#man reading this whole comic is really bittersweet

[modmad]

Hi Mod I am still rereading your comics, and can I just say that Nitrate Burn remains one of the most bittersweet things I’ve ever seen in the ahit fandom? I’m pretty sure it was the comic that made me initially follow you actually.

The story telling is incredible, especially the scenes that cut back and forth between the film and the forest. The idea of it as a whole feels like a great way of building on established canon, and the idea of the Conductor falling in love with a fire spirit is just so tragic.

Also I love the characterization, especially Snatcher’s general lawyerness and DJ Grooves’ genuine concern once he realizes why the Conductor’s face was bandaged. The Conductor is, of course, the star of the show and I loved seeing this take on him!

This comic still comes back to me sometimes every few months when I inevitably fall back into the ahit fixation, and I can safely say that it’s been integrated into my headcanons.

Once again, thank you for putting your beautiful comics out into the world.

(And also let me know if it’s alright with you if I send you these comments as asks, because I will gladly keep going on about how much I love your comics if you’re alright with it :])

THESE MEANS SO MUCH TO ME thank you ;v; and to everyone else who sends messages like this I really do read every single one! I don't always have the energy or means to answer but I keep them in my heart forever- and man I really need to make time to upload the rest of my fan comics to my website I got to Osomatsu-san and just didn't. keep going I'm bad at these things gjhfhj anyway. Thank you very much! I put a lot of effort into Nitrate Burn so I am really glad that it still holds up! :D

[anxiouspotionofgloom]

Hotguy comics zine is so good... Really if you've been hesitating, you have to read it... I've finished it two days ago and I'm still stuck thinking about it - I've talked so much about it I convinced my friend who does not know a lick of Hermitcraft to read the 410 pages

No really!! It is so good!! You can really feel the love and care that has been put into it. It even has a story! AND MY GOD WHAT A STORY ARHGFHGU Literally cried at the end, I loved it. ALSO EVERYONE IS SO TALENTED WHAT THE HECK! If I don't talk about it I feel like I'm gonna explode.

I'm sending hearts to everyone that has worked on this project, I will cherish this zine forever... THANK YOU!! <3 <3 <3

Some more ramblings about things I really liked under the cut beware of spoilers:

First of all, Scar and Grian both lying about their favorite food, ahahah I loved that detail

The discussion around page 108 it was so AJSLAHKHKU "I trust you with my back! But... my identity? Not yet." KILL ME NOW I'm gonna start to chew at walls [AND THEN IT ECHOES LATER DOWN THE LINE HELLO?!]

Bas les masques pour un soir is actually my favorite part *shakes them* they're just so!! Them bantering and then Scar discreetly answering Cuteguy's text in secret MY HEART!!

Okay I lied Deer hunting season is actually my favorite part... Genuinely everything is so great about it. The artstyle? The colors? The WRITING?? "Ideals? Who said anything about ideals?" I felt a shiver down my spine, the image of Scar dragging Cuteguy back to safety with the words echoing AHHHHHH It's legit such a vivid depiction I'm in awe

Ohh the angst of Scar wanting to reveal his identity and Grian stopping him... Knowing the context makes it even more tasty. Scar being miserable, my beloved <3

Have I mentionned how much I love the characters sheets thing? Because I really really love them

OUGHHH Corruption, I love a good corruption arc and it was so GOOD!! "My Cuteguy" UH SIR! The way he looks so soft talking to Grian despite being corrupted I'm unwell I'm sick

I love Scar's eyes they're so neat

"Kill Cuteguy" OHHH that was so sick and twisted, I love it!! THE GENIUS IDEA OF CUTEGUY TAKING OFF HIS COSTUME I'M GONNA CRY THIS IS SO COOL "I'm no hero." Damn it! It hits so hard. Him trying to get the weird bug thingy and it looks so soft together, a hug while Grian tries desperately to make the real Scar come back and he ends up confessing his insecurities OUGHHH I'm framing this scene on my walls, I'll never stop thinking about it everrr. AND the slowly fading orders in the background?? I'm fainting, I'm gone

The whole ending scene of that comic killed me. Legit tearing up rereading it. (Also everytime Scar calls Grian birdie I gain ten years of life, man it's so cute.) THE EPILOGUE?! I screamed.

The train comic. No words needed. My heart died from cuteness. Scar lying with Grian, "Now I can't let go" this has done things to me.

IMPULSE'S SHEET HAVING A 5 IN LOYALTY BUT IT'S SCRATCHED OUT THAT'S SUCH A GOOD DETAIL

I'm not saying anything about "through the looking glass" because I'm pretty sure the works will get posted on ao3 eventually (I think??) and I have much Thoughts about it so I'll probably drop a comment then. BUT ARG IT'S SO GOOD

When the countdown started AHHHHH I felt my heart skip a beat, despite it being a comic it really felt in a movie, when the last action scene finally drops

"His eyes are wet" WELL SO ARE MINE oughhh them being both ready to sacrifice themselves... I'm not ok

"I can still see everything I need." I fucking sobbed okay? I'm never recovering from this. Bittersweet edging on sweet, but still! His eye! The word retirement never broke my heart so much as now, but at the same time it's full of joy, because they are all alive! He is well!

A role to play fucks me up. The whole framing, with Scar having Hotguy's glasses, and then taking them off because he's not really here to be him, damn it. "We survive on hope." I cried ugly tears, I know, I know, but there's something about Scar's monologue, it feels... ah, I don't know. Don't think I have the words for it. It feels big, too big for my chest. "There's gonna be a great. Big. Beautiful tommorrow." I'm sure there will be. It's such an amazing end, for such an amazing work. I said I loved it, and i really really meant it.

Thank you for making this. Ah, I started out very excited to share my thoughts, but the ending always gets me a little bit sappy. Oh, well. Amazing work. It feels so loved.

[theromanticscrooge]

Top 10 Favorite O.K. K.O. Episodes

Like any top 10 list, this is very subjective. These are ranked by how much I personally enjoyed a certain episode over anything else. For some context, I'm the kind of Star Trek fan that enjoys more dialogue and philosophy heavy episodes or really goofy love letter romps over big spaceship battles or anything particularly action-heavy. The same applies here even with a goofy, over-the-top cartoon. That's a huge part of why I picked some of these.

10.) "Presenting Joe Cuppa"

Joe Cuppa is a middle-aged flop of a comedian with a routine full of bad dad jokes and coffee puns. Joe is absolutely convinced that because his time in the limelight is over that there's nowhere else he can go; he's all washed up. Rad and K.O. are determined to lift his spirits and help him rediscover his confidence as well as a new lease on life. The eventual coffee-themed fight with Shannon is a hilarious cap-off to Joe's short but satisfying brush with a mid-life crisis.

I love that this is a goofy story about an older man that is just starting on an exciting new chapter of his life. There's too many older people that get stuck in the rut of "my life is my job" and become empty husks of their former selves after they retire and don't know what to do with themselves or their time without their former day job. Joe is a friendly reminder that an old dog can always learn new tricks in the form of using his coffee in clever, creative ways he hadn't tried before.

Out of O.K. K.O.'s long list of weird, wacky side characters, Joe is one of my personal favorites. I wanted more of him after this episode premiered and I still want a Joe-centric series of webisodes or comics now (even if I have to make them myself and nobody reads them, hahah).

9.) "Your World is an Illusion"

I'm a sucker for thoughtful and clever takes on fourth wall breaks. This one gets extra points for setting up a parallel between K.O.'s fourth wall break and someone getting a hit of existential dread from thoughts like "Am I just someone's Sim?" and the extra layer of "Can or do I exist after death?" In K.O.'s case, he decides to offset further nihilistic feelings and spirals by reaffirming how tangible and real his relationship with his mom and friends are.

As long as he values these people and his lived experiences with them, that's more than enough to give his life and reality value in turn. Its an especially insightful take, given how big the themes of friendship and found family are to this show as a whole. These are ideas I think about daily, to be honest. So, anything that tackles something close to Holo-Jane pulling the proverbial rug out from under K.O.'s feet is going to be a story that grabs my attention.

8.) "Bittersweet Rivals"

After the build-up of Enid's history with Elodie, this is the turning point and beginning of repairing their broken friendship. The best scene, hands-down, is Elodie swooping in to rescue Enid; a dramatic sunset scene that encapsulates a chain of Elodie choosing Enid over her need to win at everything. Elodie herself is a fantastic portrait of someone struggling between personal morals and societal pressures to appear as the prettiest, strongest, most popular, etc. no matter what the cost. She knows how intimate and strong her connection with Enid was but she was also convinced that there was only one spot in the limelight. If she shared that spot, it would lessen the prestige of her position. Its artificial scarcity. Elodie was cornered by the capitalistic vision of competition where others have to be pushed aside and stepped on and there's only one clear-cut path or mold for the "perfect" hero.

"Bittersweet Rivals" explores Elodie's side of her strained relationship with Enid. It also shows what kind of impact Enid has on her overall worldview and that Elodie can and will choose her friend and the personal changes needed to include Enid in her life. This is one of several examples of why its worth giving someone room to change if she shows the initiative and active desire to do so.

7.) "Back in Red Action"

Red Action was my favorite character when I first kept tabs on O.K. K.O. back in 2017-19. Enid's crush on Red was obvious from Red's on-screen introduction. This episode reveals that the feelings are definitely mutual; Red is just as much of a wannabe cool kid and closeted dork as Enid is. When Enid learns about Red's Hue Trooper past, it levels the proverbial playing field. These two can and should be more open and vulnerable around the other. They're cooler together and are absolutely a power couple on the hero side of the Plaza to rival Mr. Gar and Carol.

Besides fantastic character building for Red, the entire episode is full of corny poses and fun references to the ridiculous transforming vehicles that litter Power Rangers and its super sentai source material. Granted, the Hue Troop is definitely more of an homage to super sentai. The eight-year-old me that always wanted a girl as the Red Power Ranger loves Red Action. She's the obnoxious, but charming punk Ranger I didn't know I needed until I checked out O.K. K.O.

6.) "Lad & Logic"

As someone that's written a character analysis on Lord Boxman, I think this episode is core to any discussion about him as a character. I'm still fascinated by how much more open-minded, warm, and considerate Box Lad is when compared to present-day stern, manipulative, and cruel Boxman can be until a combination of his closer relationship with Professor Venomous and his redemption arc (with his kids, not in regards to his overall alignment).

At the very least, Boxman is an example of how a bright-eyed and hopeful person can lose themselves to an all-encompassing goal or obsession. Anyone could become a Boxman if they surrender to paranoia and get lost in their own head to the point they refuse to listen to anyone else.

Mr. Logic's story is roughly comparable to someone leaving an abusive relationship. Part of Boxman's deterioration is how someone can start a relationship with a kind, well-meaning person and that image of how they used to be eclipses what problems pop up later after that person removes their mask or in Boxman's case, something happens that leads to them becoming a horrible partner. Mr. Logic was "made" for a specific purpose but starts to discover who he wants to be after talking with Mr. Gar at the work-in-progress Plaza. Who Mr. Logic wants to be conflicts with what Boxman demands he should be.

This is what leads to Boxman creating his kids with the sole intention of them conforming to the exact vision of who and what he wants them to be. Thankfully, he pulls back on this motivation and starts work on becoming a better parent later. When Mr. Logic stands up for himself and leaves Boxmore, its the start of his own self-determination. He needed space and autonomy to become his true self.

5.) "Boxman Crashes"

I almost put "Villains' Night Out" in my top 10, but this episode has the penultimate Voxman scenes in it. Or more specifically, it has my favorite Voxman scene where it looks like Venomous has a big, world-shattering epiphany about how to work through his ennui after he and Boxman attack the Plaza. He's been so bored for so long and now this weird cyborg man gave him the metaphorical missing puzzle piece to get his life that much closer to complete.

"Villains' Night Out" has the magic carpet ride and the Venomous "proposal" scene but "Boxman Crashes" shows the Professor's side of the story. Viewers finally have insight as to what his personal life was like and most importantly, what he thinks of Lord Boxman. Look, the Voxy Bunch found family dynamic is one of my favorite parts of this cartoon. I love that this episode gives me both perspectives of the relationship for my favorite gay mad scientists. I need both POVs for my bad fanfic-writing needs!

