#or ig ruined dragon in this case???

[bellatheinkdemon]

:]

[skylaryozora]

Random thoughts: Winx Club S1

I was posting some more thoughts on IG but decided to share them here as well before I start commenting on S2.

Dragons at Red Fountain are apparently trained to obey the commands through hand movements (like dolphins!) which is a cool concept.

When Riven jumps off Cloud Tower, in the series it's Sky who gets the hunch, while in the comics it's Musa. So apparently Sky and Riven have this twin flame/opposites attract connection, and at the same time there is an undertone of Musa and Riven being subconsciously connected/predestined for each other... or something.

Sorry but I find Bloom boring AF and oversensitive, Stella carries the entire show and has better lines (thus she has gone up my fav character list).

The scene where Riven faces his own demons truly deserves to be more elaborate and longer (the soundtrack is nice, an alternative one could be something like "The Sound of Silence").

Darcy might have become my favorite Trix, but something is confusing for me: first she appears to show true interest in Riven, but then their relationship fades aways and is limited to gathering info about Bloom. I feel that if they were truly together, there should have been some more interaction between these two in general, and especially when the Trix took over the Tower.

Bloom basically ruined the entire exhibition at Red Fountain because she jumped to a conclusion which escalated greatly, and didn't get punished for that??? Another minor thing is that perhaps the guys should have been punished as well for setting their dragons against each other during the event - I mean, at least it would make sense from a teacher's POV.

Riven is compared to Prince of Darkness energy-wise, and apparently that's one of Darkar's nicknames... So basically, you tell me that Riven possesses the similar amount of energy which could make him a villain, a wizard, a fairy or whatever else, and they did NOTHING about it later on??? How come such a thing became a mere throwaway line?! OUTRAGEOUS.

The clean up song is cringe AF - imagine that instead of it we got a song straight from a musical, like "Work This Out" from HSM2 or something like "Car Wash" by C. Aguilera and M. Elliott from "Shark Tale".

Daphne saves Bloom from Domino being destroyed and sends her to a safe place... which is some random burning house in Gardenia...? That's where Mike finds baby Bloom, and I know that she was protected and flames didn't even touch her, but SERIOUSLY? Did Daphne actually choose the place or she just threw Bloom into a portal and assumed that anywhere else is better than Domino at that moment and her little sister's gonna land in a perfectly safe spot where someone's going to pick her up and adopt? Too many questions.

Flora's plants do invade private spaces of other girls, and we also see it in the case of Terra in Fate, however I think there's one small difference: iirc Flora apologizes for it and is aware that plants went out of control at one point, while Terra puts flowers wherever she wants because apparently empty spaces make her uncomfortable or something (that's what she did to Stella's room) which is something that really bugs me.

That's all for now, moving on to S2 now, stay tuned!

[iwannawritelots]

Obey Me! Babes (and Luke) Ordering from Starbucks Popular Coffee Shop

Originally written June 2022

I’m pretty sure Starbucks is also in Canada, the UK, and Ireland but idk where else so… popular coffee shop! It’s been almost a year since I moved into the city and began to have food/drink from Starbucks way too often lmao

I’m also like 99% sure someone else has done this before but I want to do it!!

This does kinda use my headcanon that they’d all be lactose intolerant too lmao BUT I REALIZED demons and angels probably don’t have the human instinct to reject bitter food/drink! It kinda makes me giggle omg. I also tried to reference their intro cards that say whether they like sweet or spicy for accuracy, and honestly stayed away from hot drinks for the fallen angels and angels since they’re naturally more warm in canon??

Lucifer💙

probably just gets like, dark roast or black tea (hot even when it’s fucking hot outside bc he’s evil stubborn) with no sugar or milk replacement

unless MC orders for him, in which case he’d probably be willing to have literally anything else.

For food, probably likes scones and muffins a lot. Barbatos’ cake is sparkly in surprise guest so I mean he can’t be against sweet things right?? I think he also eats sweets in story too

Mammon💛

probably gets some sort of not too sugary iced coffee? Probably just iced coffee with milk replacement lmao

would try something fruity or a sweeter coffee drink if MC ordered it for him though.

gets some sort of savory sandwich lol. Probably any of them? I don’t think Mammon’s all that picky lol

Leviathan🧡

n…normie coffee shop… *recoils* I would smack him I hate that shit

Frappuccino…? Probably would go for seasonal drinks because of his otaku nature! Though I feel like hot drinks would probably be a no go?

food-wise probably just gets whatever MC does because he’s anxious. If MC is also anxious… um, rip ig (says the anxious person)

Satan💚

he’s not picky apparently so I’d imagine he’d try a few things before picking a favorite

probably settles with usually getting a tea latte (with milk replacement) of some sort? Like London Fog

WILL LOSE HIS GODDAMN MIND OVER ANIMAL CAKE POPS. (if he thinks a fox cake pop is a cat don’t ruin it for him)

I feel like he doesn’t eat a whole lot in the morning? Probably would have like egg bites or smth, particularly the veggie filled ones

Asmodeus💘

He’d probably be at home lmao

habitual flirting go brrrrr

once you finally get him to frickin contain himself he probably gets fruity drinks

like he cares more about aesthetic because he’s an idol in the devildom and believes his worth is depicted by aesthetics in everything he does

will get seasonal drinks once they are out but otherwise I think he’d mostly get like, the pink drink and dragon drink.

