#CoLS Chapter 15

[ladyhindsight]

Of Morgenstern family history, inconsistencies as to previous books and plot, and me generally just not getting it.

Not as glorious as she makes it sound because it was less to do with glory and more to do with stupidity. First she makes the demons aware of her presence and then tries to battle them with ornamental axes, which probably would be funny if I had more tolerance for Clary’s bullshit.

Back to the point I made in chapter 12: Why does it matter where to rune is placed? The series has barely told us anything about the workings of runes, it has barely made any sense with the use of them. Do you benefit more having the mendelin rune where Clary has it or does it actually matter?

I don’t understand how unbuttoning a shirt hides any stains.

Sebastian and Clary talk about stuff: what the demons were talking about, Sebastian telling Clary about the plan but actually lying, how Sebastian thinks Valentine was wrong etc. Sebastian then invites Clary to join him on one of his excursions in order for him to prove himself to her. Then we cut to Team Good

This idiot is surprised that Alec defended his sister and didn’t let his boyfriend air out his frustrations unfairly on her. It is to drive the wedge further down, not that Alec would otherwise defend Isabelle since none of them defend each other when actually some standing up is required.

Team Good get the news about Luke being awake, and they begin to plan for the summoning of Raziel. Not a lot happens there on that front, and we’re back with Sebastian and Clary.

Clary has already commented on Sebastian’s looks in the beginning of the book. I don’t get why this point needs to be reiterated here just because he gets glances from girls.

“So this was what her brother looked like. Really looked like, alive and moving and animated. A pale face, all angles and planes, tall and slim in black gear. His hair was silvery white, not dark as it had been when she had first seen him, dyed to match the color of the real Sebastian Verlac’s. His own pale color suited him better. His eyes were black and snapping with life and energy.” –Chapter 3 “Bad Angels”

And it's not even the first or the last time Clare keeps describing him like this.

Fucking really.

→ It’s because it is the only sense of humor Clare knows how to write.

→ Jace doesn’t smile either. He smirks and grins like an ass.

→ Sebastian just said that Clary didn’t kill Valentine. Valentine died because of Clary.

→ Here they are having one of their many you are just like me, no I am nothing like you, oh but you are, I am not because kjdsakldjsl arguments. Many more to come…

→ Funny how Clary never thought to ask Jocelyn about her middle name. Seraphina would’ve been a lot cooler, but also a lot more on the nose and edgy.

→ Clarissa Seraphina Morgenstern. Pretty cool. It’s probably all those Rs that make it sound strong. But Clarissa Adele Fairchild suits her character better.

I did enjoy this part where Sebastian tells Clary about the Morgensterns. It was interesting.

It’s funny how Sebastian paints Jocelyn as the villain and ruthless woman who betrayed her husband in the cruelest of ways, simultaneously brushing past all the horrible things Valentine did to her and was as a person.

Sebastian and Clary then arrive at a place where Clary meets a disgraced Iron Sister Magdalena.

Glad that that plot hole has finally been answered. In the fifth book and not where it was supposed to be.

However, in City of Bones, Luke explains that the Circle ”allied themselves with demons—the greatest enemies of Shadowhunters—in order to procure weapons that could be smuggled undetected into the Great Hall of the Angel, where the Accords would be signed.”

So where do we stand on that now since it was apparently Magdalena who armed them? Also why would they need an Iron Sister arming them when they were just good ol’ regular Nephilim with the access to weaponry anyway? Did Clare just try to cover a plot hole with a nonsensical answer?

Not even the Parisian ones passing by?

Sebastian hands over the chunk of adamas for Magdalena to craft into what he asked. Which we know is a cup. Clary and Sebastian start to leave, and Magdalena makes a comment how they look exactly like their parents. Which fair, because they are the exact copies of them where looks are concerned.

[erinwantstowrite]

Hi! I dont usually ever send asks but I saw your post about including more DC characters in your AU's and was wondering if you were ever planning on including Kate Kane and/or Renee Montoya as they are two of my favourite characters in all of DC and almost never appear in batfamily fics even though they both work with oracle, nightwing, huntress, and other members a surprising amount in the comics. I like the idea of Kate especially being reluctantly enamoured with Peter, and that she would remind him of Col. Rhodes as I feel they have similar no-nonsense attitudes, dogged determination, and militant mannerisms while being pretty gentle on the inside. You might have answered this before but are Peter and Col. Rhodes close? I would assume they at least know each other pretty well from his friendship with Tony. Also thank you so much for LOF and all your writing - it genuinely brings me so much joy. <3

i 100000% want to write Kate Kane in the future, though i still need to read up on her, Renee, and Helena to make sure i'm writing them correctly. i started LoF worried about juggling too many characters in the plot and also didn't actually know a lot about the batfam outside of what i'd already been reading, considering LoF was supposed to just be me and alighterwood messing around with a silly au, i didn't think to put more than the cast we have. other aus will definitely have them in the future because i feel bad i missed out on them. i briefly considered putting at least Kate in LoF, but i feel like she would have at least been MENTIONED before now, and it would feel like a cheap throw in. she deserves more attention in another au

and i hadn't thought about it, but Kate and Rhodey ARE pretty similar. Since Rhodey is Tony's best friend, he and Peter get along very well! i hadn't mentioned him too much in LoF itself because, well, LoF was supposed to be 15 chapters originally. it was supposed to be wrapped up a while ago but then i got a little too into writing it. and i made a mistake forgetting how present he'd have been in Peter's life. admittedly, this comes back to me having a hard time juggling so many characters. he'll be showing back up in a couple chapters (when we finally get our Avengers POV) and i hope to remedy that mistake

[usafphantom2]

Ron Rice was ordered to bail out, but this happened to stop him …

Major Tom Pugh(Pilot) and Major Ronnie Rice(RSO) were airborne in SR-71 #978 on May 15, 1972, whenever everything you can think of that could go wrong went wrong.

They are flying a routine giant-scale mission when Tom becomes concerned about a strange hum in the interphone system. The system seems to go back to normal. The flight continues. Tom maintains a Mach 3.2 at 79,500 feet when a generator fails. This failure was a mandatory abort; just over one minute later, the other generator failed, and then they were in real trouble. Emergency AC/DC power did not come online; the fuel pumps stopped pumping the JP7 fuel to the engines without electrical power and lacked pump pressure to pump the fuel. Both engines stopped, causing them to flame out.

To add to the crew's grief, the inlet spikes went full forward, and the 978 Began pitching and rolling; they knew that the aircraft was approaching the limits of the supersonic flight envelope.

Tom instructed Ron to get ready to bail, but the intercom system failed.

Tom held the stick gently while struggling to control the jet without causing further pilot-induced oscillations. While also trying to reach the all-import standby electrical switch on his right-hand panel. To get that critical switch, he had to move his left hand off the throttles and onto the control stick to free his right hand to restore some of the electrical power to the airplane. Tom miraculously pulled the switch to retain power. Mission accomplished! Having descended to 41,000 feet slow to Mach one, he got the generator back online, and both engines relit. 🔥🔥

Tom crossed Laos to recover at Udorn RTAFB without further problems. Post-flight analysis showed that Tom and Ron overflown Hanoi at 41,000 feet! They had been fortunate, considering the number of SAMS that circled the city. It appeared that the Vietnamese radio operators and their Soviet advisors had been asleep at the switch during the 978 mid-altitude pass over one of the best-defended cities in the world,

Aftermath to this story was told by author, Jim Goodall this is fascinating;

This is Col. Tom Pugh’s comments in an interview I had with him on overflying Hanoi at 41k feet under Mach 1. Tom said he was always curious why the North Vietnam air defense sector chief didn’t try to shoot him down.

Some twenty years later, Tom was in Washington DC for a formal function, and in attendance was the North Vietnam general in charge of the air defense sector of Hanoi during Tom’s time flying SR-71s out of Kadena.

Tom tracked the General down, to ask him a question. After a few minutes of just chewing the fat, Tom asked him the big question he’d had for the twenty-plus years of the overflight.

The General replied that he and his staff just knew this was a ploy to fire at the SR-71 that was booby-trapped and loaded with a nuclear weapon. And if it was hit, the nuke would detonate directly over Hanoi.

Tom busted out laughing and told the General he was in a broken SR-71, was lost, as all his electronics were offline, and was flying with a ‘Pep Boys’ styled compass, and at the time, had no idea where he was. Tom said they both ended up laughing, then headed to the bar for a well-deserved toast and drink to new friends.

Tom and Ron were each awarded air medals for successfully landing their disabled aircraft.SR-71 #978 “The bunny” had pulled off a lucky escape from what appeared to be an easy shootdown situation. The SR 71 with the bunny, her luck wouldn’t last for long as her days were numbered 😞 She was lost on Thursday, July 20, 1972, while attempting to land at Kadena AFB during extreme crosswinds.

Linda Sheffield

Source, Lockheed Blackbird: Beyond the Secret missions, The missing chapters by Paul Crickmore

Picture #two is Ronnie Rice with his wife, Kathy, talking to my Dad, Butch Sheffield.

@Habubrats71 via X

[stusbunker]

Being friends with the man you've been secretly in love with is hard enough, but he also happens to be your boss. Meet Rockstar Dean, lead singer of Phantom Traveler, an international sensation with multiple platinum albums. As their publicist it's your job to maintain the band's image. But it's been a long year, after losing a founding member to Dean's temper and having to cancel the end of the last tour, you've got your work cut out for you.

What you sell to the record label is a new Dean: rejuvenated from months out of the spotlight, a new romance that hints he's ready to settle down all while still making amazing records. Now, you just need him to agree to it.

Warnings, etc: Slow burn, jealousy, assumed unrequited feelings, mutual pining, mild drug use, smut, lots of baggage with these two, Dean/Bela, past Dean/Jo, guilt, lack of self esteem, finding yourself before you can be ready to love someone else, with more specifics per chapter.

Chapter 1: Intro

Chapter 2: Measure

Chapter 3: Rest

Chapter 4: Bravura

Chapter 5: Fermata

Chapter 6: A Due

Chapter 7: Lontano

Chapter 8: Lilt

Chapter 9: Giocoso

Chapter 10: Cuivré

Chapter 11: Eco

Chapter 12: Hook

Chapter 13: Canto

Chapter 14: Pomposo

Chapter 15: Rubato

Chapter 16: Schleppen

Chapter 17: Trill

Chapter 18: Mordent

Chapter 19: Pizzicato

Chapter 20: Arpeggio

Chapter 21: Dolce

Chapter 22: En Cédant

Chapter 23: Furia

Chapter 24: Espansivo

Chapter 25: Vivace

Chapter 26: Polyphony

Chapter 27: Molto

Chapter 28: Guerriero

Chapter 29: Obbligato

Chapter 30: Larghetto

Chapter 31: Ziehen

Chapter 32: Tronco

Chapter 33: Stornello

Chapter 34: Animato

Chapter 35: Cambiare

Chapter 36: Acciaccato

Chapter 37: Portato

Chapter 38: Patetico

Chapter 39: Lusingando

Chapter 40: Col Legno

Chapter 41: Emporte

Chapter 42: Tutti

Chapter 43: Soutenu

Chapter 44: Unisono

Spotify playlist

Read on AO3

[world-dream-polin]

Polin Week 2025: Polin as Parents

I do not have time for Polin week as m'y work schedule is full...but I do have a one-shot series of Parents Polin, so enjoy. It doesn't really count as a contribution, but it's the PERFECT time to share this

The Family Life - alexxou_stories24 - Bridgerton (TV) [Archive of Our Own]

https://archiveofourown.org/works/56580439/chapters/143806696

Here's all the prompt with the chapter numbers :

1: Colin tells a bedtime story - Regency Era

2: Pregnancy panic attack - Modern

3: Colin sings a lullaby to the baby - Regency Era

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9: Polin shopping fo baby clothes shopping - Modern

10: It's the birth of little Lord Featherington - Regency Era

11: It's chaos when Polin are trying to get their kids ready for afterschool activities - Modern

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13: Col teaches his daughter to braid her hair - Modern

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15: Aggie get's her first crush; Pen and Colin realised the love story is similar to them as they meddle - Modern

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17: Kids found the Queen's dog and get in trouble - Regency Era

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21: Polin's kids get lost and ask Debbling for help. - Regency Era

22: Eloise mets her nephew - Regency Era

23: Polin give the sex talk to Aggie - Modern

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25: Baby Polin is born, El is the God-Mother - Modern

26: Penelope feels the baby kicking, but Colin don't - Modern

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28: Polin's babies don't recognize shaved Colin - Modern

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32:Polin tell Aggie she will be a big sister, Aggie feel the first kick of her brother. - Modern Era

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The other chapters are married Polin but not parents yet, so not the prompt 😅

ENJOY 😘

[arinzeture]

JACK DANIELS HOLSCLAW (1918-1998)

Tuskegee Airman Jack Daniels Holsclaw was born in Spokane, Washington, on March 21, 1918. His father, Charles, was a clerk in a downtown store, and his mother, Nell, was a manager at Pacific Telephone and Telegraph. Holsclaw attended North Central High School in Spokane, where he excelled both academically and athletically. When he was 15, he became the first black person in Spokane to earn the Eagle Scout badge.

