#so it’s a fantastic way to explain without breaking continuity

[wannabanauthor]

What if Tommy and Eddie discussed the breakup, and it goes from serious to funny?

So Eddie goes to Tommy's house and is like "I'm here to check on you, let's get a beer."

Tommy tries to refuse, but Eddie says, "You broke my best friend's heart, so the least you could do is explain your reasoning to me."

Tommy reluctantly goes. After a few beers, he starts rambling.

"I fucked up, and I don't know how to fix it or even if I should fix it. I was falling in love with him, and it snuck up on me. I didn't expect for it to get more serious," Tommy says. "I thought it was just going to be fun for awhile, and we'd go our separate ways."

"Your second date with him was to his sister's wedding," Eddie points out.

"Oh so sue me! It's not my fault I caved. He gave me these pleading puppy eyes, and I found myself agreeing."

Eddie rolls his eyes. "Well, if you never expected it to get serious and didn't want it to get serious, then why haven't you found your rebound yet? It's been weeks. Even Chimney and Maddie are telling Buck to start dating again."

Tommy groans into his hands and then rubs his temples. "Fucking traitors."

"Well, I know this hot priest-"

"Been there, done that," Tommy says and takes a swig of his beer.

Eddie looks at him with a bewildered look on his face. "What?"

"What?" Tommy responds with a shrug. "I was raised Catholic. Guilt about sexuality is easy to spot, but he made the first move."

"Do I even want to know how?"

"Ever had sex in a confession booth?"

Eddie's eyes are wide and horrified. "Please don't tell me-"

"It was an old booth in storage, but it was still pretty hot. Once I admitted to myself that I was gay, I had a lot of catching up to do."

Then Tommy goes quiet and gets sad again. "I'll never meet another Evan in my life. I think he's ruined me for other men."

"Don't say that. While, I prefer you two together, you can always find someone else."

Tommy snorts in disbelief. "Yeah, not gonna happen. At least when it comes to sex. His adorable face and cheery smile haunt my dreams, and his proficiency with dick makes it impossible for me to get it up even when watching porn."

"Oh no, I need more alcohol for this," Eddie says and orders some shots.

He and Tommy go through a couple of them.

Tommy's tongue gets looser. "His dick is fantastic. Perfect length, thickness, and stamina. I know my body pretty well, and let me tell you, the prostate orgasms from him were out of this world. I barely lasted five minutes before coming just from him fucking me."

Eddie is drunk enough that he's not even fazed.

"Not to mention he has this slight curve that makes him hit the spot every time, and goddamn, I miss that dick and the dork attached to it," Tommy continues. "He made me feel comfortable and safe and cherished. Being around him was effortless, mostly, and I miss him so much."

Tommy starts sniffling, and then tears roll down his cheeks. "Fuck, I don't want to cry."

Eddie puts a comforting hand on Tommy's shoulder. "Call him. He's a mess and miserable without you. He's been baking so much that the entire station's hemoglobin A1C levels are pre-diabetic. We had to force him to focus on savory cooking."

Tommy shakes his head. "He doesn't want to hear from me. I broke his heart. I'm the last person that should be contacting him."

"He does want to hear from you. He's only been baking and cooking so much to stop himself from contacting you because he wants to give you space and respect your boundaries post-breakup."

"What would I even say? That I panicked and ran? I told him he would break my heart if we moved in together. There's no coming back from that."

Eddie sighs and sets his drink down. "Listen, the first time you ended things with Buck, I told him he was an idiot but to call you anyway. Now it's your turn to be the idiot. Go get your man back. Call him. Talk to him. He'd settle for a text. Just do something! You both are suffering without each other. You don't have to move in with him. He just wants you back in his life."

More tears run down Tommy's face and it turns into full sobs. Eddie scoots closer to him and gives him a hug. Tommy clings to him, sobbing even harder.

After drinks, they stop by a taco place and sober up while eating delicious birria tacos. They go back to Tommy's place, and Eddie sleeps on the couch just to make sure Tommy is alright. Before he falls asleep, he texts Buck.

"If Tommy contacts you, go easy on him. He's an idiot too."

When Tommy wakes up the next morning, he nearly stops breathing when he sees that Evan texted him.

"I miss you." was all it said.

Tommy cradles his phone in his hands for several minutes before pressing the call button. He holds his breath until Evan answers.

"I miss you too," Tommy says.

[sleepanonymous]

REVELATIONS NEWS ❖ COMMENT ❖ HEAVY FUCKING METAL HOT NEW BAND

Sleep is not just for the weak, according to Vessel and co

STAY TOKE The gimmick may be goofy, but Sleep Token’s music is no laughing matter

“My favourite 90s album is Fantastic Planet by Failure. It’s devastatingly bleak in a way that resonates into our deepest self.” – VESSEL (VOCALS)

SOUNDS LIKE an intriguing and shadowy blend of atmospheric post-rock and tech FOR FANS OF Meshuggah, Bon Iver, Explosions in the Sky LISTEN TO Calcutta 

Over the years Metal Hammer has heard all manner of bizarre sonic coalitions and watched bands emerge from the deepest, weirdest corners of our scene, yet mysterious collective Sleep Token are up there among the most unique and ‘WTF?’ propositions so far. Not only is their music a fairly unclassifiable fusion of brutal tech-metal and atmospheric post-rock, but the band, driven by masked and cloaked frontman Vessel, claim to live in thrall to an ancient deity called Sleep. OK…

Much like Ghost’s Nameless Ghouls, the remaining members of Sleep Token have chosen to remain anonymous in order to retain their shadowy presence— only agreeing to answer our questions via email.

“They go hand in hand,” explains Vessel when we ask if the band’s sound and image are simply an exercise in gimmickry. “Sleep Token serves to add a visual dimension to our journey. A world without texture isn’t a world at all.” The story goes that Vessel first encountered Sleep in a dream where he was promised glory and magnificence in return for his worship. “He is the oldest God, a primal majesty that has endured the ages unperturbed by the morality of a flawed and chaotic human race,” says the frontman helpfully. “He is everyone. He is you. There’s a power in music that binds us all, every note relates to another. He showed me a vision of a world filled with depth and texture.”

OK, so their ‘backstory’ is silly. But as far as the music’s concerned, Sleep Token are an undeniably intriguing prospect, inhibiting a sparse world of heart-breaking beauty and intense heaviness where start, and sometimes sinister skeletal soundscapes build to throbbing climaxes with mesmerising effect. Recent single Calcutta, which premiered on Hammer’s website, builds like a storm: violent, djent-tinged destruction erupting amid Vessel’s ethereal and vulnerable Bon Iver-esque vocals.

“We sculpt, build and craft these sounds with an aim to deliver the emotional magnitude of His words,” says Vessel. “Destroy and rebuild over and over until what is left is what His followers shall hear. The influences come from the physical and emotionally charged world at large. Dreams are textural, so is music and much like life; they bring both darkness and life, beauty and ugliness— it’s our job to translate and convey those complexities as best we can. Each of these songs is an experience, but to find the real details you’ll have to explore them yourself. The music will ring out and people will continue to follow, for that’s what people do best. Follow. Stay with us and we’ll show you the whole world through His eyes. What a magnificent sight that is.”

“WE WORSHIP THE OLDEST GOD, A PRIMAL MAJESTY”

SLEEP TOKEN’S NEW EP, TWO, IS OUT NOW VIA BASICK

METALHAMMER.COM

(This is in my Google Drive also, here.)

[bird-inacage]

Net x James: An important reminder that BL partnerships consist of two individuals and they are not just a single entity.

So the Netjames news has been a notable bombshell in the fandom of late, and I've been quietly observing this as it unfolded earlier this week, particularly the varying reactions and discourse around it.

In his statement, James explained that his current career goals are moving in a different direction, which has resulted in him pulling out of 'Love Upon a Time', and by extension his acting partnership with Net. He wants to explore his other avenues as an artist, whereas Net is presumably focused on acting for now.

With BL partnerships, we often see the two co-stars tied at the hip. Its part of the gig and it comes with the territory. They don't just work together on their project, but they do a huge amount of activity (both public and private) outside of that. They travel, perform, they do fan meets, press events, and spend a huge amount of time together as a twosome. So we get accustomed to seeing them as a united entity, which means news like this tends to hit harder because it feels akin to a divorce. This is one of the pitfalls of the Thai BL industry. When you create a narrative around two people who exclusively come as a package, it makes it incredibly difficult for both the actors themselves and fans to accept or make peace with any possible deviation from that. I think it's natural for any actor or artist to desire collaboration with different people: to develop their craft, to further their experience, to broaden their versatility. If sticking to only one working partner 'for life' doesn't work for them, I completely empathise with that.

In their recent Instagram lives, Net and James were clearly sad and their feelings still very raw. This led to a lot of speculation regarding any ill-feeling or fall out between the two. But such accusations can be harmful. Even in an amicable or mutual break-up where ending a relationship is in both parties' best interests - the two people involved are still grieving. Being brutally honest and transparent with someone close to you, that things can no longer continue as they are, isn't easy. If fans feel upset, just imagine how difficult this is on them both. When you've been nurtured as a partnership from the get go, your co-star whose always been at your side provides a sense of safety and familiarity. And the prospect of now moving forward without them is a scary new unknown. On top of that, they probably feel an immense amount of pressure and guilt in digesting the potential fallout and response from their fans. There will be trepidation in how well their careers will fare in the immediate aftermath.

Despite this, there are also positives to be taken from this decision. Arguably, Net and James were still in the early stages of their partnership. Bed Friend really put them on the map as a couple. So for James to come forward with this realisation now, before they got too established as a pairing was a responsible thing to do. I'm sure the last thing anyone wants is for their favourite artists to feel stuck or obliged to continue working together, which would undoubtedly lead to feelings of resentment eventually.

So respectfully, these instances are not to be taken personally or to be deemed as a betrayal of your support. After all, what we know of these artists is only a very small piece of their identities as people. It's okay to be devastated, but be respectful of their wishes. You can choose to continue supporting them as individuals, or choose to no longer support them at all - either way, you are perfectly valid and entitled to your choice, just extend the same courtesy back and be mindful of casting unfair judgement on their choice.

For me, it is admittedly a shame because I did see great potential in them both as a pair, and they had fantastic chemistry which could have been nurtured with more time and experience. Regardless, I truly believe they both have immense love for one another, and I wish them both the very best. They've just come to terms with the fact they no longer share the same vision for what they want in their careers. And that's okay.

(I will always be grateful that they gave us THIS iconic moment).

[phoenixeclipse-lmkau]

Mother-Mother River Phoenixeclipse Jttw AU

The group passes by the Mother-Mother River. Macaque fights with himself and Wukong helps him to decide on a bad decision. Phoenix is oblivious to their bad ideas thinking they see her as a simple friend.

“Wow. What a surprise. Another fucking river!” Wukong yelled angrily. He could barely believe that he was still on this dumb mission.

“Wukong please don’t be mad,” Phoenix spoke up, they had just convinced him to come back again she really didn’t want him to run away again.

Oh, that’s right. Wukong stared at Phoenix for a moment before huffing, she was the reason that they were staying. If it hadn’t been for her damned shield than they could just take her back home without having to stay. It would be so easy, just to grab her and take her back to Flower Fruit Mountain.

He let out an exadurated sigh as he followed closely behind her. He should have just trapped her on the mountain last time she came over. She would have gotten over the Monk’s death eventually. The thought crossed his mind again, it was such a lovely dream. Unfortunately one that would have to wait until he found a way to break that damned shield.

“Whatever,” he rolled his eyes.

“Brother monkey please calm down. We need to be resilient until we reach the Buddha,” Sandy spoke up with a shout.

Wukong just rolled his eyes again, the river demon was far too cheerful for his tastes. Turning he was about to start ranting again when he noticed his mate standing a ways back staring intently at the river. Curious he jumped back over to Macaque. He looked him over noticing how his eyes hadn’t left the water.

“Moon~ is something wrong??” He asked cautiously, if something was wrong then that was never a good sign.

“… Don’t drink that water,” was the only thing said. Wukong was confused but shrugged as they finally reached the bank. They were far enough back that no one else heard them.

On the river bank the group noticed a boat. Wukong stared at it for a while but after seeing it was a normal mortal woman he shrugged. He didn’t care to know why this woman was doing a man’s job and wasn’t going to pry. He was much more concerned with the way his Moon continued to stare at the water. His eyes dilated and his tail lashed back and forth, while his hands were clenched into fists while he hugged himself.

“Does anyone need a ride?” The woman asked with a warm smile.

“That would be great actually,” Phoenix spoke up with a grin.

Wukong examined the way that Macaque’s eyes snapped towards their soon to be bride when she spoke. The way his tail puffed up and the way his gaze snapped between the water and her. Something was up, and he was going to figure it out.

“Moon~ care to explain your nerves??” He whispered leaning against his mate’s ears.

The moment their eyes met, Wukong knew that something was brewing in his head. Some sort of plan that had him excited and desperate. What that plan was however was beyond him. Whatever the plan was, was probably fantastic if it was from his beloved Moon though.

“…” he didn’t respond turning away again causing Wukong to frown. He must have been really deep in thought.

>>><<< 

Deep in thought he was, Macaque knew what the river did. The Mother Mother River. It was right in front of them, it was right there. All he had to do was mix in some DNA from him and Wukong and then… the very thought made him drool.