Sweets are always sparkly in surprise guest for him (and he prefers sweet over spicy) so I think he’d like to have some sort of dessert with a “protein box�� lmao. Of course he only devilgrams the drink and dessert

Beelzebub❤️

assuming he doesn’t fucking buy everything on the menu…

I feel like he’d just ask MC to order whatever they think he should have unless he has a specific craving

he’s not picky

Belphegor💜

probably gets fruity drinks or hot cocoa because he doesn’t want caffeine

I don’t think he eats a lot so probably something that’s less filling like cake pops or egg bites lol just because he wants to sleep

Lord Diavolo❣️

he wants to try everything once!

as the human exchange student (because Solomon doesn’t count lmao) he would want your input every time he wants to try something new

keeps a list of what he’s already tried in his phone even though Barbatos probably memorizes it

buys a branded cup to keep at home lmao

Barbatos🖤

TEA. IT’S TIME FOR TEA.

idk why I’m so excited about choosing a tea for him since I don’t even get tea at coffee shops ever it’s probably just because I love Barbatos

I feel like he would insist he doesn’t want anything until MC is straight up like YOU LIAR. TELL ME WHAT YOU WANT. (Gently of course. Do not be mean to the butler)

I think he’d probably most often get iced peach green tea (probably has to be careful though since I subscribe to him being cold blooded)

what?? Food too?? I don’t understand why you want me to have anything, I don’t deserve it another grim in the “self-deprecating comment” jar

very quietly asks for a dessert of some sort dhekdjdkd

Luke🐶

tea!!! (He would like apple juice but insists he isn’t a child! No! Only grown up drinks for the chihuahua!!)

Iced matcha green tea!!

ooh! And scone!! (He wants a cake pop, but again he’s totally a grown up!!!)

Simeon🤍

I feel like he’d like tea but he has to have fruity drinks. It’s the rules!

literally any and all of the fruity drinks. Doesn’t have the same one twice in a row

Likes pretty much any of the desserts but I feel like the cake pops would make him elated because!! They’re so small!! MC look!!!

i also feel like the barista(s) would be flirting with him the entire time bc he’s pretty and he’s too nice to do anything but go along with it lmao

Solomon🤎

just gets whatever MC or Asmo does because he literally doesn’t care lol

he’s just had pretty much everything on the menu already so he’s indifferent lol

every time he has to give the name for the order though he says a different name.

Mephistopheles💟

ugh somehow his pride is worse than Lucifer’s sometimes I swear

Idek what he’d want he seems like he’d be like tf is a coffee shop?? A place commoners go??

(I’m going to try it… I WILL DRINK THIS COFFEE!!)

MC probably has to talk him into even trying anything

Stuck up bitch. I love him

Raphael💔

probably likes fruity drinks like Asmo and Simeon lol

I’m probably blorboing him but they didn’t give us a lot of information on the new three sigh

Anyways probably gets whatever Asmo or Simeon gets, unless MC asks him to try what they’re having lol

likes the cake pops and scones

does his cute little pathetic meow meow smile while he drinks and eats too

Thirteen❤️‍🩹

I didn’t give anyone a Frappuccino specifically until I got to her lmao. I feel like she’d get a salted carmel one (or the carmel ribbon crunch they have now?)

she’s sassy to MC but I feel like she’s nice to the baristas. I hope.

grilled cheesey. Stole Solomon’s lactase pills

[a-dragons-journal]

i dont "kin for fun" but through tiktok i found out about the whole kin for fun vs actual otherkin... situation ig? im having a really hard time taking it seriously... maybe im just burnt out and bitter from dealing with the worlds current events, and maybe its because on tiktok the only people i saw mad about it were white people, but you're the most reasonable person ive seen talking about it (a lot of other posts have this odd tone that 12 year olds on tiktok saying kin is the worlds greatest opression and it weirds me out) so ig my question is just... why exactly does this matter? why does it matter enough to post about and care about and not just ignore? /gen

Hey! I don’t blame you for being a bit weirded out by it, we’re a weird subculture and we’re well aware of it! xD I appreciate you taking the time to actually look into it past your first knee-jerk reaction, especially considering burnout and the state of things.

I’m not totally sure if you’re asking why otherkinity matters or why the “kin for fun” being wrong matters, so I’ll answer both - they’re pretty well tied together anyway.