Holsclaw entered Whitworth College in 1935 but transferred to Washington State College (now Washington State University) in 1936 to play baseball. Beginning in his junior year, he played center field and helped the Cougars finish as co-champions of the Northern Division, Pacific Coast Conference. He was the second African American earn a varsity letter in baseball at the college.

In 1939, Holsclaw transferred to a chiropractic program at Western States College in Portland, Oregon, where he met his wife, Bernice Williams. They had one son, Glen. Holsclaw completed the chiropractic program in 1942 and passed the Oregon state board examination.

While there, he enrolled in a government sponsored Civilian Pilot Training Program at Multnomah College and earned his pilot’s license. On October 5, 1942, he enlisted in the army as a private and entered flight school, training at Tuskegee Army Airfield, Alabama. After completing his training, he received his wings and was commissioned as a 2nd Lieutenant on July 28, 1943. Lieutenant Holsclaw received advanced training at Selfridge Field near Detroit, Michigan before his squadron was shipped to Italy in December 1943.

Lieutenant Holsclaw flew in the 100th Fighter Squadron, 332d Fighter Group, an all-black pursuit squadron. Holsclaw named his favorite P-51 “Bernice Baby” in honor of his wife. The 332d Fighter Group had distinctive red tails giving them the nickname “Red Tails.” The 332d Fighter Group escorted bombers on their runs over enemy territory, shielding them from German fighters. To the bomber crews that were protected by them they were the “Red Tail Angels.”

On July 18, 1944, in an aerial battle over Italy, Holsclaw shot down two German fighters. For this action he received the Distinguished Flying Cross. By December 1944, Holsclaw had completed 68 combat missions, nearing the limit of 70, when he became Assistant Operations Officer, an important administrative position that included aerial mission planning. In January 1945, Holsclaw was promoted to captain.

Captain Holsclaw returned to the United States in June 1945 to serve as assistant base operations officer at Godman Field, Fort Knox, Kentucky. He served as an Air Force ROTC instructor at Tuskegee Institute and then Tennessee State College.

From 1954 to 1957, Holsclaw was assigned to Japan, and from May 1962 to the end of 1964, he served as chief of the training division, Sixth Air Force Reserve Region at Hamilton Air Force Base, California. He directed the preparation of two textbooks to guide incoming air force personnel. Holsclaw retired from the Air Force on December 31, 1964 as a Lieutenant Colonel.

From 1965 to 1973 Holsclaw served as a manager in the Marin County Housing Authority, California. In 1973, he and Bernice returned to Washington where Holsclaw joined the staff at the People’s National Bank in Bellevue. He remained there until his second retirement in 1983. He and Bernice took up residence in Arizona, where Jack Holsclaw died on April 7, 1998, at the age of 80.

In August 2019, the Jonas Babcock Chapter, NSDAR, dedicated a historical marker in the memory of Lt. Col. Holsclaw at the site of his childhood home in Spokane.

[amelias-calamity-quintet]

Just so it's not exclusive to the EH server where I'm talking about this: I'm currently debating some steps to my importing & editing process. I think most likely I will be delaying the start of GoS's second pass a little longer in order to go back on a second pass for RA and CoL (and possibly DAD, but I haven't gotten to it to tell). There are a handful of scenes I feel like tweaking and I already know how I want to fix them, but I want to sit on it a little before I address the changes.

To summarize very quickly those so far for folks who care:

(RA) Adjust some reactions before Dwarf gets captured to move a particular line further in. I don't think he would have processed so quickly what was happening to him and it hits harder in the later scene.

(RA) Likely merging chapters 13 & 14 and then adding further rewrites because I don't like Impa and Zelda's introductions or Link backtracking on his resolution at the end of the dungeon so quickly.

(RA) If I merge 13 &14, I will finish what would have been 15 and release that before we go on hiatus again with it.

(CoL) I want to do something about the pacing of the first two chapters. My stories often start fast but something needs work there.

(CoL) Fixing the Mahjul. I like this as a concept, but current implementation is Not Good! It runs counter to the themes for the work and it undermines the Queen's character. I understand why I personally went this route when I did, but it is not something I would want to write now nor do I think it has a very good impact as a narrative. The good news, I know how to fix it for what I'm caught up on. The bad news, I still have 5 chapters left and so I don't want to start unraveling that until I know the scope of the edits to implement. As it stands, content warning applies for the current version, but will likely be removed once edits are done as I want to write it out. (<-This part in particular is why I'm making the note to clarify; there is currently content worth a warning, it will likely be removed, not that I would remove a warning when there is content that deserves one)

(CoL) Some adjustments to Fairy Wish & the Queen's Gardener. I think the changes to the previous chapters will help this, but it needs some work too with pacing. Very exposition heavy right now.

I have not finished CoL's import, or even gotten to DAD, so that's all I can say for now. Very likely, I will finish bringing both these fics over and then another two I want to archive, and then we work on these edits. After that, then we get back to working on GoS. And through all of this, I'm only writing MoaH as the main project. One edits project, one writing project, that's the balance right now. Maybe a snapshot of aTfA and get a style going, but that's it otherwise.

[twosides--samecoin]

long time running x @yeehawgust day 22: horse girl

[snippet from chapter 15]

Instead of a black-and-white morality of kindness and bloodshed on antithetical ends of a straight line, Olivia's spectrum seemed bent into a horseshoe; a crosshair with ends that almost converged, opposites closer to each other than either was to the far-off zenith of their shared iron-gray meridian.

Each time RJ found himself in the middle of this reticle and was quite certain she’d kill him, there was some concession in the form of a reward. 

Though she ensured his time in the Rocky Mountains wasn’t easy, at least she had a pattern he could anticipate. Climbing up a glacier against polar winds was rewarding when she balanced his trouble with warmth. Thaw necessitated frostbite; he wanted to breathe in arctic air and allow it to freeze him from the inside out, then wake up in the relative safety of Vault 150 once again.

If Olivia surrounded Mount Fay in a radstorm to eradicate the Brotherhood, at least she allowed RJ into the tempest’s calm center. If she was a 'real wild radhorse' like Hancock said, at least she was willing to share the grasslands.

RJ scoffed at the comparison. She didn’t mind me in the pasture until Jack threw on the saddle while she was distracted.   

Though it took a few days, his anger toward her subsided. Tangible memories of their time together, combined with his own sense of liability, overruled the images he conjured when Hancock divulged the truth about what happened in Goodneighbor. 

There wouldn’t have been a Goodneighbor or Raiders for her to get mixed up with if he hadn't involved her in his affairs. She galloped across the continental divide, crossed the hundredth meridian and left her prairies behind to help an ailing Duncan; Boston punished her, and RJ was complicit. 

He returned to Sanctuary with a report on events in north-east Boston and high hopes to make nice with Olivia. 

If, in order to exact revenge on the Brotherhood, she wanted to overflow Moraine Lake with rain, then flood the world up to surface tension at the cols between the Bow Range’s summits, he wanted to wedge that heavy metal door open so she could drown everyone in the bunker. 

If yellowing late-summer grass in the shadow of Boston’s skyline was a poor substitute for the verdant montane valley she left behind, maybe he could scout the Commonwealth for a meadow and pond protected by a bulwark of hills and miles of forest. 

Maybe, through some cooperation of preparing for the weather and turning her loose someplace she felt accommodated, RJ could begin to make up for his latest regret - that he and Jack took advantage of her kindness; that she had no space or time to think through negotiations when she agreed to leave her beloved Rocky Mountains for the Commonwealth Wasteland.

She trusted him; he encumbered her with his many burdens.

So, RJ returned to Sanctuary, determined to ensure she never felt the heft of a saddle or a cold bit in her mouth ever again. He arrived ready to begin a long atonement for stabbing his spurs in an already frightened mare's side.

After all, it was his fault she was forced to spend all of her time running to begin with.

[darkpoisonouslove]

I’m a couple of days late, but if you still want to play the unwritten/unpublished ask game (I apologize in advance for how badly I’ve been keeping track of your wips), here you go :D

4. Is there anything in the fic you're unsure about including? -CoL trying to have one normal breakfast

5. Is there any scene you're excited about writing? -CoL trying to have one normal breakfast

9. Is there anything in the fic you're not so excited about writing? -Fallen Love

10. If unpublished, can you show a sneak peek of what you've written? -your choice :)

11. Is there any scene you can't wait for people to react to when reading? Why? -the series rewrite

13. Is there any unwritten/unpublished fics you haven't mentioned you're gonna do?

14. Is there any unwritten/unpublished fics you planned on doing, but now you're feeling like you're gonna scrap those ideas?

15. Do you have any unwritten scene that you think about a lot? -Smolder universe

I have been in the trenches battling sleep deprivation the last few days and I haven't had time to get to the ask game so you're just in time! (It's okay; there's like 2 WiPs that currently exist in my mind and everything else has been put on the back burner so... I've not been very good at keeping with them myself. 😅 😂)

4. Is there anything in the fic you're unsure about including? -CoL trying to have one normal breakfast

Honestly, this is still such a fragmented idea that everything is up in the air. Like, what is the plot? Who knows? Certainly not me. I haven't really gotten past chapter 1 and that feels like it needs more, actually, than what I already have.

5. Is there any scene you're excited about writing? -CoL trying to have one normal breakfast

You're not going to believe how long it took me to realize that the scenes I'm thinking of are actually from the Griffin being reluctant allies with the Company fic. So, um, you're getting bonus content, I guess, because now I need to talk about them.

Those would be Griffin and Valtor's first meeting after she's accepted to switch sides. I can just feel the tension between them. The rage that Valtor won't know whether to direct at Griffin for letting Faragonda take her away from him and then even agreeing to work with her and the rest of the clowns in the Company or at himself for not preventing this, for not preventing them from capturing her and for not killing Faragonda in the first place. And, of course, Griffin would be a mirror reflection of that.

Then there's the whatever scenes I'm going to include of other Coven members trying to take Griffin's place as Valtor's partner and Griffin being intensely jealous while Valtor is fucking done with both the Coven members and her (but mostly with the Coven members; he actually likes the fact that she's jealous; he can use this!). I am including this for the comedy AND drama. As a treat.

And the one scene that I'm most looking forward to is when Valtor will decide that "You know what? Fuck it!" It doesn't matter why she joined the Company or that she did at all since she's clearly still totally obsessed with him. They can sneak away to make out during battles, it's totally fine, exciting even! 😂 To say that Griffin's onboard would be an understatement. The Ancestral Witches and the Company are going to go out of their minds, though.

Okay, back to the breakfast fic, something that I'm really looking forward to is the talk that's mostly between Griffin and Oritel about expectations - how everyone expects the worst from Griffin no matter what and how Oritel is held to impossible standards of perfection. I feel that they are finally going to reach a place of understanding no matter how painful the journey there (and actually, the more painful, the better in my book). I can't say that I'm looking forward to having to carefully write Oritel, though. And treat him with respect on top of that? Who has heard of such ridiculous notions! XD

9. Is there anything in the fic you're not so excited about writing? -Fallen Love

You mean besides this fucking sex scene that has been stalling me for the past 3 months? I'm not ecstatic about the scenes where I'll have to deal with a lot of characters simply due to the fact that royal guards and Specialist raids exist. I've managed to circumvent that in the scenes with Erendor and the visit to CT but, god, the sequences in the Solarian palace and the Fortress of Light where the Council is seated will fucking kill me, I can already tell. Why do I have to deal with the fact that these important people will have guards protecting them at all times? This is cruelty specifically designed to torture me. I might just fuck around and find a way around those as well but I'm afraid the Specialist raid I've planned will have to happen the way it is now. Somebody save me! 😭😭😭😭😭

10. If unpublished, can you show a sneak peek of what you've written? -your choice :)

Feast your eyes on the evil itself (aka the smut part of the chapter - cause that's all I've managed to work on):

Valtor was of the same opinion. He held her so close that every movement of their chests engraved their shape into the other. Feeling her body molding itself to his and his – to hers was addictive. They had always been one in mind and magic. To become one in flesh as well would be the only sane course of action, yet, she fought him. Giving the impression that she could succeed in bringing a single shred of space between them only made him cling to her tighter – hands digging in her hips and teeth – in her lips. He wouldn’t let oxygen itself touch her. She was all his.

She’d missed him. Sorely. Hopelessly. Her want came in cutting shards, each coalescing into a furious, crippling rush of magic hollowing out her bones when it couldn’t spill fast enough through her skin. It pooled behind her eyes, into the hollow of her throat, the valley between her breasts, her lower belly – everywhere. Burrowed in every cell to reach him from there when his hot breath seeped inside her, filled her, spread through her like a claim to her soul.

The flow erupting from her conquered the air itself, lured it into her every cell through her pores. Her lungs expanded with his scent; her power wrapped Valtor, too, to do the same for him, to keep him in the reach of her lips and make anything outside their bodies irrelevant.

