#the thing about this show is it makes me want to read the graphic novel because I feel like I'd have a better time with it

[tonyglowheart]

okay so turns out we only finished 2 episodes of Sandman yesterday lmao not 3

so we finished ep 4 today

and. hey so apparently it's supposed to get good at some point right... :')

[deoidesign]

if i may ask, is it difficult at all to re-edit/organize the comic pages from the webtoon format to fit the graphic novel format?

on another note, I'm so happy that your kickstarter was funded!!! I love time and time again, im so excited to see this all happen <3

I'll just turn this ask into something of a guide for the process! Because yes, it is difficult, but there are also many ways I have been preparing from the beginning for this very situation to make things easier for me!

I've worked in both print and scroll in the past, and have done this transition once before for a short story, so I already had familiarity both with my goals for print, and struggles with the transition!

How I prepared from the beginning for this transition:

1: My panels are 2500 pixels wide, so they can span my page (which is 8.3x5.8 inches) at 350 DPI (which is print quality)

2: My layers are organized: Text, FX, Foreground, Characters, Background

3: I draw one very large (twice as big as any panel would be, minimum) background for my major locations, as well as drawing furniture assets in isolation. This not only saves me time when making my actual episodes, but it also offers me INCREDIBLE flexibility when making this transition to print.

These 3 things let me pull the character art to the page by itself, scale it up or down to fit my panel, and then fill in the background behind the character.

So, I read the scroll version, decide how many and which panels I want on the page for the pacing (I also keep page spreads and page turns in mind while I am doing this), and then I pull those panels over from the scroll version to the page.

Then, I make the panel borders/page layout that I want, fit the character art into it, paste in the backgrounds, do any art editing that I need, add FX, and then re-do the text!

Sometimes I do need to draw parts that are missing (shoulders or elbows getting cut off is an extremely common one) and sometimes I need to adjust facial expressions, cut panels, or rearrange panels to make things read more clearly. Since it's my comic already, I know how to do these things while maintaining the original intent, but if I were working with someone else's comic I would need to work closely with them to know what can and can't be cut.

(original panel vs an expanded version)

Another common issue is that VERY tall panels will inevitably lose a lot of information when they’re turned to pages. Identify the purpose of the panel (pacing, showing a lot of detail, etc) and then replicate that with your page layout.

examples (in order) are: scene transition, being overwhelmed, suspense, and establishing shot. All of these were a single panel in the scroll version!

Another issue when converting pages is that panel order is a lot less straightforward than when starting from print format. Conversational back and forth that's fine in scroll often messes up the flow of reading in a page (characters facing out, not looking at eachother from panel to panel, etc) and so some creative solutions are necessary to keeping the reading order.

For the first page I had to delete and rearrange some panels, and in the second the dialogue bubbles guide us to read this page in a circle. (dialogue guides through a lot of my pages lol)

And the last really common issue that pops up is that height differences can be really difficult. Usually in print this is solved with clever angles, but I’ve already drawn everything. So, I’ll either resort to vertical shaped panels, panel pop-outs, or editing a character up or down to fit into the panel.

(examples in order)

So, yes, it is difficult! But I have a lot of experience with both formats, and having prepared for this from the beginning I've been able to make the transition a LOT more smoothly than I otherwise could have.

I hope this helps!

And, thank you about the kickstarter! I'm extremely excited I'll be able to print these, the proofs I've received so far look just absolutely stunning and I'm so so so excited to get to send them to people!!!

Obligatory self promo, if you want to see the kickstarter page and get these four books for yourself, then you can check it out here ^^ It's been funded, so at this point we're just reaching stretch goals and placing orders!

[nana-b0b]

Horse racing

The name Ran means "orchid" (蘭) and is the name of this short graphic novel.

Ran's name is inspired more exactly by the black orchids, which are the most exotic within their kind, moreover, there is some symbolism with The Garden of Earthly Delights (Bosch's painting) and all its hidden meanings, in part and summarized: the most beautiful orchids in the hands of man.

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>●

|| We have more around here and we have her name! "She" is Aurora Imagawa, a special grade sorceress with a very very scandalous past but who is currently in Sukuna's hands... we'll find out why.

So who is Guido? An ancestor of Aurora's who had her same curse, who we know here as "the Meiji era girl" but now has a temporary name and will have a story to tell us about her... and her favorite son, Choso.

The story of Guido and Aurora can be interspersed, sometimes there will be drawings of Aurora, and others of Guido, I'm not doing things in chronological order because I would have to explain a lot of things and sometimes I like to keep the mystery.

Some notes:

♡Guido was born with a very out of the ordinary beauty, she has a sleepy and tired look most of the time but is a very astute young lady.

♡Her mother was very annoyed with her horse because it was not straight like her sisters and not black like hers, she has a very dark auburn warmth in her hair, also, her eyebrows are a bit thick breaking with the beauty standards of the time.

♡Her eyes are light blue, her mother says she is "too much water" bad omen, she should have been born with brown eyes like her sisters, rooted to the earth like the cherry tree.

♡Aurora has one of Guido's moles, the one next to her lip.

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>●

Nana's notes:

Thanks to everyone who is supporting these drawings, I really appreciate it very much and I hope to continue working with this story because I would like to show you more things and make it your afternoon novella! something to read for a while and think during the day.

I saw a lot of people excited to write inspired by this story and I just want to say one thing: take your pen and do it!

And remember: if you publish it don't hesitate to tag me so I can see it, I would love to be able to read it and even be able to continue to be inspired for storytelling.

I'm very excited to inspire more artists with my graphic pieces, in a way it's my goal to take care of the details, the scenes, the gestures of each drawing, because I want you to feel it as much as I do (this is also closely related to why Aurora's face is so little seen or always covered, keeping her face gives that air of mystery and gives way to the possibility of imagining that she could be your OC or... you).

[funkycatbruh]

jungkook recs 2

one shots y series sin terminar

INCOMPLETAS

SERIES

Dilf Iinstalments - @mercurygguk

SYNOPSIS. this series follows jungkook’s life as a divorced father. but wait, how exactly does one balance being a father, a boyfriend, a friend, and a respectable boss at the same time? read the installments below to find out!

GENRE. established relationship, smut/angst/fluff

♡ an ode to a broken heart - @smoochkooks

pairing ↠ jeon jungkook x reader

SYNOPSIS. you’ve watched jeon jungkook slip out of your reach your entire life. now it’s time for you to finally move on, bury the past and open a new chapter. however, you’re doing it in your own, unconventional way - by publishing anonymously a novel about your miserable relationship.

GENRE. unrequited love, best friends to (?), heavy angst, future smut

Colour Me In - @taegularities

pairing ↠ artist/fuckboy!Jungkook x reader

SYNOPSIS. Jungkook's door only opens for you when there's a barter: a trade of lust and haze. But today you knock for something more, as intriguing as it is frightening – and you hope it doesn't close his door forever.

