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chamiryokuroi · 10 months

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My thoughts on Tim Drake: Robin #10 heavy spoilers under the cut

First of all got to say it wasn’t a bad ending if we consider they had to wrap up this arc in such a short amount of time, gotta give it to Meghan she managed to figure out a way to answer as many questions as possible and give us a relatively good ending for a series that I feel was canceled with no reason.

You can definitely feel that the story was planned to be done in more issues, the building blocks are all there for an amazing arc and it is sad we had to condense it all in one issue.

Now into a more in depth analysis of the comic of my favorite parts.

The Labyrinth was such and interesting point I wish we could have seen more of, specially with the fact this is the cult if Dionysus.

I absolutely adore the fact that Bernard is fully aware of Tim’s identiry because we get such funny interactions like this where Pie honestly thinks Tim is cheating on Bernard with Robin, and that panel of Bernard laughing because of that is one of my favorites for sure, boy is having so much fun, as he should.

Now in a more serious tone, this two panels tells us so much of how Tim feels, how insecure he is of his own place, not only on his family, but in the world as a whole. That second panel specifically where we see Bernard having fun while Tim is just on the bg, knowing how hard it must be for Tim to wrap his head around his sexuality even now, a year after coming out and starting dating Bernard, this feels realistic, sometimes when you come out later in life it feels as if you do not fit exactly with the community, and it can be hard to find your place.

If I had a nickel for every time a creepy cult tried to recruit Tim into their ranks I would have two nickels, which isn’t a lot but it is weird that it keeps happening.

This is honestly another point that feels like it was meant to be explored for longer before the cancelation notice came. At least it gives us an explanation of why Kate was acting the way she was, it took me a while to get it but basically after Tim saved Bernard from the cult back in Urban Legends Kate went around hunting down those that managed to escape, one of them being the son of this man that appears to be the leader of the cult, the son then took his own life and Kate was taken into the labyrinth, were we know Tim was being pumped with some hallucinogen gas of some sort, depending on how long she was on the labyrinth before managing to escape that might explain her memory loss, again this is all theorizing with what we are given since there wasn’t much space for it to be explain as it should.

And now we go back to Bernard who is looking around for Tim, going to all the people that knew him as Robin, and then those words “Tim takes care of everyone… but sometimes he needs someone to take care of him” hits me straight on the feels, Bernard is such a supportive boyfriend, he is definitely what Tim needs, someone that is there for him, not only for Tim, but also Robin.

Also the fact that Bernard is making his own homemade bat-signal with his hands is just adorable to me. Boy could had probably drove to Bruce’s house, but he doesn’t need Bruce’s help right now, he needs Batman.

And of course Batman responds. Bruce why were you following Bernard? Anyways, yet another great speech from Bernard “I thought you might be a ghost. Or you weren’t real. But the truth is you look sort of normal. Like regular-people normal.” Leave it to Bernard to understand exactly what Batman is, just a normal man trying to help as best as he can.

And then he says Tim needs help, not Robin, Tim. This is just Bernard out right telling Bruce “I know, and I don’t care, because Tim is in problem and you got to find him”

And then we get the best thing, Bernard, and Tim’s friends and family, rushing in to save him, just as he was losing hope of managing to leave the labyrinth alive. Absolutely in love with Bernard’s long ass coat.

And then we get to my favorite page. The uncertainty if it is really him or another hallucination, the confirmation that it is him, it is Bernard, here to save Tim. The hug, the way Tim is holding Bernard’s face, the only thing that would had made this better would had been a kiss.

And then we get to the ending, not much to say here, I just love these two pages, Tim just finally realizing he doesn’t need to be anyone else, that he can be himself and that he is right where he belong, and that he can be happy with that. The best ending we could have hope for with what we were allowed to have.

There are obviously many questions left unanswered.

What was exactly the Cult of Dionysus? Where did it came from?

What’s going on with Bernard’s parents?

What’s up with Moriarty? Who was his boss? What was his deal with Robin/Tim??

I am sad TD:R ended the way it did, had it been given the time to develop I feel it would had gotten better. But I am glad we managed to get as much as we did, now we just have to wait and see what will DC do now with Tim, and if Bernard will stay relevant or will they brush him under the rug.

#dc #tim drake #bernard dowd #timbern #this makes no sense but I just had to speak out #td:r spoilers #spoilers

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qcomicsy · 1 year

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Can you recommend me Bat-family comics to read? Which ones do you like?

Heyyyy

I would love it!

DISCLAIMER Keep it in mind I'm a casual reader so my recs might not be the most "this is every issue they are together" or the longer ones!

Let's go!

Nightwing Annual (2021)

Dick & Jason focused

This is one of my favorites ones, it focuses both on Dick's and Jason's relationship as Nightwing and Robin and Nightwing and Redhood.

The dialogue is great, it has both it's really funny bits but also it's really wholesome ones too and it's full of heartwarming moments.

I absolutely adore the way they handled Jason's Robin and acknowledges his violent tendencies without judging him for it.

He's not portrayed as overly violent and reckless, but as a normal teenager having normal reactions given the things he had to deal in his past.

My only criticism is Jason still using that damn crowbar and how they kept drawing Jason shorter the Nightwing for some reason. I think it was to accentuate the "younger brother" feelings so I forgive the artist.

But it's pretty funny.

He looks like short king

Robin & Batman

Dick and Bruce focused

Oh this one, this one it's so good, so good that almost got me crying on main. It's really beautiful, I wasn't the happiest about how Bruce behaved in the comic but it sat in a fine line between Batdad and Bruce being a terrible father/person.

He is too hard on Robin, but it does show how he is trying.

The art is goddamn beautiful, it has this watercolor look and Dick looks adorable on it.

It also goes deep in Dick's feelings about being Robin and what the whole jig means to him, it respects Dick's relationship with Bruce but without forgetting the love and the moments he had with his biological parents.

It's just really, really beautiful a goddamn gem between the many mistakes DC made with them two over those years.

For Tim and Dick I really recomend

Batman Prodigal (1997)

Note: The whole Kightfell series is great for a Bruce, Dick and Tim read. But for the Batfam feelings you can just focus on the prodigal parts.

