#jokes and jinks

[l-bluebirdblues-l]

ME AND MY SISTER ROASTING SYRIL KARN WITH HEADCANNONs

In puberty his voice got higher

All of his body hair is bleach blond

He thinks mayonnaise is spicy

His hearts on the wrong side if his chest

If he was a TV show he'd be static

His hands are always clammy

He smells like playdoe mixed with baby powder

He orders a hotdog at a Mexican restaurant

His dad left him to get something more flavorful than him, milk

He has a sternum dent

His fingers can touch the back of his hands

He thinks gingers are "exotic"

He think drag queens are women

He is virgin

He's gay for Dedra Meero

He started shaving at 25

He likes the smell of crayons

He has asthma

He has the personality of a white flag

His mother breastfed him till he was 13, he was taller than her

He only buys velcro shoes

He wears women's underwear

He looks like Robbie Rotten

His favorite color is white

He really enjoys unseasoned boiled chicken breast

He has the essence of a Victorian child

He only wears ankle socks

His favorite sport is lacrosse

He always had a cush on the mean teacher

His favorite dessert is carrots

His favorite soda is sparkling water

[electrozeistyking]

I love them, your honour. Yes I know they're my own OC but—

[arsen1cs4ng0]

it's been like 2 years since i drew pedro. the they 🧡🧡🧡

[scary-senpai]

I worked a little on my wanpanmas fic (from last year, that I didn’t finish, mostly because I got sick).

In which Tareo—who is younger in this, young enough to still plausibly believe in Santa—panics about being on the naughty list. Genos initially tries to appeal to the kid’s sense of whimsy, which only makes Tareo more upset, so he just……. disproves Santa mathematically. There, now Tareo has nothing to worry about, right?

“Alright.” Garou pinched the bridge of his nose. “I have some follow up questions. How much math did you do, and was there calculus involved?”

“There was minimal calculus,” Genos said. “I relied primarily on pre-established theorems.

“…meaning…?”

“I did not need to develop a new branch of physics in order to justify my hypothesis,” Genos explained. “That would have required calculus. Surprisingly, the so-called magic of Christmas falls squarely within the realm of rudimentary thermodynamics. Mere back-of-the-napkin calculations, nothing more.”

I know we haven’t had thanksgiving yet, but I forget how much I miss writing for the three of them (Garou, Genos, and Saitama).

“For the last time, Gen, Tareo is seven!” Garou shouted. “Do you know what he’s doing in math class? He is learning how to count to 100. He cannot reliably get to the double-digits. Do you want to know how old he thinks Bang is? Seventy-twelve.”

“Only because you refuse to correct him.”

“And why would we? It’s adorable.”

[ryulvrs]

Idk how to request os it doesn't sound rude😭 (i'm sorry) but can you do miyeon g!p x fem!reader (like jealous miyeon bc reader was flirting with yuqi and talking dirty with minnie, then miyeon heard and just putted her in her place iygwim) if you don't wanna do this just ignore it please

just mine (miyeon, smut)

summary: miyeon takes your flirtatious jokes with her friends seriously and puts you in your place

warnings: dom!gp!miyeon, sub!f!reader, praise, breeding kink, jealousy, degradation, mirror sex, slight choking kink, a lot of dirty talk

word count: 1.3k

a/n: not much to say, just a lot of filthy miyeon 😭

“you did well today,” your lips temptingly released, with the lipgloss sticking them together.

“hm? with the stage?” yuqi turned her head at you, and almost instantaneously her air felt heated and her breath hitched. you nod, awaiting her response.

“thank you, y/n,” she smirked with just the corners of her lips.

“no need,” you conciously moved your hand to rest on her shoulder for just enough time that she’d think about it. long enough that she’d think about you.

“is miyeon still here?” she asks you, and you both can guess why.

“shes in the next room, are you going home soon?” this is true, miyeon is in the next room. actually, in the next room with the door open giving her a loud and clear audio of everything happening.

“who knows, you could come,” she smirks but laughs it off. as you open your mouth to respond, your head follows minnie who just came out of another connecting entrance.

“hi y/n,” she says, smiling all cutesy.

“hii minnie,” your voice does that thing where it lingers for an unnecessary amount of time. you look her up and down, noticing her obvious pulchritude immediately.

she chuckles, noticing your silence. “cat got your tongue?” she teases. your initial instinct is to make some corny joke about her tongue but you resist in attempt to look cool.

its obvious to everyone in the room that theres some sort of tension, even if its awkward and slightly cliche at times.

“you both look too good, if miyeon wasn’t a room over who knows what i’d be doing right now,” you remark with a devilish smile plastered on your face. you earn a laugh out of them both, but you can tell they undoubtedly agree.

“probably us,” yuqi says under her breath, but you catch it and just giggle. the laughs wouldn’t last much longer although, because the feeling of an unrecognized hand inching onto your waist shuts you up quickly.

your body jinks, to be met by your girlfriend’s uptight stature. “hey miyeon! ready to-“ she cuts you off my taking your hand and urging you to the car.

no words left her mouth the entire car ride, just silence between the both of you. you know what you did though, you were fully aware she would hear all of it too. even better, you loved how jealous she got.

it felt as if your arm was going to fall off when she forcefully dragged you into your shared apartment. she locked eyes with you, with her aggressive yet charming demeanor taking over her completely.

“anything to say?” she spits. there is nothing to say, you just flirted with her friends and did it to make her jealous, because shes beyond hot like this. so, you just shake your head.

“do you want to fuck them, y/n?” she outright states. obviously, taken aback, you stutter over yourself at the claim made.

“what- what the fuck miyeon?” you can’t help but slightly shout at her, even if you know theres reason behind her anger. she scoffs and laughs to control the situation. “i wasn’t actually flirting, baby, i thought you could tell that?” you say.

“oh yeah?” she looks down but she was still very upset.

“yes,” you practically beg. she steps a bit closer to you, but her face doesnt change or drop.

“you’re such a slut, y/n,” she looks you up and down, finally focusing her eyes on yours with her head tilted a little. you wince a little, in pain from biting down on your tongue.

she places her hands on the back of your head, rubbing on your hair adding to the tension between you. her lips pressed just on the edges of yours. you lean, falling deeper into the temptation. her tongue sliding just enough out that you would feel it.

“you’re mine, okay?” she pulls away. “im gonna make you feel it.” her kiss travels you both into a utopia even if you could feel her anger traveling through her bites.

her arms moving from your head to your hands, pulling you whilst holding the kiss into your room. the romantic gestures don’t last long however, as she practically throws you onto the bed.

“strip for me,” she hisses. you do as she asks, and reveal your curved body to her. she undos her clothes along with you, and lets only a second pass before pouncing onto you.

“im gonna fuck you better than they ever could” she grunts. she slaps her cock against the folds of your entrance, exposed to her touch and the air.

you feel her hands spread your legs just a bit farther apart, enough for her to pound into you. the tip of it pushes your edges, coating itself in your liquids.

“so wet? aren’t you easy,” she smirks at you pushing into your pussy. with a wicked grin, she leans forward rubbing your bodies together. her free hand flicks at your cunt putting your wetness on the head of her dick.

youre core cries out for her touch, and she thrusts her length in to please you. you grip onto her, almost as if you’re pulling her in from desperation.

“you’re going to take it, princess, ‘kay?” with a firm hand, she moves your face up to look at her, like shes trying to ingrain her words into you. “come on, tell me,” her grasp on your chin drags lower, as she tightens it around your neck.