The short version:

Otherkinity is an identity. It’s who we are, we can’t choose to pick it up or put it down, and it comes with struggles - though no, ‘kin are not systematically oppressed (though we are pretty badly bullied and, at this point, pushed out of our own words and spaces).

What people calling roleplay/relating to/projecting onto characters “kinning for fun” does is steal our words, make them meaningless, and in doing so, make it difficult or impossible for us to find each other. If someone says “I kin [x],” I no longer know whether they mean “I am [x] on an intrinsic level” or “haha I relate to this character a lot”. I no longer know whether they actually share my experiences or if they’re going to turn on me and call me “crazy” as soon as they realize I’m not exaggerating or joking or roleplaying. It’s done massive harm to the community as a whole because it’s become difficult to tell whether someone is actually ‘kin or if they’ve misunderstood the whole thing - and because antikin rhetoric, which I’m seeing more and more in KFF spaces, hurts far more when it’s coming from inside what you thought was a community space than when it’s coming from self-labeled “antikin.”

There are other words for roleplaying and relating to and projecting onto characters. Hell, there are words for strongly identifying with-but-not-as characters/things, though usually KFF people don’t even seem serious enough for those to fit in my experience. I’m really not sure why these people are so determined to steal and misuse our words, words that were specifically created to mean something else, when they already have their own and are just refusing to use them. (Or, hell, if you don’t feel like those fit, make your own. We did. It’s your turn to put in the work. (General you, not you-the-anon, of course.))

An analogy, if that still doesn’t quite land for you:

Consider, for a moment, the transgender community. I am aware this is a dangerous thing to say, but bear with me. Obvious CW for hypothetical transphobia up ahead is obvious.

Consider if you were part of the trans community (I don’t know if you are or not), having finally found a word to explain why you feel the way you do about yourself, why your experiences don’t seem to match up with those of everyone else around you. Having found a community, a home, full of other people like you, people you never would have met if not for words like “transgender” and “gender dysphoria/euphoria” that were created specifically to describe your experiences.

Now consider if people suddenly stumbled across your community for the first time who were not trans themselves. They see community jokes and lighthearted posts out of context, because Tumblr and Twitter aren’t exactly conducive to making sure people find the Transgender 101 information posts first. They don’t bother to do further research, assuming they understand: ah, these people like to crossdress! They like to pretend they’re a different gender! This seems like a fun hobby, I want in!

They begin to post things like this. They post photos of them crossdressing and caption them “hi, I’m [name], and I trans men!” and things of the like. Suddenly the concept of “transing for fun” seems to be everywhere - and it’s not at all what being trans actually is, but these people either don’t know or don’t care. When actual trans people try to politely correct them, they’re accused of “gatekeeping” - and to be clear, this is not “nonbinary people aren’t real,” it’s “transgender means you identify as a gender other than the one you were assigned at birth, and you’re self-identifying as the gender you were assigned at birth 100% and telling us this is just a fun hobby for you, therefore you’re not trans, you’re crossdressing or doing drag or being GNC. That’s fine, but it’s not being trans - you have other words to describe that, use those.”

(Yes, I am aware these things have a history with the trans community - please just ignore that for the sake of the analogy and bear with me on the slightly simplified version of this. “Kinning for fun” does not have that same history with the otherkin community.)

...And then the response to those attempted corrections, in some corners, turns into “wait, you ACTUALLY think you’re another gender? idk that sounds pretty unhealthy, maybe you should see a psychologist or something :\” and “you’re taking this too seriously.”

I imagine, in this hypothetical scenario, you’d also be pretty fuckin peeved.

(Obviously, in this hypothetical scenario, systematic transphobia would be an issue as well, which isn’t the case for otherkin - again, you’re gonna have to bear with me on the simplification for sake of analogy there.)

(EDIT: this is not an anti-MOGAI/exclusionist argument, this is “you’re literally telling me you don’t fit the definition,” explanation on that here)

The long version, which is probably still worth reading if you have the time and energy:

Otherkinity is... pretty core to who I am, who we as a group of individuals are. We live with being otherkin on a daily basis. Many of us spent a long time feeling different and disconnected and not understanding why until we found the otherkin community. Even people like me, who don’t share that experience and still had social connection - I’ve still had to live with weird differences that I had to learn to mask when necessary; instincts that don’t line up with human society well, feeling body parts that weren’t there and that no one else ever seemed to have, things that other kids grew out of because it was just make-believe for them and I... didn’t, because it was never make-believe for me to begin with. Oh, sure, I played make-believe too - I played warrior cats and house and all those things with the other kids, but there were things that weren’t play-pretend for me too. I didn’t have an explanation for it for a long time - it was just how I was, I was weird, and fortunately for me personally I was okay with that (many of those with species dysphoria or more trouble connecting with humans have more problems from that than I did).