Valtor’s laughter flooded her mouth, startling. Having forgotten the taste of it, she was forced to retreat, to gulp it down between ragged breaths to avoid drowning in it. Her skin tingled from his roaming touch, his palm trailing down her spine from between her shoulder blades and his nails in the back of her thigh. Her eyes opened to a sight she’d dreaded and craved, a sight seared in her mind from the first time she’d met him.

He was luminous with triumph, the glow surrounding him half-magic, half-pride. In her embrace he was a flame nestled to her chest – forbidden heat choosing not to burn her, allowing her caress to make her reel from the contact. In his arms she was floating, weightless, untouched by the jagged edges of the fractured metal in their feet.

She’d only ever needed her armor for the space between them, for the divide that made his victory her loss and her victory – unthinkable as much as it was a necessity. She had chosen her side, left him behind, and doing everything right meant never having to suffer his success again, nor his presence. With her place by his side forsaken, the call of his living, breathing magic had cut through her with the need to drink it in. Instead, there had been only bitterness, the knowledge that every inch she’d gained on him, he would reclaim twice as viciously next time while she’d be stranded opposite of him again, made to bear the lure of him–triumphant and dazzling–from a distance. All enjoyment she could have found in winning had been locked behind his teeth, kept from her like his lips, his kiss. She’d only had her pyrrhic victories and the knowledge that he was robbed of that much, without her. Often not even that, without him.

11. Is there any scene you can't wait for people to react to when reading? Why? -the series rewrite

I have a ton of scenes that I can't stop thinking about and wishing to see people's reactions to so, naturally, now I cannot come up with anything.

Okay, you know what I'm gonna do? Rumplestiltskin my way through this (😘) aka exploit loop holes. The scene that I am looking forward to getting people's reactions to is in the "movie" after season 5 and it's the reveal of Kalshara's motivations. She's the villain of the canonical season 7 and she used to be a fairy in Alfea - and Faragonda's roommate - until she used wild magic (that corrupts everything it touches) and turned herself into a shapeshifter. I have kept that but the reason why she did all that was because she wanted to join and become the fourth member of the Champions of Alfea:

From left to right those are Farcelia of the Wind, Ress of the Flame and Chevonne of the Water, who were summoned by the Legendarium in season 6 (which is just as nonsensical as everything else in that season).

In my rewrite they are the three strongest fairies of Alfea that ever lived. They were so powerful that they created the Wild Lands, which are full of Wild Magic. That is all kept a secret, though, because imagine the backlash Alfea would face if people learned their most famous fairies created a force that can destroy the whole Magic Dimension. Kalshara wants to be their missing Earth element and she's trying to spread Wild Magic through the rest of the Dimension. Of course, the plan includes fucking over Faragonda one more time just like in the good old days and destroying Alfea as well as CT and RF.

13. Is there any unwritten/unpublished fics you haven't mentioned you're gonna do?

Other than the ton of Erendor x Samara fics that haunt my dreams and may or may not see the light of day? I have stuff that I haven't announced on the blog but I feel like I've told you pretty much everything. The Scream AU, the mind sharing, the one based around the necklace from your story...

The dream-inspired fic, kind of. I have mentioned this but I have not said what exactly it is. It's another Valtor wins the war AU (If I had a nickel for every time I wrote that concept, I'd have two nickels which isn't much but it's weird that it happened twice; can you tell I was having some kind of moment in April and May (even if I myself am not sure what kind of moment it was)?) but the key thing about this one is that he's found himself another partner to take Griffin's place, someone from the Coven. And well, Griffin has to deal with those feelings as well as everything else that's going on. But whatever direction you think this is going in, you're probably wrong.

There's also one other AU. I'm not even sure what kind of AU it is exactly. The prompt that it came from was for a superhero x supervillain but I have no idea what is happening with the fic. But it's basically "Griffin goes back to Valtor (after she'd joined the Company) for the sole purpose of distracting him". And what do you know? It works! ...at least somewhat.

14. Is there any unwritten/unpublished fics you planned on doing, but now you're feeling like you're gonna scrap those ideas?

There was something but I really can't remember which one it was. Usually, when I don't like an idea, it's not the idea itself; it's just the execution or the direction in which it's going. In those cases I just save it to rework it later (which is about 60% of all of my ideas).

15. Do you have any unwritten scene that you think about a lot? -Smolder universe

Yes! The entirety of chapter 2 because it instantly dives into the progressing Griffin x Marion relationship. Now Marion is doing so well with moving on from the pain of Oritel's death; it's actually her mother's constant nagging that's the biggest obstacle between her and Griffin (but they are handling that as well). But this whole relationship with Griffin is so much self-exploration for her and so different from everything in her life up to now. She's kind of scared that she'll realize at some point that she is still the same old Marion and she will always be, which will inevitably pull her away from Griffin. It's not so much that she's afraid of digging herself out of the grave she's been sharing with Oritel as much as it is that she'll realize she's drowning in her grief again and isn't able to let go despite how good she feels with Griffin. I really want to get her to a place where she can be happy and not be freaking out for 2 seconds. Fortunately, Griffin is helping.

[tsukiyadori]

Reading (Watching) Log 2024.02-2024.03 - February-March

Previous: Reading Log 2023.12-2024.01 - December-January

Finding the good things be just like chasing after elusive bubbles and wondering how long they'll last

Reading languages: German, English, French, Japanese, not listing which was what

Titles are as I’ve read them either first or most and thus remember it for that title mostly

Not going to bother putting in the original titles of translated reads unless there is something worthy of note to it

Cursive titles have been completed

Tumblr's four thousand so and so max characters per block is annoying as hell

——————————————————————————

FEBRUARY

JNC Nina licenses Unnamed Memory both in French in February and German in March. And so now I am reading it for a second and third time simultaneously and also got a subscription for it and then you gotta not waste the buffet, do you?

The reason I never subbed to the JNC English site was because I feared I'd never read my other backlog if I'd get roped into chasing expiry deadlines over all the time, so there was extra zeal on that too avoid the nightmare scenario.

And soooo the LN pile read off has had an increase not seen in years.

Light Novels:

Anime Supremacy

Bottom Tier Character Tomozaki LN 8.5-9

Hell Mode v1-2.7

I Met You After the End of the World v1-2

See You When the Snow Falls

Spice & Wolf v21

The Apothecary Diaries v1-2

The Eminence in Shadow v1

Unnamed Memory LN v1.p1

Manga:

100-nengo ni Tenseishita Watashi, Zense no Juukishi ni Kyuukonsaremashita: Heika wa Watashi ga Moto Oujo da to Okizukidenai you desu ch15.1-3

A Certain Scientific Accelerator v10-v12

A Certain Scientific Railgun v17-18

A Kingdom of Quartz ch1

A Side Character's Love Story ch35.2-50.1

After God ch53-54

Alabaster ch5.3-10.2

Ano Natsu ga Houwa suru. ch15-16.1

Beauty as the Beast ch36-49

Black Butler v31

Bloody Bites at Boarding School v1

Boku no Diamond Star final chapter

Bottom Tier Character Tomozaki Manga ch8-24.2

Buta no Liver wa Kanetsushiro ch33-34.4

Captain Ken ch1-7

Close to your Skin

Daijuukou to Unicornis no Otome ch14.1

Dance Dance Danseur v1-3 (JP v1-6)

Dekiru Neko wa Kyou mo Yuuutsu ch104

Der Geschmack nach Melone v1

Diamond in the Rough v1

Die Braut des Wasserdrachen v8-9 (out of order read)

Gebt mir mehr, bitte sehr v2

Geliebter Wetterfrosch v2ch6-11

Girl Crush ch62-63, ch81-82

Give Her Back to Me

Gleipnir v2-9, ch59-88

Haikyu v34-39

Harebare Biyori ch23.1

Hari to Hitsuji no Fune ch9.1-2

Higurashi no Naku Koro ni Meguri ch19.1-2

I have a Crush at Work ch1

I'm cute enough to get away with it ch20

Iki Dekinai no wa Kimi no Sei: Super Pink

In the Sunset ch0-12

Isekai de Ane ni Namae wo Ubawaremashita ch17.2-4

Kakan no Oukoku no Hanagirai Hime ch10-11.2

Kijima-san & Yamada-san ch1-6

Knitter's High ch25-26.2

Koisuru (Otome) no Tsukurikata ch79

Kono Koi wo Hoshi ni wa Negawanai ch11.1-2

Lust auf ein Date? v9-10

Miryou no Otome to Katabutsu Hittou Majutsushi no Hatsukoi Kiroku ch18.2-4

Mr. Villain's Day Off ch54-64

My Awkward Senpai ch1-37

Okaeri Aureole

Okazari Ouhi ni Nattanode, Kossori Hataraki ni deru koto ni Shimashita ~Usagi ga Iru node Hitorine mo Sabishiku Arimasen!~ ch23.2-3

Oshi no Ko ch139

Our Dedication

Porno Superstar

Porträt eines Vampirs v2

Ran the Peerless Beauty v4

Reincarnated as the Daughter of the Legendary Hero and the Queen of Spirits ch19.4-58

Rental Girlfriend v19

Requiem Of The Rose King v9-10

Resist Destiny v3ch10-15

Ride-On King v3

Sakura, Saku v3ch11

Sasaki and Miyano v7

She is also cute today ch52-75

Shinde Miro to Iwareta no de Shinimashita. ch9-10

Shuumatsu Touring ch35

Sky Link v1

Snow Fairy v1

Snowball Earth v2-5

Solange wir zusammen sind v1

Sonna Kazoku nara Sutechaeba? ch64-66

Sooper Spooky ch1-4

Spice & Wolf - Die Abenteuer von Col und Miyuri v1-2

Suicide Notes Laid on the Table ch1-9

Sweet & Tart Boyfriend Ch39-53

Take Over Zone v1ch5

The Angel Next Door Spoils Me Rotten ch13.3-14.1

The Diamond of Heart v3ch11-15

The Heroic Legend of Arslan v12ch71-76

The Ice Guy and the Cool Girl ch16-38

The Killer Inside v1-6, ch53-97

The Villainess's Guide to (Not) Falling in Love ch12.2-15.1

To be Winner ch76-114

Together Forever ch36.2-42.2

Tomorrow, make me yours

Unnamed Memory Manga ch34.1

Watashi wo Tabetai, Hitodenashi ch35.1-36.1

Zombie 100 v10ch38

Webtoons:

Breed my Dear Enemy ch92-110

Can the Grand Duke and the Marquis be Friends? ch13-32

Flowers in the Secret Place ch1-52

Ice Lamp: The Chronicles of Kira ch8-41

Marry my Enemy ch8-60.5

SOS My Love has a Bug ch0-3

Spirit of Peach Blossom ch49-80

Taberare Usa ch88-92

The Giantess wants Love ch96-170

The Mermaid Wears a Dress ch38-60

The Villainess Behind the Mask ch1-53

To be or not to be ch12-36

Non-Fiction:

Some Greek mythology book (ISBN 9789463598965)

Notes:

Bottom Tier Character Tomozaki LN 8.5-9 Wow. Wow. So I thought volume 8 was kinda really not too great for me, but ultimately that (and v8.5) are built up to volume 9, and ho boy was this a surprise. It even starts right off with doing the right thing about dating - talking it out - then root issues and problems are being pointed out and then there is also still the Popol and the Fireling analogy going on. And Kikuchi's then even in world essentially totally realizing that she is effectively up against narrative fate. And then there is Hinami. And it's not like Tomozaki has a crush on her, like he does with Kikuchi. While he can perfectly be attracted to her, it's not like he has all the crushy feels he has for Kikuchi. But that bond is there. And it's so paramount, most important he's ready to let go from Kikuchi, when it looks like he can't have both without some sort of suffering happening somewhere. At this point I steadfastly declare this series as being pretty much queer. I thought this before already, that Tomozaki isn't really all that straight, like he is easily attracted to a lot of the girls, but also he's got the heart flutter moment with Misuzawa already and just generally looks up at him copying it. If this had wanted to take a BL turn, this wouldn't really have come out of nowhere either. While this potential route probably is not ever going to be explored, what he has there with Hinami just screams queerplatonic to me. They have all the issues of naming and describing it, the next best thing they can tangibly go for is, she is his mentor in the game of life. But there is definitely more going on from both sides, and at least for Tomozaki it's overly clear how huge her existence is in his life. And he longs to keep it. But it's not the same thing he has with Kikuchi and what's more Kikuchi just.... gets it. And yes, it's a queasy and axiety inducing, but ultimately that ending being like all in the break up mood and she being like she's gotta make a decision herself, so asks him to let her make the request - how often do we get a girl finally stands up to make a decision for herself to end things? Not Kikuchi, she does the entire opposite. Rather than ending it, she reinforces that ending of v7, that this is a selfish wish, but she desires him. And it's not just her crush, it's because he also is her ideal Popol. Which he wouldn't be without Hinami being there as such a paramount existence. And it's just this whole great thing about that ultimately decisions and what one makes out of it is the most supreme thing of all. And what Kikuchi did is, she gave narrative fate a middle finger.

