#what is the most dangerous animal in the world 2022

[graysoncritic]

A (Negative) Analysis of Tom Taylor's Nightwing Run - Who is Dick Grayson?

Introduction Who is Dick Grayson? What Went Wrong? Dick's Characterization What Went Wrong? Barbara Gordon What Went Wrong? Bludhaven (Part 1, Part 2) What Went Wrong? Melinda Lin Grayson What Went Wrong? Bea Bennett What Went Wrong? Villains Conclusion Bibliography

When asked to describe Dick Grayson’s character, many will say he is good. He is Bruce Wayne’s light, the person he could have been had someone offered Bruce understanding and guidance after his trauma. Dick is a leader. A big brother. A mentor. He is someone people can look up to, someone others can trust. He is “The Heart of the DCU.”

(Williamson, Joshua, writer. Sampere, Daniel; Herbert, Jack; Camuncoli, Giuseppe; Sandoval, Rafa, illustrators. Dawn of the DCU. Dark Crisis on Infinite Earth no. 7, e-book ed. DC Comics, 2022. pp. 28)

Characters, much like real people, are more than just a trait. Jason Todd is more than “angry.” Bruce Wayne is more than just “brooding.” Tim Drake is more than just “smart.” Characters are multidimensional. They have multiple facets, some of which may contradict one another because characters, just like people, are not created out of mathematical equations where two plus two always equals four. Humans are emotional. Their being is informed by past experiences, biology, culture. The intricate combination of these vastly different factors leads to inconsistency in rationality that may not always be logical. Dick being “good” does not mean that Dick can’t be angry, that he can’t make mistakes, or that he can’t lash out or be unreasonable, especially when stressed. Dick being “good” does not mean he can’t brood, does not mean he can’t be suspicious, nor does it mean he will always like everyone. Dick being “good” does not mean he can’t be his own worst enemy, that he can’t be calculative and strategic, that he always needs to be upbeat, or that he can’t be the most intelligent person in the room.

(Grayson, Devin, writer. Zircher, Patch, illustrator. Slow Burn. Nightwing no 93, e-book ed. DC Comics, 2004. pp. 10-11)

Sam Humphries also demonstrated this during his brilliant story, The Untouchable. There, Dick’s relentless determination to save people from the Judge’s machinations grows so intense that it becomes self-destructive. The story demonstrates how Dick’s “goodness” comes from a form of toxic perfectionism that has been with him since he was a child — a perfectionism born of a low self-worth that eats at him from the inside out

(Humphries, Sam, writer. Janson, Klaus; Campbell, Jamal, illustrators. Ruthless. Nightwing: Rebirth no. 37, e-book ed. DC Comics, 2018. pp. 08)

Even the 2003 animated series Teen Titans understood that in trying to catch the bad guy — almost always Slade Wilson in the case of that show — Dick could sometimes go too far.

Dick’s goodness causes him to see himself as a danger to not just his loved ones, but everyone who stands near him. He carries the world on his shoulders, taking the blame for every tragedy and seeing every death as a personal failure. When pushed to its worst, Dick’s goodness becomes an obsession which pushes others away, leading to isolation as Dick’s entire existence narrows down to accomplishing one specific goal. 

It is this reductive characterization of Dick – the idea that his one defining trait is that he is “good” – that leads many to misunderstand the appeal of his character. As I mentioned above, characters are multi-facet, and Dick is no exception. However, the ways in which Dick is multi-facet are very different from the ways in which most characters are multi-facet.

Please do not mistake what I am about to say by claiming these other characters are not complex. Or even that some of them might not subvert popular tropes. What I mean saying is that Dick’s complexity is demonstrated differently than what I believe most people are accustomed to.

For example, everyone knows Bruce Wayne keeps his feelings locked up inside. He compartmentalizes his emotions and his trauma in order to solve the puzzle put ahead of him. But everyone – characters and readers alike – understands Bruce is doing this. Everyone can tell that he is hiding something from others and keeping them at a distance. The reader is always aware of how Bruce’s trauma informs his actions, his interactions, and his thought process. 

(Grayson, Devin; Barr, Mike W., writers. Davis, Alan; Robinson, Roger, illustrator. Procedure. Batman: Gotham Knights  no. 25, e-book ed. DC Comics, 2002. pp. 20)

Take, for instance, Part One of Murderer/Fugitive. Although a major source of tension from the story surrounds the question of Bruce’s innocence, there’s never any question in the minds of the reader and the character that Bruce is hiding something. Tim Drake questions whether Bruce truly did kill Vesper Child and is hiding his motive, while Dick is certain of Bruce’s innocence and instead believes Bruce is hiding his alibi or the clues that would help them find the real murderer. Barbara Gordon, for her part, wavers between the two, but like Tim, Dick, and the reader, she is certain of one thing: Bruce Wayne is hiding something from her, from them… From us.

Similarly, Jason Todd’s anger comes from a place of hurt and a place of love, from insecurities and a need to prove himself. But like Bruce, all of that is clear to see. His anger and his hurt are simple to understand. Please, do not mistake this for me claiming that Jason is not a complex character — instead, I’m stating that his temperament, his trauma, and his actions are so interlinked that they are clear for the reader to see. His character, while rich, is more accessible. It does not take a lot of effort to know that Jason is angry because of what was done to him. It is easy to see that he is hurt because he equates Bruce’s love to the Joker’s death, and therefore sees Bruce’s failure to avenge him “proof” that Bruce does not love him as a son. 

(Winick, Judd, writer. Battle, Eric, illustrator. All They Do is Watch Us Kill: Part 3: It Only Hurts When I Laugh. Batman no. 650, e-book ed. DC Comics, 2006. pp. 13) Dick, on the other hand, does not wear his emotions, his motivations, or his goals on his sleeve. Dick keeps his secrets not by constructing an impenetrable wall like Bruce, but through misdirection. This is why those who are unfamiliar with Dick misinterpret him so much. They take what is on the surface at face value because they do not have the character history to serve as context to understand what lies beneath As a Dick Grayson fan (From this moment forward will be referred to as Dick Grayson Fan A) said “good Dick writers teach readers how to read him and bad Dick writers just have that surface level interpretation.” (I was actually talking to her about this idea and how I’m presenting it in this essay. The example I gave was one she suggested after I asked if she could think of good moments that exemplified this idea.)

As an example, we can look at this moment from Grayson, in which Dick sucks a lollipop while receiving a mission assignment. Someone who is not familiar with Dick and is looking at Dick and Helena’s interaction might be easily fooled into thinking that Dick is the pretty, strong, but annoyingly childish and slightly dumb male character who contrasts the serious, intelligent, and highly competent woman. The characters’ expressions, actions, and the onomatopoeias are certainly leaning into that familiar trope.

(King, Tom; Seeley, Tim, writers. Janin, Mikel, illustrator. The Raid. Grayson no. 04, e-book ed. DC Comics, 2014. pp. 02) However, Dick Grayson fans know that when it comes to the mission, Dick is as serious as Batman himself. Highly intelligent, Dick is considered to by many the world’s second greatest detective (there are many instances in canon when he is referred to as such), making him more than just a pretty face who knows how to fight (It should be noted that in this tweet, writer Tom King also ranks Dick as the second best fighter in the Bat Family). Furthermore, context matters. Dick is deep undercover throughout the duration of Grayson, and this scene is set shortly after the death of one of the agents of the organization Dick has infiltrated. In other words, Dick is in a highly stressful situation without allies to provide him with back-up or emotional support. 

His posturing in this scene, then, can be seen as an attempt to misguide and misdirect. He does not wish to let those around him – people he is not sure yet if he can trust – know the full extent of his capabilities or perceive any potential weaknesses in his value of human life. Positioning himself as the annoying and childish pretty boy who does not pay much attention to serious matters is a strategic choice that his fans readily pick up on.  

That is not to say that Dick’s smiles are all lies. Rather, Dick’s upbeat nature is a natural aspect of his personality that he will exaggerate depending on the setting in order to keep his privacy. He is a natural performer, a showman, and so he utilizes misdirection to his advantage. 

A classic example of Dick’s misdirection and how he is misinterpreted by others is how some would characterize him as an “attention seeker.” However, the term “attention seeker” has negative connotations as it implies someone who seeks the spotlight at the expense of others. 

That is the opposite of who Dick is. But that’s not Dick is. As a mentor, a leader, and an older brother, Dick will often invite others to join the conversation. He pays attention to what they say, he strategizes based on their needs. 

(Johns, Geoff; Wolfman, Marv, writers. Nauck, Todd, illustrator.  The Brave and the Bold. Teen Titans no. 33, e-book ed. DC Comics, 2006. pp. 15)

Simply put, Dick is incredibly empathetic and always in tune with those around him. This is why he works so well as both a Bat and a Titan, and why his personality in each team is so distinct. As a Bat, Dick is often portrayed as cheerful, his bad puns are meant to cut the tension, the is the shoulder for his family to cry one; as a Titan, Dick is a leader, he is a strategist, he demands others take things seriously and will not tolerate slacking off, he is trying to instill good work ethics and ensure that the team dynamic stays in top shape. 

As JL Bell writes in their essay Success in Stasis: Dick Grayson’s Thirty Years as a Boy Wonder for the book Dick Grayson, Boy Wonder: Scholars and Creators on 75 years of Robin, Nightwing, and Batman explains, “in contrast to how Robin behaved with Batman. [Dick] is usually [the Titans’] serious leader.” (Bells, JL “Success in Stasis: Dick Grayson’s Thirty Years as a Boy Wonder.”Dick Grayson, Boy Wonder: Scholars and Creators on 75 years of Robin, Nightwing, and Batman edited by Kristen L. Geaman, McFarland & Company, Inc., Publishers, 2015, pp. 22)

That is because Dick knows that when he is with his family, he needs to play one role, and when he is with his friends, he needs to play another. The Bats have their strengths, so Dick adjusts himself to play up on those strengths while also making up for its weakness. Same thing with the Titans. 

Mark Waid perfectly exemplifies Dick’s adaptability when portraying him in his World’s Finest (2022) and World’s Finest: Teen Titans (2023). There, Dick brings levity to his work with Batman and Superman, keeping an upbeat attitude while still taking the job seriously.

(Waid, Mark, writer. Mora, Dan, illustrator. Manhunt. Batman/Superman: World’s Finest no. 14, e-book ed. DC Comics, 2023. pp. 07)

Yet, when he is with the Titans and feels the weight of leadership on his shoulders, he is more serious, being the one to get the Titans to focus on their objective, getting them to look at the big picture, while also making the most of their abilities as individuals and as a team.

(Waid, Mark, writer. Mora, Dan, illustrator. Team Spirit. Batman/Superman: World’s Finest no. 08, e-book ed. DC Comics, 2022. pp. 05)

So yes, Dick is a performer, a showman, but he is not “attention seeking.” In fact, his use of misdirection illustrates that Dick is a very private person. And how could he not be? While it is true that Dick grew up in the circus, after his parents’ death, he went to live with Bruce, and in doing so, was put into an intense amount of public scrutiny. The murders of John and Mary Grayson happened on a literal stage with dozens of people watching. As a result, Dick’s very private tragedy became a spectacle.

After the death of Dick’s parents, Dick isn’t allowed to disappear into anonymity. He is not afforded privacy to grieve. He is taken in by Bruce Wayne, Gotham’s most famous playboy, billionaire, philanthropic who is also a bit of a selfish airhead (at least, that is how the public perceives him), and as a result, Dick is subjected to an immense amount of public scrutiny, not just from the media, but also from Gotham’s elites, and even his peers at school. Not only that, as Robin, the Boy Wonder and the first ever sidekick, Dick also is put on the spotlight while also being aware of the necessity of keeping secrets. 

As a result of having his tragedy broadcasted and having a new mission that requires secrecy, Dick becomes a very private person. He is not an open book; instead, he is meticulous about what he shares and he prevents people from looking at what is not of their business by using his showmanship.

Furthermore, Dick’s role as a performer who, as Joshua R Pangborn describes in his essay about the Robin costume, “experiences […] the full spectrum of emotions, each and every night, for the catharsis of others,” transforms him into a literal vehicle for emotional catharsis and empathy. (Pangborn, Joshua R “Fashioning Himself a Hero: Robin’s Costume and its Role in Shaping His Identity”Dick Grayson, Boy Wonder: Scholars and Creators on 75 years of Robin, Nightwing, and Batman edited by Kristen L. Geaman, McFarland & Company, Inc., Publishers, 2015, pp. 42) In their essay, Bell argues that while Bruce Wayne embodied “the mid-century ideal of the American male,” who is always “in control of his feelings, not letting them overcome his judgment nor displaying them broadly,” Dick Grayson “can express deep emotions, not only his own but Bruce’s.” As such, Dick often acts as a sounding board for his family, friends, team, and romantic partners. As a performer, Dick embodies whatever persona is necessary to create a safe environment where others can process their emotions and achieve catharsis. (Bells, JL “Success in Stasis: Dick Grayson’s Thirty Years as a Boy Wonder.”Dick Grayson, Boy Wonder: Scholars and Creators on 75 years of Robin, Nightwing, and Batman edited by Kristen L. Geaman, McFarland & Company, Inc., Publishers, 2015, pp. 12)

Dick's performance, then, comes not just from a desire for privacy but also from a deep place of empathy. It comes from a desire to help others work through their own stories. This is why he can step into other's narratives without overshadowing them. In fact, he’ll often elevate those characters by complimenting them and creating the circumstances needed for them to shine. As a performer, Dick is naturally adaptable and always willing to fill the role necessary to create the space required for others to work through their emotional needs.

But, as with everything, Dick’s performance is also a result of his destructive perfectionism. Dick equates “good” to “perfect.” He believes that he can only be wanted by Bruce if he is the perfect Robin, he can only be wanted by his friends if he is the perfect leader, he can only be wanted by his siblings if he is the perfect older brother, he can only be wanted by his partners if he is the perfect boyfriend. As Humphries’s The Untouchable demonstrates, because Dick was raised in an environment where failure could be fatal, he internalized these stakes to every aspect of his life. 

(Humphries, Sam, writer. Janson, Klaus; Campbell, Jamal, illustrators. Ruthless. Nightwing: Rebirth no. 37, e-book ed. DC Comics, 2018.pp 20

And it doesn’t help that all of the people in Dick’s life do prove that assertion right. Everyone holds “the Heart of the DCU” to an impossible standard that, when Dick fails to live up to it, he is crucified and punished for it. If he tries to be perfect, he's told off for being the Golden Boy, but if he fails to be the Golden Boy, then he is told off because he let people down when they were relying on him. Ironically, this is done by characters in-universe real-world fans. As Dick Grayson Fan A pointed out in a discussion about depiction of Batman Family members killing their antagonists, “there's always this pressure to have Dick ~fall from grace~ and I do lowkey resent that. Dick should be allowed to be good, not punished for it.”  

