#jillian / with alex.

[vineboom-sfx]

Silly silly, as they say

[patiencesinners]

Sarah Urie at the Eras tour

[bloodmaarked]

➸ reading list

just added:

the body keeps the score, bessel van der kolk

remarkably bright creatures, shelby van pelt

the silent patient, alex michaelides

the wife, meg wolitzer

jillian, halle butler

how to say babylon, safiya sinclair

sunrise on the reaping, suzanne collins

the trunk, kim ryeo-ryeong

crying in h mart, michelle zauner

the joy luck club, amy tan

[nofatclips]

Eat Your Young by Hozier - Director: Jason Lester

[echidnana]

literally the new taskmaster cast is so good i can't wait to see more of them :-)

YES ok we don't totally remember their names but sam and Lucy are so fucking funny. we absolutely LOVE the group task groups, the chemistry both groups have is genuinely so hilarious. we weren't expecting to love them all so much but this might be one of our favorite casts :)

[rakkikuroba]

Where does the Christopher is Chris full name come from?

[boomgers]

Mintiendo como solo una madre lo sabe hacer… “Algo Embarazada”

Cuando sus planes para sentar cabeza y empezar una familia se vienen abajo, Lainy Newton se pone tan celosa del embarazo de su mejor amiga que comienza a usar un vientre falso. Y poco tiempo después conoce al hombre de sus sueños por accidente.

Estreno: 5 de febrero de 2025 en Netflix.

La película está dirigida por Tyler Spindel, escrita por Julie Paiva y Amy Schumer, quien además protagonizada junto a Jillian Bell, Will Forte, Damon Wayans Jr., Brianne Howey, Alex Moffat, Joel David Moore, Lizze Broadway, Urzila Carlson y Francis Benhamou.

[geekcavepodcast]

Good Burger 2 Teaser Trailer

After more than 25 years, Dexter and Ed are back in a new Good Burger movie. The two reunite at a present day Good Burger resturaunt with a new group of employees.

Good Burger 2 stars Kenan Thompson as Dexter, Kel Mitchell as Ed, Lil Rel Howery, Jillian Bell, Kamaia Fairburn, Alex R. Hibbert, Fabrizio Guido, Elizabeth Hinkler, Emily Hinkler, Anabel Graetz, Josh Server (Fizz), Lori Beth Denberg (Connie), and Carmen Electra (Roxanne). The film is directed by Phil Traill and written by Kevin Kopelow, Heath Seifert, and James III.

Good Burger 2 hits Paramount+ in Fall 2023.

[dwellordream]

Best Reads of 2024

this year i read 300 books. which i think is impressive but not as impressive as it sounds bc many of these books were very short, easy reads meant to be like, stuff you read at the airport or sitting by the pool on vacation. so it's not like i was tackling the harvard classics. i also read extremely fast; it only takes me about an hour to do 300 pages unless it's a super dense complex text. that said, here is a list of all the books i read this year that i would rate 4 stars or higher, separated by genre: Fantasy/Magical Realism: The Tainted Cup by Robert Jackson Bennett Highfire by Eoin Colfer Tehanu by Ursula K. Le Guin Gifts by Ursula K. Le Guin The Last Tale of the Flower Bride by Roshani Chokshi Chlorine by Jade Song The Passion by Jeanette Winterson The Magic Toyshop by Angela Carter Realistic Fiction: We Are Not Like Them by Christine Pride & Jo Piazza Young Jane Young by Gabrielle Zevin My Absolute Darling by Gabriel Tallent Only Child by Rhiannon Navin Movie Star by Lizzie Pepper Prima Facie by Suzie Miller Acts of Desperation by Megan Nolan Marjorie Morningstar by Herman Wouk The Subtweet by Vivek Shraya All Grown Up by Jami Attenberg Piglet by Lottie Hazell The List by Yomi Adegoke A Winter's Rime by Carol Dunbar The Resurrection of Joan Ashby by Cherise Wolas

Mystery/Thriller: Queenpin by Megan Abbott Bury Me Deep by Megan Abbott Beware the Woman by Megan Abbott Firekeeper's Daughter by Angeline Boulley The Guest by Emma Cline Advika and the Hollywood Wives by Kirthana Ramisetti Kala by Colin Walsh Descent by Tim Johnston Wahala by Nikki May When We Were Bright and Beautiful by Jillian Medoff We Could Be Beautiful by Swan Huntley Bright Young Women by Jessica Knoll Nothing Can Hurt You by Nicola Maye Goldberg Fruit of the Dead by Rachel Lyon The Lagos Wife by Vanessa Walters Grown by Tiffany D. Jackson Yes, Daddy by Jonathan Parks-Ramage Cape Fear by John D. MacDonald Sea Wife by Amity Gaige Last Seen Wearing by Hilary Waugh The Black Cabinet by Patricia Wentworth Historical Fiction: Everyone Knows Your Mother is a Witch by Rivka Galchen Gilded Mountain by Kate Manning All You Have to Do is Call by Kerri Maher Cruel Beautiful World by Caroline Leavitt Payback by Mary Gordon A Dangerous Business by Jane Smiley The Affairs of the Falcons by Melissa Rivero Longbourn by Jo Baker The Hazelbourne Ladies Motorcycle and Flying Club by Helen Simonson Go to Hell Ole Miss by Jeff Barry The Divorcees by Rowan Beaird Consequences by Penelope Lively Iron Curtain: A Love Story by Vesna Goldsworthy Homestead by Melinda Moustakis Not Our Kind by Kitty Zeldis Hamnet by Maggie O’Farrell Teddy by Emily Dunlay Science Fiction: Prophet Song by Paul Lynch Aesthetica by Allie Rowbottom Fever by Deon Meyer The Salt Line by Holly Goddard Jones Land of Milk and Honey by C. Pam Zhang Gold Fame Citrus by Claire Vaye Watkins A Children’s Bible by Lydia Millet Briefly Very Beautiful by Roz Dineen