Dick & Tim focused

The only thing you have to know to catch up is:

1. Bane broke Bruce's back and dignity, so he couldn't still be Batman.

2. Bruce found this guy called Jean Paul to fill for him.

3. Jean Paul is really fond of punishment and violence and the good ol' catholic guilt and goes a little bit too rogue as Batman for everyone's liking.

4. Bruce takes the mantle from Jean Paul and Nightwing fills in as the new Batman.

I wouldn't call exactly brotherly, because Tim wasn't adopted yet in the timeline this was published but they have their moments.

New talent show case DC #2017

Duke and Jason focused

This is also a favorite. It's a short story (unfortunately) but every single panel is worth it.

It's basically Jason and Duke bonding moment between fighting some baddies and trying to clown each other on the way. 10/10 will always recommend.

Robin War

Jason & Duke & Tim & Damian

This one I've read recently (thanks for the asks people send to me y'all are fucking great) and it's a fucking gem!

It shows a lot their chemistry on the battlefield and how fucking insufferable they are around each other. It also shows how Duke fits as a glove in this family of misfits even before he was an "official member".

Red Hood and the Outlaws Annual (2016)

Another Dick and Jason focused!

Oh this one is a blast! It's also short but so goddamn worth it.

Basically Jason and the Outlaws take a gig in a circus to track a Russian bad guy (gotta love how comic books have unresolved beef with Russians until this day) and well it's a circus so how can you not call Dick Grayson?

It's so goddamn funny and it has no right to be, it still very close in the timeline where Dick and Jason were definitely not in good terms, so their interaction it's all so awkward it's a joy really.

We also got a flashback from Dick and younger Jason as Robin and even the flashback is goddamn hilarious, I had such a good time reading it that it's a must read!

Now If you're here for the angst and general feeling's™

I would highly recomend.

- Nightwing Year One (Dick & Bruce)

- Death in the Family (Jason & Bruce & Dick)

- Red Robin (Tim & Dick / Tim & Damian / minor Tim & Cass / Minor Bruce & Tim)

Note: They don't interact much in this run but when they do it hurts. It also can help you understand the beef between Tim and Damian better.

- DCeased (Damian & Steph / minor Damian & Jason)

Note: It's one of the many, many DC aus but this one it's 'pretty' good (it's decent). Definitely not Batfam focused but it has one one of my favorite Damian & Steph and Damian & Jason moments. It's also one of my favorites interpretations of Damian, he gets so sweet and mature over the years that passes in the comic and his reencounter with Jason rewrote my entirety brain chemistry.

Also unfortunately it's the only time we get to see Damian and Jon growing up together :')

- DC vs Vampires ( Batfam (except Duke because the author is a coward) specially Tim & Damian / Tim & Bruce / Dick & Almost everybody )

Note: Okay this one is a fucking car ride, a rollercoaster if you will. And it's ANOTHER DC au but with yeah VAMPIRES so buckle-up.

It has major Batfam moments in the beginning and one of my favorites Damian and Tim interactions ( I'm going to reblog this with photos because Tumblr is homophobic and isn't letting me add more photos in this shit >:( ). Then it goes hard on betrayal (trying not to add spoilers) and feelings so get ready for that.

I unfortunately haven't finished (casual reader remember that) but the much I've read was really, really good.

It gets very silly very quickly as anything made with vampires generally get (unfortunately they butchered a lot of characters in the process) but if you go head empty no thoughts you're going to get a lot of fun and maybe cry a little if that gets to you.

So this is it. I'm sure it has more of it, and oh I'm sure I forgot a lot of it but those are the one's I could get from the top of my head, so I hope you and all of the people who want to follow it have fun!

Also if someone has more recommendations feel free to add on the Reblogs, I'm sure I will eat it up anyway.

#Also Batman & Robin Eternal has been sitting on my reading list for a while (lies)#I've read a couple of panels today and seems really promising a lot of Dick & Tim & Jason interactions! Harpey my dear is also there to!#so if someone wants to check go for it I for now have no idea of it's good or not #but I will (eventually (*I hope*))#q asks #q recommendations #batfamily #batfam #dick grayson #jason todd #bruce wayne #tim drake #damian wayne #duke thomas #stephanie brown #cassandra cain #alfred pennyworth

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barrenclan · 7 months

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OKAY I TRY NOT TO PUT IN MANY POST-ISSUES ASKS BECAUSE I'M ON THE PATFW SERVER BUT GOOD LORD WHAT AN ISSUE

My gore tolerance is not the best so I was not expecting to enjoy this issue but this might be one of my new favorites to be perfectly honest. I wish that both canon Warriors and fancomics would feature stuff like different artforms more because I love the idea of these societies doing stuff like that instead of just suffering, and, while Barrenclan probably isn't holding auditions nay time soon, the second Deepdark suggested some acting I was absolutely delighted

My favorite thing about the play beyond the lore is just how unreliable Deepdark and his lackies are there. Like little things such as Deepdark hiding his name (which is something he'd of course do, both because nobody knows his old name and because he'd like to keep it that way), the less violent and more cartoonishly dramatic nature of the fight maybe making it easier to see Deepdark as a charismatic leader to be trusted rather than a ruthless murderer to be feared (I may be looking too much into this one), Prowl's anger at Longest Claw's murder being toned down to immediately admiration (and an immediate desire to follow Deepdark's beliefs when he hadn't really communicated what they are/what he'd "been lacking") and Spike's fear being turned to the same and Deepdark's "come and get me" being turned to a gentler "follow me" are all just really great touches which hide the true start of Defiance

Also most of my love for this issue is because of the acting component (I love me some theatre and some talking animals), but death being compared to sleep once again comes to hurt me. Honestly Rainhaze's "death is like falling asleep next to somebody you love" idea is vaguely comforting to me, but I adore him twisting that into complete denial of the brutality of what he's caused. He sees the reality of Dustfeather's death, and knows the reality of her shrieks before death, but he still tries to twist it into happy little yells of delight before she went to curl up to a loved one, so that he can see it as a good, peaceful death instead of the bloody murder of somebody who, as horrible as she was, still meant the world to him.