Fuck, she would look so cute, nice and round with their cubs. So, so cute and delicate. It would be all the more reason to stay safe and protected on Flower Fruit Mountain. Where she was safe and provided for. Where she could raise their cubs happily. Where she couldn’t escape their grasp.

The thoughts pounded in his head. It was wrong, it would be so wrong to do that to her. She deserved to choose when she wanted cubs and Macaque was more than willing to wait for such a time.

But… it was right there. She could have their cubs growing in the next few months. They would have his Sun’s beautiful golden eyes. They would have her pretty brown hair. They would have his six ears. They would be so small, so cute, so- perfect.

He’s wanted cubs since before the attack on heaven. Both he and Wukong have wanted cubs for a long time. The thought that not only would they have cubs but their sweet merciful flame being the one to carry them. It sent him spiraling with a selfish desire.

It would stake their claim onto her. She could hate them for it. She would be theirs. She was theirs. But it could hurt her. The thought of hurting her gave him a feeling of disgust for not only the idea but himself for actually thinking about it. It could break her trust in them forever.

They had already slept together before though. It’s not as if she’d know that it was the water that did it. It could have just been that night, when they had gotten drunk. Of course she had been such a cute and flirty drunk.

So many thoughts flew through his head as he tried to tell himself that it was a bad idea. She wasn’t pregnant, she would have already had a few symptoms surely. It was such a long time ago. She would surely know that it wasn’t from that night. Unless… it wasn’t as if stone monkeys breed that often. There was no studies that showed how long it took for one to be with child.

Fuck!! He was thinking about it again! All it would take was one, tiny sip. Then she would be well and thoroughly claimed as theirs. The image of Phoenix draped in their silk sheets, heavily pregnant and barefoot in their nest. The very thought had Macaque purring, she would look so perfect.

*Snap* *Snap* *Snap*

“Macaque!” Phoenix suddenly yelled causing Macaque to flinch in shock.

His face burned when he noticed everyone staring at him. They were waiting for him to get on the boat. He grumbled a ‘sorry,’ as he jumped up onto the boat right next to Phoenix who was looking at him with a worried expression. As the boat began to move he felt her hand get laid onto his forehead.

“You’re not overheating,” she frowned, the worried expression not going away.

She was so precious. Seeing him concentrated and she was worried about him. It almost made him flush, but he refused to let that happen.

“I’m fine,” he grumbled forcing himself to pull away from her.

“Are you sure?” She questioned; her face still covered with worry.

Oh what he would do to keep her by his side. It would be so easy, all he had to do was… his eyes glanced at the water again. She wouldn’t suspect a thing, all she would know would be that she was gaining weight. How cute and perfect she would look, to see her shuffling around not only their nest but also just hanging around the island. Not out of their sight of course, she would have to be protected at all costs.

Feeling her hand on his shoulder he jumped back a bit. He needed to get those thoughts out of his head, they were much too dangerous to think about- But she would be bound to them not only as a mate but as the mother of their child, no their children. They could have a whole tribe of cubs, they would protect them, love them, feed them… She would breast feed them of course, while she grew another one.

No! They would want to space it out, wouldn’t want too many cubs at once. The first one from the water and after that they could woo her until she was sure not to reject them. If she had their child, she wouldn’t be able to bring herself to keep them away of course. She was far more likely to stay by their side, after all she wouldn’t be able to protect them alone. She would need help, their help~

“Hey! Moon! You’re distracted again,” Wukong hollered at him with an annoyed tone.

Just like that his fantasy popped and he was forcing himself to calm down again. The whole plan was stupid, it would be better to woo her some other way. Like courting her properly, with gifts, showing off their skills, providing food for her, scent marking her, court-napping her~

At the thought of that he felt Phoenix try to shake him and immediately he jumped up and into his Sun’s cloud. Wukong nearly fell off of it in shock as Macaque cuddled into him. Surprised at the turn of events but didn’t reject his mate from the cuddles. It would be even better if their flame was cuddled with them but the last time, he tried that he got decked in the face. Probably because he had scooped her up without revealing what he was doing, but that was besides the point.

“Must be in a bad mood,” Pigsy grunted with annoyance.

“You think?” Phoenix asked, looking up at the duo on the cloud. That was too bad, hopefully he would feel better soon.

“Moon what are…” His words were cut off when his mate whispered in his ear.

“The river below us is the mother-mother river… it makes those who drink it become with child,” Macaque whispered and all at once Wukong knew what his mate had been thinking.

Oh, that would be a perfect plan. The very thought of their sweet flame ripe and round with THEIR child, proving to everyone just who she belonged to would be perfect. Why did he look so nervous and worried about this? Of course he would agree to this plan. To have Phoenix brought back home not only as their mate but as the mother of their unborn child would be a dream come true.

>>><<< 

“Phoenix are you alright?” Tripitaka asked as he glanced at Phoenix with a worried expression across his face.

“Huh? Oh yes, I’m fine,” She laughed waving her hand.

“Are you sure my dear?” The boat maiden asked her gaze soft and kind.

“Huh? Oh yes. I’m perfectly fine. I was just worried about my friends is all,” they were friends, right?

They had stopped trying to attack the group a long time ago and started showering her in gifts trying to be friendly. She honestly wasn’t sure why they insisted on getting her gifts when they were just trying to be friends, but she also knew that they had an odd way of expressing emotions. So of course they were friends. She could say that confidently, after all why else would they had gotten so pissed off when someone tried to court her?

That had happened right after… that night. Her face flushed at the memory, but she quickly pushed it away. Neither Macaque nor Wukong had mentioned it again and they had all been drunk. It meant nothing, it was just a drunken mistake was all.

“We’ve arrived. I wish you well on your travels,” The maiden said with a slight bow as the group quickly got off of the boat.

Phoenix glanced up at the monkey kings who were still sitting half on top of each other on the cloud. She couldn’t help but smile, they must have just wanted some alone time. She was glad that they were so happy together. She turned around without much thought unaware of the argument that was being spoken between the two simians above them.

The group continued walking for a while. There was a town up ahead not too far from the river and they would make it far before night fell. It would be the perfect place to rest for a while, at least that’s what Phoenix thought. She just hoped that the monk in front of her thought the same thing.

Up above her there was a tension between the two monkey demons.

“Wukong I want to as much as you but it’s wrong,” Macaque growled lowly.

“But she will look so beautiful when she’s with our child. Just imagine it,” He whispered back sending a shiver down the six eared monkey’s spine.

“But we don’t even know if she wants cubs,” Mac tried to persuade his mate, he shouldn’t have said anything. Especially when all of his reasons not to were easily deflected.

“You and me both know that she wants cubs. Not to mention she was so good with the baby monkeys on the mountain. Remember~?” The thought was so tranquilizing, it made his whole body stiffen. She had been so careful and motherly when that baby monkey had jumped into her arms. She cradled it to her chest and cooed as if it were the most precious thing in the world, a beautiful little cub that cuddled up to her without any sense of danger.

“Just think about it. She would have to stop this stupid journey and come home with us. She would soon become ripe and full with OUR cubs. She wouldn’t be able to fight back against us anymore like that~ We would keep her safe, and provided for. No one would be able to take her from us,” Wukong purred into Macaque’s ear happily.

It was that last sentence that seemed to make the Moon Monkey crack. His eyes dilated into slits as his tail curled up with his mate’s. A deep purr rumbled through him and Wukong knew that he had won him over. They were going to have a cub! A precious little cub with their beautiful, merciful, Phoenix. The thought caused him to start purring too.

As dazed eyes looked back up at his, Wukong grinned. A kiss landed on his lips and Wukong leaned into his mate. Claws dug into fur as they both purred happily, neither letting the other go. Each were trying to practically devour the other. They only released each other when they heard that annoying pig.

“Hey! Master told me to go get water! You two have to come with!” Pigsy called, an annoyed look across his face. He clearly didn’t want the monkey demons to tag along, but to them in was the perfect excuse to get exactly what they wanted.

“Ugh!” Macaque dramatically groaned, hiding the thoughts that were in his head. They were going to make her theirs. She was theirs and NO ONE could take her from them EVER.

>>><<< 

 “Are you sure it was a good idea to send Sun and Mac with Pigsy?” Phoenix asked nervously glancing back towards the river.

“It should be fine. They don’t attack people anymore remember,” Tripitaka said with a shrug, one that had Phoenix grow more nervous.

Sure, the two hadn’t attacked any humans in their path recently but that didn’t really say much. As much as Phoenix cared for the two at this point it didn’t mean she trusted either of them to be alone. Especially with Pigsy who had a tendency to piss them off with his own arrogance.  

“If you say so…” She muttered quietly. They wouldn’t kill the pig demon, that would send both of them into a painful torture for hours. They weren’t stupid. Reckless and destructive? Yes. But they were not stupid in any sense of the word.

As if knowing they were being thought of, both monkeys suddenly appeared from the ground. Or more accurately a shadow portal. Wukong let out a loud hoot as he jumped out, twirling his mate into his arms. Phoenix couldn’t help but chuckle at their giddy nature.

“We’re back,” Pigsy said, breathing deeply as he held up a bowl of water to Tripitaka.

“We got you some too,” Wukong said holding out a bowl of water for Phoenix.

Initially she was surprised by it but as she thought back to the many times that the monkey demons had given her food she couldn’t help but smile. It was in their nature to take care of those they considered to be friends after all. She took the bowl from his hands not noticing the way his eyes twinkled with excitement.

If she had paid attention, she would have noticed the slight golden and purple glow that shimmered in the water. But as she closed her eyes to drink it thankfully neither color was noticed. She drank happily until the bowl was empty.

“Thank you!” She grinned truly thankful for their attentive nature.

“No problem,” Wukong grinned, a lovesick smile gliding onto his lips.

“Do you need anything else? Food? More water?” Macaque asked his tail thumping against the ground. His initial poor mood seemingly gone, though Phoenix still didn’t know how he came about that mood.

“No thank you. We should head over to the inn though, we’re almost there,” Phoenix said pointing towards the town with a grin.

“Of course,” Wukong grinned, both him and Macaque walking right next to her.

Usually, they would travel on his cloud or Macaque would hide in the shadows. It was odd for them to walk right next to her, not the first time they had done this, but it wasn’t often. At the change in demeaner, a strange feeling settled in Phoenix’s stomach. She narrowed her eyes, what did they do? Surely it was something if they were acting like this.

Just as she was about to ask, she heard Tripitaka and Pigsy groan. Her head snapped to look at them as she ran over to see them both kneeled over as they clutched their stomachs.

“Hey, are you two okay!?” She yelled, fear lacing her tone.

“My stomach hurts,” Tripitaka groaned laying on the ground, he sounded as if he was about to die. A part of Phoenix told her he was probably being dramatic, but she wasn’t for sure.

“I’m dying,” Pigsy groaned, now he was definitely being dramatic.

Phoenix immediately began using her gift of healing to help the pain go away for the both of them. She had no idea what was happening to them and was rather fearful on what was going on. She was so preoccupied that she didn’t even notice the elderly woman walk up to them until she spoke.

“Are you all okay?” Phoenix jumped at her words, looking up at the woman in shock.

“We don’t know what’s going on with our master and companion! They just fell over after drinking some water,” Sandy finally spoke up, as he tried to help sit Tripitaka up who was leaning against Ao Lie.

“Water? What water did they drink?” The woman asked, her face creased in slight worry as she pursed her lips.

Phoenix didn’t notice how Macaque bit his lip, at first it was with worry. She was about to figure out what they had done surely. No, she had no way of knowing that they knew what they had done.

“The water from the river,” Phoenix explained and as soon as she did the woman began to chuckle before she let out a full-blown laugh.

“What’s so funny!?” Pigsy yelled through his pain.

“The river, as in that river?” The woman asked pointing back at the river that they had taken the water from.

“Yes, that river. What about it?” Phoenix asked irritably, why would someone laugh while another is in clear pain.

She also wasn’t sure if it was the river that caused their pain. After all Macaque and Wukong had gotten her some water too and she was perfectly fine. Why would the water cause Tripitaka and Pigsy to be in pain but not her. Then again, she was immune to most poisons but surely there wasn’t a whole river that was poisoned. Right?

“You see, this land is a land of all women,” The woman began with a smile.

“Okay? Cool what does that have to do with-,” Phoenix cut in but was cut off by the woman who was telling the story.

“We have no men here, when a woman wants to get pregnant… they go to the mother-mother river. When the water is drank, it allows the woman to be with child,” She explained.

It took a moment before the facts set in. Tripitaka, Pigsy and Phoenix had drank water from the mother-mother river. They were all… PREGNANT!?

“What!?” Phoenix shouted in shock, her worry for her friends shut off when the fact that she herself was with child hit her brain.

Of course, she then pushed it away when she looked at Tripitaka and Pigsy. She had a female body; she was meant to carry children biologically… it could kill the two in front of her if they were to be with child. Their bodies clearly not designed to carry life within them as females did. It was a part of nature that way.

“So you’re telling us that... Tripitaka and Pigsy are… pregnant?” Sandy asked his shock evident across his face.

Behind them Wukong suddenly burst into a fit of laughter. He fell to his knees as he clutched his stomach deep laughter rolling freely out of him as he cackled. He had been so caught up in his plan for his beloved darling that he didn’t even think about Pigsy and the monk. He laughed and laughed unable to control his laughter.