4.) "The So-Bad-ical"

Setting up a villain plot of "ruin kids' education by teaching them nothing but blindly memorizing facts" is a stroke of genius. Its alarmingly accurate commentary on where American education is and how the end result can be made-to-order zombies (corporate drones that don't fight back or ask questions). Besides Boxmore shenanigans, Ms. Quantum paints a really sympathetic picture of teachers that honestly love their job and want to challenge students but are restricted by school boards, funding, and whatever else.

I'm tempted to put a pin in further discussion on this one considering how much stronger the commentary is now vs pre-pandemic conditions. In a nutshell, I love the social commentary here.

3.) "Second First Date"

There are so few cartoons that let the male and female lead stay just friends. Rad and Enid are that much more interesting because they started out as a failed romance. Enid's first impression of Rad was that he is an insensitive macho meathead and not much has changed. At surface level, Rad doubled down on the toxic machismo and his more feminine interests or sensitive side are open secrets he refuses to acknowledge. This establishes that Rad will apologize and can have frank, honest conversations with people that are important to him. It also sets the stage for how Rad and Enid's friendship becomes more than coworkers and surface level from here.

Manly Cupid is also a delight. He's an 80s brand of big, boxy, and rippling muscles in a bright pink toga. He's gruff but he also embodies the importance of open communication and vulnerability between romantic partners. He's very forceful in his approach but there's a promising note that he's open to learning from his own mistakes and admitting when he's wrong. He's a fantastic early example of positive masculinity in this series.

2.) "Special Delivery"

The meat of this episode is addressing the sharper edges of how often Enid quips at Rad or makes fun of his 'softer' interests. Rad still struggles with owning the more 'feminine' side of his personality and interests but he's reached a point with Enid where he feels like he should be comfortable enough to be his full, uncensored self. Where "Second First Date" focused more on Rad's defenses, "Special Delivery" is a companion episode where Rad calls out Enid using sarcasm and blurring the line between playful teasing with outright bullying as her own set of defense mechanisms.

They're able to work things out with Enid addressing Rad's criticisms and promising to be more thoughtful and conscientious when Rad expresses genuine interest in something 'cringe.' While Enid has a shared arc of "being emotionally vulnerable is cool" with Red, Rad's more sensitive side complements and touches on what kind of self-awareness Enid would need otherwise. There's also K.O., but he manages to knock down her walls in an easy, affable way unique to him as an adoptive younger brother. Rad is a harder nut to crack. Empathizing with him means looking past his more awkward exterior and takes a little more effort on Enid's part than with Red or K.O.

1.) "The Power is Yours"

This is my all-time favorite episode as well as crossover event, hands-down. It single-handedly drummed up what interest I have in Captain Planet now and led to me going out of my way to watch more of the original series. If O.K. K.O. comes up, I mention this episode at least once every time and I was hellbent on showing at least this one to my partner or anyone else that expresses even an iota of interest. It lives in my head rent-free!

This is a love letter to how campy, goofy, but heartbreakingly earnest Captain Planet was as a warning about pollution, climate change, and other social issues. Dr. Blight is as over-the-top as she is in the original cartoon. Overall, its a fun, ridiculous romp that showcases the strengths of O.K. K.O.'s deceptively simplistic art style combined with surreal, goofy imagery only possible in an abstract cartoon world. The ending bit with Kwame and Captain Planet warning K.O. that climate change is an immediate and ongoing issue has the right amount of seriousness and gravity that message needs. There's so many episodes that I could similarly describe this way but this one managed to grab my attention in a way that I can't fully articulate.

This is my current list as of late 2024! These may change as time goes on and I write enough essays to flesh out a short novella. For now, this was a means to get my creative juices flowing again in a lower stress way than a full blown character analysis or whatever else. The more focused stuff is returning soon!

[kerubimcrepin]

Episode 20 - My Friend Bashi (Part 1)

We had reached the milestone of 20 episodes, and I want to sincerely thank the readers for sticking with me so far. :)

I also have a small announcement: after finishing liveblogging this episode, I will take a very small break from the show to do some reading of articles and comics instead.

It's starting to feel awkward - constantly referencing some canon materials without reviewing them on this blog proper, y'know? I originally planned to do this all at once, before the movie, but I think it'll be more fun to do it in multiple reading breaks, during the show.

So many kids in this city, and Joris is friends with none of them. Except for Tatak.

All analysis and plot leaves my body as I think about how much Kerubim cares about Joris.

He's really not perfect, but no matter how much I joke about his failures, he really does care and try his best.

He's too nice for me to actually make fun of in any serious manner.

It's very nice to see the more down-low, bittersweet moments of parenting and childhood portrayed. It's also nice that it's just between the two of them, without Simone.

I love her, but it's very cute to see just Joris and Kerubim, and how they act when they're alone together.

I think that it's interesting, that even at 7yo, Joris is already at the... "this one social interaction was a disaster, and it's over, just irredeemably over"-level overthinking about relationships.

Perhaps it's knowing that for Kerubim it, often times, was like that. Kerubim did inspire very many people to either hate him with passion, or leave him.

Perhaps it's the fact that, besides Kerubim, Kerubim's friends, and Simone, he doesn't have a family; and besides Tatak, he doesn't seem to have any friends: and that makes him struggle with the idea of losing relationships.

Keke I will be real, I think Tatak is his only friend in general.

...Man. I am making myself sad by writing these things.

I don't think Joris ever had good social skills in his life. Just issues after issues.

As I've said in the previous posts, both Keke and Joris have an issue with needing to be liked always all the time, and the way it makes them do things to seem Cool and Awesome. Even if Joris has this issue in a very introverted way.

It might just be normal kids stuff, but it does add a certain flair to the things we see him do as an adult, if one accepts the idea he's always been like this.

Kerubim's way of connecting to others is to draw from his own experiences, and compare them. It's a more... mature way of cheering up people, than just saying "it gets easier!" like he used to.

For all his faults, Kerubim has grown emotionally from his youth. But it can be a thin line between making everything about yourself, and trying to say that it gets better from experience.

Even so, Joris cares a lot about his experiences and life (cough cough. the Lore), so it works for them, both as a way to distract him and to cheer him up. Kerubim knows this, it's his go-to technique.

Anyway.

I think Kerubim either vastly overestimates the depth of what happened here (I highly doubt Ecaflip is giving him tasks because he's "the best"), or he is lying to Joris, because "I spent my whole childhood afraid that my father, who is a living god, would eat me Zeus-style, because of shit like cleaning the toilets badly or not delivering the fish on time." isn't a nice story.

This is exactly what I'm talking about.

A small aside: according to The Wheel Of Destiny #8 Kerubim Crepin (which will be one of the things I liveblog during the Reading Break), Bashi and Kerubim became friends before the events of episode 3, Strich Hunt.

It makes a lot of sense, because before the events of that episode, Ecaflip had... a very rough way of treating and speaking to Kerubim. Even if he had a soft spot for him, enough to save him (and then manipulate him) during said Wheel of Destiny article, I think Kerubim only truly cemented himself as Ecaflip's most favourite in the Strich Hunt episode.

Also, considering the fact that in Wheel of Destiny, little Bashi reports to knowing and strongly disliking Atcham, it's safe to say that in this episode we have a confirmed instance of Atcham being canonically present and simply not mentioned.

...keke sure is the guy who says "im the last living crepin. laugh" while having a brother. insane.

I yet again want to gush about the portrayal of relationships in this show.

I think all of us can relate to meeting someone, and not thinking much, — not yet knowing that they will turn out to be one of the coolest people you've ever met.

Anyway, tangent incoming.

One thing that's interesting to me, is that Kerubim is never depicted as having friends in the temple. From what we see, he spends most of the time alone, or with Ecaflip.

The reasons may be:

He is Ecaflip's favorite. He had important tasks from the moment he joined the temple. It alienated people.

He was Atcham's brother. Kids are judgemental, and Atcham is a perfect bullying target. Chances are, they didn't like him due to the association.

He came in very mentally ill and unsociable, due to, y'know, being orphaned, and never managed to make friends because the impression that he's "the sad mentally ill kid" stayed.

No wonder that he got anxious around three people, and then immediately trusted them when they were nice to him.

He probably hadn't had anyone be nice to him in ages. Or, like, acknowledge him too much, at the very least.

I won't elaborate on how I think Atcham was treated in the temple lest I fucking scare you, (Something-something, literally catboy Rule of Rose,) but I will say that, just like Atcham is still violently mentally ill due to whatever happened to him, Kerubim's experiences with loneliness and alienation as a child most likely fueled his dishonesty and attention-seeking behaviours as an adult.

So I understand why, even though Bashi kinda sucks, Kerubim is so broken up about losing him. There's a lot more tragedy to this than one can first see.

It was a very important moment for Kerubim to finally have a person in his life that wasn't his father (who constantly threatened to fucking eat him), one of the kids who either disliked him or were too intimidated to talk to him, one of the random monks, or his severely mentally ill brother (who fucking hated him.)

He was his first friend.

[sketchsmack]

And with that, the story of Sorsha, the bizarre-fae blessed bard has come to a close..for now.

To be honest I’ve been mentally planning on a fan comic about Sorsha and the gangs’ adventures post-game.

Dragon Age left a hole in my heart but playing this game hit me ten-fold. Despite the bugs, I do not regret a single second.

This is just the beginning of the art I want to make of her story now that it’s done. However, for now let’s give their story a proper close.

Mind the spoilers below:

The victory was bittersweet. It was not a perfect ending but the actions and choices felt true to Sorsha’s actions. Even the most unfortunate parts.

Orpheus: Sorsha let him become a mind flayer, it was not a choice she could stand to do. She hoped he would assist the rebellion against Vlaakith even with his new appearance, but Orpheus chose to die.

Lae’zel: Though the two didn’t have the tightest bond in comparison to the others, but their unquestioned trust bound them. Sorsha was given the choice to put her friend back into a role of servitude to another authority. Knowing she could never abide by this herself, they convinced Lae’zel to stay. The warrior had finally gained true independence and if she wanted to go back and fight, she had to come to that on her own. For now Lae’zel stays with the remaining party.

Shadowheart: Sorsha knew about the plans for her to go to the Selune enclave but Shadowheart said that this would not be forever. One day she will return with Selune’s guidance.

Gale: It didn’t take much for Sorsha to convince Gale to let the stones remain hidden, thank gods. So Gale immediately knew that there was still adventure to be had…after stopping to pick up Tara.

Halsin: The care they shared with each other was magical but they knew they both had very different paths. They both knew that this wasn’t goodbye forever just a “see you later”. Sorsha and Halsin returned to a “friends with benefits” situation.

Wyll: Sorsha knew she couldn’t stop Wyll from taking his father’s place, no matter how badly she wanted to. There would be no convincing him but she never stops writing him to leave or at least find a replacement. (Sorsha is definitely planning on kidnapping him.)

Astarion: Dear lord Sorsha fell hard for this man. They discussed going to the Underdark but Sorsha couldn’t stand the idea of not searching for some kind of way to bring sunlight back to him. This would be the first adventure the party decides to focus on. With Gale’s knowledge, Lae’zel protecting them, Shadowheart seeking answers with the enclave and Wyll aiding them in resources and support- Sorsha is certain their is a cure.

Which brings us to the worst part of everything. The part that caused me to ball my eyes out.

Karlach: Karlach died on the docks. Sorsha sat by one of her best people she’d ever met and watched her die, just as they promised. Right now Sorsha is in the bargaining stage of grief, believing her soul is out there somewhere- with everything they’ve seen it must be possible, right?

And that is the end of this adventure.

Again, now I finally feel real to really create all the ideas I have! I have a whole world of adventures I want them to do!

Thank you for whoever read all this.

[frodo-with-glasses]

I've had one ask for Artist Commentary, but what about Second Ask? XD (If you're still down to answer!) Could you do "Well done, good and faithful servant" (the one where Frodo recalls all Sam has done for him and confirms to the Gaffer that he gave "perfect satisfaction") with 1, 3 (Frodo' expression looking down at Sam while thinking of the feats above), 6, 11, and 20? Thanks! :D

I’m trying to come up with a pun between “ask” and “second breakfast”, but it’s not happening. X-D Let’s go!

(Read the whole comic here!)

1. What made you want to draw this scene?

Oh please, you KNOW how weak I am for Frodo and Sam 🤣 Any time these two are being cute I’m gonna want to draw it.

