#it’s probably cause they do a lot of creature illustrations as opposed to just Guys In Armor lolll

[ofide]

really can’t get into high fantasy (5 minutes later) me and paolo barbieri 😁

[dogcircle-scans]

Natsume Yuujinchou: “Sleeping Village of Vessels (Part 3)” Summary (Chapter 102)

There’s no end to these cats, cats, CATS!!!!!!!!

I’ve got to admit, I personally wanted more of the cats, and now WE GOT MORE CATS! This chapter had so many cats that I was almost distracted from the new and intense developments to this arc. No Ban this chapter (surprisingly), but oooh my god, we got another enemy.

Next month’s issue (coming out on October 24th) will come with a special chapter and a set of free ADORABLE Nyanko spoon and fork.

Special thanks to Jessica for proofreading this as always~

EDIT: Sorry if you guys saw like... two posts of this just now. There was a bit of a mix-up with Tumblr and I’ve deleted one of the mirrors already. Sorry if any confusion was caused. :X

- Niji

[Everything under the cut]

Chapter 102: “Sleeping Village of Vessels” (Part 3)

Cat eyes appear behind Tomuro, who still hangs from the ceiling. Turns out a large group of the porcelain cats are holding Tomuro, attempting to bring him with them. Surprised, Natsume shouts at them.

Natsume: HEY~~~~~~~!!! Cats: *FLINCH!* *fall fall fall fall* Natsume: WA~~~~HH!!

[Natsume legit just shouted at the cats the same way he shouts at Nyanko lolol]

Natori: ——I’m surprised……… There really are so many…… ——…… ……

Natori: PFT! Nyanko: THIS IS NO LAUGHING MATTER, YOU BRAT—!! Natsume: (——I wish I could show this to Taki.) Natori: Maybe it’s because they mass produced these vessels… But still, this is a rather creative form……

Natori: …No, rather, maybe their odd design gives them more power to suppress grotesque-looking creatures…? Matoba: “Mass produced”? I seriously hope you’re joking. Take a good look at them. They are all completely different. Completely. Different.

Matoba proceeds to name several of them so accurately that even the cats themselves are stunned.

Natsume: Matoba-san…? Matoba: ——Ah, the truth is, I used to have the catalogue for business uses back at home. It was an illustrated book with all the cats drawn in it. That’s why I was surprised when I first saw you with your cat. I know the names of pretty much every cat here. I was really fond of looking at that illustrated book of cats when I was a child, so I often peeked at it.

[That explains why he figured out that Natsume had picked up the wrong cat in the previous chapter… MATOBA HAS MEMORIZED EVERY SINGLE ONE OF THEM.]

Natsume: ——… Natori: Natsume? Natsume: ——No… It’s the first time I’ve seen Matoba-san acting in such a childish way, so… Natori: ———…… Well, that guy is a cat-lover after all.

[HE IS!? We need headcanons now. Matoba in an attic full of cats. Matoba strolling the streets and slipping fish to every stray he meets. Matoba hiding kittens under his futon. WE NEED MATOBA X CATS.]

Matoba: ———How nostalgic. My favorite cat is here too. Nyanko: *GASP!* COULD YOU BE TALKING ABOUT ME— Matoba: Nope. You weren’t in any catalogue. Nyanko: *hmm hmm* Mine must have been so well-made that they couldn’t bear to part with it. Natori: Wasn’t it because they realized it wouldn’t sell?

[Ohmygod Natori lol]

Natsume wonders how these cats are moving, and Nyanko-sensei determines that it’s likely they’ve been around for so long that souls began to dwell within them. Just as they discuss this, the cats use the opportunity to sneak away, only for Natsume to catch them.

Natsume: Why are you so restless? You even tried to take Tomuro-san with you… Cat: ……… Nyanko: What? / Hmm hmm… I see! Natsume: Sensei! You can talk to them? Natori: As expected of fellow beasts………

Nyanko: These guys will “DEFEAT YOU”, is what they are saying. Natori: HUH!? NO WAY!! US!? Cats: *hiss—! hiss—!* Natsume: ——…… Nyanko: It seems like they aren’t talking about you. *hmm hmm*

Everyone believes that the cats must be talking about Ban then. But Natori warns the cats that Ban might be difficult to deal with, since he uses techniques that are unique to his family. That was why Natori had reluctantly brought Matoba along as Matoba is familiar with Ban’s methods.

Matoba: Ban used to be part of our clan, after all. Do you understand? The only one who can save you from your dilemma right now is me alone.

Matoba immediately assigns everyone a task to do. Natori will draw circles to gather power while Natsume removes any stones and grass that might get in the way. The cats, watching Natsume, begin to help him out.

Matoba: ———By the way…

Matoba: It would be great if you could answer me now. Why were you monitoring Ban? Natori: ……… ——Because I saw it at Matsuzaki’s residence.

Natori: The “Impregnable Pot”. Matoba: The “Impregnable Pot”, do you mean that one? Natori: *scratch…* It was that pot, the one with the six-petaled bigleaf hydrangeas drawn on it. It’s most likely the real thing. Matoba: ————…… Matsuzaki, huh…?

Matoba: ——Even if that’s true, is it a good idea to let me know about it? Natori: *scratch!* …Well. It’s just stuff about a pot…

As Natsume and the cats continue to remove rocks, they hear the ringing sounds from the wooden puppets in the distance. Concerned, Natsume tells the cats to go back inside the building. But all of them remain where they are, staring up towards a point in the sky. Nyanko-sensei manages to scare them off with a shout while Natsume, curious about what the cats were staring at, looks up into the sky as well… and spots a talisman floating above.

Natsume: Natori-san, Matoba-san. Natori: ——Natsume? Natsume: Over there, above the trees! It might be something Ban-san’s using…

Natori: Huh…? ——There’s nothing there though. Matoba: I see. Well done, Natsume-kun. Indeed, when I strain my eyes, I can see it. The talisman—— Natori: Talisman? Matoba: …That’s not Ban’s. It’s something that was originally in this village. I read it in the books from before. I’m sure if we acquire the item that is stored right underneath that talisman, it will be advantageous for us. Could you investigate the place under the talisman with me, Natsume-kun? Natori & Natsume: HUH!? Matoba: I can see it, but it’s a little transparent, so I can’t be sure where it is exactly. Natori will stay behind and continue with the work. Natori: ! I’ll come along too. Matoba: You can’t see it, right? You won’t be of use even if you came along.

Natori: ———… *guh…* Nyanko: Pfft. Natsume: ———Sensei, you stay behind too. Nyanko: WHAT!!? Natsume: You’re being targeted too, Sensei. So you should stay at the hideout, where it will be harder for them to find you. Nyanko: OI! SOMEONE LIKE ME… Natsume: Stay here,

Natsume: and protect the cats and Tomuro-san with Natori-san for me, Sensei. Matoba: Time to head off then. Natsume: ——Okay.