Faintly he heard Sandy follow suit with the laughter. Of course, the river demon was also amused about the situation.

“What!? How do we fix this!?” Pigsy shouted angrily.

“Fix this? Aw yes. You must follow the river up to the source where the river begins in the mountain. Within the mountain is another spring, that is where one can choose to… terminate the pregnancy,” The woman explained calmly.

Almost immediately Phoenix felt herself relax; her friends would be safe. She knew that a child could not grow within them, it would die before their life could even begin. Her heart was pained at the thought, but she knew there was nothing that could be done about it.

“Wukong, Macaque, Sandy you three go find the spring and bring back the water,” Tripitaka ordered quickly, he was still clutching his stomach in pain.

Wukong’s laughter all but seized immediately before he looked up at the monk and scowled. He hated when the monk told him what to do. He had no right to… but that wasn’t what he was truly worried about right now. If they got the cure than his own cub… His face twisted into a snarl. Phoenix was carrying their cub! There was no reason for her to get rid of such a blessing!

“Hold up why should we fix your-!?” Wukong shut up when Macaque placed a hand on his shoulder and squeezed.

It was a silent warning, it he kept talking it could ruin their well thought out plan. Or rather the plan that they both jumped into without actually paying attention to the consequences, even though they knew what they could be. Macaque knew that they were on thin ice, they were close to being found out. He couldn’t have that, they were expected to fix their companions’ fuck up.

“I drank the water too. Why am I not in pain?” Phoenix finally spoke up, a nervous look spread across her face.

“… It would probably be because you were born female. You were born female, correct?” The woman asked with a genuine smile.

“Yes. I was, I am female,” Phoenix nodded.

“Your body is accepting the child gracefully. However as neither of your other companions are well female they can’t exactly carry children,” The woman explained calmly.

The explanation calmed Phoenix a bit. They were like this because of their gender, in pain with the possibility of death looming over their heads. As for her, there was no threat to her with a child growing in her stomach.

“Sandy, Wukong and Macaque go get Tripitaka and Pigsy the water,” Phoenix said glancing at the three who hadn’t yet moved.

“What about you?” Sandy asked a worried expression across his face.

Phoenix stayed silent for a while. She didn’t know what to do taking the water would be the same as killing an innocent child that was growing within her. The thoughts of her family crossed her mind. She knew that her siblings would see her as a monster for a choice like that. Her master would be proud of such a decision, one that would prove that she didn’t feel what they felt.

She didn’t know what to do. Her vision blurred; tears threatened to fill her eyes but she fought them back. It would be dangerous to bring a child, a cub, on the journey with her. Right? But… they were only a few villages from her family. Surely, they would reach her cousins before the child was born. She had at least nine months, if not more not being human and all. She gritted her teeth as she tried to decide what to do.

Comment if you think I should make a part two. I thought about adding more to this but had changed my mind when I saw the word count... 😅

Part 2 - Mother-mother Spring

[louisisalarrie]

hi my love! i hope is all. i’ve been thinking ab this the last couple months. lmk if you agree. i feel like the euros kinda kickstarted harry and louis’ friendship publicly again and then when liam passed away they put the friendship narrative back out there again but w all four of them. even though it’s under the most heartbreaking circumstances, there is a larry friendship narrative out there now and i genuinely think this is gonna be their year. idk how to explain it but something feels different. i feel those four boys are gonna go after the industry in some way. whether it’s intentional or not i feel they are gonna fight back. i hope they get justice for liam.

I really hope they kick up the friendship again in the media, and any selfies/outings the boys have. It’s gone real quiet over the last little while (Harry’s only recent news articles are about Nosferatu, and Louis’ about his NYE outing) but im hoping it’ll continue to push forward. I think it’ll be beneficial for everyone, tbh.

I can understand originally, from a marketing perspective, why (particularly) Harry was distanced so much to move onto a solo career without riding off the back of 1d, and same with Louis and Niall. Bit different with Zayn and Liam, but those three pushed away sooooo hard to prove themselves as credible, authentic artists who aren’t just ex boyband members. And cutting those ties meant cutting their public friendships too. Sure they were still asked about it in interviews, but without any proof of them hanging out, it was just a big clear break to the GP.

I personally think now, where they are in their careers, is fantastic for reuniting as mates. I think it is a good move and I hope they’re past the whole separating themselves from 1d thing (I say them but it’s the PR folks/managers constructing this narrative). So hopefully they do continue a friendship narrative publicly.

I also agree something feels weird anon, and I agree they should get justice. And I think they will.

[drifting-pieces-blog-blog]

Breaking down the comics: BEMIS. Part 2

READING THINGS SO YOU DON'T HAVE TO! 

Part one is here. Thanks Tumblr.  (please go read it)

Two issues left of this trash heap volume. Any time you think it can’t get worse you look at the next panel. 

NEXT ISSUE. We’re almost through this collection. This bread is not what I ordered. Send it back. 

ISSUE #192. 

(Spoilers: There are no sharks in this episode. For those of you waiting for the dolphins, that’s in vol 2)

Alright. In this issue. We open with Marc, Diatrice, and Frenchie sitting at the table having coffee. ANd Frenchie looks very dead and is in scrubs. 

I’MMA PAUSE FOR A SECOND. 

I will cover the Lemire run later. It’s inevitable and something I’m deeply looking forward to. 

The thing about the Lemire run is that it takes place at a time when ALL of Moon Knight’s original friends had left him. Gena, the kids, Crawley, Frenchie, Marlene… They had all been driven away. They were all in pain and either hated him, were disenchanted by him, or just pushed away. 

The Lemire run takes place with the Moon Knight system, Marc in particular, having a severe mental health crisis. 

DID is caused by extreme repeated trauma at a young age. It leads to dissociative episodes, and it is not uncommon for other issues to crop up (thanks trauma!). A lot of systems, if they have the health care, end up in and out of hospitals when they reach crisis points. 

In this run, a LOT of things happen that seem spectacular and fantastical and a lot of things that are grounded in reality. It’s hard to say if the whole thing happened or was really all just in Marc’s head. There is evidence for the latter. I’ll discuss that at a different time. But in this run, he witnesses his friends all leave him again. It’s a way for his mind to make sense of it and to let them go. To let go of the past and the pain associated with his friends departing him. In this world, Frenchie sacrificed himself to save them and died. 

So… Bemis is assuming that the audience took in the Lemire run at face value. He feels he has to explain away the events. He isn’t trusting the reader at all. In fact, he’s even going to try to explain it to the reader.  This is bad writing. This is just… Where is the editorial team? Why are they not explaining things to him? Did they even read his script? Or were they so desperate to feed off of the success of Lemire and get Moon Knight up and going again that they just shoved whatever they could at the fans and waited for the money? 

UNPAUSE. 

So this is why Frenchie is a zombie. He’s trying to explain away Frenchie’s ‘death’.

"Undead?" Frenchie asks Marc. 

"Well, no. Not really undead. Just dead. It's all I can visualize. Like when you seen an old person and think of them naked and then can't stop picturing it." 

"That's disturbing. But I'd be equally haunted if I had seen YOU get murdered in a waking nightmare of insane asylums and Egyptian Gods. You saw it. You felt it. It was real enough." 

(Also he has his legs.) 

There's one of those comic editorial notes in the corner: To find out what Marc's talking about, read the mind-bending Lemire/Smallwood Run! - ED

#^%#$$@ YOU ED. DO YOUR JOB AND ACTUALLY KEEP THE CONTINUITY AND EDIT THIS PILE OF-

deep breaths. deep breaths... We're going to get through this. 

So Zombie Frenchie talks to Marc about what Marc saw in the asylum. 

"Losing you was some kind of fantasy. You can chalk it up to me accepting my dissociative identity disorder, or me facing my demons...But I think I needed to see you die in order to make sense of your worth to me. That's not fair to you. You're my best friend." 

So close. He's SO close to getting the run. And I get the feeling it's spouting off what he was cliff noted about the run without either reading it himself or perhaps he did read it, didn't understand it, and someone had to explain it to him. 

It wasn't about him accepting his dissociative identity disorder or facing down his demons. It was so much more than that. 

At this point Frenchie pulls off his zombie look (literally) and is back to being a normal looking man. 

And we get what Bemis REALLY thinks is going on. 

"You think too much, Spector. You can picture whatever you want in that malfunctioning cranium of yours if it helps you make sense of the hand you've been dealt." 

"...Okay." 

"Now, Marc, are you actually hearing me, or are you still picturing some grotesque fantasy?" 

He’s just using things as an excuse to paint Marc with whatever mental illness he fancies at the time. Hallucinations are apparently now in the mix. What does Bemis actually think is mentally wrong with Marc? Did he do ANY research at all? Is he just pointing at the DSM randomly and picking out things that make the comic edgy or ‘funny’??

As Marc prepares to go, a brick smashes through their window. 

He climbs out the window, dramatic style, and finds Bushman and Truth and some other guys with guns waiting on the street below. 

Bushman has the landlord (a little old lady) at knife point. 

They tell Marc to meet them in the lobby or the old lady gets it. 

Oh look. Another jab at underlined villainous homosexuality. 

Just before Moon Knight can start trashing them all, and Bushman knows he would, Raoul tells him that Marlene is on the boat. 

Oh good. Khonshu's narration is back. I'd missed it. 

Honestly, any time Khonshu narrates it's just a lot of random metaphors, over explanation, or depictions on what's going on that aren't needed. 

He describes Marc being tied to a boat surrounded by his enemies with his fate unknown. ....as the comic shows him tied to a boat surrounded by his enemies with his fate unknown. 

Let the reader read the damn comic! 

Bushman goes against orders of the Sun King and decides to go toy with Marc. 

Never a good idea and everyone there knows it. 

He holds a knife to Marc's face. Well... Honestly, it’s in his style to do just this… Props for that I suppose. 

And Moon Knight makes his way around the top deck of the boat and takes out all the bad guys,circling back around to Bushman. 

"You don't scare me, Spector!" 

"I didn't want to have to do this to you again." 

And Marc cuts off two of Bushman's fingers then tosses them overboard. 

"You can replace those, but they'll never be yours again. And next time, I won't be satisfied with a piece of you. I'm not one of those super heroes who won't straight-up kill you, Bushman." 

It's fitting for what Moon Knight did from the 90s through early 2000s. As much as I disagree with it, it does fit for those times. 

He goes below deck and finds a bunch of sad looking people sitting around like refugees. 

Marc asks what's going on and he's told that they signed up for this. 

He talks to one of the kids who tells him they are going to an island to form a new city for only them. 

Back on deck, he finds Truth. 

"Unlike Raoul, I think I may have learned my lesson in trying to defeat you personally. Besides, I was tasked with your delivery to the Sun King. I just want to help you see what I see, Spector." 

For once, Truth is pretty reasonable. 

True uses his powers on Marc and it's just... 

"I have a vision every waking day. Lovers and dreamers piled waist-deep in the streets. I wade through piles of their slack, twisted bodies. Utterly powerless. Nauseated. It's my fear of this moment that motivates me, not the desire to save lives. The Fear that I've built my sanity on a lie. My hope for a better world is my most tragic form of dissociation." 

You know... I'm not even sure Bemis knows what dissociation really is at this point. 

Truth tells him that he's ready to face the Sun King now. 

They arrive on the island where the 'refugees' get off and go to make camp in the village that they found. 

OKAY. Okay. okay... here we go. 

So... I'm going to point out something here that someone probably should have mentioned to Bemis while editing this crap. 

The bad guy henchmen are all disabled people. People missing arms, legs, hands, eyes, on crutches, or fake legs and things. 

They follow around a man that looks like white Jesus that calls himself "Ra the God '' and "Sun King". They head to a place that Bushman called an "Undiscovered tribe of underdeveloped backwards people". They take over the island for themselves and he brings in other people to populate it....

He's literally colonizing it. 

The other bad guy is an overweight drug dealing black man with possible repressed homosexual desires for the good guy. The other bad guy is a large menacing tattooed white guy that makes people spout nonsense and calls it deep truth like characters in a Chuck Palahniuk novel! 

Is anyone else as fed up with this as I am? Am I reading too much into this? Is this really not as bad as I think it is? Because…this looks pretty bad. 

Moon Knight finds Sun King on the beach who welcomes him to "Isla Ra". 

"Soon this island will burgeon with those willing to light up this shadowy world. They're like us, Marc! The sickly, the fragile, the INSANE. Society's regrettable by-product, but to me...To us... They are everything!" 

He tells Moon Knight to relax. He knows that as long as Marlene is his prisoner, Marc won't do anything to risk her. 

"Take a catnap, Marc. We fight to the death tomorrow, but tonight we indulge in a ritual." 

"A ritual you probably just made up." 

"Ra feeds my mind what it needs to know." 

"You're going to drug me, aren't you?" 

"Sleep, Marc. Tonight we become enlightened." 

So... We see nightfall and Sun King and Marc sit before a camp fire. 

So of course we get an instant jab of homophobia. 

"Why did we have to do this half naked?" 

"Shhhh Let your mind unravel, Spector." 

"I don't do well with psychedelics, Sun King." 

"It was only tea." 

"It smelled like woodstock." 

