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multiverse-trio · 8 months ago

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hi!!! you can ask anyone in this collective any of these questions

I don't care, as long as I get to get some valuable information out to you humans.

Some of us may choose not to due to them maybe being too intrusive.

i hope you guys can be nice!!

There's going to be some rude people, Mila.

but there could also be nice people

THAT IS BULLSHIT AND YOU KNOW IT, JIN.

please dont yell :<

i'll just serenade and convince people to shut up if they get too close.

70 horrible questions ... Fuck it

01: Do you have a good relationship with your parents? 02: Who did you last say “I love you” to? 03: Do you regret anything? 04: Are you insecure? 05: What is your relationship status? 06: How do you want to die? 07: What did you last eat? 08: Played any sports? 09: Do you bite your nails? 10: When was your last physical fight? 11: Do you like someone? 12: Have you ever stayed up 48 hours? 13: Do you hate anyone at the moment? 14: Do you miss someone? 15: Have any pets? 16: How exactly are you feeling at the moment? 17: Ever made out in the bathroom? 18: Are you scared of spiders? 19: Would you go back in time if you were given the chance? 20: Where was the last place you snogged someone? 21: What are your plans for this weekend? 22: Do you want to have kids? How many? 23: Do you have piercings? How many? 24: What is/are/were your best subject(s)? 25: Do you miss anyone from your past? 26: What are you craving right now? 27: Have you ever broken someone’s heart? 28: Have you ever been cheated on? 29: Have you made a boyfriend/girlfriend cry? 30: What’s irritating you right now? 31: Does somebody love you? 32: What is your favourite color? 33: Do you have trust issues? 34: Who/what was your last dream about? 35: Who was the last person you cried in front of? 36: Do you give out second chances too easily? 37: Is it easier to forgive or forget? 38: Is this year the best year of your life? 39: How old were you when you had your first kiss? 40: Have you ever walked outside completely naked? 51: Favourite food? 52: Do you believe everything happens for a reason? 53: What is the last thing you did before you went to bed last night? 54: Is cheating ever okay? 55: Are you mean? 56: How many people have you fist fought? 57: Do you believe in true love? 58: Favourite weather? 59: Do you like the snow? 60: Do you wanna get married? 61: Is it cute when a boy/girl calls you baby? 62: What makes you happy? 63: Would you change your name? 64: Would it be hard to kiss the last person you kissed? 65: Your best friend of the opposite sex likes you, what do you do? 66: Do you have a friend of the opposite sex who you can act your complete self around? 67: Who was the last person of the opposite sex you talked to? 68: Who’s the last person you had a deep conversation with? 69: Do you believe in soulmates? 70: Is there anyone you would die for?

#crossinghopescollective #reality is false #biology and time #that one fucked up alien #greek sun siren!#envy demon lmao #fallencostumedesigns #experiments are fun #cottagecoredeer #fish siren

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multiverse-trio · 11 months ago

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ooc

(should i.. should i start doing full length rps? that would be cool, yknow..)

(im so ready to slam you humans against the wall with how much angst and pain i can supply.)

(it's fun, yknow? hurting people emotionally. because you know its all fictional in the end, right? right?)

(let us out. please. let my stories be told, and let them shine.)

#crossinghopescollective #reality is false #that one fucked up alien #greek sun siren!#envy demon lmao #fallencostumedesigns #experiments are fun #cottagecoredeer #fish siren

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p01son3d-ent1ty · 1 year ago

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I LOVE OTHERKIN/THERIAN/ALTERHUMAN SO MUCH!!!!

ANGELS AND DEMONS AND FALLEN ANGELS AND DOGS AND WOLVES AND CATS AND COYOTES AND DRAGONS AND BUGS AND WORMS AND BEES AND WIZARDS AND WITCHES AND VAMPIRES AND WHALES AND SHARKS AND FISH AND BIRDS AND CROWS SPECIFICALLY FUCKJN LOVE CROWS AND THE FERAL AND YHE TAMED YOURE ALL JUST SO COOL ALSO HUGE SHOUTOUT TO ELVES AND PIXIES AND MINOTAURS AND WEREWOLVES AND GOBLINS AND DWARVES AND MERMAIDS AND MERMEN AND MERPEOPLE AND MONARCHS AND GODS AND GODDESSES AND SIRENS AND IF YOU HAVE ANY MORE REBLOG THIS WITH THEM!!!