This creates an environment where Dick constantly needs to maintain perfection in order to be in everyone’s good graces. Failure is not met with understanding and comfort, but with punishment. No one expects him to fail, no one likes when he fails, no one forgives him when he fails. That also means that Dick doesn’t feel safe opening up about his insecurities because to do so would mean “proving” he cannot stay on the pedestal he’s been put on. And so, he is forced to perform the role of a “perfect good guy” by using misdirection so people won’t abandon him for being human (this was said during a very interesting discussion and addressed both canon and fanfic writers. There’s a lot that can be said about Dick’s parentification and how that is viewed in the context of fandom. This is not the essay for it, and, to be perfectly honest, I’m not entirely sure I’m the best person to open said discussion).

Taylor does not portray Dick as someone with this many layers. Taylor’s Dick is perfect simply because he is good. He is the perfect friend, who is always happy to support others. He is Barbara Gordon’s perfect boyfriend. Dick is the perfect older brother, the perfect son, perfect model citizen. 

But by equating being “good” with being “perfect” without exploring the negative consequences that come from such pressures, Taylor robs Dick of the emotions that humanize him. In Taylor’s run, a good person will not be angry at their friends, will not be frustrated with their siblings, will never disagree with their romantic partner. This strips Dick of all of his nuances, and instead reduces him to a non-descriptive “everyman hero” with a limited emotional range whose only narrative purpose is to serve as a blank canvas for readers to project themselves into. 

Simply put, Taylor is uninterested in writing Dick as a character because he does not see value in Dick for who he is. Nightwing #105, which removes Dick from its story in order to allow its readers to “be Nightwing” illustrates how Taylor and DC at large only value Dick his connections, not for who he is.   

(Chen, Jess [jesswchen]. “Tweet Message.” 18 March 2023, https://twitter.com/jesswchen/status/1636971185782259716?s=20.)

Be Dick, and you can be good friends with Superman! You can be Batman’s son! You can be Batgirl’s boyfriend! Robin’s big brother! Flash’s best friend! 

As a Dick Grayson fan, this feels insulting. I’m not saying Dick needs to be anyone’s favorite character, or that anyone even needs to like him. I’m not interested in dictating anyone’s taste. But to someone who loves Dick Grayson, it is insulting to think that those responsible for his stories fail to see his value. To Taylor, the person who, as the writer for both Nightwing and Titans, has the most control over Dick’s portrayal, Dick is nothing but a tool that will soon wear off its use. 

In treating Dick as such, Taylor and DC send a clear message to those of who love Dick, and that message is that the things that make Dick special, the things that made us love him, do not matter. 

For his near century long existence, Dick served as a stand in for those who feel othered in society. While I do not have the time to go into a gender studies and queer reading of Dick, it is notable that his character often spoke to many people who felt different. As Mary Borsellino’s 2006 essay “A lot like Robin if you close your eyes” Displacement of meaning in the Post-Modern Age explains:

The things which a Robin-like figure can contain, but which are cut off from being embodied by Robin himself, lose none of their importance simply because they are rejected by a restrictive, corporate-controlled status quo […] It's worth inspecting what was excised from Robin, and charting where these elements instead found articulation: in those from lower socioeconomic backgrounds; non-White people; young single parents; and HIV positive people. And, especially, girls and women (Borsellino, Mary “‘A lot like Robin if you close your eyes.’ Displacement of meaning in the Post-Modern Age,  2006)

While Borsellio’s essay focuses on the Robin mantle, as the creator of said mantle, such assertions can also be applied to Dick. In fact, Bell concurs with the idea that those who were othered have always took a preference to Dick when stating that “Robin’s status as the littlest guy in the fight increases the character’s appeal for some children, especially the ‘youngest and weakest.’” In other words, it is crucial to Dick’s character that he is not an “everyman hero.” He is not the hero of or beloved by the average individual, but rather by those who were ostracized by society.

Taylor’s writing exemplifies the “restrictive, corporate-controlled status quo” imposed by DC that Borsellino speaks of. His characterization is the manufactured image that removes Dick’s “socially deviant/rejected” qualities his fans loved about him so that he can be palatable to a more mainstream audience.  (Bells, JL “Success in Stasis: Dick Grayson’s Thirty Years as a Boy Wonder.”Dick Grayson, Boy Wonder: Scholars and Creators on 75 years of Robin, Nightwing, and Batman edited by Kristen L. Geaman, McFarland & Company, Inc., Publishers, 2015, pp. 11)

This, of course, is not necessarily new. As Mason Downey argues in their 2015 essay In Defense of Dick Grayson: Objectification, Sexuality, and Subtext, DC has often struggled between leaning into the audience Dick has and wanting to erase any “othering” elements from his character. As they point out:

The more sexual and idealized Dick was allowed to become, the more attention he got from female and queer fans, the more the industry had to work to combat the past anxieties revolving around the character. This resulted in more and more heteronormative romances for Dick on the page. We can’t grant Wertham’s fears any legitimacy, we can’t make these stories “for girls.” Writers did so in a few ways, some obvious, some less so. On the page, we had Dick’s deflection of female sexuality that he was not in control of, and we had a level of emotional posturing with relationships he was in control of. We had moments where we saw him manipulating with or being manipulated by sex. There were editorial pushes to lean into Dick’s popularity with women and queer men coupled with the simultaneous desire to not acknowledge or grant legitimacy to the fanbase he found in those demographics. This translated to more sexualized poses. More pin-up style spreads. Multiple bait-and-switch wedding, marriage, and relationship teases which turned out to be fakeouts or got written out. Long strings of female side characters were introduced exclusively to be love interests. Off the page, we had more concrete examples. We saw a lack of merchandise and lack of representation of him in other forms of media. There was a pervasive hesitancy in broaching his existence outside of the spheres of already established fans. For example, Nolan’s The Dark Knight Rises featured Joseph Gordon-Levitt playing a character literally named Robin, who was invented for the film franchise rather than allowing Dick himself to exist in that cinematic universe. Dick Grayson is a character built upon one repeated mantra aimed at what eventually become two of his largest demographics, “Remember, this is not for you.”

(Downey, Mason “In Defense of Dick Grayson: Objectification, Sexuality, and Subtext” Women Write About Comics. December 2015)

What makes Taylor’s run unique is that in trying to have Dick tackle social issues such as homelessness and in trying to create a class commentary, Taylor attempts to create a progressive, albeit simplistic, veneer while erasing the important and “other-ing” aspects of Dick’s character that was so beloved by his fans. 

This, I believe, is one of the many explanations why many of those who praise Taylor run claim that this is the first Nightwing run they ever enjoyed, while many (though admittedly, not all) those who have been longtime Dick Grayson fans feel betrayed and frustrated by the way their beloved character is being handled. Dick is currently being appropriated into a more mainstream, palatable hero. He is being taken from those who loved him and being scrubbed clean to be suitable for an audience who could not appreciate him for what he was, only for how his connections could give them a wish fulfillment fantasy. As another Dick Grayson fan expressed:

I see no heart in [Taylor’s] work, only soulless marketing. He sells himself as something good and work on his perfect public image and everyone who disagrees is wrong and it gets on my nerves like nothing else. […] I wouldn't be as salt[y] if Taylor was genuinely trying to writing something good. I don't have the heart to [be salty] at someone working with passion, even if I don't like it.

(Henceforth referred to as Dick Grayson Fan B... This was actually said during a discussion in which we expressed how we wish we could be as excited about Taylor’s run as many others are.)

[book--brackets]

The Mistborn Saga by Brandon Sanderson (2006-2022)

For a thousand years the ash fell and no flowers bloomed. For a thousand years the Skaa slaved in misery and lived in fear. For a thousand years the Lord Ruler, the "Sliver of Infinity," reigned with absolute power and ultimate terror, divinely invincible. Then, when hope was so long lost that not even its memory remained, a terribly scarred, heart-broken half-Skaa rediscovered it in the depths of the Lord Ruler's most hellish prison. Kelsier "snapped" and found in himself the powers of a Mistborn. A brilliant thief and natural leader, he turned his talents to the ultimate caper, with the Lord Ruler himself as the mark. Kelsier recruited the underworld's elite, the smartest and most trustworthy allomancers, each of whom shares one of his many powers, and all of whom relish a high-stakes challenge. Only then does he reveal his ultimate dream, not just the greatest heist in history, but the downfall of the divine despot. But even with the best criminal crew ever assembled, Kel's plan looks more like the ultimate long shot, until luck brings a ragged girl named Vin into his life. Like him, she's a half-Skaa orphan, but she's lived a much harsher life. Vin has learned to expect betrayal from everyone she meets, and gotten it. She will have to learn to trust, if Kel is to help her master powers of which she never dreamed.

This saga dares to ask a simple question: What if the hero of prophecy fails?

The Ocean at the End of the Lane by Neil Gaiman (2013)

A middle-aged man returns to his childhood home to attend a funeral. Although the house he lived in is long gone, he is drawn to the farm at the end of the road, where, when he was seven, he encountered a most remarkable girl, Lettie Hempstock, and her mother and grandmother. He hasn't thought of Lettie in decades, and yet as he sits by the pond (a pond that she'd claimed was an ocean) behind the ramshackle old farmhouse where she once lived, the unremembered past comes flooding back. And it is a past too strange, too frightening, too dangerous to have happened to anyone, let alone a small boy.

Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West by Gregory Maguire (1995-2011)

When Dorothy triumphed over the Wicked Witch of the West in L. Frank Baum’s classic tale, we heard only her side of the story. But what about her arch-nemesis, the mysterious Witch? Where did she come from? How did she become so wicked?

Gregory Maguire has created a fantasy world so rich and vivid that we will never look at Oz the same way again.

Wicked is about a land where animals talk and strive to be treated like first-class citizens, Munchkinlanders seek the comfort of middle-class stability, and the Tin Man becomes a victim of domestic violence. And then there is the little green-skinned girl named Elphaba, who will grow up to become the infamous Wicked Witch of the West—a smart, prickly, and misunderstood creature who challenges all our preconceived notions about the nature of good and evil.

The Vampire Chronicles by Anne Rice (1976-2018)

This is the story of Louis, as told in his own words, of his journey through mortal and immortal life. Louis recounts how he became a vampire at the hands of the radiant and sinister Lestat and how he became indoctrinated, unwillingly, into the vampire way of life. His story ebbs and flows through the streets of New Orleans, defining crucial moments such as his discovery of the exquisite lost young child Claudia, wanting not to hurt but to comfort her with the last breaths of humanity he has inside. Yet, he makes Claudia a vampire, trapping her womanly passion, will, and intelligence inside the body of a small child. Louis and Claudia form a seemingly unbreakable alliance and even "settle down" for a while in the opulent French Quarter. Louis remembers Claudia's struggle to understand herself and the hatred they both have for Lestat that sends them halfway across the world to seek others of their kind. Louis and Claudia are desperate to find somewhere they belong, to find others who understand, and someone who knows what and why they are.

Louis and Claudia travel Europe, eventually coming to Paris and the ragingly successful Theatre des Vampires--a theatre of vampires pretending to be mortals pretending to be vampires. Here they meet the magnetic and ethereal Armand, who brings them into a whole society of vampires. But Louis and Claudia find that finding others like themselves provides no easy answers and in fact presents dangers they scarcely imagined.

Alice's Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll (1865-1876)

After a tumble down the rabbit hole, Alice finds herself far away from home in the absurd world of Wonderland. As mind-bending as it is delightful, Lewis Carroll’s 1865 novel is pure magic for young and old alike.

Artemis Fowl by Eoin Colfer (2001-2012)

Twelve-year-old Artemis Fowl is a millionaire, a genius—and, above all, a criminal mastermind. But even Artemis doesn't know what he's taken on when he kidnaps a fairy, Captain Holly Short of the LEPrecon Unit. These aren't the fairies of bedtime stories—they're dangerous! Full of unexpected twists and turns, Artemis Fowl is a riveting, magical adventure.

The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman (2008)

Bod is an unusual boy who inhabits an unusual place--he's the only living resident of a graveyard. Raised from infancy by the ghosts, werewolves, and other cemetery denizens, Bod has learned the antiquated customs of his guardians' time as well as their ghostly teachings--such as the ability to Fade so mere mortals cannot see him.

Can a boy raised by ghosts face the wonders and terrors of the worlds of both the living and the dead?

The Wheel of Time by Robert Jordan (1990-2013)

The Wheel of Time turns and Ages come and go, leaving memories that become legend. Legend fades to myth, and even myth is long forgotten when the Age that gave it birth returns again. In the Third Age, an Age of Prophecy, the World and Time themselves hang in the balance. What was, what will be, and what is, may yet fall under the Shadow.

When The Two Rivers is attacked by Trollocs—a savage tribe of half-men, half-beasts— five villagers flee that night into a world they barely imagined, with new dangers waiting in the shadows and in the light.

Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman (1996)

Under the streets of London there's a place most people could never even dream of. A city of monsters and saints, murderers and angels, knights in armour and pale girls in black velvet. This is the city of the people who have fallen between the cracks.

Richard Mayhew, a young businessman, is going to find out more than enough about this other London. A single act of kindness catapults him out of his workday existence and into a world that is at once eerily familiar and utterly bizarre. And a strange destiny awaits him down here, beneath his native city: Neverwhere.

The Stormlight Archive by Brandon Sanderson (2010-present)

Roshar is a world of stone and storms. Uncanny tempests of incredible power sweep across the rocky terrain so frequently that they have shaped ecology and civilization alike. Animals hide in shells, trees pull in branches, and grass retracts into the soilless ground. Cities are built only where the topography offers shelter. 

It has been centuries since the fall of the ten consecrated orders known as the Knights Radiant, but their Shardblades and Shardplate remain: mystical swords and suits of armor that transform ordinary men into near-invincible warriors. Men trade kingdoms for Shardblades. Wars were fought for them, and won by them. 

One such war rages on a ruined landscape called the Shattered Plains. There, Kaladin, who traded his medical apprenticeship for a spear to protect his little brother, has been reduced to slavery. In a war that makes no sense, where ten armies fight separately against a single foe, he struggles to save his men and to fathom the leaders who consider them expendable. 