Anyways I adore this issue and I'll keep yelling about it in the discord but for now here's my many thoughts on it

I really wanted to draw some organs, and I blame the PATFW Discord entirely for encouraging me.

Deepdark might want to tell his followers where he came from, but he can't tell them the truth! No self-respecting cult leader would do that. Filtering this violent story into a morality play helps to communicate his message and mythologize his own origins. Spike and Prowl in those particular panels are acting as they would now, rather than they would before - Spike as brave and excited in front of Deepdark, and Prowl wholly admiring him.

And Rainhaze is doing just the same twisting, for his own memories! Hopefully it makes him feel better.

#ask #deepdark #prowl #spike #rainhaze

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eddiebrockx · 1 year

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⚠️ SPOILERS for Venom issues #164 and #165 (the 2016 to 2018 comics in general), Venom: The First Host, and the Venom comics in general. ⚠️

Incoming mini-essay! (TL;DR - Sleeper is the manifestation of everything I love about Venom as a comic series, Eddie and the Symbiote are top tier parents, and Spider-Woman is fucking awesome.)

Okay so, I know everyone jokes about issues 164 and 165 because “wow omg Eddie Brock is pregnant.” However, I feel like there isn’t a lot of discussion (that I’ve seen) around how Eddie and the Symbiote handled raising Sleeper because it reveals a lot about their growth up until that point.

It’s been previously established that the Symbiote has been through multiple abusive relationships in the past. The only people who have treated it relatively well as a host are Flash Thompson and, obviously, Eddie Brock. However, even in those relationships we see that it struggles with unhealthy tendencies. The most obvious being just hiding things to protect itself, which it has developed mostly as a coping mechanism (although sometimes it's just used as an easy way to create drama instead of as a sign of its trauma; the downside of having so many different people creating different comic arcs). Beyond itself, it has also seen all of it's children--Carnage, Riot, Lasher, Phage, Agony, and Scream--become incredibly violent in the hands of their hosts.

Because of this, it rightfully fears the idea of having any more children and seeing them become either like itself or its siblings. Comic issues #164 and #165 entirely focus on this idea because the Symbiote is going to spawn soon. Of course, usual Venom shenanigans ensue; people try to kidnap Eddie and the Symbiote, they escape, etc. But what's important is two things: 1) the Symbiote's dreams for the baby, and 2) we get to see Spider-Woman kick absolute ass.

In issue #165, we get these panels:

“It's true Eddie. Didn’t want my baby to be another monster. Wanted it to be a hero. A hero like you. Like Venom.”

I feel Eddie had a right to be upset at this point in time--what with not being told that your significant other is literally going to give birth--but he also doesn't at all slack on getting the Symbiote what it needs next. A quick run to Alchemax later, and they are able to (with some complications) deliver the new symbiote. They decide they will raise it separate from a host within the lab, Eddie and the Symbiote carefully watching over it's growth. Their main goal is to prepare it for a host, so hopefully it won't join its siblings.

Also (sort of a side rant) but I really want to emphasize how much I love Spider-Woman in this scenario. She, like a lot of people in Venom comic history, initially tries to attack Venom. However, upon learning that the Symbiote is pregnant, and seeing it's side of things, she promptly leaves them alone. On top of that, she steps in to rescue them, even when it wasn't necessary to do so. I don't know, I just really appreciate seeing her here. She rocks, and this also means she's one of the few characters who actually understands the relationship Eddie and the Symbiote have (and she doesn't want to destroy it).

"It's beautiful, Eddie." "It is."

I really loves this for a lot of reasons. Mostly because I'm weak to good parenting in stories, but I really want to emphasize how important it is that they're trying so hard. Eddie and the Symbiote have both been constantly fighting and internal and external struggle against the idea that they are a monster. Their mistakes have defined both of their lives. After a lot of trial and error--being broken up and reuniting again and again--that they are now taking steps to improve not only their relationship, but their overall lives and the life of their new kid.

And their new kid is absolutely overpowered. Sleeper is probably my favorite character in Venom history by a longshot. Sleeper is calm, cool, and collected, AND they're strong as hell. We get to see all of that and more displayed in Venom: First Host.

For those who haven't read it, the gist of this arc is that the Symbiote's first host--a Kree--is on a mission to find it again, along with a Skrull. Meanwhile, on Earth, Eddie and the Symbiote are trying to raise their baby in peace. They save the Kree from the Skrull, who then asks the Symbiote to return with him. It, of course, declines. And then the Kree goes absolutely nuts and tries to steal their kid so they're forced to make a sacrifice: the Symbiote goes with the Kree.

"If that is your choice...I honor it. You have my envy, Brock. You must be a great man." "No. Not great. But together we make something...more."

Stuff ensues. Eddie has to go on a rescue mission with the Skrull from before to save the Symbiote; and his kid is more than ready to help. Which, is awesome, because Sleeper is OP. They have the ability to camouflage themselves, secrete a pheromone that confuses the senses of those around them, AND can live with a dead host (they lobotomize the Kree guy and use his body to go have adventures after Eddie and the Symbiote reunite. All of this is awesome, but the only part I truly wish to highlight to you is this:

"We wanted better for you." "And I'll have it. This body is strong. There are depths of knowledge and memories in this mind. Worlds. Galaxies. I've been kept in a cage my whole life. There's so much to see out there. And I will see it. I know you did your best, father. But I don't need a cage anymore."

Sleeper has grown up; Sleeper is free. Thanks to Eddie and the Symbiote's efforts, Sleeper is their own individual. It's hard for them to accept their child leaving, but it's alright. Not only because Sleeper returns to them in the next couple of arcs anyways, but because they succeeded. While they had hoped that Sleeper would end up with a good host, they've instead given Sleeper the tools to be free on their own. They don't need to rely on a host's whims to be a hero, to be good.

It's powerful, and I love it. It's so compelling to see these character who have had such a difficult time finding themselves, finding their place in the world, raise such a strong and good individual. Sleeper goes on to be a vital asset in the King in Black arc (which I have words for, but I appreciate Sleeper's role in it) as well as a good big sibling to his human brother.

