof me!” to Yuu.

Zombieland Saga 12 (FINAL)

The Yuugiri slap returns!

The 21st of December seems to have been the original airdate of this episode…

Karatsu-jou is Karatsu Castle, quite obviously.

Wait…does this mean Kotaro Tatsumi’s real (last) name is Inui? Or was this a “I changed my name bcause my mother/I (re)married” thing?

There’s an end of episode segment…keep watching.

That was…such a non-ending! This definitely needs a season 2 if it wants to finish its storyline! Plus, Yuugiri, Tatsumi and Tae never got their focus episodes!

Gridman 12 (FINAL)

What the heck was up with that smoke cloud? It looked so real, and yet so out of place!

Ooh, I see Anti now has the ability to transform by himself…although I should’ve figured that out last episode, since I think that happened then as well.

*Anti gets stabbed with Alexis’s sword* - What the hck just happened to my garbage son??? (refer to This Week in Anime for how that nickname came about for Anti)

Eyy. So you’re saying Gridman was a magical girl robot all along? Haha…hahahaha.

So basically, it’s Boueibu LOVE! but with less meta. With lessons of mortality instead of the Kabuki Rule. Akane’s basically female!Kinshiro, right down to the hairdo…

Wow…someone really ran out of budget. It’s literally just a slideshow, but with black and white over it.

Oh, there’s actually a nice piano song in the background. So maybe I was wrong about the budget…? I don’t really want to go and watch the slideshow again, y’know.

There’s a random live-action segment at the end of this show??? Wuh??? What do I need to expect next, a talking meteorite??? (referring to Dimension High School)

Okay, seriously??? What was up with live-action Rikka???? I don’t get it… Update: Okay, so the live-action girl was Akane, not Rikka. That’s why it was so confusing…

Double Decker 13 (FINAL)

I laughed really hard at the explosions. Probably because I Photoshopped someone into a picture of an explosion and the scene with Kirill being shoved forward by an explosion reminded me of it…

I wanted Max to slap Travis, as weird as that might be for a show like this (but not for a show like Zombieland Saga). A punch in the gut’s good too, though.

“To be continued?” – Oh. Ohh. Ooh…Heh. I already knew there were some extra episodes, but at this point, there’s no ruling out a season 2, either…hmmm. I really wouldn’t mind a season 2, y’know.

Golden Kamuy 24 (FINAL)

For some reason, I’ve ben referring to Hijikata as “old fart” for the length of this episode (meaning “not long”). He’s an impressive old fart, to be sure, and he was hella nice-looking in his heyday, but in the age of Golden Kamuy, he’s still an old fart.

I thought “Say hello to my little friend” was from Scarface, not…whatever Tsurumi’s pulling here. (commnt made in jest with straight face)

Seriously, what happened to ruin Nopperabo/Wilk’s face, anyway?

Someone make me a Civil War poster with Golden Kamuy characters, stat!

Wait, so Kiroranke, Asirpa and co. are headed north to meet up with Kiroranke’s allies, which could cause a civil/national war. Hijikata and Blockhead Dick-sensei (forgot his name) are headed south due to the info they got from Inudou’s hut (the chapel). I’m pretty sure that’s what just happened, but…I could have missed a bit and then I’d be wrong.

“Send the beloved child on a journey” is a Japanese saying, by the way. That’s (probably?) what Sugimoto’s referring to when he talks with the boat captain (the elder Koito). Oddly, the elder Koito seems to drop the last O from “-dono”, which seems to be a Satsuma thing…?

Cells at Work Special Ep (Ep 14)

Oh, you can see the effector cell amongst the other T Cells! Hello there!

I remember studying stuff about how a cell divides…man, that was at least 2 years ago! You’re making me feel old…

*Helper T Cell appears* - Gaddangit, Kazuma! (from Noragami)

Merc Storia 12 (FINAL)

There’s just something too awfully cute about a brother leaving the “nest”.

Even birds need to learn to fly. I wonder why Orthos didn’t…?