But I do admit this little pause to reflect isn’t actually in the book. I made it up. Tolkien is very frugal when it comes to writing emotional responses, so in canon, Frodo just answers the Gaffer’s question immediately without a second thought.

But I wanted Frodo to sit there and think about it for a second. I wanted to linger here, savoring the emotions of the journey and how far these two have come. I wanted Frodo to look at Sam and feel the weight of everything this lovely, humble little gardener has done for him.

Which brings me neatly to:

3. What does [character’s] facial expression mean/what’s going through their head?

Oh man, what isn’t going through Frodo’s head right now?

I don’t really think there’s a coherent thought in there except “where do I begin?” I think the entire Quest is flashing through Frodo’s mind at once, playing like a loop film, and all he can do is look at Sam and feel this sudden wave of emotion and affection and gratitude that he can’t express.

It’s not that he wasn’t grateful before. I’m sure, once he began to recover, he did nothing but heap praise and thanks upon Sam. But here, at home, in the Shire, talking to Sam’s father, everything is recontextualized; suddenly Frodo has to summarize a year and a lifetime’s worth of servitude and companionship and comfort and loyalty and courage and utter devotion—in one sentence—to someone who saw none of it, someone who will never understand the true depth of what Sam has done for him.

I think there’s a bittersweet tinge to that, looking at Sam and knowing that it’s their secret; that even if they tell the story over and over, the experience will forever be theirs and theirs alone. There’s something intimate about that. No one else will ever know the tedium and the misery and the grief and the suffering and the love and the victory and the joy quite the way that they experienced it. No one else will ever understand. They are alone in this; but they are alone together.

And as Frodo looks at Sam, he finds that Sam is looking back up at him, with a soft and humble and almost questioning expression. “Did I do all right?” he seems to ask. “Was it enough?”

And the humility of it blows Frodo away. How on earth—after everything they’ve been through, everything he’s done, everything he’s sacrificed—how on earth could Sam possibly think he is anything less than an utter venerable saint?? But that’s just it. Sam don’t think he’s a saint. Sam don’t think much about himself at all. All he wants to know is if Frodo is all right, if Frodo is satisfied with his service, if Frodo thinks he did well, and he’s hanging on his words with all the eagerness of a loyal hound dog hoping for praise from its master.

“Sam, my dear Sam,” Frodo thinks, “where do I even begin?”

6. What is your favorite part of this piece?

Mmmmm yes LOL

Seriously, this whole comic turned out great, and it’s really hard to pick a favorite part. But if I had to choose, I think I’d say Frodo and Sam’s little smiles after the big panel are my favorites. It was very important to me to get their expressions right—it needed to be subtle, warm, bittersweet, and full of unspoken love—and I think it speaks to how much my art has grown in the past year that they turned out so well. Especially Sam’s face. Just. Ugh, I want to hug my boys.

11. What did you learn from drawing this?

I got great practice drawing wrinkles, using crosshatching (surprisingly distinct from hatching!), arranging stuff in the panel in a way that draws the eye where you want it to go, and playing with different “scales” of my art (from teeny tiny all the way up to normal-size). I also learned how to draw spiders, because…

20. Quick! Random fun fact!

…this comic was the first time I’d ever drawn Shelob LOL

ARTIST COMMENTARY ASK GAME!

[measuringbliss]

Spider-Man Read-Through 013: The War on... (ASM 93-99) P1

MASTERPOST

In this set of issues, Harry fights his addictions (to male muscles and to drugs), MJ is a floozy (good for her), and Peter doesn't have much luck (as usual).

Depicted above: Harry being confused because his beard girlfriend is seducing his crush, while Harry himself is being seduced by another dude.

Right off the bat, I'm very sad because what the heck! The last time we saw Spidey and the Prowler interact, there wasn't any bad blood between them, far from it. Ooooh, I don't like this...

Just look at John Romita Sr.'s stunning artwork. It's not just that these panels look out of a romance story; they embody how soapy the magazine has become after Romita's takeover. I'm not surprised people were receptive to it; it offers a remarkable counterpart to the action moments. The melodrama is gripping, and both sides feed each other, similarly (if not exactly) to the spy/romance TV show "Chuck" from 2007.

Seriously though, look how handsome Peter is. Look how pulpous Gwen is. Look at their expressiveness, at their attractive features, at their posture. It's excellent artwork. Even when the stories are lackluster, the art rarely disappoints. Gorgeous. Absolutely gorgeous.

So anyway, Peter's about to use the big guns to keep Gwen here, which. *sigh* We all know what happens to her. It feels reminiscent of TASM2. I'm bittersweet.

Peter remembers he is Spidey, and recognizes he has no right to ask Gwen to stay.

By the way, I love his outfit. It's *very* different to what we've seen before. I'm not sure it really actually works, but I sure love it.

Turns out the reason the Prowler is an antagonist in this issue is that he has a hard time trusting Spidey after hearing about Captain Stacy's death. Another way the action and the melodrama influence each other! I'll accept it. I'm actually happy to know Hobie has an opinion on this.

And since Romita knows how to retain customers, he gives us some fanservice. Hell yeah. For what's worth, I still haven't seen any lady in such a getup in these comics yet. It's not the only way to show appealing stuff, of course, but it's still significant that in a magazine like Spider-Man, which seems to be aimed at boys first (if you forget Romita's arrival), you see more of the gents. Obviously, I'm simplifying this whole thing, but I had to mention it.

This batch of issues might be in two parts (or more!) since I'm spending so many screenshots gasping in admiration of the art.

Even as though the Prowler tries to kill him, Spidey helps him break his fall by telling him to use his claws. And of course, he calls him Hobie. He undresses him (to hide his secret identity, naturally) and drops him at the nearest hospital.

Spidey goes to Gwen's to try and tell her the truth --he's absolutely determined-- but he's informed she's en route for the airport. Oof. TASM2 flashbacks once again. She's even heading for Britain too! For a different reason (family in London/studies at Oxford).

But contrary to your typical rom-com, Peter doesn't arrive in time to catch Gwen. Reality ensued.

What a great issue! I absolutely loved it.

Not to sound like a broken record, but he can get it.

The first seven pages of the issue are a recap of Peter's origin story, which combined with the uninspired cover really gives off the impression the plot idea was paper-thin. At least the art is nice!

Betty is also reintroduced, but more importantly, Peter is wearing the exact same shirt as last issue's -- but different pants.

By page 15, the plot finally starts and Peter stops dwelling on the past because May's been kidnapped by the Beetle. About the most fun thing about this fight is that they crash into a public swimming pool. Audacious way to give me fanservice. I'll take it!

I have to assume Betty being reintroduced is a way to fuel a new love triangle. Oh well. Isn't she married to Ned Leeds? Is he going to be back too? I'd love that.

In the next issue, Spidey goes to London! He's wearing again his yellow jacket/blue pants combo that I adore so that's a good sign. Robbie proves he's the best character by telling Peter to go "work" for the Bugle in London.

Gwen is absolutely depressed when she notices that Spidey has been hunting her across continents. She just can't seem to get rid of him!

Anyway, Spidey finds the people he has to save in Big Ben. You know. A clock tower. Oof.

On page 19, Peter finally thinks about the question I had from the beginning: was he really expecting to be able to speak to Gwen, with everybody knowing Spidey's in London too?

YES.

If you remember, he's been aware that Peter's Spidey for. like. maybe two years? He had amnesia, but the last time we saw him was a while ago and he wasn't amnesiac anymore. But it appears Spectacular Spider-Man #2 took place after that since Norman obviously doesn't know who Peter is.

Everybody goes to see some shows, and May and Anna are going to see Hair. I really need to watch it hahaha, it's been on my list for a small while.

A man tries jumping off a building but Spidey saves him, and a cop kisses the man. A boy asks about it but his mom is quick to reassure him that homosexuality does not exist. It is P U R E L Y P R O F E S S I O N A L (you know, like Robbie and Stacy's interest in Spidey).

These panels dangerously sound like a kids' after special, but I appreciate the attempt. To think Peter would deal with this much more closely in a few years...

(Edit after finishing the batch: OOPS. Harry's drug problem was not a novelty in 1973.)

MJ's once again trying to make Harry jealous --and succeeding, confusing both men.

By then, Randy's totally integrated to the group (which is lovely) and he decides to call out Norman for not doing anything on the War on Drugs, which is definitely a big theme here (with the Green Goblin's persona being even compared to drugs).

MJ also makes a dick joke and good for her.

Harry tries to shoo away his homosexuality ("she's so great, right dad? huh? are you proud of me yet?") and Peter does his best concerned face.

The issue ends with MJ getting a standing ovation, the Green Goblin back and his memories fully restored. Oof. How's that war on drugs going, Pete?

In this post's last ish (#97!), Harry has been having a really hard time dealing with his buried sexuality, no thanks to Peter, who keeps hanging around, wearing not much.

Peter can't help being a condescending asshole, naturally, it's part of his character after all, but I wish he used other words in his head for Harry. It also reeks of the writers not having quite enough knowledge to handle the subject appropriately. But oh well. it was mid-1971. I suppose it comes from a good place. I just can't help but imagine Peter would try and convince me not to take ADHD meds because ~I'd get addicted to them~.

Let's just say: the writers are trying.

Hilariously enough, it looks like Harry's really trying to get *Peter* out of his mind.

Talking about Peter, his outfits have recently gotten quite... Bohemian. Not that I necessarily dislike it, but this is intriguing.

When Harry gets back home, Peter thinks for a moment that it's the Goblin. Ha. Ha. Ha.

It's very sad to see Harry's fall (not that he ever was really high), and what must happen happens.

That's a nice cliffhanger to end this post on. I'm also getting tired, and I'm not sure I can put many more pictures here.

See you soon, all two of you who read my posts!

[about-faces]

Congratulations on your Top 22-list! Sheesh, I've been gone for a month and I feel like I've missed like half a life in the meantime. Anyway, reading through the list was a hoot. There was a surprising amount of RECENT comics as well on that list, and far up in the list too! Which leads me to a question about a story that DIDN'T make the cut, one that I was surprised didn't get a mention even at the bottom half of the list: Nightwing: The Great Leap. What made that one fall through the top 22?

Thanks, man! I was also surprised by how much recent stuff I included, but dang, it's really been a surprising last few year for good Two-Face content! When I first tried doing a Top 22 list five or six years ago, it was almost entirely older content. With potential exceptions like Peter Tomasi's work, including The Great Leap.

In fact, that story is a perfect example of why I was so riddled with indecision about how to compile this list. Before this year, I would have included Tomasi's The Big Burn and Ugly Heart (the New 52 stories) together as "one" story, but I could easily have also included The Great Leap as a kind of "trilogy" of Tomasi's particular take on Harvey, but that seemed like cheating.

The problem with all three stories is that they are all very mixed bags. Some absolutely fantastic Harvey content, combined with flaws from both Tomasi and DC editorial screwing around with things. For The Great Leap specifically, I didn't include it because of a few factors.

1.) Carol Birmingham. She was clearly made as a bland Rachel Dawes stand-in at Gilda's expense, and I have never liked Harvey having an emotional affair with her--and even LOVING her--more than Gilda. The fact that Tomasi forgot to make her a distinct character in her own right instead of just a damsel didn't help any.

2.) I hate how the story seems to be crafting a complicated, conflicted Harvey, then abandons it all in the third act to turn him into a supervillain maniac who shows no regrets nor torment over what he went through. ESPECIALLY since Harvey arguably succeeded in saving Carol from himself (by getting Nightwing's help in the first place), which could have been tragically bittersweet if Tomasi had wanted it to be.

3.) Nightwing's "No, Harvey, YOU let him win!" Dick's whole attitude towards Harvey makes perfect sense, including his callous disregard for Harvey's mental illness, but the way the narrative fully supports Dick's assertions by the end--despite everything we've seen--still leaves a bad taste in my mouth.

There was a time when the pickins were slimmer for good Two-Face content that this could have still made the list. But now we're lucky enough to not have to settle for mostly mixed-bags. Hell, we're right in the middle of two potential all-time great Two-Face sagas: "Gotham Nocturne" in Tec and Batman: The Audio Adventures. It's been an exciting time! Even the mixed bags are more interesting to me than The Great Leap, like his oddball role in Priest's Deathstroke and his team-up with Jason Todd in Task Force Z. And when it comes to Tomasi, I'd still sooner include The Big Burn/Ugly Heart over TGL at this point.