Nyanko: …Oi, Natsume. Don’t show him any openings. He’s someone who likes to look through other people’s things without permission. Natsume: *gasp!* *glance* ———— ——……

Natsume: *grip…!* ———Natori-san. It’ll be too heavy for me to bring along, so please———

Natsume: I’m off.

[*unintelligible screaming*]

Tomuro remains unconscious inside the building, but sees recollections of his past. When he was still a child, he and his grandfather had a conversation about the cats hiding in the village, and how, maybe one day, Tomuro himself could create pottery with life dwelling in them. But reality struck when he became an adult as keen exorcists arrived at the village only to leave in disappointment.

Exorcist: “———How disappointing. This village has probably already fallen asleep.”

Urihime finally manages to find Sasago, who has just regained consciousness.

Urihime: I was looking for you. What in the world happened? Sasago: ———…… ……I don’t know. Urihime: What? Sasago: I felt a strange presence and chased after it, but… When I realized… everything became pitch-black. And then… …… And then——…

Natsume spots the wooden dolls flying in the sky, as he follows Matoba towards the talisman.

Natsume: ——Um, Matoba-san. What you said earlier… What did you mean when you said that Ban person used to be part of your clan——— If you are acquainted with him, maybe you could talk to him and convince him to back down? If you do that then——— Matoba: Ah. It’s unfortunate, but it’d be a bad idea for me to show my face in front of Ban. Natsume: ———Why? Matoba: The female master that he currently serves belongs to a sect which doesn’t have that good of a relationship with my clan. Considering his prejudice against me, there’s no telling what he might do if I stand in the way of his goal. I should just be good and stay out of his sight.

Matoba: If he decides to come after me because I’m the head of the Matoba clan, I might be forced to crush a capable talent like him as an “enemy”. It would be a pity if that happens. Natsume: ——…… The Matoba clan really has a lot of enemies. Matoba: Indeed. However, most of them are just smoldering heaps of potential. So as long as they don’t come after us in an unskillful manner, I wouldn’t mind letting them go.

Matoba: Right now, in the world of exorcists, the Matoba clan is the strongest of all. It’s rare for someone to openly oppose us. After all, everyone knows that they don’t stand a chance against us. But if you look at it another way, should they encounter difficulties with ayakashi and face possible collapse, the strength of the Matoba clan would serve as something that they can hold on to. No matter if they are dissatisfied, or if they want to oppose us, as long as they understand that they need the Matoba clan, they won’t make any futile discord. Having a strong, unyielding clan around might be necessary to maintain the balance in the exorcist world.

Natsume: ——Something to hold on to… Matoba: Fufu. It goes for everyone. Isn’t it the same for you with that kitty cat of yours? Natsume: ———I… suppose so.

[How dare you even suggest that Matoba!]

The two of them finally arrive at the place directly beneath the talisman, and uncover a giant, old kiln. Matoba enters it without a second thought.

Natsume: Matoba-san! Matoba: *ruffle…* What a splendid place. But it looks like it hasn’t been in use for a long time. Natsume: ———Please pardon our intrusion… Matoba: *click* It looks like they used discarded old kilns to create a path that leads deep inside. Natsume: (The kiln for Hakka Pottery… It’s in such a place where those cats and even Sensei were———……) Sfx: *CLATTER!* Natsume: *jolt!*

Natsume: Matoba-san… Stairs…? In a place like this———…… Matoba: *wave wave* —Now then, Natsume-kun. After all that I have just said—— The Matobas must be stronger than anyone, anywhere. In order for us to be strong, I will use it. No matter what methods I have to use.

Back at the hideout, Natori continues to draw the circles as Nyanko-sensei sits on his head, slapping the top of his skull.

Nyanko: Seriously, that Natsume! Why did he give it to a guy like you!? Natori: …Can you head into the building already? You’re being a nuisance here.

Nyanko: I’M WATCHING OVER IT! HOW CAN I TRUST A SHADY GUY LIKE YOU~~~~!!! Natori: ~~~~~~~~~~~~~....... Nyanko: *gnaw gnaw* Natori: ——… ——The Book of Friends, huh——… Nyanko: Don’t you start getting some strange ideas. Natori: Strange ideas? Nyanko: For small fries like you, such an item would make you water at the mouth, wouldn’t it? Natori: Ahaha, I wonder about that. Nyanko: It’s not something a child of man can manage, alright? Natori: But Natsume handles it just fine, right?

Nyanko: He is different from the rest of you. Stick: *scratch…* Natori: —— He’s the same. As long as he holds this, he will meet dangerous things…

Natori: ——What about you? What’s wrong? Didn’t you want this? Nyanko: ———— Natori: I should just let some random ayakashi take it away with them. Nyanko: WHAT!?

Nyanko: …In any case, have you known that Matoba for a long time? Natori: Huh? ...Well, since the time we were students. But, from the beginning, I’ve never been fond of his methods———…… ——Now that I think about it,

Natori: that was the time when I saw that pot…

Natsume and Matoba continue down a passageway, which was where the stairs led into. Matoba explains that there was a legend in the village, back when the village still produced excellent exorcism tools. One of the potters created something which had a forbidden form, and upon realizing the dangers it might cause, the potter immediately sealed it away in a box. Just as Matoba says this, the two of them come to the end of the passageway, where a door with a seal painted on it, stands before them. Matoba takes out a brush and paints the back of his hand, and then uses that same hand to open the door.

Behind the door… is a box.

Matoba: Now then, I wonder what kind of item will be revealed to us. Natsume: *gasp!* (A forbidden form.)

Matoba: *creak…* Natsume: (That was sealed away——…) Matoba-san, wai-...... Box: *clunk!*

Meanwhile…

Nyanko: Oi! Behind you!

Natori: (Ban——…!?)

Natori: *shudder…* It’s…… not Ban. …A porcelain doll? Nyanko: ——Just what is this thing?

Nyanko: What a creepy guy. I can just blow something like this away… ——GUH…!? Natori: ——What’s wrong? Nyanko: Damn it! I can’t get out of my vessel form. Natori: ——So you can’t get back to your original form while you’re inside of Ban’s barrier——…

The cats appear behind Natori, hissing, and lunge at the porcelain doll. However, their efforts are fruitless, as the doll easily flings them away.

Natori: All of you should stay back! Cats: *slap! slap! slap!* Nyanko: …The enemy they said that they wanted to “defeat”... It looks like this is the guy. Cats: *hiss—! hiss—!*

[Does every single part have to end on a cliffhanger?? This two months wait is torturous omg]

“Sleeping Village of Vessels” TO BE CONTINUED

[comicteaparty]

March 9th-March 15th, 2020 CTP Archive

The archive for the Comic Tea Party week long chat that occurred from March 9th, 2020 to March 15th, 2020.  The chat focused on HoverGirls by Geneva Bowers.