GENRE. fwb, fake dating, college!au; fluff, angst, smut

Our Beloved Summer - @jeonqkooks

pairing ↠ producer!jungkook x songwriter!reader

SYNOPSIS. You made a vow to hate Jeon Jungkook ever since he packed up and left you without a single explanation, but when he shows up at your door after years of radio silence, it turns out that maybe your resolve isn’t as strong as you thought.

GENRE. exes to lovers, slow burn, fluff, angst, eventual smut; individual warnings for each part

Gold Is Dull - @kookluvre

pairing ↠ jeon jungkook x female reader

SYNOPSIS. your once-love abandoned you to chase his dreams as a boxer, leaving you and unknowingly, at the time, his son. as much as you want to forget him, you can't. you see him on the billboard, tv commercials, and in your son's room, reminding you of everything you once were.

GENRE. boxer!jk, dilf!jk, single mom! oc, heavy angst, ex-boyfriend, eventual smut, fluff

Bloodline - @jjkeverlast

pairing ↠ fuckboy!jk x fuckgirl!f.reader

SYNOPSIS. a relationship was the last thing you wanted, but having wild and experimenting sex? now that was something, and jeon jungkook is there to give you simply that. as long as either catch feelings... but that won't be hard for you knowing you'd never go for a guy like jungkook, although jungkook might have another opinion about you. let the (fun) begin!

GENRE. slow burn, smut , humor, angst and college au.

All I Want - @sxtaep

pairing ↠ fuckboy!jk x textbooknerd!reader

SYNOPSIS. you fall into the temptation of fucking your best friend, aka the biggest fuckboy on campus.

GENRE. bf2l, smut, angst, fluff, dom!jk, sub!reader, annoying jk, awkwardness, tension, some pining, teasing, making out

Tears Dry - @codebts

pairing ↠ jungkook x reader, ft. eunwoo

SYNOPSIS. he walks away, the sun goes down. he takes the day, but i’m grown. and in your grey, in this cool shade, my tears dry on their own.

GENRE. smut, angst; hybrid au, university au; one-sided love

♡ Hustlers - @jinconda

pairing ↠ Jungkook x Reader

SYNOPSIS. When Jeongguk’s girlfriend, Jihyo is taken by the Daechwita gang, everyone’s friendships are tested as Jeongguk does anything in pursuit of getting her back.

GENRE. : violence, killing , graphic themes, dark themes, swearing, angst.

Dilf jk series - @venusiangguk

pairing ↠ jungkook x reader / dilf jk x grocery store clerk oc

SYNOPSIS. you find a baby in your store and in turn, a dilf finds you

GENRE. strangers to lovers, friends with benefits, smut, fluff

♡ For What Its Worth - @citrustan

pairing ↠ student!reader x crush!jungkook

SYNOPSIS. you make an awful revelation about your crush of two years.

GENRE. angst, fluff (this comes in a bit later), light smut, college

♡ Love Lies - @kooktrash

HIATUS

pairing ↠ jungkook x reader

SYNOPSIS. an arrogant womanizer who’s spent his life numb to love. an unlovable romantic who’s been hurt one too many times. he’s your friend’s ex boyfriend but he tells you he wants you. he’s obsessive and you’re not as much of a victim as you make yourself out to be. you’ll both do whatever it takes to get what you want.

GENRE. angst. smut. future yandere jungkook. college student au. rich kid jungkook. f!reader. unhealthy attachment.. slutshaming. toxic friendships. implied emotional trauma from both ends

Paired and Pierced - @yoon-kooks

pairing ↠ hotnerd!jungkook x popular!reader(

SYNOPSIS.  When your professor assigns a collaborative midterm project, you’re paired up with Jeon Jungkook, the quiet grumpy smartass who keeps to himself and doesn’t fuck with popular kids like you. If you can win him over, he might give you a taste of the tatted and pierced body he’s carefully tucked away beneath those

GENRE.  smut, fluff, college!au

The Hit List - @whoretan

pairing ↠ Fuckboy!JK, introvert!Reader

SYNOPSIS. The Bangtan Frat is known for its prestige reputation of top GPAs, hosting the hottest most qualified students in the country, and above all: their undefeated list of heartbreaks. What happens when one of the seven ends up drunkenly at your doorstep?

GENRE. Smut (Future), emphasize on the Angst, and Romance

♡ Polarity - @darkestcorners

pairing ↠ yandere!jungkook x (f) reader

SYNOPSIS. Your best friend’s new boyfriend becomes infatuated with you…

GENRE. toxic relationships, unhealthy and obsessive behavior , mentions of mental health, manipulation, blackmail, cheating,

This Is Us - @btsgotjams27

pairing ↠ jungkook x f!reader

SYNOPSIS. after fighting to be in a relationship with jungkook, you begin to wonder if it's all worth it.

GENRE. drama, romance, angst, fluff, smut | est!relationship, age gap. cheating

If you love someone, say it - @letsstargaze

pairing ↠ jungkook x reader

SYNOPSIS. jungkook and you made a promise to each other five years ago, one you feared he would keep. now that the promise was close to being broken, shouldn't you feel relieved? why is it he's the happiest he's ever been, and you're wishing you were anywhere but here?

GENRE. angst, implied s*x, mentions of alcohol use.

♡ Ecstasy - @gdjyho

pairing ↠ jungkook x female reader

SYNOPSIS. jungkook fucks the reader completely dumb. you need him so bad. you can’t help it

GENRE. cheating, side chick au

»»————-　♡　————-««

UPCOMING

Wrong Time - @spideyjimin

SYNOPSIS. meeting ten years later the girl he deeply fell in love with is something Jungkook never thought would happen. but here you are, standing before his eyes with a bright smile on your face as you walk through the massive lobby of his company. at that exact moment, he realizes that the two of you fell in love at the wrong time but is now the right time?  

GENRE. parent au, exes to lovers, ceo au, angst, fluff, and smut

Over Wine - @koocycle

pairing ↠ husband! jungkook x ex-model! fem reader

SYNOPSIS. designer dresses, spa weekends and rare wines are no longer enough to keep your marriage afloat. with your husband gone from home and a marriage standing on shaky grounds, you stumble back to your neglected career in the hopes it’ll fulfill the void in your life. you’re ready to take the risk this time, whether that is with the emerald cut diamond around your ring finger, or without.

GENRE. rich couple! au, established relationship! au, married couple! au, semi sugar daddy! au, suburban couple! au, angst, fluff and smut.