Romance: Everything’s Fine by Cecilia Rabess Adelaide by Genevieve Wheeler Meant to Be Mine by Hannah Orenstein When Katie Met Cassidy by Camille Perri Major Pettigrew’s Last Stand by Helen Simonson American Royalty by Tracey Livesay The One by Julie Argy The Mountain Between Us by Charles Martin Queen of Urban Prophecy by Aya de Léon That Dangerous Energy by Aya de Léon The Dove in the Belly by Jim Grimsley Fatima Tate Takes the Cake by Khadija VanBrakle Faro’s Daughter by Georgette Heyer Horror: Red Rabbit by Alex Grecian The Parliament by Aimee Pokwatka Cujo by Stephen King Night Watching by Tracy Sierra The Garden by Clare Beams The House of Ashes by Stuart Neville The Suicide Motor Club by Christopher Buehlman True Crime: In Cold Blood by Truman Capote Columbine by Dave Cullen Kent State: Four Dead in Ohio by Derf Backderf Bad Blood: Secrets and Lies in a Silicon Valley Startup by John Carreyrou While Idaho Slept: The Hunt for Answers in the Murders of Four College Students by J. Reuben Appelman The Bishop and the Butterfly: Murder, Politics, and the End of the Jazz Age by Michael Wolraich Fatal Vision by Joe McGinniss Billion Dollar Whale: The Man Who Fooled Wall Street, Hollywood, and the World by Tom Wright and Bradley Hope

History: Midnight in Chernobyl: The Untold Story of the World’s Greatest Nuclear Disaster by Adam Higginbotham Capote’s Women: A True Story of Love, Betrayal, and a Swan Song for an Era by Laurence Leamer The Astronaut Wives Club by Lily Koppel The Burning Blue: The Untold Story of Christa McAuliffe and Nasa’s Challenger Disaster by Kevin Cook The Splendid and the Vile: A Saga of Churchill, Family, and Defiance During the Blitz by Erik Larson Grace and Power: The Private World of the Kennedy White House by Sally Bedell Smith As Long as We Both Shall Love: The White Wedding in Postwar America by Karen M. Dunak Babysitter: An American History by Miriam Forman-Brunell Game Change: Obama and the Clintons, McCain and Palin, and the Race of a Lifetime by John Heilemann and Mark Halperin All She Lost: The Explosion in Lebanon, the Collapse of a Nation and the Women who Survive by Dalal Mawad Psychology: Hidden Valley Road: Inside the Mind of an American Family by Robert Kolker The Anxious Generation: How The Great Rewiring of Childhood is Causing an Epidemic of Mental Illness by Jonathan Haidt Beautiful Boy: A Father’s Journey Through His Son’s Addiction by David Sheff Misdiagnosed: One Woman’s Tour of -And Escape From- Healthcareland by Jody Berger Stolen Child: A Mother’s Journey to Rescue Her Son from Obsessive Compulsive Disorder by Laurie Gough Zig-Zag Boy: A Memoir of Madness and Motherhood by Tanya Frank I’m Glad My Mom Died by Jennette McCurdy Us, After: A Memoir of Love and Suicide by Rachel Zimmerman Everything Is Fine: A Memoir by Vince Granata Juliet the Maniac by Juliet Escoria

Memoir: Upstairs At The White House by J.B. West A Mother’s Reckoning: Living in the Aftermath of Tragedy by Sue Klebold Goodbye, Sweet Girl: A Story of Domestic Violence and Survival by Kelly Sundberg This Boy We Made: A Memoir of Motherhood, Genetics, and Facing the Unknown by Taylor Harris I Am, I Am, I Am: Seventeen Brushes with Death by Maggie O’Farrell Fragile Beginnings: Discoveries and Triumphs in the Newborn ICU by Adam Wolfberg The Longest Race: Inside the Secret World of Abuse, Doping, and Deception on Nike’s Elite Running Team by Kara Goucher and Mary Pilon Remedies for Sorrow: An Extraordinary Child, a Secret Kept from Pregnant Women, and a Mother’s Pursuit of the Truth by Megan Nix Brazen: My Unorthodox Journey from Long Sleeves to Lingerie by Julia Haart Minding the Manor: The Memoir of a 1930s English Kitchen Maid by Mollie Moran Love in the Blitz: The War Letters of Eileen Alexander to Gershon Ellenbogan by Eileen Alexander Any Given Tuesday: A Political Love Story by Lis Smith The Apology by Eve Ensler Wild Game: My Mother, Her Secret, and Me by Adrienne Brodeur One Way Back: A Memoir by Christine Blasey Ford Biography: The Matriarch: Barbara Bush and the Making of an American Dynasty by Susan Page Untold Power: The Fascinating Rise and Complex Legacy of First Lady Edith Wilson by Rebecca Boggs Roberts King: A Life by Jonathan Eig Louisa: The Extraordinary Life of Mrs. Adams by Louisa Thomas American Girls: One Woman’s Journey into the Islamic State and Her Sister’s Fight to Bring Her Home by Jessica Roy Susan, Linda, Nina, and Cokie: The Extraordinary Story of the Founding Mothers of NPR by Lisa Napoli

Gender: Becoming Nicole: The Transformation of an American Family by Amy Ellis Nutt The Feminine Mystique by Betty Friedan We Were Feminists Once: From Riot Grrrl to CoverGirl®, the Buying and Selling of a Political Movement by Andi Zeisler All the Rage: Mothers, Fathers, and the Myth of Equal Partnership by Darcy Lockman Ain’t I a Woman: Black Women and Feminism by bell hooks Enslaved Women in America: From Colonial Times to Emancipation by Emily West You’ll Do: A History of Marrying for Reasons Other Than Love by Marcia A. Zug The Red Menace: How Lipstick Changed the Face of American History by Ilise S. Carter Odd Girls and Twilight Lovers: A History of Lesbian Life in Twentieth-Century America by Lillian Faderman

[grantmentis]

Undrafted / unsigned players as of right now

With the SDHL / AuroraLiiga / Postfinance Women’s League / EWHL / other leagues either underway or soon to be underway, a lot of rosters are close to solidified with only a few spots left.