Ah! It’s one of those low-level hooting monsters! I’ve seen them in the game but I don’t know what they’re called…Update: They’re called Goldories. Spoke too soon…

Well…that’s a bit frustrating. That’s the second non-ending this season…hey! I’ve seen that elephant in the game! Plus that slime! (LOL, I’m so easily distracted…)

Ooh, that non-ending. I’ll give it a piece of its mind by giving it an average rating on my AniList!!! Rah!!! Anyways, see ya later…for 2019 anime.

Shield Hero 1

First anime of 2019 and it’s this one. Hoo boy – I’ve read one chapter of the manga, courtesy of CR. It’s gonna get nasty down in here, judging by the buzz that seems set to replicate Goblin Slayer’s…

Oh…that’s not a very favourable opening, the “It was all a dream” opening. Sure, it was gripping and showd Raphtalia (saw her name in promo material from ANN), but f*** if it weren’t overused at this point in time…

I always thought Shield Hero started out like Fushigi Yuugi…speaking of which, is that no longer on Crunchyroll?

Motoyasu’s got his own spinoff, so I’m hoping I’ll get to know him well over the next 12 weeks or so.

I find it interesting that they put the heroes together to reveal they’re from different versions of Japan so quickly. I’m pretty sure that didn’t happen in the manga.

Honestly, that “NOOOOOOOOOOOo!” could be an awesome reaction GIF. Just sayin’.

Sigh…Myne, Myne, Myne…you and your ways with Naofumi…

(Trigger warning: rape discussion) See? As I said, I knew this was going to happen. The thing is that it played out a lot more clearly in the anime than it did in the manga. As much as I don’t like the trope of “rape as accusation” enough (enough to have never encountered it before), it would be hypocritical of me to say I haven’t used it before – it appears in Half-Paid Heroes. However, one year out from having written it (due to the #MeToo movement), I can only say “rape is so not on”. I do not condone rape, but from a storytelling perspective it’s the perfect trope to make a character look like a monster and it makes a clearly false accusation have more oomph behind it, so…let’s just say Shield Hero’s doing its job here, making me despise Myne and the system in this world. Besides, I only stand on the side that does the better story.

For some reason, Naofumi’s “You can shove it all up your a***!” demand reminds me of when I’m angry and doing unreasonable demands…which means it’s won me over now.

I just realised…there hasn’t been much music until now…

(Trigger warning: slavery discussion) Oof. Now they’ve gotten to a new low of depravity in this show. Naofumi’s probably gonna buy a slave…again, I don’t condone this, but I assume Raphtalia is here.

Yep, even without knowing past ch 1, I was right on the money. That’s Raphtalia!

Poppies, huh? The symbol of bloodshed. What a perfect flower for this show, which demonstrates Naofumi’s blood, sweat and tears…

As much as I don’t condone some of the acts done in this show, I see some huge potential. Even if it’s got controversy flying around it like flies, I’ll stand with it. Are you with me?

Boogiepop 1 – 2

Double length premiere…oof, this’ll be tough on my spare time. Lately, I’ve been told to clean up the house a bunch and doing all manner of other things, so it’s just eating up time on all sides.

OP start is…for some reason, never a good start. For some reason, I just don’t like it. Maybe that might be the fact I was taught to start with a compelling opening scene when I was a fiction writer, though.

The subber got so bored they even subbed the Dengeki Bunko logo in the corner…wow. (sarcastic)

For some reason, the art style reminds me of Banana Fish (or Parasyte). Must be the chara designs.

This seems to be coated in a fine film of 90s edge. Or maybe the early 2000s, because that’s when this really comes from. C’mon, Takeda doesn’t even seem surprised when his mouth hangs open!

Notably, Boogiepop uses boku.

Wait, I don’t get why Boogiepop is called that. They pop the boogie(men)? That right?

I started zoning out and fiddling with my wrist in the middle of this episode. That’s another bad sign…

Wow, that ending’s really minimalist.

Currently, this episode raises more questions than it answers. Its overall impression level is trending slightly towards the negative. There must be a double premiere for a reason, though…let’s move on.

