#asleeponabench

[downtofika]

asleeponabench replied to your post “i’m moving into a new apartment in july and i want to make my room...”

cute string lights

ooooh honestly such a good idea! i think i’ll get those nice multicolored ones cuz nothing says comfy cozy like year round christmas vibes

#asleeponabench #i'm basically envisioning a place that will be ideal for a sleep or near sleep state

[bedlamsbard]

What are the top 10 sw comics you would recommend to someone (particularly from the dark horse years)? I'm taking advantage of the comixology sale and thought you'd be a good person to ask ^^

Star Wars comics! My favorite thing and in all honesty, I think the best thing Lucasfilm is putting out right now.  And they’re putting out a lot of them.

As with anything in Star Wars, answers will vary based on what era of Star Wars you’re into; for Dark Horse I’m very weak on on the OT era because I don’t particularly care.  I’ve read a lot of them, at least from the 2000s (if not the ‘90s and earlier); they just didn’t stick with me.

(I’ve done some recs in the past that cover both books and comics; you’ll have to search a bit through my book rec tag, and they’re sometimes dated because comics come out all the time, but the Dark Horse ones will be more up to date since they’re not new.)

Dark Horse:

Knights of the Old Republic, John Jackson Miller -- one of my favorite Star Wars titles of all time, by my favorite Star Wars author.  Set during the Old Republic, about a Jedi padawan who’s framed for murder and has to go on the run.  So much fun, and one of the most thoughtful views of the Force that I’ve ever seen.

Legacy, John Ostrander & Jan Duursema -- my other favorite Star Wars Legends comic, by a great author/artist pair (who are probably best known for creating Quinlan Vos and Aayla Secura, actually!).  Set a century and change after the OT; probably the most purely epic stories ever told in the Star Wars comics.  It revolves primarily around Cade Skywalker, Luke’s great-grandson, who’s a hot mess of a human being, but has some of the best characters I’ve ever seen in Star Wars, hands down.  And a really interesting take on the post-Sidious Sith.

Legacy II, Corinna Bechko & Gabriel Hardman -- set after Legacy I, but you don’t have to read the former to read this one, though it helps.  Centers on Ania Solo and some misadventures she gets into -- if you like TFA, you’ll probably like Legacy II; there are some superficial resemblances.  This one ends rather abruptly because it was ongoing when Marvel reacquired the Star Wars license from Dark Horse, and had to wrap up much more quickly than planned.

Republic/Clone Wars, various authors -- this is the old Clone Wars continuity and directly contradicts TCW (though I actually still believe it ties AotC and RotS together better than TCW, much as I love TCW).  These are published in trade as “Clone Wars” but ran under the Star Wars: Republic title back in the day.  The quality is a bit variable because of the different authors, and because they came out between AotC and RotS they can sometimes feel a little dated, but the ones that are good are very good.  My favorite is the Last Stand at Jabiim arc by Haden Blackman, which is just...incredible.  It’s about Anakin after everyone thinks Obi-Wan has been killed, and a group of padawans whose masters have all been killed, and a doomed war zone.  The Ostrander/Duursema arc, which follows Quinlan Vos, is also a favorite.

Knight Errant, John Jackson Miller -- another title set during the Old Republic.  This one has a novel tie-in, also called Knight Errant; it’s set after the first arc of the comics (though you can read either the comics or the novel without the others).  Follows a young female Jedi who’s trapped behind Sith lines, Kerra Holt.

Marvel

I can rec all the ongoing titles -- Star Wars, Darth Vader II, Poe Dameron, Doctor Aphra, along with IDW’s Star Wars Adventures -- without hesitation.  They’re all a lot of fun; I don’t really have reservations about any of them.  Same for the Gillen Darth Vader, which wrapped last year (and crossed over with the main title and introduces the title character for Doctor Aphra).  Let me talk a bit about the miniseries

Kanan, Greg Weisman -- I think it’s been well established that this is one of my favorite comics Marvel’s put out, but I can’t do a rec post and not mention it.  It’s gorgeous and funny and heartbreaking, and it’s full of clone feels and Jedi feels and Rebels feels.

Darth Maul, Cullen Bunn -- I loved this, and I really didn’t expect to at all.  It takes place prior to TPM and sees Maul pushing his boundaries with Sidious as he goes after a Jedi padawan on his own.  It’s a great comic for anyone familiar with TCW, since there are some familiar faces there (Cad Bane and Aurra Sing, anyone?), and even a few nods to Rebels.