A lot of PWHL teams have made clear that they plan to not sign any / very few remaining free agents or draft picks until after training camp where they plan to have everyone remaining compete for spots. Obviously signed players and drafted players will be there, but who else? This is meant to give some light to that

This list does not include NCAA / USports players who went undrafted, mostly just due to lack of time. But feel free to add anyone notable!

Current list of rumored undrafted training camp invites.

Please note that this is not from PWHL teams officially and may not include all players invited / some may still be responding to offers

Boston Fleet -Jillian Dempsey, Klara Peslarova, Cami Kronish, Maude Poulin Labelle, Kelly-Ann Nadeau

Minnesota Frost - Claire Butorac, Brook Bryant, Lauren Bench, Charlotte Akervik

Montreal Victoire- Clair DeGeorge, Sandra Abstreiter, Gabrielle David, Alexandra Labelle, 

New York Sound - Chayla Edwards, Madison Bizal, Taylor Baker, Savannah Norcross

Ottawa Charge - Taylor House

Toronto Sceptres - Rylind MacKinnon, Jessica Kondas, Lauriane Rougeau

Players on PWHL teams last year currently not affiliated with any teams / camp invites

Players with * is who I feel have the best spot at camp invites

Lindsey post

Brooke Hobson

Carley Olivier

Jade downie-landry *

Élizabeth Giguere *

Paetyn Levis *

Jill saulnier *

Alexa Gruschow

Madison packer *

Kayla Vespa

Mellissa channell *

Nikki nightengale

Abby cook

Kelly babstock

Kaleigh Fratkin *

Gigi Marvin *

Amanda pelkey *

Samantha isbell

Brooke Bryant

Sydney Brodt *

Brigitte Laganière

Ann-Sophie Bettez *

Sarah bujold *

Leah lum

Sarah Lefort. *

Brooke Stacey

Alex poznikoff

Marlène Boissonnault

Rachel mcquigge *

Samantha ridgewell *

Emma buckles

Victoria Howran

Taylor Davison

Lauren MacInnis

Samantha Davis

Rosalie Demers

Audrey-Ann Veillette *

Sam Cogan

Kaitlin willoughby

Jess jones

Fanni Garát-Gasparics *

Notable players who played in other leagues last year who are currently not affiliated with any team

Please note, I’m not saying all of these players will be PWHL invites, but as all leagues look to fill remaining spots these are names that may be on their call list. I put an * on players I think could have a shot at a camp invite for the PWHL based on a few factors including if they declared for the draft

Nicola Eisenschmid *

Laura kluge *

Shae Demale *

Tatum Amy

Emma Murén

Sarah-Ève Coutu-Godbout

Ally Johnson

Iveta Klimášová

Emily pinto

Autumn Macdougall

Sally Hoerr

Anna Purschke

Sara Krauseneck

Eleri McKay *

tanner Gates *

Yoshino Enomoto

Christine Deaudelin

Aoi Shiga

Lilla Carpenter-Boesch

Anna Kilponen

Anniina Kaitala

Ella Välikangas

[burins]

I wrote up half of my Eisners roundup back in May and then my arm crapped out profoundly. But here is the rest of my thoughts about all the comics and graphic novels I read this year, of which there were many! As usual particular faves are bolded.

JAN

Delicious in Dungeon v6-12

FEB

MAR

The Chromatic Fantasy - HA

I think that if you are following me you will probably like this book. Great stuff on gender and sex and religion in a deeply fun art style. (Best I can describe it is the really trippy bits of Alice in Wonderland.)

Gleem - Freddy Carasco

Fluid, delightful linework.

APR

A Guest in the House - E M Carroll

E M Carroll has been doing some of the best horror comics in the business for about a decade and this continues the streak. Twisty, turny psychological horror

MAY

Where I’m Coming From - Barbara Brandon-Croft

Collection of Brandon-Croft’s wonderful 90s newspaper strips about Black womanhood. 

Roaming - Jillian and Mariko Tamaki

Love letter to being messy and gay and young in the city.

Local Man v1-2 - Tim Seeley and Tony Fleecs

This is a fun little deconstruction of comics tropes. Inga, the love interest slash female lead, is the best part of the comic.

Danger and Other Unknown Risks - Ryan North and Erica Henderson

Great story, great characters, great art. What if you were in charge of preventing the second end of the world, and also your mentor figure was SO dubious, and also you had the world’s biggest, cutest dog?

Family Style: Memories of an American from Vietnam - Thien Pham

First of a number of immigration memoirs nominated for the Eisners. The storytelling here is excellent; the art wasn’t my personal favorite.

In Limbo - Deb JJ Lee

I always have such a hard time judging memoir comics, but I think this walks a good line between gesturing at and directly portraying its fairly heavy subject matter, and the art is stunning.

Last on His Feet: Jack Johnson and the Battle of the Century - Adrian Matekja and Youssef Daoudi

Probably my favorite thing I read in this batch. Lyrical, poetic art that plays with paneling and pagination to incredible effect. Does not shy away from the everyday brutality of either boxing, racism, or Johnson’s personal life. 

Messenger: The Legend of Muhammad Ali - Marc Bernardin

I read this right after Last on His Feet and boy did it suffer for it. Unfortunately, this is just an entirely forgettable bio of Muhammad Ali. 

Sunshine - Jarrett J. Krosoczka

I wish I liked Krosoczka’s art. This did make me cry but it’s a memoir about working at a camp for kids with cancer, so it would be pretty hard for it NOT to.

Blackward - Lawrence Lindell

This would have been a perfectly serviceable 2010s-era webcomic. Not everything needs to be a book!

The Out Side: Trans & Nonbinary Comics

Graphic anthologies are deeply hit or miss for me but this one was extremely solid!