TO BE READ

ONE SHOT

The Lines Between Us - @chateautae

pairing ↠ detective!jungkook x detective!reader

SYNOPSIS. you’re detective partners who hate each other’s guts and everyone knows it. what they don’t know however, is that there’s so much more between the lines, and he knows damn well how to rearrange your guts too.

GENRE. detective!au, partner!jungkook, e2l!au, fwb!au, slight fantasy!au, one-shot, smut, angst

SERIES

The Rule Book - @another-army-spot

pairing ↠ Jungkook x reader

SYNOPSIS. Despite being the notorious fuck girl on campus, you have morals and values that you stick to with a solid set of rules.  One of your rules excludes Golden Boy, Jungkook, from ever getting a chance with you, much to both of your dismay.  And he intends to change that, with one really irresistible bet. 

GENRE. friends-to-lovers, college!au, softfuckboy!jk, fuckgirl!oc, fraternity!au, eventual smut 

INCOMPLETA

Chasing Pavements

hiatus

pairing ↠ dad!jk/married!jk/bff!jk x reader (ft. taehyung) 

SYNOPSIS. But tonight, Jungkook is taking a different route. One that does not lead to his home, but to your apartment building instead. He never takes it unless it’s Friday, the day he drops Sunhi off in your care for a few hours while he pretends he wants to fix whatever marital issues he has.

GENRE. f2l, angst, unrequited feelings au, sad stuff, future smut, cheating

Hate At First Weeb

pairing ↠ weeb!jungkook x weeb!reader

SYNOPSIS. You just want to weeb in peace but your annoying downstairs neighbour just won’t let you bREATHE.

GENRE. college au, e2l, weeb!reader, weeb!jungkook, weeb!jimin, jimin is lgbt, taehyung is lgbt

You Belong With Me - @joonscroll

pairing ↠ jungkook x reader

SYNOPSIS. you’ve been in love with jungkook since the moment you first saw him. he's always seen you as a friend. watching him date other girls and having to pretend you’re not in love with him is killing you.  

GENRE. : angst, fluff

[mcuamerica]

The Shadowsinger: Three

Warnings: 18+. Minors DNI. mentions of parental abuse, mentions of violence, implied torture, ACOTAR series spoilers. If I forgot anything, please let me know!

Pairings: Azriel x Fem!Reader

Summary: Rhys asks you to be an emissary for the Night Court and Azriel volunteers to train you.

Disclaimer: I do not own SJM’s characters or plot lines, only the ones I create for the purpose of this story. This is a work of fiction. I do not give permission to repost my work on any other platform or medium. Please be respectful.

My graphics are my own. If you wish to use them, please give credit!

Series Masterlist

Prologue - One - Two

The next month was spent with you learning about Velaris and the rest of Prythian. Even though you were 20 when you ended up in the northern village, you knew a lot had changed in the 100… and 50… years since then. You couldn’t count on anything you learned from being a spy because so much was different under Amarantha.

You spent days in the Library under the house, reading books about High Lords and Illyrians. You also found some good romance novels you brought up to your room.

This city, one that was full of hopes and dreams and happiness… It hadn’t been touched in hundreds of years. Not even the people in the Court of Nightmares knew about it anymore, thanks to Rhys’s protection.

You got to know Cassian, Mor, and Amren pretty well. Azriel had been off doing his own spying, so you only got to know him from what the Inner Circle told you.

You felt like you were starting to belong here. Like you could find a place in the city. Maybe even in the circle. 

“I have an offer for you.” Rhys said at dinner one day. You took a sip of your wine and rose your eyebrows, telling him to go on. “We are trying to get the Illyrians to train the females. Those who want to be trained, or aren’t being threatened by their partners, of course. And I think you’d be a good emissary to the war bands.” He said, glancing at Cassian as if to say keep your mouth shut.

“Me? I- I don’t know if they would listen to a female… especially if their High Lord is having trouble with it.” You said, glancing over to Cassian. You knew the male would probably support what you chose, but if the High Lord and Lord Commander were struggling… 

“Well, then you’ll have to make them listen. And not to bring your abilities into it… but you are a Shadowsinger. They can’t deny that, and they’ll tolerate you more because of it.” He said. How lovely…

“Like they did for Azriel?” You asked, hearing the stories of the brothers from Mor and Rhys. They barely allowed him to train, being a bastard. The only reason they did was because he was a Shadowsinger, and Rhys’s friend… “I don’t know, Rhys… it’s one thing to visit those camps. But to try and convince them that they have to train females..” you trailed off. “I don’t even know how to fight. I can’t very well take on an Illyrian.”

“You know how to hunt, right?” Cassian asked and you shrugged. You hunted for Sirona and your family when you first arrived at the northern village, but you hadn’t done a lot in the past 50 years. The most you ever did was with your Shadows, and that was more described as sneaking. “Then I’ll teach you to fight. Show the Illyrians that females can fly in their ranks just as good, if not better, than any male.” He said.

“You can think about it-“ Rhys started but you shook your head.

“I’ll do it.” You said firmly. “I’m tired of being useless when it comes to protecting myself and the people I love. I’m not going to let it happen again.” You said, your shadows settling on your shoulders as if they were backing you up. You let your family down before. You let your blood family harm you and the only thing you could do was flee. 

“Okay, then it’s settled. I’ll train you-“

“How about I do it?” You heard Azriel’s voice, turning to him where he leaned against the wall. A few of your shadows bolted to him like the first day you met, this time wrapping around him before coming back to you. You could’ve sworn they brought some of his scent with them. They didn’t say anything, but they seemed to like him more than anyone else you met. 

“Az, when did you get back?” Cassian asked.

As smirked, “Just now.” He said

“You want to train (Y/N)?” Cassian asked, resulting in Azriel nodding.

“I can teach you how to fight with and without your shadows. And when I’ve gotta go out on missions, Cass can train you on the former.” He said and you looked at Rhys.

“Whatever you want.” Rhys said and smiled. “It’s your choice.”

You glanced between the two. You didn’t know Azriel as well as you did Cassian… but you knew he was a Shadowsinger like you. And you know he could help you hone your abilities. You also knew that he was just as much a deadly warrior as the other two males sitting beside you.

“Okay, it’s a good idea.” I said and gave him a small smile. You could’ve sworn you saw his face flush, but only for a moment before he was back to showing his unreadable mask. “Maybe you can teach me how to spy… and this time actually keep secrets when I want to.” You joked. You knew how to spy. Knew how to get information out of people. When Rhys didn’t have time to interrogate spies under the mountain, she had you do it. You still felt blood on your hands from all the lesser faeries and High Fae you harmed on her behalf. 

Az only gave you a small nod before joining the rest of you at the table. “I do have one request,” you said to all of them. “I don’t go to Valorworth until I’m done training.” You said. Before any of them could ask, you continued. “I can’t see my family… My blood family… yet. What they did to me.. I was weak and a coward. I couldn’t stand up for myself so the only thing I did was run. So the next time I do see them, I want to be able to show them I’m not weak. And I won’t run from them.”