I really look forward to revising the list in the coming years, to see which choices I made in 2022 have aged well and which haven't, not to mention what other new stuff might make the cut!

[dragonmuse]

That there’s no universe where Faith and Pru reconcile as adults just makes it more bittersweet that Izzy and Pru have this connection about Faith’s memory.

I’ve always been curious about Jonah’s funeral. Izzy mentions that he went to it but mostly stayed at the back and didn’t talk much to anyone, if I recall correctly. Was Jonah’s death expected (like cancer maybe) or some kind of sudden event?

( @queenbookwench also asked about Jonah after I mentioned that I was surprised no one had asked about him! This doesn't answer much about his funeral, that might be another day, but this does touch on his death CW: child abuse and blood. Since the abuse is on page and right away, I'm putting the whole ficlet under the read more cut)

When Jonah remembered that night it was as a series of bone crunching sounds. The crack of Izzy’s nose as he tumbled to the ground, the stream of bright red that trickled down his face. Then the crack as he reacted, lashing out and his fist meeting Da’s face so hard that he broke his own knuckle. Da staggered back, almost comically, falling on his ass into the couch

He’d remember the silence that came after too. Even Delly, who had been trying to ignore it all by singing to her doll, had gone quiet. 

Jonah stood before them all, breath heaving and his usually restless brain also entirely silent for once. The world paused. 

“I’m going,” he said into that silence. He held his hand down to Izzy, who took it without expression. He pulled his little brother to his feet. “I’ll see you around, asshole.”

Izzy didn’t ask him to stay. No one did. Jonah didn’t really give them time to try, just went to the shared room where two beds had been jammed practically on top of each other for years. He crammed his backpack full of clothes, his stash and the cash he’d gotten from raiding the til at his shitty gas station job. 

Da had known somehow, even when the cops hadn’t been able to prove anything. He’s carried on and waved that military brochure in his face. Army or get out, he’d said. No brainer which way Jonah would go. 

Izzy had just been to hand, really. Easier for Da to lash out at these days than Jonah since he’d had his growth spurt. He’d made the mistake of protesting, trying to argue Da even the mildest amount. 

Jonah hesitated over his things and finally plucked one of his flannel shirts out of the backpack and left it on Izzy’s bed. Izzy had always liked it, let him have it. Kid didn’t have enough warm things. 

The family had been threatened to the dinner table when Jonah came back down, Da preaching as Ma set down plates. Jonah ignored them and went out the door. He only made it a block when he heard feet behind him.

“Are you fucking dumb?” He snarled. “Go back before he beats you raw.”

“Take me with you,” Izzy came up beside him, his hair a wild briar, dried blood still lingering around his nose. 

“No way,” Jonah scoffed. “You’d just slow me down, Chomper. Anyway, I’m not even sure where I’m going yet.”

“But-“

“Go the fuck home. You’re just a kid.”

“So are you!” Izzy grabbed his arm as if he really could slow him down. As if Jonah hadn’t won every wrestling match they’d ever had. 

“I said go the fuck home!” He barked. “Go!” 

“Please,” Izzy held fast. 

“No.” Jonah grabbed Izzy’s wrist and pried him off. His stomach hurt like he’d been drinking for hours. Izzy’s eyes were red even though they’d both learned not to cry a long time ago. “Jesus fuck, man up.’”  

Izzy didn’t try again, but he didn’t go home. He stood there as Jonah walked off. He didn’t have to look behind him to know. He could feel the persistence of Izzy’s eyes on his back as he disappeared around the corner and out of his brother’s life. 

At least as an eighteen year old that had been the plan. Reality was rarely so neat. 

Instead, Jonah had gotten to the bus stop and rode it out a few stops. His buddy Art had his own place even if he did share it with a bunch of guys. He let Jonah crash for free for a few nights on boxspring on the floor then pointed him in the right direction to get a job at a diner. It wasn’t exciting, but it was better than school. He didn’t exactly keep his nose clean, earning extra dollars shaking coins out of deadbeats pockets for the local loan shark, but he didn’t get his hands too dirty either. 

Instead Jonah saved, dollars in a wallet Ma had gotten him when he turned sixteen, his initials embossed on one corner. When he went to open a bank account, he needed ID that he didn’t have. 

He went home. He chose to go in the middle of the day, when hopefully only no one or at least only Ma was home. He had a key still, so maybe he hadn’t really thought he was entirely done when he left. It still fit in the door, no locks changed behind him. 

The apartment was empty, dark and quiet. He knew where Da kept the important paperwork, but he went to his old room first, vaguely thinking about retrieving more clothes even though he’d added a last inch in the near year he’d been gone. 

Everything in his half of the room had changed. His posters were gone, his few crumby action figures up on their high shelf away from younger hands had disappeared. Instead there was marks of Aaron everywhere. They must’ve moved him out of Delly’s room. An upgrade for him, a downgrade for Izzy.  

Izzy’s side of the room had changed a little too. Whatever toys had been left had been swept away. His bed was neatly made, the way Ma always did when she was on one of her tears, but it must’ve been Izzy because Aaron’s bed was still a mess.  It smelled weird in here too, the stink of too much teenage boy and not enough open window. 

He left twenty dollars in Izzy’s jacket pocket. Let the kid have a lucky day. Then he went back down the hall and found his birth certificate. On his way out, the door opened and Ma came in with the shopping. 

“Jonah!” She cried and he cursed his instincts to pause. She hugged him and the hold was familiar, claustrophobic and terrible. 

He hugged her back, felt every spare pound of her.  

“Hi, Ma. Just came by for...doesn’t matter. I’ve gotta go.”

“Let me make you something to eat,” she held on. “Tell me where you’re staying, are you all right?” 

He didn’t stay for food. He didn’t tell her where he was. He did promise to call. 

So he called. Once a month when he remembered. 

The diner started to stifle him (and maybe he lost his temper and punched a line cook), so he moved on and found another gig then another. He made enough to get his own tiny place, but what did he care? It had a bed for whenever he was in the mood to talk a girl home, a microwave to heat up the few meals he ate there and a TV when he needed company. 

“You’re a miserable fuck,”  the guy who trained him on air conditioning repair told him. “But at least you’re reliable.” 

Jonah liked that. He could be reliable. He wasn’t nice, fuck that, he wasn’t kind, but he could be dependable. And that seemed enough for some people. Enough that he got a regular thing going fixing HVACs and if he still moonlighted that was his own business. He liked nice things sometimes and he wasn’t going to get them on a tech salary.  

He called his mother. Somewhere in year three, Izzy picked up the phone instead and for a brief, stomach  churning moment, he’d thought it was Da.  

“It’s me,” Jonah said, too startled to identify himself. 

“Jonah?” And the voice rose up, too young for Da. 

“Hey, chomper.” 

“Fuck me,” Izzy breathed out. “I figured Ma had finally lost it when she talked about you calling. You’re alive?” 

“And well,” he exhaled. Just Izzy. “You?” 

“Sure. Something like that,” and he didn’t sound too unhappy. “What are you doing?” 

“Couple of things. Listen, is Ma around?” 

“No. I’ll tell her you called.” 

Neither of them hung up. Jonah could hear him still on the other end of the call. 

“Why are you home in the middle of the day anyway?” 

“Half day,” Izzy said smoothly. “Gonna take my girl out for a ride later though.” 

“You got a girlfriend?” 

“Uh huh.” 

“Huh, good for you. What’d you do, bribe her?” 

“Fuck off,” Izzy growled. 

“Ha! Fuck you too kid. See you around.” 

So there was that. And then not six months later he called home and Ma told him, 

“Well, your brother ran off too, hope you’re happy.” 

“Which one?” 

“The only one that turned eighteen.”

“Huh. Good for him.” 

Da lost his job around Thanksgiving that year. Jonah made a bonus at work. He came home for Christmas like a fucking rube because she’d asked him too. Da sat in the kitchen, refused to come into the living room which gave Jonah room to be fucking Santa Claus, handing out cash to Ma, Aaron and Delly. 

“Still no Izzy, huh?” He asked. 

“He's a criminal,” Aaron said snottily. Wouldn’t he just love to know where the envelope of green Jonah had just tucked into his hot little hand had come from? 

“He’s working,” Ma corrected without much conviction. 

“I’ll catch him next year,” Jonah shrugged. 

But he saw Izzy before that. It was strange, it had been long enough that he almost didn’t recognize him, but he was also unmistakable. The feeling of knowing hit before the name attached itself to the face. 

Jonah was waiting around for his lunch order to finish. He was across town, finishing one of his legit jobs and mostly just thinking about the nap he wanted to take. There was a group of assholes around a table at the back, making too much noise. One of them had a mustache that was eating most of his face and Jonah watched it with detached interest. 

One of them stood, heading towards the counter. Knowing hit him, then recognition. Izzy’s eyes skittered around the joint and landed on him faster than he was ready for. 

“...Jonah?” He asked, expressionless. 

“Heya, chomper, what the fuck are you doing with those assholes?” 

“Taking their sandwich orders mostly,” Izzy stared at him, that deep hard stare. It looked better on him now, situated right on his angry face. His t-shirt showed off biceps that he definitely had had at fourteen. 

Jonah could probably still beat him in a wrestling match, but he had a feeling Izzy would make him sweat and bleed for it now. 

“Why?” 

“Ladder only goes fucking up one rung at a time,” Izzy picked up the bag. “We should get a drink.” 

“Right now?” 

“Can’t. Tonight though.” 

“Where?” Jonah asked before his brain caught up with his mouth. A drink with his eighteen...no his birthday had come and gone...nineteen year old brother was probably going to be as fun as chopping off his dick. 

“You know Alfie’s on fifth?” 

He knew it. It was a shitty ass dive bar if ever one existed and they did not give a damn about whatever Izzy flashed them in place of a legit ID. Jonah figured he’d just buy the kid a beer, listen to him whine about living thin then get out before the leech could attach. 

Instead, Izzy glanced at him, “What are you having?” 

“Jamison and coke,” he said and Izzy ordered two, paid in cash. There was more in his wallet. “You got a job?” 

“Paycheck and all,” Izzy lifted his chin, a little grin on his lips. “Finished out probation last month, got health insurance now.” 

“Fucking health insurance? How?” 

“Security,” Izzy pulled a card out, handed it to him. It was nice cardstock too, not the glossy shit Jonah’s company churned out. 

“And you order sandwiches?” 

“Give me a year or two,” Izzy huffed. “I’m with Eddy and Eddy is only going up.” 

“Sure,” Jonah tucked the card away, shaking his head. “You and your sandwiches are on the make.” 

“Whatever, what the hell are you doing that’s so fucking great?” 

“Getting a union gig eventually. Piecemeal right now.” 

“Yeah? Doing what?” 

They shoot the shit. Because it’s a shit place, a fight breaks out eventually and Jonah watched his little brother duck, weave, punch a guy so hard that Jonah hears another memorable ‘crack’ and then they’re both out the door. 

“Do it again some time?” Izzy grinned at him, wild around the eyes. 

“Yeah, sure.” 

Jonah scratched down his number for him. He figured he could easily blow him off if he wanted. If Izzy got a little clingy. 

But the kid didn’t call for months. When he did, he was clipped and tired sounding, 

“Can you check on Ma?” He asked. “I’m not in the country, but when I called on her birthday, Del said she was in the hospital.” 

“Shit, what?” 

“Yeah.” 

“Wait, where are you?” The signal was shitty, fuzzy around the edges. 

“Far. I’ll call you tomorrow, check in.” 

Ma was fine, a scare when she felt lightheaded and Da mouthing off shit about her doing it for attention. Aaron wasn’t home at least and Delly didn’t come out of her room. Jonah ducked in anyway before he left. She was sitting on her bed, scribbling in a journal, scowling at him as he came in. 

“What are you doing here?” she demanded. 

“Checking on Ma. Izzy said she was sick.” 

“What the hell does he know?” 

“That she was sick,” Jonah rolled his eyes and dropped a twenty onto top of blank paper. “Get yourself some new kicks, kid. Those look sad.”

They did too, soles peeling. 

“Thanks,” she said without much gratitude. 