Featured Comment:

Chat:

Comic Tea Party

BOOK CLUB START!

Hello and welcome everyone to Comic Tea Party’s Book Club~! This week we’ll be focusing on HoverGirls by Geneva Bowers~! (https://hovergirls.com/)

You are free to read and comment about the comic all week at your own pace until March 15th, so stop on by whenever it suits your schedule! Discussions are freeform, but we do offer discussion prompts in the pins for those who’d like to have them. Additionally, remember that while constructive criticism is allowed, our focus is to have fun and appreciate the comic! Whether you finish the comic or can only read a few pages, everyone is welcome to join and chat with us!

DISCUSSION PROMPTS – PART 1

1. What did you like about the beginning of the comic?

2. What has been your favorite moment in the comic (so far)?

3. Who is your favorite character?

4. Which characters do like seeing interact the most?

5. What is something you like about the art? If you have a favorite illustration, please share it!

6. What is a theme you like that the comic explores?

7. What do you like about the comic’s story or overall related content?

8. Overall, what do you think the comic’s strengths are?

Don’t feel inspired by the prompts? Feel free to discuss anything else that interested you!

Eightfish (Puppeteer)

It's so eye catching!

The bold color scheme immediately creates a strong identity for the comic

The contrast between the two MCs is

I'll comment more when I've read past literally just the first page lol

eli [a winged tale]

Wow I love the art! Very beautiful palette and interesting characters right off the bat (pun intended!). Great dynamics between our two mains and love the magic so far!

mcapriglione (Falconhyrste)

yall I heard you were talking about hover girls and I came running

I just caught up like yesterday because I'm sick so I've spent the whole day reading comics, also I picked up a physical copy from geneva at c2e2 and that's what got me started on the series!

What stands out to me so much is the characters, jalissa and kim are total opposites, and it's really interesting to see them interact with each other. also the little things in the background that tell more about the characters, like jalissa's love for soap operas and kim's references ahaha

RebelVampire

So time for me to jump into the chat. What I like about the beginning is that it starts you off with this sort of beautiful artwork and magical feel, only to drop the mundane on you with the coffee shop and the obsession with ranking on social media. Something about how this starts really gives me this sort of more modern day magical girl feel that usually isn't quite there. Like it's a bit gritty feeling cause life is gritty, and I like that. As for favorite moment in the comic so far, I'm partial to when the girls discovered their powers. I like how it just sort of happened, and the different reactions they had to it. It was both magical and funny. Also for the reasons below. My favorite character is Jalissa, no content. Jalissa is basically my spirit animal. Doesn't want fame, just wants to catch up on the soaps, but somehow winds up with more energetic people. All of Jalissa's reactions to everything are great and I love it. For characters interacting, really it has to go to Jalissa and Kim. They're such polar opposites I think you'd have to try to NOT enjoy it. But either way, that opposites thing really just makes their interactions endearing and interesting since going in you know they'll disagree and yet somehow wind up doing the same thing together anyway. So I really enjoy that about their relationship.

As for the art, I really just love the color design combined with the style. It has a very whimsical feel that works for the abundant blue schemes and I really just adore every bit of the atmosphere it creates. For themes, I like that the comic explores ego. Like that moment where Kim asked if she was getting too full of herself really hit home. And I like that the comic kind of explores that even if you know that you might get egotistical and all high and mighty, its not the easiest thing in the world to stop either. For the story's overall content, I'm just gonna point to what I liked about the beginning. I like that its a bit more mature, modernized magical girl story where the magical girls are adults. That's probably just bias in that I'm an adult so I relate more to adults.

Comic Tea Party

DISCUSSION PROMPTS – PART 2

9. What do you think Jalissa’s backstory and relationship with her family is? How do you think Jalissa will continue to change as the story progresses, and what will Kim’s role be in it? Further, how will Kim change?

10. Why do you think Kim was suddenly possessed, and how dangerous are they? Can Kim be saved from it? Additionally, why was the person who possessed Kim surprised Jalissa also had powers?

11. Do you think Jalissa and Kim will succeed as magical girls and become popular? Why or why not? Additionally, how might this change the future plans each has decided upon for their career?

12. What do you think this comic teaches us about pursuing our dreams and responsibility? What has been your favorite moment in the comic so far that deals with these themes? Don’t feel inspired by the prompts? Feel free to discuss anything else that interested you!

gee

Hello CTP! This is the creator of HoverGirls c: I want to thank you all for taking the time to read and discuss this comic! I bet you're all pros at what makes a good story, so it's really humbling to know that it's liked so far. I'll be happy to answer any q's about story, chars, etc. And it was super nice to finally meet you @mcapriglione (Falconhyrste) and hope you feel better!

mcapriglione (Falconhyrste)

Aaaaa hey welcome to the chat @gee !

Tantz Aerine (Without Moonlight)

Ok I just finished reading the entire comic start to finish. I have to say I'm not only impressed by the wonderful art and refreshing color scheme that makes me think of wild summer, but amazed that I find myself invested in this story! Usually it's not my cup of tea at all, but Hover Girls are going to clearly be the exception. I'm adding this to my comic bookmarks The first thing I have to give my kudos for is the sheer character design and characterization. I had sincere, and in Kim's case, almost visceral reactions to both girls, and the Korean guy (his name sounds Korean). While Jalissa intrigued me from the start, Kim got under my skin to the point I found her insufferable! It is only in the last few pages with her backstory flashback that I somewhat feel sympathy for her. I love the interaction between these two, and also how the story is paced so that we get to gradually become aware of more layers and nuance in the relationship they have. Jalissa's love and concern for Kim was clear to me from the start, while Kim's not so much. She (Kim) came across to me as immature, self-centered and inconsiderate. Later, when we see more of their history, I got to see the concern and love from Kim's side too. That's excellent writing to go with the excellent art. I also really like the premise with the alien creatures! I am intrigued and want to know more. Finally, I want to talk about the humour in the dialogue and the art in general. I love how there's a streak of black humour throughout the comic. My favourite character is (in case you didn't infer it yet) Jalissa, but I like the entire cast. They need each other to organically bounce off each other and develop. And lastly, I have to mention the really fun brand names and soap titles. Always makes me grin. Wonderful work @gee !(edited)

RebelVampire

I get the impression that Jalissa was a typical delinquent and that her parents werent around much - hence the delinquency. And so I imagine it's a bit strained at the best of it. I think Jalissa moving is her attempt to turn things around, and I think that is what will happen. Jalissa will become more responsible, take more of a sense of duty, etc. Which is what I think will happen with Kim, along with a healthy dose of gaining some humility. As for why Kim was suddenly possessed, maybe the weather? Regardless, 100% I'm sure Kim can be saved. Only bad villains monologue so Kim got taken over by a bad villain. As for why Jalissa's powers are a surprise, probably a lack of communication due to alien bureaucracy. Jalissa and Kim will definitely succeed as magical girls if you tone down expectations to be heroes who fight crime as opposed to what we see in every anime where they fight and just are completely fine and sparkly. As for becoming popular, maybe for a bit, but honestly, probably not. The internet is fickle so sure they might get a viral video....but then everyone will move on. I think it will mostly only change Jalissa's plans as she's finds there are more important things in the world than soaps. As for what the comic teaches about pursuing our dreams is that it's hard. My favorite moment is actually Kim checking if anyone liked the pic and it was just Jalissa. The world is saturated with talent, and even if you have the drive, the skills, etc., getting noticed is kind of a slog. But I think Kim shows us at least might as well keep trying.