And then I found the word “otherkin.” And suddenly everything fell into place, and I had an explanation for the things I’d been experiencing, and there were other people like me. Something I’d assumed didn’t exist. I found others who shared my unique experiences, who were talking about how to cope with the instinct to growl or snap jaws at people instead of expressing annoyance in a human way instead of just saying “that’s weird, don’t do that”, who were talking about dealing with phantom wings and tails, who understood me. I wasn’t weird, I wasn’t broken, I was exactly what one would expect from a dragon living in human skin. I found an explanation for myself. I found a home.

That is why otherkinity matters - it is who we are, it’s not something we can walk away from (certainly not most of us, anyway), and it’s something many of us need the support of the community to help deal with on a daily basis. Being a nonhuman in human society isn’t always easy, but it’s not something we can just magically stop being - it’s core to who we are, we (generally) didn’t choose to be this way, and we (generally) can’t choose to stop. Which is fine - the vast majority of us can cope with it just fine, with a little advice and help and space to be our authentic selves in. We found each other, we built this community from the ground up to make a space and words to make finding each other easier - or possible at all.

Thus we come to the second half of our story.

It was only a couple of years ago that the “kin for fun” trend started getting big. It had existed before that, of course, but it only started going mainstream two, maybe three years ago, from what I can tell. Suddenly people were treating “kin” like it meant relating to, projecting onto, roleplaying as, or just really really liking a character or thing - not being that thing, which is what it actually means. Not long after that, it became hard to tell whether someone saying “I kin this” meant they were that thing, that they were actually part of our community - or that they really really liked that thing and either didn’t know or couldn’t be bothered to learn that that wasn’t the case for us.

Not long after that, it became relatively commonplace to hear phrases like “otherkin are ruining kinning!!” and “you’re taking this too seriously” and “idk, if it’s that serious for you that sounds unhealthy. maybe you should get some help :\” (all directly quoted, or as exactly quoted as I can remember, from things KFF people have said to me or people I know).

It is a special kind of hell, I think, to be told “you’re taking this too seriously, that’s unhealthy” by people who are taking words created to describe your experiences, not theirs, and misusing them to mean something that you do for fun on a weekend instead of something that’s intrinsic to your being.

Perhaps more importantly, like I’ve said, it’s making it almost impossible to know whether someone who says “I kin [x]” is actually ‘kin or if they’re misusing our words to mean something else entirely. The entire point of words is to communicate ideas, and once you start misusing words to mean something totally different than what they actually mean, that communication falls apart and suddenly we might as well not have those words at all. Especially when the community is small enough and obscure enough that we’re starting to be outnumbered by the misinformation. We’re being run out of our own words, words we created to describe our experiences specifically - because we’re a small community that the wider internet can easily drown out by sheer numbers of people who either don’t know any better or don’t care to learn.

That’s the harm it does - the harm it is doing, right now. That’s why it’s important enough to post about. That’s why it matters - because we’re fighting desperately to hang onto our own words so that others like us can actually find us. Because we’re seeing young nonhumans go “this isn’t a kin, I actually am this” and screaming “No, I’m so sorry that this is what the misinformation has done to you, that’s exactly what otherkin means, you have a place here, please don’t let these non-’kin misusing our words drive you away from the very community you’re looking for and that you belong in.” Because we can’t even communicate effectively about our own experiences anymore except in semi-closed spaces like Discord servers and forums (and the number of Discord servers overrun with KFF people is absurd).

......This got very long. Hopefully it at least explained why it matters so much to me and others a bit better ^^; Thanks for hearing me out, and thank you again for looking into this beyond your initial knee-jerk reaction - I really do appreciate it.

(For further reading, if that text wall didn’t blow you out of the water completely, I recommend my “kin for fun” tag, which has more posts like this in both short and long form.)

[chilly-me-softly]

The newspaper getting hands on someone telling you and Jack are expecting and since you don’t want tabloids to be the one exposing your pregnancy, you and Jack decide to post a picture yourself to announce the pregnancy, both fo your IG story filled with an explanation why and that you are sad it has to go this way, not the way you wanted x

It was your sister who sent you the link to the article, your eyes were immediately filled with tears as soon as you read the first sentence.

‘Aston Villa Captain Jack Grealish and his girlfriend are expecting a baby, according to a source very close to the couple...'

Jack had spent the next few moments trying to calm you down while more and more people who knew wanted to make sure you knew about it. You just wanted to enjoy that moment and give the news to everyone when the time was right, it was already planned but someone had to spy and ruin everything.

You're down, you and Jack did everything you could to keep nobody from finding out and who knows how much money someone close to you had sold you for. But you didn't want a sleazy tabloid to spread the word, so you bite the tail of the dragon.