“Yeah,” and he couldn’t say why he did it, but he put a hand on her shoulder and dropped a kiss on top of her head and she looked at him like he’d electrocuted her. “Write down my phone number. In case you need it.” 

She didn’t call. That was fine. He didn’t like to pick up the phone. 

That’s how it went. He saw them every other Christmas, then odd days. Every six months or so Izzy would call, they might get a drink, even a meal. Bare details passed between each other.  And slowly something fucked up happened: 

Jonah started calling Izzy. 

He rounded past thirty and the life that had seemed perfect at twenty was getting stale. How long was he going to be tougher than the guys coming up? How many shakedowns could you do before it started making you a little sick to your stomach?  

There are people he saw more than once or twice now. There was a woman with big wet eyes that called herself Candy and had long pink acrylics that scored down Jonah’s back. He had her once and figured that was that, but it turned out Candy lived on his block. She invited him over to hers for dinner sometimes and the food was good. She listened to his bitching about bosses and colleagues. Sometimes she even had halfway decent advice. She managed a women’s clothing store and had some funny stories about it. They would have sex after dinner, then watch tv and after a while, Jonah stayed the night. If he did, she would bring him a cup of coffee in bed. 

“You ever seen your family?” she asked casually. 

“Some. You?” 

“Mostly dead, the rest might as well be.” 

They left that there. He didn’t ask her to come home that Christmas. He didn’t take her to the bars Izzy found. Candy was home. His family was a special hell. 

“What the fuck did you do to your face?” Jonah asked on a freezing night. 

“Huh?” 

“There’s an ‘x’ on your face, man.” 

“Star,” Izzy picked up his drink. “Been there for two years, you’re just noticing now?” 

“First place you’ve picked that has all the lightbulbs screwed in.” 

“You don’t like it, you choose the bar.” 

“How do you even find these places?” 

“Eddy finds them, I just sweep ‘em.” 

And yeah, Jonah believed that. He knew the way the guys above him case places. Izzy did that now. Security, his left nut.  

“Eddy has a shit taste in bars. So what’s with the ‘x’ then?” 

Izzy threw back the rest of his drink. “Just an x.” 

“You said it was a star.” 

“Not even that, is it?” Izzy laughed, and it was a cold, broken thing. 

“Didn’t they ever tell you not to get distinguishing marks?” 

“Late for that,” Izzy gestured at his hand, the spade tattoo that had bloomed there years ago. 

“Idiot.” 

“Fuck you,” Izzy put his finger in the air to order another round. “How’s your woman?” 

“Candy isn’t my woman. She’s just someone I spend time with.” 

“Yeah, okay. Been spending time with her for a year now.” 

“Sue me if I like it regular. What are you dipping your wick in? Gasoline?” 

“Something like that.” 

Jonah tapered off the extra jobs. Union money was good money. Anyway, once he’d moved in with Candy it got hard to hide the bruises and blood. She asked questions and he didn’t like answering them. 

That Christmas, he brought cash and Delly took it from him with a scowl, “I’m taking this to college and I’m not coming back.” 

“Good for you, kid,” he said and it came out sincere. 

“Yeah?” 

“Yeah,” he peeled off more bills and folded them into her hand. “Do better than me. Don’t look back.” 

“What do you mean?” She shoved the money into her pocket. 

“You’ll see,” he shrugged, because he wasn’t sure what he meant, but he knew it was right. 

When he got back home, Candy was making hot chocolate. They had a small tree tucked up on the kitchen counter. He kissed her next to the tree and felt pretty okay. 

“You ever want kids?” She asked him that night. 

“No,” he shuddered. “Never.” 

“Yeah. Okay.” 

And it was okay. 

Things were okay. He fell out with the company, but he found another gig quickly. He made new enemies, figured out which guys were okay to take lunch with sometimes. He didn’t learn names. 

Izzy showed up at the bar Jonah picked with hollow eyes and not a single smart word in his mouth. Barely any words at all. Jonah hated computers, refused more than the flip phone that work foisted on him, but he’d gone to the library with Candy a few weeks ago so she could go to some finance lecture. He’d wound up at the public computers, following a laminated guide to getting onto a browser. It was in public, he wasn’t going to look at porn like the weirdo down the row from him. 

He took the card out from his wallet, gone soft with age. Hornigold.  The name came up with a nice legit website, a couple of news stories where they were mentioned in passing. But Jonah had time. He clicked on a lot of links. 

“Where were you?” He asked. “Before here.” 

“The subway,” Izzy broke a fry in half. He never really ate much when they went out now. He  didn’t look like he was hurting from it, still wiry and muscular. 

“Was it a subway in Brazil?” 

Izzy set down the fry. He made eye contact. Jonah looked back. He wasn’t so sure he could beat Izzy in a wrestling match these days. 

“Where’d you hear that?” 

“Your company. I was poking around on the internet. Saw some things.” 

“Unsee them,” Izzy said and it wasn’t cold or even much of a warning. Just fact. 

“You should get out,” Jonah picked up his drink. “Whatever you’re doing, it’s too far.” 

“You think I’m going to far?” Izzy scoffed. “You?” 

“I’m small time. Barely that anymore. Whatever shit your in, it’s up to your chest,” he pointed at him. “Don’t be stupid.” 

“No room for stupid,” Izzy picked up his drink too, studied it in the amber light. “I don’t go off half-cocked like some assholes.” 

“I don’t carry a gun like a teddy bear either.” 

Izzy didn’t even pretend that he wasn’t carrying, just shrugged. “We all do. You never know.” 

“Get out of it, Iz.” 

“Ain’t fucking happening. Not now. We’re only rising from here. Eddy’s got the business now.” 

If Jonah ever met this Eddy, he was going to knock her fucking lights out. Jonah wasn’t sure he believed in Da’s hell, but if he did, she was leading his kid brother straight into the mouth of it. Maybe Jonah had broken some bones in his life. Maybe he’d worked for people that did worse. Maybe he’d even hurt people so bad they were never the same. But he didn’t kill. He didn’t carry like his life depended on it. He could still meet his eyes in the mirror. 

“You worry me,” he told Izzy and Izzy had given one sharp nod to that. 

“Noted.” 

They all came home for Christmas that year. There was a regular fucking brawl. Someone called the cops. Jonah left with a split lip, a black eye and his arm over Izzy’s shoulders. Izzy was bleeding from the nose, every inch of him a tight line, but he was laughing too. 

“Fucking assholes,” he declared. 

“Every last goddamn one of them,” Jonah agreed. “Come to my place, we can ice your ugly face.” 

Izzy met Candy. They don’t have a lot to say to each other, but Izzy doesn’t swear around her when he notices that Jonah doesn’t. 

It’s dark and late when Izzy got up to leave. Jonah walked with him outside. No one was out. Lights in dozens of colors blinked and danced. It’s pretty. The day sucked dick, but it ended all right. 

“You off on another job soon?” 

“Probably,” Izzy kicked at a broken bit of cement that went careening out into the empty street. In the dark he looked younger. His leather jacket wasn’t up to the cold and he hunched into it, making him look smaller. He’d always be smaller than Jonah. His dumbass kid brother, more guts than brains.  

“Stay safe, huh?” 

“Where’s the fun in that?” Izzy asked and it didn’t sound like fun at all. 

“Izzy,” Jonah went to grab his arm and it closed on open air. Fucker was fast. 

“What?” 

“...I love you,” he told him, even though the words sounded all wrong in his mouth. Candy didn’t care. She’d cried all over him the first time he said it like it was prettiest thing in the world. 

“Are you dying or something?” Izzy huffed, but he looked pleased. “Love you too, asshole.” 

It was Christmas. You could love people on Christmas. 

“Great, now fuck off.” 

Izzy laughing, fucked off. 

Two months later, Jonah walked home from a job and right into a knife. The guy said his name before he did it so it must’ve been someone he’d pissed off, but Jonah didn’t recognize him. He had time to think about it as lay on the sidewalk. The clouds looked nice that afternoon. Candy liked clouds. He hoped she’d had time to notice them.

[daedalusdavinci]

(don't) ship ask: bruharvey

mybe other flavours of it as well

send me a ship and ill answer these questions depending on whether or not i ship it

based on the content of my blog i can understand why anyone might be under the impression that i actually cant fuckign stand bruharvey, and even think its the worst batman ship. so it may come as a surprise that i actually fucking love it

alksdfnsdf listen we ALL know. we all know. this blog is basically just a bruharv blog at this point i barely post anything else. there are so many different flavors of bruharv and im going to try and be coherent about this as much as possible. bear w me here

What made you ship it?

batman 1942 annual #14. EASY. it was one of the first 2f comics i ever read and one of the first COMICS i ever read. i was immediately obsessed with bruce and harveys friendship and the heartbreak of the whole story i LOVE a good divorced dynamic its just so. UGH. and the fact that in hush bruce states that part of the reason why he hesitates to pursue a relationship w selina is bc he doesnt want to lose her like harvey?? dark victory????? BTAS BRUHARV???? "sleep well my friend. wherever you are, whatever youve become, i will save you."!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! "good old bruce. hes never given up on me. hes always been my best friend."!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! HOW AM I NOT SUPPOSED TO LOSE MY MIND OVER THEM!!!!!! sobbing crying screaming

from there it was just a quick descent into madness really

2. What are your favorite things about the ship?

i rlly like the variation in the different dynamics and how it can be literally heartbreaking in so many different ways! i also just love that theyre FRIENDS, that they still love each other despite everything, just the. AUGH. bruharv is the blueprint, you already know, but like adding in matches puts a spin of it thats just so fucking. bittersweet and hard to look away from its like bracing for a hit but its so fucking good you have to love them. harvey knows its bruce, and knowing hes trying like this but being unable to acknowledge it, just taking whatever you can, its just. hh. and w 2f not knowing its bruce, just growing attached to this man who reminds him so much of the first man he ever really loved, who is able to see him as he is and acknowledge it and love him anyway, and not have to compromise any of that for him!! and KNOWING its bruce, knowing that the realization is going to hurt 2f and bruce wants so bad to help him and be close to him but cant ever risk getting close enough to let him find out!!! and twobruce is like. augh. ive already ranted about them ive already obsessed youll just have to go read that bc this is already too long slkdjfnsdkf. i just kNOW bruce is still so important to 2f i know he loves him i know it. twobats is just hatefucking w an undercurrent of extreme angst on bruces side and harvbat is peak unhealthy delusional angsty hatefucking i love them theyre deranged

3. Is there an unpopular opinion you have on your ship?

2f is not a villain anymore than harv is they both have complex relationships w bruce and batman and morality and if you believe otherwise youre ableist <3 im not fucking joking. some of you really need to spend some time researching did bc you bought way too hard into the evil alter trope in a way that disturbs me deeply. get help.

also i think there should be more hatefucking and toxicity i love it when old men are bad people

[doomerpatrol]

Comic Log: 52

The massive collaborative project between Geoff Johns, Greg Rucka, Mark Waid, and Grant Morrison, as well as Keith Giffen and a whole swath of artists. Published on a weekly basis through 2007, 52 itself follows the year without the "Trinity" (Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman). Instead it focuses on more obscure or supporting characters in the DC Universe on a week by week, sometimes even day by day basis. We get seven (by my count) "core" plots and then, linking them all together, we get a fair amount of additional pages and smaller stories (briefly checking in on people like Green Arrow, or the Teen Titans, or the Justice Society).

My broad feelings on 52:

it is a very cool idea that is mostly well-executed, with an interesting spread of genres (Zen-inflected international noir, bloody cosmic odyssey, royal familial tragedy, mystical detective fiction, mad scientist wackiness) so it never feels too samey.

the art is generally solid though not my absolute favorite, carried by strong breakdowns courtesy of Giffen - there’s a diversity of styles, which is…not really my preference, but many of those styles are well-executed

it's interesting to see creators with such diverse focuses and instincts working together; the notes in the trade paperback collection give insight into certain decisions (as well as what the writers are still frustrated by)

the best parts are those core plots, and often I felt like the additional connective tissue was basically unnecessary other than to give a sense of what these other characters were doing during the "timeskip" - fanservice, in short

my main exception to the above point is the updates on the Trinity (well, Wonder Woman is a bit shafted, but what else is new), which are generally fun, sweet, or interesting - I especially like the detail that none of the three are seen in costume, and Batman's trip to the desert and Nanda Parbat is a great addition/prelude to Morrison's run on the character

I think a re-read would probably be pretty rewarding given how many twists there are throughout (most of which are well-seeded or reasonably justified after the fact)

A DEFINITIVE RANKING OF THE CORE PLOTS OF 52

The Question: Out of all of these storylines, this is the one that I think you could carve off into its own trade paperback or limited series and it would work basically just as well - BUT weaving it into the other storylines, and the week-by-week/day-by-day format, is mutually enriching. Has me really excited for the new Question ongoing series. Its zen and existential themes, inherited from the great Denny O'Neil series to which it is functionally a legacy sequel, also tie in nicely to the overall theme and idea of 52 as a series: the embrace of potentiality and change, that to go on living is the perpetual, repeated asking of a question. What are you going to become?