Eightfish (Puppeteer)

I had the opposite reaction as @Tantz Aerine (Without Moonlight) ! Jalissa irritated me at first, while I liked Kim. But then, when I saw Jalissa's genuine kindness, I liked her more, and when Kim started showing her flaws- how she's kind of self-centered and naive, I started to like her less. That's not to say I think this comic has bad writing, though! I like how the author has given everyone such realistic flaws. I went through a lot of cycles of liking and disliking the characters, and I think that reflects how it feels as you get to know some people irl. These characters are complex!

Seeing stoic Jalissa get truly angry at Kim was powerful.

I like the detail of Jalissa keeping her bat in her backpack's water bottle holder

"Only bad villains monologue so Kim got taken over by a bad villain. "

Rebel, that made me laugh

I think it's true too(edited)

chalcara [Nyx+Nyssa]

+ü´´´´´´b n#ä+ß

Tantz Aerine (Without Moonlight)

@Eightfish (Puppeteer) it's exactly that we get different and real reactions to these characters that is the proof of excellent writing. We react differently, but we react as if they were real people and that's an absolute win!

mathtans

Woo, my schedule's eased a bit and this looked interesting. For the discussion prompts...

1. The beginning set things up well in terms of a quickie fight and then the characters and city situation. There was humour in that too. Good tone.

2. Fave moment, as far as plot was probably Jalissa interacting with blonde boy (sorry, forget the name) in particular because it seemed to be foreshadowing. Fave moment for relatability was the phone message with "Get to the point" because I SO relate to that.

3. Tough call on character. Both mains have good qualities and I don't feel I know the others well enough yet. I suppose Jalissa for her straightforward nature and sticking to her guns (like about dresses).

4. I liked Jalissa and Blonde Boy interacting, funny enough, as I said earlier. The cousin banter is good but the former stood out somehow.

5. The art's a neat blend of emphasis in some places and less in others; also interesting how the hair is done. Not sure why that sticks out.

6. I'm very bad at noticing themes. It's neat showing what "magical girls" do in their off hours. Also the troubles with getting noticed.

7. Story's clever, and I felt suspicious of Blonde Boy from him being around during the powers acquisition, which seems to be paying off. Nice to see ladies of colour too.

mathtans

8. Comic's got a bit of everything. Magic, mystery, slice-of-life... a reader can probably gravitate to something.

Comic Tea Party

DISCUSSION PROMPTS – PART 3

13. What are you most looking forward to seeing in regards to the comic?

14. Any final words of encouragement for the comic? Don’t feel inspired by the prompts? Feel free to discuss anything else that interested you!

mathtans

9. Jalissa seems to be someone who grew up in a difficult situation and needs to blow off steam sometimes. I'm reminded of the time she punched the wall - but then within a day went to get the materials needed to fix it. I feel like she had an unhappy home life with no real outlet or people to talk to about it. Maybe the fighting evil will help, or at least give her a sense of accomplishment. Kim needs to be a bit more grounded in reality, and I suspect will, although at the same time you kind of hate to see it happen, like the death of innocence or something.

10. I wondered if possession was always part of the plan against Kim (once it happened), and that's why the water beings were around, like they're trying to get access to the powers... though it's seeming like it was always something inside her, she was simply able to suppress the feeling for a time. Until she was at a low point emotionally.

Actually, I always thought BlondeBoy had something to do with the attacks, and in the scene between him and Jalissa (the earlier one in the alley) you saw hint of blue in the art, and one wonders whether he was acting normally. I wasn't sure if it was a subconscious thing or a conscious thing. Now I wonder if Kim wasn't manifesting the items herself on some subconscious level, wanting something to defeat. Though maybe he still had a hand in it too.

Of course, maybe the weather has something to do with it too, as Rebel remarked on.

mathtans

11. I feel like their power as magical girls is possibly tied to the presence (or at least strength) of the enemy, otherwise why wouldn't it make the news more? (Granted, could be obliviousness by the populace, but this seems to be reinforced by the current plot elements.) As such, their magical days seem numbered... unless they could fight against regular mundane foes? I dunno. The world doesn't seem to care much about supernatural either.

mathtans

Maybe they should change their name? Hovering doesn't sound too aggressive, and I don't think they do it that much anyway. Granted, DampGirls isn't catchy, and H2OGirls is a bit clinical. ^.^

snuffysam (Super Galaxy Knights)

I love this comic! The two main characters play incredibly off each other, and there's lots of great comedic moments. My fav is Jalissa.

I wonder if it is the weather that's causing these possessions? Because, like, the flying fish attacks in general are tied to the rain. Maybe particularly rough rainstorms cause possessions? I feel like the thing that possessed Kim and the boy was what brought about the powers in the first place - the energy that came down from the sky on the beach. It's odd how the blonde dude didn't seem to use powers but got possessed first, while Kim uses her powers the most and got possessed second... maybe Jalissa has an easier time resisting because she has the strongest will?

Eightfish (Puppeteer)

@snuffysam (Super Galaxy Knights) I don't think Jalissa can get possessed- Bob said that his soul was split in two, and Jalissa got the powers while Korean guy got the mind

snuffysam (Super Galaxy Knights)

ah yes, that's true

Eightfish (Puppeteer)

@mathtans I like "Hovergirls"! It's cute and catchy

gee

The title I still don't 100% like, TBH. I legitimately thought on it for a week before starting on this comic and still couldn't think of anything better XD

RebelVampire

What I'm most looking forward to in the comic is probably just more Jalissa in general and finding out why Jalissa is the way Jalissa is. Overall though, this is a beautiful comic with a great combination between modernization and magical girls with just the right hint of maturity that makes it more appealing for an adult. Definitely would recommend to adult fans of magical girl stories!

mathtans

To be clear, I had no issue with the title of the comic... with some comics there's only an offhand reference too. I guess I was more picturing the ladies arguing, were Jalissa to get more into it.