There was something of understanding on all of their faces as you looked around the table. “If you want to kill them, we’ll gladly allow it.” Cassian said with a small smirk on his face. “Hell, I’ll even do it.” Rhys said and you smiled, letting out a small laugh.

“I don’t need to go that far… yet.” You said and leaned back in the chair, happy to be able to help the Court.

“You’ll get a salary as well,” Rhys said. “You’re welcome to stay here at the House. Or the townhouse. But you can also find an apartment.” He said and you smiled.

“I’ll think about it. Right now, it’s better to stay close to where I can train.” You settled. “If staying here is okay with all of you, that is.” You said.

“Are you kidding? It’ll be so much better having you here and not just the boys.” Mor said and you laughed gently, finally feeling like you could really fit in here.

The next day you went up to the training ring, seeing Azriel already warming up. You stood quietly by the stairs, watching as his shadows moved with him as he did movements you’d seen thousands of times in Valorworth.

His shadows didn’t warn him of your presence. A couple of them snuck out from behind his legs and went over to you, circling around your hair. Your own shadows moved to join him in the center of the ring. You still barely understood the concept of Shadowsinging, even after all these years. But maybe now, with him as your teacher, you could understand it more. And learn to understand yourself.

You finally cleared your throat as you stepped forward. As much as you wanted to, you knew you couldn’t stand and watch him all day. “You certainly know what you’re doing.” You commented as you walked closer to him.

Rhys had gotten Illyrian training leathers for you, tailored to your wings and your sizes. So when you walked up to Azriel, he had to pause just to take you in. You didn’t wear dresses much, but you also didn’t wear anything as tight fitting as this. Not that he’s seen you within the past month.

You shifted under his gaze, looking up to the sky. After breakfast and before you came here, you decided to take a flight. You knew it would be getting colder, and the frigid fall air only proved you right. This would be one of the last nice days before it started to snow. And flying would be a hassle.

“I am teaching you for a reason.” He finally said and you nodded. “Come here, let’s get started.” He motioned you over to where he stood.

You walked over and set your hands to your side. You were glad he decided to train you here and not in Windhaven. You didn’t know if you could handle being seen by the males, critiqued. Cassian told you that wasn’t the only reason he wanted to train you here. Apparently, Azriel hated the Illyrians. You completely understood, too, from what you’d learn about Azriel. The things that happened to him while at the war camps. Especially before Rhysand’s mother had come along to take him in. Still, you didn’t want to start training as an Illyrian when you didn’t know anything. 

You weren’t sure how or why Azriel still adapted to the training, but it was probably so ingrained into him (and useful) that he couldn’t let it go. And so you had your trainer.

“I’m assuming you never trained at the camp?” He asked and you simply shook your head, scoffing at the idea. Your father would have killed you if he saw you anywhere near the training rings. “Do you know the exercises at all? Anything?” He asked and you shook your head.

“I was 20 when I left, and I was never allowed near the ring. I’ve only ever saw my brothers train once, and I remember the beating I got for it more than anything else.” You said. “All I know is that my father had a killer left hook that would leave my face bruised for a week. Even with my healing.” You said and saw something like anger flash through Azriel’s eyes before returning to his soft stare.

“Then let’s teach you an even worse one, and maybe he’ll learn never to hit a female again.” He said and you gave him a small smirk.

“Let’s.” You agreed and started the warm up with him.

Series Masterlist

Join the taglist here

A/N: Well we see the reader finally interact with Azriel! Not much but just a little taste of it... I hope y'all like slow burns cause this one is very much that...

Tagging:

@cherry-cin @cleverzonkwombatsludge @nickisshadowsinger139

@atomolvnar @complete-randomness-2 @lilah-asteria @tele86

[wuntrum]

do you have any tips for an artist who wants to start making one off comics? i really enjoy your artistic direction and style of story telling so i’m very interested in your thoughts on it

yes, definitely!!

-read lots of comics! and a variety of them, too--both ones in the sort of genre/style you'd like to make, but also ones in completely different genres, lengths, places of origin, traditionally/indie/digitally published, simple to experimental formatting, etc

-in relation to the last one, if a comic you read really speaks to you, take some time to study some page layouts from that comic! how do the panels vary from page to page? how much space is the text taking up? what sort of "shots" (to borrow from cinematic language lol) are they using? these shouldn't be fancy, just little thumbnails, but i find it really helps. here's a few i did from a guest in the house by emily carroll

-start smalllll. its really important to build up your stamina, just like with any new sort of skill. if you wanna make a graphic novel thats 200+ pages long, you should make some comics that are 1, 20, 50 pages long and see them through to the end before taking on a super big project.

-this is related to the last point, but i think keeping your cast of characters small at first can also help build up your comic stamina. signals was the first longer comic i made, so i specifically really wanted to focus on just jeanne (and occasionally her parents and peers when they showed up)

-character sheets are helpful, but i also think the easiest way to start getting your characters drawn consistently is through actually drawing the comic! there's also gonna be panels where they look "off" or whatever, and its literally fine, i promise

-through the smaller comics, experiment with how you go about writing your story! theres no right or wrong way to write/plan out a story so, it takes some trial and error to figure out what will work best with your work flow. for me, i've found success in making a timeline of events for the story -> loosely guessing how many pages i'll need/want per section of the story -> freewriting (trying not to edit too much, just dumping all the words out) -> thumbnailing/loose sketching/editing text (all sort of happens in the same step; i find i need the layouts in front of me to understand what i need/don't need from the text i wrote) -> tight sketching -> final . but, if that flow doesn't work for you, try something else! i know a lot of comics people find success in writing a script first, with indications of page and panel-by-panel breakdowns

-take shortcuts often and without guilt. its a lot of work to make a comic! theres just a lot of drawings involved, that most people aren't gonna look at for very long! i especially recommend for infrequent/difficult things, like buildings or crowds or cars or bookcases, using some sort of 3d asset/brush to make your life easier. if you can reuse a drawing and change the crop/expression, do it!

-use some sort of tracker to track your progress on how many pages you've sketched/inked/finished. even if you don't have an external deadline, i think it's still good to give yourself some sort of timeline to work on (i recommend setting "ideal" goals and "realistic" goals, especially if you're working/still in school/etc). for signals, i used google sheets, because you can set up columns to be attached to little circle charts, so as you check off your progress, you can really easily see how much you've done/how much you have left to do (as i type this i highkey forget how i did that before, with signals, so...you might need to do some sheets experimentation to actually do this lol. but there's probably other trackers you can use too)

-understanding comics and making comics by scott mccloud are both great books, highly recommend them (easy to get second hand/from your library/🏴‍☠️)

-lastly, haveee funnnnn

[writergeekrhw]

hi!! i'm sorry if you've gotten similar questions before, but i'm very curious. i've thought about going into writing for television but i don't know where to start, and i also don't want to cross picket lines/scab. do you have any advice?