Frontera - Jaco -  Salcedo and Julio Anta

Excellent story about the violence of the border, deeply undercut (for me) by a very jarring ghost subplot. 

A First Time for Everything - Dan Santat

Sweet little story about a class trip abroad with glowing art. 

Shubeik Lubeik - Deena Mohamed

I'm so bummed I couldn't hear Mohamed speak at MICE because I LOVED this. Uses genies as a vehicle to explore the fault lines of class and politics in Egyptian society. 

A Boy Named Rose - Gaëlle Geniller

Lovely art but this was entirely nothing. Remember Teahouse? This is that but sfw and also without any narrative tension. 

Comics for Ukraine

Almost universally bad, with the exception of "Talking to a Hill."  I think sometimes the medium of superhero comics is not the one with which to tackle every issue, 

Parasocial -  Erica Henderson and Alex de Campi

Tense paneling, solid art, I didn't care for the ending of the story. 

Are You Willing to Die for the Cause? - Chris Oliveros

This relies almost entirely in first person accounts, which I like as a device for exploring who gets to claim historicity, but it means that the actual narrative is kind of incoherent. 

The Great Beyond - Léa Murawiec

My other favorite from this batch! This is a story about celebrity and fame and being remembered, but the art is some of the most fluid and expressive stuff I've seen in years and the creativity of the conceit keeps it from ever feeling run of the mill. 

Memento Mori - Tiitu Takalo

I am pretty down on illness memoirs, but I liked this more than I thought I would. 

Swan Songs - W. Maxwell Prince et al

This collection of stories about endings was going to be a winner for me and then the final comic was SO bad it soured the whole experience for me. 

Monstrous: A Transracial Adoption Story - Sarah Myer

This (like a lot of the comics in the teen category) did make me cry! The art is a little too scratchy for me at times- it's intentional, but not always deployed to best advantage. 

Phantom Road v1 - Jeff Lemire and Gabriel Hernández Walta

Is this basically Alice Isn't Dead with a guy as the driver? Well, yes, but it is good. Lemire always nails creeping dread and Hernández Walta's art is ominously flat in an excellent way. 

Black Cloak v1 - Kelly Thompson and Meredith McLaren

Compelling story undercut by webtoony art that's way too cute for the fantasy noir vibe of the narrative. 

My Girlfriend's Child v1 - Mamoru Aoi

It's always kind of wild to me to see a completely bog standard teenage pregnancy narrative get nominations like this and then I remember that most people making these nominations do not like, know a lot of people who were pregnant as teens. 

Godzilla: Here There Be Dragons - Frank Tieri and Inaki Miranda

This is simply not very good art or story. 

The Cull v1 - Kelly Thompson and Mattia de Iulis

The story here is really intriguing! I wish we had a little more time to get to know the characters before getting thrown into Plot but it's real solid. I don't always love this hyper realistic 3D rendering but it works for the story. 

The Summer Hikaru Died v1 - Mokumokuren

I could wish that the translator hadn't rendered all of the dialogue as weirdly southern but this is a really good gay rural horror. Came back wrong simply hits! 

Mabuhay! - Zachary Sterling

Cute! Didn't really slam me but I would have had a lot of fun with this as a kid. 

Mexikid: A Graphic Memoir - Pedro Martín

This was both lovely and deeply felt and also laugh out loud funny. 

Saving Sunshine - Saadia Faruqi and Shazleen Khan

Extremely sweet sibling story. 

Fire Power v1-4 - Robert Kirkman and Chris Samnee

The Good Asian v1-2 - Pornsak Pichetshote and Alexandre Tefenkgi

Eden II - Kenny Wroten

This has great moments and is also deeply irony poisoned. I would love to read a weird queer comic by someone who was not Online. Also I could not tell any of the characters apart, because they were all thin white-presenting people from fake Seattle. ALSO the speech bubbles were so clearly added in after the fact that it was often difficult to tell who was saying what. I'm not a purist about speech bubble rules or anything but I gotta be able to tell what order to read your dialogue!

Three Rocks: The Story of Ernie Bushmiller: The Man Who Created Nancy - Bill Griffith

The frame narrative is solid, but the best part of this was just the actual Nancy comics included within.

The Horizon v1 - JH

This is just apocalypse torture porn tbh. 

Thing: Inside the Struggle for Animal Personhood - Sam Machado

Here's the thing. I think there are compelling arguments for animal rights. I would also like to see us put that same kind of energy towards ensuring full rights for people first. Also the art and writing here are simply not very good.

Wonder Woman Historia: The Amazons - Kelly Sue deConnick, Phil Jiminez, Gene Ha, and Nicola Scott

I wasn't sure I would love this because of my noted Picky Feelings about feminist Greek myths but I liked it more than I thought! The art is phenomenal.

Superman (2023) v1 - Joshua Williamson 

The annual is what was nominated, but the single issues are the actual stars of this trade. Williamson does a really solid job of situating Clark in community.

Wonder Woman (2023) v1 - Tom King

I find the story pretty grating (why does Diana need to be fighting the entire US government?)

Poison Ivy (2022) v1 - G Willow Wilson and Marcio Takara

YAY we love an ecoterrorist getting her due. Takara's art leans full Annihilation. 

My Picture Diary - Maki Fujiwara

This suffered in comparison to last year's alt-manga diary comics from a similar era, Talk to My Back, which was one of my favorite books of the year. Fujiwara's art is very stolid and pretty simplistic and while it works for the subject matter it wasn't my favorite.

River’s Edge - Kyoko Okazaki

This is SO messed up! We are right in the violence and emotional mess of teenagerhood. 

The Yakuza’s Bias v1 - Teki Yatsuda

This gets a little one note by the end of the collection but yakuza falls right into Kpop stan culture is such a funny premise that I didn't mind.

How to Love: A Guide to Feelings and Relationships for Everyone - Alex Norris

This is much cuter and more charming than I thought it'd be.