“i promise, i’ll take it,” you squeeze your eyes shut and your lower body quivers, dragging her in farther. “please,” you whisper, digging your nails farther into her back.

she writes her smirk into her hip movement, and she rams her dick into you. this time, she moves in and out of you at a consistent pace.

every hit on your pussy leads your cum to squirt out. she quickens her pace, noticing this, and dips her finger into your sweet nectar, licking it off.

“what a pretty pussy, im gonna breed you y/n,” she sucks the end of her fingers before slapping them gently on your clit, pushing them in the little space next to her cock.

“take it, suck me in, pretty girl,” her praise causes you to moan loudly, unlike anything miyeon has heard from you before.

this only makes her needier to cum inside of you, so she takes your hips and steadies you, and picks you up to have you facing the mirror beside your bed. your ass towards her, and her cock still pushing into you, as you both look at your body in the mirror.

“see, you are so slutty, look at you,” she pounds into you with her fingertips roaming your legs and hips. “i’ll breed your pussy so you really know you’re mine,” she moans into your ear.

miyeon leans back, making you do all the work of riding her length. the sound of skin clapping against each other, bouncing on her, liquids meshing and moans filling the room.

“my good girl,” she grunts into your ear, stabilizing your body once more.

“n-need your cum,” you moan for her. she smirks and you can feel the increasing heat down your neck.

both of your bodies tense up, and the movements become more erratic. you breathing hitches, and miyeon swallows down groans. the sensation between you two is intense and overwhelming yet a type of pleasure only she could make you feel.

her liquids spill into you, making you truly hers. “mmm so good,” she sighs, pulling out of you gently treating your body as her temple. her lips make their way down your neck and back lovingly, as a way of showing gratitude.

“im yours, miyeon, i promise,” you turn around to her, and lay one more kiss for her, and she returns it with a smile.

“just mine.”

[lorkonsghost]

Another Phineas and Ferb live with BatFam au headcannons

Although Bruce and Alfred didn't want take Phineas and Ferb in but Bruce thought in moment of weakness about his parents and how they where taken him in moments notice if Alfred didn't take him he would of been lost so Bruce agrees to let live here under strick rules. for them not to matter since Phineas and Ferb find the bat cave ten minutes after moving in.

Phineas can speak to mute people fluently it freaks everyone how he knows what Cass is saying without her even using sign language even Bruce who's fluent in body language is surprised how good Phineas is

Perry becomes a better fighter just by watching the BatFamliy.

One time perry ask doof for help in Gotham but the second he steps into Gotham he gets dragged into a fight between crime lords and their both trying to recruit him only for perry and super pets to stop them and get doof away from Gotham forever

Tim get along with Phineas and Ferb but he's convinced their upto something. they what to be family but you know Tim second most paranoid.

Jason one time recruited them to help with his crime empire as a joke a day later Jason is doing crime so well he scared of Bruce thinking it's his fault

Love handle host an concert in Gotham Phineas and Ferb go to reminisce about their family and the BatFamliy is fighting every rouge in Gotham to make sure nothing gets in the way of the concert

Cass get along great with Phineas and Ferb, steph and Cass are normally the ones who join them for their high jinks along with one of batboys

Damian is trying to find perry, what he doesn't know is Ace the bathound, Titus, and Alfred the cat are also a part of a the super pets so are bat cow and Jerry but their reserves plus bat cow is to busy to join

Perry goes to save owca with the super pets atleast once and major monogram is begging them to join

Perry arch nemesis is Damian trying to figure out what their doing

Krypto, ace, and perry argue who actually leads the super pets

Dick never knows what Phineas and Ferb did until the next day unless he strictly involved from the beginning

Phineas and Ferb shoot Wayne tech fortunes threw the roof

They cured mr freezes wife

Dick onetime ask them to help plan a date with him and Kory next thing they know their touring the milky way

Meep and Darkside have personal beef

Original since I thought this was a reblog

https://www.tumblr.com/lorkonsghost/753047351522934784/so-i-woke-up-in-the-middle-of-the-night-from-one?source=share

[panie-wanie-dean-bean]

Imagine just having a normal conversation with the brothers when the topic of death comes up in one form or another. Maybe it's a joke someone told that you laughed a little too hard at, maybe there was a threat passed around for laughs and you flinched. Either way, the brothers are all suddenly very aware of your mortality

While some brothers try to steer away from the topic, or brag about how they'd never let you die on them, three have almost the same thought "I won't let that happen"

The three in question are Belphie, Satan, and Lucifer. The two are hesitant to bring him in on their plotting but with his connections they really can't refuse. This is for you after all

Lucifer insists on getting permission from Diavolo first. The other two think it's not worth the risk but Luci knows better. Dia is delighted at the thought and gives his whole hearted approval of the plan, even Barbados looks a little giddy

After that, they turn to Solomon, a fellow human who somehow achieved immortality, to ask for advice. Sol is also thrilled at the idea, he even has everything ready to go for such an occasion. Why would he have them at the ready? He would advise you not to worry about that

Soon after all this, Solomon asks you to join him for tea. It's an innocuous request, it needed to be, though you couldn't have known that. You accept, and it eventually becomes a daily occurrence. It allows you a break from the madness, and him some good company. At least, that's what he tells you. You found it a bit strange how the brothers always let you have your tea in peace. Mammon didn't even barge in to demand your attention once! But he told you that he thought some fellow human time would do you good

It's not really a noticeable change at first, with how many selfcare days and products Assy gives you/makes you use it's not too surprising when your age doesn't show on your skin. Then you hit 40. You really should start looking older now, right? You mean, Devildom skincare aside, at least your hair should start graying, right? Your joints feel the same as ever, you heal just as fast. You can write it off a little longer but in your mid fifties you should not fucking look like you're still twenty!

Everyone acts so surprised too. Never giving away the truth. Just telling you that it must have been something you accidentally ate, or one of your high jinks filled days in the Devildom that did this to you. You're a little upset none of your friends or lovers seem to care about this as much as you do, but, maybe this is for the best? You've known for a while now that, at the very least, the brothers would be lost without you

Maybe this is a good thing, maybe it's as good as Assy whispers to you as he goes down on you whenever you mention it. Maybe it's as good as Beel tells you as he feeds you some of the best food in the Devildom. Maybe it's as good as Levi tells you as he rattles on about how many new shows you'll get to see together

Maybe it doesn't matter that the ones you trust the most took away your humanity

[thebisexualdogdad]

Smutober day 5: Myka Bering x Male!reader - The artifact

“Wow this vase is ugly, why would anyone want this,” you joke, picking up the vase that Artie sent you to Oregon to get.

Myka takes it from you and examines it carefully, it was bigger than expected so you didn't have a goo bag big enough, she'd have to throw it in her suitcase to get goo'd back at the warehouse, “when did Artie say this was from?”

“The 70's, it was some hippie cult leaders,” you shrug pulling out your Farnsworth and calling Claudia.

“Alright Claudia we got the vase,” Myka says when she picks up.

“Uhh you guys are wearing gloves right?” Claudia asks.

“No why? What is this thing gonna do? Make us really high?” You crack.

“Artie didn't tell you what the artifact does did he,” Jinks chimes in with an amused grin.

“Please tell me it's not gonna make us high,” Myka sighs.

“Actually the cult leader it belonged to was known for having a lot of crazy orgies… the vase is oozing with sexual energy,” Claudia informs you.

“Did you just say this vase is gonna make us horny?” You question.

“Well it wouldn't have if you were wearing gloves,” Claudia says.