Plus we get redheaded dyke Batwoman!

Ralph Dibny: A bit undercut by editorial interference, and it *really* relies on its finale to pay off. But Elongated Man's investigation of some oddities surrounding his wife Sue's death, and his subsequent (apparent) near slip into mystical madness, is a compelling look at grief and how we honor and remember the people we have lost. Comes with an excellent last-act twist and a bittersweet resolution that I'm fond of.

The Black Marvel Family: It's an excellent grand tragedy. The middle, Osiris-heavy section spins its wheels a bit and the resolution is too neat; the emotional closing of the storyline is about Adam's relapse into unleashing his rage on the world, the disintegration of Isis as his (perhaps unhealthy) paragon of virtue, the confirmation of his belief that the world is hard and cruel and not worth taking care of. However, once Isis is gone, Adam's reversion to type results in a loss of emotional agency, turning him into a problem to be solved with overwhelming force by other characters. Still, I love the arc of the story, and the Sobek twist is NUTS.

The Space Trio (and Lobo): The wayward trio of Starfire, Adam Strange, and Animal Man don't have the most natural or developed rapport, though the genuinely insane addition of Lobo to this cast adds some levity. And this story feels oddly isolated from the rest, which makes sense because it focuses on characters trying to return home from outer space. However, it is an adventure with a lot of cool antagonists and out-there concepts, something of a cosmic rollercoaster, and the way it all wraps up (except for Starfire, who gets the short end of the stick throughout) is very funny.

Booster Gold: Very solid superhero stuff with some intriguing time travel twists and turns. The arc of Booster Gold going from showboating selfish bastard to the champion of the multiverse is very fun, if familiar.

Oolong Island: This is pretty madcap, with some focus on some *really* obscure characters, but it also feels like it exists purely to provide some connective tissue for the Black Marvel story (as well as something to care about once he goes insane with rage), which makes these pages less engaging to me than the ones they're supporting. Also, I find the depiction of "The Great 10," China's "public servant" superheroes, kinda questionable!

Infinity Inc.: The story of Lex Luthor bringing superpowers to the masses via his "Everyman" project has some really standout moments, like the pictured execution of a fledgling speedster superhero by Luthor. But it flits between incredibly dark and exceedingly schmaltzy at a whim, and hits the same beat for a long time (generational division, Steel squabbling with his niece). It's all a little Saturday morning cartoon for my tastes right down to the moral lesson about adult/child communication; next to the Question stuff, or even the Booster Gold and Oolong Island stuff, it feels really unadventurous.

[s-c-g-s-c-g]

Twenty Fanfic Writer Questions

Tagged by @reconstructwriter! Thank you! I'm going to take the easy route and tag anyone who would like to participate!

1. How many works do you have on Ao3? 

96! We're approaching the triple digits!

2. What’s your total Ao3 word count? 

277,273 words!

3. What fandoms do you write for? 

At the moment mostly Star Wars, trying to get around to finishing up my ongoing BNHA series. I'm not writing batfam anymore.

4. What are your top five fics by kudos?

an ill-advised gift (Star Wars), Breaking: Local Man Leaves Apartment for Eggs, Returns With a Child (BNHA), Breaking: Local Child is Straight Up Not Having a Good Time (BNHA), Breaking: Local Man Throws Cats at His Problems (BNHA), Failed Hunts and Little Stowaways (Star Wars).

5. Do you respond to comments? 

Yes! When I first started posting on AO3 I decided to respond to every (non-hate) comment. I've kept that up for over two years now!

6. What is the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending? 

Oof, that's actually a bit hard. Actual no comfort angst is probably between the different flavors of And Still The Galaxy Turns, It's A Sad Song, and here and now, if this is it (all Star Wars and major character death with Jedi, Clone, and Alderaan feels respectively).

7. What’s the fic you wrote with the happiest ending? 

Happiest ending is probably... Hey, Look! Free Sibling! (Batfam). I am a hopeful/bittersweet ending person at heart.

8. Do you get hate on fics? 

Not much proper hate these days. I did quit writing for Batfam in part over hate comments but for the most part I've been pretty fortunate.

9. Do you write smut? If so, what kind? 

Nope, I tried once just to try but it's not my thing. I'm content writing around it if necessary.

10. Do you write crossovers? What’s the craziest one you’ve written? 

No, I enjoy reading them but I've never actually written one.

12. Have you ever had a fic translated? 

Not yet!

13. Have you ever co-written a fic before? 

I haven't!

14. What’s your all-time favorite ship? 

These things come and go. I'm a casual multi-shipper and have been around for many a beloved ship. Right now I'd say Feemor/Jaster, I loved writing Weddings and Other Methods of Deadly Swamp Access.

15. What’s a WIP you want to finish but doubt you ever will? 

I will finish them all! I will! However, I'm self-aware enough to know that The Extended Adventures of Bakugou Katsuki and His Horrible Murder Kitten is the least likely to happen. I like Bakugou, I don't love him and that's generally a killer for me with long-running WIPs.

16. What are your writing strengths? 

I'm good about following through on individual fics. I generally focus on one WIP at a time with a random one shot thrown in when I get bored/tired. These days I almost always start posting after most of the fic is written because having eternally incomplete stuff stresses me out.

17. What are your writing weaknesses?

Endings, I usually have a general idea but I spend more time and energy on endings than any other part of the writing process. Also, while focusing on one project at a time is great it also means that certain series get left to the wayside for months/years with no progress.

18. Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language in fic? 

Excluding the occasional Japanese word I've only really done conlangs and I've definitely changed over time. I used to use a lot more Mando'a and even some Dai Bendu in fic. I'm much more sparse with it now, primarily for ease of readership and because in my experience the way many people write it isn't how people talk.

19. First fandom you wrote for?

Technically veggie tales but really DC Comics. Back when I was a young teenager! I had a whole crew of OCs with cool powers.

20. Favourite fic you’ve written? 

Ah, that's hard. I have so many and they're so different. I still have a lot of affection for all of them, even the ones I wouldn't write today. I genuinely don't think I can pick an all time favourite.

[tensecondstomidnight]

going forward, the teacher echos mike’s opinion to yashy, which discourages her. it’s weird, right? like, they live in a world of talking dogs and cats, but the weird fat lizard that lucy hangs out with is just too non-human to go to school. oh well.

they kept this entire sequence in the redraw, too, thank god. that single panel vindicates multiple aspects of my childhood. i’m glad they make so many references that appeal to my sensibilities!

BUT THAT’S ENOUGH OF THAT! LOOK!

SUE!! SUE!!!!!! i dunno what happened, but recently i’ve just become a MASSIVE sue fan. maybe it’s because i’ve been drawing her so much, but every time i do i’m like “man, i need to draw sue more!” and i’m glad! i like when characters i initially overlooked suddenly become interesting to me. makes the reread more fun!

and it’s not just sue! my second favorite character in the whole comic!! amaya!! i love amaya! admittedly i’m a little less excited to see her than i am to see sue, if only because i feel like amaya gets way less screentime and i don’t expect to really glean much more about her on another read. i’m definitely gonna be keeping an eye out for her, though!

also, this means what you think it means! not only is paulo the last of the core four to appear post-prologue, but he’s beaten out by sue and amaya!

oh, he’s so cute. BUT YEAH! if you’re not counting the prologue, paulo is the second orange cat in bittersweet candy bowl! third, if you count daisy. isn’t that so fucking weird??? he’s like, SO important, but so far he’s barely been relevant! i wonder how quickly that’ll change?

oh, and this one stays in the redraws too:

again, NOT AN ISSUE but it is REALLY FUNNY

[demonslayedher]

"The Legend of Zenitsu" Arcs

When I first read the final chapter of Kimetsu no Yaiba I had mixed feelings about the saccharine modern day epilogue, but one detail I loved was the inclusion of “Zenitsu-den” (The Legend of Zenitsu), for although it was kind of funny that he’d make himself the focal hero, it was touching that he’d be the one to think to record everything that the Demon Slayer Corp together accomplished. Zenitsu always spent so much time in his head mulling over things that he’s nice to see him give form to his thoughts. It was bittersweet that they live in a time so peaceful that his own great-granddaughter would think everything about demons was entirely made-up, and if Yoshiteru was heavily implied to be a reincarnation (though this was never stated), it was nice to see him being proud of himself, in a roundabout way.

But then the second fanbook came out about eight months later with a rather unsavory version of Zenitsu writing his magnum opus. We see through Tanjiro’s assessment that as opposed to being a thoughtful chronicle of the battles the Corp underwent, it’s a collection of cringe self-insert fic and not even written in a way that makes sense. I was very disappointed by this, but as time went on I came to embrace it; the boy likes his indulgent escapism and he writes 79 volumes of this over the course of his life. Let him have his fun; one way or another I’m sure he was manly for his wife after getting a verbal slap in the face from his future brother-in-law.

Well over a year later, we got a little extra information about the contents of “Zenitsu-den” at the Gotouge exhibition, including titles for the story’s 25 arcs, which I have to assume were written over the course of Zenitsu’s life. Here’s the thing: “Zenitsu-den” is not a historic record or indulgent fantasy, it’s both.

“Zenitsu-den” is described as absurdity with events that don’t even fall in chronological order; but its swordplay and descriptions of demons are masterfully vivid and its developments may sometimes keep you on the edge of your seat. On the other hand, many sections are clearly lacking in explanation, and the author doesn’t even keep track of all the details or side character names. Speaking of the side characters, it’s said that the characters whom he depicts as the ugliest (men who are close to Nezuko who he resents for this) are actually handsome in real life, whereas the author depicts himself as a slim but tough man, but is said to be a chubby sweet tooth in real life who has trouble growing facial hair. His wife Nezuko is described down to the very number of her eyelashes. We know from Tanjiro’s comments in the Fanbook #2 comic that Zenitsu took seven pages each to describe himself and Nezuko (including adding somewhere that he, Zenitsu, is 2.7 meters tall), whereas other characters were lucky to get maybe two lines of messy introduction. While the author claims everything in the story in true, it’s almost entirely flights of fancy, and it takes a lot of dedication to read the whole thing and make any sense of it.

(Side note: It’s not clear if “Zenitsu-den” was ever published or if the only copy of each of the 79 volumes remains Agatsuma family property. What we do know that Zenitsu made his own illustrations, and the realistic paintings which his wife modeled for were things that people repeatedly offered him money for. He was known to have screamed “WHO WOULD SELL THEIR OWN WIFE” as his pants ripped apart at the butt because he was so worked up. Really unnecessary detail, but this is the Taisho Secret our favorite alligator chose to share.)

As for when Zenitsu began writing, it was sometime after settling into the Kamado household. The impetus was Tanjiro giving him a stern warning to stop doing shameless things like pretending he’s in pain so that Nezuko will rub his legs for him (and therefore stop paying attention to Inosuke). Tanjiro seems to interpret this as Zenitsu diving into his own fantasies after having been scolded. Even if Zenitsu might had been a bit upset with Tanjiro at first, Tanjiro is nonetheless the person whom he is most eager to show his writings to. In presumably a short time, he’s written a lot.

If we assume Zenitsu never edits and just wrote everything in the order of the arcs, then based on the content Tanjiro encountered with demon!Inosuke and Princess!Nezuko (and thief Sanemi somewhere or other, which I must assume is due to Zenitsu cheesed off about Sanemi sneaking into their home and leaving presents), then we can assume he already wrote the following arcs, though I’m more included to believe he inserted later writings into earlier parts of the story order.