The thing with the badges is kinda a bit of sappy cheese, but it definitely feels well earned. And next to that, there is also this whole setting of boundaries with Hinami, too. When Tomozaki just goes and requests Hinami to shut up, when she is saying her logical, but not empathetic reasoning and he makes it clear, that this is not rejection, not rejecting her, not rejecting her values, but self-preservation, that he needs that distance to protect his emotions and to prevent himself for developing bad ones towards her. It's just so really beautifully respectful while drawing that important boundary. And he also follows up with that game meeting, just to prove, it wasn't just empty talk. He still fully intends to have her in his life. That makes it just buyable. And that also makes the ending clear, that he is upset with her for using him like that, but he does not even contradict her on her methods of working. He just doesn't agree with her attitude and motivation in this. And it's a clear telling off, but it also doesn't feel salty, because clearly after all this, he's not just going to let her walk out of his life AND IT'S NOT BECAUSE OF ANYTHING ROMANCE. (In a RomCom(Drama), set up a bit harem-like no less.)

You have all that talking with Mizuzawa about you can't have it all, things are spilling, you gotta at least be aware and deliberately toss something and usually this is where people go and pick Za most important loved one to become the OTP and what does this guy do? Starts ditching everything that by all means logic is transient and "replaceable" - until Mimimi makes it clear to any reader she is way too good to let go - is all ready to ditch his new self he has come to like himself, is ready to ultimately ditch the notorious supreme SO. breathes in ISN'T THIS OUTRAGEOUS??

Like completely outrageously rare. I did not expect this. I was all whining that I didn't want to see it end on Tomozaki and Hinami winding up the OTP simply by virtue of the narrative fate of first girl to show up, and the Kikuchi just comes and trashes it down. This is great stuff. And then it is even more, it's talking about compatibility, it's talking unbalance, it's talking about how the solution ultimately was Kikuchi sucked it up, but it's not entirely one sided, either, as it also was her deliberate intentional steadfast choice to put an ideal over her anxious feelings. And it's just so neatly full circle to v7. And it also manages to level up Rena who really was slap worthy in v8. She really is in it to push the limits, but once Tomozaki clearly tells her off, she backs away. So all you have to be steadfast, for everything else, you only deserve to be her prey. That's an interesting one, too, especially considering, who she really comes off as somebody who doesn't respect any boundaries, but all it needed was steadfastness? And then her and Mr. Professional Player talk about relationships from an adult perspective, it being about setting boundaries for the partner meaning relationships and it's all really interesting and convincing for a healthy relationship and Tomozaki is pondering about it and it all looking like it completely falls apart, but then Kikuchi finds a different way that does away with the conflict. .... Isn't that kinda quintessentially queer(platonic)? To not be all following whichever norm was out there set by your predecessors. But not necessarily denying all and everything of it either. And then it ALSO brings in the subject of what loser or winner means in life and that line about how Tomozaki actually is a winner type - because he can recognize status and value, but it entirely not attached it so has no second qualms to just let go it, because he doesn't see it as something that propels himself forward - was really a thing to think about, while it finally tied the gamer aspect into it the rest. Tomozaki never had a need to validate himself, and it was actually something he's had from the beginning. But since he had such a self-sabotaging resigned attitude and approach it perverted it into merely being an arrogant loser. But turns out it actually was just lacking the toolset and guidance to make use of what he's always had. And really just the sheer miracle of meeting somebody, who is equipped with an eye to see that value and then confront and nourish it, even if it may be out of questionable motivations (but it's not like they are exactly harmful to him), it's just so so grand, and.... I think I'm rather jealous of it. Does this even happen in reality? This series makes it buyable that it may actually be possible.

Hell Mode v1-2.7 Here we go with a case of you just read it, because it was there. One of the few current titles on JNC Nina and it just felt like a waste to not make use of it. Turned out, it's not so bad, although it's nothing I'd ever actually pick up on my own. The steady leveling up and checking out stats and experimenting with it is quite like By the Grace of Gods, just without any of it's healing compf properties. The protagonist kinda reminds of the one from Gamers!, just in less of a pathetic loose-type. Maybe that makes him more like the protagonist of Shangri-La Frontier, but in terms of personality he's a bit off. But it takes its very decent solid time to establish actual stakes, the one major thing that made Shangri-La entirely not work for me. The MC even mentions it himself, it's a whole pain to have been reborn and spending all these years, but though it he has a bond with them (which kinda is like Ascendance of a Bookworm, now that I think about it), and these are his stakes. He doesn't just do things because of his gaming obsession, but also because he wants/needs his family to get into better conditions. Not a bad read, it solidly does what it sets out to do so far.

See You When the Snow Falls Uh, hmmmmm. This tried to jug multiple genres and then none of them were exactly terrible, but somehow though the split none of them managed to shine. The split was actually fairly even, too. The mystery bit turns out to be an actual murder mystery, and it was even guessable to the reader, but because it's always background focus it ends kinda anticlimatic, despite being fairly round. And to begin with, nothing about the premise (and the compf cover) looks like a murder mystery.

Cheese wise it was, err, uncommon, I guess? Meets the ghost, looks like a the fated person, meets another girl, also has an air of a fated person, actually starts dating somebody entirely else, and after some detour winds up with his future wife. Some lines really weren't bad, and there is some of the ugly side of relationships depicted quite down to earthly, but maybe it was just way too matter of factually reported, this hardly qualifies as romance as in the genre either. And as a coming of age drama of something who lacks any direction and purpose in life it's too entangled to those two subplots than to shine, he kinda gets dragged around by them and big dramatic moment happens and then just happens to do his thing, because why not.

It has a nice realistic sense to it at places, but somehow it's completely not what you'd think it'd be from the cover and blurb.

(Also has nothing to do with that other 2 volume series, which I only found out after finishing this one.)

As an oel otherwise it was a bit weird at places. Aside from "a kuro tech company" it uses words like chikan, keiko just like that in Japanese with italics and those are words that really need not have to be Japanese, next to some Nee sentence starts (why not simply "groping", "honorifics", "hey"?). Not too many lines, but they have a strange weeb show off effect. At some point it also has a bit of an air about flaunting knowledge of that culture, like how it comes around with explaining how onsen were used for talks because nude means you can't hide weapons. I'd guess this is an obvious snippet of knowledge to any native writer as I've never seen it show up explained anyway beyond No Game, No Life where it was just in a tirade to distract from the main topic and Zombie 100 where the weeb foreigner comes to flaunt her knowledge. 🤔

I Met You After the End of the World v1-2 And there I thought these were all the volumes of this series, but apparently there's gonna be a v3… I was surprised by this series. It was present already in See You When the Snow Falls, but it's clearer here. This writer's style has a distinctive male gaze, and it doesn't shy away from sexuality and being just a bit philosophical contemplating. This kinda reminds me a lot of Asano Inio or Haruki Murakami or Oshimi, but it's not like…. as wrecked. Not that it is to say that there isn’t lots and lots of doom material by premise and setting, as well as plenty of assholes, but the few that are there are kinda all side characters (who get their just desserts by plot). The MC is quite upstanding instead and treats the female MC very respectfully. And it starts off with a mood that comes to a close around a third to half line in the first volume. They are alone in a Tokyo, where everyone died of a virus. It takes months until the stink of the corpses emerges and then it needs the electricity network breaking down for them to properly have it sink in, that they were spending their whole time next to corpses en masse and now need to leave the place. I was thinking the reason why there was no stink was kinda hard to buy at first, but then it's maybe not entirely impossible either. And you'd think, why are they such idiots and didn't prepare stocking up on fuel before gas station electric pumps would fail, why not stock up on battery charge, but not look for this and that. Didn't they know this was gonna break down sooner or later? They even mentioned having feared it before. But it all seems so plausible with the mood. You have this guy, who just is totally burned out from life and was all ready to simply wait for his death by the virus and the girl has her own share of issues and they just are there enjoying the luxury of modern life without its responsibilities and artificial social pressures and they just spend their time to… heal. Did they know to be more clever in preparing more? Probably. Somewhere in the back of their heads. But they also looked to me entirely not being in the mental state of actually following up on it. And this is just the worst thing about extended periods of exhaust. You lose that onlook or care about even a mildly midterm future. Just floating in and out of the days. I didn't even know I'd find that mood interesting, but here were are.

After this it turns into a road trip and the obligatory romance was gonna progress, too. Heads up for a perspective of, the female character can get horny as well and that being solidified as something perfectly not shameful. (Even if the phrasing of “people have their needs” used to cement it is a clunky one that can go to hell.) And some meetings are almost always mystery cases, in between. (I find it rather funny that she'd carry that book about cults of all things all the way from Tokyo to the south, just to have it ready at the right time, lol.)  All the hints of more survivors being there is a nice set up for potentially something grander and will be interesting how this is going to weave together with the romance between the two. It gives me slight Eden It's an Endless World vibes there. The end of the world, humanity and everything…. but look there, after a while you'll see humans still survive after all and you gotta see how to live in this world where some things just never change. Could imagine that coming in as a theme, too, but we're not there yet. The MC is already contemplating personal true value vs. artificial social value and the whole thing about it already was dead, but the tsunami comes and and sinks everything down and even the hubris is gone. There was just such a solemn mood about it, like all the things you hated, but you also realize you were attached to it nonetheless. And just how that hits down as a very lonely thing. Kinda reminded me when I heard that my old school was torn down and I looked up some pictures taken from the teardown side filled of rubble. AND THEN volume 2 comes in with…. a ghost and a deity. Huh???? Suddenly it's also Fantasy???? I have no idea where it is wanting to go. But not even a date for v3 yet…

The Apothecary Diaries v1-2 I have to say the beginning was a bit dry and if there was anything at all it was just the narrator’s cheeky tone going for me. It was like the narrator has a personality entirely of their own, while omnipotently knowing about everything past and future and present and sometimes doing a little commentary. (Unfortunately that one vanished quite soon enough.) It requires its time to set up all the characters and especially Maomao. I was expecting that it would just utilize the fact that she is just too into her special interest and doesn’t see anything else of the world trope to justify it until said interest would shift, but surprisingly she is not wholly obsessed about it for larger parts of the first volume at all. And her being so entirely in the know about the Red District certainly doesn’t make her the too innocent-trope. So when the narration goes to state she expressly has no interest, despite the ability to see the attraction by common standards my eartips perked up. This increased with all the weary moods over watching other people’s marriage going right or going wrong and there is just this whole mood of like Ah-Dou and the emperor not really being lovers but bosom friends and confidantes and her just being a strong support to him rather ever really be his concubine. Or Maomao and her adoptive father and just how remote romance and sexual indulgence can be from a home to get back to. At that point I thought that would have been interesting with Jinshi being an Eunuch and that being mentioned as 'losing sometime vital', something that isn’t at all so vital to Maomao herself. If Maomao was pretty much as good as ace, that could have made an interesting match, of one who is dumbly in love and the other entirely not, but slowly finding some intellectual and emotional ways to connect. Like she did with her entire found family. But duh, of course that couldn’t stay that way. 

I raged at that v1 epilogue. WTH do you mean she got pink cheeks, blushing from a darn cheese move? At the end? This last minute?? It felt so entirely like, that v1 was set up to work standalone and then it’s just bait, like, imagine the rest of that ship on your own. Which felt entirely like betrayal to the set up of Maomao herself and also if that was where it was gonna go, then it was just half-baked. My best guess was that it was just being bait, and look there volume 2 just goes and essentially retconned it. And then adds a comment in that volume to have Maomao say it was she left everything love in the womb of her mother. Now that’s a really cool phrasing that I’m inclined to use for myself if a need may pop out. In any case, Maomao is such a mood (just replace poison with rabbits for me), her facial descriptions about Jinshin’s cheese advances or the deadpan expressions of exhaust, resignation to annoyance when others have gossips are so quintessentially me as a teenager and her aloofness about just really knowing a whole lot about worldly flesh matters (but all theoretical) and then being stared at is similar to my adult self now. I was surprised how quickly that escalated with everyone getting headaches and Jinshi even resorting to wall punching. What I found too bad about v2 is that ultimate her poison hobby obsession got played as the expected trope after all and then Jinshi just has to be the Ugly Duck (or more like the swan among ducks?) that he is and I was kinda disappointed that Maomao wound up being blood related to her adoptive father after all. Like it was really interesting how things interconnected with the mystery cases, but then it says that coincidences piling up like this suggest something intentional and things in her surroundings and family are also all too coincidentally also very connected and who’s the mastermind there? (It looks a bit like the former empress?) Anyhow. Volume 1 and 2’s mood and tone does feel considerably different at places, I’m not sure which one I actually like better. (What I think is also kind of funny is how it’s like a sort of reverse Jeweler Richard? Both guys are described has heavenly beautiful defying gender and having everyone turn their heads and the narrator and even Maomao can’t stop making mention of this, but Maomao and Seigi are at complete opposite extremes of reacting to it, and yet Jinshi is already like a v6 Richard and Maomao is like a mix of dofus Seigi and early volumes Richard?)