I have a problem with this. Marc is telling him flat out that he doesn't do well with psychedelics. 

Studies have shown that certain drugs can actually trigger mental illnesses that are linked to chemical imbalances. Not to mention that if he happens to be on any drugs meant to help him, they could negate their effects, interact with them poorly, or make him very ill. 

We know Marc has been in and out of mental hospitals. We know he's been drugged before in these hospitals. Forcing him to take a psychoactive trip is not a cool thing to do for the dramatic storytelling. What’s going to happen is that we’re going to get a really trippy scene of them going into Marc’s ‘messed up’ mind and he’s going to learn things, find peace or some bullshit, and then be healed. 

This gives the wrong message that doing these potentially harmful drugs will fix all your problems! Especially if you have dissociative issues or other similar issues. 

ALSO. People with DID? Not all the alters respond the same way to inebriation. Some will get drunk if they look at a beer. Others can do a LOT of pot and not feel a thing. The brain is a fascinating and complex place. Marc could do psychedelics and Jake could just be having a nice time while Steven has the worst trip of his life. 

Sun King goes on. 

"We share what they label 'insanity'. That gives me a gateway into your beautiful, tortured mind. Let me in, Marc. Let US in." 

NOT ALL MENTAL ILLNESSES ARE THE SAME. ONE CRAZY DOES NOT ALL CRAZY MAKE. 

And Marc starts tripping. 

In Marc's mind, we find Marc, Jake, Steven, Khonshu, Sun King, and Ra. 

Ra calls Khonshu a "bad boy" and Khonshu calls Ra a "loathsome fascist." 

Marc tries to tell himself that this isn't real. Jake demands to know how Ra can be there if it's "all just made up by Marc's mind". 

"Steven is distressed and theorizes that "I think we've entered the world of metaphor, Jake. ANd it's scaring the hell out of me." 

Bemis must really dislike Steven Grant. He writes him as weak, cowardly, clingy, and narcissistic. Not a fan. 

So now, Ra takes hold of Khonshu and tells him to show him the truth. 

He spouts a lot of garbage here and it just... It's fanatical. It's... It's dangerous. 

What do I mean by that? He's talking about things like righteousness. About prophets and saviors and gives images of a world under idealistic circumstances where everyone gets along because he rules it. 

Marc snaps out of his trans by the fire to declare "No... Ra is....RIGHT?!" 

There was nothing right about that crap. It makes no sense. It’s just propaganda crap. There is no just and right and perfect in this vision. It’s a problem. A big problem. 

END ISSUE. 

One more to go. I can’t wait to put the Sun King behind us. 

After all? How much worse can it get? (spoilers so much worse. Sooooooo much worse). 

ISSUE # 193

I like how the past two covers have had NOTHING to do with the actual story inside. It’s like they are trying to make it look cooler and more dramatic than things are. 

Moon Knight in the jungle? I’d read that. Marc spent a lot of time in South America. Although, standing on his cape like that means he can't stand up without falling out of the tree. Just saying. 

Alright so... Marc went on a drug trp and came to the realization that Ra and Sun King were right for some reason? 

And this broke him and made him some passive weakling for some reason? 

We see him wake up the next day and being kicked around and dragged around because "the moon can't save me now." 

Then he's taken to a tent with some old lady outside knitting and she uses her flaming hot knitting needles to burn a sun into his back? 

Back with Frenchie and Diatrice, we see her praying to "Dear Mister Khonshu" and she asks that he not let "the bad men kill my daddy." 

She asks him to let Marc save her mom so they can be a family. 

Marc is pretty broken now and he's taken to see Marlene. 

He tells her that "this time is different"

"I know. He's different. I know because I'm actually scared." 

And Marc begs Marlene not to let Diatrice forget him because he's going to die. 

Why are they acting like Sun King is some super huge bad guy unlike any they have ever faced before? They have faced WORSE. 

He's fought ghosts. He's fought vampires. He's fought werewolves. He's faced aliens and apocalyptic events! 

Some hippy looking man with flames is NOTHING. 

HE'S FOUGHT SO MANY ANIMALS (I need to make a list). 

Marc is taken to a ring of fire and tossed inside to face the Sun King in a battle to the death. 

He tells Marc to fight like he means it or he'll hunt down his daughter and burn her to death. 

They fight and he takes a beating because suddenly Sun King knows how to fight? 

He sets fire to Marc more than a few times. 

Back in the head space, Jake tells Khonshu that they have to do something. 

I have real issue with the assessment here. 

Khonshu tells him: 

"Look around us. We're just faint firings of his synapses now. His defense against the darkness. As we have been since his childhood, and...Our connection is nearly severed. He is alone now, save for death itself." 

This is the belief that Marc is "the original" and that he created the others to deal with things and gave them all parts of himself. 

This is old thinking that people with DID were just shattered and broken bits of themselves that needed to be put back together. It's outdated. It's insulting. 

Why does everything Khonshu says just sound like absolute drivel? 

Like he was TRYING to be deep and just spouting off things that sounded metaphorical. It's just bad writing. He's clearly trying to copy Lemire. 

So he asks if Jake has ever believed in anything. 

And Jake remembers Diatrice. 

And they all take a moment to bask in the glow of their daughter’s memory. 

Then we get Steven’s version of what Khonshu said. 

Yeah. This is where that saying comes from. 

Somehow this gives them the ability to punch harder? 

And he starts beating on Sun King. 

He gets the Sun King to admit that he fears him now for some reason. 

And this makes everyone happy like some sort of 1980s movie.

And the Sun King can no longer use his fire. Because 

"I convinced you. Now Bow before me you horrible bastard." 

I'm not sure it works like that, Marc. But sure. You convinced him. 

And the Sun King bows down before him. 

"Thus ends the reign of the Sun King." 

And the people in the croud are cheering? Despite being there to support the Sun King and because they hate Moon Knight. 

Later we find Marlene bandaging up Marc's burns. 

The Truth stands by watching for the boat to return to get them off the island. 

"The man's cause is dead to me. Proven false by his impotence. I would undo any affiliation I had with him. I've found the facts of life to be more...Malleable than I realized. Maybe with some time in a room by myself...I might reassess my purpose." 

Yeah sure. A man is impotent because he lost a fight with another man and now no one believes in him. 

This is some fucked up masculine toxicity. 

Marc turns to address the other people on the island. 

"All of you just got stuck on a desert island because you let yourself get convinced of a bunch of crap by a completely mad super villain."

Uh huh. So the notion of him raising his own group of followers and warriors out of normal people. Cause that isn’t an issue. Obviously these people are easily swayed and maybe a bit fanatical. So telling them that you are now the new leader is not problematic at ALL. 

Also? That “I believe” in the back? 

We get a zoom in. I’m not going to show you the image. 

It’s Dr. Emmett! 

She's in her Moon Knight cloak thing (why would she bring that to the island with her if she was there following Sun King?). 

She's covered in burn scars and missing an eye. It's drawn to look like a rotten hole. 

Does no one believe in medical care here? Open eye holes are a problem. They run a risk of infection! Also they don't just stay open eye holes. The eyelids will collapse downward a bit. 

Anyways. She's back there going "I believe... I believe! Your doctor believes, Marc!" 

And the comic ends there. 

That was something alright. UGH. 

Give me a second to gather my thoughts up from this burning dump of ableism and poorly depicted mental health peppered with racism and anti-semitism. 

Volume one of Bemis is like a love letter to the kinds of people that think it’s fun and funny to show mentally ill people as dangerous, wild, unpredictable, and overall pathetic. 

The continuous use of language like ‘Insane’ and ‘Crazy’ is more than poor taste. It’s a constant reminder that we aren’t supposed to see Moon Knight as normal at all or even sympathies or identify with him. 

You see, there is a difference between “We have the power of crazy” and “You were the only superpower I ever had.” 

A big difference. 

In the former, it’s played up for laughs. Much like the old gags of seeing a man in a dress. It doesn’t age well but it persists. It persists because it still garners laughs. And the people that are still laughing are the people like Bemis. And he draws in more people who are like minded and he tells them it’s okay to keep laughing. 

The latter is a beautiful way to show that having DID was a powerful and wonderful way to be strong enough to survive when everything didn’t want you to. 

How did he get away with this? He is Bipolar. I’m not going to argue if he is or isn’t. I don’t know him and that’s his own personal history. I’m going to argue that being Bipolar does not give you the right to assume you understand ALL mental illnesses or that you can write for all of them. Or even lump crazy with crazy. 

Marvel is the sort to say “Ah yes, this person had a drink with a black person once so they should be able to write for Luke Cage.” Or “I took high school spanish so I can write for Miles Morales.” 

We can’t put up with this anymore. We can’t let them do this. We can’t let Marvel keep perpetuating things that hurt us. That hurt others. That keeps ripping the power away from those with so very little to begin with. 

So this is Vol 1 of Bemis. 

“But Drifting Pieces” you might say “How can it get worse than this? This was pretty bad.” 

My friend… You are in for a ride. 

PART THREE: HERE

[miraculouslbcnreactions]

Season 5 really killed my love for love square, especially with the way the choose Adrien, a kid with massive trauma and depression, as a therapist for his girlfriend. The whole "I want to be everything Marinette want" is bad for Adrien even more so because he doesn't get the same effort from Marinette.

The whole Adrienette is one sided and it remind me of a girl in one yt clip where she basically said she want a man who do everything she want while the man should already be grateful to be chosen as her boyfriend, which means she will do the bare minimum if nothing at all in that relationship.

Marinette isn't that kind of girl but the way the story goes it sure seems like that because Adrien doesn't allowed to bother her, he just continue to serve whatever she needs without her needing to do the same.

People saying that they'll break up and I agree, but also it will take a whole lot of character development for Adrien, something that the writers seems to hate it seems. Even if they argue or have a break up, I doubt it will be last for an episode before Adrien goes back to Marinette and say sorry. That's how Ladynoir conflict solved Kuro Neko after all, with Cat Noir be a bigger person while Ladybug do nothing at all.

Girl power is supposed to be a slogan to empower girls and Marinette supposed to be a role model for the young audience but at this point I don't even want my nieces and nephew to watch this show if what they teach them is that boy should do whatever the girls said and never bother with their girls with their feelings because man should "suck it up" while the girls can do whatever without minding about their man need.

I would actually be surprised if they broke up. Not because it's unearned, they arguably should breakup or at least get some sort of therapy, I just don't think that the writers have the guts to do that.

As you said, a breakup would only work if it led into character growth and they're allergic to doing that in this show in part because of the mandate that every episode must stand alone. That's a fine rule in a monster of the week show where all the drama is sitcom stuff that can be easily solved in 20 minutes, but a terrible rule in a show that's diving into the levels of complexity that Miraculous is trying to pull off. The show's current format is the worst of both worlds: complex plots that lack the complexity to really work and monster-of-the-week battles that feel rushed because they're being squeezed down to make room for the more complex stuff.

Prior to season four, my opinion of Miraculous was that it was a decent show for its indented audience, but there were a few plot points that required serious discussion to explain why they were wrong (for example: the "don't confront liars unless you're doing it for ideologically pure reasons" lesson from Lila's intro). As the show currently stands? I would not willingly introduce it to a young kid for a myriad of reasons. One of those reasons is the fact that the relationship drama we're currently dealing with is suited to a show for teenagers while still having the writing of a show for young children, leading the drama to feel weird and toothless. Yet another worst of both worlds.

All of this is quite sad because Miraculous has such a fantastic setup for being a cute, fun, healthy romance for all ages! It's why I started watching it and the choices made by the people running the show are truly baffling.

They picked a setup that allowed for all of the tension of a love triangle with none of the awkward fallout and then.... decided to introduce two love triangles.

They went with a duo setup to allow the male romantic lead to be mostly comic relief without feeling superfluous and then.... decided to introduce a larger team without establishing anything to make him feel like more than the comic relief.

They picked a setup that allowed for balanced support needs and then.... never let Adrien get any support.

That last one is the thing that really upsets me. When it comes to magical girl shows and their male-focused equivalents, it's somewhat standard for the main character (or main characters) to get all the struggles while the love interest (or love interests) are just there to give comfort and support, leading the love interest to have minimal character development. (Ex: Sailor Moon, Winx club, almost every shonen show ever made, the list goes on)

This isn't necessarily a flaw. You don't want to bloat a story with pointless side conflicts and you can still write a good romance under these conditions. After all, in real life, it's perfectly normal for relationships to go through phases where one person needs more support than the other. As long as it's implied that the love interest has more going on than just being a love interest, you're okay. Not amazing, but okay.

To put it in more concrete terms, if the Prince Dreamy Eyes is ruling the kingdom with his best friends at his side while Princess Sparkle Tutu is stopping the monsters, but the show mostly focuses on the prince supporting the princess and the princess fighting to save the day, that works. The prince is clearly not just arm candy. And maybe the viewers would really like a few one-off episodes about what Dream Eyes does while the Sparkle Tutu isn't around, but this IS a magical girl show so it makes sense that all the "filler" episodes go to the Sparkle Knights and not the Prince and the Dream Team.

This excuse obviously doesn't work for Miraculous because it didn't relegate Adrien to background love interest status. He is a key part of the team, but that's still something you can work around. In team-based shows with a large cast, it's not uncommon for some of the team to just kinda be there to round out the team while one or two main leads get the character growth and personal struggles. This isn't even a flaw as it's arguably better to have more focused drama. If everyone had a sob story, then no one does.