The Talk - Darrin Bell

Bell is best known for his political cartoons and this brings the same kind of incisive political wit to a longform piece while adding a great deal of empathy.

Transformers (2023) v1 - Daniel Warren Johnson

I am so sorry to DWJ who did his very very absolute best to make me care about Transformers. The art and writing are great I just don't go here. 

Kill Your Darlings - Ethan Parker and Griffin Sheridan

Pretty mid dark fairytale.

PeePee PooPoo - Caroline Cash

Diversity win this lesbian alt comic is just as annoying as the straight ones!

Superman: Lost - Christopher Priest and Carlo Pagulayan

Ugh. Superman: Lost was one of my favorite takes on Superman and Lois last year and I still think the first like… five issues are phenomenal. As soon as we get the weird infidelity/assault/pregnancy narrative I was out. 

Beneath the Trees Where Nobody Sees - Patrick Horvath

I simply hate cutesy animal horror. 

The Devil’s Cut, edited by Will Dennis

I know I read this but I have no memory of it. My notes say I liked it, and I'm generally in support of DSTLRY and creator-owned comics as a concept.

Marvel Age #1000, edited by Tom Brevoort

Deeply masturbatory.

JUN

Deep Cuts - Kyle Higgins et al

I liked this so much it was my end of the year staff pick! It's hard to do comics that really capture the collaborative and improvisational feeling of a good jazz session but this anthology absolutely does.

Somna: A Bedtime Story - Becky Cloonan and Tula Lotay

Tula Lotay's art is absolutely gorgeous but I was kind of bored by "what if a Puritan housewife was fucking the devil." 

Watership Down: The Graphic Novel - James Sturm

I think these rabbits are too cute to really capture the horror of Watership Down.

Delicates - Brenna Thummler

It's really difficult to tell a story about a kid who is bullying someone else and have it land sympathetically for both parties and Thummler manages it with an uncommon emotional depth.

Buzzing - Samuel Sattin and Rye Hickman

OOF this hit me right in the psych kid feelings. Very sweet and really captured the feeling of the complicated family dynamics that surround kids with mental illness.

#DRCL midnight children v1 - Shin’ichi Sakamoto

Insane choice to make Lucy Westenras a bishie.

Doctor Strange: Fall Sunrise - Tradd Moore

Did not think I would ever be rooting for a Doctor Strange comic but this is the kind of psychedelic universe bending art I would love to see more of from his whole character premise!

Bea Wolf - Zach Weinersmith

Absolutely delightful adaptation of Beowulf for children. Weinersmith really captures the feeling of the old English language in a story about a bunch of little kids defending their treehouse.

HP Lovecraft’s The Shadow over Innsmouth - Gou Tanabe

I don't feel qualified to examine the choice by a Japanese artist to adapt a story about Lovecraft's fear of Chinese and Pacific Islander genes entering Massachusetts. I haven't read much actual Lovecraft but did we all know it was that racist? I mean, I knew he was racist but my god.

The Monkey King v2 - Chaiko Tsai

EXCELLENT adaptation of Journey into the West! I couldn't get v1 in time for voting but the art and the pacing here are just so much fun.

It’s Jeff! - Kelly Thompson and Gurihiru

This is extremely cute but it is ultimately just a cute animal comic.

Earthdivers v1 - Stephen Graham Jones and Davide Gianfelice

I hope you don't need me to tell you Earthdivers is good. It's good.

Birds of Prey (2023) v1 - Kelly Thompson and Leonardo Romero

I was so dubious about this one that I ended my yuri zine piece talking about it. And then it was in fact really really good. The team dynamics are excellent here and the art is perfectly suited to it (except for one issue with a guest penciller where the art is execrable.)

Shazam! (2023) v1 - Mark Waid and Dan Mora

Waid and Mora are sort of the DC powerhouse couple at the moment and I know that at any minute Mora is gonna switch to only doing covers, which will make me very sad. This was way more fun than I expected to have with a Shazam comic but the kids here are delightful without being cutesy and Waid does a great job balancing Billy being a real character and also a believable hero.

Four Gathered on Christmas Eve - Eric Powell, Mike Mignola, Becky Cloonan, and James Harren

Becky Cloonan's was the story that was nominated in this but unfortunately I didn't really care for it. 

Spa - Erik Svetoft

This was hard for me to read because it is just body horror from start to finish. I think it runs a little long but as far as the horrors of capitalism and the tourism industry go it doesn't get much better than this.

JULY

The Most Costly Journey: Stories of Migrant Farmworkers in Vermont Drawn by New England Cartoonists

Really, really good cartooning and storytelling. Vermont is not really what you think of as the front lines of immigration but it's a farming community!

Green Arrow (1988) v1-9 by Mike Grell and others

Honestly the highlight of these for me is that the scans on (website redacted) maintain the letters pages! Grell's Green Arrow tackles a lot of capital I issues with mixed results but I do enjoy seeing the attempt. And it comes off a lot better than Batman comics of a similar vintage that attempt the same thing.

Robin (2021) v1-3 - Joshua Williamson, Gleb Melnikov, and Roger Cruz

Honestly? Delightful. I love to see Damian come into himself and I love to see his cute little romance and I love to see him reading shoujo manga.

AUG

Are You Listening? - Tillie Walden

Tillie Walden always hits!

Hunter x Hunter v 1-13 - Yoshihiro Togashi

Sometimes you read 38 volumes of manga in two months after watching 130 episodes of the show and listening to hundreds of hours of podcast about it. And that's just what HxH does to you. It's normal, and fine.

The Yakuza’s Bias v2 - Teki Yatsuda

The bones of the premise are starting to show - I think this really would have been better as a single volume. Still very charming but probably not gonna pick up any third volume.

The Boy Wonder (as it came out) - Juni Ba 

BOY WONDER COMIC OF ALL TIME! Wonderful take on Damian wonderful art wonderful Al Ghuls.