Brightlord Dalinar Kholin commands one of those other armies. Like his brother, the late king, he is fascinated by an ancient text called The Way of Kings. Troubled by over-powering visions of ancient times and the Knights Radiant, he has begun to doubt his own sanity. 

Across the ocean, an untried young woman named Shallan seeks to train under an eminent scholar and notorious heretic, Dalinar's niece, Jasnah. Though she genuinely loves learning, Shallan's motives are less than pure. As she plans a daring theft, her research for Jasnah hints at secrets of the Knights Radiant and the true cause of the war.

[libbee]

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Last update: 24/4/24 | 🌼 If you want to tip me: PayPal link

About me: Libbee is dedicated to occult, mysticism, depth psychology and other interests. It is my hobby. If you are facing any mental health issue or emotional crisis, please consult someone you trust in real life or a professional. 🌱Libbee is Vegan for the Animals.

ASTRO OBSERVATIONS

🐟 Taurus ascendant/ 2nd house/ Taurus sun/moon/venus/mercury placements | 🐟 Aries ascendant/ 1st house/ Aries sun/moon/mercury/venus placements | 🐟Astro observations (October 2022: part 2) | 🐟 Astro observations (October 2022: part 1) | 🐟 astro notes about air signs | 🐟 astro notes about 8th house placements | 🐟 11th house placements/Aquarius placements | 🐟 venus in 8th house observations | 🐟 emotional people/Scorpio/cancer/pisces/4th/8th/12th house placements | 🐟 men with moon in 3rd house | 🐟 many people in one body | 🐟 scorpio rising/sun/moon: i am my own worst enemy | 🐟 gemini/libra/moon in 3rd house: tone down the mind games | 🐟 My astrology observations Part 1 (Feb 2023) | 🐟 sun in 1st/7th/8th/12th; venus in 8th/12th; venus in scorpio, sun in pisces

DOOR TO THE 8TH HOUSE

🐬 Scorpio/8th house dominant/stellium: Social circle | 🐬 Descending into the unconscious | 🐬 What is fate? | 🐬 8th house placement observations | 🐬 venus in 8th house & relationship trauma | 🐬 venus in 8th house predictions | 🐬 venus in 8th house: what does love do to you? | 🐬 venus in 8th house ladies advice | 🐬 innocence of 8th houser/scorpio | 🐬 friendly advice for 8th houser/scorpio | 🐬 Venus in 8th house: why do they turn ice cold? | 🐬 calm down scorpios | 🐬 life advice for moon in 8th house | 🐬 moon in 8th house mom: what you see is not what you get | 🐬 Venus in 8th house attracting envy/jealousy | 🐬 Cynicism for 8th housers/heavy scorpio | 🐬 Venus in 8th house & fated heartbreak | 🐬 Last night with venus in 8th house

TRANSFORMATION POSTS FOR 8TH HOUSERS

🦞 Surviving rock bottom | 🦞 What is seen cannot be unseen | 🦞 navigating psychosis | 🦞 personality development for 8th housers | 🦞 transformation of venus in 8th house | 🦞 the world is not a wonderful place | 🦞 friendly advice for 8th houser | 🦞 secret life of 8th housers | 🦞 rising like the phoenix | 🦞 my 8th house transformation notes | 🦞 weakness of 8th house/scorpio | 🦞 hobbies for 8th housers | 🦞 what might 8th housers have to deal with? | 🦞 how do 8th housers transform? | 🦞 Dangers of the abyss | 🦞 Survival of the fittest | 🦞Aftermath of moon in 8th house or moon in scorpio mom | 🦞 The Value of Loneliness | 🦞 8th house placements are most valuable

DOOR TO THE 7TH HOUSE

🌊 thoughts on 7th house placements | 🌊7th-8th house vedic astro relationship nexus | 🌊 Mercury in 7th house/Mercury in Libra/Mercury in 7th house from natal moon and "Tendency for Competitive Intelligence" | 🌊 sun in 7th house placements and low self esteem | 🌊 What is down there in the 7th house?

DOOR TO THE 12TH HOUSE

🐟 Humor

SELF DEVELOPMENT SERIES

🦈 Safety first: protection against manipulators. | 🦈 It is almost impossible to know how others perceive you. | 🦈 "I am so bad at judging people". | 🦈 learning to handle life. | 🦈 trust your perception. No matter what. | 🦈 power of validation

PSYCHOLOGY

🐠 projection and astrology | 🐠 Understanding 8th house with Jungian psychology | 🐠 Are water placements (cancer, scorpio, pisces) the best ones to have?

ROMANTIC ASTRO

⛵ Falling in love as a water dominant native |⛵ About a water lover | ⛵ About air lovers

ASTRO AND LITERATURE/CINEMA

🐚 astro and babadook movie | 🐚 metamorphosis and astro | 🐚 eternal sunshine of the spotless mind | 🐚 To, Mr. Darcy | 🐚the little prince quotes for signs | 🐚Venus in scorpio/8th house/conjuct pluto/scorpio rising/pluto in 1st house: Malena | 🐚 In this corner of the world | 🐚 Gemini moon and Kelly Kapoor

[respectthepetty]

Hi! First off all, brain praise: I LOVE THE WAY YOU SEE I LOVE THE WAY YOU ANALYZE I LOVE THE WAY YOU THINK

*clears throat and shifts feet *

How much do you think the colors apply to people in real life? How far are someone's true colors (hah) identifiable through the colors and accessories they wear? And does your brain highlight those for you in real life too? (If yes please elaborate please)

Do people choose the colors they like consciously and then over time the qualities/traits get magnified/infused (?) or do the qualities make you subconsciously choose those colors as silent representation of the inner self?

Like if a red rascal consistently and consciously is trying to be a green guy or blue boy, will wearing those colors change his red rascal-ness over time?

Thank you in advance for taking the time to read through this

Anon, go look at your closet. What does it say about you? Is it an accurate representation of who you are as a person.

Maybe it is. Maybe it isn't. But I KNOW colors apply to people in real life, and I've written about this in other posts:

Why the colors?

Color-coding groups

Cultural color coding

Real-life color coding

Real-life color coding Part 2

Visual Rhetoric

But I'm going to be more scientific in my answer here since you want specifics.

TLWR: The colors mean things in real life, but we cannot color code the same as in visual media.

Most of these research studies are hidden behind a paywall, but the links will show you the abstracts.

A 2013 study found that people who were ovulating wore more red and pink clothing. It was a subconscious decision to highlight they were fertile [x]. However, when the study was conducted again in 2021, the results were not significant. The researchers suggested this change was due to a shift in unwanted attention (e.g. MeToo Movement). [x]

But women who wear red in the service industry receive more tips from men. [x]

Sports psychologist have long noted that players who wear red are deemed more aggressive than those who wear blue. Players who wear green are judged more fairly. [x] [x]

Several studies have found that people who wear black are seen as more attractive, specifically men [x]. There is an entire book about the historical context of Men in Black. [x]

During times of global competitions (World Cup, Olympics, etc.) color association is the strongest for national identities. For example, this study showed that orange was consistently associated with The Netherlands regardless if the person wearing it was Dutch. [x]

Research in educational design, interior design, and architecture concludes that colors affect the space in terms of emotions and production. [x]

Plants react differently depending on the color of the lighting they receive [x]. Animals as well. [x]

Colors mean things.

However, when you ask how colors affect people in "real life" I always have to give a tiny lecture because the term "real life" is broad. I know what you are asking, but art is real life. What colors we see on our screens have a real-world connection; therefore, they have real life implications. Barbie being pink is real life because pink in Eurocentric ideals is a feminine color, and Barbie is the epitome of femininity. We see this carry over into other pieces of visual media like Power Rangers where for thirty years, the Pink Ranger has been a woman.

The Japanese equivalent of Power Rangers finally had a male Pink Ranger in 2022, but culturally, Japan isn't tied to feminine pink the way the United States is. We use these colors in media because they mean something in real life.

But most people do not consciously go around choosing colors. People have favored colors, and they gravitate towards them more. People also have favored prints and styles such as florals or hoodies. So trying to categorize people based on the colors they wear in their everyday lives could quickly fall into dangerous territory, especially because a lot more goes into “real life” choices.

Neutral colors are more accessible in clothing – black and white. Blue can be found in nature; therefore, it has been easier to duplicate in dyes using natural resources. The red dye we typically use today comes from squishing a bug. When inventing new colors that weren’t seen in nature or that could not be duplicated through natural means, we used dangerous ingredients that could not and should not have been produced on a large scale.

All of this is to say that it is difficult for us to color code in real life because we do not have unlimited closets to pick items from like production teams. Most of us are not rich, so we must purchase what is available on the public market, and we must wear what we have available on the public market. Looking briefly at any clothing store, we can see how limiting those options can be:

This man cannot be a Red Rascal nor a Pink Person because the options do not exist for him at this store, and this is true of most men’s clothing. Because we live in a binary society, we get binary options. Men can’t be colorful unless it's blue (standard boy color), but women can. Prime example - The Met Gala.

And yet science tells me that we will find the man in the clothing ad more attractive in black. We will find him more approachable in white. We will deem him nonthreatening in blue-ish grey. We will see him as more of a worker in the tan/brown.

So, yes, I notice colors . . .  because we assign meaning to colors.

If I see someone in a red suit in a crowd of black, I’m going to think that person is bold and wants to stand out, but that might not be true of his everyday nature.

People make subconscious decisions based on the society they live in, so if someone is feeling down or wants to appear more attractive, they might wear more black, but if someone wants to stand out or appear Dutch, they could wear orange.

But because it’s real life, we can’t always pick colors to match our emotions or personality. But we CAN do that in visual media, which is why we do. We can be more intentional about everything in visual media, so we are. Visual media is a more extravagant version of real life. So we can get the boy in the blue and the girl in the pink and when they come together, it makes purple.

I could write about this all day, but I have to work for a living and actually get to teach about this ALL SEMESTER because there is a lot to unpack. This is art, biology, psychology, anthropology, sociology, marketing, and so much more because this is life.

Colors are real life.

And they mean things.

[celepom]

Favourite Light Novel (Series) of 2022

7th Time Loop: The Villainess Enjoys a Carefree Life Married to Her Worst Enemy! by Touko Amekawa

Seventh Time's the Charm! Being reborn once may sound impressive, but Rishe is already on her seventh time around! She has had all kinds of excitement in her previous lives, from peddling goods as a merchant to locking blades as a knight, so now she's determined to kick back and enjoy. But to savor the high life, she first has to marry the handsome prince...the same one who happens to be her murderer! It will take six-plus lifetimes of experience and skills for Rishe to break the time loop and make her extravagant dreams come true!

The Weakest Tamer Began a Journey to Pick Up Trash by Honobonoru500

A heartwarming fantasy isekai tale about a girl who embarks on a journey with her new friend–a humble slime.

In Ivy’s world, stars are everything. She’s a Tamer, born to subdue monsters and animals, but she was also born starless! With her life in danger, Ivy flees into the forest where she befriends a weak little slime named Sora—the one creature she can tame. Together, the unlikely pair set off on a journey, salvaging rubbish to survive. Along the way they’ll win hearts, evade danger, and discover there’s more to starless Ivy than meets the eye!

The Most Heretical Last Boss Queen: From Villainess to Savior by Tenichi

(Volume 2) The Secret is Out! Future villainess Pride is hard at work using her authority, boss powers, and past-life knowledge to save her people from a tragic fate. When she hits thirteen, she has an earth-shattering revelation: a scheming man trusted by the royal family had a secret route in the otome game! Can Pride foil this master manipulator's plot to unite everyone against her before it leads to her doom? And why is he so desperate to ruin her in the first place?

Accomplishments of the Duke's Daughter by Reia

(Volume 5) THE PRICE OF WAR! The war Iris always feared has finally come. No longer content to send spies to spread discontent in Tasmeria, Tweil descends with their army. Iris must rush back to her duchy to defend her people and rally the other territories to her cause. But no one survives war unscathed, and all too soon Iris will face a loss even she may not be able to endure.

Cross-Dressing Villainess Cecilia Sylvie by Hiroro Akizakura

Reincarnated as a villainess in an otome game, Cecilia realizes that as the heroine’s rival, she’ll die no matter what route she takes. Convinced that she can avoid her death flag by masquerading as a man, she crossdresses and assumes a new identity. In the process, however, she ends up replacing her brother-in-law as the knight charged with protecting the heroine! And now the prince who should be condemning her to death wants to hang around her all the time...?! Cecilia will do whatever it takes to achieve a peaceful and carefree life, but if her guise ever slips it’s Game Over!

I Swear I Won’t Bother You Again by Reina Soratani

Violette, daughter of a duke, committed a terrible, jealous crime against her half sister. As she languishes in prison, something unexpected happens: time is rewound, sending her back to the day her problems began! Armed with the memories of her disastrous first go-round, Violette is determined to live a quiet, unobtrusive life this time…but fate has something else in store!

[batmanisagatewaydrug]

every single book I read in 2022. all 129 of them.

jesus christ

let's start with the best of the best; everything else will get listed beneath the read more because I'm not an animal. even just picking out my favorites is honestly probably going to get pretty lengthy, even though I'm trying to keep the synopses short.

batmanisagatewaydrug's noteworthy books of 2022

Complaint! (Sara Ahmed, 2021) - necessary for anyone doing diversity work in higher education, tbh

America is Not the Heart (Elaine Castillo, 2018) - achingly gorgeous novel of heartbreak and healing.

The School for Good Mothers (Jessamine Chan, 2022) - honestly? I feel very good calling this my favorite book of the entire year. sensitive, smart, chilling.

Black Feminist Thought (Patricia Hill Collins, 1990) - truly ashamed to say I didn't read this sooner. Collins' clear-eyed analysis remains crazily spot-on 30+ years later.

Hurts So Good: The Science and Pleasure of Pain on Purpose (Leigh Cowart, 2021) - I read this book so early in 2022 and literally have not stopped thinking about it since.

Batman: King Tut's Tomb (Nunzio DeFillippis, Christina Weir, José Luis García-López, and Kevin Nowlan, 2009) - dare I say the most fun I had with a comic all year.

You Made a Fool of Death with Your Beauty (Akwaeke Emezi, 2022) - a romance unlike any other. queer, fun, sexy, bold as hell, and joyfully life-affirming.

The Dangers of Smoking in Bed (Mariana Enríquez, trans. Megan McDowell, 2021) - DELICIOUSLY creepy short stories that will lurk in your brain forever.