But that excuse doesn't work for Miraculous either because the show is driven by a conflict that's centered around Adrien. A beautifully simple yet powerful conflict that was perfectly tailored for making the relationship between the leads feel balanced.

On the hero side, Ladybug needs all the love and support because everything is riding on her. On the civilian side, Adrien needs all the love and support because he's a sheltered kid whose father is the villain. That allows for a setup where it doesn't feel like either character is nothing more than the love interest. You can make them both complex and flip around the support/supporter roles based on what part of the conflict the story is dealing with in a given moment. It will forever be a tragedy that such a wonderful premise was pulled off this terribly, which is why I say that I'm still a fanon shipper even though canon is dead to me. I love writing and reading takes on this premise that do it right. It's why I got into the fandom in the first place! I'm not really drama to cute romance. I'm drawn to interesting story ideas that feature romance, which is what Miraculous should have been.

[lost-romantique]

this is just about me after I’ve dealt with the dumbest Blitz basher imaginable. Someone legit said: "was told to be happy for him, I actually don’t want him to get back with Blitz. Stolas deserves to be with others that’ll actually love him, not saying Blitz doesn’t, but Blitz had his chance. If he does get back with him, I hope he opens up and actually takes the conversation seriously and with humility, not with his abrasive, mocking and swearing." BITCH WHAT?

Stolas: Came just to judge me, is that it?

Blitzo: No, I just- This was the final stop on the apology tour I've been on today.

Stolas: Oh, yes, I recall. Everyone but me is getting your cheap apologies tonight, hm? Well, you certainly have your work cut out for you.

Blitzo: Look, how I acted this morning... It was fucked, okay?

Stolas: This morning? Ugh, why did you show up there? [falls backwards into Blitzo's arms] Why'd you show up here?

Blitzo: You already asked that, but look, I-I just really need to... To talk to you, to- to explain.

Stolas: Oh?

Blitzo: I've always been real shit at sorries, 'kay? They're for pussies and no one fuckin' deserves them anyway, but I felt maybe you actually needed one.

Stolas: [dramatically] Ooh, lucky me! [Stolas falls off of Blitzo's lap and even a feather comes off of him. Blitzo helps guide Stolas over to the couch.]

Blitzo: Oh, shit. Okay, what I mean is, I said sorry a lot today and, honestly, didn't really mean any of it. Because the only one I wanted to say it to... Was you, Stolas. I just... This whole thing we had going... I'm- I mean you're a fucking prince. How could you ever actually care for an imp... Me? How could anybody?

Stolas: Blitzo. There is a crowd full of people here, who cared so much, they'd throw an entire fucking party about hating you, every year! Do you know how much you have to care to do something as stupid as that?

Blitzo: Stolas, you are better off without me. 'Kay? You deserve so much... [voice breaks] I don't even know why you would want to be with me.

Stolas: You wanna know what I want? I want to know what it's like, to not be alone. I want to be someone's someone. I want to feel wanted. But like, in a romantic way, like I'm standing out in the rain at a train station and someone is shouting: “Harriet! Don’t get on that train, it’s going to London and I cannot be without you!”[As Stolas continues the dramatic declaration, he stands up, catching the party goers' attention. Blitzo quickly covers his face to avoid being noticed. The party goers go back to what they were doing.]

Blitzo: Oh, Stolas, that's... a rom-com.

Stolas: [sits back down] Oh, fuck you. The point is, I just... want someone to care if I stay or go. I want someone to want... me! To want to see me. To hold me. To look at me and think "You're the only one I want!" [sheds tears] "I desire to hold you and talk to you, and never let you feel so..." [As Stolas spoke, Blitzo feels more and more guilty with how horrible he treated him. and when Stolas crouches down, he leans his hand to stroke him, but stops when Stolas sits up.]

Stolas: You! Why are you here? I don't want you here, go home, please! Let me not feel so sad! [sobs, and then takes a deep breath]

[Blitzo is about to say something when an succubus suddenly appears]

"Better than Blitzo" Guy: Hey.

Stolas: [startled] Oh! Hello.

"Better than Blitzo" Guy: Great song earlier. You have great pipes.

Stolas: [wipes away tear] Thank you.

Blitzo: Yeah, yeah, yeah. He sings fantastic, we're talking here!

"Better than Blitzo" Guy: Well, I just wanted to see if... [brushes back his hair] Maybe... I dunno... You'd wanna... Dance?

Stolas: You want... to... dance... with me?"

Better than Blitzo" Guy: [stands up] Yeah.

[Stolas looks between both demons. Blitzo sighs and gestures for him to go.]

Stolas: [excitedly] Okay!

[Blitzo watches as Stolas takes the guy's hand and leaves the room to dance. Blitzo walks to the door and watches as Stolas cheerfully dances before seeing Verosika walk up the stairs. He walks up the stairs and stands next to her, removing the sheet from his head.]

~~~

Since people really like to forget Blitzø’s apology to Stolas in Apology Tour, I took the liberty of copying and pasting the entire transcript from that apology.

~~~

But I've noticed that some fans want Blitzø to give a better one, and think it's okay to ask Brandon Rogers about it, so if they want, they can have this one:

I know fans are just having fun, and I don't want to encourage any hate coming towards ANYONE... but I don't think people realize just how many people ask Brandon to give Stolas an apology at these conventions. Because, this isn't the first time... No... Brandon has been getting asked to apologize to Stolas regarding what happened quite a bit at these cons, and I honestly feel bad for him.

If this is what Brandon is going through, I hate to imagine what Bryce may be going through...

[prydainroyals]

Dear Alice: Part 3

(Continued from here.)

---

"There's also Commander Murray, who likes it when we call him 'James' while not on duty. I'm almost certain the man is as tall as a tree. He's a brilliant fitness coach. Bit of a hardass, but he still manages to make it fun. He just won't let you be miserable unless you really need to take a break."

"And he's basically the base's Mum? He fusses over us and I'd wager he volunteers to be a sort of Morale Officer when he's stationed here. He loves organising group activities, which drives me bonkers sometimes, but at the end of the day, I'm really grateful. We have a spare storage room in the bunker part of the base he turned into a makeshift cinema, with a big sheet, a projector, fairy lights and everything."

"He's given me advice on things too. Not just about the Navy, but about life in general. I worry about being out of touch with actual, real people... but he's about as real as they come. Kind as he is, the Commander won't sugarcoat things. He'll tell you off if you need telling off, and he actually listens to you. As in, YOU, not... your position or titles or whatever, though he takes stock of those too. I dunno how he does it. I wonder who he talks to when he needs someone to listen? Maybe he gets something out of talking to all of us. It's not my business, I know, but I can't help but marvel at what sort of person has the strength to keep on giving like that. He and Harry are a lot alike in that regard."

"I imagine they're the sort of people who lean on each other. I'd hate to think they do so much for everyone while they go it alone."

"...and aaaaall across the field, speckled like diamonds, Harry... Oh, you would never believe it, lad..."

"What? What was it? You have me in suspense!"

"Toilets. Toilets everywhere."

Harry snorted and laughed in that good-mannered but knowing way of his. That way that said he knew someone was full of it, but he wasn't actually offended.

"Oh come off it!" he smiled. "There's no possible way you could have unbolted fifty toilets, transported them to the pitch, and strewn them all over without being caught," he pointed out.

"Certainly not without flooding the school in the process," Harry added.

"Of course not! We were keen enough to pay off the custodial staff with the money we'd pooled together. You have to remember: Mother Superior Florence was a terrible woman. It was a group effort. The younger Sisters stood by us, even."

Harry snorted again at such a fantastical story, and James sat back, his expression glowing with pride at a well-spun yarn.

"Alright, fine, enough with my silly stories," James relented, eyes still twinkling. "Tell me how you're getting on with Henry. How's he been?"

Harry's look of amused incredulity softened, his smile grew until it crinkled at the corners of his deep, dark eyes. He adored and missed his fiance, but wasn't always sure when it was the right time to talk about him.

"O-oh! He's well, thank you for asking," Harry bashfully answered. "We're well, actually. It can be difficult, having a relationship long-distance like this, but... we're managing, I think," he explained.

"I won't be up here forever, and much as I love assisting with the research and medical needs of this outpost... I do want to go home."

James gave a serious nod in response. "I know how hard it can be, trying to maintain a relationship across a tundra and at least one ocean. If you ever need to talk about anything, Harry, you can come to me about it. Alright?"

Harry's eyes looked so tired, but so grateful.

"Of course. And... and you can talk to me, James. I know you must miss Ethan terribly."

James blinked in surprise at the mention of his late husband, having honestly forgotten he'd confided in Harry about the anniversary of Ethan's death over a year ago. His posture slumped a little in resigned defeat, but his own smile softened, his bravado melting away to express gratitude of his own.

"... yeah. Yeah, every day. I'll be keeping that in mind. Thank you, Harry."

---

—

Interlude continued.

Happy Pride Month. <3

Fun fact: Commander Murray is a distant cousin of Arthur's, through Arthur's mother's family.

- - -

PREV | BEGINNING | NEXT

[joju-but-trek]

Star Trek: Prodigy Season 2, Episode 9: The Devourer of All Things, Part 1

For a less coherent version of my immediate thoughts, please see this post.

It's difficult to express without massive spoilers just how great this episode is, but it is. The amount of material it covers in 23 minutes, the amount of lore work it does, and its ability to do all that and still be a Prodigy episode is incredible. If nothing you've heard has sold you on Prodigy so far, this episode is worth it. 10/10

I CAN'T BELIEVE GWYN QUOTED ENTERPRISE! SHE SAID THE THING FROM THE SONG! THIS IS THE GREATEST EPISODE EVER!

Thanks for reading my review, I'll be taking a few days off and then we'll get back to it.

I'm kidding, that's not the only thing worth talking about.

When that reference opened the episode, I was already happy, because that's the typical level Prodigy's been doing. Good continuity cuts that make sense in context and add to the current story. And that's the level I was expecting. I was a little surprised that they were already at Chakotay's hideout, but I was ready for it. And then the rug disintegrated into an alternate timeline and Wesley Crusher walked out.

I knew he was in this season - I've seen the cast list - but I'd been pretty good about avoiding what role he would actually play, so I was entirely floored that this was a Wesley episode. I don't dislike Wesley as much as a lot of people do. He's not my favorite character, but I don't think he's actively annoying. But whatever negative things you can say about Wesley Crusher, Wil Wheaton turns in a fantastic performance this episode that throws out all of the criticism. He's basically playing a time lord and I wouldn't be too upset if we got a Doctor Who knockoff featuring this version of Wesley.

The timeline crisis he explains is not at all what I thought they were going to do with the overall plot of this season. They're taking a massive swing by doing a full-on multiverse threat with cosmic predators from the great beyond coming to eat time itself and I can't believe this is really happening. I've said before that my favorite genre of horror is eldritch creatures beyond understanding, and this is exactly what I meant.

We get the explanation, and then we get a proper chase scene with Wesley and Gwyn! I mentioned it before, but even with all the bombshells and fanfare, this is still a show primarily about the six people who we met on Tars Lamora, and this episode is still them interacting with this impossibly large world.

I'm not sure off the top of my head what the room at the end is - I could be wildly wrong but it looks like Kirk's apartment from Wrath of Khan and I want to put absolutely no stock in that - but I am so excited to find out. We are so far off the rails that the idea of getting back on them seems ridiculous.

I have one slight problem - Zero's corporeal form feels wrong somehow. I think they're just too tall. That might be the point, and it might be an after-effect of me watching season 1 in between season 2 episodes, so it could be me.

But this might be one of my favorite episodes of Trek ever for how good it is at building out the stakes, the universe, and the plot. I can't believe Paramount wanted to kill this.

I wasn't kidding about taking a break, by the way. I'm with some friends this weekend, so there will probably be a pause in this watch-through for a few days. Honestly, I'm excited to sit on this and see what I come back with.

[avatarrecom]

Day 27: Safeword

Pairing: Poly!recoms x Recom!reader (can be read as character x reader)

Word count: 1.6k

A/N: This will be the last kinktober prompt for a while. I don't know yet if I'm going to write the other ones. But, I do have a lot requests and idea's that I'm gonna write! so stay tuned for those :) Please let me know what you thought of my kinktober! Did you like it?

Kinktober masterlist

🌍 Recom Miles Quaritch A safeword was your idea. Miles hadn't even thought of it, but you knew how rough he could be, so you thought it was a good idea. When you explained the concept, he understood and promised to honor the word if it was used. Time passed, and you never had to use the safeword. But one night, after multiple intense rounds, it became too much for you. So, you finally used the safeword. The word caught Miles' attention, and he paused, faced with a choice. Should he stop or continue satisfying his desires? Surprisingly, he chose to stop. He looked at you with concern, silently asking for an explanation. "Too...too much," you mumbled, catching your breath as you relaxed on the bed. You heard the rustling of sheets and felt Miles get up from the bed. There was some movement in the room before you felt the bed dip again. Coming back to your senses and focusing on Miles, you realized that he had laid down next to you, accepting your request to stop for the night, or maybe even for a while. You smile to yourself as you shuffle close to him, cuddling into his side and making yourself comfortable.