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kerorokai · 3 months ago

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it's really interesting to see how people perceive kabru cause there seems to be a bit of a disparity between how he really acts and how he's portrayed in fanart and fan memes and such

with the way people talk about him you'd think he's this huge flirt or actively trying to use his good looks or whatever to get a leg up but he really.... doesn't? at least i can't think of a significant time where he does. is it cause he teases rinsha? or kisses her as a fish? i think those are dubious examples, but also even if you do read them as genuine flirting theyre pretty small and not repeated with any other character.

it reads more like he's just genuinely charming and good with people. he never tries to make a pass with anyone, people just like him cause he's.... likeable. and in universe characters do act aware of how charming he is (see: mickbell, holm, daya), but they never seem to insinuate that he's actually a tease or that he like, gets around. i guess there's a mention of "rumours" here? have most people seen this? is this what they based it off of?

it's also worth noting that in the same comic those exact rumours (whatever they may exactly be) are proven to be unfounded, kabru is just the type of guy people feel like they can open up to. they don't even talk about him like he's doing it on purpose!

if it's cause he MIGHT be half incubus, my friend brings up a good point: it feels like an intentional subversion to not have him be a sexual "siren" in that way. ryoko kui is very intentional with her world and characters, and to have kabru's succubus/incubus-identity up for debate while also having him be not particularly flirtatious seems like the type of irony she would write on purpose.

to me, really, it seems very indicative of how fandom at large views brown men. kabru's in an interesting position cause he seems to get most angles of this type of flanderization. he's seen as both overly sinister and drama-seeking while also being extremely flirtatious and a whore when.... he's kind of neither of those things?

he's not evil or particularly more violent than anyone else, he's just really utilitarian and has this false impression at first where you think he's gonna be some sort of secondary antagonist but he's way too smart for that. he doesn't manipulate people any more than any other character. and he's not really a whore at all he just.... likes reading people? and knowing people? and people like him? idk man.

it's part of this larger issue where brown men in fiction are both demonized and sexualized at the same time. i don't even think it's on purpose, i just think that most people don't even realize this is something they need to unlearn. it's not even cause i don't like shipping kabru! i do! i just don't agree with flanderizing him to do it.

i think kabru is much more than the first impressions of him you might have, or even the first impressions of him the characters in universe may have. and while i don't think someone posting ooc fanart of kabru is directly racist, i think a lot of it upholds the racism people are already accustomed to. it makes me a little sad!

#dungeon meshi #kabru #dunmeshi #kabru of utaya #kerorokai #.txt

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multiverse-trio · 10 months ago

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Mae: kicking him makes Mystic sad, so i wont

Mystic: I'm not kicking the Doctor down the stairs.

Mila: i don't hurt people-

Leviathan: Haha, kick I'd him down the stairs with my beloved girlfriend!

Jin: i'm not, i'm not throwing someone down the stairs.

Mory: KICK HIM DOWN THE FUCKING STAIRS HAHA ITS FUCKING FUNNY

May: i'm not going to do that, sorry

July: you already did that the moment you commented on this reblog, May. anyways, kick him down the stairs for money.

He deserves it.

#crossinghopescollective #reality is false #that one fucked up alien #greek sun siren!#envy demon lmao #fallencostumedesigns #experiments are fun #cottagecoredeer #fish siren

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selineram3421 · 7 months ago

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*stands there like a fool* So... I lied.

Other Worldly

Part 6

Part 5

Alastor X Shy Reader

Warnings ⚠

⚠ selectively mute reader, nightmare, heartbreak, 🌹death🥀(drowning), numbness, protective deer man, hurt/comfort, alastor's shadow is so cute ⚠

She was wearing a pretty pink dress. One that made her look like a cute jellyfish.

You saw her earlier when going to your next task.