Wait - Kirima Seiichi? Is he Nagi’s father??? How did I not notice that earlier?

That manticore business seems to be correct…according to Wikipedia.

This doesn’t add up. Taniguchi. Kirima. Maybe Taniguchi is the name of the mother/father and Kirima is the name of the other parent? Update: Spoke too soon on this point and a previous one.

Kirima’s OS appears to be Windows 10 with a few adjustments.

Wait, but isn’t Suema meant to be the girl’s surname? Or is it Kinoshita? Update: It’s Suema. Kinoshita is another girl.

This white-haired man is the one from last episode, right? I didn’t really recognise him since there’s always terrible lighting plus he was wearing orange then, but yeah. Can’t believe I didn’t connect the dots there either.

White-haired man seems to be like Anti from Gridman. I presume he’s Echoes…? Update: Yup, Echoes it is.

Egao no Daika 1

This sounds like it’s outside my field of expertise, but I’ve been proven wrong before with Planet With, not to mention Toshiki Masuda is a character called Huey Malthis. It seems to be pretty standard Princess and the Pauper fare though…

There’s just a bunch of tablets with fancy-looking English on them…the heck?

Is it just me, or did the mecha game have the solitaire success sound effect…?

Ooh, I sense animosity regarding Japan’s emperor abdicating within this show (in a metaphorical sense)! I could analyse this show to bits, maybe…

The CGI in this actually ain’t that bad. Then again, we are talking about mechs here…

Oh, end of episode segment. Keep watching…

Well, I noticed the characters go off model if you’re paying attention to something you shouldn’t be, but otherwise, it’s a respectable first episode…respectable, but fairly average.

[dickie-gayson]

(1)So I’m kind of late, but I’m here to review Me and the Devil. And scream about parts I liked. Also this got awfully long, so I hope you don’t mind being spammed. Its been a while, so I re-read the first couple chapters of Me and the Devil. I may be repeating things from my last review but oh well. First off, man do I enjoy the lines about how Talon finds the sheer amount of emotion Jason gives off fascinating due to his own inability to feel much of anything. And wow, Dick is fully gone.

(2) I’m particularly fond of the line where Talon reflects about how much Dick Grayson enjoyed jumping between rooftops, and how its just mechanical at this point. Honestly thats one of the truest signs showing that the Dick we know and love is gone. Like that joy he finds is so vital to who he is and that line says so much about his current state in so few words. Though I obviously hate what they did to Dick, the way the Court of Owls got brought down is so poetic. They spent so long

(3) controlling Gotham that they tried to control something they had no hope of containing. I’ve always thought making him a Talon was an objectively bad idea, because no one can really control him forever. Dick’s always been tricky like that, even though quite a few people have tried, which was good when he had strong morals. Now he has no morals.“At first he thought it was Nightwing, back from wherever he disappeared to.” Oooo boy he doesn’t even KNOW how right, and how wrong he is dammit.

(4) Also just softly saying confess is terrifying. Jason is still Jason (albeit in his most damaged phase). Comments on how stupid the mask is first, worries about the killer part after. Also I know this is terrifying and all but I laughed at how Jason’s sitting their like “its just too many knives. Who needs that many knifes”.Talon allowing Jason to choose the fate of his attacker is an interesting look into whatever tiny bit of code Talon has left.I’m really enjoying the commentary

(5) and thoughts of the guys working for the Arkham Knight. I loved how much his militia respected him in the game, and how they honestly seemed to like him. However Jason and Talon spin their new working relationship, it would be super cool to see the underlings perspective. I live for people meeting Talon (which is why I liked that scene with Carmine Falcone so much, as well as the second one where the men get to witness Carmines description of Talon and his possessiveness).