😈 Recom Lyle Wainfleet Using a safeword with Lyle is a wise decision, but it wasn't suggested by either of you initially. There were instances where you seemed to push him away, but then complained when he stopped, making it difficult to discern when you actually wanted him to stop or not. After he stopped when you didn't want him to, he proposed the idea of a safeword. With the safeword in place, he won't stop or ease up until he hears it, eliminating any confusion. Lyle can be intense in the bedroom, but he always commends you for how well you handle him. He's even impressed that you haven't used the safeword yet. When you do use it, he curses to himself and immediately stops whatever he's doing. He steps back, looks at you, and asks if you're okay. He never wants to hurt you or lose your trust, and hopes he hasn't done so. If you need a break, he's happy to oblige. If you need to stop for the night and want some comfort, he'll hold you and reassure you that everything is okay. From the way you cling to him and rest your head on his chest, he knows he's a pretty good lover.

🍬 Recom Z-dog The safeword is Z-dogs idea. She suggests it playfully, with a mischievous smirk, hinting that you might need it. Later on, she playfully compliments you, impressed that you didn't have to use it. But eventually, the moment arrives when you have to utter the word because she was stimulating you too intensely. It wasn't unbearable, but it was definitely too much. "Too much?" she already understands why you said the word, and she immediately stops what she was doing, just as she promised when she introduced the safeword. You simply nod, trying to catch your breath and relax. She plants a gentle kiss on your lips, grinning at the expression on your face, knowing that you're okay. She showers you with praise before allowing you to snuggle up to her and drift off to sleep.

🥽 Recom Walker She believes it's a fantastic idea. You won't have to use the safeword for an extended period of time because of how cautious she is. However, over time, she becomes more forceful with you as she discovers exactly what you can and cannot handle. When you finally use the safeword, she isn't too surprised since she had intentionally been pushing your limits. Without hesitation, she immediately stops. She checks if you're alright, and you assure her that you are, but it was simply too much and you needed to stop. She holds you and comforts you as you regain your normal breathing. Recognizing that she may have gone a bit too far, she ensures to make it up to you. She prepares a warm bath for you before bringing you back to bed to cuddle, her gentle humming lulling you to sleep.

😎 Recom Mansk He thinks it's a great idea to have a safeword when you suggest it. The moment you say it, he immediately stops. He doesn't rush or make any sudden movements, he gently moves away from you, as if he doesn't want to startle you. At first, he feels sorry, assuming he did something wrong or accidentally hurt you. He knows you wouldn't be angry with him for a mistake, but he still wants to apologize. However, you reassure him that he didn't do anything wrong. Then he just wants to make sure you're okay. You assure him that you are, and you simply want to stop. No questions asked. As long as you're fine, that's all he needs to know. If you just want to cuddle and sleep, he'll grab one of his sweaters for you to wear before snuggling up with you.

🧯 Recom Prager Prager isn't really into anything wild, but it's always a good idea to have a safeword. It's a way to grab his attention and make him stop. When you use the safeword, Prager gets a bit worried and looks at you with wide eyes as he moves away. He stops right away. He comes to your side and asks if you're okay, gently brushing the hair off your face. You reassure him that he didn't do anything wrong, he didn't hurt you, you just wanted to stop. If you just needed a break, he patiently plays with your hair and gives sweet kisses on your face while waiting for you to decide when you're ready to continue. If you want to call it a night, he'll snuggle up with you under the covers, whispering words of love before you both drift off to sleep.

⚕️ Recom Ja You suggest using a safeword because Ja never even considered it, but he's fully supportive. Especially in the early stages of your relationship, Ja is concerned about hurting you or making you uncomfortable, so the safeword helps him relax a bit, knowing you'll use it if necessary. When you do use it, he immediately stops everything. He quickly moves away from you but stays close, checking on you and making sure you're okay. He'll gently stroke your hair making you hum and steady your breathing, patiently waiting for you to communicate what's wrong. Since you're not pushing him away or anything, he assumes he didn't do anything too wrong. He fully accepts, without needing an explanation, that you want to stop, whether it's just for a moment or for the rest of the night. However, he does worry that he may have done something wrong and feels guilty, but a little reassurance and a sweet kiss will ease his concerns. He does want to understand why you needed to stop, but he won't press you to talk about it right then and there if you're not ready. It's just so he knows what to be cautious of in the future. Once he's certain you're okay, he'll lift you from the bed and hold you against his chest, kissing the top of your head before encouraging you to fall asleep in his comforting embrace.

🧢 Recom Brown You suggest using a safeword, just to make you both more comfortable, and he agrees. It goes unused for a while. When you finally use the safeword, Brown quickly stops whatever he was doing and looks at you with concern in his eyes. He quickly apologizes, babbling out his words. You reassure him that it's okay, you just need a break. He nods and moves to your side, opening his arms to invite you into a cuddle. You can't help but smile affectionately as you snuggle into his chest, feeling safe and loved.

📿 Recom Lopez Lopez enjoys pushing your boundaries, but he rarely goes so far that you have to ask him to stop. However, he's not surprised when you do use the safeword because he knew there would come a time when he tested your limits. The moment he hears the word, he immediately halts whatever he's doing. He'll comfort you with kind words and gentle touches, removing any restraints or anything that might make you uncomfortable. Lopez excels at aftercare, understanding your needs because he knows he can sometimes be too intense. He'll make sure you feel at ease, showering you with praise and reassurance. He's not the type to ignore you. He genuinely cares for you and wants to maintain your trust.

⛓️ Recom Fike You suggest the idea of a safeword to Fike, explaining its purpose and why it could be beneficial for both of you. He agrees to it. Initially, neither of you really use it, and Fike even starts to forget about the conversation. However, the moment he hears you utter the safeword, he instantly remembers and becomes fully attentive, focusing on your face. He immediately stops whatever he was doing. Although he can still be stubborn at times, he has gotten better at following rules, especially understanding the importance of this particular one. He seems a bit unsure of what to do or say, as this situation is new to him. Concerned, you reassure him that he didn't hurt you, gently running your fingers through his hair. He crawls up to your side and lies down with you, clearly displaying his worry and uncertainty. Sensing his emotions, you simply inform him that you need to take a break for a while. He nods in understanding, burying his face in the crook of your neck.

[joylinda-hawks]

If your master disappears like that, I will also hide and not want to see anyone. WOH, episode 18, part 2. ZCL reveals his concerns about the location of the Longyuan Sect. ZCL explains to WKX that hiding is like putting mouse traps under your bed. Curious, WKX asks about the traps and ZZS listens in silence to the boy's story. Slightly embarrassed, ZCL begins to tell that once a mouse got into his bedroom and he couldn't catch it. That's why he put two traps under his bed, only to forget about them when he got up in the morning. He lowers his gaze and explains that it was enough to take a careless step and step on one and break his foot. WKX begins to laugh happily at the boy's story and ZZS also smiles slightly. WKX, still calling ZCL a fool, says that people often hide for very prosaic reasons. He adds that the leader of the sect probably feels that enemies are lurking for him and that is why he is hiding in a place where no one will find him. WKX wants to say something else, but YBY explains that Long Que has never been able to refuse and never gets into arguments on his own, which others take advantage of. After a while, he turns to ZZS and, once again calling him QHZ's disciple, says that his master knows perfectly well how it is. ZZS listens to YBY's speech in silence. WKX states that there must be another reason and states that it is sadness. Then he says that the person the leader of the sect would most like to meet will not come to him, so he does not want to think about her, hides and avoids meeting other people. WKX turns to ZCL and, looking at ZZS, explains that if his master disappears like that one day, WKX will also hide and will not want to see anyone. ZZS sighs significantly when he hears these words. ZCL, who didn't quite understand what WKX wanted to say with these words, says that it's like in the story of Yu Bo Ya, who cut the strings of his zither. WKX clears his throat because he doesn't know what the boy is talking about and looks at him, ZZS also looks at ZCL. Surprised by the reaction of both men, ZCL replies that WKX shouldn't worry, because it won't happen. The boy continues that ZZS is very strong and always does good and will definitely live to a happy old age. Unexpectedly, LX speaks up and says that bad deeds bring wealth, for good deeds no one will even give a person a funeral. YBY asks LX if he wants to die now. LX is irritated but remains silent. ZZS asks YBY to go first. YBY looks at ZZS, but moves forward without a word. ZZS follows him, ZCL and WKX. Finally, when they are in the mountains, they discover that in front of them there is a hanging bridge over a huge chasm, which they have to cross to go further. On the other side there is a wooden building leaning against the mountainside. Our four heroes look at this bridge and the abyss. LX speaks up again and says that you don't risk, you gain nothing. And asks if they want to get to the headquarters of the Longyuan Sect. He explains that he is on the other side of the bridge. Then he asks if they are afraid that he will lead them into a trap. WKX shows his interest in ZZS in a rather sophisticated way, who is already fed up with his texts about feelings for ZZS. ZCL does not know that ZZS is dying and, like a child, makes his own plans, not knowing that it is causing pain to both ZZS and WKX. ZZS is not able to tell the boy the truth, not yet. The closer they get to the location of the Longyuan Sect, LX becomes more and more impudent. In this scene we can see ZZH's fantastic game, limited to micro expressions and small gestures, ZZH is a master at it and here it works very well

[baltimorebullets]

yes i also saw nosferatu (eggers, 2024). yes i am using this as an excuse to diary post. cw for (c)sa and trauma and etc

THE ACTUAL MOVIE: was obviously fantastic by just about any measurement and i am once again mad that so many Genre movies are Bad when they could be Good and i don't even necessarily mean like Particularly Pretentious it's just like. once again. throwback to monkey man. you can make an action movie and monsterfucking horror movie and have it be fully An Action Movie or A Monsterfucking Horror Movie and also have a single meaningful thing to say or execute or whatever. shoutout eggers.

PONDERINGS ON THEMES: so there was this bit in mormon and the methhead (podcast) talked about their experiences being molested as children, and, being as they are comedians, they talked about having a shelved sketch about tearfully talking about their experience, in a diner or somewhere, only for someone to lean over the back of the bench and go, "wait, you were molested? i was molested!"

and then the waitress stops and says, "you were molested? so was i!"

and then it just keeps zooming out and out and out until the whole world is saying, "we've all been molested!"

i'm starting out with that anecdote because i think that, once the specter of sexual violence enters your life, it's kind of hard to stop the spread. i want to say that's just the afab experience; if you're called a girl when you come out, then by the time you're thirteen half of the people you love will have been raped, and this will continue to be a formative threat through the continued development of your gender and sexuality and general personhood.

but is that true, though? Statistics Say it's minority experience. i said threat because i was not, actually, personally, a victim of csa. just my friends, family, community. but even then—

i hesitated to even make this clarification because i think there is a real value to understanding rape as another form of violence, and not a necessarily a transcendental one, and i don't— like, i don't want to be the one who separates the specifics of how my personhood and wellbeing were ceaselessly violated for what remains most of my life, and how that has resulted in a somewhat predictable pattern of learned behaviors and responses that greatly resemble other experiences, except that experience is often dealt an even worse hand vis a vis The Taboo Of It All. and the threat was/is real, a roll of the dice, even less given certain demographics in play. it can't be a surprise that i've made it some ways into adulthood and had a line crossed or two.

but. it's still a specific experience. and i think there can be a hazard to getting too comfortable without earning the metaphor or whatever. i thought nosferatu earned it. i hope i do more good, standing shoulder to shoulder, out of genuine effort and thought and love, but i don't want to oversell my hand, either. so i'm now i'm going to talk about Trauma, broadly.

one thing that's really hard to talk about is how the worst thing that ever happened to you, like, wasn't that bad. like it was. changed you in grotesque, fundamental ways. very nearly killed you and kinda makes you feel like it should have sometimes. but like then you have to/try to tell someone else about it, and it's like, ugh, well, yes, but no. like how the fuck do you explain that to someone who doesn't immediately go "yes i know exactly what you mean."

and the only reason we can even have that conversation is after—

i mean, it was merciful, genuinely merciful, that eggers skipped the male entitlement part of thomas learning his wife was impure. his friends, a doctor, Society, okay, sure, that's a different story, a different conversation. but if we're finally, finally, actually talking about the thing—

well. you know. what if the break isn't clean and what if you still talk to them and what if you welcomed them in in your own loneliness and what if you came and what if you loved some part of some thing and what if It Is You, In Some Way and what if it made you weak and what if it made you sharp and what if having these Experiences is a million different things that isn't ellen just weakly throwing herself into thomas' arms, begging for forgiveness for her past transgressions, thomas, who in a different story would be sturdy and unwaveringly brave and absolutely unviolated, or too weak to carry on if he was.

in another world, she would have been a priestess. if it mattered, if people cared, if people listened, then there could be more to ~victimhood than an opportunity for white knighting and repentance. because that's what it comes down to. it's power and control that it happened in the first place, that it was allowed to continue, the whens and hows it stops, if it stops.

there are people, friends, i've known for years and years and years who i will simply not say a fucking word to about Everything, because there's no point, even though it's In Me. and OBVIOULSY there are some #spaces where i simply will not stop talking about it, some people with whom i think that's a good, valuable thing between us. and some of that is trust, yes, but some of it is purposefully curated environment. the fandom i grew up in was a fraction as dedicated to shame as today's fandom. and it's not just the porn. obviously i am a big fan of the porn but like. when you're talking about taboo, shame, vulgarity, obscenity. it's never just porn getting caught up in people's flinches, disgust, silencing, everything. nosferatu was very much a movie about sex, and it was kinda hot, and it was scary, and sad, and real. and i liked it a lot. and i cannot fucking survive on a planet where these conversations are just ring-lighted people making significant eye contact with their phones while talking about "grapes."

anyway today was the one-year anniversary of me accomplishing my life's one big true goal, which was just to have any life at all that i didn't have to pay dearly for. and it took so fucking long. and it was so fucking hard and i had to give up so fucking much and i feel so hollowed out. just empty.

it's been, objectively, an okay year. especially compared to last three. the lows have been less catastrophic. the apocalyptic feeling of going home for the holidays did, at least, confirm that it's a specific feeling, tied to a specific place and people. i don't know if there's enough Me left — enough fucking time on the literal planet's doomsday clock — for things to genuinely get even halfway good. but. here we are. and it's. fine. there's that like existentialist wwi version of auld lang syne that just goes "we're here because we're here because we're here because we're here" and honestly that's all there is to it. just seeing shit through. why the fuck not.