“Artie didn't warn us to wear gloves!” Myka shouts.

You and Myka head back to your hotel, not saying a word to each other in the rental car.

The effects of the artifact hadn't kicked in yet so you awkwardly say goodnight and go to your separate rooms.

There had been sexual tension between you and Myka since you joined the team but both agreed it was better not to get involved with a coworker despite the constant teasing you endured from Pete.

You laid in your bed, staring at the ceiling trying to clear your mind of the inappropriate thoughts you were having.

You already wanted Myka bad enough but now you were literally uncontrollably horny, you had to fight the urge to not touch yourself.

Needing a distraction you turn to burning off energy another way, jumping jacks and push ups.

You begin your little hotel room workout but it didn't do a damn thing, all you could think about was Myka.

Kissing Myka.

Touching Myka.

Making love to Myka- shit you had to stop thinking like that.

It was time for your last resort, an ice cold shower so you take your shirt off but before you step in the bathroom there's a knock on your door.

Were you dreaming? You opened the door and it was Myka standing on the other side.

“Myka, hey,” you stammer out.

“Uh hi,” she says, eyes glazing over the sweat dripping down your stomach, “I just wanted to… make sure you were alright.”

“Yep I'm good,” you say staring at her lips that you wanted to kiss so badly.

“Great well I should… probably go back to my room,” she says awkwardly.

“Okay,” you reply but as she goes to turn away you blurt out, “Myka wait.”

You just look at each other, the tension more intense than ever and that's when Myka gives in and kisses you.

You stumble back into your room, slamming the door shut with your lips locked and hands exploring one another.

“Wait wait wait,” you say reluctantly pulling away from her, “this is just because of the artifact.”

“I want you Y/N and I know you want me too, not because of the artifact either,” she says, rubbing her thumb across your cheek.

“God I want you so much,” you groan, picking her up and carrying her to the bed.

You gently lay her down and she runs her hands over your bare stomach, moaning as you palm at her chest through her shirt.

She sits up to let you get rid of her shirt, and you kiss the top of her breasts above her bra.

She lays back again and you move down to her stomach, kissing and nipping at her skin.

“Can I?” You ask, toying with her belt.

“Yes,” she sighs.

You undo her belt as she kicks her shoes away, tugging her pants off leaving her in just her bra and underwear.

“You are so damn beautiful Myka,” you say, taking in the sight of her.

She blushes and you rid yourself of your own pants climbing back on top of her and deeply kissing her.

She reaches behind her back and unclips her bra, tossing it to the floor.

“I've waited so long for this,” you say kissing at her neck again, a hand slipping under the hem of her underwear and finally touching her.

She's so wet already and she groans as you rub your fingers through her.

“I've been contemplating coming over here for hours,” she says, gasping when you easily slide two fingers inside her.

“I've been so turned on I was about ready to take a cold shower to try to stop thinking about you,” you admit.

“I already made myself cum once thinking about you,” she confesses and your stomach drops at the idea of Myka touching herself because of you.

Your cock is throbbing in your underwear from how hard you are, you needed her right now.

Myka groans in frustration when your fingers disappear but you drag her underwear down her legs before getting rid of yours too.

You spread her legs apart and settle between them, slipping your cock inside her.

“Oh god,” she moans, grasping at the bed sheets.

You waste no time finding a quick rhythm of your hips.

“Faster,” she begs with a knuckle tight grip on the sheets.

You move faster, the bed creaking underneath you and Myka releases the sheets to grab her chest.

“Right there, just like that,” she says and you can't look away from her playing with her own nipples.

“I'm so close,” you mutter.

“Me too,” she nods.

With a few more thrusts Mykas walls are clamping around your cock, her back arching as she cums.

“Yes, yes, yes,” she screams as her climax hits her.

Hearing the beautiful moans she makes as she cums takes you over the edge as well so you quickly pull out of her, your cock twitching as cum spurts out across her stomach.

You fall down onto the mattress beside her, completely out of breath.

“Holy shit,” you say.

“That was amazing,” she smiles.

You look down to see your cock is already hard again, “are you kidding me.”

“I don't think this artifact is gonna wear off until we goo it at the warehouse,” Myka laughs.

“So…you're still turned on too?” You ask.

“Very,” Myka says, rolling over on top of you.

[kamenstranger]

A review(?) of Dandadan

Starting these reviews off is always the hardest part, but it often comes to me after some time filling out the rest of the article. Dandadan has been stubborn in that regard, so much so I've been trying to figure out where to start with this series since it first came out.

I began reading DDD before tankōbon's were being printed, hell before it even made it to NA digitally (There were translations in Europe which got them early iirc.) Then batches starting coming out, and I still have those original single chapters from Sept. 5 '21

I became captivated, but, like its namesake, describing why I enjoy DDD is daunting in how esoteric it all is.

The general plot is straightforward on its own: Momo Ayase, the granddaughter of a spirit medium, though circumstance meets with an occult obsessed otaku, Ken Takakura, and, yes, he's named after exactly who you think, which drives the Takakura obsessed Momo nuts. She calls him Okarun, which I will also be doing for the rest of this.

Okarun's big obsession is UFOs and aliens, which he believes in, but not ghosts. You see where this is going. Hi-jinks ensue, both go to hot spots for each others interest and what do you know, Momo gets abducted by Aliens and Okarun is possessed by a geriatric genital biting speed demon.

Feel free to re-read that last part a few times.

Suffice to say, Dandadan gets fucking nuts almost as soon as the first chapter, but we're not even close to how off the rails this series gets.

I'll save you the details of how they deal with the Turbo Granny, but I will say the mythos and rules surrounding the various spirits, urban legends, cryptids and aliens is handled with a shocking amount of intricate care. If you're like me, you grew up surrounded by a plethora of Unsolved Mysteries, caught UFO Files as it was airing, maybe you even had some of those Forbidden World books laying around from the 80s before getting into stuff like Yokai. Even though I don't really engage with that sorta thing outside Weird NJ nowadays (It stops being fun when people in public office are into conspiracies-- particularly of the nazi variety like lizard men and flat earth)

The narrative and aesthetic appeal of them has stuck with me.

Anyone that's read my Kamen Rider reviews would know how much of a sucker I am for that quintessential cryptid look, which Dandadan has plenty of along with just being absurdly unhinged and hilarious.

The first two volumes do a fantastic job setting up the limitations and powers of spirits in particular, eventually resulting in part of Turbo Granny's soul being trapped in a Meneki Neko and leaving her speed abilities with Okarun. Unfortunately, Okarun only got 1/3 of his bits back.

So now have two super powered protagonists touched by the supernatural and the unearthly on the search for…missing nuts. Or I guess testicles that look like magic golden orbs of power. That's seriously how we're kicking this off.

And yes, there is a basis for that in mythology called Kintama. If you're familiar with Gintama you probably knew that.

But beyond that basic set up… where the fuck do I even go from there? The series is far more than OTT action and good monster lore, but it's also hard to delve into the how and why of its overall qualities. Sure The supernatural and sci-fi bits are fantastic, and the comedy is wonderful, but it's a by product of the real core of Dandadan: the interpersonal relationships of the characters. Surprise.

Which yeah, if it wasn't clear from the get go, DDD has a romantic angle between Okarun and Momo.

Under the monsters, dick jokes, and the completely unhinged nature of everyone and everything is an oddly captivating and flat out adorable love story between our two leads, one that slowly unfolds but is challenged by the various shake ups from monsters, invaders and cast additions that occur to hinder that development; or in some cases push it further by bringing the two closer.