Well, picket lines aren't a problem anymore, so...

Learn - Watch your favorite shows and movies. Break them down into structure. You can outline as you watch. Scene, Time of Day, Actions, Who Says What. Read great books, consider taking a class on TV writing at someplace reputable online (UCLA Extension is really good). Read about basic screenplay structure and format.

Write - Write the following: 2 spec pilots, 1 episode of an established show that's currently on the air. Maybe a feature. (You probably should buy Final Draft at this point)

Apply for programs: There are studio writing programs that train writers. Getting into one of these can definitely help. Here's a list: Fellowship & Writing Programs for Screenwriters Masterlist — The Writers Guild Foundation (wgfoundation.org)

Keep writing. I had a teacher tell me it took 10 scripts to get good. Have you written 10 full scripts? If no, keep writing. If yes, keep writing.

Consider moving to Los Angeles. Los Angeles is where you can get work as a Writers P.A. or Assistant. That's how you'll get to know writers. It's much harder to do that if you're not in L.A. But also keep in mind that Los Angeles is a very expensive city and you'll probably have to work a civilian job to survive until you get a showbiz one and that it can cost $1500/month just for a room in a shared apartment. So... consider...

Network with peers. Network with fellow aspiring writers you meet in your classes/online/etc. Join a writers group. Be a great person. Help each other. Hopefully you and your peers will all rise together and you'll be able to help each other out once you start getting jobs.

Keep writing. Never stop writing new things.

Rise through the ranks. Hopefully you'll get a Writers P.A. job at some point. Be a good person. Work hard. Make a good impression. Get promoted to either Writers Room Assistant or Showrunner's Assistant. Have a show that goes multiple years. Have your boss (eventually, don't rush it) read your amazing sample which she'll hopefully love. Get a script assignment in a later season. Write an amazing script. Have show go ANOTHER season, get promoted to Staff Writer. CONGRATULATIONS! You've made it.

Keep going. You need to continue to get promoted and staffed for multiple seasons to have a stable career and even then, it'll never stop being a hustle.

ALTERNATIVE PATH: Write the most amazing novel/play/youtube thing/graphic novel/podcast ever and have that optioned into a series and insist on being on staff as a condition of sale.

WARNING: Results are not guaranteed. The odds are NOT in your favor. Try at own risk. Los Angeles is expensive and breaks people. It can take 5-10 years from first script to first job. Or never. Abandon Hope All Ye Who Enter Here. Objects in the Rearview Mirror are Farther Away Than They Appear. Read about Survivorship Bias before taking any showbiz advice from anyone.

[laurark]

2023 Wrap Up

A strange year that was both long and short. The main lesson to learn from 2023 is the same lesson I have been learning every year since I was 6 years old: Things happen if you try!

 I spent a lot of time this year hitting my head against a wall, or rather healing from an RSI that caused making art to become really fraught. I could bear the wrist pain in order to do my favorite thing (drawing!!!) but then the pain stuck around after I had clocked out for the day and was making dinner. It would go like this: I want to make pasta sauce using canned tomatoes, but using a can opener is so painful now that maybe I should just do something else. The onions and garlic are already cooking in the pan though, what can I pivot that to? I felt like the biggest dunce in the world. I worked my way into being cursed, I deserved it.

I have this craving to just commit to a big art project, like a graphic novel, and keep my head down working on it. Having all my time devoted to work feels a bit like doing penance, like earning my bread. But I look at the world and I know I cannot draw my way out of this. I can’t write my way out of this. I can’t post my way out of this. I am unprepared for what I need to do to earn a better tomorrow. But I am prepared to learn.

I changed up my desk ergonomics and my wrist healed. Thank you to the huge desk easel that I stole from my parents’ house. It’s ugly, heavy, stained, and I keep banging my elbows on its sharp corners. It sucks but it saved my life. Do not resist making your workspace uglier if it might help you! 

Making The Influence and participating in the ShortBox Comics Fair was a huge work highlight this year. I’m so grateful I can make a work with dark themes and have it be understood and appreciated. The encouraging response to The Influence did a lot to kill the bad faith reviewer in my mind. Things are possible if you try!

I started painting again and I really love it. I’m trying to just follow the image-making. Painting is play to me and I want it to remain so. I feel myself itch to turn it into some kind of profitable thing, to make it palatable, but I’m trying to resist so it remains a place of experimentation. 

I also wrote a short novel. It’s awful. I just re-read it and it’s so bad, but reading it makes me happy. It needs serious reworking to be a proper novel, but I did technically cross the finish line and write the whole story. It was very refreshing and informative to branch out like this, even if I don’t think this particular example is fit for human consumption. Earlier in my life I was so stubborn about ONLY working in comics but now I’d like to pursue whatever path I can to have a creative career. If you try!

I had a great time tabling at Short Run this year. Two different people came to my table and told me they came to the show specifically to see my table. One person said Bug Boys was responsible for facilitating “many special moments” with them and their niece. I don’t want to forget about moments like this. It means a lot to me. 

It occurs to me as I type out this year’s accomplishments, they’re mostly things I did at home alone. I haven’t rejoined the world after COVID in a meaningful way, the way I hoped I would during lockdown. It comes naturally to me to make up excuses to stay home, keep my head down, watch how things play out before joining in. That attitude does me a disservice. It isolates me. When other people are only in the screen, they become hypothetical. It’s not right to live this way, but it’s comfortable to me. It feels “safe” after COVID, even though it’s not safe. I know I need to change this. 

It feels sick and strange to be blogging in my safe little apartment during a time of bloodshed. To flip through my planner and think of my future while others starve is obscene. My entire life was obscene in this fashion. It’s my responsibility to sit with this feeling and do something with it.

Here’s to a better 2024. We can do it, we can try. 

In love and solidarity, 

Laura K.

[nocturnalazure]

Not-a-tutorial - Dialogues: Part II

Part 2 of the not-tutorial about how Noctie does dialogues!

Some of you know this already, but I do the shooting part first, then write the dialogues to go with the pictures that I got. It works best for me that way. I always always ask myself: what does the character want to convey here? What is the essential message? Answering that question helps me stripping out all the redundancies and unnecessary bits that would bog down my meaning. Also, I tend to find that short bits of dialogue going back and forth between characters make for a more realistic and dynamic conversation.