Han Solo, Marjorie Liu -- THIS COMIC IS SO GOOD. It’s Han and Chewie on a mission for the Rebellion that requires then to enter a race, and then things get interesting.  It’s so delightful and colorful and so much fun. (And really explains, for me, why Han in Bloodline is off being a race star, which in Bloodline came out of the blue for me; you can see here how he realized this was a thing he could do.)

Mace Windu - Jedi of the Republic, Matt Owens -- this one just ended last week, so isn’t available in trade yet.  I’m fascinated by this one, because it takes place very early in the Clone Wars -- very early, and you can really see how the Jedi were operating at that stage and if you’re familiar with TCW, there are a lot of seeds laid here for things that come later (as well as in RotS).

Shattered Empire, Greg Rucka -- this was part of the Journey to The Force Awakens line that came out a few years ago.  It takes up immediately after RotJ and follows Shara Bey, an A-wing pilot who fought at the Battle of Endor -- and who also happens to be Poe Dameron’s mother.  It’s only four issues, but there’s a lot packed in there, from Palpatine’s slash-and-burn contingency plans (which reappear in Battlefront II, I believe) to some deep Force stuff to Naboo!!!! Completely delightful.

I do like the other minis -- Princess Leia, Obi-Wan & Anakin, Chewbacca, Lando, and Captain Phasma -- and I can talk more about them if anyone is interested, but of the minis those four are my favorites.  There’s also Darth Maul - Son of Dathomir, which was originally published by Dark Horse and was recently reprinted by Marvel; it’s based on unused TCW scripts and is the only Dark Horse comic to carry into the new canon.  The quality of the singles and the annuals can be variable, but some of them are really good -- the 2016 Star Wars Annual #2 by Kelly Thompson is incredible, and I’ve recently talked about how much I liked The Storms of Crait.

I’m happy to talk more about any of these if anyone wants!  I’m up to date on all of Marvel’s Star Wars comics except for the film adaptations, because I don’t think those ever transfer well to comics, so I don’t read them.  I’m weaker on the Dark Horse stuff because I haven’t read it all, but I have read a lot of it.

#book rec #asleeponabench #bedlam answers

[anneapocalypse]

kimball - take your pick!

I will happily go right down the list for Kimball because she is a fave and I love her so so so much.

1: sexuality headcanon

Into women and nonbinary people. Not into men. Generally identifies as a lesbian for simplicity’s sake.

2: otp

Kimbalina, oh Kimbalina. Oh, you two strong and beautiful women bloodied but unbowed by your respective wars, heart-battered but not broken by betrayals. Oh your communication issues. Oh the long road to happiness you may find together.

I love Kimbalina. Bury me in Kimbalina.

3: brotp

Kimball & Dr. Grey. I think Emily might be one of the first faces who begins to humanize the Feds to Kimball, who has spent too long sickened by the destruction the government as an entity has wrought upon her home to be able to easily break it down into individuals with just as strong convictions of their rightness as her own. She will never stop believing the rebellion was justified, was necessary, but she will, in time, come to understand why some remained loyal to the government. I think that begins with Emily.

4: notp

(Ship negativity below, obviously.)

Kimball/Doyle wouldn’t entirely be a notp, my own headcanons aside–if not for how often the same people who ship it seem to actively dislike Kimball otherwise (though I recognize that’s not universally true). That sets off a lot of warning bells for me (I have a very negative kneejerk response to a disliked female character being shipped with a beloved male character as if to somehow “redeem” her), and it’s admittedly made it hard for me to look at the ship on its own merits. Regardless, I don’t think it’s one I’d take an interest in.

5: first headcanon that pops into my head

She was born and raised Buddhist and has always felt some internal conflict around her spiritual practice and her politics.

6: favorite line from this character

“Tell them what they need to hear. Tell them that they can do this. And that next time, they will be better.”

“You want us to lie to them?”

“No. I don’t.”

This is one of those things that just gets me right in the soul about Vanessa Kimball–her absolute faith in the goodness and the capability of other people. It’s one of the reasons I think it must have taken her a long time to come to the conclusion that there was no choice but to go to war. At every turn she has faith in her people. And once, all of Chorus was “her people.” I don’t believe getting from A to B was fast, easy, or painless.

7: one way in which I relate to this character

I kind of relate to the above a lot–the impulse to always give people the benefit of the doubt. I relate to how badly it hurts when that comes back to bite you–how you blame yourself as much as you blame the person you trusted.