Later I found out that the shousetsu ni narou version was still up and it looks like v1's content is largely the same to the WN. So looking up the phrasing of that v1 epilogue it says utsuru for her thought esclamation that it's catching on to her and then she gets those pink cheeks. Now utsuru is a word descibing catching diseases other things contagious. Which is to say, this is reminicent of that explanation Oda does in One Piece about Ruffy having a reaction at nude Nami, simply because he is in a group and the group mentality caught on. I still entirely don't like that bit of the epilogue, but I suppose this makes it look a bit less disappointingly baity.

That and that the author writes in a postscript to WN v1 that from then on it'd be all about raising flags and then destroying them. So maybe that was intentional. But then it was also one comment I'd have wanted to read right after the epilogue, because darn, was I annoyed/disappointed by that last minute titbit. ._.

The Eminence in Shadow v1 - Another one, read because not reading would be a waste of the subscription, but helluva what even is this. I don't know. 

Unnamed Memory LN v1.p1 I said I was gonna be quick to sub if for example UN showed up and then it actually did show up on JNC Nina. Okay, so sub done and started reading it. And I have ??? about the translations. Like I'd say my French sucks, so at some places I had the English version next to it as a crutch for double checking. Which inevitably makes me notice that it differs at some places from the English one and it's not just the name romanizations. And when I compared some of them with the JP preview and looks like the French one.... actually looks more accurate by those samples? That was interesting, but now I am in doubt about the English translation, which on its own actually had read itself just fine.

Black Butler v31 After Zombies, Titanic, Harry Potter Houses, Cricket, and Idol Group (WTH?) Now we have HAZARD SUITS. I don't even with this series.... It’s boldly thick skinned in doing whatever it wants, that much is for sure. Also, I somehow managed to buy volume 23 again instead of buying 32. How the hell did that happen...

Dance Dance Danseur v1-3 (JP v1-6) It’s a very good sports series. It’s been utterly exhausting however. If one had to sum up the first 4-5 volumes it’s like TEENAGERS. All the stupidity, all the worries, body changes, nervousness, and attraction and horniness and lots, lots, lots of it. That’s just everything I do not resonate with because I never really had that phase. In between it shows some really assy prejudices, but also goes to kick them in the ass. While the latter is rewarding the former still happens and just makes me go yuck right of the first pages. But it does a fair job of not just demonizing that side and even the characters with that assy attitude turn out to be really just human in their own way.

German ramblings from right after reading v3: Wandert auf die wird weitergelesen (wenn auch nicht mit Prio) Liste. Ist zwar immer noch so voll mit Elementen zum Weglaufen für mich, aber es ist mittlerweile nicht mehr ganz so übel TEENAGER und wie das alles zusammenkommt mit den Nebenfigurenelemente ist echt schickt zusammengefädelt.

Die Doppelbände bleiben aber ein Krampf zum in der Hand Halten q_q"

Es hat leider sind es immer noch weitgehend Zutaten, die bevorzuge ich eher in kleiner Dosis, selbst wenn es gut verpackt ist…. Beim Pantyshot und dem "mach doch was männliches" oder den Mobbinszenen hatte ich schon paar 🤢 Momente. Das ganze Pubertäts-Hormonmoster-blabla, ist teilweise auch sehr OTL, vermute mal einigermaßen realistisch getroffen? Hatte das halt nie und dann das ganze hin und her mit Miyako oder er ist nur bei der Schule gelandet, weil der Pantyshot im den Kopf verdreht hat. ufffffz. (Bei Bakemonogatari fängt effektiv auch alles mit einen Pantyshot an, aber da ist es durch die Eskalation der Ereignisskette so extra absurd, dass es was passend sureales hat.) Und das Thema um Passion/Talent wiederfinden/verfolgen/fördern ist halt auch bisschen weiter weg als jemand der gar weder das eine noch das andere hat. Und mit Tanzen kann man mich IRL eigentlich jagen gehen. 🩸

Aber ist schon gut eingebaut mit Nuancen und aufeinander abgestimmt, sieht man selten so, aber auch, Band 2 war echt bisschen zu viel TEENAGER HORMOOOONNEEEEEE. Die Richtung seit Band 3 war mir da echt willkommen. Grad auch dass das mit dem Mobbing wieder kommt. Das hatte sich zwischenzeitlich recht verwässert und unter den Tisch gekehrt angefühlt, aber dann war es doch nur die Ruhe vor dem Sturm.. Also erzählerisch macht es eine sehr gute Figur und bei so vielen Bänden sieht es nach Mehrgängemenü aus~

Diamond in the Rough - Finished It is a pretty solid Shonen read, with an interesting setting, but hell, what is this ending? Did it get axed? It totally just feels like an arc ending shortly before a post time skip part 2 and then it’s suddenly simply just the end.

Girl Crush ch62-63, ch81-82 I found out that it actually has a web serialization elsewhere than just Line Manga (which is geoblocked), so straight shoot at it even if it meant gap jumping. It's still rock solid and great, also it's clearly in the build up stages for the next fireworks. Tenka is just so gorgeous. 

Give Her Back to Me That was... creepy, in an intended way. It was interesting, but also just slightly brain frying. I suppose that was also intended.

Iki Dekinai no wa Kimi no Sei: Super Pink I also call this 'the horny porny that shouldn't exist'. It's a spin off doujin by the author from Iki Dekinai no wa Kimi no Sei/Breathless Momentum and it's, well, been quite honest about what its content was going to be about from the preview of the thing. Which is to say it has no plot only plot. All I had when I learned of this release was a jerk reaction of WHY. Didn't the author tweet before there were never gonna be ero scenes in her work? And isn't Breathless Momentum really great, because it's just so utterly unabashed horny, but manages to be that while also never being porny or smutty? (You don't usually get this.) Why now this. I'm all whiny. That being said, as for PLOT it was still one of the better ones I guess. You don't just get horny, it's not just about shanking another up till insanity, but it's also about foreplay and really just enjoying the whole thing with their minds still all sound (you also rarely get something like that) and it's just two who are really hot and horny about another, it's far from their first time, and there is just this sort of self-evident natural playfulness to it. And there's even funny little panels and humor in between. And visual cuteness (they get all hearts in their eyes as pupils over their delectable snacks.) So now, please can I have all the elements like these without the need of beams and holes and overly explicitness and also have it actually be integrated into a main plot please? At least it established the horniness in the main series already, unlike say What did you eat yesterday? - which is also to say, unlike some doujins there, where I wanna scream why it wasn't part of the main plot, because of very important emotional characterization, Super Pink is entirely neglectable to the main plot. But some of its seasonings would have peppered the main series nicely, too, if they were spread out more and not going deep into the horny pot like that....

Isekai de Ane ni Namae wo Ubawaremashita ch17.2-4 This series got licensed by Yen Press. Everyone go read it. It's good~

Lust auf ein Date? (How do we Relationship?) v9-10 Finally the How to we NOT relationship manual turns into a How DO we relationship advice box. But ho girl was the path to it exhausting. A very good series that does lots of things right and well written, but that are things I just don't manage to really like. But how the two mains are going for and knowing how people are gonna likely misunderstand it and one of their girlfriends being all like “you can’t have enough harbors outside of just your lover” just really really makes it looks like it’s going for some queerplatonic angle and I think I’m gonna whine a whole lot if those two wind up being a couple after all in the end.

Okaeri Aureole This is 50% cute-wholesome and 50% the guy deserves a bloody punch. Like how can you have things like this:

And then also have one go and assault the other one in some run in the mill-bad nonCon trope? 

Reincarnated as the Daughter of the Legendary Hero and the Queen of Spirits ch19.4-58 This was a surprise and probably not one I would have touched if I couldn’t have tried checking it out on Manga Up. the title is kinda really unfortunate as is its isekai reincarnation premise. It’s kind of pretty irrelevant to the plot and MC literally goes like “but that’s not relevant so story for another time” (which probably will never really happen?) Well, anyway. It has a nice mix of badass girls and mums, intrigues and politics, an interesting fantasy world with some lore, two parents who are just dumbly in love with each other (they remind me of Spice and Wolf, but just more stupid-funny-cute), who can be funny, idiots, dorks and then entirely mature and serious at the switch of a button. The art is cute, too and in general it just has this playful air about it, being very compf, while it’s still interspersed with darker bits of the world and it’s a really nice balance of savory and compf-cute-sweet.

Ride-On King v3 I am not sure what I read there. Probaby same stuff as v1-2, but it has been a while.

Sasaki and Miyano v7 I closed the gap from print and web-reading. Good heavens I’ve read this as it was chapter-serialized in JP, so I already knew what was coming, but darn it is this cheese death worthy collected in a book like this. How to despair as you gotta rereaed the last few pages every 5 pages because your brain just chimed out. 

Sonna Kazoku nara Sutechaeba? ch64-66 I’m entirely not sure where this is going to go. The premise conflicts are more resolved than not, so a new character comes in to retrace some of it and then it opens up new themes. Which is like…. gender/trans/nonbinary themes? One scheming girl who’s not below selling her own body?? I’m not entirely sure, as I dumbly missed out on reading some chapters in time before their free reading expired. The kuudere MC teenager's starting to go cheese, while her mother is finding all her sappyness back? Ok.. But it’s kind of interesting how Ichika went from “I’m just on their way, they can spend more cheese twosome time with each other” to But if she went back, she’d not have as much time to spend time with her cheese-subject. 

This was still cute tho and absolute nothing I'd ever have expected from this series:

The Angel Next Door Spoils Me Rotten ch13.3-14.1 TINY BITS OF FLUFF FODDERRRRRR, where is the next chapterrrrrr q_q But anyhow! The release date of v1 in German is out and there’s a limited edition with extras and a variant cover, everyone go buy the fluff perfection (for as long as it lasts to be that)~

Ice Lamp: The Chronicles of Kira ch8-41 This has turned into a slight surprise hit so far. The art is solid and knows to be pretty when it needs to. The premise is very fantasy and gender bender driven, but frankly, if this wasn’t fantasy and Kira simply was a boy, it still would have a lot going for it simply by virtue of the art, character interactions and the politics and norms of the world spinning around. Unfortunately I'm now caught up on comikey and have no idea when there’s gonna be more chapters… (until finding out the month after they seem to come regularly now.)

The Villainess Behind the Mask - Finished This seemed like it started with Shinde Mirou to Iwareta Shinimashite x 7th Time Loop at first, it’s like the former in the MC having all that special magic, it is the later in terms of the MC’s character and personality, just not as rich and optimistic and more vengeful. It’s decent enough, but the ending was just a tat anticlimactic and in terms of romance it has a few moments, but they never really got enough room to build up enough chemistry and there’s a whole “buts…!” raised up only to be smashed down at an ending that does feel a little bit too much like axed. Too bad. 

To be Winner - Finished. From beginning to end this has positively cute to gorgeous art. The later has been fairly abundantly with the fantasy game settings, but ultimately, it’s just characters on a screen in the world of this story that is just like everyday contemporary RL life so it just felt a bit dissonant. In terms of its actual plot it’s a sports-plot with a romance side-plot with solid execution. E-Sports really is anything but my field of interest, but the rest kept it going regardless. The ending feels round enough, but also a bit like being on the fence about between stretching it on or just finishing on a side plot in the last arc and by the time it decided to be the last chapter it didn’t feel like one whatsoever…

——————————————————————————

MARCH

It is a whole scrumble to keep up with expiry dates on JNC Nina already.

Reading in French is slow business, as is Japanese compared to Englisch and German, and darn it. q_q

One little accidential anime slipped in. Actually I did feel like watching Apothecaries and maybe something else, too, but somehow in the end I just wound up putting all their soundtracks into the playlist to listen to instead...