Okarun in particular very well might be one of my favorite interpretations of the Otaku with a heart of gold. He's a legitimately sweet person, cares for people, he trains his ass off to earn mastery over his powers to make things easier on Momo and to keep up with the ever increasing threats they face. In a sea of otaku power fantasy characters, it's nice to be reminded that characters with limitations and weaknesses to be overcome or dealt with are still showing up.

He's also just a total sweetheart to Momo.

And it's pretty clear even early on that the feeling is mutual. Momo is easily flustered whenever a cute girl gets a little too chummy with Okarun, or strings him along. She even retaliates in some cases.

Momo is also about as dorky as Okarun (As seen above) just in different ways, which makes the two complement one another while also contrasting in how much of a hot head Momo can be.

For a series that gets as bonkers as DDD, Momo's grade A shit talking "too stubborn to admit her feelings" gruff Gyaru personality helps ground the series with a rather realistic portrayal of a girl her age-- albeit one with psychic abilities and goes through some extreme struggles much later in the series.

In fact one of the more overlooked aspects whenever I read about Dandadan is how surprisingly dark the chapters start to get in the 80s onward. Because despite the major kick off involving Okarun having his balls stolen, the series is capable of being very sardonic.

For all the absurd fun like giant enemy crabs or the Flatwoods monster as a Sumowrestler, and even a daikaiju way later, you also have things like human sacrifices and tragic ghost stories which are treated with a heavy tone that is never undermined by that off-kilter comedy. You even see tones of that with Turbo Granny of all things, involving the trapped spirits of butchered girls.

Don't misunderstand, however, the series is first and foremost a romcom with horror elements, but sometimes the horror shines through in surprising ways. That nuance is also seen in the rest of the cast, which I've yet to talk about much because one of the biggest challenges of this whole thing is figuring out how.

Talking about Dandadan beyond the very bare basics of the opening chapters is difficult without spoiling something, it's part why I was hesitant to review it back when I first started reading, despite how enamored I was. For one thing, focusing on any one aspect would be a gross oversimplification, doing a disservice to how each angle of the series is handled. Conversely, delving into Dandadan as whole would mean recapping the story arcs and events because Dandadan has some of the most tightly woven threads I have seen in some time. I can barely graze the surface of why character dynamics work or are unique before inevitably getting into a full blown synopsis and spoiling character arcs and entire narrative structures, which is… frustrating, to say the least.

For example, I can't really give you a good look at Aira Shiratori without getting deep into how she's a schoolmate of Momo and Okarun, gets into a rivalry with Momo because Aira thinks she's a demon while viewing herself as "The special one"; a delusion made stronger when she gains her own demonic powers which is basically Sedusa. But over time she forms a bizarre friendship with the two over their trial and tribulations, while also dealing with the massive weight of guilt over cruel rumors she spread about Momo. But that really doesn't even begin to tell you how much of an absolute fucking perfect little bitch she is, and yet what an enjoyable dork she becomes. To do so would be to just tell you everything that happens in her story, which, while not complicated, is tied heavily into the narrative.

It's a similar scenario with Jin "JiJi" Enjoji, Momo's first crush, which you can imagine the upset that causes; one that's pretty goddamn funny because the dude, while handsome, athletically fit and arguably the strongest of the entire cast, has the personality of a goddamn muppet. So Okarun's getting all strung up on a guy even more goofy than him.

In a nice subversion, his relationship with Okarun develops into something surprisingly positive pretty quickly, if not without complications due to a fairly dark story with his character, which pushes Okarun even further in his training after Jin gets his own possession. And it also makes it all the more hilarious that the chipper muppet baby has a secondary Shadow the Hedgehog cracked to 11 persona that's a legit threat.

Then there's Kinta "Kinny" Sakata who is basically if Okarun was even more socially inept and a dipshit Gunpla addict who tried really hard to be a Jojo. His strengths is a vast knowledge of sci-fi tech and a chuuni like ability to imagine entire fantastical constructs; quite handy when mind reading alien nano machines enter the picture. It also helps break up the monotony of everyone else having or developing some sorta supernatural power.

And then we have Vamola, a character I literally cannot say a single thing about without giving away massive plot points. I can't even show a photo because her design itself contains spoilers. Just know that her story is when shit really hits the fan and will be a gut wrenching read while also having the most Battle Manga goodness.

What I can at least tell you is that for as much as Momo and Okarun are the main protagonists, Jin and Aira get damn good focus and are fully formed characters in their own right, they're not just a monkey-wrench thrown into the fray. I mean, they are also that, but they add to those elements while being more than a foil to our main heroes developing relationship, making the story much more varied and expansive than a supernatural will/won't they. Vamola especially in that area.

If there's one takeaway from this it's that Yukinobu Tatsu is capable of creating a great, varied cast full of humor and impeccable chemistry. (not to mention a lot of cheescake that shouldn't work as often as it does.) I'm constantly surprised with how masterful all the different pieces come together to create a compelling dynamic in this deranged Sci-Fi, Supernatural comedy mishmash. Hopefully I can convey a little bit of that Dada-esque appeal despite my spoiler aversion.

What's a lot easier for me to get across without spoilers, however, is the drop-dead gorgeous artwork. Good god is this series beautiful to look at.

Tatsu has a backround in, uh, backgrounds, and it shows on just about every page. Any one side panel has more detail than most double-page fight spreads in other books, and when they do a splash page it is breathtaking.

The fact this is a Weekly series is goddamn insane and… honestly kinda makes me a lowkey worried about their work ethic. But a lot of panels feature just the character on simple stark backgrounds (And some pages feel a little heavy on the reference material, if you get my meaning.) But even so, it's hardly a sacrifice for the impressive amount of work that goes into each chapter and how just about every other page has at least one impressive environment to gawk at.

Not only is the detail impeccable, but the layout, timing and expressions are goddamn phenomenal and a big part of making the series legitimately funny. That same talent translates seamlessly to high energy fights and impactful creepy moments.

This truly is one of the most compelling reasons to read the manga. At the time of this writing we're 5 episodes in the Science Saru anime and I want to make clear I'm enjoying it and do highly suggest watching it. I think their high octane stylistic approach is, in many ways, perfect for the series. There's clearly a lot of love put into translating page to screen best they can. Realistically, I know there's no way you could completely capture Tatsu's style 1:1, especially with what the industry is nowadays. The budget and man power it would take for that wouldn't be worth it.

But that sense of scope, scale, the depth, shading and a ton of small eccentricities is something unique to the manga and a big part of why it works. If you only know the anime then I think you're missing out. Plus you've got 8 volumes to read up on.

But also still watch the anime, I'd love a season 2. Hopefully with a bigger budget. Frankly, they're gonna need it.

That said, while I have praised and gassed up Dandadan, I should mention it has a number of trappings that by all means should not fly with me. As previously stated, there's a lot of cheesecake, and I like cheesecake, but it can bog down stories like this and they're a dime a dozen in the manga and anime world. At first glance DDD can look like that from the outside. There are so many instances of things that are annoying in other works, schlocky things (derogatory) that are sell themselves only on the limp-dicked exploitive elements like Fan service. Make no mistake, Dandadan is schlocky (complimentary) but it's also incredibly endearing not only outside those aspects, but in them. At least for the most part. I have to imagine it's aware of the more stupid indulgent elements but wisely plays them straight while at the same time employing a cleverness many other series fail to have.

For example, the characters are comically stripped very frequently, even (and usually) during otherwise semi-serious moments like battles (although not if the stakes are dire.)