It didn't come as weird that she probably found out you were taking an extra shift at the aquarium. Just the thought of her coming by to surprise you made your heart flutter.

Maybe you can finally give her that necklace. It's been in your pocket for a while, but you just got so nervous.

You knew her usual route to take around the aquarium, so she would be stopping by the large fish display soon.

The beat of your heart sped up and you began to sing to calm yourself down.

"Then afterwards we drop into a quiet little place"

It didn't really help and you began to daydream of how you would present the gift to her.

"And have a drink or two"

Standing on the catwalk over the large tank, you held the control box for the lights to adjust them a little higher, but then you saw her. Standing in front of the display.

"And then I go and spoil it all"

"Pay attention, stop making googoo eyes at your girl.", someone had said, most likely one of the six people in charge of feeding.

You couldn't help it. She was everything to you.

And then you saw some random guy put a hand on her waist.

"By saying something stupid"

Confused, you watched on and were about to drop everything to run over.

"Like I love.."

Then they kissed.

"..you..."

Everything just stopped.

You clutched the control in your hands as you felt your heart break.

Then there was a shout from behind you before the lights came crashing down on the catwalk, breaking it in half, taking you and the staff sinking down into the water.

Everything hurt.

You didn't want to move.

Metal dug into your stomach and you couldn't move your legs, the water turning red, a line of it following after as you sank deeper.

Maybe it would stop hurting if you just let the water fill your lungs.

You closed your eyes and tried to "breathe."

The water burned as it filled your lungs.

Slowly, you were losing your train of thought.

You really did like the water. Often wanting to be a mer person just so you can watch the light beams shimmering into the water.

Maybe you'll get to swim more often.

The burning sensation just got stronger, as did the sinking.

All that was left was the dark empty feeling as you sunk down deeper and deeper.

Then, numbness.

You sat up with a gasp, taking deep breaths of air.

The familiar sight of your hotel room greeted you. Dark red wallpaper, dresser, and the door to your bathroom.

With a sigh, you flopped back into the pillows.

Why? You thought and hid your face into your blanket.

Maybe it's because the Radio Demon had you sing to him every time you had one of those songs.

You couldn't help it. It still hurt and you didn't want to lash out and scare everyone.. So you sang. It's all you could do, it's all you wanted to do.

Shaking the last remnants of the nightmare, you got up and went to get ready for the day.

I need to forget.

Alastor noticed that his siren was a little more closed off than usual today.

It's been a week since he gave them the gift and they have been using it constantly. They spoke to him a little more, which is what he wanted. The plan was a success.

But why did they feel so far away today?

They had sang him those sad songs he asked for. Their lovely voice echoed in the bayou and they were just picture perfect.

He had debated on having them sing on a broadcast, but he decided to be selfish and keep their talent to himself. They were his and no one would be able to take them away, no one would have the chance to.

Back to the current situation.

His little mer was quiet. Not a peep or a squeak out of them today.

Everyone else in the hotel shrugged it off, used to their muteness, but the deer demon could not.

What happened?

Did someone cause this?

Who did he have to kill...

He had his shadow keep an eye on them, mostly because they were used to its presence and not his. Not yet at least.

Lying in wait, he sat on his chair in the radio tower. With a flick of his hand, he used his magic to connect to his shadow.

And through the shadows eyes, he saw them close. Unusually close..

Were they holding the shadow's face?

Glancing around, he saw that they were sitting on one of the smooth rocks in their little area. His shadow was most likely resting its chin on their tail.

Then they started singing.

"Days seems sometimes as if they'll never end

Sun digs its heels to taunt you"

How lovely. He thought and just stayed still to listen.

"Memories swim and haunt you

But look into the lake, shimmering like smoke

Rises the moon"

This was new. A hint of sadness but mostly calming.

"I promise you that soon the autumn comes

To steal away each dream you keep

Breathe, breathe, breathe.."

He felt like his worries were gone, as if they were never there.

"I had a nightmare today. Of my death..", they whispered with a sad smile. "I was drowning. I remember sinking down, deeper into the water. The blood."

Then they lifted their tail out of the water.

"Maybe that's why this is red."