Talking about realism, I like showing small hesitations in a character's speech. We don't always speak in one breath. We pause, we stammer, we look for the right words,... So I choose carefully where to split my lines, in order to make them as meaningful as possible and to have the most impact on the reader (hopefully).

I use ellipsis (the three dots) to relay "visible silence". That is, when it is important to show that a character could talk but is very definitely not talking (either because they're holding back, or because they have too many thoughts at once, or the words don't come out, etc etc). I overuse those three dots, I just love meaningful silences.

I don't use any bubble at all for silences that are real silences (ie, the character is taken aback or is simply keeping quiet). It's more dramaaaaaatic that way!

Characters should ideally speak with different voices, but I know that's difficult to achieve. Besides some obvious extremes (I try not making my more cerebral characters speak the same way as the tougher, street-wise characters for example), I don't think I can get it right myself, mostly because English is not my native language and I don't master it well enough to be able to imitate a variety of accents and registers. So I try using other ways to individualize a character's way of talking, like speech mannerism or favorite expressions.

Erik's favorite swearword is very clearly "Goddammit". xD

Romeo uses Italian when he's frustrated (mostly interjections) or when he wants to make a point.

There are other easy ways to make a character's voice distinctive. Some will be quicker to crack a joke and others will have a stammer. Some will always be sulky, others will be particularly rude or polite. Their identity should somehow show through their way of speaking and addressing people.

Even if a graphic novel is very static, the way characters position themselves can say a lot about them too. The poses I select for each character can give an attentive reader some hints about their personality.

Again, I don't want to labor the point uselessly as everyone surely knows how to read a comic and I'm really not saying my way is the right way because it's not. I struggle a lot and I change my mind and try different things and there are a million things that I just don't do right. This speech bubble sort-of-guide is probably way too specific to be useful to anyone, and again, I don't believe I have enough expertise to pretend I know what I'm doing. I just really like the topic so consider it a ramble!

Thank you for reading this far! Hopefully that was at least interesting!

[lobster-tales]

I Want You, I Need You, I Love You

Rating: T

Summary: The story of how Ambrosius befriended and fell in love with Ballister during their time at knight school.

A/N: This fic is a gift for my best friend @pastelwitchbitch (who's name, ironically, is only one letter off from 'Nimona'). She asked me to write a Goldenheart backstory with a few specific requests. Quick disclaimer I have only seen the movie, I've never read the graphic novel and I am taking some liberties. Nimona will not be in this one.

This work is available here on AO3.

☾ ♞ ♘ ☀

Ambrosius had never known what it felt like to need.

To want, sure: he had wanted lots of things. He wanted to live up to the honorable memory of his ancestor, Gloreth. He wanted to eat toast with jam, his family's homemade grape jam, a jar of which he kept with his belongings, and always brought to the dining hall for breakfast to share with his best friend Todd. He wanted top marks to impress his family, and he wanted to spend his Free Days climbing trees and Free Nights stargazing at Aunt Penelope's observatory.

But need was a stranger to him. At least, until he met Ballister.

He knew Ballister's face before his name, or rather, the half of his face that showed underneath the long, unkempt dark hair. He was invisible among the other students at first, blended in easily.

But after the queen saw his ferocity on the training ground, even at such a young age, she announced her favor towards him despite his lack of noble blood, making him a target for the other children. At first, Ambrosius, like the rest of the noble children, whispered about Ballister, how he wolfed down his meals, always showed up late to class, how he had a persistent stink that never seemed to wash out. He was a short, thin child and thus earned the nickname Baby Bal, as being called a baby was the worst offense any child could suffer.

Their voices never raised above a whisper, though, because they all knew Ballister was talented, and could easily best them all despite his stature. Most acknowledged that fact with jealousy, but Ambrosius always admired him, if only in secret.

One morning, Ambrosius had foregone his usual trained politeness for annoyance. The annual knighting ceremony had been broadcast the night before, and all the children buzzed about the event well past bedtime, keeping him from sleep. Wiping his tired eyes, Ambrosius reached into his pack for his jar of jam. But it was gone.

He was surprised first, then angry. But Ambrosius kept his wits about him and said nothing during breakfast, only surveyed the other boys while they ate. His search ended with Ballister, and the undeniable violet glisten on his bread.

Still Ambrosius waited, not wanting to be caught by the knights. He waited until the students had set off on their morning jog around the institute's campus, until he and Ballister were concealed by an overgrown structure, at which point Ambrosius shoved him in mud and accused him of the theft.

Ballister was stunned. Maybe it was due to the lock of hair always hiding half his face, but it was only in that moment, as he lay back in the mud staring up, that Ambrosius realized how large and mournful Ballister's eyes were. There was no guilt there, just resignation.

Unfortunately, Ambrosius had not calculated for the security cameras watching the area, and within seconds, an older knight marched forward and condemned them both to spend Free Hour in the Quite Room.

Despite its name, the Quiet Room was filled with the rattling of a barely functioning air conditioner that, much like the snoring older knight who 'guarded' the space, was long overdue for replacement. After a few minutes, Ambrosius confronted Ballister. "Where is my jar of jam?"

"I don't have it," muttered Ballister. "I gave it back to Todd."

Ambrosius paused. "What do you mean 'back'?"

Ballister explained that Todd gave him some jam at breakfast then stuffed the jar back in his pocket. Had he known the jar belonged to Ambrosius, he would never have taken any.

The two spent the rest of the hour in silence as Ambrosius considered this. When the hour was up, he all but dragged Ballister to the yard, where Todd was laughing amidst a group of children.

Ambrosius marched right up to Todd with Ballister in tow and demanded he flip out his pockets.

Todd kept his cool, though. "Let me guess--Baby Bal told you that I'm the one who took your jam. Well, he's a liar."

"Prove it," Ambrosius challenged. "Let's see your pockets."

Reluctantly, Todd obeyed. Ambrosius felt the fabric and found it sticky. "You're the liar," Ambrosius said, hurt.

"Oh, come on!" said Todd. "Who are you going to believe? A street rat or me, your best friend?

"You're not my best friend." Ambrosius judged him, then announced with great gravity, "You're a baby."

A horrified gasp traveled through the students. Todd's eyes widened. "No, I'm not!" he insisted.

But it was too late, as all the accusing fingers aimed towards him and began chanting, "Baby! Baby!" until Todd burst into tears and ran off.

The evil defeated, Ambrosius turned back to Ballister in triumph, only to find him gone.

The next morning, Ambrosius abandoned his usual seat next to Todd, instead claiming the empty spot beside Ballister. "Want some?" he asked, offering the jar of his family's jam.

Ballister hesitated, wary for a moment, but eventually gave in. He bit down on the spread, a soft smile blooming as he chewed.

And Ambrosius never shared his family's homemade grape jam with any of the other children ever again.