Lesser Known Monsters of the 21st Century (Kim Fu, 2022) - if a more perfect short story collection exists I am yet to find it.

The World We Make (N.K. Jemisin, 2022) - I normally hesitate to include sequels on a list like this, but god DAMN Jemisin is the queen of modern spec fic for a reason.

We Do This 'Til We Free Us: Abolitionist Organizing and Transforming Justice (Mariame Kaba, edited by Tamara K. Nopper, 2021) - excellent collection of Kaba's abolitionist writings, drawing on years of organizing experience and wisdom.

Jade City (Fonda Lee, 2017) - look out! new favorite doorstopper fantasy series alert!

Priestdaddy (Patricia Lockwood, 2017) - about the best damn memoir I've ever read. heartbreaking and hysterical in turns, poetry the whole way through.

Batman: The Long Halloween and Batman: Dark Victory (Jeph Loeb and Tim Sale, 1996 and 1999) - it's always so exciting when something much-hyped lives up to the hype in every way. Batman at his grim and moody Batmaniest with a Gotham that’s deliciously bleak.

Station Eleven (Emily St. John Mandel, 2014) - I didn't think I'd like this book much at all, then ended up proposing on the second date. oops!

I'm Glad My Mom Died (Jennette McCurdy, 2022) - you will also be glad McCurdy's mom died, and also experience every other known human emotion along the way.

Kaikeyi (Vaishnavi Patel, 2022) - SPLENDID mythology retelling + political fantasy.

My Body (Emily Ratajkowski, 2022) - haunting haunting haunting personal essays about Ratajkowski's life as a model and subsequent alienation from her own body.

Batman: Bruce Wayne, Murderer? (Greg Rucka et al, 2002) - genuinely what can I say I'm a messy bitch and I love when the Bats are having a terrible time.

The Batman Adventures Vol. 2 #1-17 (created by Dan Slott, Ty Templeton, Rick Burchett, Terry Beatty, and Bruce Timm, 2003) - a continuation of the Batman: The Animated Series universe that frankly just fucking rules.

Little Rabbit (Alyssa Songsiridej, 2022) - a potent and erotic adult coming of age story.

The Right to Sex: Feminism in the Twenty-First Century (Amia Srinivasan, 2021) - thorny, difficult, vital essays.

Fearing the Black Body: The Racial Origins of Fat Phobia (Sabrina Strings, 2019) - jaw-droppingly thorough research into the role of fatpobia played and plays in the project of race-making.

On Earth We're Briefly Gorgeous (Ocean Vuong, 2019) - yeah so it turns out no one was REMOTELY exaggerating. Vuong really is That Good.

Hench (Natalie Zina Walschots, 2020) - wild fun with a ruthless protagonist and her sex villainous beetle man boss; what more could you ask for?

Love Your Asian Body: AIDS Activism in Los Angeles (Eric C. Wat, 2021) - learning about queer history makes me feel like I’m holding something so vibrant and fragile and precious right in my little queer hand. this book is an emotional journey in such a shining way.

Never Have I Ever (Isabel Yap, 2021) - EXCITING short story collection centered on girls having Just The Weirdest Time.

and everybody else:

fiction:

Light From Uncommon Stars (Ryka Aoki, 2021)

Our Wives Under the Sea (Julia Armfield, 2022)

A Tiny Upward Shove (Melissa Chadburn, 2022)

A Prayer for the Crown-Shy (Becky Chambers, 2022)

Disorientation (Elaine Hsieh Chou, 2022)

The Laws of the Skies (Grégoire Courtois, trans. Rhonda Mullins, 2019)

The Monster Baru Cormorant (Seth Dickinson, 2018)

The Tyrant Baru Cormorant (Seth Dickinson, 2020)

Greenland (David Santos Donaldson, 2022)

Dead Collections (Isaac Fellman, 2022)

The Halloween Moon (Joseph Fink, 2021)

A Dowry of Blood (S.T. Gibson)

Nightmare Alley (William Lindsay Gresham, 1946)

The Vegetarian (Han Kang, trans. Deborah Smith, 2015)

The Metamorphosis (Franz Kafka, trans. William Aaltonen, 1915)

Before the Coffee Gets Cold (Toshikazu Kawaguchi, trans. Geoffrey Trousselot, 2019)

Woman, Eating (Claire Kohda, 2022)

Long Division (Kiese Laymon, 2014)

Jade War (Fonda Lee, 2019)

No One is Talking About This (Patricia Lockwood, 2021)

Portrait of a Thief (Grace D. Li, 2022)

Elatsoe (Darcie Little Badger, 2020)

A Snake Falls to Earth (Darcie Little Badger, 2021)

Glitterati (Oliver K. Longmead)

Gideon the Ninth (Tamsyn Muir, 2019)

Harrow the Ninth (Tamsyn Muir, 2020)

Nona the Ninth (Tamsyn Muir, 2022)

The Memory Police (Yoko Ogawa, trans. Stephen Snyder, 2019)

Even Though I Knew the End (C.L. Polk, 2022)

100 Boyfriends (Brontez Purnell, 2021)

Flowers for the Sea (Zin E. Rocklyn, 2021)

Any Way the Wind Blows (Rainbow Rowell, 2021)

Interview with the Vampire (Anne Rice, 1976)

Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe (Benjamin Alire Sáenz, 2012)

Aristotle and Dante Dive Into the Waters of the World (Benjamin Alire Sáenz, 2022)

Into the Riverlands (Nghi Vo, 2022)

Siren Queen (Nghi Vo, 2022)

Strange Beasts of China (Yan Ge, trans. Jeremy Tiang, 2020)

short story collections:

The Memory Librarian: And Other Stories of Dirty Computer (Janelle Monáe, Yohanco Delgado, Eva L. Ewing, Alaya Dawn Johnson, Danny Lore, and Sheree Renée Thomas, 2022)

Walking on Cowrie Shells (Nana Nkweti, 2021)

Terminal Boredom (Izumi Suzuki, trans. Polly Barton, Sam Bett, David Boyd, Daniel Joseph, Aiko Masubuchi, and Helen O’Horan, 2021)

nonfiction:

Gender Trouble: Feminism and the Subversion of Identity (Judith Butler, 1990)

How to Read Now (Elaine Castillo, 2022)

Playing the Whore: The Work of Sex Work (Melissa Gira Grant, 2014)

What We Don't Talk About When We Talk About Fat (Aubrey Gordon, 2020)

White Tears/Brown Scars: How White Feminism Betrays Women of Color (Ruby Hamad, 2020)

Belly of the Beast: The Politics of Anti-Fatness as Anti-Blackness (Da'Shaun L. Harrison, 2021)

Some of My Best Friends: Essays on Lip Service (Tajja Isen, 2022)

One Day We'll All Be Dead and None of This Will Matter (Scaachi Koul, 2017)

How to Slowly Kill Yourself and Others in America (Revised Edition) (Kiese Laymon, 2020)

Sister Outsider (Audre Lorde, 1984)

Conversations with People Who Hate Me: 12 Lessons I Learned from Talking to Internet Strangers (Dylan Marron, 2022)

Cultish: The Language of Fanaticism (Amanda Montell, 2021)

World of Wonders: In Praise of Fireflies, Whale Sharks, and Other Astonishments (Aimee Nezhukumatathil)

Histories of the Transgender Child (Jules Gill-Peterson, published as Julian Gill-Peterson, 2018)

Yoke: My Yoga of Self-Acceptance (Jessamyn Stanley, 2021)

A Queer History of Fashion: From the Closet to the Catwalk (edited by Valerie Steele, 2013)

Transgender History: The Roots of Today's Revolution (Revised Edition) (Susan Stryker, 2008)

The End of Policing (Alex S. Vitale, 2017)

The Trouble With Normal: Sex, Politics, and the Ethics of Queer Life (Michael Warner, 1999)

Read My Lips: Sexual Subversions and the End of Gender (Riki Wilchins, published as Riki Anne Wilchins, 1997)

poetry:

Short Talks (Anne Carson, 1992)

Content Warning: Everything (Akwaeke Emezi, 2022)

Prelude to Bruise (Saeed Jones, 2014)

Alive at the End of the World (Saeed Jones, 2022)

Bright Dead Things (Ada Limón, 2015)

Motherland Fatherland Homelandsexuals (Patricia Lockwood, 2014)

Nature Poem (Tommy Pico, 2017)

Night Sky with Exit Wounds (Ocean Vuong, 2016)

Time Is a Mother (Ocean Vuong, 2022)

comics:

Batman: One Bad Day - Mr. Freeze (Gerry Duggan, Matteo Scalera, and Dave Stewart, 2022)

Spandex - Fast and Hard (Martin Eden, 2012)

Harley Quinn: The Animated Series: The Eat. Bang! Kill. Tour (Tee Franklin, Max Sarin, and Marissa Louise, 2022)

Batman: Whatever Happened to the Caped Crusader? (Neil Gaiman and Andy Kubert, 2009)

The Sandman: Preludes & Nocturnes (Neil Gaiman, Sam Keith, Mike Dringenberg, and Malcom Jones III, 1988)

The Sandman: In the Doll's House (Neil Gaiman, Michael Zulli, Mike Dringenberg, Chris Bachalo, Malcolm Jones III, and Steve Parkhouse, 1989)

The Sandman: Dream Country (Neil Gaiman, Kelley Jones, Malcolm Jones III, Colleen Doran, and Charles Vess, 1991)

The Sandman: Season of Mists (Neil Gaiman, Kelley Jones, Malcom Jones III, Mike Dringenberg, Matt Wagner, P. Craig Russell, George Pratt, and Dick Giordano, 1992)

The Sandman: A Game of You (Neil Gaiman, Shawn McManus, Colleen Doran, Bryan Talbot, Stan Woch, and George Pratt, 1993)

Run, Riddler, Run (Gerard Jones and Mark Badger, 1992)

Catwoman: When in Rome (Jeph Loeb and Tim Sale, 2005)

Batman: Year One (Frank Miller and David Mazzicchello, 1986)

Batman: One Bad Day - Penguin (John Ridley, Giuseppe Camuncoli, Cam Smith, and Arif Prianto, 2022)

Batman: Bruce Wayne - Fugitive (Greg Rucka et al, 2002)

Batman: One Bad Day - Two-Face (Mariko Tamaki, Jaiver Fernandez, and Jordie Bellaire, 2022)

Batman & Robin Eternal Vol 1 & Vol 2 (James Tynion IV and Scott Snyder, 2015 and 2016)

Batman: Their Dark Designs (James Tynion IV, Guillem March, and Tomeu Morey, 2020)

The Joker War Saga (James Tynion IV and Jorge Jiménez, 2021)

Papergirls Vol. 1-6 (Brian K. Vaughan and Cliff Chiang, 2016-2019)

Real Hero Shit (Kendra Wells, 2022)

Poison Ivy #1-6 (G. Willow Wilson and Marcio Takara, 2022)

and some gaming guides!

Monster of the Week (Michael Sands, 2012) - great game. so cool. cannot wait to actually play it someday.

Thirsty Sword Lesbians (April Kit Walsh, 2021)

special shame zone because I want you to know how bad this sucked, do not read this:

Rethinking Sex: A Provocation (Christine Emba, 2022). patronizing, puritanical, reductive, painfully cisheteronormative. weirdly afraid of group sex. not actually that provocative, just aggressively Catholic.

and last but most certainly least, a comic that I want to remind you all fucking sucked just one more time before the year is done.

Batman: One Bad Day - The Riddler (Tom King and Mitch Gerads, 2022)

Tom King, go fuck yourself. Mitch is cool though, the art slapped.

[finchwrites]

Hi! I'm Finch! I'm a writer of fiction, primarily queer fantasy. I'll post things I've written here, but I also reblog a lot of tips, resources, and other people's work! I am more than open to tag games as long as you are open to me forgetting about them and posting them late, haha.

Here's a rundown of my main WIPs:

Project: The Rubicon, est. 2012

modern urban fantasy, supernatural, horror elements

Peter Alvarez leaves New York for the South in search of the best friend who he thought committed suicide years ago. What he finds instead is more than he bargained for: a landlord who befriends him in unexpected ways, a coworker who hates him on sight for no reason, a boss who gives him more chances than he deserves, and the ghost that brought them all together.

Peter Alvarez, 26, he/him, lost in life since his best friend died, dependent on everyone around him as he refuses to move on.

Carmen Oliveira, 24, she/her, a barista at the cafe Peter begins to work at, nice to everyone but him for reasons he doesn't understand.

Chase Greenwood, 27, he/him, owner of the small cafe they work at, willing to help but not to get too close.

Elliot Bingham, 27, he/him, high school friend of Chase and Peter's landlord, contains multitudes.

Noah Bryant, 19 now then and forever, a ghost

Project: The Stewniverse, est. 2019

high fantasy original setting

Stewie has a wonderful family, a stable lifestyle in the town he grew up in, and should have no complaints… and yet, he’s always been anxious and restless and could never understand why. After a close encounter with life-threatening danger, his mother, a retired adventurer, finally relents and passes on her sword to him. Stewie sets off to solve all the problems of the world that he possibly can with nothing more than his mother’s sword and his loyal horse, Ser Decadence. Along the way he finds companions he never expected, along with a mystery that only seems to get more twisted and complicated the more clues they find.

Steward Knight, 19, he/him, human, the anxious son of a retired adventurer who wants to fix the world in the hopes that it will fix him.

Kieran, 26, he/him, a mysterious half-elven man with an even more mysterious quest: to help fae wherever he finds them. He seems to resent this, but does it all the same. 

Rishi, 22, she/her, an elven student of magic at the most prestigious arcane college on the continent, unable (or unwilling?) to cast any spells. 

Evelyn, 20, he/they, Kieran’s half-elven younger brother who is set on killing Kieran for a crime he won’t specify and who claims he is prevented from doing this only by the fact that he cares about Stewie and Stewie cares about Kieran.

Ashe, around his mid to late 20s in mortal years, he/it, a kelpie who has attached himself to Kieran and Stewie for reasons unknown and has vowed to never leave their side.

Lottie, 23, she/her, a human bard, accomplished heartbreaker,  and lover of animals who grew up with Kieran and Evelyn and is constantly putting her own problems aside to mediate between the two conflicting brothers.

Selkies is a short story I wrote for a fiction class

The Pale Demon of Hollowbrook is a chapter excerpt from either NaNo 20 or NaNo 22.