The Birth of Zenitsu Arc The Demon Slaying Arc ~Fated Encounters~ The Heavenly Maiden Arc ~I Am Willing To Die For You~ The Tastiness of Nezuko-chan’s Cooking Arc Warring States Nezuko-hime Arc The Life of the Man Who Loved The Spirit of the Plum Tree Arc Zenitsu the Ninja Arc ~Love Like A Flash of Lightning~ Battling the Boar ~The Leaves of Darkness Flutter~

That’s… a lot. Like, over a third of the arcs. Not that we know how long these arcs are, but if Demon!Inosuke is the boar they face in that arc, then Tanjiro was put through a lot of reading. That story didn't even have "Arc" in the title. Then again, it’s just as likely that this Boar was simply the leader of the terrible boars whom trouble tanuki!Nezuko. Anyway, the arc dedicated to Nezuko’s cooking seems truly inspired. To go back to that “Spirit of the Plum Tree,” this reminds of a certain god of scholarship who is also a vengeful lightning god. It’s said that when Sugawara-no-Michizane was banished from the Heian capital, the spirit of the plum tree which he loved from his garden flew to his side in exile. I get the feeling that a lot of Zenitsu’s writings are self-inserts for himself and Nezuko in other stories he liked; Sengoku/Warring States and Ninja stories would had been popular fiction Zenitsu had grown up around, and there’s no end to folk tales of Tennyo/heavenly maidens. Also, the spirit of the plum tree is the example of how beautiful his illustrations are when his wife served as the model.

What with those first two arcs having relatively grounded topics, I have to wonder if Zenitsu started with realism in mind and then got flying off the handle. After all, fighting demons was a pretty big deal in his real life and his descriptions of demons were said to be remarkable, so I’d like to think that volume in particular was more grounded in true events than others (I suspect Yoshiteru was (re)reading this volume, or he had finally made it to the end of Volume 79 when Touko kicked him in the back). And, since there is a lot of sad content in that arc, it’s like he buried that second arc in all the more fanciful, triumphant arcs that came after it. Then again, if these writings are Zenitsu’s coping mechanism for a life that never usually went well for him, then it’s just as likely the circumstances of his birth were of godlike nature as opposed to the sad, short story of an abandoned baby with no name. Anyway, Zenitsu kept writing: Beautiful Swordswoman Nezuko Arc The Golden Dragon Wandering Alone Arc ~Go And Rescue Nezuko!~ Botamochi from Zenitsu Arc If we assume the content is similar to how Zenitsu twists real life people and events to make himself look better… I really wish I knew the context for that Botamochi one. Botamochi is another word for Ohagi. Somehow, this chapter is inspired by Sanemi. Is this where he takes in the thief persona, sneaking in and taking Zenitsu’s sweet snacks instead of leaving them? Or, if it implies someone presented ohagi, is this a story about Giyuu and Zenitsu hijacked it??

As for that Golden Dragon, is this a reflection of all those solo missions he went on, separated from Nezuko? Or was there any period of separation in real life? It’s always been a headcanon of mine that Zenitsu moved out of the Kamado house first to set up a nice place for his wife to live before they were married, so maybe in a period like that, however short? Or did he write that whole arc while she was on a visit to the Butterfly Mansion?

Also, is Zenitsu giving us the reverse AU we all dreamed of for Nezuko? I love and adore that he gives her a chance to be badass in these stories too. Speaking of being badass, Zenitsu seems to have some idea what he was like when he was asleep, as perhaps reflected in the next arc. Maybe this one was truer than he knew:

Rumble of the Knock-Out Secret Swordsmanship of Zenitsu Arc ~The Legendary Man’s Eyes Shine With Light~ And while he’s thinking back to other experiences in his demon slaying years… The Potato Feudal Lord Arc Wasshoi!! Rengoku-san, is that you!?!? And does the following have any Pillar influence too? Little Mouse-Boy Zenitsu Arc …nahhh. Speaking of Pillars, though, Tanjiro pointed out in the earlier arcs that Zenitsu was already the Thunder Pillar, though he didn’t particularly do anything cool to earn that title. We have no idea how old Zenitsu is by the time he’s writing these middle arcs, or what amusements he sought while having to navigate life as an adult, as presumably as the head of a family. He might had wanted to go back to being babied a little. The Dragon Palace Arc ~Eternal Nezuko~ Reference to Urashima Tarou and his time spent with Otohime at the underwater palace.

Sitting In A Happy Circle and Boiling Tea in Our Bellybuttons Arc I chose to literally translate this idiom for "doing something ridiculous." Since the Thunder God is known to steal bellybuttons, I wanted to keep the reference there. The Future Holds Zenitsu Arc Are you embracing adulthood, Zenitsu-kun?? Alternate translation ignoring the implied idiom in favor of being more literal, “Zenitsu Just Up Ahead Arc.” Pianist Zenitsu Arc ~Nezuko Like Raindrops Dripping from the Eaves~ Please tell me he was a pianist in real life. Please pretty please. Also, it's purely headcanon, but I want to think Yushiro found himself reading this one day and enjoying it before it occurs to him who wrote it and who these characters are and he feels disgusted by Zenitsu out-simping him.

The Gods’ Shrine Maiden Nezuko Arc She really gets to try everything, doesn’t she.

Zenitsu Makes A Fortune in A Single Stroke, Wahaha! Arc Wishful thinking? A spin on the truth of his youth?

Life or Death Struggle! Zenitsu the God Arc Is this where he writes about the battle with Kaigaku? Or is this just a setting in which to bring back Miko!Nezuko?

Big Romance☆Glittery Zenitsu Arc It has no canon basis, but I like to headcanon that around the 1970’s, Zenitsu takes Nezuko to Paris as a sweeping romantic gesture and takes photos of her the whole time. It is now my headcanon that Zenitsu wrote about himself glittering in Paris, being the best romantic partner ever. We’re winding down to the final arcs, though, Zenitsu’s got to be getting old by the time he wrote this one…

Master Zenitsu Arc ~The Appearance of a Great Teacher~ We know from Fanbook #2 that the modern day kids know Breath Technique, as they were preserved by performing them once a year at a shrine. This means Zenitsu satisfactorily taught Thunder Breathing to a successor. As many of his writings turn real life situations around from making him look bad to making him look good, I have to wonder if he was covering up his shame at being unable to pass on all the techniques Kuwajima taught him, or if he reached a point where he felt truly satisfied with having made a good teacher of the Thunder technique.

And speaking of getting up in years… I Will Be In Love With You A Thousand Years Arc ~Again, Even If We Are Reborn~ This is the part when I cried out. You guys. NEZUKO DIED FIRST. Like, I already had that guess, if we interpret Touko and Yoshiteru as their reincarnations. I’m glad that was never expressly stated even if it was heavily implied, because there’s nothing nice about former lovers being reborn as siblings, especially bickering ones. But, with Yoshiteru being so close in age to Touko, this implies that Zenitsu might had stuck around long enough to meet baby Touko before passing on to join her, whatever form that might take. Great-Grandpa Zenitsu wasn’t done writing yet, though. After Nezuko passed on, it seems he finally found it was time to write the last arc, of unknown length… The Life of Happiness Arc ~With Everything Based On The Truth~

………………………………..ausdtiatdiyagsdfyuATsdyguydfautsdfxduASDsfahtdFUASygDJHASDGyaGDSilU

You guys

I can’t

It’s just

HNNNNNGGGHHHHHH

[ikroah]

I stood there shivering in my pajamas and watched the whole world go up in flames and when it was all over I said to myself, “is that all there is to a fire?” —“Is That All There Is?,” Leslie Uggams (1968)

It Keeps Right On a-Hurtin’ #17 - Freeside I

Collaborative Issue! Guest Artist: @yesjejunus​​

Companion Piece: ABV (Alcohol By Volume) (Explicit 18+ | 7k words)

Rose of Sharon Cassidy had gotten her revenge. With the help of the courier, Agnes Sands, McLafferty was dead and the Silver Rush was a blazing wreck. So why can't she fucking relax? Why can't her pulse stop pounding? Why can't her hands stop shaking? How many drinks does it take to feel okay again? After absconding to the Atomic Wrangler, she'll drink her companion under the table to know for sure. Read on Archive of Our Own.

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Notes / Original Pencils / Transcript:

Notes:

Finally! IKROAH returns! And man does it return with a bang, right.

This has been a very busy summer for both me and @yesjejunus​​ which is why the comic sort of fell into hiatus for a little bit, but now I think everything’s back in order. You can expect new issues of IKROAH every two or four weeks on a regular basis like usual again, because believe me, nobody hates it more when this thing falls behind schedule than me. I have exactly one hundred issues of story to tell here, and I’d really like to get it done in my lifetime!

But anyway, YJJ fucking blew this issue out of the water. You may remember him from his grayscale art on IKROAH #11 (the Searchlight issue, one that remains very personal to me) but the sheer volume of talent in the colors of these pages is astonishing. He’s one of my favorite artists to collaborate with because of how much we get each other, and it’s with immense pleasure I finally get to show you all these pages we’ve been putting together for so long.

Also don’t miss ABV! I worked hard on those seven thousand words and I hope that you enjoy it (if you’re over the age of eighteen). The bittersweet thing about the vignette structure and visual medium of IKROAH issues is I don’t get so much room to really get into characters’ heads, so expanding upon certain moments in the comic with companion pieces is a really great exercise. ABV also contains a lot that, like the Searchlight issue, is really meaningful to me, and I think you’ll find ABV to be a story that really carves deep into the nature of how Agnes and Cass relate to each other.

Original Pencils (click for full size):

I love it when artists volunteer to do full art for me because it means I get to go wild on little pencils like these without any of the pressure to polish them. Check YJJ’s blog sometime soon after this and I think he’ll be posting side-by-sides...it’s really amazing what that man can do to my layouts.

May the unnamed guard of the Silver Rush, affectionately dubbed Door Guard-kun by YJJ and I, rest in peace. We felt so bad about it because YJJ drew him so goddamn attractive. YJJ wound up basing his depiction of him on a specific model at my suggestion, a no-prize to whoever can guess who that model was. Your hint is that it’s a very embarrassing internet microcelebrity crush of mine.

The absolute hardest part of drawing this issue, the part that we came back to dozens of times, was the panel where Agnes plants the bomb on the Silver Rush Guard. We went through so many different takes of Agnes’ pose because it was very hard to make it look like she was planting a bomb on the guy while feigning a flinch, and not just stiff-arming Door Guard-kun for no reason. I’m pleased with the final result.

Anyway, we’ll have another amazing guest artist doing full guest art for me next issue, so you’ll get to see more pencils like these when that comes out. See you then!

Transcript

EXT. FREESIDE, the run-down outskirts of NEW VEGAS. This is where the refugees from the NCR and Mojave meet the people too poor to get into the shining city itself.

A scruffy-looking DOOR GUARD stands vigilantly outside of the SILVER RUSH, formerly a pre-war gambling hall but now the largest commercial supplier of energy weapons in the region, thanks to its proprietors the VAN GRAFF siblings.

From around the corner, AGNES SANDS approaches the GUARD.

AGNES: Excuse me, do you know how to get to the Mormon Fort from here?

GUARD: What? Yeah, a few blocks north.

Suddenly, with a shattering CRASH, a glass bottle breaks against the street, having been tossed from somewhere in the shadows. AGNES and the GUARD both recoil in surprise; AGNES leans her arm against the GUARD to catch herself from falling, but seems to slip something into one of his bandolier pouches as she does.

GUARD: Hey!

The GUARD flips his laser rifle up to a ready position and scans the dark street around him.

GUARD: Damn punks, always throwing shit.

The GUARD turns his attention back to AGNES.

GUARD: Are you new here, man? Watch your back.

AGNES gives a light wave to the GUARD as she departs back down the street from whence she came.

AGNES: Thanks. You too.

MEANWHILE on the top floor of the building across the street, ROSE OF SHARON CASSIDY has been observing the entire interaction. AGNES appears behind her from the stairs leading up to her perch, and sits down against the crumbled wall overlooking the street. She starts to light a cigarette.

CASS: Alright, so now what?

AGNES: Wait for the change in guard.

CASS: Looks like it's changing now. He's going inside.

AGNES: Oh!? Shit, good timing then.

CASS pulls a small black device out from her back pocket.

CASS: And you're sure the thing is—

AGNES: Yeah, when you threw the bottle.

CASS: Shit, you are good. Think Crimson Caravan knows we stole it?