☾ ♞ ♘ ☀

Ambrosius spent the next few days in Ballister's company, partially out of guilt, but more-so curiosity. He watched Ballister wolf down his supper and laughed, telling him, "Whoa, slow down! It's not like it's going to run away."

Ballister paused at that, his soulful eyes flickering around the table as if to make sure no one was paying attention to them. "If I don't eat fast enough," he said in a low voice. "Sometimes the big kids take my food."

At this, Ambrosius felt so sick to his stomach that he couldn't eat, and insisted that Ballister finish his plate for him.

As the days went on, Ambrosius understood more and more that Ballister's unusual behaviors were rooted in survival rather than laziness. He was late to class because he took the long way, as it was fully surveyed by security cameras unlike the blind spots of the direct route. His underlying stink was from avoiding the bathing area, where the other boys would tease him for his wiry body.

While Ballister had accepted these truths and adjusted accordingly, Ambrosius refused. He linked himself to Ballister, glaring down anyone who even thought about judging him. Uncertain about his new companion's attention, Ballister continued to cast his eyes downward, though Ambrosius instructed him to hold his head high. "You're the best of us," he reminded him. "You deserve to act like it."

Slowly but surely, Ballister got in the habit of lifting his chin, but never showed any sign of arrogance. Instead, he just offered that shy, sweet smile.

It was that same smile that lingered in Ambrosius's head during training. He had a hard time reconciling the intense, focused warrior Ballister with the gentle Bal. How could he possibly keep all that passion swallowed in those deep, mournful eyes?

When the week's Free Days came, Ambrosius took off with the other students to spend time with his family. On returning, he shared his new adventures with Ballister and asked what he did with his Free Days.

"I just trained some more," said Ballister.

Ambrosius frowned at this. "You didn't spend time with your family?" A long moment stretched while Ambrosius waited for him to reply, until he understood that Ballister's silence was more than an answer.

When the Free Days returned, Ambrosius stayed behind at the institute with Ballister. Training one on one turned out to be much more effective, and he was amazed at how much Ballister knew. He taught Ambrosius all manner of tips and strategies, how to get a faster strike, a more powerful cleave. Without the presence of their classmates, Ballister loosened up, cracking jokes and even poking fun at Ambrosius, who was surprised and relieved at the change. After they washed up, Ambrosius suggested they spend the evening at his aunt's observatory.

Glad to see her nephew with a friend, Aunt Penelope set up two sleeping mats in the observatory, allowing the boys to spend the night beneath the glass windows and clear night sky.

"Bal?" Ambrosius asked sleepily, lying back. "Why do you want to be a knight?"

He considered his answer. "It's not that I... want to be a knight. I mean, I do, of course I do, but it's more like... I need to be a knight." His voice softened. "I need to protect people. I need to fight for the weak. I need to make sure that no kid ever grows up without a family..." He didn't say it out loud, but Ambrosius heard it all the same: like me.

Even though it was dark, Ambrosius saw him more clearly than ever. While Ambrosius had chosen knighthood, his family's status ensured that he always had other options if he changed his mind. Aunt Penelope, for example, despite being a descendant of Gloreth, had opted for a quiet, studious life. There were many paths Ambrosius could walk.

But Ballister had no choice. He worked as hard as he did because there was no other path, no other destiny. Ambrosius had never known need, but now, as he watched Ballister stargaze, the distant light sparkling in the void of those deep eyes, he finally understood what it felt like to need.

☾ ♞ ♘ ☀

Weeks passed, then months, then years, in which time it became known that Ambrosius and Ballister were inseparable in every sense. They grew together, facing every battle at each other's side until their greatest foe yet reared it's ugly head: pubescence.

To the great dismay of Ambrosius, Ballister was not only the first to finish his growth spurt, but the first to sport facial hair. Ambrosius had often fantasized about having a lush beard to match his golden locks, and was mad with envy. Ballister, however, found the fast growth too much of a hindrance, as paired with his own long hair, he started feeling more and more overheated while training. So, he decided to cut his hair closer to his scalp. The combination of these physical changes drew a new crowd to Ballister, one he was unsure how to face.

He arrived back at their shared dormitory one day with a grave expression, concerning Ambrosius.

"What's up, Bal? You look like you've seen a ghost," he chuckled.

But Ballister was unamused, and wordlessly held out a crumpled piece of paper. Ambrosius read it's contents, only to burst out laughing.

Ballister said grimly, "Grizelda gave it to me."

Ambrosius whooped, "Your first girl number! We should celebrate!"

And celebrate they did, at their favorite booth in their favorite diner, eating their favorite food: nachos.

Even after food and root beer, Ballister was still solemn, so Ambrosius threw a sliced pepper at him and asked, "What's with you? Don't you like her?"

Ballister straightened his shoulders. "She's a strong warrior and comes from a good family."

Ambrosius decided not to point out that he didn't answer the question. "So what's the problem?"

"What if she wants me to hug her?"

"Then hug her."

"What if she wants me to hold her hand?"

"Then hold her hand."

"... What if she wants me to kiss her?"

Ambrosius paused, diagnosing the source of Ballister's anxiety. "Ohhh, so that's it. You haven't had your first kiss yet." He pouted his lower lip playfully, "Have you?"

"Shut up," Ballister muttered, face turning red. "Neither have you."

Before Ambrosius could respond, they heard snickering from the table behind them. Embarrassed, they both decided to continue the conversation when they were safely in the dorm once more.

"What's the big deal?" Ambrosius asked, flopping onto his messy bed sheets. "It's just a kiss."

Ballister's eyebrows had been knit with worry all night. He perched on the edge of his bed, which he made every morning. "What if I'm... bad at it?"

Ambrosius had never considered that angle. In his mind, kissing would come as easily to him as everything else had. He didn't think kissing would require any skill, but if it did, then just like any skill- "Then practice first."

Ballister wrinkled his nose. "How?"

"Like this." He held up his hand, curling his index finger and thumb to create a mouth-ish shape. "I'll do it, too, see?"

"I'm not kissing my hand."

"Fine," Ambrosius shrugged. "If you want to be a bad kisser, that's up to you."

Ballister mulled it over another moment, then gave in and raised his hand to his lips. "Ready?"

"Go."

The mouth noises seemed to echo in the small room, until finally they both pulled away, uncomfortable. "Well." Ambrosius asked, "How was that?"

"I don't know! I don't know what it's supposed to feel like!" Ballister fell back on his black comforter, head in his hands. "I'm doomed."

Ambrosius ached to see his friend in pain, and a thought struck him. It was a gamble, but he would do anything to make Ballister feel better. "Okay so, no on the hands. Maybe you should practice on a real person."

He raised his head, eyeing Ambrosius warily. "Who?"

Steeling himself, Ambrosius placed a hand on his own chest.