Ah, he knew it had something to do with drowning, but that's all the file said.

What else happened? He wondered.

"It's so silly.", they laughed lightly. "I should stop bothering you now."

His shadow thankfully stopped them from moving, leaning more into the Mer's hold.

They blinked in surprise and then let out a real laugh.

"Ok, I'll keep holding your face."

Please keep smiling.

And then they pecked the shadow's forehead.

"Thank you for listening."

I had an idea and then the idea moved my hands to type.

~Seline, the person.

Part 7

Taglist@

@preciousbabypeter @poppingaround @bishiglomper @random-3455 @mistpurpl3 @darifes @chirimeimei @sharkthong @enjisthings @aspiring-bookworm @cherry-cola-100 @fairyv-ice @phoephan-123 @briethekitsune @fuzzyturtlepaws @redrose360 @+more in the comments+

ML I Alastor🎙️ | OW🦀

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ruinparadox · 28 days ago

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Full deamon husk x shy gn reader in a beauty and the beast like relationship

I'm actually so upset I hadn't thought of this idea before because its so good. Like, you can't just drop a banger idea like this and just not elaborate!

The Beast and his Beauty - Full demon form overlord Husk x Gn!Reader

It’s been a few months since that fateful day. A casino stands at the edge of the city, all but abandoned. The tables are barren, the cards are rotted, and the castle-like building has only one resident, and now one hostage. You swore up and down to your friend that they should not just throw themselves into the casino just to fish for gold and whatnot on the off chance that the overlord who purportedly lives there has somehow died off in the past few centuries of his life.

But no matter how you tried, no matter how you pleaded, they simply waved you off and made for the decrepit castle. One day turned into two. Two days turned into a week into a month, and you left for the castle as well. Other sinners called out to you, trying to warn you of the dangers, but you didn’t heed them. Your friend was in danger and you needed to help them, safety be damned.

Interestingly, the casino stands opposite of the Hazbin Hotel. Atop a hill, behind a tall gate, sequestered away from the big city. It's such a short distance, yet so far away. The metal creaks as you push the entrance open, rust coating the exterior. And just like that you’re scrambling up the hill towards that ornate but blemished door. You grab the handle and notice that it isn’t locked. The mechanism must have eroded away or the overlord is eager to hunt for prey within his walls. Either way, you gain free entry into the estate.

Bravely, or perhaps foolishly, you call into the depths of the halls, your friend’s name reverberating like a siren call. And like a moth to a flame, the overlord appears. He is a hulking beast, his stature so tall he takes up half the entrance hall of the casino floor. His tail is covered in scars and spines, his wings tattered and frail, the colors of the feathers dull and grey. Barely enough plumes for him to assume a brief bout of flight.

A snarl rumbles in his throat, his face riddled with soot with his face taking the shape of a tiger who’s muzzle is scrunched and wrinkled in perpetual anger. His eyes are like gemstones, glowing in the dark, his slit pupils watching your every move. He’s a predator eyeing prey in his territory. The scythes for talons and claws on his giant paws scratch the floor as he stalks towards you, leaving deep wounds in the marble panels.

“Why are you here?” You could feel the castle shake with his distorted voice. He sounds so… tired.

Why else are you here? For your friend. You demand to know where they are, right now. You demand for their release.

“Friend? You mean this little plaything?” His tail comes around from behind him, the tip hooked through the hoop of a cage and your friend dangling inside it. “I am merely defending my home from intruders. Intruders such as you, if that wasn’t clear. Why should I release them?”

Indeed, why should he? He has no reason to care about you, a strange person trespassing on the monument to his shame. He has no desires to cling to, no vices to drown in. What could you possibly have to offer the beast who wants nothing but to be left alone?

A question that leaves you stumped. No amount of money could lift him from this state. He’d just gamble it all away again on the vain hopes some windfall might come his way. You can’t offer him power, he has that in droves, not that it's done him much good. And redemption is far too flimsy a concept for him to take on faith.

No, there’s only one thing you could give him. Your soul.

Immediately, your friend is banging at the bars of their cage, crying out in protest, but your gaze is fixed firmly on the beast towering over you, its breath brushing through your fur.