As to the rest of the questions, I think the comic can show that reality is somewhere between the two of them (though they do play off each other very well) as far as dreams and responsibility go. I'm vaguely curious to know whether the alien might be having a positive (or negative?) influence on BlondeBoy, who seemed a bit of a jerk from the lens of the others.

The world building is well done too, like I could even see spinoffs... these aliens apparently just sent a couple emissaries to Earth, maybe there's some sort of space force out there fighting too. Maybe they see Kim's videos and want to recruit her. Or hire her for public relations. idk.

Anyway, looks great, definitely an interesting read and nice showcasing of things you don't see other places, best with it!

gee

Huge thank you all CTP group for giving HoverGirls a read! I cannot thank you enough for giving your time and thoughts on this story and it’s been incredibly helpful and encouraging!!

snuffysam (Super Galaxy Knights)

It was a great read, gee!

Comic Tea Party

BOOK CLUB END!

Thank you everyone so much for reading and chatting about HoverGirls this week! Please also give a special thank you to Geneva Bowers for volunteering the comic and creating it! If you liked HoverGirls, make sure to continue to support it via some of the links below!

Read and Comment: https://hovergirls.com/

Geneva’s Store: https://gdbee.store/

Geneva’s Twitter: https://twitter.com/gdbeeart

[ganymedesclock]

What do you think of the theory that there could be a secret sixth Lion (the White Lion) and that if found, it might choose Allura as its paladin?

From a storytelling perspective, I don’t really see the appeal, but, here’s my thematic beef with it.

I think that this devalues Allura, actually, by acting as if she already does nothing for the team, or that her accomplishments do not matter unless she has her own Lion.

Because the writers did give Allura the ability to take the field in season 3. This is significant to her character because, as she outlines herself- she will not demand her knights, her soldiers, to fight if she is not willing and ready to fight herself for this cause. She is a soldier of the rebellion too, and she’ll make good on that.

However- I actually think it won’t defeat all of Allura’s characterization if she’s not always a Lion pilot. If it’s a matter of shuffling who’s available and who’s needed.

Because here’s what I think is the impressive thing about Allura in VLD.

I think they took the archetypal, feminine, princess role, and rather than apologizing for it, or sweeping it under the rug with everything else that aged badly about Allura’s original character...

They decided to make it Allura’s power base.

Allura has her own ship. And it is the castle. The castle that a lot of people mock, but, don’t seem to really understand in context: yes, the particle barrier is often in danger of failing, but this is a world where no other ship actually has a barrier.

Other ships take that punishment directly onto themselves. The castle’s outer wall has virtually never failed in a direct battle. The only time I can think of is Sendak’s bombardment in s1e1, and on that occasion, that told us exactly what it takes to breach the first wall of the castle.

Four consecutive shots from the literally strongest weapon an imperial battleship can muster.

And that’s not counting the castle itself. Again- the barrier is so powerful we almost never see the castle take direct damage but it’s a literal castle.

Castles were originally built, in actual medieval history, to withstand armies. Potentially, for months. They were in some cases self-contained armored cities that could support its defenders and populace indefinitely.

The Castleship is this. Reimagined as a spaceship. It’s a slow moving goliath with a battery of guns the likes of which we’ve watched chomp up the imperial fleet.

Lotor’s mister hotshot new threat on the horizon and in his first altercation it’s not any of the Lions that make him flinch- it’s the castle that’s able to rock the prince’s cruiser with one hit and make the guy himself sit up and go what was that.

Rather than sheepishly, desperately going “Allura was never the princess in the tower!” they decided that she is, at her core, that figure... and then said “and this, this is her tower.”

The reason why Allura struggles with the Blue Lion is how small and vulnerable it is. Because she’s used to the castle. It’s hers. The castle is Allura’s Lion.

Attaching a sixth Lion onto Voltron, and ascribing it to Allura, suggests a couple of things.

It acts as if Voltron was incomplete, despite Allura being there from the start, despite the Castle being there from the start.

Since we’ve seen Voltron in its heyday, it also comes entirely out of left field. There is no real actual implication of its presence besides Voltron sure is mysterious- but how could there be another fully-formed Lion without Lotor’s intervention? The Lions’ connection makes sense because they were all forged of the same comet. It’s not like Lotor is going to make Voltron another Lion.

And even so, that feels like an awkward addition. Josh Keaton riffed on this when he was asked on twitter by having Lance ask if it forms Voltron’s (cut off by Shiro) but really... Voltron has a beautiful allegory of a human body.

It has no missing pieces right now. To attach another Lion, you’d need to make a non-essential addition, give Voltron a tail or beef up its wings, and once again that’s rude to Allura because it suggests somehow Allura hasn’t been pulling her weight all this time- but also, even though Voltron can be better with this hypothetical sixth Lion, that it’s perfect and whole without Allura, and can just operate without her unique addition.

I think it’s a lot more powerful rather than trying to stuff a sixth Lion onto Voltron and go “see, Allura’s important now!” to acknowledge how Allura already is important, because the show has not exactly given us peanuts in that regard.

Allura is important, Allura is powerful, and this is exemplified by what she is connected to. The castle is literally Voltron’s safe harbor and central station, it is everything they have and everything they come back to.

It perfectly illustrates what’s explored in the first two season finales: that if Allura goes down, Voltron literally cannot continue without her. And this is before they have the slightest inkling that Allura could be a paladin.

Allura doesn’t need to be a paladin to be important. That she can potentially step up in that sense is an addition to her existing importance. And her unique armor color, I think exemplifies that Allura’s not taking importance from Lance. She doesn’t have to just only keep that armor as long as she’s piloting Blue, or as long as there’s any absent Lion for her to step into.

Allura is the princess and that is important. She’s not the queen, because she doesn’t need to be, because that doesn’t reflect who she is: still young and vulnerable in some ways, and this is explored and exemplified through her rightful vessel, as well as her terrific strength of character- which can coexist.

You can recognize Allura’s importance and central role to the team without diminishing or dismissing how scared and hurt she also is! The Castleship is a magnificent, powerful entity and yet it is also something the team desperately defends, for good reason! It’s not going “Allura, you Fragile Pathetic Creature”, but rather, once again:

The Voltron pilots in Legendary Defender are deliberately styled after knights. Calling them paladins, giving them actual armor as opposed to the sleek jumpsuits that are often envisioned- the silhouette of their shields, the coat of arms, their honor and creed, all comes to the same concept.

And the thing about knights is, knights were servants of a higher royalty. Always. They were often nobles themselves, but they bent their knee to a lord or lady.