And I relate the layers of deeply entrenched anger that builds up as a result of that and as defense against it–and how that too betrays you, in the end, and you feel defenseless again. I relate to the immense frustration of constantly having your anger dismissed and used to discredit you.

I relate to desperately wanting a better world than the one you have.

8: thing that gives me second hand embarrassment about this character

Nothing comes to mind–if anything, I think Kimball is remarkably composed like 95% of the time, and when that composure breaks down, well. I find it pretty relatable.

9: cinnamon roll or problematic fave?

I joked about Kimball being a cinnamon roll back in season 12, when she was still a pretty new character and hadn’t had a chance to get seriously frustrated or lose her temper yet. I’m glad we got to see that happen in season 13–and I don’t think that makes her “problematic,” I think it makes her human, and I’d rather have a well-rounded human being than a cinnamon roll. Considering the pressure she’s under, it’s a wonder she holds it together as well as she does. I know some fans come down real hard on her for what she yells at Doyle, and I think it’s worth pointing out that it’s a military environment, not a kindergarten classroom. She’s under no obligation to be sweet, any more than he is.

#rvb problems #vanessa my wife #this was a fun ramble thank you #character meme #asleeponabench #ask anne

[yellowis4happy]

asleeponabench replied to your post “Listen……… this episode of TNG is gonna end my life”

ooooooo that was the first tng ep i ever saw!! T_T

Damn what a first episode to watch

#asleeponabench #replies #idek what I would do if that was my first episode #maybe die #Star Trek /

[crossguild]

gintama (for the fandom meme)

The character I first fell in love with: KAGURA!!!The character I never expected to love as much as I do now: otoseThe character everyone else loves that I don’t: im pretty bored of zura and takasugi tbhThe character I love that everyone else hates: who do people even hate???The character I used to love but don’t any longer: no i only them more with every passing yearThe character I would totally smooch: gintoki :’)The character I’d want to be like: GINTOKIThe character I’d slap: kamui deserves a couple tbhA pairing that I love: UHHH I DONT... HAVE ANY SHIPS FOR THIS GAG MANGA....A pairing that I don’t: i dont pay enough attn to this fandom to have a notp and id like to keep it that way lmao

#meme #asleeponabench

[goodluckdetective]

☼ for Charlie (I'm curious about her fashion sense)

☼ Appearance: Oh god, it is a disaster. 

I mean, it’s not entirely her fault. She’s a giant alien; human clothing is kind of hard to size for. Like nothing but loose pants and shirts work, and dresses are almost out of the question unless they’re special ordered. And clothes for Sangheli make her feel out of place even more (and are usually too big since she’s a hybrid).  She pretty much wears entirely handed down clothes because shopping is such a pain, and it’s just easier to throw on one of Aunt Kai or Junior’s shirts.

That being said, Aunt Kai and Junior’s shirt are almost always tacky and covered in tacky phrases, so it’s a losing situation. 

Lauren despairs. She’s into flower prints and skirts and lipstick, so seeing Charlie come in with a shirt that says “Tu Madre es una puta” (Lopez likes to annoy Locus by giving her offensive shirts in Spanish) she bangs her head against the nearest wall. 

#charlie verse #it's horrendous #iz rambles #rvb for ts #asleeponabench

[renaroo]

I just finished season 13 of Red vs Blue and I'm EMOTIONALLY DESTORYED

WELCOME TO THE PAIN PARTY

#I am always getting a kick out of people joining RvB #SO MUCH PAIN #ALL DARK #NO PARENTS #asleeponabench

[collarpoints-blog]

asleeponabench replied to your post: I did a count and I have somehow colle...

I remember when it was just you trying to get some marimos

you’re right...that is how it started...and now i want ALL THE FAT PLANTS

#asleeponabench

[charaznable]

i'm falling into tokyo ghoul hell bc of your blog

😜😜😜 WELCOME TO HELL

#asleeponabench #ask

[bedlamsbard]

what are some of your recommendations for star wars books/comics? (besides the current marvel sw comics)

Quick response because I get this question on a regular basis and unfortunately the current line-up of what’s available is always changing, so I can never just link to the last one.

Canon:

A New Dawn, John Jackson Miller -- the story of Hera and Kanan’s first meeting.  Fun, very charming, JJM’s a great Star Wars writer.

Lords of the Sith, Paul S. Kemp -- the time Cham Syndulla tried to assassinate Palpatine and Darth Vader, HOWEVER, I rec this with the huge caveat that while I enjoyed the novel I also had major problems with its execution and worldbuilding.  But the characterization is spot-on and it’s fun, especially if you’re not coming at it from an “you’re doing imperialism wrong!” angle the way I am, since it’s my academic specialty.