SEPT

The Summer Hikaru Died v2 - Mokumokuren

Hunter x Hunter v13-38 - Yoshihiro Togashi

OCT

The Concierge At Hokkyoku Department Store, v1 - Tsuchika Nishimura

What if working retail was not a horror show but was instead deeply fulfilling for everyone involved? This can only happen in a world where the customers are animals. 

NOV

Iris: A Novel for Viewers - Lo Hartog van Banda and Thé Tjong-Khing

The gender of this is kind of crazy (derogatory) and it could not more clearly be from the 60s. I don't think I'd recommend it but I don't regret reading it as like, a historical document.

Space Mullet - Daniel Warren Johnson

DWJ really doesn't miss. This is a very classic grungy space noir in the vein of a Cowboy Bebop or an Expanse but I liked it quite a bit despite being made to feel sympathetic for a space Marine. 

DEC

Nightwing (1996) v1-3 - Chuck Dixon and Scott McDaniel

Flush! Those! Blood pressure! Meds! Is Nightwing 96 a good comic? Who can say. Babs is there and Dick Grayson is experiencing the full spectrum of human emotion deep in his #failgirl 20s so I'm having a great time. 

[nuggetneoura]

Back In Time Pt.1

~Summary~

wc- 1,980

While the Best Friends were on a family trip to Graceland some strange feelings were in the air. The beginning of 2024 has been weird..or is it 1969? read to see how the pair ended up there.

~Character List~

----Rachel-maggies best friend -sometimes sings with Maggie -journalist-runs a daily blog about her life and she has a good amount of followers but is not famous(YET)

----Maggie-Rachels best friend -closest with Alex (sibling wise)-plays a shit ton of instruments-sings and writes music and lyrics-Alex publishes her music through his label-she and Alex has a couple of songs together but they usually don't make songs together because of the genre difference. He gets her to do the singing he needs on his songs. Also is not famous (YET)

----Alex-up-and-coming producer-started L&WR (Light & Wonder Records) and it started slow but is starting to pick up-very spiritual-really is the chicken from Surfs up-rapper

-TB(27), Caitlin(26), Alex(23),and Maggie (22) are all siblings.

-Jillian (22), and Rachel (20) are siblings. jillian married Tebie so that's basically how Maggie and Rachel met.

----Constancio and Tara (Maggie and her siblings parents)

----Luca is tb and Jillian's baby

----Elvis(32) (the Austin Butler Elvis ofc)

----Vernon Presley (Elvis's dad)

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~setting~ Date is 1-11-2024. The family took a trip to Memphis Tennessee. It's a cool cloudy day.

(not that it matters but Alex Maggie and Rachel in one car. Jill TB and Lucas in another. Cat in her own. Parents in their own)

and Rn they are on the way to tour Graceland.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“Did you know today is a spiritual day?” Alex asked focusing on the road. Alex does not mind driving in silence but, he knows others hate it. Maggie, who was looking out the passenger window..smiled turning her attention to her older brother. “Really? What makes it spiritual?” “1-11-2024..add it all together and it equalssss..” Maggie started counting in her head “11” Rachel answered from the back seat “Which meansssss…” “High spiritual day” Maggie answered. Alex smiled and nodded while still focusing on the road. “And we are going to a dead man's house” Rachel sarcastically stated. “We better watch out or we might run into Mr. Elvis himself” Alex replied. Maggie gasped “Do you think he will look like younger him or older him??” Alex scrunched his face shooting Maggie a look before laughing a bit. “Hopefully younger” Rachel said. “He's dead. Does it matter what he looks like??” “Yea” Maggie and Rachel replied in unison. Alex laughed and looked at the GPS he had on his phone. “We will be there in three minutes” “Do you think it's bad to call dibs on a ghost?” Maggie asked. “Mag-” “DIBS!” Rachel yelled cutting Alex off. Maggie whipped around “THATS NOT FAIR!” “Dibs is dibs Maggie” Rachel laughed. “You don't even really like him!” “Yes I do” “No, you don't!” “Ye-” “Rachel! If we see him, it won't be the young Vegas street actors PLAYING as Elvis! This is ELVIS Elvis” “Does not matter. Dibs is dibssssss” “When we get out of this car Rachel your ass is grassss” “No one is putting anyone's ass..on this dead man's grass” Alex said pulling into the parking lot. He parked as Maggie and Rachel continued to play argue.

.

Soon the trio got out of the car and met the rest of their family at the front of Graceland. Everyone took their time admiring the outside of the house. Eventually, everyone split into their subconscious groups as they all slowly inched towards the front porch where the ticket lady was. “Why is the grass so green?” Maggie questioned squinting her eyes. "It might be painted or it's fake grass” Alex responded as he stood beside Maggie. He admired her attention to detail. He's always been the ‘see the big picture’ type of guy…while Maggie had always been the ‘but look at the details of it type of person. Rachel however could do both , but she sometimes struggled to see the details of things. She rather not waste her time when there is bigger things to worry about….but that's why the trio worked so well. They were all the same person , but so different at the same time. “Rachel if I did put your ass on this man's grass you would have a green ass” Maggie said turning her head to look at Rachel who was behind her. “Maggie” Alex said quietly face palming. Rachel smiled at her best friend “or bad butt burns” “Guys come on!” they heard Caitlin yell at them. They all turned their attention and realized the family was talking to the ticket lady. The trio walked over to the family.

“2 adults 1 baby” TB said to the ticket lady. “Wait! can I cash app you and you just pay for mine?” Maggie asked and her oldest sibling nodded at her. “Mijo just pay for everyone and we will all just pay you after.” their dad said to which the oldest nodded again. Maggie let out a loud breath while dramatically putting a hand on her heart. “We gotta make sure we pay him back 'cause…we all are just… 20-something-year-old teens struggling” she said. The group laughed as Jill turned “You guys are the struggling ones” she laughed looking at the trio. “That would've taken half of the money in my bank account” Alex said. “That would've taken most of mine” Rachel added which led to Maggie letting out a dramatic ‘uuuuhh’. “ what do you mean?! That would have left me in the negatives!” Maggie fake cried. The oldest turned with tickets in his hand “I'll pay for you Mags, if it makes you feel better” he said sarcastically. “Why does she get special treatment?” Caitlin asked as TB handed everyone their tickets. No one could respond to her because the doors opened..which grabbed everyone's attention.