Allura is the one who completes that metaphor. Because Allura is the liege to whom the knights owe their fealty. This was explored in classic Voltron where all the pilots, when they became pilots, kissed Fala/Allura’s ring. VLD didn’t do that, because Allura doesn’t really like people bowing and scraping, but- at the same time...

Without Shiro the team reeled, came together, stabilized, and moved forward.

Without Allura, both times the team basically threw everything into a final stand because without her, they were done.

That’s not knocking on Shiro. It’s because if we’re talking chess, Shiro’s the queen- incredibly powerful, incredibly important, but Allura’s the king piece. Taking her ends the game. 

And this is the same thing across the board, with the galra empire- it’s not Zarkon, the ex-Black Paladin soldier, warlord, and pilot of mecha that when he falls the empire falls. The empire stumbles, struggles, but gets right back on its feet again and the beating heart yet sustaining it?

Haggar, the white-haired, magical Altean in the full-length dress who operates and attacks from Zarkon’s flagship- his castle.

Of their enemies, it’s Allura’s nemesis, not Shiro’s, that’s the ultimate peril. It’s Allura’s nemesis that needs no new amounts of quintessence to sustain herself, but wields it to sustain Zarkon- and can bring him back just as many times as she needs to.

Again, Allura is, weaponized in the particular sci-fantasy world Voltron writes, the princess in the tower that the paladins, her soldiers, are defending. She is a just ruler, and not one afraid to take the battlefield herself, but there’s nothing uplifting or revolutionary about denying that’s who she is at her core.

Other continuities, like Force, pretty much erased that importance, downplayed aggressively her royal status, treating her like just another soldier- and I think that’s a terrific disservice.

I think that people- and I’ve been guilty of this myself- got so used to princesses and rolling their eyes at princesses, treating the “princess” as the “everything wrong with how female characters are written” that they stopped looking at princesses as royalty, nobility, as a powerful central figure in their own right.

So what this all boils down to is:

I think there’s absolutely no need for a sixth Lion, not to Voltron, and not to Allura. Because it fundamentally misunderstands Allura’s situation- it acts like she’s not doing anything important unless she has her Own Lion (tm) all to herself that nobody else can use when the Castle’s systems, as have been pointed out many times, don’t sing fully for anybody but Allura, in a clear nod to how nobody pilots Black, Red, or Blue like Shiro, Keith, or Lance do.

I think Allura is wonderful exactly how she is and I’m eager to see her continue to grow, at the helm of the castle, flying one of the five Lions, or, probably, a mix of both.

[daveywankenobie]

A couple of days ago (on Wednesday) I went to the House of Commons for a Slimming World reception hosted by Baroness Benjamin.

I know her better as Floella – because throughout my childhood she was a huge presence on children’s television – and also a quiet beacon (although I never really recognised it at the time) for racial diversity on a BBC that was largely populated by white men.

In person she’s quite something.

She seems eternally youthful – and possesses seemingly endless energy. During the two hours I was next to or near by her she never appeared to be anything less than continually animated and engaging.

Even when I presented myself in front of her and gushingly shook her hand later in the afternoon she was gracious and cheerful.

This was despite me making a ham fisted Oscar Wilde reference regarding whether or not she had a picture of herself at home going mouldy in the loft (the Picture of Dorian Grey).

Bless her.

She just stared blankly at me and unleashed a huge smile before warmly hugging me.

Despite my clearly refined sense of humour falling largely on deaf ears with Floella the day went well and the themes she raised clearly resonated with many in the room. 

The topic was the startling increase in childhood obesity (something Floealla is extremely passionate about – she’s heavily involved in related charities) and what the government are doing to look at this from a strategic perspective.

There were a few speeches – from the great and good within Slimming World and also the a representative from government.

In no particular order we heard from the young slimmer of the year Charlotte Randall (link) (Instagram),  2017’s Top Target Consultant from Warwickshire Jodie Rigby-Mee (link) (Instagram) Slimming World’s head of external affairs Jenny Craven (link) and Conservative MP Andrew Selous (link) speaking as part of the health and social care committee. 

I met a lot of people and shook a lot of hands, discussing many topics that were important to me and listening to other people’s opinions on what mattered to them.

There was also something of a treat for me – because one of the more personally interesting people I bumped into was a guy called Kennneth Fox. He’s an emeritus Professor at Bristol University (link) and has written and consulted extensively on the links between physical activity and psychological wellbeing.

These are subjects that have become very close to my heart – and I know from first hand experience how activity can change physical and emotional darkness into hopeful rays of light.

Kenneth has been working with Slimming World for around 20 years and (I discovered) was heavily involved in formulating their ‘Body Magic‘ plan.

For those unfamiliar with Slimming World this part of the plan aims to encourage members to get involved in regular exercise – and in its literature illustrates the benefits it can have when combined with healthy eating.

I’m proudly a Platinum Body Magic certificate holder.

I chatted to him and his lovely wife for quite a while – but finally I couldnt resist asking him about a burning question that had been on my mind from the moment I saw his name badge.

I wanted to know (when he had come into contact with people such as myself that have had extreme weight loss) how their heart health was afterwards.

What did he think about my resting heart rate?

Very encouragingly Ken didn’t seem at all surprised my my RHR (which readers will know has been a minor preoccupation of mine for a while since it’s typically 40bpm). 

When I told him that I ‘only’ walked (as opposed to spending ages in the gym, running marathons or climbing mountains) he replied with ‘Well I bet that you don’t walk slowly.’

‘No I don’t. Not any more anyway.’ I replied.

‘I tend to be quite brisk.’

‘You’d be surprised how quickly the heart reacts to moderate increases in exercise.’ He said.

‘It can drop down to the mid forties in next to no time – and what you’ve been doing probably has much more in common with the heart profile of an athlete than you realise. Regular cardio activity has an almost immediate corresponding impact on heart health.’

He sipped his red wine thoughtfully and watched my response.

I was listening intently.

‘When I get into my fitness my resting rate quickly drops into the forties.’ He continued, smiling at me.

I nodded. He was telling me just what I needed to hear.

This was really encouraging – because my GP had said that he had next to no experience of extreme weight loss and how it affects the body. Therefore (despite his assurances last week that my RHR was normal) I’ve still remained a little worried that my heart has its rate because I in some way damaged it when I was so obese.

Thankfully everyone is telling me the opposite lately. 

It’s very encouraging, because it means my long term health outcomes are really really positive. 

I’m really not sure how I’ve dodged so many health related bullets – and I’m of the opinion that in many ways I really don’t deserve the outcomes that I’ve had over the last two years. 

Not only do I feel lucky – but I also sometimes feel quite guilty, because I know quite a few people that have looked after themselves way better than I every did – and yet they suffer much more with ill health than I do now.