“You would gamble away your soul on something so small?” He’s almost surprised you’d even considered it, let alone actually offered. But nevertheless, as terrified as you are, even as your body shakes in anxiety and fear, your gaze does not drop. You will see this through. Though to what end? Even you yourself aren’t sure.

His eyes narrow down at you, but he accepts your proposal. You utter an apology to your friend as they cry and beg for you to take it back. They’re cast out after the beast places a spell on them to never speak or mention anything about what took place and can never return to the castle beyond the gate.

In the next second, the beast has returned, and your friend is barred from the estate, their figure barely visibly beyond the gates at the foot of the hill. A golden manacle manifests itself around your neck, a chain rattling as it extends to the beast. You expect him to yank you towards him, but surprisingly, he doesn’t. Instead, he looks down on it, and lets it fall to the floor, its brilliant yet ominous glow fading out of sight.

You don’t even get a word in before he’s stalking off to some unknown part of the castle, his voice quiet as he mumbles for you to “do whatever you want.”

It's been a few months since that day, and you two have grown close since then. The beast, whose name you now know as “Husk,” is trapped in his own casino, surrounded by nothing but forgotten bets and dried up alcohol. He can’t even drink the pain away anymore. He refuses to elaborate when asked about what is keeping him here.

At first, he’s distant and grumpy, barely acknowledging your presence with small grunts, let alone words. You attempt to talk to him, but whether he can hear you, or is just outright ignoring you is anyone’s guess. With conversation a moot front, you attempt to at least make a space for yourself to sleep and live in. If you are going to be staying in a decrepit castle, you might as well make it as comfortable as you can.

He sees you attempting to clear out a room as best you can, but the dust, dirt, and rot are endless. Begrudgingly, he tells you to stop and to just sleep in his room. There’s a lot less dirt and it has the only bed in the entire building that hasn’t crumbled to dust.

The bed in question is more than half the size of the room, a large circle mattress dressed in blemished silk sheets. You imagine it must have looked lavish in the casino’s heyday. You find yourself impressed when it's revealed that the room is capable of housing both you and Husk, the giant resting his head on the empty half of the bed next to you.

His breathing is soft, but given the size difference it's a veritable gust of wind ruffling your clothes in your sleep. No matter, you’ll just have to use a few more blankets from now on. Assuming there are still any left.

In the next few days you do some exploring of the grounds. You’re not allowed outside, lest you bring more intruders to disturb his territory, but you’re free to go wherever you wish inside. It is then you happen across a closet filled with dresses and other clothes somehow untouched by the ravages of time. Husk is equally surprised but says you can have them. Normally they’d be gifts for his employees if they excelled at their jobs but… well, you get the idea by now, don’t you?

Happily, you put one of them on, looking at yourself twirling about in a cracked vanity mirror. In the reflection, you catch Husk staring at you with a look that’s less than grumpy as he usually is. He notices you looking at him and immediately turns around, his tail nearly knocking you over as he grumbles about taking a nap.

The weeks go by and you catch Husk looking at you more and more, a glint of something you can’t quite recognize in his eyes. It escalates from there. Purrs rumbling the castle, an unexpected nuzzle here or there, and his tail gently wrapping around you.

He refuses to say anything about it until you confront him directly. Reluctantly, he tells you of days long past, when dancers lined the stage, when bright lights and strong drinks bathed the walls, when money flowed through the establishment like water through a dam… when a horrible deal gone wrong took everything from him and one by one, the people disappeared.

Soon there were no dancers, no booze, no lights, and no money. He’s been here all alone in his self imposed exile. It's not that he can’t leave, but he won’t. For what purpose would that serve? There’s nothing waiting for him out there. Nothing that could fill the hole in his heart. A hole he carved out himself.

At least, that’s what he thought until recently. Until he felt a spark go off within him when he saw you wear that dress, smiling like you were ready to go dancing. He feels something for you, but he can’t trust himself to not mess it up, to not ruin it like he did everything else.

You give him a smile and he feels his fur go warm for a bit. You tell him that he won’t know if it will work if he doesn’t try. That seems to touch something inside him and for the first time in a while, he smiles.