Project: Lilywood, est. 2022

modern urban fantasy, supernatural, horror elements

a haunted house time travel mystery

Canary has never felt like she belongs anywhere, even in her hometown of Lilywood, the town that accepts all stragglers, outcasts, and loners. Her only friends are fellow burnouts Ryan Shuck and Jamie Yamashita. When construction on the historic manor at the heart of Lilywood goes awry, they are pulled into a supernatural mystery surrounding the house that spans across centuries, hoping that it will answer the burning question each of them have had their whole life: who am I?

Canary Spencer, 21, she/they, a deeply insecure young adult trying to figure out who she is and how to be comfortable with being true to herself while exploring a house haunted by time.

Ryan Shuck, 23, he/they, an avoidant young adult who feels trapped by his circumstances and is scared of things changing even as his previously normal and ordinary life begins to turn upside down around him.

Jamie Yamashita, 25, he/him, a loud and cocky young man who rushes headfirst into the mystery of Lilywood Manor with more confidence than is warranted for someone who has no experience with the supernatural.

Project: Forget Me Not, est. 2024

modern vampire fantasy, romance, horror elements

a human afraid of dying and a vampire who would rather die than live forever

chronic illness, dementia, death, grief, dysphoria

Dana Hardy, 26, he/him, a young adult who has been terrified of aging ever since he watched his grandfather succumb to dementia and death. He learned about the understudied progressive illness Vampirism and is obsessed with contracting it

Wade Cameron, 24, he/him, a young trans man who has recently been diagnosed with vampirism. He's horrified at the thought that his body will stay the same forever and he'll never change or die. He wants nothing more than to find a cure.

[marauders-fanfilm]

Hi Everyone,

   I want to sincerely apologize for both the long delay between updates and the necessity for one at this point in general. When we set out to make this project, none of us ever anticipated we might still be working on it eight years later. And while a lot has happened in that time, I promise you, no one wants it to be completed and released more than we do.    2022 has been a difficult year for the project on a number of fronts, but we’re still standing. This year has seen an essentially unprecedented demand for the VFX industry, while they continue to fight for the sort of protections and working standards that the rest of the film industry and most industries in general have. Last year’s near IATSE strike was a wake up call for many of us that the film industry can very easily become incredibly dangerous and destructive to the lives of the people who work in it, and we’ve all tried to do our best to ensure we and the rest of our crew members take the time they need to take care of themselves and their loved ones. This, while absolutely critical and my top priority for the team I am responsible for, has meant that there have been some delays with our progress due to artists needing to take time to focus on themselves and their families, or simply because they’ve needed to prioritize their non-volunteer work, and haven’t been able to juggle both.

   As I’m sure just about all of you know, over the past few years, the original author of the franchise has dedicated her time and legacy to an anti-transgender campaign. I’ve talked about it previously, but it’s been an incredibly difficult situation for all of us. While our film doesn’t benefit her in any way, it’s complicated to dedicate months or years of work to a project that is still playing in her sandbox. For some of our artists, it simply wasn’t something they could come to terms with, and they had to step away from the project for their own well being, which all of us on the TGS Production Team absolutely understand and sympathize with. I’ve struggled with it a lot personally, I know most of us have. Speaking purely for myself, while I think the franchise and world will always be tainted by its author’s bigotry now, I love this film, I am incredibly proud of all of the hard work our cast and crew have poured into it, and I made a commitment to see it through. I intend to do so. But I will never harbor any resentment towards any member of our team who doesn’t feel the same way, and wish them nothing but the best of luck on their future endeavors.

   There’s not much we can do from our small platform to challenge her, unfortunately. Our film is long-since written and shot, and a time capsule of where we all were as fans and aspiring creators when that happened. What we can do is support our trans team members and supporters, and reject bigotry like Rowling’s. We will be adding a note on the situation and our rejection of her and her prejudice at the opening of the film, and I have elected to strike her card from the animated credits sequence. She created the world and most of these characters, I can’t change that. She’ll be credited for her part of course, as it would be wrong not to, but we don’t need to plaster her name across the screen either.

All that said, where is the project at?    The first two acts are just about picture-locked with finished VFX, barring a handful of shots that are currently in the works. Among the work done on this section:

An incredibly intricate steadicam shot of the Marauders fleeing Filch’s office after releasing a series of fireworks and dung bombs, as seen in our very first piece of concept art. This effect required the work of four separate artists to rotoscope the actors, 3D model and track the set and camera movement, and the actual effect work of the smoke and fireworks. Talented artist Porter Justus is hard at work on the scene between work on his Masters from SCAD and preparing for the birth of his second child. Congrats again, Porter!

Top to bottom creations of numerous Daily Prophet page graphics and layouts for a montage sequence by talented Malaysian 2D artist Kunal Chopra.

A Virtual CG version of the Marauder’s Map for various shots by American artist Alyssa Nicholas, for tight insert shots where tracking a physical prop became too difficult.

Artist Jorge Gúzman, who was only able to join us briefly before having to leave to focus on paid projects came on and helped with a handful of Marauder’s Map shots.

Artist Chris Shivers has been working on a spell effect for a series of shots of Lily Evans between his other paid work.

UK artist Nathan Collins has been hard at work on several potions class scenes, including the infamous Amortentia potion!

Nic Bahn, a German artist known as WizardingsFX online, has been hard at work helping us upgrade the opening scene of the film.

Talented Spanish artist Pablo Nadal, who goes by Pancatum in online fandom circles, has been busy for much of this year, but when he’s had time to join us, he’s worked on a great sequence between Regulus & Marlene.

And lastly, our VFX Supervisor, Martin Bayang, who between his demanding hours at his Los Angeles VFX day job and helping me manage our team, has still managed to carve out time to work on a number of shots from our Valentine’s Day sequence!

The Third Act is where most of the work is still being done, including a large fight sequence and where most of our focus is.

When VFX Artist Emma Matzke has time between professional VFX work and parental responsibilities, she is currently hard at work on Snape’s big final scene, which is looking absolutely amazing!

Our dynamic duo from Spain, Guillermo Valadez and Iván Rubio, both full-time professional VFX artists, are bouncing between a couple of segments, including that large fight scene, and another key moment of the finale I can’t talk about without spoiling the ending!

There is still work to be done on both Sound and Color, but the brunt of the workload has been on the VFX front.

There is still a decent bit left of both final action beats, along with a handful of Marauder’s Map shots, and one complicated VFX shot for the final sequence of the film that has proved more challenging than anticipated. But we’re hard at work trying to progress through them as quickly as possible.

  Our composer J. Paul Bourque has had a very busy year with his professional composing work in New York, but we’ve slowly been chipping away at the last of the score for the film. We are currently undergoing some revisions to the final sequence, after which Paul and Writer/Creative Producer Ben Wessels will be going back through all the tracks for final adjustments and filling in some final instrumentation, along with the recording of one track I won’t go into detail about that is being recorded live. We’re all really excited about and proud of how the score is sounding, and can’t wait to share it with all of you.   Lastly, while I had hoped to save this announcement until the trailer reveal, I am incredibly excited to announce that over the last couple years we have been working alongside the magically talented Tom Ya, also known as The_H_Project, a french architect who used his lockdown time over the pandemic to create an insanely detailed digital replica of Hogwarts Castle! All of the establishing shots in the film have been replaced with custom shots Tom crafted for the project, and I cannot overstate how much it adds to the final product. Tom is now working, again as he’s able to between his busy day job and time with his new bride (Congratulations again, my friend), on integrating elements of his model into some other shots and sequences, and the results so far have been truly fantastic.

   I want to apologize again to our incredibly patient friends, families, and fans that the project has taken so much longer than any of us have anticipated. We all want to see the project finished and released, and we are working as hard and as quickly as we can to make that happen. But I also just want to take a moment to say how proud I am of our team and everything they’ve accomplished, both on the film and in their personal, professional, and creative lives since the project began. We all really appreciate your years of patience, and we will continue to pour our hearts into this project, and try to get this film finally completed and out to you soon. Happy New Years, everyone. Aaron

[light-lanterne]

i read the summary to your serial killer au and id like to know about the references you mentioned. what's their plot and how much of them is in your story?

hello ! um, i'll try to be brief because of spoilers, okei ? :]

tw // mentions of murder, suicide and cannibalism

the cat lady (2012 videogame): this is the story of a woman called susan ashworth, who's just died and is wandering the land of the dead. there, susan finds herself in the presence of Death itself and, because of the circumstances leading to her suicide, Death decides to give susan a second chance at living and finding joy,,, in exchange for a favour: susan has to kill five serial killers and, until the last one is dead, susan can't die. so,,, that's the basic premise of the whole story :D mike has struck this deal with death and he now has to kill five people. they come to him, so he can't avoid them, and they're all different levels of dangerous and messed up. .

the end of the f***ing world (2017 series): so, there's a boy called james, 17, who believes he's a psychopath. after killing many animals, he now feels ready to move on to something bigger and so, he decides he wants to kill alyssa, the very troubled new girl who decides she wants to run away and cross the country to reunite with her dad. so they leave. they do crimes. they kill someone. and then they're on the run,,, which is another major plot point of my story ~ mike only accepted the deal with Death because he's always wanted to kill someone. once back in the world of the living, the first person he meets is will and mike feels the urge to kill him, so he accepts to travel to california with him and it is along the way that they encounter the killers :O .

bones and all (2022 film): on the day she turns 18, maren's dad abandons her, leaving her only with her birth certificate and a tape recording that details maren's long history of violence and cannibalistic attacks. lost and lonely, maren then decides to search for her mother and along the way she meets a bunch of other people like her: cannibals, people who were born like this and can't help themselves. one of these people is lee, who is also lonely and immediately connects with her. so they go together, kill together, eat together and fall in love ~ now, this one is mostly about the vibes :O there's something cosy about lee and maren's relationship; how they are different from the rest of the world, monsters, and they can't help it but it's okei because they have each other. so for the most part i wanted to recreate that feeling with my story :] ,,,that said, there's also a cannibal character in my story (h****) who relates a lot to mike and wants to take him under his wing in an almost brotherly way and mike knows he has to kill him, but they actually start to get along so mike is very troubled and scared that he'll end up eating will because of how much he loves him x.x .

so yeah, hope this answers your questions :] thank you for sending them in ~ !! :D

story summary 🔪 || snippet (4k+ words)

[msclaritea]

Mary Poppins’ UK age rating raised to PG due to discriminatory language | Mary Poppins | The Guardian

Mary Poppins’ UK age rating raised to PG due to discriminatory language

British Board of Film Classification lifts it from U certificate almost 60 years after film was first released

Kevin Rawlinson

Mon 26 Feb 2024 04.37 EST

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Mary Poppins has had its age rating lifted to a PG by the British Board of Film Classification (BBFC) almost 60 years after it was first released.

The film’s rating has been upgraded from U – which signifies no material likely to offend or harm – to one advising parental guidance due to the use of discriminatory language, the Daily Mail reported.

It was changed because of a derogatory term for the Khoikhoi, a group of people who were among the first inhabitants of southern Africa.

Classifiers picked up on the term used by the character Admiral Boom – first as a reference to people not onscreen, then as a reference to the film’s child stars when their faces are blackened with soot.

“We understand from our racism and discrimination research … that a key concern for … parents is the potential to expose children to discriminatory language or behaviour which they may find distressing or repeat without realising the potential offence,” a BBFC spokesperson told the Mail.

“Content with immediate and clear condemnation is more likely to receive a lower rating.”

The reclassification affects only the cinema version of the film, with home entertainment versions still rated U, according to the BBFC. The word in question is “Hottentot”, an adopted name for the Khoikhoi used by Dutch settlers, thought to imitate their language, which is considered offensive. It would later be used to refer to all black people.

It is not the first classic film to have its rating upgraded in recent years. According to the BBFC’s 2022 annual report, the 1978 animated film Watership Down merited a PG rating as classifiers sought to “remain in step with societal standards”.

They said: “In their exile, the rabbits meet various challenges, some of which result in bloody bite and claw injuries caused by animals fighting. In one scene, a bird tells one of the rabbits to ‘[pee] off’.”

They added: “When we viewed the film under the current guidelines we reclassified it PG in line with our current policies for violence, threat, injury detail and language.”

The 1979 film Star Trek: The Motion Picture was also upgraded from a U to a PG that year as a result of its “very mild language, mild violence and threat”, the BBFC said.

When deciding on how to classify a film, the BBFC considers scenes that might show dangerous behaviour, discrimination, and references to drugs and sex. It also considers the language used in the film, scenes of nudity and of threat, horror and violence.

Classifiers particularly look out for discriminatory language or behaviour that is “unlikely to be acceptable unless clearly disapproved of, or in an educational or historical context, or in a particularly dated work with no likely appeal to children”.

A message from Betsy Reed, editor of the Guardian UK...FA message from Betsy Reed, editor of the Guardian US

I hope you appreciated this article. Before you move on, I wanted to ask if you would consider supporting the Guardian’s journalism as we enter one of the most consequential news cycles of our lifetimes in 2024.

From Elon Musk to the Murdochs, a small number of billionaire owners have a powerful hold on so much of the information that reaches the public about what’s happening in the world. The Guardian is different. We have no billionaire owner or shareholders to consider. Our journalism is produced to serve the public interest – not profit motives.

And we avoid the trap that befalls much US media: the tendency, born of a desire to please all sides, to engage in false equivalence in the name of neutrality. We always strive to be fair. But sometimes that means calling out the lies of powerful people and institutions – and making clear how misinformation and demagoguery can damage democracy.

So...the Satanic State of Britain just threw one of their own Classics and one of their most adored actresses, Julie Andrews under the bus, by admitting that they put racist dog whistles IN Mary Poppins, just to damage Disney, over 50 years after the film was made. They killed their own Doctor Who series and now they just fucked over one of MY favorite childhood classics....JUST TO FUCK DISNEY. WOW.

[vanilla-blessing]

qb's top 10 seasonal anime of 2022

2022 in anime was a year of many known quantities, but what really ended up sticking out were the shows few saw coming before they took the world by storm, and before we knew it, everyone was watching a guitar-playing pink blob with severe anxiety while drawing her band on every album cover ever made. 2022 was the year I watched a new Gundam for the first time, I experienced unforgettable trash gems like Pride of Orange, ESTAB-LIFE, and Extreme Hearts, and I was let down more by the wasted potential of the Biscuit Hammer anime than any anime I've ever watched, easily. All considered, this year was unusually good on average for the shows I finished, so I ended up with a glut of series I wanted to put on this list that I had to cut down for time. I would make this list longer, but you know, then it might come out in 2024.