Anime:

Winter Memories Honkai Impact 3rd Concept Animation

Light Novels:

7th Time Loop V1

Fushi no Kami V1

Hell Mode v2

How to Survive As a Villain Novel ch1-41

Spice & Wolf V21-22

The Case Files of Jeweler Richard v13p10-14

The Eminence in Shadow v2p1-6

The Executioner and Her Way of Life v1

Wolf and Parchment v4

Your Forma v4

Manga:

100-nengo ni Tenseishita Watashi, Zense no Juukishi ni Kyuukonsaremashita: Heika wa Watashi ga Moto Oujo da to Okizukidenai you desu final chapter.1

A Side Character's Love Story Ch49-50.1

Akuma to Keiyaku v1

Ano Natsu ga Houwa suru. ch16.2

Are You Okay with a Slightly Older Girlfriend? Ch1-2.3

Arte Ch84-85

At 30, I Realized I Had No Gender

Black Butler v32

Captain Ken Ch1-16

Cherish v1

Daijuukou to Unicornis no Otome ch14.2-15.1

Domestic na Kanojo v4

Frieren - Nach dem Ende der Reise v4

Girl Crush ch82

Goblin Slayer Year One v9ch61-70

Haikyu v40ch357

Harebare Biyori ch23.2

Hari to Hitsuji no Fune ch10.1

Hiso Hiso v2-3

Horimiya v14-16

I Cannot Reach You v6

I Got Reincarnated in a (BL) World of Big (Man) Boobs ch1

I'm cute enough to get away with it Ch20-23

Is It Wrong to Try to Pick Up Girls in a Dungeon? Familia Chronicle Episode Freya Manga v1ch4

Josou Joushi no Nakasekata v1

Kakan no Oukoku no Hanagirai Hime ch11.3-12.2

Keine Cheats für die Liebe v9-11

Kemutai Hanashi ch13-16

Kijima-san & Yamada-san Ch4-17.2

Knitter's High ch26.3

Koisuru (Otome) no Tsukurikata ch80-81

Kono Koi wo Hoshi ni wa Negawanai ch12.1-2

Koroshi Ai After File prologue, ch1

Küss den Kater v5ch20

Living With My Brother's Wife Ch1-11

Loop 7-kaime no Akuyaku Reijou wa, Moto Tekikoku de Jiyuu Kimama na Hanayome Seikatsu wo Mankitsusuru ch30

Love and Fortune v6ch31

Lovers High - Meine beste Freundin, ihr Freund und ich v1-2

Marry my Enemy Ch59-60.5

Miryou no Otome to Katabutsu Hittou Majutsushi no Hatsukoi Kiroku bangaihen1-2

Miss Kobayashi's Dragon Maid Elma's Office Lady Diary v4ch36

Miss Kobayashi's Dragon Maid Kanna's Daily Life v8

Mr. Mallow Blue ch29

My Awkward Senpai Ch28-54

Okazari Ouhi ni Nattanode, Kossori Hataraki ni deru koto ni Shimashita ~Usagi ga Iru no de Hitorine mo Sabishiku Arimasen!~ ch23.4-25.2

Oshi no Ko ch140-144

Repeating Your End Together ch5

Sasaki and Miyano v7-9ch46

She is also cute today Ch60-125

Shin Henkei Shoujo Ch1-2

Shuumatsu Touring ch36.1-4

Sick v1

Solange wir zusammen sind v2-v7ch28

Sonna Kazoku nara Sutechaeba? ch67

Sooper Spooky Ch1-17

Spring, Love and You v3-5

Suicide Notes Laid on the Table Ch8-19

The Girl I Like Forgot Her Glasses Ch71-80

The Heroic Legend of Arslan v13-v15ch94

The Ice Guy and the Cool Girl Ch39-56

The Strongest Tank's Labyrinth Raids Ch1-2

Unnamed Memory ch34.2-35.2

Urban Prince and the Amazon Girl Ch1-4

Victoria's Electric Coffin v1ch4

Virgin Road v2ch13

Watashi wo Tabetai, Hitodenashi ch36.2-37.2

Wind Breaker v1ch5

Webtoons:

Breed my Dear Enemy Ch99-181

Flowers in the Secret Place Ch45-87

Ice Lamp: The Chronicles of Kira Ch42-44

Taberare Usa ch93-96

The Blind & The Homeless Ch1-7

The Giantess wants Love Ch164-218

The Goddess of Healing Ch54-66

The Mermaid Wears a Dress ch50-60

To be or not be Ch24-122, 1-23

You Are My Lovely Dragon King Ch1-16

Non-Fiction:

Some Greek mythology book (ISBN 9789463598965)

Notes:

How to Survive as a Villain AKA This Villain Emperor's Gotta Charm the Male Lead to Survive! AKA To Be or Not to Be AKA Please Decide on a Title Already The former is the closest translation to the Chinese title, while the second's length and summary-in-title does all the justice to it being an isekai and the last is a bit ??? in hindsight after reading it, but then it's apparantely the official English subtitle and also what made me pick it up on Comikey in the first place, so I should not complain. This is also a series I can dub as 'how to get interested only really at chapter 41 of 122 and then get hooked at chapter 88ish after having everything before read with pretty much just half attention' and it's another specimen to prove that me getting hooked tends always to happen rather late, which makes finding the next great thing really complicated beyond grinding though as much of everything as possible by sheer brute force and patience. (What do I envy people who can judge that right from the beginning.) Well, I'm gonna have some fun rereading it.

Anyway, this series by premise is a bit like My Next Life as a Villainess, but the isekai'd main doesn't have baka trait of Bakarina, then the world being reincarnated to isn't a tropey heavy otome-game thing, but a novel set in Ancient China (no cultivation and other fantasy elements there as a bonus) and the whole thing is also a BL and the narrative has slices of Romeo & Julia, but without that one's teen pathos (stupidity). The isekai'd main Xiao YuAn is a bit ridiculous and funnily goofy at times, but not dumb and stupid either. It's also been strangely weird, but convincing to me how it takes like 60ish chapters for him to notice he's fallen in love with his favorite novel male lead-turned real, and that it doesn't even occur to him until it's being spelled out in clear words and to boot, he is being transmigrated into the body of an emperor known to be gay and everyone's being thinking the thing for far longer and even his beloved male lead Yang HeQing caught onto his own feelings by what, chapter 12? And yet it felt strangely buyable to me at the same time. Very slow burn and organic progression. In the middle there is even a dish of melancholic facing your impossibilities in the world. (Maybe that’s some Weltschmerz and what the Hamlet quote title tries to reference? The vengeance part probably is less so.)

It sets up a lot and then develops it until it reaps its payoff. Which is to say, the series has 3 parts/seasons and the first two and beginning of the third are really rock solid, but the third is there to reap off all the payoffs from before and does it well, but in comparison feels weak because unlike the prior two parts it doesn't set up anyone or anything for itself much beyond the minimum and just reaps previous buildups. There's no new side character beyond the sister of a side character (Hong Xiu kicked ass really) that got killed off and really she is just a paler, meeker Hong Xiu 2.0, which is really too bad, because it could have integrated another new Kingdom into the spotlight, have some mentioned original novel side character show up or have some more side characters come back like they did from part one to two. The overarching plot is also not has interweaved with all the side tales going on and as a result it feels--- a bit simple I guess. That also makes the focus on the pair's lovey dovey shenanigans more heavy and Xiao YuAn is actually just about as silly and goofy as ever, just now knowing what he wants and entirely unhinged about it, and otherwise it's not so very different to the beginning, but due to the extra spotlight it has with not much more else going on it looks more lower dimensional than it needs to be.

Also somehow the last part seemed a bit visually weaker. And I've been really wondering why. Because it wasn't the art's lines or coloring itself. Was that because his second transmigration has made him get a more manly body than that slender, sickly more androgynous body and I maybe liked that style better? But then this never came across as one of those BLs that just shoves a female strereotype on one of the guys as often the case and if it did I'd likely hate it. Or was it the completely unhinged air? Or that he has a more sturdy body that far better can fend itself, but gets all those princess carries and doesn't even complain about them? Was it the thicker eyebrows? Eventually it turned out to be.... Eyelashes!!! The two mains of them, they both have fairly long eyelashes. And supposedly his second transmigration's body is pretty much like his original body, same face and everything, but!!! Every show up of that one at the beginning totally also has him have those longer eyelashes!! And yet in the third part the only times he mostly gets to have longer eyelashes is when he makes pretty eyes for his guy and it's... it's strangely weirdly irritating. Where is the consistency!!! Or well, I didn't know I found longer eyelashes aesthetically pleasing. What do I do with that titbit of knowledge now... Anyway, to my chagrin I had to find out that there was a Japanese print release for this series, but weirdly enough they only released one volume which has firm 1 cipher plastered on its cover and then no further volume afterwards. It's also licensed in English, but by Monogatari Novels who apparently still haven't released any of their releases in English and keep pushing the dates. :/

The art is also really nice, tho I have to moan about its key illustrations that really really look a bit misleading in terms of vibes and the third main key illustration is basically either misleading or a big fat spoiler. (And the fourth that also is being used on Anilist apparently is mostly used as a merch illustration?) Artwise it's really nice to look at, a really nice color palette that freely uses vibrant to darker parts of the spectrum, lots of wardrobes and because guys in Ancient China also all had long hair, lots of wavy fluttering bangs and ponytails in the wind or hairdos or decorations. And long sleeves and robes, too. It looks good (and just made the special chapters in contemporary times look immensely boring in comparison. Where's the wavy hair!! (and the eyelashes!!). (.... I'm getting ridiculous about this.)

That bit in the middle about the conflict of being yourself but also being that new entirely different identity after being isekai'd and the limited amount of people knowing that is also a quite nice mood I feel like that has gone lost from many of the genre from the modern wave. There's also a nice conversation about how the man's caught up in choices and how he's all doubting to being guilty about the choice being made and how ultimately it was never about doing the right thing, but making a choice and feeling bad, because all choices were important, but he had to pick. Also choices are the thing that defy fate literally. There is something soothingly comfy about it there.

How to Survive as a Villain Novel As it goes, the webtoon on Comikey has.............. parts of overtly dubios translation and editing quality and then also other parts with fairly interesting side notes (clearly these parts have to be from diffrent staff working on it??) and while the translation overall feels more clunky than not, it definitely made hints of making a fair number of literary or cultural references that all got lost in translation. And then I found out there's a novel and also there is a fantranslation and that it was taken down because an English release was licensed in Singapour by a somewhat new publisher and pre-orders closed on that on in January, like 2 darn month before I discovered this series. How cursed. Well, not like that the fantransation isn't to be found elsewhere, and it's worth already just for the footnotes on all the literary references and idioms and occasional contemporary slang. Really interesting. But aggregator rip off sites are still all cursed, because there's a good bunch of chapters that have annotation number markings but they haven't copied the footnotes over. Dang it, I'm interested in those!!!

Anyway. The webtoon definitely cut and changed a good few of things, which makes for a more smooth read and at places with additional flourish. Especially the beginning of the novel is equal parts of wtfh and lmao. And it then it dawned on me why it seemed strangely convincing to me that the main Xiao YuAn gets transmigrated into the body of that gay emperor and while he perfectly knows that fact, he doesn't even ever really think much about his attraction to his favorite male lead (that he has been fawning in a few ways over from the beginning). The way he is introduced in those beginning chapters of the novel pretty much introduces him as never having fallen for any woman, his family goes nuts, tries to ship him with some women, but then he's like bolting and running and family goes like wait, no, is he gay then?? and try to ship him into dubious BL ships and he is running and beating them up and like just. Nope. There's nobody. Probably. Anway, onto more important things!!! How about just focus on work and be a useful person to society. Which is such a mood. And add how it takes him a while to accept that Ancient-China-from-the-novel world as properly a real thing of its/his own now and his not even considering the idea despite being perfectly acquainted with the flags kinda feels like more than just the usual amount of density. Besides he really isn't dumb about it, he quickly gets it once it's been clearly spelled out and he gives it its due thinking over, so like just the whole air of him having all the pieces before his eyes all along but not even considering it at all in that way that's not even exactly dense or phobic of some sort is kind of really interesting.

The other part is how he had already killed himself in his original life to begin with. More or less because he was terminally ill and doomed anyway, but also because some brother asked him to. Which is a bit ??? It checks with how the big turning point in the third part plays out and the man may be whiny and a scaredy cat and all silly with his fear of death but actually doesn't even think twice about facing death in all the serious moments that count (which thinking about it is very reminicent of Haku from Utawarerumono Maskt of Deception/Truth), but him just jumping off the fifth floor in those beginning chapters also feels just random. The webtoon definitely did a good job kicking that brother character out of the plot. Apparently the sheer ludicrousness of attempted shipping offs by his family still made it to the webtoon in post-chapter extra scenes; at least I saw some on chinese raws, but the comikey version has them all cut. (And he's got long eyelashes in his original body there!!) Anyway, less than 1/4 read so far and I'll probably space it out for it to last longer. Also, darn it, somebody license the book already. With lots of translation notes and everything please!

Breed my Dear Enemy Ch99-181 So, apparently that’s actually two completely separate series under the same title belt and the first one finishes here. (with a completely nuts numbering order at the end of it on Comikey.) Isekai-transmigration into the body of a child, spanning over a decade, that has a short reverse-isekai adventure, court intrigues, knowing the novel contents already-cheats and there is a deal of courting and romance and a slice of cultivation and some really pretty art at places (especiallyfemale MC Ye Mu’s wardrobe). Ye Mu is also pretty cool in being just absolutely badass in wits and kicking ass herself. The isekai cheat is a bit excessively convenient though - She hasn't even read the book on her own accord, but while she accidentially trips into the book Fushigi Yuugi-style while doing a military raid and gets sucked into that world she literally gets the book contents downloaded into her brain. It does more with the isekai that you'd expect at the end, but somehow that plot device for plotline cheat skills was still extremely deus ex machina. What I also thought was a bit surprising between this and To be and Not to Be both having it was how their last thirds are both quite so very unhinged at being horny and explicitly things happening but without them being graphically explicit. Also both are from China. I did not expect this level of unhinged horniness from that country at all. What happened.