A shorter lady with blond hair stood in the doorway with a bright smile. “Hello everyone! My name is Britney and I will be your tour guide for today! Whenever you guys are ready just go ahead and step on in. We don't need the tickets. They are mostly to prove you paid if you have to step out or something like that. They are yours to keep” the tour guide said cheerfully. She had a thick southern accent that added to the cheerfulness.

As everyone stepped inside Maggie whispered to Rachel “This ticket is going into my memory box”. When the group was fully in…the guide closed the door and walked to the doorway of the living room. Maggie's stomach dropped seeing the staircase for some reason. She zoned out staring at it. As the group started getting led into the living room and then the music room by the talking guide…Maggie just stood and stared at even the little details of the staircase.

Rachel realized her best friend was still standing at the staircase and snuck back over to her. “Maggie. You're missing the music room” she said and followed Maggie's gaze to the staircase. She looked between her and the staircase a couple of times before nudging her softly. “Maggie. What's-” Rachel was cut off by her best friend grabbing her hand and walking slowly to the staircase. Maggie unhooked the rope that blocked the staircase and slowly led Rachel up the stairs with her. “Maggie we can't go up here. It's off limits” Rachel whispered but her best friend was not hearing her at all. Maggie was deep in that stomach-dropping feeling and was following it. As she followed…the feeling it got worse. “Maggie we cant-” “hush” Maggie said softly still pulling her best friend slowly up the stairs. As they got to the 2nd floor Rachel started feeling her stomach sinking too. They crept into the hall looking around. Rachel noticed a guard who hadn't noticed them yet. She pulled Maggie back a bit “What?” Maggie snapped getting frustrated with Rachel a bit. That got the guard's attention and his posture shot up “HEY! YOU GUYS CANT BE UP HERE!” he yelled speed walking to them. Maggie was set on following that gut feeling. She grabbed Rachel's hand and basically dragged her to run. They ran a little down the hall “GET BACK HERE!” the guard yelled. Maggie saw a door and flung it open running in while still holding Rachel's hand. Not focusing on what was in front of her she ran into something hard and fell to the ground taking Rachel with her.

“Damn” they heard a man hiss. Rachel was too focused on her own pain of falling but Maggie looked up noticing that the ‘something’ they had run into was a someONE. She looked at the man and noticed he looked like Elvis but ignored it. She just thought their adventure was over. “I'm sorry” Maggie said standing up. She definitely was in pain however the adrenaline of being caught was kicking in. “how’n the hell did you two get’n here?” the man said rubbing his arm “uhh well..we just… Well, we wanted..” “Better question. Who’n the hell are yall?” the man asked. Rachel stood up finally meeting Maggie by her side. “Well we got the tickets and someone felt the need to-” “tickets? What’n the hell are yall wear’n? Wait yall aint fans are yall? Did someone let yall in?” “I'm sorry….Is this a joke?” Maggie snickered “You look so much like him” Rachel said furrowing her eyebrows “Is what a joke? Like who?” “Elvis” Rachel replied The man smiled revealing his high cheekbones “I am Elvis” “Ick” Maggie scoffed “Excuse me?” the man asked looking genuinely confused Rachel stared at him and noticed he really REALLY looked like Elvis “Dibs” she muttered “Rachel this is not the time. Wait why hasn't that guy come in?” Maggie said turning back towards the door. maggie walked to the door and looked out it. she noticed some things had changed… She definitely noticed the LED lights were now that soft yellow lighting. “What guy? Someone brother’n you? My dad should be downstairs. He don't bite. Did he let you guys in? He could've let me know he was let'n in some fans. I would've got more dressed up” Maggie scoffed turning to look at him “Fans?” Rachel hit maggies arm “Wait…what day is it?” she asked the man “January 11th” “Year?” The man chuckled “1968” Maggie and Rachel shared a look. “Dude. I know delulu is the best selulu but this is a little too delulu” “Dude? The what now?” “It's January 11th…but it's 2024 brother” Maggie said matter-of-factly “what ‘n the hell are you talk’n about?” Maggie walked closer to the man rolling her eyes “It's 2024” “Did you hit your head a little too hard?” The man asked putting his hands on his hips

Rachel softly nudged Maggie “Our apologies sir. We were running from a man and just ran into this house. I don't think your dad saw us. We just really needed to get away from him” Rachel said pulling Maggie away and started walking out of the room “Ok..well just hold on a minute..” he said following the girls out “We really didn't know this was your house, sir.” Rachel said walking down the stairs quickly with Maggie following close behind. “Just wait” Elvis said catching up to the girls at the bottom of the staircase. “What is this?” a man's voice rang out. The girls stopped in their tracks and Elvis stopped behind them. “Elvis, are you sneaking fans in again? Your wife is pregnant.” the man asked walking out from the living room Maggie scoffed and turned to look at him “Again??” Elvis’s face turned slightly red and walked around the girls to stand in front of them “No Daddy. I was just helping these girls out. You didn't see em run in?” Elvis’s dad shook his head “No. I have been sitting on the couch for a while…when did they come in?” The girls exchanged looks that Elvis’s dad saw. His dad crossed his arms looking dead at Elvis. “Right. What were you helping them with?” “Daddy I do-” “He saw a man running after us from down the street and waved us in here through his bedroom window. We went through the side fence and came through the back door. We just ran up the other staircase. We didn't know it was Elvis. We mean no disrespect” Maggie quickly said. Elvis’s dad looked from the girl's back to Elvis. After an awkward silence, Maggie spoke again. “You guys really got to take care of the hole in the side gate if you are worried about fans getting in.” His dad looked at Maggie and smiled “Thanks for letting me know” “Well I think that's our cue to dip” Maggie said walking and Rachel quickly followed “Dip?-” “Wait don't go out that-” Maggie opened the front door and walked out with Rachel. They were met with a bunch of screaming. They both looked at the entrance gate and saw a bunch of women dressed like they were straight out of an old movie. Maggie turned to look at the ticket lady….who wasn't there. She then looked over at the grass and noticed it looked like real…normal grass. She also noticed the parking lot was no longer there. She noticed some Cadis and an all-black Rolls-Royce in the driveway. Maggie looked at Rachel who was focused on the screaming girls in shock. “Rachel…” “Yea…” “I think we are in 1968…” “Yea…”