Top 10 in order:

Cyberpunk Edgerunners - Studio TRIGGER's take on the world of Cyberpunk 2077 was an unexpected contender - it was announced so long ago I sort of forgot about it, I wasn't expecting much from the batch release of a Netflix-Trigger anime after BNA's messy release, I underestimated the potential of Cyberpunk 2077 as a setting after the very public trash fire of the video game, and it should have been overshadowed by the next thing after a quick Netflix dump in the middle of a season. Should have had its lunch eaten by the similarly edgy violent action of Chainsawman, should have been yet another failed videogame anime, but none of this stopped Cyberpunk Edgerunners from being the anime I enjoyed the most from 2022.

Bocchi the Rock - the breakout hit school band anime of 2022 was also relatively unexpected, although I at least knew it was stacked with talented animators going in, I didn't predict the sheer memetic power of the result. This series shatters the fourth wall over its knee and livens up an already pretty funny manga with demented, free-flowing gags in a particular way that wouldn't work at all without detailed and well planned sequences which come off so naturally it's hard to believe this was originally a (lightly subversive but still) 4 panel strip. The album cover redraws were the best thing to come out of Bocchi and I hope they never end.

Pop Team Epic 2 - some kind of fucked up comic strip but aoi shouta is there? I thought they promised they wouldn't make this

Mob Psycho 100 III - everything I said about the second season of the popular shonen manga adaptation but moreso, it finishes out the series in exactly the way I hoped it would. Third OP is just mad flexing. look how many hands we can draw. Episode 8 changed my life forever. knowing they nailed the landing retroactively improves the whole series for me.

Do It Yourself - original anime by studio PINE JAM, DIY is pure aesthetic hobby-ani with a mildly entertaining cast of extremely animated characters. very enjoyable but may not have enough momentum or things happening for some. soundtrack is another standout by y0c1e but at a noticeably different speed from Gleipnir and Spyce.

Kaguya-sama Love is War: Ultra Romantic - everything I said about the second season of the popular romcom manga adaptation but moreso, it reaches the climactic peak of the series in exactly the way I hoped it would. I'm still reeling from the entire rap battle episode (sub and dub), and can't believe the Starship Troopers ED was real.

My Dress Up Darling (Sono Bisque Doll wa Koi wo Suru) - excellent manga adaptation, effectively gets across the dangerously horny but strangely wholesome vibe of the series.

The Demon Girl Next Door Season 2 - everything I said about the first season of the popular magical girl romcom manga adaptation but moreso, it reaches an inflection point in the manga with exactly the same manic pacing and blatant disregard for breathing room I hoped it would. out of everything else on my list I hope the most this one gets another season, because it kind of needs it.

Mobile Suit Gundam: Witch from Mercury - original anime in the long-running GUNDAM series which is sort of like Robot Jox for kids. This is definitely the first time I've watched anything from Gundam before it was completed and I immediately regretted not having more to watch as a direct consequence. Half of my enjoyment right now is coming from experiencing it in tandem with the rest of the internet, but it's sure to hold up in retrospect as one of the best modern Gundam seasons. Look forward to a future very annoying post by me claiming g-witch ripped off Granbelm.

Call of the Night - another above and beyond manga adaptation, probably the anime OP of the year. It strongly intensified my longing for studio SHAFT to not be dead anymore.

Assorted Shoutouts

Going by rating number scale rules, Chainsawman and Spy X Family should be here, but I'm not going by rating, I'm going by what I feel deserves more attention. those anime already have too much recognition.

The Executioner and Her Way of Life (Shokei Shoujo no Virgin Road) - If you asked me what the most hidden gem is from 2022, this is what I would answer immediately. Irresponsibly complicated and unusual take on the hated isekai genre in the most disrespectful way possible, twisting anything familiar about that tired setting into an unrecognizable pretzel shape. Recommending this is a challenge, because the less I explain the better it is, but nobody would want to watch this on its face. Everyone should watch it though.

Ya Boy Kongming - banger soundtrack and some eye-popping color choice elevates this manga adaptation from average to a certified Cool Time.

JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: STONE OCEAN - My favorite (not best) Jojo part, the anime greatly improves the readability of the last third from the manga. Tokyo Mew Mew New - It's almost comforting how little they tried to update the love triangle of incredibly shit boyfriends in this remarkably normal magical girl anime reboot. I pleaded for someone to make a normal regular magical girl anime reboot and they delivered something totally acceptable.

Reiwa Di Gi Charat - Dejiko drags society kicking and screaming into the Reiwa era. This is the anime of all time of 1999, 2022 and 2023.

qb - friend of the no show (@queuebae on twitter still, unfortunately)

[tonightwrites]

I posted 84 times in 2022

That's 39 more posts than 2021!

37 posts created (44%)

47 posts reblogged (56%)

Blogs I reblogged the most:

@yandere-sins

@fatgumsupremacy

@tonightwrites

@linadoonofficial

@random118x

I tagged 42 of my posts in 2022

Only 50% of my posts had no tags

#yandere - 26 posts

#concubines - 25 posts

#empress - 24 posts

#tonight talks - 24 posts

#yandere boy - 22 posts

#oc - 19 posts

#tswe - 19 posts

#yanderes - 18 posts

#reverse harem - 18 posts

#yandere x reader - 17 posts

Longest Tag: 110 characters

My Top Posts in 2022:

#5

Thinking of Best friend turning yandere...

But honestly, they see how the other people around you are treating you. They have been your best friend for years now! Someone else comes along and tries to take their place next to you. The little pest is just using you!

Bestie makes it seem like the other person dropped you out of nowhere for no reason. Constantly threatening any newcomers that you bring up in casual conversation.

Oh! You... like someone? That's... good to know, no [redacted] I'm fine really! Bestie pointing out all the flaws in your relationship or crush anytime you ask for advice. Always telling you that a s/o would treat you better than they would. Even though they never could come close, you're my best friend after all.

Bestie coming over to your house to spend some time with you. Your family always want them over for the holidays. They take pride in getting on your families good graces. Their so called partner can't even greet the family properly... how pathetic.

143 notes - Posted November 13, 2022

#4

Omegaverse AU for TSWE

Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

Omegas- Dominic, Thiago

Alphas- Alun, Izacc

Beta- Reader

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

Dominic Finch

Domi would be all over you for cuddles, pushing you to the nest he made with your blankets and pillows. Always growling when you get up to go to the washroom. Biting and marking your shoulders, neck, and chest. Of course with you being a beta it never stays longer than a week. His unbearable heats are a nightmare to everyone around him. Clinging to you, using you as a pillow or making you use him as a pillow. It's hard to say no to those puppy dog eyes.

While Domi has you Alun and Zacc are outside the locked door trying to bust it open to get to you. However, you know what Dominic is doing and why he's doing it. He's an omega, and he sees you as his mate. So please won't you let him mark you some more! NO! Don't leave the safe nest stay here! He'll dress you up in pretty clothing and you can have a spa day right where you are laying! Order servants to get food and water, no use waste energy for such a mundane thing!

Alun Prothro

Alun, as alpha as they come always trying to impress you with his strength and sharp skills. Guarding you all the time, he takes precautions to his... alpha-ness... such as taking hormone suppressants for when his rut comes. He can not leave you to fend off these rapid animals you call concubines! That would be the opposite of protecting you. Who needs ruts when he has to protect you the most important person in the world.

He has no mate nor does he want one. They'd take time away from making sure you're safe and healthy. His hypothetical mate is more trouble than dealing with the side effects.  It would put you in more danger! His mate would get jealous of you and try to cause harm to you! NO! He won't allow that to happen. Not again. He is going to protect you til the day he draws his last breath, and then protect you form the afterlife. A very sweet and protective Alpha that isn't bothered with romantics.

Izacc Rinefern

Zacc is an alpha that hides his violent tendencies when he knows you're around him. However as soon as you are out of hearing range threats that were once thoughts are now promises to the people who have gotten to close for his comfort. You're just a naive beta, you don't know the dangers of the alphas and omegas that surround you. Omega's are known for being manipulative especially that mutt, Finch. Alpha's could over power you at any moment, little comfort he feels when an alpha (Alun) is to watch over you 24/7. Zacc does background checks on every knight or guard that tries to join the imperial rankings. 

Zacc has more intellectual strength than physical strength, lost a bit of muscle after becoming your concubine and being pampered. He uses his wit and sharp tongue to cut down anyone who thinks is worthy of even a glance at you. Still gets called to the war rooms and council meetings with the generals of the armies under you. Zacc uses his strategic skill to impress you and gain your affection. Please just let him scent you! Let him chase off that mutt and stay by your side instead. You don't need to pamper Finch, if you really wanted to pamper someone he'd be willing to act like an omega and let you pamper him and dress him up. It's not alpha like to think like that but he doesn't care about what others think. Just you, only you. Please just let him scent you! Mark you! He begs of it.

Thiago Amos

Thiago is an omega, but you don't know that, you don't need to know that. He'll play beta to get closer to you, wants to bond over you two being the only "betas" around. Tell him all of your troubles with all the alpha's and omega, (so he can know what not to do of course). Thiago comes to your room with no problem. You trust him, don't believe what the others say! Does he act like an omega or an alpha? No! He's a beta just like you please continue being close and trusting him more than them.

Hides his heat by saying he needs to report to his father that he is well. Zacc and Domi don't like him and how smart he is about hiding his second gender.

I didn't know if the people in the taglist wanted to be tagged for all of the TSWE content or just the main story.

Taglist : @zanary @meforpr3sident @yandere-dark-cupid @devils-blackrose @gallantys @eliciana

161 notes - Posted July 22, 2022

#3

The Strong Willed Empress

Chapter 3 "Cats and Dogs"

Tw; Yandere tendencies, manipulation, future NSFW, gore, toxic relationships, and other things like this.

Part 1

Part 2

The two men glared at each other as they locked eyes. Dominic held a slight growl to his voice. “You, me, Courtyard, when the sun is at its highest.” Dominic walked away, not waiting for a reply. Izacc stood there still glaring at him, ‘Mutt, this is your fault. Not mine. But very well, whomever wins gets the empress to himself.’ He stalked off to his own room. 

Alun walked away from the corner when he heard the men go into their rooms. Thankfully, the concubines didn’t stall any longer than they had. Of course, he had heard the threating tones and razor sharp words that were being shared between the two men, however… the empress doesn’t have to know just yet. Dominic and Izacc need to be taught a lesson, after all.

Dominic was in the Courtyard before the sun was at its peak, hoping that he could plan to win in peace. When the idea of tripping him came to mind, he picked up some random objects that were laid across the courtyard after a training session with the top guards. It was a hot, humid, horrid day. Sweat was dripping off of him as if he were a leaking water pump.

Dominic’s fingers touched the metal piece of equipment to move it. The heat made it unbearable to touch, burning his hand. But this is more than fine. A little heat is just what he needed to get his blood pumping. Izacc entered through the large, heavy doors opposite to where Dominic stood. Neither of the men were smiling. Domi goes to grab the sword laying on the ground. Zacc had his on his hip, always prepared to protect his empress.

The first clash of metal rang hard and shrill in Alun’s ear as he watched, curiously devious as the empress’ pets fought like cats and dogs down in the courtyard. He stood in watched, enjoying the breeze that floated near the balcony he was standing on, watching with little interest as blood spilled below him. 

After an hour of waiting for something interesting to happen between the two. Alun left to inform the empress on what he “stumbled upon” leaving out that he watched them for a while. He turned to leave and closed the door, still hearing the clashing of sword and shouting that the men were doing.

At a quick pace, he raced to the Empress’ room, where she sat drinking some herbal tea to calm herself from the letter she had received later that day. 

“Empress, Izacc and Dominic, they are in the courtyard!” Alun said, as he burst through the door. The Empress pulled the curtains away from her window. What she saw angered her. 

“Stop them. Bring them to the throne room.” She said it with such a cold tone, Alun shivered. The punishment must be great if you’re sending them to the throne room. Alun then walked away from her room. She was still looking out her window, seeing her beloved concubines fighting like rapid animals. She glanced at the letter she hadn’t finished writing.

“King Afonso Amos of Zandonia,

The offer you purposed would be beneficial to both of us. An alliance between two great monarchs. A wise decision on your part to offer it. Already better than over half of the allies I have.”

The Empress picked up the quill and the parchment and began to write.

“I accept the proposal between me and your son, Thiago Amos. He is to be my concubine in a week’s time.”

Part 4

coauthor- @abrokecupoftea

Taglist: @meforpr3sident @zanary

468 notes - Posted July 11, 2022

#2

The Strong Willed Empress

Her Ruthless Tiger

Chapter 2

TW: Yandere tendencies, manipulation, future NSFW, gore, toxic relationships, and other things like this.

Part 1

“Your Majesty,

Greetings from the Kingdom of Zandonia. I, King Afonso Amos , wish to offer my son, Prince Thiago Amos, to you as a consort or concubine of your choosing. I offer you my son in exchange of peace and a treaty between us. A war not fought is the greatest kind. 

Long live the Empress- King Afonso Amos”

The Empress released a breath after reading through the letter at least 3 times. She wanted peace between the Kingdom of Zandonia and the Masal Empire. However, the concubines she already has would probably seek to destroy the prince if given the title of consort. The empress thought over her response carefully, for now she will leave this for when she comes back from seeing her other second concubine.

She looked up from the letter and saw Alun standing there holding back Dominic from running to her and ripping up the parchment in her hands. It was taking up all her attention, and he wanted all of her attention. Dominic already had to share with… him. The Empress took the paper and held it to the lit candle and let it burn to a crisp. Alun let go of the Main Concubine. Dominic instantly latched onto the empress’ dress in a desperate attempt to bring her close and make her focus on him.

“My empress!” Dominic cried as he saw her dress rippled as she turned. “You can’t leave me here! Shouldn���t you take care of me more? Besides, that guard can wait, after all, I love you the most between the two of us!” 

The Empress gently held his cheek with one hand as the other hand waved Alun away to get Izacc behind her back. With Dominic melting at her touch, he hadn’t noticed her dismiss Alun. She heard the grand door of her room close softly, alerting her that Alun had left. When she had finally taken her hand away from his nuzzling to run her fingers through her loyal hounds’ hair, did he notice Alun’s disappearance.

Dominic was rather thankful the oaf of a man had left. Just more time alone with his one and only empress, as it should be. Not long after Alun had left, Dominic heard quick footsteps approach the door. He already knew who it was. A large scowled formed on his face as they drew closer and closer. “Domi be-” The regal empress was cut off by the door slamming open. Izacc rushing in from his room two doors down. A loud growl was released from Dominic’s throat as he bared his teeth at the male.