I can't even fully articulate how much I love this entire arc, just that it's the encapsulation of everything I really love about Venom. We get romance, we get parenthood, we get growth, we get all the good shit. I love it. Anyways, I'll leave you with that. I just wanted to share some of my many (many) thoughts about these comics.

#venom #venom: first host #sleeper symbiote #sleeper #eddie brock #symbrock #comics #marvel comics #venom comics #mini essay #venom (2016-2018)#rant #spider woman #sorry this is so long #im just super passionate about this #jane essay

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sailorstarr-chan4 · 1 year

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Some of my Favorite Manga That Deserve an Anime Adaptation

Red River (28 volumes)

😍😍😍 !!!!!!!! *gestures dramatically at the screen* I just!!! I cannot scream this enough!!!! This forgotten gem stole my heart in 2020 and I cannot get over it. In a word, this series is: passionate. Exquisite. UNDERRATED. 😭😭😭 It's a historical isekai romance that is full of political intrigue, erotica, brilliant characterization, GORGEOUS art, and great action. This manga is the reason why I wrote 3 out of the 8 non-crossover Red River fics that exist on AO3 lmaooooo. IT'S JUST SOOOOO GOOD!!!! I never finished a series longer than 7 volumes within less than 2 weeks, and completely online, no less! It's a damn shame that it's so hard finding even physical copies of the manga to own, because dammit, I NEED!!!! 😍😍😍🥺🥺🥺 I would straight up CRY from joy if an anime adaptation was ever announced skgjfdfkjgdf (but I doubt it'd ever happen 😭)

MAO (14 volumes and counting!)

I mean, it's only the legendary Rumiko Takahashi's latest work, COME ON. It has Takahashi's usual touch in the art style, themes, and motifs, but is also wonderfully refreshing, with all new memorable characters and low-key one of her BEST main ships of all time. The game's afoot, and there's mysteries to unravel with deeper conspiracies beneath them all, all with a hot immortal doctor and a feisty girl who shares his curse with a cat demon thing (a byoki, to be precise). WHAT'S NOT TO LOVE?!

FAKE (7 volumes)

Yes, there's an OVA 2-part special. No, it's not enough. This bitch is thirsty for MORE. 😍😍😍👀👀👀 Yuri on Ice may be the first "yaoi" to steal my heart (I only put quotations because there's no porn lol), but FAKE is the first "official" yaoi to make me SQUEEEE while reading. Yes, this older series is not free from some of the unfortunate trappings of older yaoi series (*cough* noncon issues! *cough cough*), but I think what makes it work is that it's never pushed too far. And honestly, the mysteries surrounding their work as private detectives was so compelling, that it was almost like they never had time for shenanigans.... until after they fell in love 👀👀👀 Or, rather, after Ryo FINALLY accepted that he's gay AF for Dee lmao. Also: points for Dee being an openly bisexual man, who constantly corrects those who call him a homosexual. For the 90's??? That's surprisingly progressive.

Angel Sanctuary (20 volumes)

Yes, there's a 3 episode OVA. But it only "covers" the first 2 volumes out of TWENTY. This series is absolutely gorgeous: the Gothic inspired art, every panel is just dripping in angst, detail, and passion. The incest takes a backseat for the REAL drama, a savage dressing down of the hypocrisy of Christian ideals in a world where even the realm of Heaven is corrupt and full of sin. Dark, angsty, deliciously sinful, and a thoughtfully cynical yet inspiring commentary on what makes us human (even if you're a devil or an angel), it is an absolute CRIME that this series was never made into a full-length anime. If other controversial anime can be made/adapted in this day and age, then why not give this classic, forgotten gem a try, anime studios?! 😤

The Gentlemen's Alliance Cross (11 volumes)

Arina Tanemura's art is simply *chef's kiss* She has such a Shoujo Style that is unparalleled. Two are of her earlier works were made into beloved early 2000's magical girl anime series: Kamikaze Kaitou Jeanne and Full Moon wo Sagashite. So why not THIS?! It is such a deliciously absurd Drama that is addicting and frustrating as hell. It's also just a truly touching tale of how family baggage can be so damaging to people's perceptions on love, relationships, and self-worth. It's a series that's near and dear to my heart, and I'd love to see it animated one day.

Kitchen Princess (10 volumes)

This adorable series is 90% fluff, 10% ANGST, with some of the cutest art styles imaginable. If you're itching for a series about food that doesn't go batshit like Food Wars (I love that show, but I can understand that it can be, er, overwhelming lol), Kitchen Princess invites you in for tea and cake and holds your hand as you eat delicious desserts that warm your soul. It is just a sweet, sweet story, with an abundance of fluff, but enough angst and hurt/comfort to balance out the cutesyness. Definitely a comfort food series that NEEDS AN ADORABLE, WHOLESOME ANIME AND CUTESY SOUNDTRACK, DAMMIT!!!!

Fushigi Yuugi: Genbu Kaiden (12 volumes)

If the original series can get an anime, then SO CAN THE PREQUEL, DAMMIT!!!! Genbu Kaiden took what is good about Fushigi Yuugi, and made it better. The protagonist is a thousand times more likable and stronger, both physically and emotionally. The dramatic scenes are far more effective and don't rely on Soap Opera BS. And the art has improved! GENBU KAIDEN DESERVES MORE LOVE!!!

Arisa (12 volumes)

Don't let the cutesy art fool you: this is one of the darkest series I ever read that didn't kill off the entire cast. With the right soundtrack and animation studio, this could be a downright chilling show to watch, without resorting to Higurashi levels of terror and violence. I don't Do horror at all, but the psychological thrills and twists of this dark series kept me invested, frightened, alarmed, and entertained until the very end. I would love to see it animated one day.... 👀

Shinobi Life (13 volumes)

THE BODYGUARD ROMANCE BEFORE YONA OF THE DAWN MADE IT COOL!!!! 😍😍😍 Lol, but in all seriousness, this series is SO GOOD!!! Now that I finally own all of the physical copies published in English (which is only half, because this world is cruel 😭😭😭), I cannot WAIT to dive back into this world of time-traveling ninjas and reincarnated princesses and adorkable relationship shenanigans, with an added bonus of backstory ANGST.