Life isn’t fair – and if anything their struggles continually remind me that I have a duty to keep doing what I’ve been doing – if for no other reason to show them that I appreciate what I’ve got and I don’t plan to throw it away again.

I need to persist with my exercise for THEM and focus on my continual self improvement.

Before long though the pleasant conversation (and the event as a whole) was coming to a close.

All that remained was to grab a few quick photos to mark the occasion.

The one above also has the 2018 Greatest Loser Shaun Carrington – (link) (instagram) and 2018 National Mr Sleek Dan Sullivan (link) (instagram) in it on the right. Both of these guys posted their own images of this moment on Instagram and and I was amazed when they pointed out that this photo represented a total combined loss of over 58 stone!

(I also rather like it because of the rather amusing photobomber in the background who made me laugh out loud when I spotted the cheesy grin behind Jodie. She knows who she is!)

I walked away from the day filled with thoughts about how to formulate a post related to all this – as well as how to do it justice – but the truth is that my thoughts were elsewhere.

The Parlimentary event had been very interesting and it was lovely to meet everyone – but I find that sometimes when I sit down to write about my day the main events are often not the ones that bring my thoughts into focus.

There were a couple of things about that day that were a lot more important to me.

Firstly my friend – who also accompanied me to the Ritz – joined me on again on Wednesday. For this I was extremely grateful – although I doubt she grasped quite how much.

Being trapped in Solihull by Vertigo a week and a half ago on my own really dented my confidence because I didn’t see it coming. I was just stuck, out in the open and alone, feeling vulnerable and incapable.

It wasn’t nice.

Having a close friend with me that could look after me if something bad happened was a real comfort – and although I seem to now be over the worst with my inner ear infection (I didn’t have any attacks at all on Wednesday!) her being there made all the difference.

The great thing about spending time with my friend (like many of my other really close ones) is that she knows how I think. 

Although I could have easily charged taxis from the train station to the Houses of Commons and back again to Slimming World’s expenses for the day nothing could have been further from my mind.

She instinctively knew this without me having to say a word.

We twalked the whole way from London Marleybone to the Houses of Parliament and back, and thoroughly enjoyed every step. 

The selfie of us is on the blue bridge in St James Park – and it was taken before we arrived at the reception.

It’s round here that the real point of my blog entry today can be found.

Here, all of the considerations about an event in a musty old building in the nation’s capital just fall by the wayside when I think back to Wednesday, because here the true ‘moment’ arrived. 

I honestly think that if I remember anything about this cold day in November 2018 it will be standing by a man feeding wildlife near the lake.

I initially noticed him because of the bright green parakeets next to him competing for attention amongst the squirrels and pigeons (a known phenomenon in London – link).

Their plumage seems instantly out of place and it’s hard not to marvel at their strikingly beautiful colours and inquisitive personalities.

I stepped over a couple of fences to get closer and record the moment, navigating around the man holding handfuls of nuts and trying to get a good photo for my blog.

Nearby though a couple of squirrels were trying hard to make sure my focus became them rather than the brightly coloured birds.

To the left of me I became aware of a little pair of watchful brown eyes…

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As I took photos one of them moved further to my left. As it did behind me I could hear my friend laughing.

What was so funny?

At the same time as I noticed a tugging sensation on my right trouser leg.

I looked around. 

What was causing that?

Then I felt the same tugging sensation on my left trouser leg…

All of a sudden I realised I was being besieged by squirrels!

I looked down at my left thigh (as I felt the squirrel clinging to my right heading for my crotch) and started to take pictures.

Amazingly (unlike the more skittish residents of my local park) this seemed to be business as usual for these delightful little creatures, and he/she was happy to pose if there was the vague promise of food at the end of it.

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As I type the physical sensation of the warmth from this little squirrel’s stomach is still present on my leg, and it’s something that has been occupying my thoughts for the last two days.

This event has taken pride of place above everything else relating to my trip to London.

I’ve been trying to figure out why it means more to me than meeting a celebrity and standing in the seat of our democracy as an honoured guest and the truth is that this little creature represents (with the warmth of it’s under carriage) the connectedness that I now have with the world around me.

Honestly as I type these thoughts are almost moving me to tears – because every single element of the day that I experienced would have been impossible not so long ago. 

Even if I’d split the day into segments and tried to experience them on individual days (when I was at my emotionally lowest and physically heaviest point in life) I doubt I’d have been capable of completing one of them. 

Yet now my life is very different.

By the time I went to bed on Wednesday, after walking home from the train station my activity stats looked like this:

I’d swum 1km (in the time it took me to swim 500m only a week ago)

I’d walked 13.5 miles

I’d taken 25,984 steps 

I’d managed 211 minutes of cardio exercise

I’d spent 20 out of 24 hours standing or moving about

I’d climbed the equivalent of 15 flights of stairs

I’d burned 2,374 Active and 4,885 Total calories

These are all just numbers though.

Occasionally I look at them and forget their significance, instead thinking simply (and maybe self critically) ‘you could do more’. 

However – there are days (Wednesday being one of them) where I’m just profoundly grateful because I have a life that’s full of wonder.

I’m in awe of the fact that I can not only walk the distances I do, but sit on trains next to someone in complete comfort and pull down the little table in front of me without it resting on my stomach.

I get lost in the magnificence of being about to stand in a queue for an hour, followed by a reception for two hours, and then follow such things with a walk across London for another hour and a half without feeling any pain whatsoever.

I want to cry with joy because my pictures of a squirrel crawling up my leg are unimpeded by a massive stomach, and my leg is now small enough for a tiny little squirrel to hold on to.

I love that every day I can put one foot in front of another and see another wonderful part of the world, nomatter how pedestrian and mundane it may seem to other people.

Every moment of my life is now filled with the significance of insignificance and the wonder of the mundane, because to me all of it is fresh and new.

I don’t know how long my life will go on for, and I don’t know whether or not my health will always be this good, but I want to do everything I possibly can to make absolutely sure that I not only maintain it but show other people by demonstrating how fantastic life can be that they too can be something different.

I want the world to realise that without any surgery even a man who looked like this:

…can change into this:

I feel so much joy that instead of the ever present weight of an enormous stomach continually pressing into my giant thighs I can now feel a squirrel. 

This, internet is the product of a life that is no longer being lived with limits.

It’s the kind of life that needs to be treasured and held onto because I’ve wasted so much of it – and I want to cherish every remaining second that it has to offer. 

I’m still learning to live life – and while I do I’m loving every single moment of it.

Davey

Slimming World Parliamentary Reception A couple of days ago (on Wednesday) I went to the House of Commons for a Slimming World reception hosted by Baroness Benjamin.

[theliterateape]

Humpty Dumpty Fell Off the Wall and Now Lives As a Paraplegic

By Don Hall

Neutral. Uncommitted. Unbiased. Undecided.