This panel background otherwise was almost phone wallpaper worthy:

It also had some nice ones ones with bamboo trees.

Domestic na Kanojo v4 I am not sure I know what I am even reading.

Frieren - Nach dem Ende der Reise v4 Fern deserves some sla… stern talking tos about her treatment to Stark and no Sein, I very much disagree, they should totally not be together already like that at all. 

Fushi no Kami V1 The isekai premise is so old now it is annoying the MC himself already and lots of cheats, but the world’s cultural mystery hook is not too uninteresting, but everything Maika side it a whole slog and I feel like wanting to drop it out of the window every time a PoV change comes to this cheese stricken girl.

Girl Crush ch82 It’s good, it’s still good!

Hell Mode v2 This is strangely keeping me interested enough to stick to it despite it not really having anything outstanding. My best guess is really just that it’s my surrogate to By the Grace of Gods after all. 

Horimiya v14-16 - Finished That took some years to get to these last few vols. But I was taken off guard. First I don’t remember any of the side characters anymore. Second. Was Hori always this bad of an obnoxious violent tsundere despite the guy clearly suffering from it? And you can’t even slap her for it, because she’d enjoy it!!

I Got Reincarnated in a (BL) World of Big (Man) Boobs ch1 I’m crying. In “What a whole darn waste!!” So I am still following Adekan. And when it’s good it’s gorgeous in its art and just all that morbid twistedness of human nature and desires so when it’s good it’s usually really good and when it’s bad it's also atrociously bad to my tastes. This one from the same author ditches any chance of a setting to flaunt or otherwise exhibit her talent for all that gorgeous dreamlike, fantastical artwork. And it’s so dumb and it’s kinda bad and it knows it, which I suppose makes it more bearable than the worst parts of Adekan due to the self-aware 4th wall element. But also it’s just such a waste!!! and yet you can clearly feel, this is what the author has fun with and plenty of fun Nao Tsukiji has with this particularness and who am I to criticize a person doing what they like, but still. I cannot help but cry out: What a waste!!!!

Kemutai Hanashi ch13-16 It's been a great series already and now it addresses yet another thing that is hard to put in words, but was captured brilliantly in its mood design by sheer power of character expressiveness. It will be very interesting if it does go on to capture it in words, too, like that brilliant conversation I raved about last time.

Koisuru (Otome) no Tsukurikata ch80-81 Wow. So we had this Aishiteru Game-ish arc, but it quickly moved on to the theatre play arc and frankly that was sweet and solid, but lacked any sense of a wow effect and probably that was the whole point, because wow did that twist (caused through one of the most old trodden tropes boring tropes at that!) hit at the end. It’s like… of course that was always in the cards. But somehow it managed to catch a surprise anyway and wow does it well circling back to one of its main messages it had been delivering so very well across all the series before.

Sasaki and Miyano v7-9ch46 I died a few cheese deaths and I had even read the web version before. I am regressing in my cheese resistance. Help!

Spice & Wolf V21-22 It was easy enough to get back into that after all those years it took me to pick it up again and the Holo-Lawrence bantering just really doesn’t get old. And everytime at the end of the books, where there are stories about Myuri and Col it just strikes how much less engaging that duo is as main characters. Also, seriously, at the end of all the church reforms it’s just gonna be like marriage is allowed for priests and those get together, is it? Hurry up and please get it over already. sigh.

Wolf and Parchment v4 Actually in their own series, it’s less of a slog to read, as there is still a mystery plot to be had around politics and the setting and everything. But I retain, those two are a bit exhausting…

Spring, Love and You v3-5 I had read v1 and actually thought it was surprisingly pretty aroace and also describing how the friction of being that way and the world not being that way can be hurtful and then I read v2 and OF COURSE this was a shoujo and she was gonna fall in love and then I dropped it for years. But now with having read the rest of it… Not like it ever addressed it as such, but the two mains impress a bit as demi or otherwise still a good deal as still on the aroace spectrum and cluenessness about ok, so they are dating and now? and then there is a side character who really looks like very aroace to the end and there is this girl having a crush at him and confessing in a really respectful way of not making him feel guilty or indebted and there’s a really wholesome part to her being kinda in pain, but also just placing good wishes and hopes for him to have somebody special to him, if it comes to that. And the guy goes like instead of feeling happy about any such a confession he feels like he lost something important and ultimately it ends on him hurrying after her, because he doesn’t want to lose her, a really close, trusted friend so far. And then they are dating and the series ends and the girl is happily blushing in the midst of her crush and he is entertaining her crush with a romantically coded gesture (that he does with a completely straight face), but if you ask me, this looks so much like an act of despair of not wanting to lose something precious and not because it winds up he fell for her like that. It would have been really interesting if that could have been explored, because this setup is bound to have all sorts of challenges, but then this series never was gonna be about something like this, was it? Which is a bit sad, because to me it unfortunately will be the only thing I will actually remember about this series. The characters aren’t exactly bad, they are buyably realistically portrayed, but they are also a bit (very) unmemorable and there isn’t much of an actual plot in this school setting to hook you in either. 

She is also Cute Today - Finished (??) This was supposed to be some GL, but then it was more like deep friendship and finding your crowd, with a bunch of opposites attract comedy but after some dozens of chapters it's having more clear hints about being more romantic than not, but before it really ever went to get into that more deeply it says end of part 1 and somehow no more other chapters. (According to Anime Planet it's finished??) Well, in terms im GL that's now kinda like what you get from most GL. Something that just barely has a little bit more than a regular deep intimate friendship. But it does introduce a gender NC theme across the series that has a clear queer message said out loud, so just when I starting to think it could go beyond the usual fare but.... Where is Part 2? :<

Taberare Usa ch93-96 Just what the hell am I even reading there now…

The Case Files of Jeweler Richard v13p10-14 I ACTUALLY STARTED. Meanwhile even v7 in English has arrived and I haven’t even touched v6 after that disappointing peek into it. 

The Giantess wants Love - Finished It turned out to be a nicely decent read. There’s some solid art throughout and once the romance is official it actually is mature and makes no big deal out of it. The fashion industry setting is nicely used for a number of pretty outfits. One of the last chapters also just barely turned the scales around over at humanizing a gay side character who went to be all like this predatory asshole criminal. There’s quite a gap between the villains and the good guys, with a few having feets on both sides, but like some of these villains just are a bit taxing on patience to sit though. 

The Girl I Like Forgot Her Glasses Ch71-80 Seriously, this series and all its cheese is above my wits.

The Goddess of Healing Ch54-66 picked it up where I originally went on a binging frenzy to the end. It’s still good and the MCs bantering is cute, dorky, wholesome and fun, but the villains are getting a whole deal more annoying now. There is also less ambivalence in character being virtuous or not. While motivations are being shown how the villains became that way, there is still a clear divide between the good guys and the bad ones. Looks like I like the ambivalence more that How to Survive as a Villain offers in that same Ancient Chinese setting.

Your Forma v4 Solid. But one plotline was unfortunately super obvious already right at the beginning of the book. It still managed to play with it and put another twist over it, but the first one was unfortunately a bit too obvious to not guess. But then, actually that was already the case in the previous volume, so maybe it’s a bit of a pattern?

[dfroza]

A link to my personal reading of the Scriptures

for the 10th of june 2025 with a paired chapter from each Testament (the First & the New Covenant) of the Bible

[The Book of Matthew, Chapter 1 • The Book of Job, Chapter 29]

along with Today’s reading from the ancient books of Proverbs and Psalms with Proverbs 10 and Psalm 10 coinciding with the day of the month, accompanied by Psalm 83 for the 83rd day of Astronomical Spring, and Psalm 11 for day 161 of the year (with the consummate book of 150 Psalms in its 2nd revolution this year)

A post by John Parsons:

Faith in the Unseen Good...

From our Torah portion this week (i.e., Beha'alotekha) we read: "At the command of the LORD they camped, and at the command of the LORD they set out" (Num. 9:23). This teaches us that God's Name is to be heeded every step of the way.

Whenever we journey someplace, near or far, say, "With God's help (i.e., be’ezrat ha’shem: בעזרת השם) I am going to this place, and I will stay for so long, if it pleases God (i.e., im yirtzei ha’shem: אם ירצה השם)." As James reminds us, "You do not know what tomorrow will bring. For what is your life? You are a mere mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes (James 4:14-15). Likewise Tehillim affirms: "Man is like a breath; his days are like a passing shadow" (Psalm 144:4).

We share exile with the LORD in this age, as strangers and sojourners with Him; indeed, our lives are “hidden with Him,” waiting to be revealed (Col. 3:1-4; Psalm 17:15). "The present form (τὸ σχῆμα) of this world is passing away" (1 Cor. 7:31), and the heart of faith looks for a city whose designer and builder is God Himself (Heb. 11:10). "So we do not lose heart, though our outer self is wasting away... For the things that are seen are turning to dust, but the things that are unseen shall endure forever" (2 Cor. 4:16-18).

[ Hebrew for Christians ]

========

Proverbs 3:6 Hebrew reading:

https://hebrew4christians.com/Blessings/Blessing_Cards/prov3-6-jjp.mp3

Hebrew page:

https://hebrew4christians.com/Blessings/Blessing_Cards/prov3-6-lesson.pdf

6.9.25 • Facebook

from Israel365

Today’s message (Days of Praise) from the Institute for Creation Research

[lindajenni]

jan 24

are you shoeless

"and I have led you forty years in the wilderness.  your clothes have not worn out on you, and your sandals have not worn out on your feet." deut 29:5 God provides!  sometimes naturally and sometimes in the supernatural.  if there really is a need and we cling tight and claim His promises, He will work it out.  He will get it done in your ministry just like He will get it done in you.  there was a popular movie awhile back starring kevin costner entitle. "field of dreams."  (i'm not pushing or suggesting that movie, just referring.)  there was a character it it called "shoeless joe jackson." i have a question i want to ask you.  are you shoeless?  ephesians (towards the end of chapter six) teaches us about the whole armor of God.  our foot covering is just one, but a necessary part of that armor. have your girded your waist with truth put on the breastplate of righteousnesshave your feet shod with the preparation of the gospelthe shield of faiththe helmet of salvationthe sword of the Spirit each element is a necessary part of our armor if we are to be victorious in this spiritual battle.  can you visualize a roman soldier all trying to chase down the enemy in bare feet.  can't you imagine the rocks and splinters and such that would slow him down?  how about without his shield or his sword? our heavenly Father has provided us with all the gear we need for the battle.  we just have to put it on.  i could have picked out any of the gear but i thought it cute to relate it to a character in a movie. there have surely been difficult times for christians since christianity was birthed.  there have been difficult times for the righteous and the unrighteous alike.  so well you might ask what is the difference?  the difference is the grace we face them with. i remember a story corrie ten boom told.  she was on an airplane that encountered engine trouble and it looked like it was going to go down.  fortunately it didn't, but as miss ten boom was reflecting on the matter, the enemy tried to convict her because she did not immediately stand up and preach salvation to everyone. as she was feeling inadequate, a person close by remarked that had seen such peace on her countenance during the incident and they wanted to know why.  here was her opportunity to witness to the grace and peace she carried within. that's something deniers of God and believers in a false god can never have.  i think of a stanza from a song.  "blessed assurance, Jesus is mine.  oh what a foretaste of glory divine."  believers have that foretaste. "whom having not seen you love.  though now you do not see Him, yet believing, you rejoice with joy inexpressible and full of glory." 1 pet 1:8  i do not know of any other religion that can give one that kind of peace.

we may not always have the obvious victory in this life.  that's because our weapon is love and not carnal.  you've heard of the phrase, "killing them with kindness?"  we've added love to the mix; love and forgiveness.  Jesus forgave His executioners from the cross as our example. we can win some mighty battles in the spirit realm, but flesh and blood await God's judgment.  until then, "let the peace of God rule in your hearts." col 3:15  and for heaven's sake - get dressed. from the bill gaither hymn - because He lives, i can face tomorrow, because He lives, all fear is gone.  "peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you.  let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid." john 14:27  maranatha - our Lord cometh!

[usafphantom2]

Operation Allied Force

The North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) carried out an aerial bombing campaign against the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia during the Kosovo War. The air strikes lasted from 24 March 1999 to 10 June 1999. The bombings continued until an agreement was reached that led to the withdrawal of Yugoslav armed forces from Kosovo, and the establishment of the United Nations Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo, a UN peacekeeping mission in Kosovo. The official NATO operation code name was “Operation Allied Force” whereas the United States called it “Operation Noble Anvil”; in Yugoslavia the operation was incorrectly called “Merciful Angel” (Serbian: Милосрдни анђео / Milosrdni anđeo) as a result of a misunderstanding or mistranslation.