Alice in the Country of Joker: Circus and Liar's Game (7 volumes)

Listen. LISTEN. I DEMAND AN ANIME BASED OFF THIS MIND-BOGGLING TRASH, and no, not just that joke of a "movie" that is even somehow even more incoherent than the countless manga spin-offs. Not all of us have the patience or understanding to play the games, pleeeeeease 😭😭😭

~~~

Honorable Mentions:

Fairy Cube (3 volumes)

First of all: fairies. Second of all: this tiny 3-volume series is such a clusterfuck of chaos, lightning fast plot points, that if stretched out to even a 12 or 13 episode series would probably make it coherent AND give justice to the story.

Alice 19th (6 volumes)

Same logic to Fairy Cube: I just want someone to take this mind-fuck of a series, because, in the right studio and director's hands, it'd be soooo amazing!

Otomen (17 volumes)

Honestly, I barely remember much of this adorkable series, other than the very refreshing and honest takes on gender, gender roles, and gender identity and how all are similar and yet separate. It would be nice to see more representation in mainstream anime, even now.

RG Veda (10 volumes)

Once again: a 2-episode OVA does not an anime make. Literally I just love the art and mythologies. And it's one of CLAMP's earliest work, and is low-key their most gorgeous. Imagining this story animated to today's standards would be *chef's kiss* AMAZING!!! 😍

Kilala Princess (5 volumes)

Let me make one thing absolutely clear: this will never happen. Ever. Never ever ever. Not in my lifetime, certainly, as long as copyright laws exist. If Kingdom Hearts is never gonna get an anime/animated show adaptation, then this cutesy manga sure as hell won't. But GODS I WANT IT!!!!!! 😍😍😍🥺🥺🥺😭😭😭 It is every childhood Disnerd's self-insert dream come true sdkjgdjfgr

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my-name-is-jefferooni · 4 months

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Overanalyzing Sonic Comics Again Because I Can.

You know what? No. I was gonna build up to this but I’m fuccin clueless on how so I’ll just jump right on into it!

This hedgehog. This goddamn blue motherfucking pinball of a hedgehog. He is absolutely SHATTERED by this one instance.

Sonic the Hedgehog in the IDW comics has been through… A LOT, lately. He’s shown signs of trauma and regret from the Metal Virus, he literally pulled a Shadow and lost his memory for like 8 panels, and ya boi LITERALLY DIED. IT’S VERY SAFE TO ASSUME THAT ANYTHING GOING WRONG ON HIS END WOULD BE CATASTROPHIC FOR HIM.

To me, in this case, it completely makes sense why Sonic is so utterly crushed in the Winter Jam, because not only does it force him to think outside the box and try some new techniques, but it also does to him what no one has dared to do in a while since his death, and that is: Disagree with him.

You’re probably giving this a pretty big scowl right now and you’re probably about to move on and not continue reading because yes I know that claim is very very outlandish and weird but I AM ABOUT TO EXPLAIN SO PLEASE STAY FOR A BIT I PROMISE IT’LL MAKE SOME SORT OF SENSE-

The Winter Jam is a fake reality tv show crafted by Orbot and Cubot, all for the purpose of getting Dr. Eggman to get off his lazy ass and do something. It kind of works in the end, but that’s not what I’m here to discuss. They painstakingly put together a bunch of tests specifically made to challenge the players, and to hopefully get some kind of juicy secrets out of them as well. Because that’s just how reality tv shows work I guess. And Sonic is one of those contestants.

The very first challenge, Sonic fails. The second challenge, Sonic fails. The third, fourth, fifth? Oh, he probably failed every single one of them! (Poor Tails lmao) But what the second challenge does is show Sonic that speed isn’t everything. It shows that not everything about him is perfect and that he doesn’t always have the right ideas. Same with the first challenge too! It brings to light that Sonic’s ideals can oftentimes be very wrong and too on-brand for him, because all he knows at this point is “Go fast” and “Freedom.” (See one of my previous analysis on our favorite blue boi) That would probably be mostly because of his recent trauma, but I’ll save all that for another time. So essentially, what this reality tv show is doing, is showing the odder sides of Sonic, showing how he can sometimes be wrong and that he isn’t as heroic and great as some make him out to be. (*cough cough* issue 67 *cough cough*)

The final challenge, though… That’s when things start taking a turn for the worst for Sonic.

He already started questioning his methods when the second challenge ended in a failure. He went fast, and that almost always works, so why didn’t he win? It was a race, was it not? Did he miss the memo? Did he do something wrong? What was wrong with him, why didn’t he win, he went fast so WHY DIDN’T HE WIN????

And if we’re assuming that he kept racking up failure after failure for the rest of the competition, then those thoughts suddenly become a lot worse. They start getting muddied, dirtied by insecurity, full of lies and deceit and worries that he’d spent so long trying to bury in his mind. He starts slowing down, trying his best to not fail because if he keeps failing then what kind of hero even is he!?!?

And then the final challenge happens.

And Sonic fails once again.

He thought it had worked this time, he thought that finally, after so long, he could claim just one little victory. Just a small, funny statue made of ice. One that symbolized the best of the best, something that showed that he cared. A true gift for a true friend. An ice statue of him and his beloved baby brother, Tails.

It works…! At least for a few seconds. Because after those few seconds are up?

(YES I KNOW I SHOWED THIS IMAGE ALREADY BUT IT’S ALL THE WAY AT THE START AND IT PERFECTLY ENCAPSULATES THE FEELING IM GOING FOR SO HUSHHHHHHH)

It all comes crumbling down.

And so too does Sonic’s entire body.

He falls to the ground with his statue, his eyes glued to the ice-cold dots of the foxy figure. Sonic stares at it, feeling something burn within his eyes. No, no, that could not have just happened! His hard work could not have been for nothing! He wasn’t too fast again, was he? Why did it fall, why did it crumble, why was everything falling apart like the statue???

…

Everything was falling apart.

——

idk what else to say man just do what you can with that info. Spread it like the plague or something idfk.

#blog/ask stuff #angst

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alfietalksaboutcomics · 28 days

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The Comics I've Read in March

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

Single Issues

X-Men Forever #1 by Gillen and Maresca

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

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

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

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

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

Resurrection of Magneto #3 by Ewing and Vecchio

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

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

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

X-Force #50 by Percy and Gill

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

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

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

Series

All-Star Superman by Morrison and Quitely

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

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

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

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