But the cheescake is always balanced out by the other qualities. Hell, the cheesecake is often imbued a certain charm that is funny in itself or oddly sweet, which certainly becomes more true in the later chapters. Think more Cutie Honey and less Highschool of the Dead in terms of how it's handled.

A big hand in that is they're not afraid to get silly with all the characters, especially the girls, so it typically feels more tee-hee fun. They're almost if not equally goofy in their own ways and that does a lot in keeping it from being obnoxious. And ya know, they also have real developed personalities and relationships outside just having their clothes blasted off, which also happens to Okarun if that wasn't clear. Actually it's worse because he usually loses everything, and the same is also true for Jin.

It's so audacious in every aspect that I simply can't fault it. I mean, I also wouldn't fault anyone not gelling with it, but I just sorta expect it and roll with it for a series this absurd. I'm a critic, not a goddamn puritan. I know exactly what it is, and it's doing it far better than most. It is, at worst, background noise.

That's not to say the series handles all of its exploitative elements well. Rather infamously the first chapter has an almost not quite sexual assault for Momo. It's… not as bad as it sounds-- in part because it doesn't happen and also the situation is so absurd. Honestly I think there's been a bit much blown out of proportion with it. Still, the over the top nature of an Alien with a metal syringe dick getting his comeuppance by having it bitten off by a granny speed-demon can only mitigate the general grossness of the implication so much and I still wince at it. It's the only part of Dandadan that dips into a level a cheapness it otherwise sidesteps in most other endeavors. Thankfully, it happens early on, but it also isn't a great first impression, especially if you didn't have more chapters or episodes to view at the time, leaving you to wonder just what the hell kinda story this is.

It's worth noting some of the other early chapters have bumps here and there, but nothing quite on the level of chapter 1, and those parts are ironed out overtime to be a lot more palatable. Compare how chapter 3 handles T&A to chapter 26 and you'll know what I mean.

Aside from that, however, there is at least one semi major stigma I have against Dadadan's otherwise enjoyable self indulgent nature, which is that a lot of the monster designs are painfully derivative. And I mean DERIVATIVE. Just about every alien creature in this series is an Ultra Kaiju.

Oh Shin Godzilla in the case of Nessie.

And, look, I get homaging stuff you like. Dr. Slump has loads of references, Patlabor has references to Ultraseven, depending on which version of Urusei Yatsura you're looking at it's loaded with them, Project A-KO has them, Eva is a love letter to Jissouji Ultra (along with flat out copying a few fights from various 70s mecha anime) and even something like Bocchi The Rock is at least a quarter references. References are not the problem. Well, maybe a little, but I'm not gonna get Orson Wells on you here.

Regardless, its hard not to think that maybe they could've dialed it back a little bit.

The Z'gok in Gundam is based on Alien Zarabe but it's doesn't look like a knock-off version of it. But the Dover Demon in Dandadan looks like "original the character" Kanegon that turns into Baltan. Because it is.

Like come on, man. Even the Space Pirates in Metroid aren't this blatant.

Why this sticks out to much is because the art is so damn impressive but the design aspect is lacking in certain areas. I'm willing to give leeway for some designs if they're based on folklore elements like Ghosts, Yokai, and crypids. You want to make them recognizable, but can still work in cute references or original ideas without being as glaring as "we have Ultra Seijin at home." For what it's worth, I guess Dada knockoffs with Pegassa eyes are better than generic greys. But while it's cute at first, I felt it got irksome by the time I saw Shin Godzilla… and then Hipporit as a subterranean shows up. Then a tail-less xenomorph. And Alien Guts, and a Metal Gear, and Elecking, even an Alien Zarabe.

A lot of those do end up as cannon fodder so I can understand not wanting to put a lot of work into stuff that ends up being one offs. I can't deny the art looks incredible and hype as fuck. But man, it gets distracting sometimes, especially when Gomora shows up at one point with the body of Red King and later on they end up making that a major deity in an alien culture. It's not played as a joke at all. It is one of the most dead serious chapters… But it's still just an Ultra Kaiju. Sometimes I'm reading Dandadan and I'm having a great time and I'm getting all the referential designs, and I don't *hate* this, but in the back of my head all I can think of is that line in Akibaranger.

And on some level I do get how that borderline level of infringement adds to the absurdity, how the near mono focus of a singular love for Tsuburaya is charming. Hell, it's even refreshing in some ways considering how that hasn't really been a thing in Japan since the 80s. But it does still get a bit much from the sheer volume.

I think on some level Tatsu knows this because in the more recent chapters the Serpo Aliens are primarily depicted in their disguised forms and the fake Gomora gets a slight redesign in later appearances that's a lot more generic. I sort of get the impression things that were maybe meant to be one off gags ended up becoming reoccurring elements, but given the tone and humor of the series that's really hard to tell, for better or worse.

Although kudos to Science Saru saying fuck it and making the opening to the anime one big Ultraman reference. They know what they're doing.

All that said... I don't really know where to lead off from here. Dandadan is still ongoing, currently at about 170 chapters in Japan, while the anime is still currently airing the first season. So I can't really give a full review of either. Likewise, for all I know the series could go completely off the rails at some point-- in a bad way, I mean.

As it stands I'm still finding enjoyment out of this series and now seems good a time as any to suggest everyone check it out. There's multiple manga out, it's easily available digitally, there's the anime across multiple platforms in NA, we've got figuarts coming out. It's good to see.

I was long over due for look since first reading those Glitter screen-grabs some years back.

Funny enough, this late August I visited my Girlfriend in Illinois and got to see 8 volumes of Dandadan on the shelf in a comic shop, that was a nice surreal experience for something that wasn't even available digitally in NA when I first started reading it.

What I didn't realize at the time was when I took a photo of them on the shelf, it was September 5, three years to the day I got the first few chapters. So yeah, it was time for this to happen.

Given the on going status of DDD, I'll certainly be revisiting the series for a future look at and proper review. Until then, I encourage you to read the manga and see if you see what I see. It might not be some super deep narrative, but it is most certainly unique and well worth your time.

As always, thanks for reading.

[cupcakeslushie]

With the newest update, it's got me thinking a lot about Karai's role in this au. More on her actions and treatment of Leo and what lies in the future for her. It's been mentioned and made obvious that the "sibling" (i say in quotes since Karai doesn't even see Leo as an equal) relationship between Leo and Karai is nothing short on unhealthy and toxic. Thus, Leo learning what a real relationship with siblings is with the Hamato family. Karai wants to be the better soldier in the Shredder's eyes and seems to take any opportunity to bring down Leo. But something I keep thinking about is what happens to her after Leo has the emperyon removed and (along with the apocalypse future) after stopping the invasion. Basically, is there still a chance at some sort of redemption for her, or are her actions throughout the au unable to be forgiven. It's said that after Leo leaves the Foot, she tries to prove to Shredder that she didn't even need him to begin with and can handle herself just fine. The only time we've seen her act nice towards Leo is right after the session with Kitsune, where Leo is pretty out of it, but who's to say how often that happens. And then there's Leo himself and how he sees Karai after all that happens. Does he just try and forget about her, or does he hold any kind of resentment like Shredder. There's the question of whether he would be willing to forgive her for her actions. Though this isn't even taking into how Karai wasn't actually Shredder daughter but Splinter's instead.