(6) Now onto the third chapter. It hurts how much Jason is being reminded of the Joker in this chapter, and hurts even more when Talon starts to use this against him and confirm his fears about still being controlled by the Joker. The parallel is beautiful and painful, as Talon is trying to give Jason the same sense of power and freedom he had when utterly destroying the court of owls. The amount of possessiveness that practically drips off of every word Talon says is wonderful. The worst part

(7) is that being protective over his siblings is a 100% Dick Grayson thing. Talon would almost be easier to stomach if his motivations in this story were completely unlike the Dick we know. But seeing his protectiveness twisted and malformed almost beyond recognition is horrifying. Oh jeeze I’m so scared and so ready to see what on have become. I’m not sure how far you plan on taking this, but like the amount of people who care about these two, it would destroy them. At least you can still

(8) see Jason in the Arkham Knight. But Dick is gone, and I honestly can’t wait for the reaction to that. Final notes I have are that I really enjoy your writing style overall. Comparing your various fics, you can write vastly different tones with the same level of excellent quality. I died laughing at some of you humour fics, and this has a super dark tone that actually does that aspect properly, which I think is awesome. Sometimes I find that when happier characters go dark in fics I often

(9) take a step back and think “okay, thats too far”. But your Dick has enough in his past and the right connections to his past characteristics and his behaviour feels right for this state. I also appreciate how even in this, you manage to work in a few happier tone humour lines in a way that feels smooth to me, and them quickly switch back to the darker tone without the tone switch being super bumpy or catching the reader off-guard. I’m also a fan of how your style flows. Like honestly thank

(10) you so much for writing this. I look forward to whatever comes out next. (I’m also a huge fan of More Shej, but thats for another day) Anyway, thats definitely enough for now. Catch you later *finger guns*

u dont know fear until u get on Tumblr and see 10 messages waiting for u. 

BUT SRSLY, MY HEART. THANK YOU SO MUCH!

Reading all the stuff you enjoyed just made my night, no joke. Hell, it made my month. I’d be writing a more eloquent response but my mind is kinda just repeating various screeching noises of joy lmfaoo (ngl i’ve been staring at and re-reading this for like 3 hrs) I also thought The Court trying to convert Dick was always a Bad Idea for those same reasons! Bruce could barely get Dick to follow orders without getting into a fight, the Court wouldn’t be able to keep him reined in for long. He’s just too stubborn lmfao

I also loved how his men treated him in the AK game (at least before the end lol) and was highkey thinking of doing a mini-series from their pov of either Me and the Devil or just the random going-ons of being one of The Arkham Knight’s men.

I’m p excited to get to the others meeting Talon, especially Bruce and Alfie. I’m such a sucker for the twisted way that Talon Dick could be and very much enjoy playing with the possibilities. 

I could sit here all night and keyboard mash over my joy at this message as well as talk about the things you pointed out.  THANK YOU SO MUCH AGAIN. These reviews give me life and really help keep me motivated to write.

[agirlnamedsteve]

Some conversations I’ve been having recently

Conversation 1:

[in response to an instagram story about the timothée chalamet/harry styles interview]

Steve: I adored that interview. May or may not have been emotionally wrecked by it [hasn’t read the full thing yet, just read internet commentary on it as of now]

Maggie: I’m actually super interested in this. I was just talking to Madeline about this. What parts particularly struck you/resonated with you?

S: Hey sorry it took so long for me to respond

S: I think the part where they talk about the contrast of being a public figure which comes with a certain amount of self celebration, especially during awards season, when so many people are suffering

S: It just seemed like the sort of conversation that I was really happy to see in print that happened between two celebrities

S: Like bringing up social media and the Arab spring seemed really random, but also like something that would randomly come up if my friends and I were talking about stuff like this

S: The masculinity part of the conversation wasn’t the most nuanced thing I’ve ever heard but I appreciated it a lot

S: They both just come off as really genuine guys and I hope this sort of interview/interaction between celebrities becomes more visible. 

M: Yeah I pretty much feel the exact same.

M: I think that i should stops calling it an interview because it’s a conversation. It feels like two guys meeting for the first time at a party and discovering they have similar interests and thoughts and just having a very natural convo.

M: Even if the questions were planned it felt very real. So everyday. And like it just happened to be recorded for us to read.