NATO’s intervention was prompted by Yugoslavia’s bloodshed and ethnic cleansing of Albanians, which drove the Albanians into neighbouring countries and had the potential to destabilize the region. Yugoslavia’s actions had already provoked condemnation by international organisations and agencies such as the UN, NATO, and various INGOs. Yugoslavia refused to sign the Rambouillet Accords which was offered as an initial justification for NATO’s use of force. NATO countries attempted to gain authorisation from the UN Security Council for military action, but were opposed by China and Russia, who indicated that they would veto such a measure. As a result, NATO launched its campaign without the UN’s approval, stating that it was a humanitarian intervention. The UN Charter prohibits the use of force except in the case of a decision by the Security Council under Chapter VII, or self-defence against an armed attack – neither of which were present in this case.

An important portion of the war involved combat between the Yugoslav Air Force and the opposing air forces from NATO. United States Air Force F-15s and F-16s flying from Italian airforce bases attacked the defending Yugoslav fighters, mainly MiG-29s, which were in poor condition due to a lack of spare parts and maintenance. Other NATO forces also contributed to the air war.

During the night of 24/25 March 1999: Yugoslav Air Force scrambled five MiG-29s to counter the initial attacks. Two fighters that took off from Niš Airport were vectored to intercept targets over southern Serbia and Kosovo were dealt with by NATO fighters. The MiG-29 flown by Maj. Dragan Ilić was damaged; he landed with one engine out and the aircraft was later expended as a decoy. The second MiG, flown by Maj. Iljo Arizanov, was shot down by an USAF F-15C piloted by Lt. Col. Cesar Rodriguez. A pair from Batajnica Air Base (Maj. Nebojša Nikolić and Maj. Ljubiša Kulačin) were engaged by USAF Capt. Mike Shower who shot down Nikolić while Kulačin evaded several missiles fired at him, while fighting to bring his malfunctioning systems back to working order. Eventually realising that he could not do anything, and with Batajnica AB under attack, Kulačin diverted to Belgrade Nikola Tesla Airport, hiding his aircraft under the tail of a parked airliner.[91] The fifth and last MiG-29 to get airborne that night was flown by Maj. Predrag Milutinović. Immediately after take-off his radar failed and electrical generator malfunctioned. Shortly after, he was warned of being acquired by fire control radar, but he eluded the opponent by several evasive manoeuvres. Attempting to evade further encounters, he approached Niš Airport, intending to land, when he was possibly hit by an 2K12 Kub in a friendly fire incident, but more probably he was shot down by a KLU F-16AM flown by Maj. Peter Tankink and forced to eject.

In the morning of 25 March, Maj. Slobodan Tešanović stalled his MiG-29 while landing on Ponikve Airbase after a re-basing flight. He ejected safely.

During the war Yugoslav strike aircraft J-22 Oraos and G-4 Super Galebs performed some 20–30 combat missions against the KLA in Kosovo at treetop level causing some casualties. During one of those missions on 25 March 1999, Lt. Colonel Života Ðurić was killed when his J-22 Orao hit a hill in Kosovo. It was never firmly established whether an aircraft malfunction, pilot error or if enemy action (by KLA) was the cause (NATO never claimed they shot it down).

In the afternoon of 25 March 1999 two Yugoslav MiG-29s took off from Batajnica to chase a lone NATO aircraft flying in the direction of the Bosnian border. They crossed the border and were engaged by two US F-15s. Both MiGs were shot down by Captain Jeff Hwang. One MiG pilot, Major Slobodan Perić, having evaded at least one missile before being hit ejected, was later smuggled back to Yugoslavia by the Republika Srpska police. The other pilot, Captain Zoran Radosavljević, did not eject and was killed.

DATE CALLSIGN UNIT PILOT AIRCRAFT SERIAL/BUNO TARGET(S) ORDNANCE

24 Mar 99 KNIFE 13 493 FS/48 FW Rodriguez F-15C 86-0169 MiG-29 AIM-120

24 Mar 99 EDGE 61 493 FS/48 FW Shower F-15C 86-0159 MiG-29 AIM-120

26 Mar 99 DIRK 21 493 FS/48 FW Hwang F-15C 86-0156 MiG-29 AIM-120

26 Mar 99 DIRK 21 493 FS/48 FW Hwang F-15C 86-0156 MiG-29 AIM-120

Departing on their first operational mission “Allied Force” from Cervia AB, Italy on the 24th March 1999. From left to right Cesar “Rico” Rodriguez (element Leader), Anthony “K Bob” Sweeney (Wingman), “Wild” Bill Denham (wingman), Robert “Criket”Renner (Flight Leader) 493rd Fighter Squadron Grim Reapers

Colonel Jeff Hwang just after his last flight in the F-15C Eagle in 2014. “Claw” Hwang, as the green stars show, destroyed two (Serbian) MiG-29s during Operation Allied Force in 1999. At the time of this picture, Colonel Hwang was flying with the Oregon ANG

[howwelldoyouknowyourmoon]

Sep 14, 2023 Updated Sep 15, 2023

Bard College has officially announced it is purchasing the Unification Theological Seminary (UTS) property in Barrytown, which has been on the market since at least 2018, for $14 million. College President Leon Botstein confirmed to faculty Wednesday, September 13, that the college is buying the 260-acre property, which was the American home of Sun Myung Moon’s Unification Church beginning in 1975. On Thursday, Botstein spoke exclusively with the HV Pilot about the announcement.

...

According to Bard officials, the initial uses for the former seminary will include new studios for the Center for Human Rights and the Arts and administrative offices for the Open Society University Network (OSUN), of which Bard is a founding member. Other instructional facilities uses are anticipated as well.

...

The property includes the main seminary building, a number of outbuildings, and grounds laced with bucolic trails that UTS kept open to the public over the years. The original home here, called Massena, was built in 1796 by John Livingston. The iconic home, once visited by a young Theodore Roosevelt, was destroyed in a fire in 1885, and was rebuilt in a stark gothic style. In 1928, it was purchased by the Christian Brothers, who turned it into a seminary for Catholic youth education. The Unification Church bought it in the '70s and ran it as a theological university and venue for religious activities. The Unification Church’s founder, Sun Myung Moon, died in 2012 and the school became unaccredited in 2015. The property has been for sale since 2018. UTS has since moved its American headquarters to Manhattan and recently changed its name to HJ International. 

UTS’s ownership of the property was not without its own controversies over the years. Botstein said the Unification Church was not the best neighbor. 

“We were no friends of the ‘moonies,’” Botstein said, using a term for Unificationists that they consider pejorative. “Let's get that straight. Early on in the 80’s their presence was an irritant and a danger to us. That was when they were accused of kidnapping people, and this was a kind of detention center before it became a theological seminary. We had troubled relations with them because of their proselytizing activities. But as their popularity receded, it became more like a ghost town. As it disintegrated we looked at it again.”

Now the storied property enters a new chapter. With the acquisition of both Montgomery Place and UTS, Botstein has dramatically increased the footprint of Bard College during his long tenure, but he says he doesn’t see his legacy in brick and mortar or even the money the school has been able to raise, but rather in the ideas Bard had fostered during his time at the helm. The new facility, he said, provides more space for those ideas to germinate.

________________________________

“… New Haven Advocate, January 7, 1976, at 3, col. 2 (visitors to Unification Church training camp in Barrytown describe “security measures” that include guard houses, walkie-talkies, and shotguns);  …” Cited in The Assassination of Representative Leo J. Ryan and the Jonestown, Guyana Tragedy: Report of a Staff Investigative Group to the Committee on Foreign Affairs, U.S. House of Representatives

LINK

________________________________

Mad About Moon

Assault at Barrytown: James J. Sheeran and the Unification Church drop charges against each other. (1975)

A visit to Ann at Barrytown (1975)

At Barrytown all members must continually strive to lose their identity and become one with Moon’s will (1976)

Ken Sudo and the secret Barrytown 120-day training manual and Unification Church fraud

Physically restrained against his will at Barrytown

The Unification Church in AD magazine – by Jane Day Mook

[inblackwoods]

Someone shut me up if I get redundant, but I do want to talk about how Dracula is constantly subverting the expectation of a singular, hyper-masculine heroic character to save the day and win the girl. Obviously, I find it relevant to my ongoing “Dracula is a story about love/community” idea. 

First is Jonathan, who obviously doesn't have a ton of machismo. He swoons, he's preyed on, he's locked away helpless in a tower. We all know this. He even finds himself connecting to the idea of women from the past writing letters at the desk he's sitting at in the castle, saying, “here I am, sitting at a little oak table where in old times possibly some fair lady sat to pen, with much thought and many blushes, her ill-spelt love letter, and writing in my diary in short-hand all that has happened since I closed it last” [Chptr 3]. Perhaps worth mentioning is that this is written right before he’s attacked by the three women. If he’s a hero, then he’s not of the standard, invincible superman sort.

Then, when Jonathan is suspected to be dead, the narrative moves on to introduce Seward, who Lucy goes to some effort to talk-up to Mina, listing his positive qualities and reasons why he might be compatible with her. The implication is that Jonathan is dead! Someone needs to come in and save the girl in his place! But Seward is Seward. So this is obviously not going to work. Lucy immediately moves on to describe him as nervous enough to sit on his own hat and then start fidgeting with a lancet, which scares her [Chptr 5]. And then, if one isn’t yet convinced that he's an unheroic mess of a man, his own diary starts and he's brooding, obsessive, maudlin, and prone to cruel thoughts and sometimes cruel actions. He's not our hero either! He’s too dark, quiet, arrogant, etc.. Fine, who else is there?

Quincey? Yes, one might think for a moment, but then recall how, after he's so ridiculously charming in his proposal and really does seem like a knight in shining armor, he up and leaves the narrative for a while. Completely unmentioned for six chapters! When he comes back, it's relieving and exciting and wonderful and-

He has the wrong blood type. There's an implication he might have killed Lucy, who Seward says, due to the transfusion, "had got a terrible shock, and it told on her more than before, though plenty of blood went into her veins, her body did not respond to the treatment as well as on other occasions” [Chptr 12]. She dies later in this chapter. This isn’t Quincey’s fault and no one could have known about blood types at the time, but I think it’s possible that this transfusion killed her or, at least, contributed to her death.  

Okay, so who else? Van Helsing? Close... but he's old and not likely to get into any dramatic knife fights and he considers himself still married, if his wife is out of the picture. So no saving the day in direct combat or winning any girls for him. Even when he kills the three women, it’s while they’re asleep and its only given a page or less of description. It’s not very dramatic or heroic. Arthur? He's a bit nervous too, despite Seward calling him brave. He falls to his knees and needs to be held up by the other suitors [Chptr 16], he sits up and sits back down in nervous fits of energy [Chptr 15], and he seems generally somewhat faint of heart, being described as growing “very pale” as he sat down and “breathing heavily” in response to the news that they’re getting close to confronting Dracula [Chptr 25]. In that same moment, Quincey and Jonathan are grabbing their knives in preparation for battle! And Arthur doesn't ever get near Dracula at the end. So not him either!

None of the men are perfect, infallible heroes on their own. They’re human beings who get scared and make mistakes. They all need help sometimes; they all fall short in one way or another, which can be compensated for by the other members of the CoL.

The ending is the most convincing aspect of all of this- the final battle is anticlimactic. Dracula's asleep, he won't wake up, and the only active threats are nameless henchmen. It's not a tense, drawn-out battle; it lasts for perhaps a page or two and then it’s over. There isn't a singular hero, there's two. It's not just Jonathan who single handedly saves the day and wins the girl, Quincey has to be there too. And neither of them would have gotten so far without the others, Mina especially. And then Quincey doesn't live to get any reward for his triumph other than the knowledge that he saved his friends! 

So again, in final, there can be no singular hero. It's a story about the strength of community, love, and cooperation. The fighting isn't glorious and triumphant because that isn't the point! The point is that people need love and friends/family to function, do good, support each other when in need, and save the day together.

[thetuesdaytapes]

THE TUESDAY TAPES MARTEDÌ 17 GENNAIO 2023 ►► MONTHLY MIXTAPE 1) THE BEATLES > Polythene Pam 2) DON MURO > Want You to Know 3) HUDSON MOHAWKE > Dance Forever 4) FILIPPO TRECCA > Col fiato in gola 5) TEN FÉ > Twist Your Arm (Roman Flügel mix) 6) SLAM vs. U.N.K.L.E. > Narco Tourists (SSR69 edit) 7) JON GIBSON > Song II 8) SLUTA LETA > Whispers Special (intro) 9) MADLIB > Raw Introduction to Afreaka 10) CHUCK ARMSTRONG > Sweet Foxy Lady 11) BRIAN ENO > No One Receiving 12) MINORU FUSHIMI > In Praise of Mithocondria 13) NONA HENDRYX > Scream (Michael the Lion edit) 14) THE KILLS > No Wow (Chicken Lips dub) 15) HEADMAN feat. STEPHEN DEWAELE > Roh 16) BANDULU > Chapter 6 Ascolta su MIXCLOUD Ascolta su SPREAKER Guarda su YOUTUBE