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

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

Moon Knight by Lemire and Smallwood

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

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

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

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

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

Silver Surfer Requiem by Straczynski and Ribic

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

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

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

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

Black Cat by MacKay

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Taskmaster by MacKay and Vitti

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

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

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

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

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

The Death of Doctor Strange by MacKay and Garbett

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Closing Thoughts

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

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20dollarlolita · 1 year

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Going to do a lolita challenge that The Random Lolita posted 12 years ago. I'm going to be spacing these out, but it seemed like it'd be fun.

I picked this because it's not coord-heavy and so that means more people could join in if they want. I've wanted to do this for quite a while, but always kind of found other people's annoying to read. Since tumblr has a decent blacklist function now, you can just block "20dollarlolita 30daylorlolita challenge" to avoid reading this.

Day 1) 10 things about your lolita bubble.

Not going to lie, I didn't do this one for the longest time because I didn't really get what "your lolita bubble" meant, and I didn't want to start this on the wrong foot. But I read some other people's things and it's apparently just things that are about how you interact with the concept of lolita fashion.

So here goes: 1) my lolita bubble is a mess right now. In addition to being non-weight bearing on my foot, which is making all lolita difficult, there's also some interesting things happening in the local community that I'm in. 2) I'm so used to being the lone lolita that it feels very strange to me to be so wrapped up in what other people in my area are doing. I was lone lolita for the first 10+ years I was in the fashion, and have only had a local community for a year or so. I changed jobs last year, and part of the reason was that I wasn't allowed to have a flexible day off and had to use my PTO any time I wanted a day off that wasn't a tuesday or wednesday. I would have quit over the disrespect that this issue was handled with, but the reason that this was initially brought up was because my lolita meets were not happening on weekdays. 3) I'm into lolita fashion because it allows me to be creative, to craft new things, and to build new things. I love buying pieces that are missing components and then rebuilding those components.

Okay, line break, 4) I'm currently working on a bunch of projects, including resizing a JSK for a friend. I had to replace a broken zipper and add a shirring panel. I absolutely love how shirring panels make sewing lolita so much more accessible, because if the fit isn't completely right, you know the panel will compensate. I had to add a little bit on the sides, which one of the waist ties was sacrificed for. I'm trying to figure out how to turn the existing one waist tie into two so that the dress will have ties still.

5) I got into lolita in a really difficult time in my life. As is often the case with serious chronic mental illness, mine developed when I was in my very early 20's, which was right after I decided to get into lolita fashion. I really want to make a dress with the words, "Live through this and you won't look back," on it, but i've never had the right time or design to do it. 6) I love looking through old lolita blogs. I love looking at tutorials from 2007. I love how much of the more early western lolita scene is archived on livejournal. I love the privacy of lolita discord and the safety it's offered, but I always hope that people will archive tutorials somewhere public for the future generations. 7) I have a werid amount of guilt around the fact that I bought an embroidery machine a year ago and still haven't ever made a border print on it. I make a lot of patches but I've never done a border embroidery. 8) One of my favorite archived lolita things is the argument over that BTSSB flower crown and the person who kept insisting that she be given the contact info of a stranger who bought it so that they could ask it to be sold to them. 9) I think that most of the time when someone says that a dress doesn't look good without the waist ties that, if you dig into what they say, they hate fat people. Maybe this isn't true anymore, but it used to go hand in hand.

10) I spend a lot of time on this blog waiting for everyone to realize that i'm a giant asshole and to leave me alone. I'm grateful for everyone who is willing to stick around even when I say stuff like #9. I love how people are willing to come and tell me that they're glad there's a lolita tumblr that's still highly active, and that I've helped them. I went from doing this blog for me, specifically to give myself an excuse to make more lolita fashion, to being able to tailor posts to the needs of other people and a general audience. I have been going through some additional shit recently, and I didn't have enough time to do both this and my youtube channel, and we can see which one I picked.

Bonus thing: 11) I really want to figure otu how to do a stage transformation dress (cinderella dress) in lolita. The magic of somehow going from old school gothic to ott sweet or something would be so cool, even though it couldn't actually happen like it does in my mind.

Anyway, y'all let me know if you'd rather I stick to normal content and do the rest of this on my personal blog. BTW @handcraftedplumbingnightmares is my personal blog, if anyone wants it.

#20dollarlolita 30daylorlolita challenge #The Random Lolita #rmember to live though this #and you won't look back

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swordofazrael1992 · 22 days

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Jpv 2, 7, 14, 27!! Shatterstar 1, 20, 23, 28 >:) go autism on me!!!!!

AUTISM TIME FORREAL!1

okay okay so

jpv 2) probably after reading sword of azrael '92. i had a mutual who was posting a lot of jpv stuff and i had previously read tynion's writing of her in tec 2016, and then my lcs had a trade collecting soa 92 + the first seven issues of azrael '95 so i went "fuck it" and bought it. i can't remember if i read what was available of watters' stuff at the time before or after soa 92 but that was definitely where i started to really love jp/az and it's stuck with me (as you can tell by the url)

jpv 7) FOREVER AND EVER the "perhaps this azrael does both" quote from sword of azrael (1992) #3. technically it is alfred talking ABOUT jp/az in response to nomoz saying that azrael punishes, and doesn't/shouldn't think. and then there's also the soa '92 #4 of azrael straight up telling nomoz "no" when nomoz says they need to leave, because azrael only avenges, not rescue. either way i think those are really interesting and have Stuck With Me