M: Also super interesting to contrast Harry who has been in the spotlight for so long with Timmy who is so new to the world.

M: And how much I feel Harry could teach him.

S: Yeah that was a really beautiful beginning, like I can’t believe that was the first time they’ve talked

S: Made me smile, I’m a sucker 

S: Just seemed like two normal guys but they’ve both ~made it~

S: Timmy talking about his family was sweet as heck 

S: I didn’t feel like they necessarily did justice to talking about the social responsibility of celebrities but I like that it was mentioned

M: And I think the part about gratefulness really hit me. The idea that they are both trying to remind themselves that they aren’t owed any that they have but that they are really lucky.

M: Yeah it felt like a throw away

M: Some of it I don’t think they really got deep enough into. The stuff that felt forced because they felt like they had to bring it up. Instead of it coming up casually.

M: I think the reason people are really into this article is because it makes these mythical people so present and quotidien and relatable

M: Like they could just be our friends 

M: And it feels quite intimate 

S: It does feel so intimate. And I have a good friend on this program who went to la guardia with Timmy and knows him in such an intimate way, so I feel like that reminds me of his humanity as well

S: It seems very genuine, but I also can’t help but wonder how much of this is also about image and knowing it’s the right thing for them to say

M: Yeah. And I’ve heard from people at la guardian that he is actually a pretty great guy

M: Yeah. What I thought was particularly interesting was the difference in composite between the two. 

M: Like Harry seems so put together and Timmy feels like a mess. Like not in a bad way just like more nervous and rambley and how the years of coaching and PR people changes how you do these sort of things. But also Timmy has been praised for this so I wonder also if he’s playing it up at this point. Like people point to it as proof that he’s genuine.

S: Okay I noticed that too, and it might be age, and it might be him playing up the rambling young charismatic genuine guy-thing he has going on. Regardless I kind of loved the chatter. 

S: There were questions I felt Timmy didn’t actually answer though, like in the fluster of trying to keep the conversation it seemed like there was something missed. But also phone interviews are so interesting. Like your words that you say, which you can’t easily manipulate without training and practice, can come out sounding super different than you wanted based on context and reactions to the unknowns of verbal conversation. 

S: I guess phone interviews aren’t any different than in-person interviews minus body language, which I always find interesting to read about in journalists’ second-hand perspectives when they do write-ups of the interviews. 

S: But I have been thinking a lot about how social media allows us to curate our words in a way that changes how we communicate in general. 

M: And how much practice you get. 

M: Yeah it’s weird because Harry is only like two years older but has been famous for so long. And I at least take comfort in the idea that Timmy at least was first rambley genuinely. But I always get freaked out by whether I’m being manipulated or not. 

M: But also Harry’s specificness makes him sound so mature like wow.

S: Media manipulation! I was just talking about how I feel like I’m being constantly mislead by mainstream media and my own ‘free thought’ isn’t free thought at all. 

S: And I try my best to find out things for myself, but the internet is wide and vast and can very easily turn into an echo chamber. 

M: I’m terrified because there are people who’s job it is to make us think a very specific thing.

M: And they are so good at it. 

S: How do we make sure we don’t all just turn into sheep?!

Conversation 1: 

[lovey dovey but also reflective] 

Steve: I was doing some reflecting the other day and wrote stuff down in the most of my academic notes

S: Allow me to transcribe because it’s literally illegible

Max: Please do. 

S: Max really handles disappointment well. Like he fails with grace and that’s not an easy skill to learn, it’s intuitive. He know what’s he wants to do and others see that in him. I always look forward to seeing how he handle disappointment and fears of the unknown with grace and embrace those  harder times knowing that he offers so much support for himself and others in those spaces of discomfort. Also pancakes can always cure the worst moments.

M: That’s a really beautiful thing for you to notice and share with me. I’ve never thought anything close to that about myself before. 

M: Can I share a reflection I’ve had recently?

S: please do. 