Servants of the Empire novels, Jason Fry -- YA novels starring Zare Leonis from Rebels; quick reads but fun, if you can get through the endless sports in Book 1, falls down on execution in Book 4, doesn’t quite get the canon characters right but really good if you liked Zare from “Breaking Ranks.”

Before the Awakening, Greg Rucka -- three novellas set before TFA, each one focusing on Finn, Poe, and Rey.  Fine; nothing particularly outstanding, but it’s fine, it’s fun.

I don’t tend to read the novels since I’m incredibly picky about books, so that actually sums up nearly all of the New EU novels I’ve read, though I know Aftermath and Lost Stars have both been highly recced.

Current comics -- all of them are solid, though I think Kanan is the best of the bunch, with Darth Vader just behind.

Darth Maul - Son of Dathomir is the only canon comic Dark Horse put out; it’s based off unused TCW scripts and is about Maul and Death Watch after “The Lawless.”

EU/Legends

Novels

Kenobi, John Jackson Miller -- Obi-Wan on Tatooine, immediately following RotS, though it is actually not an Obi-Wan-focused story -- Obi-Wan himself is on the periphery, winding his way through the main character’s life and troubles.

Razor’s Edge, Martha Wells -- absolute favorite Star Wars novel of all time, Leia-focused adventure story with pirates and other Alderaanian survivors.

the X-wing novels, Michael Stackpole and Aaron Allston -- the first Stackpole one, Rogue Squadron, is fine, but I actually find that the Stackpole/Rogue Squadron novels get worse and weirder as they go along, but the Allston/Wraith Squadron ones are great and I love them, though they’re a little dated now.

Knight Errant, John Jackson Miller -- set during the Old Republic, tied in with the Knight Errant comics (also JJM): single female Jedi trapped behind the lines in Sith space, trying to make a difference.

Comics

Knights of the Old Republic, John Jackson Miller, Brian Ching, Doug Wheatley (other artists) -- SO GOOD, set around the timeline of the video games but not directly tied in; screw-up padawan is framed for the murder of his classmates and has to go on the run to survive in the middle of a burgeoning war between the Republic and Mandalore, as well as clear his name.  SO MUCH FUN.  Basically Farscape set in the Star Wars universe.

Legacy I, John Ostrander and Jan Duursema -- set 130 years after RotJ, Luke’s great-grandson has some issues, as do these comics, but a really fun, epic saga on par with the PT and the OT themselves if you can get past Cade’s manpain. Also: one of the most amazing female characters in Star Wars.

Legacy II, Gabriel Hardman and Corinna Bechko -- set just after Legacy I, features Ania Solo making her way through the galaxy after she accidentally acquires the lightsaber of an Imperial Knight. Sadly ended before its time when Marvel reacquired the license.

Republic/Clone Wars, various authors and artists -- variable quality, but the Ostrander ones featuring Quinlan Vos are all solid as hell and Haden Blackman gives great Anakin and Obi-Wan -- Last Stand on Jabiim and Obsession are both masterpieces.  (Be aware that the Republic comics directly contradict TCW and were overwritten by it long before the Legends/canon distinction was made.)

Knight Errant, John Jackson Miller, various artists -- lone female Jedi trapped behind Sith lines; the first trade falls before the novel, while the second and third trades fall afterwards.

#book rec #asleeponabench #bedlam answers

[anneapocalypse]

8 - maine & connie

8: thing that gives me second hand embarrassment about this character

Nothing comes to mind for Maine. I enjoy pretty much all of his characterization (yes, Maine does have characterization) in the Freelancer seasons very much.

For Connie: “You said we would be together!” gives me secondhand embarrassment not for Connie herself, but for the writer who thought shoehorning in an 11th-hour romance to muddle the motivations of the bravest character in all of Freelancer was a good idea.

#rvb problems #rvb critical #ship hate #sorry. but. #asleeponabench #ask anne

[yellowis4happy]

omg you're cousins sound adorable! glad you're having a good time w/ them!

They’re rly cute!!! Hanging out w them is turning out to be so much fun haha. And thanks!!