“Empress… I didn’t realize a stray had gotten in,” Izacc sent a glare Dominic’s way, “want me to rid you of this diseased pest?” 

“Izacc. You know I detest the fighting between the people I cherish most.” The Empress said to the newly arrived male. That is not the nickname she gave him, that was his full name. He looked away from her, displeased with himself at how he acted in front of her. 

He stood straight and saluted, something he did when he was punishing himself by distancing himself from the empress when he had displeased her.

 “Is something the matter, my empress?” A formal question. One that was spoken with a tone a guard would use as respect to her.

“She burned a letter,” Dominic growled out, not wanting the two of them to interact with each other more than they already had. The Empress stopped running her fingers through Dominic’s hair and stood straight. She cleared her throat as he pouted at the loss of attention. 

“The King of Zandonia sent me a letter.” She walked over to her chestnut writing desk. “As a peace treaty, he wishes for me to have his son as a concubine. Seeing you two argue this often, it might be good to have a buffer other than Alun. He has a job other than making sure you don’t kill each other.” The empress fingers gently moved the pieces of paper to pick it up. Dominic and Izacc tensed up at her words.

 ‘A third?!’ They thought at the same time. The two of them can’t handle sharing you with just them! How would a third man help?! No, not a man, a worthless insect. She wrote with a quill and the ink jar next to the large pile of documents of trade. A response to the King, no doubt. 

The Empress stopped writing when the eyes that stared at her became too intense for her to think.��She looked up at the two men. She could practically see the imaginary ears pop up at the attention she gave them. They looked hopeful, however if they are going to make things this uncomfortable she needs them out.

“Zacc, Domi, I need you to leave.” The empress now spoke in a strict tone, no room for argument. Both of the men glared at each other as they turned to leave. Blaming the other as the reason for making the empress want a third concubine.

A murderous look came across both of them as soon as they shut the door to their beloved empress bedroom.

Part 3

Editor/coauthor- @abrokecupoftea

502 notes - Posted July 4, 2022

My #1 post of 2022

The Strong-Willed Empress

Yandere Male Concubines x Empress Darling

Chapter 1 “Her Loyal Hound”

Requested by: @yandere-dark-cupid thank you for the idea!

TW: Yandere tendencies, manipulation, future NSFW, gore, toxic relationships, and other things like this.

     Dominic woke up to the empty bed of the Empress. The bed was still warm on her side, meaning she couldn’t have gone far. Dominic played with the blood red leather collar around his neck. The panic of not being able to see his empress makes him aggressive and on edge. He finally had the strength to get up off the silk bed sheets, his knees almost giving out on him. Last night was amazing! Of course it was! He spent it with his Empress! 

The thought of it making his mood so much better than before and walked to the bathroom door on the west side of the room. Dominic knocked on the door and stayed leaning against it for a while waiting for a response. 

“Yes, you can come in Domi.” The sweet, irresistible voice of his empress called out to him. Her nickname for him gave him shivers down his spine. He opened the door after the chills calmed down and the bumps on his tanned skin went away. The sight before him made his eyes wide and jaw drop. Drool leaked out of his mouth. There in all her beauty stood the Empress with a bathrobe on fresh out of the bath. 

The Empress looked at the reaction he had to seeing her in such atire, it amused her greatly. She let a small smile grace her beautiful face and Dominic practically melted. Knees growing weak and brain turning to mush, she smiled at him after all, which is already a rare occurrence. 

She walked past him with ease and elegance, headed for the walk-in closet next to the bathroom. Dominic followed her like a puppy following its master. A door shut in his face by the Empress herself, wanting to change without prying eyes. He felt hurt, but knew she likes the privacy she so rarely has. 

Suddenly the main door slammed open by a guard needing to speak to the empress about a letter that came from the Kingdom of Zandonia. Curious, Dominic went over to the guard to see what it said.

“Sorry Sir Dominic, this is for the Empress’ eyes only.” The captain of the guard stated to him while holding the precious parchment away from Dominic’s desperate hands. 

“Give it to me Alun!” Dominic said in a feeble attempt to persuade the man to give him the letter. In response, Alun just simply held it above his reach. Contradicting his name Alun, meaning little, he is the largest man in the palace.  Alun heard the click of heels before Dominic could. He straightened up his back and stood at full attention.

 The Empress came out of the closet wearing a simple but regal, deep blue dress. Walking to where the two men were, she took the parchment out of Alun’s hand and read it. Her eyebrows creasing in thought, deciding what to do next with the offer she just received.

“Your Majesty,

Greetings from the Kingdom of Zandonia. I, King Afonso Amos , wish to offer my son, Prince Thiago Amos, to you as a consort or concubine of your choosing. I offer you my son in exchange of peace and a treaty between us. A war not fought is the greatest kind. 

Long live the Empress- King Afonso Amos”

Part 2 

Part 3

Masterlist~

986 notes - Posted June 27, 2022

Get your Tumblr 2022 Year in Review →

[elvenbeard]

asks being fired at ya! :P

7, 12, 13 und die 27, büdde.

Dankööö!!! :D

7. Favorite animal? why?

Nibbles of course! No but in reality I think... this wouldn't have been something Vince ever put a lot of thought into actually. He has favorite cars, favorite tech brands, favorite films and games and all that, but he's not necessarily a very outdoors-y, nature-loving guy. I think the topic of "I want a pet" would've come up at some point when he was younger, but his parents didn't see this as a wish worthy of pursuit. Even though his family was well-off when he was a kid, a cat or dog as status symbol wasn't really a priority either, and so that remained unfulfilled. I think Vince would've always liked cats though due to their resilience (given the convo with Takemura on that topic during Gimme Danger), their sneakiness, elegance, their free will and attitude. All that applies to Nibbles in a way, too, she has been fending for herself on the street pretty well despite not really having a steady home, and I think in that aspect Vince can see some of his own struggles as a young adult reflected. So yeah, Nibbles XD And overall probably cats, cause they're the only animals really present in his world as he grew up.

12. how long have they been around? do you know their birthday? Is their birthday the day you made them or another day? what do they think of celebrating birthdays?

His in-universe birthday is the 10th of June (at least that's the one he celebrates and will give as reply if someone asks "when is your birthday?"). He's born in 2049, making him 27 going on 28 by the events of the game (although originally I had him a little bit older than that even, early 30s, but meanwhile I've built everything around him being born in 2049 though, so here we go xD).

His "real" birthday, as for, the day he was actually born on, is in September, but when he ran away from home, he aged himself up (with Viktor's help) a bit to gain a couple more freedoms. He doesn't really care for the date anymore.

And his "day when I made him" was the 27th November 2022 (at least that's my oldest savegame that I still have, within the Arasaka Tower lobby, so yeah). So he's turning 1 soon :D And I cannot believe what kind of a journey that last year has been and I'm getting all emotional thinking about it cause yeah.

He does like celebrating birthdays, and has grown to like celebrating them even more as soon as he wasn't living with his mother anymore. And I think the most important birthdays he's ever celebrated was his 28th, because with the Relic and all he wasn't sure if he'd survive long enough to get the chance to see it, and then his 30th, to stick it to Dex one final time and look back on one hell of a journey so far and looking forward to what's to come.

The party doesn't need to be huge or particularly extravagant (although it needs good music, good food, and getting dressed nicely cause what's the point otherwise?), and he makes sure that all the people he loves and cares about can attend.

13. what languages do they speak? how fluently?

He grew up bilingual with English and Japanese, although in the age of auto-translators his Japanese is getting a bit more rusty as time goes on. In the case of a complete and utter failure of his tech though he'd still be able to hold a normal conversation and understand his conversation parter(s). Since his parents had a corporate career in mind for him, he went to pretty prestigious schools and over the course of his school education learned a few other languages, but those were never super interesting to him (cause, y'know... auto-translators). He's retained some basic knowledge in French, Mandarin, and Russian, and with how multicultural of a city Night City is he also picked up a few phrases here and there that he understands without translator, but none of that is fluent speaking material.

27. If applicable, do they have a favorite sport? do they play any sports or prefer to watch?

I think in the furthest sense of the term "sport" that would probably be anything in the category motor sport XD Street racing, maybe even professional racing, but he's not deeply invested in any tournaments or rankings and that. He likes fast bikes and cars and is interested in them on a technical level, and that's how he got in contact with the street racing scene a little bit here and there in his early 20s, pre-Arasaka. He would've probably attended some races as a spectator during his time working for the corp, but couldn't have afforded participating... so Claire approaching him when she was looking for a driver was a little bit of a dream come true, even though her motives were in the end somewhat ulterior. I think, given the chance, he'd love to participate in more races like that again the future, for the rush of adrenaline!

[astonishinglegends]

Ep 268: Your True Halloween Stories II – Part 2

"So I believe that through my work, I've experienced incredibly positive things. I've experienced the veil very, very thin, and I've experienced what I would call angelic visitations. But if I believe in that, then I have to believe in the other."  -- Hospice Social Worker "Rachal," from story #3

Description:

We hope your sleep has recovered after last week's round of creepy and unsettling accounts. Now, we aim to disquiet your peace with another three! Our first story comes from Megan, whose family has a history of experiencing items showing up in unexpected places. But when a letter is delivered to a vulnerable location, we wonder if it came from someone still Mad, Bad, and Dangerous to Note. Our next guest, Chad, has stories showing that growing up in Ohio can be Weird on Both Ends, with High Strangeness in the Middle. In the final narrative, Rachal, a Hospice social worker, had a patient whose reconnection with a Life Leech proved to be an exhausting experience. Join us if you dare for Part 2 of Your True Halloween Stories II, and rest easy if your life is pleasantly unremarkable.  😈

Reference Links:

CLICK HERE to listen to “Astonishing Al’s Mix Tape” on Spotify

CLICK HERE to listen to “Astonishing Legends Creepit” – a curated collection of our creepiest episodes on Spotify!

“Professor-student romance ends in murder-suicide” from NBCNews.com

“Ernesto Bustamante, Former Idaho Professor, Kills Self After Allegedly Murdering Student Katy Benoit” from HuffPost.com

“2022 University of Idaho killings” on Wikipedia

The Village of Ada, Ohio’s website, www.adaoh.org

The Village of Ada, Ohio’s Wikipedia entry

The Reagle Beagle on Yelp.com

“The Role and Responsibilities of a Hospice Social Worker” from Regis College

Location:

The village of Ada, Ohio, where Chad had his brushes with High Strangeness.

Suggested Listening:

Badlands

Badlands is an anthology series that blends history and true crime to tell the transgressive stories of some of the biggest names in Hollywood. This is not the Hollywood history you’ve heard before. These are uncensored, immersive, edge-of-your-seat storytelling. Host Jake Brennan, creator and host of the award-winning music and true crime podcast DISGRACELAND, explores the most insane stories surrounding the world’s most interesting Hollywood icons. Badlands has covered many actors, directors, and more, including the mysterious deaths of Marilyn Monroe and Natalie Wood... Tim Allen’s former career as a low-level drug dealer... the curse of the movie Poltergeist... how porn star John Holmes got caught up in the infamous Wonderland murders... and more episodes on Winona Ryder, Johnny Depp, River Phoenix, Gianni Versace, Robin Williams, Heath Ledger, Sharon Tate, Robert Downey Jr., and so many more. New episodes of Badlands are released every Wednesday, with bonus episodes released every Friday. Subscribe to Badlands on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, the iHeartRadio app, AmazonMusic, or wherever you get your podcasts.

Opening the Doors

Hear Forrest as a guest on our good friend Bradley Netherton’s podcast, Opening the Doors, all about the legendary band with Jim Morrison! This episode covers all the mentions of The Doors on The Simpsons animated series.

KLU Podcast – Keep Looking up

CLICK HERE for Persephone Holloway’s podcast, KLU “Keep Looking Up” on Podbean

Persephone May Holloway’s music on Spotify

Southern gothic podcast

Listen to our good friend Brandon Schexnayder’s Southern Gothic podcast, featuring Forrest narrating Edgar Allen Poe’s poem, Annabelle Lee

Find us on YouTube!

Click this text to find all Astonishing Legends episodes and more on our Youtube Channel https://www.youtube.com/c/Astonishinglegends

Join us on Patreon!

Click HERE or go to patreon.com/astonishinglegends to become one of our Patreon members and receive exclusive offerings, like our bonus Astonishing Junk Drawer episodes (posted every weekend the main show is dark) commercial-free episodes, and more!

SPECIAL OFFERS FROM OUR SPECIAL SPONSORS:

FIND OTHER GREAT DEALS FROM OUR SHOW’S SPONSORS BY CLICKING HERE!

CREDITS:

Episode 268: Your True Halloween Stories II – Part 2. Produced by Scott Philbrook & Forrest Burgess; Audio Editing by Sarah Vorhees Wendel of VW Sound. Music and Sound Design by Allen Carrescia. Tess Pfeifle, Producer and Lead Researcher. Ed Voccola, Technical Producer. Research Support from The Astonishing Research Corps, or "A.R.C." for short. Copyright 2023 Astonishing Legends Productions, LLC. All Rights Reserved.

[sakuwsker]

Spring 2023 Anime List

Last season (winter 2022) had so much great anime, and watched 28 anime of the list, so I'm pretty pleased with that count. This season is quite doable as there's only 25 anime this time, rather lot of relationship and isekai anime. But will see, what will happen, and there's few anime which I'll hype so much. :D

20/3

夜廻り猫/Yomawari Neko

Sounds interesting, it's about cat who comfort people. There's 15 episodes, and it will be divided into three 5 episode parts.

1/4

地獄楽/Jigokuraku/ Hell's Paradise

MAPPA's new anime, can't wait as it looks so good, and the cast is so nice, Kobayashi Chiaki, Kimura Ryohei, Ono Kensho, Furukawa Makoto... and story with ninjas is always good start.

天国大魔境/Tengoku Daimakyou/Heavenly Delusion

Rather peculiar story, and PV looked interesting, so curious to see how this will go.

2/4

山田くんとLv999の恋をする/Yamada-kun to Lv999 no Koi wo Suru/Loving Yamada at Lv999

Uchiyama Kouki♡♡♡. PV was funny and great, so quite excited to see this and how their relationship developes. Also Yamada is such cutie and with Uchiyama's voice, aaaahhh.

僕の心のヤバイやつ/Boku no Kokoro no Yabai Yatsu/The Dangers in My Heart

Interesting story, although not sure how it will turn out, but curious nevertheless, and it's always nice hear Shun Horie and Okamoto Nobuhiko.