M: it’ll take a sec

S: Go for it 

M: So it’s definitely a document sized reflection so I made a doc for it in the drive

M: But here it is anyway for convenience

M: Alison,

You know that I love love. I've read books and listened to philosophical speeches and podcasts and even taken a dang class on the matter. I think and talk about love all the time. When I was younger I understood love to be complex but not necessarily dynamic. I knew it was something that required some form of "work" to sustain but then I framed it more as maintenance, upkeep that both parties participated in to maintain the love that they shared. I could conceive of the oh so many factors that make up a relationship, communication, time, sex, affection, compassion etc. At the time all of these things were external, each of them pieces of the love bus to be tinkered with it so it would run smoothly for many miles. What I couldn't have conceptualized at the time was what it means to grow with someone. Not to somehow "induce" growth on the other person or encourage them to make positive changes in their life but to look inside myself and search for what I really want and push myself to figure out how to get there and then actually put in the work to get closer and closer, day by day. 

This has been a really hard few months for me. I've been met with many disappointments in my family, my work, and personal life, and spent many hours lamenting about each of them. All the while I've thought some version of "if Alison were here things would be better. We could talk and laugh and fuck and dine and do all the things that made me oh so happy when we were in the same place." 

I've thought a lot about where that thought comes from and must first say it's absolutely valid and for the most part true. Doing anything with you is immeasurably better that doing the same thing without you, just reading your words on the page or a screen makes me want to shout with glee and affection no matter where I am (usually I just smile like a young me in an arcade for a while for fear of alarming those around me [other times I just shout because i dont give a FUCK])

I think part of the reason our love and are relationship felt so unique and special from the beginning was that each of us were so satisfied as individuals. We have deep connections with amazing friends and ask questions about complex issues and take great pleasure in struggling to find answers. We are passionate about so many things and recognize the value of our time and the way we spend it. And when we came together we just kind of celebrated all of that in this awesome way where we would celebrate both each other as people and all those amazing things that make us who we are. Its intoxicating, and incredibly addicting. In these months where things have been hard and I’m not spending my time in ways that situait my heart and my soul I’ve looked to you to fill that space, when I need to take responsibility and fill that space myself no matter how near or far you are.

I think I got a bit lost in immeasurable grandeur that is our love, and it has taken me a lot of thinking and talking and writing to understand and really believe that I am so much more than my love for you. Though it is overwhelming and feels allencomapsing it is just a part of who I am. As hard as this distance has been I am so thankful for it, as it has given me the space to think and feel through things I could only do on my own. It's so wild to think about how our story and how the year between matching on tinder and getting coffee in Olin was so necessary for both of us. 

Growth is hard and it's painful, both physically and emotionally, and I want to grow with you, separately and together, from near and far, for as long as we want to. I hope it's for a really really long time.

I have a much greater understanding for what you said to me over the summer, that you didn't want to be THE thing that either made me happy. That's a lot of pressure, and I can imagine doesn't feel very good. 

of course, recognizing all these things is just the start. As hard as it was to get her now a different kind of work starts that may prove to be even harder. I need to take action in my own life and make the changes that feel right, that draw from the deep well of passion I know I have inside me and drive me forward. And If I'm lucky I'll get to tell you all about it

S: Oh wow I loved reading that

S: That is so big

S: Thank you for sharing 

S: You’re literally so self aware and want to do the work on yourself that people need to do (esp men in general if I’m being honest) and that just took a lot of pressure off of me to have to ask you to do that work, so wow I’m honestly honored

S: Never stop growing, I never want to stop growing with you

S: And I agree wholeheartedly especially with the middle section about how much that year was important for us, and how we came into this relationship both knowing ourselves so well and being so established and happy so we just relished in being able to enjoy each other

S: that’s so special. 

S: I think we’ll definitely get back to that place. I don’t feel like we’ve left it, but it’s different ya know?

M: It feels so good to share that with you

M: Of course of course, and the “place” were in together will always be changing and always be beautiful

M: I just sort of started thinking and all of a sudden some of those things just became really clear

S: wow yeah I love that 

M: me too.