[lamuradex]

40K In 42 Days Update: Week One

@the-wip-project

Started with 20,191. I'm now at 24,331.

So that means I'm 4140 Words in. 10.35%.

I think I might be a little behind a week into the challenge, but I'll catch up. I'm not gonna let myself get too stressed by all this.

For this challenge I'm continuing my latest novel The Madman and The Princess, a comedic crime drama, which features a pair of crooks, Gideon and Madeline, trying to make their way in the world, all the while dealing with bigger criminals who keep trying to cause them trouble.

And, just because I'm bored, I'm going to post the last section I've been working on, where Madeline is part of a heist crew, and she's stuck with the insufferable team hacker while robbing someone's house and disabling the security.

Excerpt below the break

Madeline started looking around the room. A few bookshelves, multiple hard drives, a few processors branded with SuperTech, so they were almost certainly in the right place. No valuables though, which was disappointing.

“So, what I’m doing is, I’m plugging into the system and attacking the Log In Protocols with various programs. One’s that will bypass the password and let us in,” Charles explained.

“Great,” Maddy answered with very little interest.

“I just need to get something into the OS, make it boot up in safe mode, and thus bypass the log in altogether.”

“Grand,” she said with more emphasis.

“And then I’ll be able to-”

“Fantastic!” she interrupted sharply. She was still searching the room by torchlight, but could hear how put out he was. She didn’t care. “Isn’t all the security footage usually stored in a hard drive anyway? Couldn’t we just steal that?”

Charles flapped his lips like she’d just proposed flying out of there. “Are you insane? There could be so many back-ups. And even if not, it’s better to make sure the footage isn’t still on the computer.”

“Then why don’t we just take the whole computer? I’m sure it’s worth something,” she suggested.

“Yes, but I’d love to see you carry it out of here,” Charles shot back.

Maddy glared. “Ever been slapped by a plastic hand, Charles?”

“Pardon?”

“Would you like to be?” She brandished her prosthetic.

Charles grimaced, priming some insult. Likely one concerning dexterity. But Maddy didn’t give him the chance.

“There’s a safe over here, by the way.” She shone her torch at it. No picture to hide this one, it was a black rectangle in the wall with a keypad on it.

“Interesting,” Charles sprang out of his chair. “Let’s see what goodies are in here.” He popped on his headset and got Gloria on the line. “Gloria, I need info on a Hazard Safe 4013, serial number 345-” and Maddy stopped listening. She wandered to the computer, the tablet plugged in and doing… something. Then she paused. A metaphorical bulb came on over her head.

Security’s greatest weakness was always human error, or so Gideon had always taught her. You could walk right in to or out of any building with the right uniform and a confident enough attitude. All it took was a lazy guard who didn’t want to check credentials, or someone who could be intimidated out of doing their job.

And this security room was inside someone's house. Surely, if someone was in here, as they already were, then that meant they’d already beaten the security, right? And from what she knew, Efram Malik was in his forties. He was old. The kind of man who may have forgotten his dog and left it to his staff to manage for the weekend. 

She leaned around the monitor and checked the back. And, while not on the monitor itself, there was a little scrap of yellow paper sticking out from under the mouse mat. It was a post-it note. On it was written “Mailk1985SUPERSTAR!” in messy handwriting.

Without checking with Charles, she typed it in and unlocked the computer.

“I’m in,” she said dramatically.

“What!” Charles looked back.

Maddy got up and didn’t care to explain. “You two got that safe open yet?”

“What? No? How did you-”

“Have you tried powder on the keypad to check for fingerprints. That’s worked for me in the past,” she bold facedly lied.

“I’ll… I’ll get to that computer in a minute. Don’t touch anything else.”

“You sure? I could check the cameras to see where the valuables are?” she suggested.

Charles flapped, stuck between working on the safe and working on the computer.

“Do you want me to work on the safe? You can hack the system or whatever?”

“Um… Yes, that sounds right,” Charles agreed, sounding a little confused at even that decision.

“Then I’ll need your headset, right? Have Gloria walk me through the safe?” She stuck out a hand to accept it.

Charles thought, but clearly couldn’t come up with an argument. He passed over the Bluetooth earpiece and a small bag of tech tools. Maddy clipped on the earpiece.

“…and what do you mean you’re alone with her? Charles? Answer me?” Gloria called.

“Charles can’t come to the phone right now. He wants me to get the safe open while he deals with the cameras and such,” Maddy answered in her best call centre voice.

“What? Why are you on Charles’s phone?”

“I literally just said,” Maddy stated. “Now, how am I getting into this safe. Because I could just take a crowbar to it if it’s easier.”

“No!” Gloria stopped her. “Seriously, Charles wants you to open the safe?”

“He’s very busy,” Maddy brushed her off, temper rising.

“How much do you know about private security?”

“I’m going to say very little.”

“And what about coaxial ports and cables?”

“Even less.”

“And you’re supposed to get a safe open? Oh, honey,” Gloria crooned.

Maddy took a breath, counting to ten in her head. “Look, all you need to do is tell me what bits go where and we can do this. If not, we can wait until Charles is done with the computer. So, what are we doing?”

Gloria sighed. “If I must. Tell me, are there any ports on the front of the safe?”

Maddy looked. “No.”

“No little divots? Little plug sockets? You know what a plug looks like, right?”

Maddy did her best to shoot a scowl down the phone line. “Did you really just ask that?”

“Are there any holes on the front of the safe?” Gloria asked slowly.

“No there are not,” Maddy answered slower. “The front is a clean matt-black with a ten number keypad. There’s a digital display for the numbers but the classic sort like a calculator display. There are no ports of any kind. So, now what?”

Gloria thought a moment. “Can you find any powder in your vicinity? There might still be residue on the buttons.”

Maddy gritted her teeth so hard it hurt.

[danlous]

i mean, besides this fandom generally only caring about the white man's story, rolin already said that the show fans knew is over and the real story will begin now. lestat is here and he will set the record straight and tell the real story. he didnt say his story, he said real story. he also said it won't be guys sitting in a room doing interviews anymore, which implies that there is no pushing back on lestat's narrative. if i remember the books correctly, his story going forward (or rather his past) will involve armand, who the story tells us is at this point is the only bad guy around, because lestat is all about forgiveness (as rolin said), another fantastic setup for the evil brown man, good white guy. and regarding louis being saved by a white men yet again, how else do you see it? without daniel, he would have continued to stay with the evil brown man not being able to make the decision to leave. it's not on the same level of white saviorism as lestat, but louis' story once again hinges on a white man. if the showrunner tells me the only reason he wanted this job was to do tvl, i believe him and yes that does affect how i think season 3 will go and how i view way he handled s2 and how he did not treat it with much respect, considering he never once brought up the theme of race and started to promote season 3 before the goddamn finale had even aired.

Your thoughts are completely understandable. I guess why i'm personally more optimistic is that for every discouraging tidbit there's something encouraging that makes me think they know what they're doing. Even that teaser as Lestat centric and campy it is also emphasizes his volatility and aggression and performativeness, and makes it clear that everything he does is about Louis. It also implies that a documentary about Lestat is being made and Daniel is involved, and with Daniel there's definitely going to be a strong pushback to his narrative.

Wrt Daniel being depicted as a white savior and Armand as an evil brown man i'd agree if this was the end of the show and their arcs but it's really only the beginning. I had issues how Armand was written in the s2 finale, but i concede that he's one of the main characters we've barely glimpsed and they're planning his story and character arc for like 6-7 seasons (i think that's what rolin said lol) and i'm almost certain he's going to have plenty of nuance and won't be portrayed as evil villain. Meanwhile i don't think Daniel really saves Louis. Louis invites him because he thinks he's the key to understanding what transpired, but i think it's clear that Louis had the keys all along and he didn't really need Daniel. I think both Louis and Armand deep down hoped that something would break their relationship (hence Armand rather quickly giving up his attempt to get Louis stay), and if it hadn't been Daniel it would've sooner or later been something else. Daniel so far has worked primarily in service of Louis' character, and though Louis cares about him he's not depicted as a nice guy, he's an asshole and hypocrite and at the end of s2 an unrepentant killer.

All these characters and their stories are connected to each other and i just don't think the show that is still being made by the same people that made the first two seasons is going to abandon the nuanced and race conscious storytelling it has pretty consistently demonstrated so far. Rolin also isn't the only writer on the show. Again, this is just my own my perspective and trying to explain why i'm still optimistic. Of course it's entirely possible i'm wrong and i'm setting myself up for a huge disappointment. I'm taking that risk but i completely understand people who don't want to do that after Rolin's comments

[alfietalksaboutcomics]

The Comics I've Read in March

I've devised a new type of monthly post for this blog, I'm going to keep track of and talk a bit about comics I've read each month that are either some of my favorite reads or ones that I'd find it interesting to ramble about. This is in large part to keep track of what I've read in any given month and to create little time capsules for myself. Without further ado let's get into what I read this month starting with my the single issues.

Single Issues

X-Men Forever #1 by Gillen and Maresca

X-Men Forever #1 by Kieron Gillen and Luca Maresca is a weird issue. It exists in this bizarre liminal space in terms of continuity. It takes place after Immortal X-Men but before the already released first two issues of Rise of The Powers of X. So essentially the issue is playing narrative catch up, it's explaining how we get from Immortal X-Men to Rise of The Powers of X. That being said it's not like you could read this before the first two issues of Rise of The Powers of X, it is very much is built around the expectation that you have already read those first two issues. So like I said, the book finds itself in a bizarre liminal space.

Despite all that weirdness, the book is still fantastic. It was an exhilarating read that just didn't let up. The hits just kept up coming at a breakneck pace. It feels like the book is weaving together two halves into a complete article of clothing, picking up threads from one half and effortlessly weaving it into the other.

On the art front I was happily surprised. I didn't dislike Maresca's art on Children Of The Vault but I didn't love it either. I don't know if it's that he has stepped it up or if it's the fact that this is a different colorist but it's exceptional work. The facial work in particular blew my breath away on several occasions. To return to the coloring for a second, in the past I haven't considered myself a fan of Blee, I had thought of his colors as bland and washed out. But for whatever reason here I absolutely adore his work and I can't exactly say why.

I have two favorite panels from this issue, the first is Sinister Doug's little chest hair, it's absolutely adorable.

The other is actually a set of panels. It's when, upon learning that the mutants who walked through the gates are alive, Charles Xavier falls to his knees and breaks down into tears. It's a perfect payoff to when he broke down in tears when he thought he sent them all into a meat grinder at the Hellfire Gala.

Resurrection of Magneto #3 by Ewing and Vecchio

I haven't really talked about Resurrection Of Magneto by Al Ewing and Luciano Vecchio online in any form so let me rectify that here. Resurrection Of Magneto serves as a coda to Al Ewing's time in the Krakoan era, it only makes sense that in this final stretch the focus shifts to his two primary focus characters in his X-Men work, Magneto and Storm. Resurrection Of Magneto has been a fantastic book all the way through and this issue is no exception.

Despite Ewing's always fantastic writing, the most continually notable thing about this series to me is the work Vecchio is doing in it. I was a fan of his work even before this series, but even I must admit that his work in Resurrection Of Magneto has been a improvement by magnitudes. It's honestly been shocking to see him shine like he has in this series where before his art wasn't nearly at this level.

My favorite panel from this issue is rather silly but it's the panel where we see the array of the Phoenix's opposites. It has to be my favorite because it brings in a deep DEEP pull in the first fallen. A bizarre character from the tail end of Claremont's return to Uncanny X-Men in the late 2000s.

X-Force #50 by Percy and Gill

X-Force #50 by Benjamin Percy and Robert Gill is the final issue of Percy's run on X-Force. I've been a massive fan of this run all the way through. Percy has been doing what seems almost impossible in big two comics nowadays, a slow burn story. Indeed making it to fifty issues is pretty miraculous at this point and time.

X-Force #50 gave me a adrenaline rush while reading it, but not for the reason one might hope. No, all the while reading this comic my brain was racing with one question: "How the hell do they wrap this up in 20 pages?". The answer? They rushed to the conclusion. It's not bad but it does feel uncharacteristically rushed. I have the feeling that Percy thought he may have had more runway then he actually did, that he had to wrap up unexpectedly quickly. Which sounds insane to say considering he already had fifty issues worth of story, but given what we know about the sudden editorial change in the X-office it seems possible that if Jordan White stayed on perhaps Percy would have been on X-Force for even longer.