マイホームヒーロー/My Home Hero

Suwabe Junichi is main character's voice actor♡♡♡, and story seemed interesting and PV was intense, animation style was nice..

3/4

転生貴族の異世界冒険録～自重を知らない神々の使徒～/Tensei Kizoku no Isekai Boukenroku: Jichou wo Shiranai Kamigami no Shito/The Aristocrat's Otherworldly Adventure: Serving Gods Who Go Too Far

Isekai and reincarnation story. Main character is cutie, and synopsis was interesting, so excited to see this, and how different it is what I have already watched.

4/4

スキップとローファー/Skip to Loafer/Skip and Loafer

PV was so cute, and loved the animation style. Cast is quite unknown for me but excited to see and hear them.

5/4

東京ミュウミュウ にゅ～♡/Tokyo Mew Mew New ♡ 2nd Season

Liked a lot the first season, and can't wait to see the girls, Aoyama and Shirogane again (Uchida and Nakamura), and their adventures together.

6/4

神無き世界のカミサマ活動/Kaminaki Sekai no Kamisama Katsudou/What God Does in a World Without Gods

PV was funny and interesting, curious to see this. Cast is nice, Enoki Junya, Suwabe Junichi and Ogata Megumi.

7/4

勇者が死んだ!/Yuusha ga Shinda!/The Legendary Hero Is Dead!

Great cast, Nakamura Yuuichi, Toki Shunichi, Asanuma Shintarou, Hatano Wataru♡♡♡..... PV was funny, and story is interesting. So curious to see this kind of story animated and style was nice.

異世界でチート能力を手にした俺は、現実世界をも無双する ～レベルアップは人生を変えた～/Isekai de Cheat Skill wo Te ni Shita Ore wa, Genjitsu Sekai wo mo Musou Suru: Level Up wa Jinsei wo Kaeta/I Got a Cheat Skill in Another World and Became Unrivaled in The Real World, Too

Rather different take on isekai and school anime, so excited to see this, PV looked great and characters seems to be interesting.

マッシュル-MASHLE-/Mashle/ Mashle: Magic and Muscles

Looks so funny and the cast is great with Kobayashi Chiaki, Ishikawa Kaito, Umehara Yuuichiro, Kaji Yuuki and Eguchi Takuya... Excited to see this and animation style is nice.

カワイスギクライシス/Kawaisugi Crisis/Too Cute Crisis

Alien wandering Earth and ends up in cat café. Looks so cute and story is exciting. Liked the animation style. Cast is nice, and Nakamura Yuuichi♡♡♡.

オーパスカラーズ/Opus.COLORs

AAAAAAHHH!!!!!!!!!!!♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡ Finally something who made Starmyu!!!!! Also Arai Ken is back who made the music on Starmyu and Urashimasakatasen is performing OP. This is so good and so happy to see their exceptional work once again. The cast is unbelievable, and most of my favorites is in it. Story is unique, compaining art and music, and the execution is different. AAAHHHH, CAN'T WAIT!!!!!!! !!!!!!!!!!!!!!Anime of the season!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

8/4

魔法少女マジカルデストロイヤーズ/Mahou Shoujo Magical Destroyers

Not sure about this, but curious to check this out. Also anime where Furukawa Makoto is always nice to see.

女神のカフェテラス/Megami no Café Terrace/The Café Terrace and Its Goddesses

Story is interesting, and it's always great to hear Mizunaka Masaaki, he has so comforting and great voice what will make my heart skip a beat.

異世界ワンターンキル姉さん ～姉同伴の異世界生活はじめました～/Isekai One Turn Kill Neesan: Ane Douhan no Isekai Seikatsu Hajimemashita/My One-Hit Kill Sister

Another isekai anime. Story seemed interesting so curious to see this isekai anime, also Uchida Yuuma voicing one of the characters.

9/4

異世界召喚は二度目で��/Isekai Shoukan wa Nidome desu/Summoned to Another World for a Second Time

Also another isekai anime, rather different approach, so curious to watch this. The cast has Toki Shunichi, Takeuchi Shunsuke and Shimono Hiro.

青のオーケストラ/Ao no Orchestra/The Blue Orchestra

PV looked pretty and it's always nice to see music anime and it's now about orchestra and violin players which is quite rarely portrayed, so happy and excited to see this. Also Chiba Shouya is main character's voice actor, there's also Enko Junya, Furukawa Makoto and Asanuma Shintarou.

おとなりに銀河/Otonari ni Ginga/ A Galaxy Next Door

PV was cute, and story is unique and interesting. Also animation style was great. Yashiro Taku and Sugita Tomokazu is in the cast.

10/4

彼女が公爵邸に行った理由/Kanojo ga Koushaku-tei ni Itta Riyuu/The Reason Why Raeliana Ended up at the Duke's Mansion

Umehara Yuuichiro is main character's voice actor♡♡♡. Also there are Suwabe Junichi, Sugita Tomokazu and Toki Shunichi. PV looked great.

11/4

君は放課後インソムニア/Kimi wa Houkago Insomnia/Insomniacs After School

Interesting story about insomniacs. Satou Gen is main character's voice actor. Curious to see this as PV looked great and pretty.

12/4

THE MARGINAL SERVICE

When I first saw first poster of this, my jaw dropped to ground, naked men in the line. Very funny and unique PV, so very excited to see this and how it will turn out. Also the cast is so good, aaaahhh. Miyano Mamoru, Nakamura Yuuichi, Sugita Tomokazu, Uchiyama Kouki (he's squirrel), Shimono Hiro, Morikawa Toshiyuki and Uchida Yuuma♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡ AAAHHH, Miyano Mamoru is performing OP and Uchida Yuuma is performing ED so happy to hear them sing OP/ED.

?/4

デッドマウント・デスプレイ/Dead Mount Death Play

Isekai and reincarnation anime, PV looked interesting and rather unique style of animation. Cast is good, Uchida Yuuma, Sakakihara Yuuki, Okamoto Nobuhiko and Eguchi Takuya. They already announced second cour/part on October. Excited to see this.

20/4

贄姫と獣の王/Niehime to Kemono no Ou/ Sacrificial Princess and the King of Beasts

PV was cute and pretty. So excited to see this, story is interesting and princess is cute and king of beasts has Hino Satoshi's voice, aaaahhhh ♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡(Fel in Tondemo Skill).

MOVIES

26/5

劇場版 Collar×Malice -deep cover-/Collar x Malice Movie: Deep Cover

Two part movie, PV looked interesting and story seemed exciting enough. Also cast is great; Namikawa Daisuke, Kaji Yuuki, Kimura Ryohei, Saitou Souma and Konishi Katsuyuki.

[punkpoemprose]

Hunter’s Daughter- Kristanna Vampire AU Pt 4

Universe: Vampire AU [Part 1] [Part 2] [Part 3] Rating: T (Teen & Up, mentions of sex) Length: 1723 Words

A/N: Kristanna Advent 2022 Day 8. I can’t help but revisit this one every now and again. I fully planned on being done with it last year, but I have a couple more scenes in me that I’d like to write so you can probably expect 2-3 more of these in the future.

Kristoff had changed careers, at least somewhat. He still hunted with the blessing of his wife and sister-in-law, but he’d also taken up some less dangerous work at the local sawmill. He’d still send in fangs to the hunter’s guild, if only to prevent anyone seeking him out and potentially learning about his wife and sister-in-law. These days little of his income came from that trade, most of his work being using his axe for more palatable purposes. The mill owner didn’t care what hours he kept, only that the work was done, and he’d found it useful even that Kristoff preferred working in the evenings rather than the mornings because it allowed him to get more done between a day shift and a night shift. It wasn’t necessary that he work at night of course, he was human, but it did give him time to build up a schedule before it became necessary.

He doubted that he’d ever stop hunting entirely, even if Anna finally agreed to turn him, because despite it all he still wanted to make the world a safer place. These days the only hunting he did was to destroy the monsters who killed to sate their appetite, but to his great pleasure he’d found in his travels, some vampires who were moral enough to feed from humans without killing them. Some were established in large cities and had pools of consenting volunteers who liked to be bitten, which he’d have more opinions about if he himself didn’t enjoy his wife feeding from him. He’d even met a couple of vampires who, like Elsa and Anna, fed from animal blood rather than human.

He doubted that he would ever be able to change the mind of the hunters who’d raised him, to show them that not all vampires were cruel, but he was content to spend his life, his potential eternity, protecting his little family in every way he could. He’d never let hunters take his wife from him, nor would he allow them to touch her sister. He also intended to provide for them, bringing in his own small financial contribution to their household despite Elsa and Anna’s insistence that it was unnecessary given their wealth.

He did it regardless, feeling better when he provided what he could, particularly in recent months.

“Welcome home,” Anna said as he walked through the door, “I made us dinner.”

It was nearly midnight, but their “dinner” was always more akin to a midnight snack. Anna didn’t really need to eat, her sustenance came from blood, his at times and animals’ blood at others, but she could eat for the taste if she wanted to and Kristoff enjoyed the company.

“You’ve been doing so much of the cooking for me lately,” he said as he shucked off his books and doffed his coat, “You should be resting.”

She approached him for a hug and received it, her swollen stomach making it difficult to hold her as close as he’d like to. She’d always been slight and lately it looked like she’d taken to putting a watermelon under her gown. He’d so rarely ever seen pregnant women in his life, and it had been a blessing when he’d found a female vampire in the city who was a midwife and surgeon’s assistant who had confirmed to him that Anna’s progress was normal and that she’d be happy to assist in the birthing. He'd not been wholly disgusted, as he once would have been, that her work was how she kept herself fed.

“I’m nesting, I want to cook. I’ve cleaned the whole house top to bottom every day this week and our little one will need normal food for some time after the milk, and I still sometimes eat out of habit, plus you need to eat for now, so please don’t fuss. It’s a good hobby for me.”

He never won when he argued with her save for the extraordinary circumstance in which she couldn’t find a flaw in his logic, so he simply nodded.

“Good,” she said cheerily, “Elsa and I had steak so that’s what I made you.”

“Steak” was cow’s blood for her and actual meat for him. He’d come to find some humor in the ways in which she and her sister referred to the blood they drank by the meats they were born from. Pig’s blood was pork, sometimes cheekily ham or bacon, sheep’s’ blood was mutton, chicken’s blood was… well chicken, and the list went on and on.

She rarely, if ever actually ate the meat with him, but instead frequently made herself a taster of the vegetables and starches that she cooked for him along with it.

You’ll see someday, she’d told him some months before, vegetables and desserts and grains and things taste nice, but cooked meat just sort of has a taste of char.

He wondered if he would experience that as well and whether the child she carried would ever appreciate the taste of a well cooked piece of meat.

Babies were something of a new territory for them. The hunters’ society had never said anything at all about vampire children, likely because the conditions to create them were vile in one circumstance and likely unrecorded in their methodology. He’d found, since meeting Anna and Elsa that there was plenty that hunters didn’t know about vampires, and he supposed that someday he could write the book on the matter if it weren’t for the fact that he never wanted to offer anyone, anywhere the sort of information that could lead to someone in his little family getting hurt.

“How was the mill?”

He smiled, following her into the dinning room of their family home. She almost waddled from the extra weight around her front, and he wished that he had been around to witness the likely comical way she’d been cleaning their home with her daughter getting in the way.

Of course, they didn’t know that it was a girl, he just felt certain of it. He’d been sure that she’d have a girl from the first night he dreamed of a little red-haired baby with his brown eyes. Elsa also thought as much, having both the same gut inclination and the “proof” of the pendulum test she’d performed with Anna the day she’d been informed of the pregnancy.

“It was nice,” he said, “I like the work, it makes me feel productive.”

She smiled at him and sat at his side when he settled at their overlarge dinner table. Once he was seated, she removed the cloche from his plate that was keeping the food warm and then removed a second from her own plate which included a variety of the vegetables she’d been growing herself in the estate’s garden.

“I’m glad, I wouldn’t want you to do it if you didn’t like it, but I do have to admit that you doing safer work closer to home has me feeling much better with the baby almost here.”

“I know,” he said fondly, spearing some of the same vegetables on his plate with a fork, “I’m happy that I get to come home every night and make sure all is well. I’ll have to go back to hunting once she’s born, if only to keep anyone from looking for me, but I think that working close to home is ideal.”

She ate her vegetables slowly, savoring the taste, while he ate quite speedily, feeling hungry from the day’s work.

“Was your steak enough?”

“The baby has me feeding more often… eating for two I suppose, but I think that eating the vegetables and things is helping. I suppose that the parts of me that are still functioning like a normal person are getting the nutrients to her even if the steak is the only thing that feeds me. So to make a long story short, yes, it was.”

He nodded, “Because you know you can always ask… I’m always offering Anna.”

She nodded in return, “I know, but you know that makes me terribly amorous most of the time, and despite the fact that I’d rarely if never say no to your attentions, she’s been kicking all day and I…”

He didn’t mean to interrupt, not really, but he couldn’t help himself.

“She?”

Anna blushed, evidence to him that she wasn’t fibbing about having been well fed. She could only ever flush when she’d fed recently. He always knew that she needed more to drink when she was pale.

“Okay, I might finally believe you and Elsa that the baby is a girl. I don’t know how I know, but I just… I know it.”

He grinned appreciatively.

“Which is the same thing we’ve been saying. When did you realize it?”

“I don’t know that realize is the right word love… It’s more that I just felt it today, that she was there and she was going to be so beautiful and have all my clumsiness and fire and your sense and… God Kristoff I just, I love her already, even if she’s not a her.”

He watched as her hands settled lovingly on her stomach and he set down his cutlery to do the same.

“She is… and if she isn’t we’ll love them just the same. I already love her too Anna, because she’s ours and she’s going to be every good and bad part of us both which is perfect.”

“Oh no, she might have your feet!”

He knew that she was teasing him, but for a moment he saw legitimate concern flash over her features.

“Oh gosh, delivery will be terrible if she has your feet.”

As if to prove a point, the baby kicked.

He laughed to himself while Anna groaned.

“You have my apologies in advance. Let’s hope she has your innocent expression; you’ll forgive her instantly with one look.”

“Is that why you can never stay mad at me, even when I do things that make you cross?”

He didn’t answer, instead gently running his fingers in circles over the fabric covered bump and using his other hand to feed himself.

He couldn’t tell her that. It would give her entirely too much power, and even though he’d always been struck by her goodness, he knew that she would use such information for evil.