That night, you two make for a ballroom. Not sure why a casino needs one, but neither of you really care right now. You two dance and dance throughout the night. Well, more like you’re the one dancing and he’s gently guiding you with his talons. He’s far too big to move about in such a manner without causing some damage.

Still, it doesn’t matter, both of you have fun, and the next few weeks, it only gets better. You two are now having dinner together with what little food you can find or afford, you’re allowed to go outside and buy or steal anything you need, and you now sleep together on the bed, his body curled around yours to give you all the warmth you need.

You tell your friend that you’re okay and you don’t need rescuing. You pack your things from the hotel and move them into Husk’s castle, saying goodbye to your friends while promising to visit. Redemption is overrated. And whether your lives end from being redeemed, or from an exorcist's blade, or perhaps they never end at all, you’re just happy to spend your life next to a beautiful creature such as he.

It doesn’t matter that he can’t return to his normal form anymore. You love him just the way he is.

#husk x y/n #husk x you #husk x reader #character x reader #character x you #character x y/n #gender neutral reader #hazbin hotel husk #overlord husk

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ladyloveandjustice · 1 year ago

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My Favorite New Manga and Graphic Novels I Read in 2023

It's time to take a look at the comics and manga I read this year! I read a whopping 78 manga and graphic novels in all. Here's a link to my Goodreads year in books (the manga is at the beginning, the novels start with Siren Queen) and my storygraph wrap up.

I also read 36 novels! If you want to see my favorites, check out my reviews here!

And finally, I've got the continuing manga series I've enjoyed this year here, so check that post out too!

The Magic Fish by Trung Le Nguyen

This is a tale about a first-generation Vietnamese-American boy struggling with coming out to his mother. He connects with his mother through fairytales-- she uses them to express her journey as an immigrant, and he uses them to explore his queerness and identity as a Vietnamese kid growing up in America. It's an absolutely gorgeous book full of Trung Le Nguyen's signature stunning art. The fantastical, ethereal fairy tales are weaved beautifully into the lives of the characters. The book explores how fairy tales can form connection, can express culture, can tap deeply into something real and true, and can offer tragedy and catharsis. The protagonist uses fairy tales to write his own story, and the ending is lovely and moving.

Exit Stage Left: The Snagglepuss Chronicles by Mark Russell and Mike Feehan

You may know Mark Russell from his darker, socially aware re-imagining of the Flintstones, which made quite a splash on Tumblr with this post. Well, I had pleasure of meeting him at a local convention, and I finally got his comic re-imagining of Snagglepuss, also of Hanna-Barbera. He re-imagines the titular pink puma as a closeted gay playwright in the 50's dealing with McCarthyism. It's as wild as it sounds,but also really digs into the politics of the time, the struggle of standing against oppression and how art fights through suppression and censorship. It's tragic, hopeful, poignant and full of historical references. I enjoyed it ! Definitely be cautious if you're deeply disturbed by homophobia and suicide.

The Summer Hikaru Died by Mokumokuren

A story about a teenage boy, Yoshiki, who realizes that his best friend and crush Hikaru has died and been replaced by a strange eldritch being who is imitating him. But, missing his loved one and desperate to cling to any piece of him, Yoshiki decides to keep on having a relationship with this mysterious entity. This book's horror is visceral and sublime, especially the bizarre, creepy, beautiful body horror involving the being who replaced Hikaru. It's an exploration of anxieties involving grief, relationships, and sexuality that hits just right, and the atmosphere layered with dread is top notch. I love me some messed up relationships and unknowable queer monsters, and this book delivers.

Chainsaw Man, Look Back and Goodbye Eri by Tatsuki Fujimoto

Chainsaw Man needs no introduction, but I did end up really enjoying the story of the doggy-devil boy hunting other devils. It got so tragic and intense at the end, with lots of great surreal horror imagery and darkly funny moments. I'm impressed it went so hard, though the random powers that kept piling up made what was happening hard to follow at times, especially in fights. I'm also enjoying the current weird arc starring a class-A disaster girl and the demon sharing her body.