As is X-Force #50 is fine, it's a utilitarian ending for a story that feels like it needed more room to breathe. That being said overall Percy's run on X-Force is exemplary comics.

Series

All-Star Superman by Morrison and Quitely

Before All-Star Superman by Grant Morrison and Frank Quitely I never read a superman comic before. Hell, the only other DC I read was Spirit World #1. So in a effort to read something other then a marvel comic I decided to pick up one of the most famous and beloved Superman stories of all-time.

I find All-Star Superman to be a exceptionally hard series to write about. Even though it's only twelve issues, those issues are dense. I've always thought that Morrison does a great job making a single issue feel like six. All-Star Superman is no different, the issues are dense and feel like they tell their own complete stories.

Based off the iconic cover to the first issue of the series and knowing a little bit about the basic premise I honestly thought that it would be an exploration of the character of Superman and how he deals with his impending death. I was admittedly, very wrong. The series is in fact not an exploration of Superman, but his mythology. The series spotlights the major characters of Superman's mythos like Lois Lane, Jimmy Olsen, Bizzaro, Lex Luther, and more. It feels like a celebration of Superman and the characters history.

On the art front Quitely delivers amazing facial expressions as always. I first encountered Quitely's art in New X-Men, where he really gets to shine by having so many weird freaks to draw. All-Star Superman doesn't nearly have as many bizarre freaks which does make me sad, that being said the work is still incredible.

A complete aside but, my favorite character from All-Star Superman has to be Lex Luthor, the man just has impeccable hater energy.

Lex Luthor is Ahab and Superman is his Moby Dick, I just have to admire the complete and total devotion to hating one man with every fiber of your being.

Moon Knight by Lemire and Smallwood

Back in January I wrote about Moon Knight by Warren Ellis and Declan Shalvey. I would describe that run as sleek and stylish, it largely runs on vibes. Back when I wrote about it I put a lot of attention on the fact that the series really doesn't focus much on Marc Spector's interiority. Moon Knight by Jeff Lemire and Greg Smallwood sits on the opposite end of the spectrum, focusing so much on Marc's interiority that the fourteen issues almost entirely takes place inside Marc's mind.

The series is a deep dive into the fractured mind of Moon Knight. Marc and all of his alters get a focus. The first arc starts off with a lot of inertia but honestly kinda slows down at a certain point, it doesn't feel like it needs to be five issues. In the second arc the focus shifts primarily to the alters and we see the world from their perspective which is conveyed through different art styles, it's a pretty smart way to go about fill in artists. The last arc sees Marc reconcile with his alters and go after Khonshu who is trying to take over their body. The last arc is by far the strongest in the book in my estimation, Smallwood returns as the primary artist and his work is just so above all of the fill in artists.

The art across the series is stellar. Smallwood is the primary artist and he brings a otherworldly feel to the comic. It honestly reminds me a little of Sienkiewicz's work at times, which makes sense given he worked on the original run of Moon Knight. Special mention also has to go to colorist Jordie Bellaire, who brings the same careful use of color and it's absence like she did in the Ellis and Shalvey run. Both Smallwood and Bellaire's combined talent lends the book a almost chalky look? Which sounds odd to say but it's the best word to describe the look of the series.

My favorite sequence from the run has to be a flashback that takes place after the funeral of Marc's father. Marc laments to his mother that his father hated him, when she retorts that his father did indeed loved him, Marc experiences a dissociative episode and Steven takes over. Marc's mother reacts poorly telling him to knock it off.

This sequence deeply resonated with me. While I don't suffer from D.I.D I do suffer from Bipolar and I can recall having similar conversations with my own mother when my episodes would flair up. The tragic thing is that for both Marc's mom and mine it doesn't come from a place of malice but a misunderstanding of their child's condition. It's a wonderful depiction of what it's like for your loved ones to not truly understand your condition and it's the moment that most impacted me.

Silver Surfer Requiem by Straczynski and Ribic

Silver Surfer Requiem by J. Michael Straczynski and Esad Ribic is a beautiful series both visually and narratively. It's kind of funny that I read this so soon after All-Star Superman since they have such similar premises. A being of great cosmic power—in this case the Silver Surfer—is faced with their own approaching death. It's a fairly superficial connection but one I find funny all the same.

The writing is quite lovely but the real draw is Ribic's art. There are ample splash pages which are so amazing and breathtaking I want to frame them. I've always thought that Ribic's art has a mythic quality to it and here is no different.

It's very hard to pick one splash panel to showcase here, there are so many amazing ones in this short four issue mini. The one I ultimitely landed on showcasing is this one:

It's a page of the Silver Surfer before he was the Silver Surfer approaching Galactus with a bargain to save his home planet. It's a pretty simple page but something about it just sings to me. Galactus's machinery is a precursor to Ribic's later celestial technology in Eternals. And something about Galactus's face just feels so omnipotent, so beyond human, so unknowable.

Black Cat by MacKay

Before I go any further I feel the need to give some context, in preparation for the upcoming Marvel event Blood Hunt I decided to read all of Jed MacKay's major marvel works, some of which I go over later in this post. I'm calling it my MacKayathon. Black Cat was the first step in that and my god is it a good first impression.

Before reading MacKay's Black Cat I had no opinion on Felicia Hardy a.k.a the Black Cat. around twenty-eight issues later I find myself utterly obsessed with this character and her world. MacKay's Black Cat run is stretched across two volumes, two annuals, one giant-sized issue, one one shot, and one mini. Even when spread across multiple titles, twenty-eight issues of Black Cat is insane.

Black Cat is all about heists. In fact the first volume is essentially her stealing stuff from everyone in the marvel universe, including, Doctor Strange, the Fantastic Four, Iron Man, Danny Rand, and even fucking Kade Killgore. The highlight for me has to be the last two issues where in the process of stealing from Tony Stark, Felicia creates the Iron Cat suit of armor, which is really an amazing design.

The supporting cast is also great, from Black Cat's crew Bruno and Dr. Korpse, to her aging mentor the Black Fox, to her rival and leader of the Thieves Guild of New York Odessa Drake. It's a great cast and MacKay made me care deeply about all of them. Generally Mackay has that effect, of taking characters I either didn't give a damn about before or didn't even know and elevating them to become some of my favorites.

On the art front for the first volume, Travel Foreman does a great job but his pencils is occasionally hampered by colorist Brian Reber, who's colors are fantastic with all the other artists on the series but don't gel with Foreman's pencils for whatever reason. The future lead designer on Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse, Kris Anka does two issues and brings his trademarked stylistic flair to the book. In my opinion though, the artist who best fits the series is the one who comes in for the last two issues, MacKay's future collaborator on Avengers, Carlos Villa. Villa just feels like a star who is waiting for the right book, something about his expressive faces and style just feel perfectly suited to big two comics and especially the expressive Black Cat.

One complaint I have about the art is the way Black Cat is sometimes sexualized for the male gaze. For the most part outside of the first annual this isn't really a big issue in the interiors, but the covers for the first volume it's a entirely different matter. J. Scott Campbell's covers for the first volume most resemble pin up posters, it's a little gratuitous and just feels gross.

Sadly due to covid related reasons the initial run of Black Cat was cancelled prematurely. Fortunately the second volume came out only a few months later, however it starts somewhat oddly. Black Cat volume two begins with three event tie-in issues. They are by no means bad, they are quite fun in fact, but they do interrupt the flow of the book somewhat. However after those first three issues the new volume picks back up the threads of the old volume and starts to continue the story.

Issues five through seven of the series comprise The Gilded City arc which is essentially the pay off to everything that has come before it. It's a wonderful end to the story of MacKay's Black Cat. However that's not quite the end, there are still three more issues that comprise the Infinity Score arc of the series. The Infinity Score arc is a weird one, It's building off of the Infinite Destinies series of annuals that introduce hosts to the infinity stones. Some of the annuals are good but others are pretty bland if I'm being frank. In Infinity Score Felicia must assemble the infinity stone hosts to pull off a heist. Unfortunately the series was cancelled again, with only three of the infinity stone hosts gathered. The silver lining to this is that MacKay gets to finish up the story in Giant-Size Black Cat: Infinity Score, even if seemingly the original plans had to be changed as no more infinity stone hosts join Felicia's team and she has to make do (much like MacKay) with what she has to complete the job.

For the second volume the bulk of the issues are penciled by the returning Carlos Villia. However the Gilded City arc has Michael Dowling, a fill in artist for the first volume, return. Dowling's style is much more reminiscent of Foreman's then anything done by Villia. But honestly he works wonders none the less. Luckily the cover artist has changed from Campbell to comics superstar artist Pepe Larraz. Larraz's covers much like all of his work are breathtaking, and unlike Campbell's work it manages not to sexualize Felicia for the sake of the male gaze!

The last bit of MacKay's run on Black Cat is a five issue mini, Iron Cat. This series sees the return of that exceptional Iron Cat suit of armor as Felicia's ex, Tamara Blake steals the armor and makes a attempt on Felicia's life. Black Cat must team up with Iron Man to take her down and get back his armor.

The art team on Iron Cat is Pere Pérez on pencils and Frank D'Armata on colors. Pérez does a great job, his work is very detailed but still has a lot of life to it. D'Armata is someone I have complicated feelings about, his color work often gives comics this weird glossy look, as if everything and everyone was covered in Vaseline and shoe polish. His colors often are very cold to me, especially building interiors. However here his work doesn't bother me so much, sure I still would have preferred Reber but D'Armata gets the job done.

Iron Cat is a good bit disconnected from the rest of the run. For instance Bruno and Dr. Korpse, two central characters in both volumes of Black Cat, barely appear at all. But it's still a great comic and one that compliments the rest of the run.

Taskmaster by MacKay and Vitti

Taskmaster by MacKay and Alessandro Vitti is a fun and short series, it's only five issues and it's plot is pretty straight forward. The basic gist of the plot is this: someone has killed Maria Hill and framed Taskmaster, Black Widow is after him to avenge Hill but Nick Fury Jr saves Taskmaster's life and recruits him to finish Hill's mission, which involved securing a old H.A.M.M.E.R a doomsday device, the only wrinkle is that to get access to the doomsday device Taskmaster must get close enough to three super spies to copy their biometric signatures or whatever. And that's essentially the plot of the book, sure there are a few twists towards the end but now you largely understand the structure of Taskmaster. Each issue focuses on Taskmaster getting the biometric whatever of one of the super spies, rinse and repeat till it all comes to ahead in issue five.

The thing that makes the series worth the read though is Mackay's voice for Taskmaster. Mackay's Taskmaster is just a lovable goofball.

Taskmaster is just a real joy in this series, he is just such a silly little guy. That being said MacKay doesn't pretend that Taskmaster is all jokes, he's a competent mercenary who knows when to put his straight face on. He's simultaneously lovable and pretty scary, it's a great balance.

There are really only two notable things about Vitti's art in this series to me. firstly his men are big and bulky, which doesn't really speak to anything deeper but is the main thing I remember about his art here. The second thing is that he gets a lot of range of emotion out of a skull mask, Taskmaster is constantly expressive in pretty extreme ways, that alone deserves some props.

I'll just present my favorite panel from this series without comment.

The Death of Doctor Strange by MacKay and Garbett

I wouldn't regularly pick up The Death of Doctor Strange by MacKay and Lee Garbett. I'm just not a huge Doctor Strange guy. That being said, it's the precursor to MacKay's run on Strange and Doctor Strange and by the rules of the MacKayathon I am compelled to read it. With that being said I quite liked The Death of Doctor Strange.

The titles really gives the central premise of the book away, Doctor Strange is murdered, the twist however is that he is going to solve his own murder! This is possible because a unspecified amount of years ago, Doctor Strange took a week off his life expectancy to create a version of himself to avenge his death, the wrinkle though? He only has that one week to solve the case! This is a pretty fun and clever concept and by far the most compelling thing about the book. Seeing this past Strange reckon not only with his future and the choices of his future self makes for good drama.

Upon Strange dying a magical protective seal around the world fails, thus enters the Three Mothers, a trio of beings who capture magic users to feed their eldritch and fetile master, the Peregrine Child.

Besides being creepy and serving as antagonists these villains start a funny trend across MacKay's work at Marvel, the elaborately designed weirdo villain team. Two examples of this from his later work would be the Twilight Court and the Bloodcoven.

It's just a funny recurring beat I've seen in his work.

I honestly don't have strong opinions on Garbett's art generally, his work somewhat reminds me of Joshua Cassara's, especially in the faces. Both artists employ pretty blocky anatomy. Antonio Fabela's colors are quite nice, they especially pop when it comes to the more magical moments.

Earlier on in this post I talked about how I admired Lex Luthor's raw hater energy. Well Doctor Strange has his very own hater, Baron Mordo. I know just about nothing about Mordo except for the fact that he hates strange and hates the idea of Strange dying by anyone's hands but his.

Closing Thoughts

So that concludes the "My Favorite Comics I've Read in March", this post honestly turned out a lot longer then I expected clocking in around 3,500 words. But overall I think this has been a worth while exercise. See you next month, the MacKayathon will continue!