AGNES: I'd hope they have bigger things to worry about right now. Now hurry, we don't have much time to—

CASS presses the button on the device.

SFX: CLIK!

THE SILVER RUSH EXPLODES. An enormous fireball erupts from within the building, blowing out the windows and sending shards of glass and steel in every direction down the street. The sheer force of the blast throws whole firearms into the street and rends all the SILVER RUSH PERSONNEL inside, the VAN GRAFFS included. CASS holds onto her hat to keep it from flying off her head, while AGNES’ cigarette flies out of her hands.

AGNES carefully stands up. The SILVER RUSH is a hollow smoldering box of brick and mortar.

AGNES: Fuck, Cass, you could have warned me first.

CASS stares into the flames across the street. They reflect in her eyes like something haunted.

AGNES: Cass?

CASS glances sidelong at AGNES. She doesn’t turn away from the fire.

CASS: You know, I wanted to make her know it was me. To make her die scared. Like McLafferty. But now that it's done...Fuck it, there's almost something poetic about it, right? Gloria Van Graff burned my caravan to ash. Now her and all her fucking laser guns and hired thugs are nothing but ashes in that...inferno.

The SILVER RUSH continues to burn. There are no survivors of which to speak of that could run out from the flames.

CASS: Dust to fucking dust, you bitch.

AGNES looks across the street and watches the armory burn beside CASS. She looks over to her companion softly.

AGNES: Are you alright?

CASS glances over at AGNES and they hold each other’s gaze for a moment. She turns back to the fire before replying.

CASS: Yeah. I’m alright.

CASS turns away from the window and walks towards the stairs that descend out of the building.

CASS: Let’s get out of here.

AGNES remains by the window a moment, watching CASS leave. Then she turns back towards the SILVER RUSH again as the flames and smoke continue to pour out of the building.

Finally, she turns around herself, and follows CASS down the stairs.

The SILVER RUSH still burns.

[stopeatingwhales]

football hysteria x damon albarn

I LOVED THIS SM LMAO !!!!!!!! football obsessed damon is so cute

Pairing: 90s damon albarn x reader

Warnings: noneeee

Word count: 2.281

Requested by anon <3

༉‧₊˚✧

"Who you supporting?" Graham asked me, handing me a beer as he sat himself beside me on the couch next to me in the middle, Damon sat on the opposing side. Damon had dragged me over to Graham's house to watch the Man City and Chelsea game tonight, and knowing just how competitive Damon came to football, I knew it was better that I simply went along with things rather than moan about how much I really didn't want to spend two hours watching two teams pass around a ball for entertainment.

"Erm, Man City." I replied, quickly flicking the can open to taste the bittersweet barley flavouring of the heineken beer as it embellished the walls of my mouth.

"You don't support Chelsea?" Damon questioned, his eyebrows furrowed.

A small chuckle left my mouth. “Of course I don't, they're shit." I sneered, aware of the havoc that my statement was going to cause. Immediately, Damon's mouth fell agape; stunned by my malevolence, as well as partial shock from the new-found information surrounding my opinions on football.

Graham's laughter rang through the room and my ears as my eyes continued to burn into Damon's piercing gaze, him just as amused as I was. Nobody was as big a football fan as Damon had become. "They're anything but shit," he continued, eyebrows now raised as he scoffed. "You're telling me that you support Man City? Gallagher-brother-Man-City?"

"Okay I'm going to sit between you both,'' Graham announced, swiftly standing up, shoving my body to the side he had just accompanied, placing his body between me and Damon, a blockade to prevent either of us going at each other's throats. "Just so we can all be alive by the end of it."

“Well I wouldn't have fucking invited her over if I knew she supported those manic twats, Graham."

"Piss right off Damon, we're in Graham's flat, not yours." I bit back, completely unphased by his childlike behaviour. It had been made quite apparent to the media that Chelsea were indeed the band dominated by the south, as well as Blur, and Man City were celebrated in the north by Oasis. However, it was quite comical noticing the immediate flush of anger that filled Damon's face after my sly comment. Leaning back into the loveseat, my back adorned the soft feel of the cushion behind me. "Graham, who do you support?" I asked, curiosity laced in my words as the football pitch came into view on the television screen - initiating the beginning of the match.

My eyes were focused on Graham as I watched him toss his glasses onto the coffee table in front of us, which had been cascading with countless bags of crisps and other treats to keep us stuffed as the ninety-minute match played through. "In all honesty, I'm not that phased with football," he began, reaching over to open a bag of crisps. "It's Damon here who's completely obsessed with it."

As the match began, tensions were already built to a high degree between the three of us. Small but meaningless comments had been thrown into the atmosphere of the apartment, merely portraying our silliness and how neither of us had seemingly outgrown the competitive side of our personalities, something that would be more apparent during teenage years. Unfortunately however, very early into the game, Damon's supporting team had decided to skillfully snatch the ball from one of the players, eventually managing to get it into the goal - portraying the first goal scored subsequent to the game's start.

Damon instantaneously rose at the goal, shouting loud enough for the neighbours to hear every single word that rumbled out of his throat. "Told you we were bett-" he said, smugness intertwined between his words so effortlessly, though shamefully his words had been cut off by the sound of the cushion, once placed behind me, now hitting his face. I couldn't help but allow a tiny smirk to illustrate itself on my facial features as I admired his face dripping in absolute bewilderment towards my actions. “What the fuck was that for?” he scoffed, falling back into his side of the sofa, as I sustained the grin on my face, watching him. The atmosphere that was once overflowing with hostility was now completely serenaded with Damon's egocentric giggles, forcing my body to hunch into a sulk at how quickly my team had been warranting for a loss so early into the match.

Mid-way through the game, Graham had decided to go to the corner shop by his apartment to get more beers for us to share, due to us having run out to share between the three of us. I dreaded being alone in the room with the game ongoing with Damon present, full-well knowing that his upbeat jolliness would attempt to torment me upon the fact that he was winning, which, to my demise, was exactly what had occured. The air fell still in the room once the sound of the door slamming etched through the flat walls, my gaze focused entirely on the match following on the screen, attempting to focus my mind on anything but the room that I was currently occupied in - though my peripheral noticed Damon's head almost instantly turned to look in my direction once it was made evident that Graham wasn’t inside the flat anymore. As if reading my mind, he decided to shift his body weight, which was once adorned to the other armrest of the burgundy couch, right next to me, where he attempted to wrap his arm around my shoulders, warming me into an embrace. In spite of this, I could feel his intense stare on my features. Using all my strength to avoid connecting eyes with him, I wasn’t going to admit defeat so easily, my stubbornness proving a point.

Once Damon realised, he carried on watching the game, however his body had continued it's embrace with mine. At one point, I was thinking that the match was going to be a lost cause from the performance shown by Chelsea, However, things began to turn around, and Man City managed to score a goal, to Damon's consternation. The sudden win resulted in me lunging from my seat, swiftly detaching myself from Damon, my whole body cheering towards the goal as it replayed on the screen. What was amusing was that, after I had finished my applause, I noticed that Damon had moved back into his seat by the side of the couch, distancing himself from me. "Aw, you don't want to sit with me anymore?" I sarcastically questioned, not waiting for an answer as a small smile crept on my lips. It was very amusing, pissing Damon off. I must say, watching his ego deflate into nothing but a simple sulk at the corner of a room was really the sight.

"What did I miss?" The sound of graham's voice sounded through the room, paired with the clank of multiple beer bottles as he reached into the plastic carrier bag to place them on the table. Each and every one had an individual water-streak pattern, indicating that they had just been chilled - when they taste best.

"Man City scored!" I exclaimed, reaching out for one of the glass bottles as I got the bottle opener to unfasten it from its metal clasp, promptly taking a swig from the beverage. The intent was, of course, to provide Graham with the extra knowledge upon the events that occurred during the match whilst he was absent, however knowing myself, I had also wanted to remind Damon of said occurrences, to surge him to the edge of his frustration. Exclaiming it at the top of my lungs held just enough power to do just that.

A chuckle immediately left Graham's mouth from my enthusiasm. "Need me to sit between you both again?" He jokingly asked, yet an element of seriousness was laced between his words.

“Depends if Damon's gonna stop sulking or not.” I replied, focusing my view on the game playing on the screen.

"You're the one who was fucking throwing the cushions!" Damon shouted, reaching over to grab himself a beer.

"Because you were pissing me off!" I answered, shifting my gaze onto Damon, who was, to my surprise, staring directly at me. There was a certain look of annoyance glazed on his features, though the agitation seemed to subside as soon as we locked stares, as if he was longing for my eyes to bear their sight toward him, as if it was an examination, an analysation to confirm whether we were still on good terms or not; of course we were, while conflicting preferences drew evident tears between us during that moment in particular. After a few seconds had passed, Damon leaned back into the cushion, carrying on watching the game unfold, satisfied with his response from my eyes. Switching my gaze over to Graham, I took notice of a look of question illustrated on his features, to which I decided to mime that it was alright, in order to move myself next to Damon once again. It would've been a lie, and a mere understatement, to say that I hadn't missed his arms around me.

Bunching up next to him, enough space was made to allow graham to sit himself down next to me, though that thought was the last passing my mind; my body was shivering from nervousness, the close proximity between us, regardless of our romantic acquaintance, never failed to bloom butterflies at the pit of my stomach. Due to my body's weight pressing down onto the cushion next to him, it was obvious that he was aware that I moved to sit next to him - but at a cause of his stubbornness, him averting all his attention onto me, admiring me as if I was the only living being in the apartment, a home that hadn't even belonged to me, would never happen - it would take much more to result in his feign of irritation to melt away. Placing my arm around his shoulder, I granted my hand to reach up to his beautiful head of hair, my fingers caressing his strands gently as I brushed any parts that were sticking out on the sides of his head. His arms were wrapped around one another, like a child encompassed in an angry stupor at their parent due to them not allowing them a packet of sweets from the grocery store, though I was playing at his heartstrings, aware of just how much he adored me playing with his dirty blonde locks.

For a short sum of time, we both sat there, my hands never halting their actions. The next few minutes of the game played out of continuous dribbling and passing to other teammates, oftentimes resulting in the other team taking hold of the ball and running around with it for a while until their attempt to score. Randomly, Damon's arm had released itself from its shared embrace with the other, engulfing my body with his as he encased his left arm around my shoulders. We were in a sense of comfort with one another, though from Damon's avoidance of my stare it was made obvious that he was still in the least carrying a small element of annoyance, nevertheless, as I allowed my eyes to linger onto his delicate, paradisiacal features, holding back a grin was seen much easier said than done, a small curvature sneaking itself on his lips.

"Look who's won." Graham mumbled, his voice detaching me out of my trance that I was enamoured in.

A laugh rang itself out of my throat as I admired the lengthy team cheering as they enveloped one another in a massive embrace. "Told you they were better!" I grinned as I diverted my gaze onto Damon, the same look of frustration painted on his demeanour, still avoiding his eyes on me. "You want a kiss?" I asked, tilting my head in order to make sure I was the main thing in his sight, knowing he wouldn't be able to keep up his facade so easily. "Kiss kiss?"

I continued until his eyes met mine. It was as if, for a short segment of time we were frozen in place, momentary seconds passing of us merely marvelling at the view illustrated forth one another, my hands snaking their way around his neck as I leaned in slightly, noticing his blue orbs fall onto my lips, his teeth sinking into his bottom lip as his mind wandered through fields of appraisal. It was then where I couldn’t hold resistance for any longer, and I doubted that Damon could, bringing my head forward as I let my lips latch onto his, allowing time to flow as they lingered still before he kissed me back with gentle force, enough to notify me of his desire that encompassed him just as much as me. The kiss held innocence, portrayed adoration in its true beauty, nevertheless, also embodying eagerness, a yearning of lust.

"I'm going to be honest," I mumbled, removing my lips away from his, panting as I attempted to recollect my breath. "I don't actually support Man City."

"Of course you fucking don't." Damon laughed, our lips connecting once again as he perched his head forward, intoxicating me with the very thing that I desired most in that significant moment.

"If you're gonna shag, please go home." Graham groaned, causing our bodies to jolt at the sudden awareness that we weren’t alone together. Pulling away instantly, a wave of embarrassment covered my cheeks as we looked at one another, infatuation the single thing flowing out of our eyes.

“Sorry Graham.”