I know that the answer to this is most likely spoilers, but I could into a whole character analysis on whether redemption is an option for Karai or if she's reached a point like Shredder. It would be interesting to hear you thought on what you can say. Though for the time being, I can wait to see what happens! Thanks for coming to my TedTalk, I hope you have a great day, and remember to stay hydrated! :D

Some of the future stuff is kinda spoilers, but I will say, she’s not a monster on the same level as Saki. She’s certainly not an angel, but she will have her own arc and we’ll see how the chips fall.

At the moment in the comic, Karai thinks seeing Leo fail is a necessary stepping stone to proving her own worth and she’s very bitter over Leo earning a commander title before her. Once Leo leaves, and she has most of Saki’s attention on her, she realizes that the Shredder will never be pleased, Karai starts to rethink her feelings toward Leo, and realizes how much she misses how they used to be. She also has no idea of Shredder’s full plan to create his own dark armor to imprison Leo.

In the past Karai, Usagi, and Leo were…friends (after a rocky start) for a very few short years. Usagi being probably the most distant, for the obvious reasons of hating Saki and the Foot Clan. But with Karai and Leo following him around, training together, and bunking together, he eventually stops taking his anger out on them, and becomes a reluctant participant in their childish hi-jinks. Unfortunately, that does not last long.

Around a year before Usagi manages his escape, Leo’s goofing around on a mission leads to Karai getting seriously hurt. As a result Saki punishes Leo so severely and Leo gets the crack on his plastron. Usagi goes to see Leo, but it’s like he’s a totally different person after that. Leo no longer smiles or jokes and takes training much too seriously.

Karai isn’t much better. She seems to meet Leo’s cold attitude with one of her own, and her teasing becomes much harsher and biting. They all grow distant and Usagi sees no other option but to try and escape. Usagi even extends his hand to Leo when the two cross paths, hoping that Leo would snap out of this strange, new personality he’s adopted, but when Leo doesn’t even react, Usagi turns and leaves for good.

Things get even more strained without Usagi around to act as mediator. The only time Karai allows herself to show she cares, are the moments after Leo’s sessions because he is so out of it. She assumes he doesn’t remember enough that she can be a little softer with him, and Leo usually never calls attention to those times, so who knows.

Once Leo spends time with his family, and sees how a healthy sibling relationship should look, he often wonders how things might’ve been different growing up in the safety of the Hamato Clan. When the family learns that Karai is actually their sister, Leo makes it his mission to save her from the Foot Clan.

[princessanneftw]

Zara Tindall’s best friend to be appointed as lady in waiting to the Princess Royal

NHS midwife Dolly Maude, who delivered Tindall child on bathroom floor, previously wore joky ‘lady in waiting’ badge on day at the races

By Camilla Tominey for the Daily Telegraph

She once turned up to the races with her best friend Zara Tindall wearing a playful badge bearing the words ‘Lady in Waiting’.

A spokesman for the royal was later forced to clarify: “It was a joke. Zara doesn’t have any sort of lady in waiting.”

But now Dolly Maude, an NHS nurse who helped to deliver Mrs Tindall’s third child, Lucas, on the bathroom floor at her Gatcombe Park home in 2021, has been well and truly welcomed into the royal fold.

Despite the high jinks at Cheltenham last January, the 51-year-old mother of four has been appointed as a lady in waiting to Mrs Tindall’s mother, the Princess Royal.

The Telegraph understands that Buckingham Palace will announce the appointment in the Court Circular on Feb 1, when Mrs Maude will be revealed as one of four newly appointed ladies in waiting to the King’s sister, to replace others who have retired.

A lady in waiting is an attendant to a female member of the Royal family who acts as a companion on royal engagements as well as helping with their day-to-day duties.

Mrs Maude was maid of honour when the Princess Royal’s daughter married Mike Tindall, in 2011, and helped to deliver Lucas when his birth did not quite go to plan.

Mr Tindall described the birth on his The Good, The Bad & The Rugby podcast, saying: “Fortunately Zara’s friend Dolly is, she’s actually more important than I am at making sure she’s been at all three of my children’s births. She was there and recognised that we wouldn’t have got to the hospital in time, so it was run into the gym, get a mat, get into the bathroom, towels down, brace brace brace!”

One of Mrs Maude’s friends said: “She’s such a great girl. For the Princess Royal, it’s a perfect fit because of their shared love of dogs and horses.

“She’s not only extremely close to Zara, she also gets on brilliantly with the Princess. She’s fiercely loyal and discreet. It’s a great match.”

Mrs Maude and her husband Chris have four children. Billy, 26, attended Swansea University; Nell, 24, studied at the Central School of Ballet; Ted, 17, is, like his mother, a keen skier. He was a page boy at the Tindall wedding and Mrs Tindall is his godmother. Their youngest daughter, Mary, 15, is studying for her GCSEs.

Mrs Maude is occasionally spotted looking after Mrs Tindall’s children Mia, who turns 10 this month, five-year-old Lena and Lucas, at equestrian events.

Three years ago it was revealed that the Princess Royal, who carries out the second highest number of royal engagements a year after the monarch, had 11 ladies in waiting, two of whom had worked for Her Royal Highness for more than 50 years, three for more than 40 years, and five for more than 30 years.

Traditionally, ladies in waiting would be the wives or daughters of peers but they can also be a cousin or close friend.

When Queen Elizabeth II died, it was announced that Queen Camilla would not have ladies in waiting but instead be attended by Queen’s “companions”, and that their role would be much more informal.

[hottakehoulihan]

Homestuck Book 2; page 391

In which I have decided to assail Homestuck Currently, I'm at https://www.homestuck.com/story/391 And I've been this far and a bit farther before.

Back when I decided to try Homestuck (I saw the link on XKCD and I was a big Randall Munroe fan) I believe it functioned differently. Flash worked, but also I don't think it was possible to bookmark the url on each new page. The only way to read it was to maintain your "cookies" and/or to keep that browser tab open forever.

I'm wondering if maybe I was just foolish, because now it looks trivial to bookmark a page.

Alternately? I put some serious time into Homestuck (well past the bit where the boy named INSUFFERABLE PRICK finishes ransacking his puppet-fetishist brother's room (I adore that line I am still returning to where his brother quips something like "if you bounce a quarter on that puppet's plush ass, that quarter isn't going ANYWHERE") And where we see aliens as from a post-apocalyptic future-sewer or something.) and I got bored and dropped it.

Sorry, Homestuck fans.

But I've seen some references, and some friends have urged, and I figure I should give it another go.

~ ~ ~ Characters ~ ~ ~ (I am a flawed individual and don't memorize names I just let them soak in as needed and at this time I don't know most of these names no intentional insult is intended. And while I could choose to say that I'd remember their names if they mattered...I won't. I just don't have an easy time of it and don't put forth the more-effort-than-most-need to learn them because they're FICTION. Like, I love the book Bridge of Birds but I couldn't tell you the names of anyone except the two main characters. Or, in Worm, who was on Cuff's team besides her or even what her real name is. Or the name of King Haggard's cat if it even had one.)

John Egglebert Humperdink Zoosmell Pooplord the third, His knitting gal friend whose name I don't recall off the top of my head And his insufferable prick friend with the sword and the irony All have a few things in common. They've all got a quirky/cute hobby, a quirky/cute aesthetic of their own, and an adversary. Also they store inventory in ways they choose/learn. John likes juvenile movies and pranks/jokes, wields a hammer, and is partly thwarted by his pipe-smoking clown-loving baking dad (who has a mysterious traumatic past involving John's grandma). John has suddenly (I guess) had the inventory of FirstInLastOut or FirstInFirstOut 'stacks' imposed upon himself and he hasn't worked out how it works (and it does not work consistently or predictably) but this is not relevant to the reader except to be high-jinks. We'll get to that.