'In a few weeks you'd know that the Grealish family will have a new member in a few months. Me and (Y/N) had planned to announce it after the gender reveal party, but unfortunately this was not the case. We're so sorry the news had to come out like that, ruining one of the best moments of this new experience for us, but we know that it's not over yet and that the real adventure starts now. (Y/N) and I are really excited to welcome our first child in our family, hoping he/she won't be the only one'

You and Jack post the same message at the same time, a picture of you two taken a few days before in preparation for the party that portrays you and him facing each other, both looking down and a smile on your face, Jack's hands on your belly.

And it's certainly not how you imagined it, but the positive response from everyone is not missing.

[cloakhiddeninplainsight]

(OOC) ARG tips and tricks from Cloak Mun

With Sean making an ARG of his own (which I absolutely love, best of luck to you), he's also introducing a lot of new people to the world of ARGs! So I thought I'd make a post with some tips and tricks. A beginner’s guide to ARGs, if you will.

First off: ARG stands for Alternate Reality Game. The game is led by the GM (Game Master, in this case, this is Sean himself) who brings the story to the players. Think Dungeons and Dragons, but instead of fantasy characters in a medieval world, you (often) play as yourself, and you interact with the story through Discord and other social media. It sometimes involves roleplay, but that’s not always the case, and so far, it seems like that’s not the case with Sean’s ARG either.

1. Take breaks. Take care of yourself, first and foremost! Make sure you eat enough food, drink water regularly, sleep enough, etc etc. Don't let participating in the ARG negatively affect you and your (mental) health! Tensions may rise, you might get anxious or frustrated. Don't hesitate to take a step back when you need it.

2. Rely on each other. This one also kind off builds off point 1. Nobody can be there 24/7! Don't feel bad for missing events! There are 3000 people in the server, someone is bound to screenshot it when something happens. Catch each other up to speed, either on Discord or on Tumblr! Search for #Dismay to find people's posts about ego-related events, maybe set up a shared Google document or Discord server with some friends, where you can gather screenshots and hints, and build theories. Sean has always given us hints in the "blink and you'll miss it"-style, don't expect him to change that. Part of the game is paying attention, after all, finding those hints that we've missed. Doing a server-wide notification when something is about to happen kind of ruins that.

3. Differentiate between IG and OOG. IG = In Game, OOG = Out Of Game (Sometimes IC and OOC: In Character and Out Of Character). OOG: Sean's life is never in danger, the egos are characters, not real people. IG, however, it all becomes real.

4. Codes! ARGs often include codes, to some extent. Sean has already used one: the name of the channel where the ego-bots interacted was a Caesar 20 shift, translating to "watching". Does that sound gibberish to you? Don't worry! The internet is full of handy guides and decoders. Not everybody is good at codes, so don't feel bad for not getting it right away. My two favourite websites for decoding are v2.cryptii and Rumkin. Look around, and try it out yourself! If more codes appear, I might make a decoding guide, too.

5. Pay attention. Keep watching. Still here I see, very good.

6. Be a nice person. Be nice to Robin and Gab. So far, they have not been involved in the ARG. Do not involve them, do not harass them. Be nice to the mods and Sean. This is all new for them as well. Be patient, be understanding, do not pressure them to tell you things about the plot in any way. Be nice to your fellow players! This game will require teamwork, so work with your fellow community members, not against them. 

7. Enjoy the show. ;)

Tagging some theory blogs to help spread this around: @isa-ghost @lum1natrix @huffletrax @kasper-the-ghost @glixbitch @jacksoopticboop @viostormcaller

[extranaestheticinjection]

BNHA Aesthetic Tag Game

Deku: fidgety, new notebooks, sweaty palms, the smell of mint chocolate, always in a rush, untied shoelaces, colourful band aids, high grades, messy handwriting, a bunch of freckles, gets flustered easily, superhero comics collection

Todoroki: calm and collected, short sleeves all year, shaved ice, morning training, puffs of breath in the cold air, pre cooked soba, quiet with a sharp tongue, a wallflower, sitting quietly doing nothing, cat hoarder, what even are the rules

Iida: orange flavoured energy drink, running shoes, a pair of spare glasses, jogging at sunset, healthy diet, top grades, caring, a hot beef stew, the mom friend, books organised by author, guilts trip you into doing the safest thing

Uraraka: carrying a snack in each pocket, peach flavoured poki, oversized shirts and space leggings, trying to save up money, chapstick, a good listener, little but fierce, pink blush, terrible sense of humor, a broken fan, living with the bare necessities

Tsuyu: “plants are friends”, owns a dozen of succulents, Keroppi merchandise, recycled paper, only buys cruelty free products, ladybug pattern, the smell of the air after a pouring rain, yellow overshoes, jumping in puddles, absentminded