#replies #asleeponabench

[crossguild]

hunter x hunter & yyh

my beautiful cinnamon roll too good for this world fave: gon

my trash-shit fave: PHINKS AND FEITAN LMAO. gotoh belongs here too

my I love to hate them fave: hisoka

my I hate to love them fave: hisoka

my I wouldn’t piss on them if they were on fire non-fave: killua’s mom jfc

my I didn’t care about them either way at first but the fandom makes such a big deal about them now I can’t stand them non-fave: uhhh... i dunno tbh 

my I could take them or leave them kinda non-fave: uhhhhhhhhhhhh

my I will go down with this ship and I won’t put my hands up and surrender, there will be no white flag above my door. I’m in love and always will be fave ship: killugon!! also canary and amane are super cute

my dirtybadwrong fave ship: hisoka/illumi lmao

my they’re cute together and I dig them but I’m not all that terribly invested kinda fave ship: hisoka/chrollo??

my I didn’t care about this ship either way at first but the fandom makes such a big deal about it now I can’t stand it non-fave ship: idk i don’t look at the fandom lmao

my MAKE IT STOP non-fave ship: i don’t even wanna know what ppl ship in this fandom

YYH

my beautiful cinnamon roll too good for this world fave: keiko

my trash-shit fave: HIEI LMAO

my I love to hate them fave: uhhhhhhh i don’t remember enough of this series... yomi??

my I hate to love them fave: I DON’T REMEMBER ENOUGH OF THIS SERIES LMAO

my I wouldn’t piss on them if they were on fire non-fave: toguros

my I didn’t care about them either way at first but the fandom makes such a big deal about them now I can’t stand them non-fave: idek

my I could take them or leave them kinda non-fave: IDK????

my I will go down with this ship and I won’t put my hands up and surrender, there will be no white flag above my door. I’m in love and always will be fave ship: kurama and hiei... was one of my first ships LMAO

my dirtybadwrong fave ship: itsuki/sensui

my they’re cute together and I dig them but I’m not all that terribly invested kinda fave ship: kuwabara/yukina

my I didn’t care about this ship either way at first but the fandom makes such a big deal about it now I can’t stand it non-fave ship: IDK???

my MAKE IT STOP non-fave ship: i know there was one but i forget what it is LMAO

#meme #asleeponabench

[goodluckdetective]

got any fluffy headcanons about charlie and caboose or the chorus lieutenants?

I got a bunch for Charlie and Caboose.

Caboose:

-I always headcanon Caboose and Niner as siblings and one of the best mental images from that, is Niner giving little Caboose piggyback rides and shouting “HERE COMES THE CABOOSE MONSTER, FEAR US”. Which is fun to picture in reverse when they meet up as adults, because Caboose would do that to Niner and yell “WE ARE THE CABOOSE MONSTER. GIVE US THE COOKIES AND NO ONE GETS HURT.” Nine goes with it: the Red Team has all the Oreos and she wants some. 

-Caboose draws on his hands with sharpie. Sometimes it’s lists, but often he draws faces there. This is pretty great, because when he punches people, they get a look at a grinning cartoon dog before getting the stuffing knocked out of them.

-Caboose, before Blood Gulch and his injuries, was a good mechanic. A damn good mechanic. He still is, but he can’t really tell you what he’s making until he’s done with it. Giving him a broken toaster could either end up with the toaster repaired or a potato battery. There is no in between.

Charlie:

-I don’t mention this in the series, but @ephemeraltea has a Grimmons kid named Lauren that occupies the same world as Charlie. And so I pretty much imagine them to be a couple later in life. Which is great because Locus would be appalled at the idea of his daughter with a Grif. A GRIF. 

-Locus manages to send Charlie a cake every year on her birthday. No one knows how he does it: he’s in prison with no money to his name. Only his partner in crime knows who gets the cake (it’s Donut). 

-Sarge tried to call dibs on Charlie for Red team because “it was only fair.” He still considers her a Red at heart.  No one corrects him. 

-Charlie grows up to be Special Ops, a branch that looks into corruption and abuses of the system. She saves her Father’s life once, when an old merc band kidnaps him for revenge. This is funny mostly because Locus thought she was off being a doctor and “YOU HAVE LIED TO ME FOR HOW MANY YEARS.” This family argument takes place entirely while kicking merc ass. 

-Knowing Locus speaks Spanish, Lopez gives Charlie shirts in Spanish that have insulting phrases on them. Donut swears they’re age appropriate. Locus gains even more grey hair.

#rvb for ts #charlie! verse #charlie verse #asleeponabench

[earth-dad]

I'm just starting DA:O and just wanted to say that I love your Dragon Age art!

✌ thanks!!! i hope you like dao 👍👍

#asleeponabench