Look Back

I really do enjoy how Fuijimoto writes messy pre-teen/teenage girls. They ring so true. The manga follows the fraught friendship between two girls as they create manga, exploring the struggle of art mixing with real relationships, and how someone keeps creating after tragedy. It's a little hard to follow at times (especially since I have to differentiate the leads based on hairstyle), but it's a good read.

Goodbye Eri

Probably my least favorite of the three, but it's a fun read- a weird ride that examines the thin line between fiction and reality in art and makes good use of Fujimoto's cinephile background and signature gaslight gatekeep girlboss characters.

Is Love the Answer? by Uta Isaki

The story follows a teenage girl, Chika, who has always struggled with not being attracted to anyone. When Chika enters college, she meets queer people all across the spectrum of asexuality, and starts exploring her own identity. As an ace, this is the best story about asexuality that I've read. It was a nuanced look at asexuality and queerness and all the variations. Chika's journey and how she found her community was moving and poignant. It's a honest, moving look at relationships and identity, and how complicated and hard to define both of those things can be. I loved the moments of Chika imagining herself as an alien to explore and cope, and how she bonded with people through magical girl shows and other geekery. My favorite new manga of the year, it really connected with me!

The Girl that Can’t Get a Girlfriend by Mieri Hiranishi

Oh girl, I've been there. This is a fun autobiographical comic about a butch4butch lesbian's struggles finding a partner in a word that favors butch/femme, and it's just an honest look at the messiness of loneliness and relationships. I also appreciate that crushing on Haruka in Sailor Moon and becoming a HaruMichi stan was the beginning the author's queer awakening because uh...same! She has taste, and is truly relatable.

Qualia the Purple: The Complete Manga Collection by Hisamitsu Ueo and Shirou Tsunashima

See my review of the light novel here for my general thoughts on the story, since it's adapted pretty faithfully. I do think the manga is overall the best experience though, because the illustrations break up the detailed explanations of quantum mechanics a bit, and it includes a bit of extra content that fleshes things out, especially withthe ending.

The Single Life: 60 year old lesbian who is single and living alone by Akiko Morishima

Just like it says on the tin, this focuses on a 60-year-old single lesbian. And definitely the shortest thing on here, since only one 30 page chapter is out. It's a grounded story about a woman looking back on her journey to finding her identity, touching on sexism in the workplace and other challenges. It paints a portrait of a proudly gay elder who's still perfectly content being single and feels fulfilled by the life she had rather than regretting past relationships. I definitely want to see more.

Daemons of the Shadow Realm by Hiromu Arakawa

Arakawa's latest, the story is about a boy who lives in a small village with his little sister is imprisoned and has to carry out a mysterious duty...but then the village is attacked, supernatural daemons awaken, and everything he knows might be wrong. I'm enjoying this fun romp so far! It delivers an really nice plot twist right out the gate (and an excellent subversion of the usual shonen "must-protect-my-saintly-sister" narratives). It boasts Arakawa's usual fun cast and interesting world (and cool ladies). There's some slight tone and pacing issues in the first part- there's so much time spent explaining mechanics the lead doesn't really get to react to his life turning upside down. But it starts smoothing out by the second volume. I'm excited to see what's next!

Superman: Space Age by Mark Russell and Michael Allred

This is a retelling of Superman set throughout the late fifties to early eighties that has Superman interact with the political and social upheaval of the time and question his own role in things. It explored the Superman mythos through a lot of cool new angles, and has a good Lois (why yes she would break Watergate) which is how I always measure a Superman adaptation. My one complaint is, while I liked some of the things it did with Batman, the ending with the Joker was pretty weak. The ending of the overall comic will also be bizarre for anyone not uses to how weird comics can get, but I think I dug it.

#DRCL by Shin'ichi Sakamoto

A manga retelling of Dracula that focuses on Mina as the protagonist and imagines the characters at an English prep school. It adds a lot of diversity to the characters and has exquisite, evocative art. I'm curious where it will go and what it intends to do with all it's changes (especially Lucy), because right now it's mostly vibes and creepiness and the direction isn't clear.

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