Gal (edit: Mary?) likes Lovecraft-inspired monsters and magic, knits well and is skilled with computers as well as with fighting using needles, has an antagonistic snark-war going with her elegant martini-glass-cocktail-drinking housewife-stereotype trophymom, and...is pretty cool actually. Like, I think her cuteness is one of the big draws that this story musta had, early on. She uses a sort of tree algorithm to store her stuff; you can get stuff from the bottom of branches easily but if you go higher you'll drop the unsupported stuff beneath? Maybe more reminiscent of database programming. I never got into that.

Insufferable Prickboy (henceforth prick, for this post), who wears sunglasses all the time and has a katana and an affection for pretending he's ironically detached from everything but also participating (I think it would injure him to stop using the word irony for a conversation) is thwarted by a friendly rivalry with his older brother who is--aside from a puppet fetish--pretty much just a more successful version of him. He has a pseudo hash-address-based storage system and the unfortunately-arbitrarily-named objects mean he's doomed to fuck it up even more than John is. ...or he would, but John has more opportunities.

The story--I recently learned--was sort of a group roleplaying game at first? Like the "Quest" storylines in some forums that I was unable to participate in and now I read them and wince as the dogs running in happy circles together in the past did the wrong things and eventually allowed a perfectly good story to die sadface.

So, there's a bit of LOL SO RANDUM in the behavior of our protagonist, but it's okay. It's just the audience was fucking around for lols.

Later, I understand, Homestuck hit it big and the tragedy of large entitled groups hit it hard. But we won't talk about last Wednesday right now.

Anyway, to the story.

~ ~ ~ The story thus far ~ ~ ~

John's birthday is today. He's at home and his baking-crazy dad has put cakes on a third of all available surfaces. John is tired of cake and instead wants to alternately geek out about bad old media, toddler humor, and a video game he's been meaning to play.

His buddies on "Pesterchat" also want to chat with him about it. Gal is excited to play it and has the administrator/host version installed already. Prickboy has two copies but only ironically and won't play them. John is kind of stuck (titular) because his dad got to the games first.

(Also the game creator may be... "The flag is up on the mailbox means the mail arrived!" is not true, I think. I think the flag is up when you have OUTGOING mail and you don't want the mail carrier to drive right past you (which they'd otherwise do if they didn't have anything to deliver) (Like I assume the game creator is not young (okay they're not they're around 45 now) but maybe they grew up in the city or something and never had a flag on their mailbox or just forgot what it means?)

Anyway. John manages to...once he stops flailing and being RANDUM (this is forgivable. Homestuck started in 2009, and back then it was still (almost) possible to be familiar with all the webcomics on the internet and many of them were just goofball wankery and that was fine we liked them that way) (okay maybe that was the tail end of that phenomenon but I recall there were like only a dozen webcomics that people did as their sole source of income. Now there are probably hundreds. ...and most of what I read prior to 2009 is stuff I don't even think about today) ...get the game from his dad, get upstairs and install it, and call his friend.

I think she's named Mary, actually. She's Mary for now, anyway.

Mary helps him get the game running and the game affects real life but we're not surprised because this boy can't even examine a poster without having to add a hammer to his inventory and then add nails and then combine them and then use them on the poster and the wall and whups he accidentally put toys and cake in his inventory and they got ejected out and made a big mess and

MST3K: "Can you wake me when the 'funny' part is over?"

But yeah, Mary clicks the "put down the shop equipment" button and drops some bathroom-sized machinery into John's house. ...blocking some doors and breaking some things. Whups. And also she tries to tidy up some of the cakemess he's made and some of the whups-dropped-my-phone-out-the-window mistakes and ends up breaking some stuff.

But none of this matters because look! Up in the sky! It's a meteor coming to destroy the whole neighborhood!

Quick! Run in circles and slip on cake!

Once that's done, they put the box of tubby custard from one big machine into another machine to 3D-print a thing and somehow end up with--at seconds to spare--a glowy 3D-modeled apple which John eats a bite of because WTF else are you going to do with it when you've got 200 seconds left to live?

As far as we know, the apple bite is why the house wasn't obliterated, but now it's surrounded by blasted bottomless ravines.

And we've started visiting Prickboy and Mary's houses but nothing important is happening there yet we're just establishing character.

Oh, also Prickboy has the admin version of the game which John needs so John can unfuck his situation. ...but Prickboy's high-jinks mean he's lost his copies and will need to steal his brothers (I haven't revisited there but I remember now) and then maybe he can help?

Meanwhile we're occasionally cutting to a "Next Sunday AD" future where everything's sandy wasteland and someone's climbing into a bunker/tunnel/manhole in the ground to explore...I think I stopped reading--the previous time--about the time our postapocalyptic explorer (who may also be the one giving John instructions by now. Unless that's the ghost of his dad) (oh, and John accidentally made a malevolent clown ghost that is now mixed with the form/personality of his evil prankster grandmother?) (but doesn't matter because there are evil tar-baby gremlinmonsters running around and John hasn't noticed them yet.)

So although this seems like a lot? I think we've only finished chapter one of what may be a million chapters, and it's too early to judge.

.......

I recall a username from something or another back seven or so years ago that was something like "sorry about Homestuck" and I interpreted it (wrongly I now think) as an indication that Homestuck had ended in a way that was unkind to the fans. (Something I might call the Evangelion treatment, or other names but I don't want to popularize those works.)

So when I lost my cookies and my open tabs at what I estimate was about 800 strips in (give or take, and I'm only guessing; I'm at 391 now but it's hard to tell and also I have carefully read all of the ancillary stuff like those Sweet Greg and Hella Jeff comics (which....I'm glad the people who liked them are having fun? But I think the comedy peaked at "I warned you about stairs" and then got progressively less funny.)

Anyway, tl;dr? It's too early for me to judge, and I begin to think that I was hasty.

But so far? My five favorite things about this are:

Mary's mom and her badass aesthetic. The weird shadowy organization that John's dad is in. Prickboy's brother's (ironic?) fetish for puppet bums. The possible relevance of these storage variable methods. Some of the weird diagrams that have things like "Moirai" and Frenemy and SexBuddy and CuddleBuddy and Lover and Lifemate and who knows what.

...and I'm sure I've looked up synopses of Homestuck multiple times in the past but all I know is the world has ended before and will end again and a bunch of trolls and kids are going to work to end it correctly so they can rebirth it and make everything groovy or at least keep life possible. And Trolls are cutesy humans and people want to have trollsonas because who doesn't want to be cute? And there's a gal named Vriska and she's endearing and lovable and completely evil and does a super evil thing that ruins the good plans at some point.

Oh, and that the fans became insufferable at one point from the creator's point of view and that might have broken the art some.

And also Undertale is created by someone relevant to Homestuck. And I think Undertale was pretty cute, though I've only played through once (no guidance or spoilers whatsoever but I got the 100% peaceful ending. ...I did destroy that first combat dummy but then I got my back up and went into contrary mode)

Why am I writing this?

I love reading liveblogs of my favorite things when other people are encountering them unspoiled. I loved, when I was big into Minecraft, watching brand new players struggle to figure out the world. I loved playing it fresh and unspoiled myself and it was fun to see others do that. I'm enjoying liveblogs of some books I love.

So this is me checking to see how interested my own meandering hot-take on Homestuck is and whether I should keep it up in this lengthy manner or just desultorily drop tidbits here and there as I think of them.