Bakugo: gunpowder smell, raw meat, ruined leather jacket, yells a lot, PunkRock tm, hardcore drumming, sleeping in, skin care, a sore loser, actually good at math, heavy eyeliner, kind of a delinquent, Sex Pistols and ACDC, straight A student, swears out loud, pierced ears

Kirishima: binge watches GoT, morning beauty routine, dyed hair, Dungeons&Dragons, a beautiful laugh, red eyeshadow palette, collection of dragon plushies, a tough softie, “bro!”, failing grades, easily distracted, jawbreaker candies

Kaminari: fizzy drink, upbeat music, waking up at 2pm, a collection of chokers, all leather outfit, finger guns, probably bi, the smell of french toast, burns the kitchen down, a funny disaster, self deprecating jokes, three power banks in the backpack, saying LOL out loud

Sero: meme master, a Target fanatic, owns all Spiderman’s comics, orange’s slices in a Tupperware, buying washi tapes on Aliexpress, the voice of reason in the group, flavoured toothpaste, midsummer morning air

Mina: harajuku vibes, city nights and neon lights, long nails, Alien movies, an empty ballroom, pocket mirror, eyeliner always on flick, fifty shades of pink nail polish, contagious laugh, “in case of emergency breakDANCE”, fight like a girl, rebel at heart

Jirou: biker gloves, headphones on, the sound of an electric bass, humming quietly, shy, full of tattoos, sleepless nights, writer’s block, would join a band, heavy rock, owns a record player, scratches cats on the streets, faint smile

Momo: rich flower perfume, the botanic garden, refined manners, a perfect handwriting, the smell of old parchment, king sized bed, composed laugh, lace underwear, very modest, crystal necklace, illustrated encyclopaedias, macarons

Ojiro: the smell of sweat and dirt, martial arts, inside jokes, Normal Type Pokémon, watching the clouds from a closed window, summer child, milk in tetra brik, friend with everyone, down to earth, the early bird gets the worm

Hagakure: kawaii aesthetic, an album full of cute stickers, galaxy make up, strawberry shortcake, positive vibes only, afraid of spiders, watches mahou shojo, hearts shaped sunglasses, drinks Unicorn milk, distracted doodles all over the notes, head in the clouds

Sato: freshly backed goods, will wrestle bad guys, watches Bake Off, very sensitive, sugar cubes, the grandma friend, feeds everyone, could eat a whole cake, Ultimate Muscles marathon, dog person, either sleeps too much or not at all

Koda: cries watching puppies’ videos, animal lover, always carrying treats, the smell of freshly cut grass, phone gallery full of animal pics, feed the birds off their hands, comfy clothes, shy smile and quiet voice

Shoji: empathic, the smell of wood, a pacifist, meditation, four servings of takoyaki, reading in silence, doesn’t look back, over protective, a clean room, does the laundry, good kid, follows the rules

Tokoyami: shopping at Hot Topic, incense and yankee candles, pentagram necklace, dark make up, has read all Edgar Allan Poe twice, DC fan, the smell of ink, black nail polish, pets all the ravens, Baudelaire poems at midnight, cryptids magazine

Aoyama: Disney movies, owns a tiara, “shiny!”, cheese and crackers, the annoying friend, Instagram filters, nosy, has good intentions, 100% gay, figure ice skating, the smell of clean sheets, super photogenic, unicorns, “but first, let me take a selfie”, will listen to all your problems and give good advices

Monoma: fresh croissant, bottled emotions, french comics collection, fake it til you make it, Paris, short sleeved shirt, a flower crown, ctrl+c, the spring breeze, theatre kid, has watched all seasons of Glee, can sing, LOTR posters, annoying laugh, shitposts, IG stories everything

Shinsou: insomnia, Billie Eilish and Lana Del Rey, reads decadent poets, the smell of lavender, an old bike, smog mask, purple eye bags, messy hair, filled with determination, doesn’t talk much, Play Station over XBOX, retro gaming, snarky remarks, antisocial

Mei: overwork, too much caffeine, broken glasses, forgets to eat, an artist, sugary drinks, always positive, oversized denim jacket, the cold of November, cyberpunk aesthetic, in love with the big city, dirt under short nails, motor oil and a wrench, laughing loudly

[eddycurrents]

For the week of 5 February 2018

Quick Bits:

Armstrong & The Vault of Spirits is a fun one-shot that uses Aram’s collection of wine to weave together the “true story” of Noah, the emergence of a previously unknown arch-nemesis, the secrets societies that continue to plague Archer & Armstrong, and the often hidden emotional connection that Armstrong has with his family. It’s really nice to see Fred Van Lente back chronicling these characters, even if just for one special right now.