[patiencesinners]

(Via https://www.instagram.com/reel/C0a7Zn0OkU5/?igshid=NTc4MTIwNjQ2YQ==)

[pendantaudio]

Tilly's Trans Tuesdays episode 59: How do you describe the indescribable, something so pervasive and yet so inscrutable? Join me as I tackle one of the biggest topics for many trans people, gender dysphoria. We're gonna talk about how there's no escaping it, and then see if I can put into words what it's like to live with. We're joined by therapist, author, and gender specialist Dr. Alex Iantaffi to discuss challenging the patriarchy, needing to see ourselves to find ourselves, and Sicilian bubble-butts!

Hosted by Tilly Bridges and Susan Bridges. Sound mixing by Jillian Morgan. Available on Apple Podcasts, iHeartRadio, Amazon Music, Samsung Podcasts, and more!

[battyaboutbooksreviews]

💖 Sapphic Books Coming Out May 2024

🩷 There's something especially sweet about a sapphic romance. Here are only a few of the amazing sapphic books hitting shelves in May 2024. Which ones are you adding to your ever-growing TBR?

Contemporary 💖 Here For the Wrong Reasons - Annabel Paulsen & Lydia Wang 💖 Perfume & Pain - Anna Dorn 💖 Cheryl - Jillian Fleck 💖 A Little Kissing Between Friends - Chencia C. Higgins 💖 Lavash At First Sight - Taleen Voskuni 💖 The Game of Giants - Marion Douglas 💖 We Were the Universe - Kimberly King Parsons 💖 Oye - Melissa Mogollon 💖 The Summer Love Strategy - Ray Stoeve 💖 Noah Frye Gets Crushed - Maggie Horne 💖 Halfway to Harbor - Nicole Melleby 💖 Sunhead - Alex Assan

💖 The 7-10 Split - Karmen Lee 💖 Trust & Safety - Laura Blackett & Eve Gleichman 💖 Second Night Stand - Karelia Stetz-Waters & Fay Stetz-Waters 💖 How It Works Out - Myriam Lacroix 💖 April May June July - Alison B. Hart 💖 The Ride of Her Life - Jennifer Dugan 💖 One Night With the CEO - Emily Hayes 💖 Dulhaniyaa - Talia Bhatt 💖 A Girl Can Dream - Emily Barr 💖 I Want You More - Swan Huntley 💖 Exhibit - R. O. Kwon 💖 Only a Bridesmaid - Haley Donnell

💖 Thirsty - Jas Hammonds 💖 Housemates - Emma Copley Eisenberg 💖 Don’t Be a Drag - Skye Quinlan 💖 True Love and Other Impossible Odds - Christina Li 💖 Murray Out of Water - Taylor Tracy 💖 The Redemption of Daya Keane - Gia Gordon 💖 Blame My Virgo Moon - Freja Nicole Woolf 💖 From Where We Are - Nicole Zelniker 💖 Cabin Fever - Tagan Shepard 💖 Channel Surfing in the Sea of Happiness - Guy Babineau 💖 Meet Me in Berlin - Samantha L. Valentine 💖 Behind You - Catherine Hernandez

Paranormal/Horror 💖 Primal Hunt - L.L. Raand 💖 Blood on the Tide - Katee Robert 💖 We Mostly Come Out at Night - (ed) Rob Costello 💖 Flowers from the Void - Gianni Washington 💖 My Darling Dreadful Thing - Johanna van Veen 💖 When the Devil - Emma E. Murray 💖 Honeybites - I. S. Belle 💖 My Favorite Thing Is Monsters - Emil Ferris 💖 The Worst Perfect Moment -Shivaun Plozza

Fantasy 💖 The Honey Witch - Sydney J. Shields 💖 The Fireborne Blade - Charlotte Bond 💖 Chained Destinies - D. Jordan Redhawk 💖 Can’t Spell Treason Without Tea - Rebecca Thorne 💖 Grand Slam Romance: Major League Hotties - Ollie Hicks & Emma Oosterhous 💖 Snake Charming - Genevieve McCluer 💖 The Witches of Silverlake - Simon Curtis 💖 Death’s Country - R. M. Romero 💖 Snowblooded - Emma Sterner-Radleygh 💖 Bird Suit - Sydney Hegele 💖 Farzana's Spite - Felix Graves

Historical 💖 The Good Women of Fudi - Liu Hong 💖 Spitting Gold - Carmella Lowkis 💖 Adrift - Sam Ledel 💖 A Heart Divided - Angie Williams 💖 A Liaison with Her Leading Lady - Lotte R. James

Mystery/Thriller 💖 The Deadly Spark - Roxie Key 💖 The Advice Columnist - Cade Haddock Strong 💖 The Lilies - Quinn Diacon-Furtado 💖 Loyalty - E. J. Noyes 💖 Clean Kill - Anne Laughlin 💖 Have You Seen This Girl - Nita Tyndall 💖 The Last to Pie - Misha Popp

Sci-Fi 💖 The Sunforge - Sascha Stronach 💖 Road to Ruin - Hana Lee 💖 Exile in Guyville - Amy Lee Lillard 💖 The Lily of Enarah - Arden Brax 💖 The Z Word - Lindsay King-Miller