What beige-like descriptors.

The people who embrace and justify the squatting shuffle of the fence-sitter are those who want to stay friends with both parties of a divorce with no regard for the reason behind it, they wait until the election is pretty much decided before casting their vote, they watch their friend make sexually and racially offensive slurs and turn a blind eye, they wait and choose to not make a choice when it matters.

"After patriots tore down the statue of King George III in New York City on July 9, 1776, they melted parts of it down and made bullets to use against the British.

It is impossible to know the exact number of American colonists who favored or opposed independence.

For years it was widely believed that one third favored the Revolution, one third opposed it, and one third were undecided. This stems from an estimate made by John Adams in his personal writings in 1815.

Historians have since concluded that Adams was referring to American attitudes toward the French Revolution, not ours. The current thought is that about 20 percent of the colonists were Loyalists — those whose remained loyal to England and King George. Another small group in terms of percentage were the dedicated patriots, for whom there was no alternative but independence.

Often overlooked are the fence-sitters who made up the largest group."

SOURCE

They are often overlooked because their contribution was zero. Nada. Nothing but making it more difficult for the nation-to-be to move forward (or backward.) Fence-sitting is understandable, though. Generally not of the neutral or even-handed sort, I have experienced my own bouts of indecision in the guise of diplomacy and I’m almost always regretful of those moments.

I regret my refusal to wholeheartedly endorse Al Gore when he ran for president. If more of us had rallied more aggressively in his favor rather than sitting on the sidelines explaining that he was wooden and uninspiring, we might not have had eight fucking years of Bush Jr. or the longest war in American history. Kinda makes one re-think all the criticism and indecision of Ms. Clinton, don't it?

I regret continuing to remain a close friend with a former band director who I knew was an adscititious gay-hater, ignoring his barbs and homoragic jokes until I found out he regularly donated to organizations that were designed specifically to curtail gay rights. Only then did I make the decision to severe ties with him. Too little, too late.

I watched Lydia Lucio brand a friend and mentor in her nascent storytelling days a racist and a sexist and go after him with a ferocity that seemed unnecessary and vindictive, and I sat on the fence. I refused to choose sides because I was a friend to both. Certainly a chunk of my motivation for casually straddling the wall between them was arrogance but whatever the rationale, a year later I paid for that non-choice as she viciously turned the same tactics on me, going a step further to enlist others to the cause.

When I see white people in a Starbucks or a Waffle House or on the street watching police use abusive physical force on black people instead of stepping in, I see fence-sitters. Refusing to choose out of fear of retribution or apathy (or white supremacy — don't wanna forget that…)

Each time a kid who commits suicide (and apparently they are doing this in record numbers since the advent of social media and the pocket sized super computer) because of online bullying, there were teachers and parents and other kids who watched the click-baity fun and said nothing, did nothing. Same with the white guy shooters. Fucking fence-sitters.

That voter, holding out his support, thinking that his one vote will shift the tide rather than the tide being a whole motherfucking bunch of votes and money and time? The rails of that fence are dead center up his bunghole. The appearance of a spine is really just the fence post propping him up.

Certainly, throwing one’s allegiance to a cause without thinking it through is stupid.

Think it through. Observe the behavior. Weigh the consequences.

Then make a fucking choice.

Social media makes fence-sitting easier. Understanding that being a Faceborg friend or a Twitter-follower is not at all the same as being an authentic friend or genuine follower makes it an uncomplicated non-choice to see shitty behavior from one “friend” to another and ignore the implications. Remain connected with both because, hey, it isn’t your fight, right?

I wrote a piece for the Ape back in January of 2017 entitled The Company You Keep Defines Who You Are: 

"Certainly, we each are our own person. Certainly, we are not so influenced by the people around us as to be so blatantly a composite of them. But just as certain is the fact that those with whom we spend the most of our time shape who we become.

Women who spend a lot of time together often begin to menstruate on the same cycle. We pick up smoking, petty theft, language, dress, prejudice, ideology much in the same way. Creatures born to inhabit tribes, it is our natural instinct to adopt the patterns of the herd. It's one of the reasons that the Internet can so easily allow us to form mobs that fail to thoroughly read or reason before rendering a perceived enemy to reputable shreds."

I once had a longtime friend ask me why we didn’t hang out anymore. At first I didn’t really have an answer, and the old salt of “growing apart” came to mind. Later it hit me. She was still close friends with my ex-wife who, after sleeping with another friend, went on a semi-public campaign of reasons why we divorced that included a litany of how terrible I was but failed to mention her infidelity. My friend decided that her behavior was fine (it wasn’t, after all, about her and I probably deserved the cuckoldry) and rode that fence.

An insidious side effect of social media is that, while in the world of flesh and bone I can craftily avoid those weaselly fuckers whom I find noxious and hateful, with the many fence-sitters on that Friends list, I am constantly surprised by things that remind me of them. The ease of not choosing online, of remaining detached and out of the line of fire, creates webs of connectivity with people whom we no longer want to be connected.

(Christ. As I'm typing this, I see a notification from a good friend espousing a special comedy project illustrated by said ex-wife's husband who has gone out of his way to shitmouth me online! Good holy cocknabbing GAWD, I'm truly learning to detest social media!)

"With the ubiquity of online social network sites and the substantial amount of time being spent on them, important questions have arisen regarding the effect of online social interactions on well-being.

Results from some studies have suggested that social media use might increase the risk of mental health problems and might compromise well-being more generally. Use of social media may detract from face-to-face relationships, reduce investment in meaningful activities, increase sedentary behavior by encouraging more screen time, lead to Internet addiction, and erode self-esteem through unfavorable social comparisons."

SOURCE

I have made the argument that social media is just a tool and it is the user of that tool who decides how to use it. Given the growing tendency of accidentally stumbling upon the tantrum-throwing, polemic-spreading, bullying fuckfaces of the world and increasingly feeling the desire to get a baseball bat, wrap it in barbed wire, throw on my motorcycle jacket and "save" a few people, it's time to change the landscape some. I've spent too much time learning to manage my temper (in the Inside Out version of my brain, I have two emotions: Rage and Joy. They are identical twins and finish each other's sentences) to let the fence-sitters in my feed inadvertently open doorways to unreasoning hatred.

I no longer unfriend. The term has too many unintended meanings. I simply block you out. Understanding that a Faceborg friendship is not the same thing as an actual friendship, if you are my friend, I'll see you around. If you suddenly find that you can no longer see my online presence, that's what happened. Most people won't even notice which means I'm starting to do this right.

I can no longer sit on the fence when it comes to FB. I'd rather enjoy my day, use this tool to appreciate those around me and ignore those who can't make a choice. 

Think it through. Observe the behavior. Weigh the consequences.

Then make a fucking choice.