jpv 14) i know i'm an soa 92 type boy but....this one is definitely a hard one and i don't think soa is in my top two choices. i'd have to say his no man's land arc, i'm a huge fan of it and his dynamics with other bat charas (esp babs and cass!). my second choice pick would probably be soa '22--i just love it so much and it's so beautiful. so while soa '92 might be my favorite, i don't think it's his absolute best. but it's top 3 for sure

jpv 27) the most fun, for me particularly? i think castiel from supernatural. i have no idea what the fuck would go down, but it would be entertaining. other than that, probably vash or knives (or livio/razlo) from trimax specifically, or sister lilith from warrior nun. lets just get all those religious imagery bitches in a room together and see what goes down

star 1) so i THINK my first impression of star was in young avengers: children's crusade, WAY back when i first started reading comics. like young avengers '05 was my first comic, and ya:cc my second. i think i just looked at him and rictor on panel together and, knowing nothing about them, was like okay yeah they are DEFINITELy gay. i probably thought he was a little weirdo (affectionate) but i didn't become a fan of him and rictor for another year or two i think

star 20) star is the only person in the world who actually MEANS it when he says "i listen to a little of everything" about his music taste. he really genuinely listens to everything, and everyone who knows him HATES when he's on aux because listening to his playlists gives them whiplash. seriously, he goes from mid 1800s orchestral music to hyperpop to 90s hip hop to 00s top 40 to 1960s bluegrass to music you're not even sure is from this dimension and that you're pretty sure is from some future timeline. star sees no problem with it, though. also i think he takes really long showers and uses up ALL of the hot water + has a really extensive hair/skin routine. so you go into the bathroom of his and ric's apartment and you see the shower and sink counter practically overflowing with all these extravagant and fancy products and then in the corner there are like 4 or 5 things that belong to rictor and it's just shampoo/conditioner/body wash/other essentials

star 23) i want him to live happily ever after with ric in a cozy house with weekly therapy appointments and dinner with his parents every month + an actually good/existent relationship with them where they aren't just kinda coworkers and maybe a dog or a couple cats and a garden in the backyard and a giant tv in the living room and a good relationship with life and maybe a couple college degrees or maybe he just learns so much about the things that interest him and everything else without feeling the need to have a degree to show for it and andand. but i don't think that will ever happen because marvel hates me personally

star 28) stabbing himself in the stomach that one time. and the other time. and the next time.

and being his own grandfather. that was really unnecessary of him

(+ i know you didn't ask but songs i've been associating with them recently:

jp/az -

https://open.spotify.com/track/4zlRCThoy7Wops9GF11kQX?si=0494cd4331cc411b

star -

https://open.spotify.com/track/6EqCxnulMcawu0qN8B8Y5W?si=2f23a62fe7bf4d8c

w/ jp/az's being about how they are pretty impulsive and need to get from point a to point b as fast as possible and star's being about the entire "raised as an arena slave to fight to the death for other's entertainment" thing. also on second thought i might put nothing lasts forever on my shatterstar playlist)

#TY FOR THE ASK. BITES YOU BITES YOU BITES YOU #jp/az posting #mayhaps i should start a shatterstar posting tag. i shall #shatterstar posting

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scarlet--wiccan · 3 months

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Was there any point where Wanda even semi-noticeably learned to fly? Like she said on panel “I’ve got a spell for that now” or it happened when she came back after being away (good quiet power up time. Children’s crusade? I feel like Billy could float from the beginning that might explain it)? Or did it just happen between one issue and the next with no fanfare?

Do you have any thoughts on why she became a flier at that specific point? I feel like she could have from any time she started properly learning magic. On the other hand, she didn’t necessarily need to… flying is such a generic power the lack of ability to do so is something comics could do more with. There’s something compelling about heroes who need to stand their ground as opposed to hovering serenely

The short answer is no. She began levitating, and later flying, with increased regularity during the 2000s, and there was never any real explanation. Some of those instances are from when she was supercharged and ~crazy~ during the House of M era; some of them aren't Wanda at all, but impostors, like Lady Loki. The point is, by the time Wanda made her official return in Children's Crusade, the image of her floating was already pretty well established. Billy had been introduced with the ability to fly right from the start, so it made sense for her to do the same.

There were a few times in where writers would sorta-kinda indicate that she was using her hex powers to fly. I remember that titles like AvX and A+X (not to be confused!) would have throwaway lines about "hex gravity" or manipulating air currents, which I think is also technically how Storm flies. Since about 2016, Wanda's magical powers have taken precedence over everything else and she gets treated, primarily, as a spellcaster, so it seems like her ability to fly is just a given.

Magical characters in general have gotten a lot more floaty in the last ten to fifteen years. It used to be a special ability, but nowadays it seems like pretty much any sufficiently powerful spellcaster can at least levitate. I do think it should be less common, or at least more... specialized. I usually want characters like Wanda to use specific spells or clearly identified skills to pull off their various feats and powers, because I think that's what makes magic interesting. It absolutely makes sense that she could do it with her hex power, and that's my favorite explanation, but magic works, too-- witches are often associated with flight in pop cultures, so I think they could get away with just saying it's standard practice for anybody who's good enough at witchcraft. Agatha does it now, too, after all.

#flight

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fallensnowfan · 7 months

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Enter Stage Left

Short post for 1093 - It was exactly the fun and breezy chapter this arc has been needing for a while. Love how kinetic it all feels.

Off all the great gear 5 hijinks, this is my favorite panel from the chapter, easy. Luffy swallows a laser from Kizaru to keep it from harming VP's little shuttle craft here, as Lilith prepares to command the General Franky.

Absolutely love the way the light shining out of the joyous boy is ridiculous, brilliant, and somewhat grotesque. Aaahyahyahyahya! And is it just me, or does the light look more than a little bit like a spotlight?

When Kizaru first arrived on the island, the light from his clash with Sentomaru reached up to the Labophase... think the opposite is true here? The light from Luffy reaching down to the lower levels of the island, filtering into the scrap yard from above, would be a killer way to bring Robonosuke into the fray.

What I'm wondering then is this, along the lines of Lilith and Atlas preparing to command the General Franky and the Pacifista this chapter, and York commanding the Seraphim a few chapters ago, who will issue orders to Robonosuke?