| Published by Valiant

Avengers #679 tags in Kim Jacinto for art duties, appearing to be up to the challenge laid out by Pepe Larraz in quality of work on this book. We get the stakes of the match here between the Grandmaster and the Challenger, of whom we also get a history, and it manages to make all of the destruction and battles seem like mere whims of these members of the Elders of the universe. I suspect when discovered, this isn’t going to sit well with the Avengers. As only part five, this also makes me wonder what else Mark Waid, Al Ewing, and Jim Zub have up their sleeves.

| Published by Marvel

Black Bolt #10 has a brief crossover segment with Inhumans: Judgment Day, illustrated by guest-artist Stephanie Hans. It’s beautiful, and an interesting way to work in the events of the broader Inhumans saga into the current arc in this series. I like how Saladin Ahmed handles Lash’s plan to advance all of the interwoven spinning plates.

| Published by Marvel

Coyotes #4 closes out the first arc along the theme of upheaval. There are some interesting parallels put forward in the Duchess and Red’s situations, as well as the comeuppance against the coyotes who have been hunting women. As usual, Caitlin Yarsky’s art elevates everything. I highly recommend picking up these issues or pre-ordering the collection for April; Sean Lewis and Yarsky did something great here.

| Published by Image

Extremity #11 is the penultimate issue of the series as the final battle is enjoined. Daniel Warren Johnson mainly focuses here on the action and as usual the artwork is gorgeous. I’m going to really miss this series when it’s done.

| Published by Image / Skybound

Giant Days #35 somewhat skirts the issue of the fallout of Ed’s admission of love to Esther last issue for now, instead following on a visiting Sarah and Lottie Grote. It’s funny seeing Daisy and Susan trying to look after a kid, plus the interesting development that Daisy may finally be cluing in that Ingrid is absolutely horrible.

| Published by Boom Entertainment / Boom! Box 

Incognegro: Renaissance #1 kicks off a new mystery with the death of a black author at a literary shindig, with the police appearing completely disinterested in the case completely. Mat Johnson and Warren Pleece deliver an interesting start.

| Published by Dark Horse / Berger Books

Infinity Countdown: Adam Warlock #1 acts as a bridge between Guardians of the Galaxy #150 and, as well as a primer for, Infinity Countdown: Prime. Adam Warlock has been reborn and this issue gives us a summary of Warlock’s history and teases what’s to come at the end of time, as he enters into an uneasy alliance with Kang the Conqueror. A lot of this issue has Gerry Duggan recapping events and foreshadowing what’s to come, but it is highly elevated by the art of Mike and Laura Allred. 

| Published by Marvel

Koshchei the Deathless #2 continues to be a fun and exciting fable of Koshchei telling Hellboy his story. Mike Mignola does a great job of including some subtle humour into the telling, along with the absurdity of some of the Russian folktales (or the like), and Ben Stenbeck (with Dave Stewart’s colours) is again phenomenal.

| Published by Dark Horse

Mech Cadet Yu #6 has the kids face off against baby Sharg and it’s all kinds of awesome.

| Published by BOOM! Studios

No. 1 With a Bullet #4 finds new and inventive ways to ruin Nash’s life further, with weirdness continuing and lies emerging to cast her as a willing participant in her sex tape.

| Published by Image

Noble #9 is a kind of coda to the first two arcs, allowing David and Astrid a bit of quiet time and reflection before tackling the next stage in their lives. It’s interesting in their dealings with Foresight and Lorena Payan here that even when they manage to get somewhat free, Payan has to remind them that even their personal lives are still under observation.

| Published by Lion Forge / Catalyst Prime

Rasputin: The Voice of the Dragon #4 amps up the action in this penultimate issue of the series. Christopher Mitten (with colours by Dave Stewart) is on fire this issue.

| Published by Dark Horse

Rogue & Gambit #2 reminds me again that I don’t like Rogue and Gambit as a couple, something about them together just seems like nails on a chalkboard at this point, but I do like Kelly Thompson writing about them. There’s a nice mix of humour, action, and history that keeps this flowing nicely. It also helps that the art from Pere Pérez with colours by Frank D’Armata is amazing.

| Published by Marvel

Rose #8 gives a bit of history on Drucilla, with Felix giving excuses for why she’s grown into a selfish, evil monstrosity. It’s interesting to see the lengths we’ll go to in order to explain away bad behaviour of family members. Ig Guara, with colours by Triona Farrell, also deserves more attention.  Their art on this series since day one has been impeccable. 

| Published by Image

Scarlett’s Strike Force #2 advances many of the story threads in an interesting fashion, particularly Skywarp’s disillusionment with the Joe’s in fixing his teleportation and the burgeoning mystical aspect to Cobra. There’s also a humorous exchange between Raptor and Croc Master.

| Published by IDW

Spirits of Vengeance #5 concludes what was an unexpected, but excellent, mini-series from Victor Gischler, David Baldeón, and Andres Mossa. It was a nice mix of humour, action, and gorgeous art playing with some of Marvel’s lately underutilized supernatural characters. I know that they’ll likely reappear during the upcoming Damnation event, but I’d definitely like to see more from this creative team.