Cheers.

[missviolaspelling]

Warehouse 13 is so queer coded.

If it had been made 5-10 years later, it would have been sooooo gay.

The only conceivably straight character in the main cast is Pete and even then he's such a himbo it's genuinely hard to say. But Pete being a transman? Perfect. He talks a lot about how rough high-school was for him, it would be so good tbh?

Bering and Wells? Already gay af, not even canon. Jinks? Gay man not played as a joke or a stereotype in what, 2010? Artie? Still being obsessed with his old partner after being betrayed over 20 years ago? Claudia? *CLAUDIA.*

Like, the show is perfect, but imagine how much *more* perfect it could have been?

I love this show so much.

[allergictocolor]

Character Profile - Grandmama…Addams?

"This disrespectful old hag is the mother of Gomez (husband of Morticia). She willingly helps with the dishes, cheats at solitaire and is thoroughly dishonest. She, too, is a favorite with the children and will make them cookies in the shape of bats, skulls and bones. Good humored about all and can be garrulous. The complexion is dark, the hair is white and frizzy and uncombed. She has a light beard and a large mole. She wears a shawl on all occasions, thick socks and fleece slippers under a bombazine skirt." - Chas Addams

garrulous - adjective: excessively talkative in a rambling, roundabout manner, especially about trivial matters

bombazine - noun: a heavy, dense fabric woven of silk and wool, used largely for mourning wear in 16th century and 17th century Europe

As part of his ongoing theme of the macabre and bizarre, Charles Addams drew some witches who weren’t Grandmama:

When he did draw her, she was almost always with other members of the family:

He originally wrote Grandmama as “Granny Frump”, Gomez’s mother. Their familial connection was obvious from their appearance. The producers of the 60s TV show decided to keep her as Gomez’s mother, but to make Frump be Morticia’s maiden name. Granny Frump, who was played by Margaret Hamilton and appeared in just three episodes of the sitcom, was given the first name Hester. I can find no record of Grandmama, who was in all 64 episodes of the show, having a first name. She was simply referred to as Grandmama, Grandma, or Mama, depending on who was speaking to her.

She is just as full of mischief as the rest of the family, if not more. She and Fester are frequently in cahoots, and their meddling with the lives of the other family members provides the occasional plot for sitcom hi-jinks. However, she is mostly a background character. That’s probably a good thing, since a little of her mischief goes a long way. When she makes yak stew, it turns Gomez into a sleepwalking cat burglar. When Fester reads an article about how only couples who fight are in stable relationships, she helps him try to push Gomez and Morticia to fight, and it wreaks havoc in the household. 

Grandmama is an actual witch, and has real magical power in the show. She creates potions, like “love dust”, which is of dubious effectiveness. Most notably, she uses a crystal ball to see the future. Others don’t always believe her predictions, but they are accurate. In one episode, she’s arrested for fortune telling, which is (or at least was) illegal in their state. Rather than pay the ten dollar fine, Gomez decides to represent her in court as Gomez “The Great Loophole” Addams. Everything that happens from there is, of course, ridiculous. What else would you expect?

Her place on the family tree is shaken up over the years. In the 1992 animated series, she’s Granny Frump, Morticia’s mother once again. In the 1990s movies, she Morticia’s mother. The third film (a low-budget, direct-to-video movie from 1998), names her Esmeralda. She’s played by a different actress in all three movies. It’s not so strange that a different person was cast in the third film, as nearly all the parts were recast. But it is strange that she was recast for the 1993 sequel. It turns out that Judith Malina, who played her in 1991, made an off-color joke about the war and flag burning, and that was enough for everyone else to not want to work with her anymore. She was replaced with Carol Kane, who you may recognize from The Princess Bride. 

In the 1998 TV series, The New Addams Family, she’s Gomez’s mother again, and her first name is Eudora. The Broadway musical pokes fun at Grandmama’s nebulous status by making her possibly not even be part of the family. Morticia thinks she’s Gomez’s mother, and vice versa. They just laugh about it. Anyone weird enough could probably just start living in the Addams’ mansion and say they’re a cousin, and the family would just accept them without question. In the 2019 animated movie, Grandmama is Gomez’s mother, and has a long-running feud with Auntie Sloom.

While she has not shown up in the Netflix Wednesday series yet, Joanna Lumley has been cast as Grandmama for the second season. It had not been announced whose mother she’s going to be, but odds are good that she’ll be playing Morticia’s mother. Lumley is British, and best known for the show Absolutely Fabulous, which ran from 1992 to 2012 but only had 39 episodes. (British TV is different from American TV in so many ways.) She has a pale complexion more in common with Catherine Zeta-Jones, and is 5’8” tall. Luis Guzmán is Puerto Rican and 5’5” tall, and would be unlikely to have a white, tall mother.

Seeing how the main premise of Wednesday is that society is divided into supernatural creatures and normal humans, it’s safe to assume that Grandmama will have supernatural powers. She has historically been able to predict that future, so it’s no big stretch to also assume that she will have that power in the show. The character Goody Addams is an ancestor from colonial times, and had that ability. Wednesday most likely inherited it from both sides of the family. It’s even possible that both Gomez and Morticia are descended from Goody. As for what Grandmama can do, we’ll have to wait until some time in 2025 to find out.

[seriousbrat]

tbh this is just me perhaps but I don't really like having the marauders do the sort of spectacular school-wide whimsical pranks that fred and george did, I think this is largely fanon that is based on the comparison to the weasley twins. the marauders were very different people. Yeah, they obviously got up to no good but a) I think they definitely worked more in the shadows, James's cloak and the knowledge about the whomping willow passageway led them to explore the school and create the map b) their idea of fun and high jinks was more at the expense of others, like they very much were bullies and canonically hexed random people for the fun of it.

Fred and George were showmen first and foremost, while the Marauders were more secretive. They were defined by their secrets, the exclusive nature of their little group, and I think their idea of mischief was more about sneaking around at night and jinxing people for their own entertainment, rather than that of others like F&G.

McGonagall describes them as "troublemakers," saying they're the worst the school has ever seen, then Hagrid goes on to compare them to F&G, and while I definitely believe that they caused trouble I simply think the sort of trouble they caused was markedly different. I don't think their "pranks" were as light-hearted and whimsical as the Weasley twins' were.

Like I love them and they were definitely mischievous little brats who constantly broke the rules but I think there's a darker twist to them than there is to Fred and George. ~The Prank~ (fanon name if I'm not mistaken, its referred to as a trick or a joke) was extremely dark and even though it was just Sirius's idea I don't think it came from nowhere, I think Sirius really thought it was more par for the course with the stuff they'd normally do

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EarthSpark Season 2 Part 1 Episode 8 reactions!

ah so this is Optimus trailer episode

ok but I love this idea. I love when Cybertronians try to get involved with human culture and I love when they have to act like normal cars so this sounds perfect

boo assimilationist rhetoric (I am joking)

Optimus needs a spa day fr

THE KEY CHAIN

Hashtag ipad baby confirmed

Optimus you grump indulge the child

oh hi Hardtop!

rip AM

Optimus knows these guys too well to assume everything's fine lmao

I don't have much to say tbh everything's playing out as you'd expect for this sort of plot

i like the recurring tumbleweed gag

Hashtag is the real MVP

I'm disappointed that they didn't focus on the actual truck show but it was still a fun episode, I think some wacky high jinks made for a nice break after the more intense two parter. Otherwise though it was just very ordinary - not bad but nothing special either

I need to get some food but I expect I'll finish season 2 today!