Every spotlight needs someone to stand under it, and everyone above is tied up with their own tasks. Would be a great time to potentially do a reveal around Kiku's absence during the Ryokugyu fight, where those about to leave Wano shouldn't be, and have her be the one who ends up commanding Robonosuke. Stepping into the spotlight at the 11th hour. Since the heartbeat of g5 being the cause seems to be a red herring for what woke it up, I still like the idea knowing its true name is the key. Idea being that Toki knew it and had the foresight to share it with Kiku at some point.

#one piece #okiku #kozuki toki #robonosuke #post-wano arc #chapter 1093

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lucienne-thee-librarian · 1 year

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Best and Worst sandman spinoffs 👀

Ooh okay, thanks!! Now I kind of feel awkward because in compiling this list I realize I might have to walk back what I said in that tag a little. I mean I did mention "obvious stuff like Overture and the Death comics" but putting all the stuff I think is good out there it really makes me realize how many good Sandman spinoffs and side issues there are. So...sorry if the Worst list is a lot shorter than the best *shrug*. I kinda wrote those tags without thinking too hard, and still bitter off reading the one thing that topped my Worst section. But if you just want whatever my opinions are anyway, then I figured why not?

So, in this list, I'm counting anything that isn't the original Sandman series that ended with the Wake as spinoff. That includes things written by the original author. This obviously contains spoilers for everything I'm gonna mention.

Best:

Sandman Overture (slight spoilers incoming): Obsessed with absolutely everything about this book. The story: immaculate and ties up a lot of loose ends about how our sad wet cat of an anthropomorphic personification got weakened enough to be imprisoned in the first place. Desire and Dream have to work together to literally save the cosmos and the group project goes off so well it makes their constant rivalry feel all the more tragic, because it shows what a massive cosmic goddamn waste it all was. What was it all for? What could they accomplish together if these characters were different enough to be capable of putting their pride and grudges aside more than once in a blue moon? What could their world look like? We find out the origin of Dream's Hope, a thing we thought we understood but this gives that moment a whole new meaning. And the art - good lord, sometimes I just like to stare at a panel, because every artist who worked on this comic apparently snapped and it is glorious.

Death: The Time of Your Life. I mean: this is a story written by the series original author and it shows. It has two dysfunctional lesbians at the center whose love for each other and their son still manages to be powerful enough to be the core of the story and catch the attention of an Endless. Also: Death is here and wonderful as always. And it's beautifully written and I'm never going to stop being weak over it. It means so much to me.

Endless Nights: again, written by the same author as Sandman and the illustrations in almost every section are either gorgeous or fucking haunting: and each one is a story where the other Endless get to shine. How can I not stan.

Death, the High Cost of Living: It features Death really heavily so right there...yeah. And the male protagonist, while he seems annoyingly broody at times, feels like a really realistically written teenager who's gone through some serious stuff in his life. I just love this story, it's short but wonderful.

Dream Hunters: this feels like a simple fairytale at first where Dream barely features at the end, but it sucks you in and the art style is unique and very well done. This book to me is proof that a story doesn't even need to be cosmic in scope to be a compelling tale that even still feels like one small story in that same world. It's not like, my favorite but I stand by what I said that it is a solid story with lovely art to bring it to life.

Worst:

Simon Spurrier's run of the Dreaming. If this is a favorite of yours, please just skip the bulleted sections lol, I'm sorry.

Honestly it's not all bad, some people hate it a LOT more than I do, but it just frustrates me so much. Because to me, it could easily have been salvaged, with heavy editing or some things being better fleshed out. In the end, it just SCREAMS wasted potential to me. It started off being decently written, and there were some not-terrible ideas in theory such as Dora's backstory, or the greatest threat to the realm of human dreams being an AI made up by someone who wants more control over the world and thinks he could run it better. In theory I even like the idea that Daniel makes some poor life choices and it causes consequences for his realm as he has to learn the responsibility of a ruler.

I like those elements in theory...but in execution?? God. It all felt SO half baked and several people (Lucien and Mervyn) got pulled pretty far out of character. And in the end, Daniel and Dora both left me utterly cold. I honestly feel like the writer couldn't make up his mind what he wants Daniel to be as a character, and Dora just...ehh. She was clearly meant to be sympathetic and there were moments I WANTED to sympathize: but idk, I just couldn't connect with her. She kind of had the vibe, to me, of someone's first OC they wrote when they were 13 who's bitchy in a kind of cringey #Girlboss way, but it's supposed to be charming solely because she has a tragic backstory.

Then you take the fact that the Walker clan gets brought back - and yet with no real resolution, no more than the Wake left?? This could've made the frankly baffling plot Rose got in Kindly Ones be the start of something more, maybe Desire's actions could have been given some purpose or explanation. But...nope.

Miranda Walker is half Endless yet she manages to die of cancer - even if she was half human, I find it a little difficult to believe that she would be able to die the exact same way a normal human would given what we know of Orpheus' fate in the original series. She's in pain but it doesn't feel like there's any real struggle in the end. But that's a pretty minor nitpick...my real beef is, she gets next to no lines and nothing to do, she contributes nothing to the plot. We learn little to nothing of her relationships with Rose and Jed, or Ivy. This woman is the child of Desire and I have ALWAYS thought she deserved to be more fleshed out. But we get even less than Neil Gaiman ever gave us, her character is quietly poofed out of things without so much as a whimper, and we never learn anything more about who she was. Jed fares little better, I don't think he even appeared.

Rose does get more to do, thank God. But in the end she gets no resolution, even a tragic one, no answers, she isn't allowed to grow. She even gets to interact with her grandfather but the possibilities for serious drama and tragedy dealing with the fallout of that are all swept to the side in favor of plot drama from characters like Dora Daniel and Ivy, who...existed, I guess.

If you're wondering why I'm not talking about Waking Hours, Kiernan's Dreaming or the Season of Mists manga at all, its simple: I haven't actually read any of them all the way through. I've only seen some panels of the manga in passing online and the descriptions of the premises. I REALLY want to see if I can get my hands on copies or find them online and read them for myself. I've heard that the Season of Mists manga and Kiernan's Dreaming are kind of cracked out and weird, but that only feeds my curiosity tbh. I've also heard Waking Hours is good.

Sorry this list was so incomplete, but thanks!! I appreciate the chance to ramble lol

#sandman #sandman overture #death: the time of your life #endless nights #dream hunters #despairoftheendless

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