| Published by Marvel

Star Wars #43 brings the “Ashes of Jedha” arc to a close with a surprising twist. Also, some great art again by Salvador Larroca and Guru-eFX.

| Published by Marvel

TMNT Universe #19 begins a new arc “Service Animals” by Ian Flynn, Dave Wachter, and Ronda Pattison, as a well as a prelude for the upcoming Kingdom of Rats storyline in the main book, by Bobby Curnow and Pablo Tunica. It’s always great to see Wachter’s art, especially with how expressive his turns at Alopex are here.

| Published by IDW

Transformers: Lost Light #14 is mostly a Scavengers story, but unlike most of them, this one is no light-hearted romp. Like the recent Getaway arc, this gets pretty serious and pretty dark.

| Published by IDW

Transformers vs. Visionaries #2 gets into more of the internecine warfare and skirmishes between the factions of the Visionaries themselves as the Darkling Lords and the Spectral Knights battle for the soul and honour of their people. I like what Magdalene Visaggio is setting up here and Fico Ossio’s artwork, with colours by David Garcia Cruz, is beautiful.

| Published by IDW

Twisted Romance #1 is off to a good start. This issue has a trio of tales that largely mix horror/supernatural with love/sex/romance. The highlight for me is Sarah Horrocks’ piece that reminds me of the existential eroticism of Clive Barker’s work, but all three are worth the price of admission. Alex de Campi and Katie Skelly’s story is a bit of revenge on a cheating partner’s lover with a confrontation between an incubus and a succubus, while Magen Cubed delivers a sweet prose story of a monster hunter and the vampire who loves him.

| Published by Image

Venom #161 has some truly excellent artwork from Javier Garrón (with colours by Dono Sánchez-Almara and Erick Arciniega) as Mike Costa pens a done-in-one story advancing some of the series’ sub-plots while giving a fitting confrontation between Venom and Spider-Woman. With this issue sandwiched between two crossovers (the just finished Venom Inc. on one side and Poison-X on the other) it’s nice to see how the team make this wholly satisfying on its own.

| Published by Marvel

Vs. #1 debuts with gorgeous artwork by Esad Ribić and Nic Klein, perfectly capturing turning war into a commercialized sport. Along with the lettering from Aditya Bidikar and graphics by Tom Muller, it manages to have a nice European, particularly Humanoids, feel to it, despite not being particularly over the top.

| Published by Image

The Wicked + The Divine 1923 is quite possibly the greatest issue of this already magnificent series, and a must buy for the people who may have otherwise been missing out on the tangential one-shots. This one is meaty with story and purpose as Kieron Gillen and Aud Koch blend prose and comics, along with conventions of pulp mysteries, silent film, and more to create a ritual that helped shape the rest of the 20th century as a kind of prelude to the main WicDiv series. This is a thing of beauty.

| Published by Image

Witchblade #3 goes deeper on both Alex’s history and the mystery of the supernatural stuff going on around her. I may sound like a broken record, but again I have to commend Caitlin Kittredge, Roberta Ingranata, and Bryan Valenza for this series, because it’s got a great story and beautiful artwork.

| Published by Image / Top Cow

X-Men Red #1 is off to a pretty good start. The artwork from Mahmud Asrar with colours by Ive Svorcina are a real draw, as is the return of Jean Grey to the X-Men, but the breakout star is still Tom Taylor’s characterizations. Particularly of Honey Badger.

| Published by Marvel

Other Highlights: 30 Days of Night #3, Amazing Spider-Man #795, The Backstagers 2018 Valentine’s Intermission #1, Black Comix Returns, The Damned #8, Daredevil #598, Dejah Thoris #1, Get Naked, Ghostbusters: Answer the Call #3, The Gravediggers Union #4, Half Past Danger II: Dead to Reichs #5, Hawkeye #15, Iron Fist #77, Jazz Maynard #7, Legenderry: Red Sonja #1, Monstro Mechanica #3, Paper Girls #20, Rock Candy Mountain #8, Runaways #6, Scales & Scoundrels #6, She-Hulk #162, Spider-Man #237, Spider-Man vs. Deadpool #27, Tomb Raider: Survivor’s Crusade #3

Recommended Collections: Avengers & Champions: Worlds Collide, Backstagers - Volume 2, Clue, Incognegro, Inhumans: Once & Future Kings, Scales & Scoundrels - Volume 1: Into the Dragon’s Maw, Secret Weapons Deluxe Edition, Star Wars: Doctor Aphra - Volume 2: Doctor Aphra and the Enormous Profit, TMNT - Volume 18: Trial of Krang, Transformers/GI Joe: First Strike, Transformers/GI Joe: First Strike - Champions

d. emerson eddy believes that you shouldn’t be the problem, be the solution.