"No."

"No one has to know, Bal, we'll take it to our grave."

Ballister sat up again, resting his hands on his knees. "But wouldn't that count? As the legal 'first kiss'?"

"Practice doesn't count," Ambrosius reassured him. "It's like kissing your mother. If... your mother had a beard."

He huffed, but Ambrosius could tell he was seriously considering it. After a long pause, Ballister muttered, "Fine."

They knelt on the floor, facing each other. "Alright," Ambrosius said. "You... you be the guy first."

Ballister nodded sharply, like he was accepting a mission. He leaned in close, cheeks burning red, puckered his lips, and jerked his head forward.

"Hey!" Ambrosius fell back, startled. "What are you doing? It's a kiss, not a headbutt!"

"I'm being confident!" Bal said, though he was anything but. "Girls like that."

"Yeah but they don't want to be attacked!"

"Okay, you go first then, since you're such an expert!"

"Okay, I will!" Ambrosius rose and took a deep breath. "First off, I think you're supposed to do this-" He gently grabbed either side of Ballister's head, cradling his jaw in both palms. "And then you do... this..." He leaned in close, so that their noses were brushing, both keenly aware of each other's warm breath. "And then..." Ambrosius pressed his lips against Ballister's, surprised at how soft they were. He thought the beard might tickle, but it actually felt kind of spiny and... good.

He didn't know how long they were locked. Several seconds, savoring the strange, new sensation, until Ballister pulled away suddenly.

"What?" Ambrosius asked, concerned. "What, did I do it wrong?"

"No," Ballister said breathlessly. "Um, no that was..." He straightened his shoulders, regained his composure. "That was acceptable." Very official.

Ambrosius shook his head and grinned. "Your turn."

Ballister mirrored his action, cradling his jaw, but took it one step further as his finger tucked a strand of gold hair behind Ambrosius's ear, causing his face to flood with heat.

The second kiss was even better than the first, if that was possible. Ambrosius leaned into him, placing a hand behind his neck and pulling him closer. Ballister parted his lips slightly, and they tasted each other. Ambrosius's tongue dared forward, drawing a clean line along Ballister's lower lip, and the action elicited a pleasured hum from Bal.

This time, they both broke away, panting. They shared a deep blush and a series of stammers.

"Well that was-"

"Yeah that was-"

"Good."

"Great- oh... yeah, good."

"No no, I mean... it was great."

"Cool."

"Cool."

"...I need to-"

"Yeah, me too-"

"You want first shower or?"

"I'm gonna go for a walk!"

"Great!"

"Good."

The mission completed, they stuck to their word and decided not to speak of it. Ballister did indeed go on a date with Grizelda, and as far as the student body was concerned, she was his legal first kiss. Ambrosius, not wanting to fall behind socially, asked out Liliana and shared his first kiss with her. Both love affairs, if they could even count as such, only lasted a matter of weeks if not days, but their purpose was fulfilled.

But Ambrosius and Ballister knew the truth, even if they would never admit it to anyone, not even each other.

☾ ♞ ♘ ☀

They were nearly at the end of their schooling when it happened. Something remarkable, during an otherwise unremarkable moment.

Ambrosius and Ballister ensured that they shared most classes, one of which was Sir Buntwhisk's history. He was a particularly severe knight, with beady eyes and a perpetual scowl: a demeanor that, paired with his unusual name, made him an easy target for the immature students, who not-so-affectionately referred to him as Sir Buttwhisker.

Ambrosius thus dedicated this class to doodling, passing the small, usually crass drawings to Ballister in secret with one goal in mind: to break his composure. He had really only succeeded once or twice, sending Ballister into a choked laughter that he failed to hide with a cough, muttering something about the changing weather.

But today when Ambrosius passed the doodle, he got the same reaction as always, regular as clockwork. First, the annoyed wrinkle of Ballister's nose, followed by the resigned stretch of his arm to accept the paper. He unfolded it and smiled, a soft smile, and shook his head fondly. His eyes flickered to Sir Buntwhisk, careful to avoid notice as he scribbled something onto the note and passed it back.

Ambrosius had drawn a pictogram of Sir Buntwhisk's unfortunate nickname: two semicircles for the butt with whiskers protruding from the side of each cheek.

However, Ballister had drawn two neat lines connecting the semicircles to create a heart, as well as two eyes and a mouth so that now, the doodle was of a heart-shaped cat's face.

Ambrosius glared at Ballister, only to be met with that same soft smile and deep eyes, sparkling with mirth.

A completely unremarkable moment, one they had shared many times before. But this time, Ambrosius was changed.

Now, every time he looked at Ballister, he felt his heart flutter, like a small bird was trapped there. His breath would come sharper, his face would feel hot. In the past, Ballister was often in his thoughts, which was to be expected considering their closeness. But now, Ballister was every thought. Ambrosius found himself going out of his way to be near him, found himself lying awake at night just to listen to the pleasant rhythm of Ballister's breath across the room.

It was so unfair. Here he was, undone and unhinged, flustered all the time and yet Ballister was blissfully unaware, going about his days as if Ambrosius was not in yearning agony for every second.

Weeks passed this way, Ambrosius trying and failing to come up with a plan, or even gathering his wits enough to explain his condition to Ballister. But his efforts were futile, and he resigned himself to the miserable ecstasy of Ballister's presence, convincing himself that it was enough.

"Are you okay?" Ballister asked one day, concern weighing down his already solemn expression. "You've seemed... off these past few weeks."

"I'm fine!" Ambrosius lied. Poorly. "I'm totally fine, I feel great, never been better!"

Ballister's frown deepened. "You sure?" To Ambrosius's dismay, he placed his cool knuckles against his forehead. "You feel hot."

"I'm fine!" he screeched, swatting Ballister's arm away like it was an insect. "Really! I'm just... stressed. About, uh... finals."

"... Ambrosius," Ballister said with sympathy, like he was speaking to a child. "Finals are months away."

"Well, you know!" His voice was too loud. He took a moment, forcing himself into some semblance of composure. "I just... want to do well."

Ballister stroked his beard thoughtfully. "If you're that worried, maybe we should dedicate a Free Day to studying each week."

That was just like him, always the problem solver, ready to make the situation better without knowing he was making it so much worse.

But Ambrosius heard himself say, "Sure, Bal. Thanks. I owe you one."

☾ ♞ ♘ ☀

Studying wasn't quite as miserable as pining, but it was pretty damn close. Long days poring over dusty textbooks, filling out page after page of notes, until Ambrosius's weary mind was nothing more than a sea of numbers and jargon. He even started having nightmares about math--math!

But at least it helped distract him from his aching heart. The feelings were no longer a storm brewing, but an overcast sky: still not ideal, but tolerable.

Until the day a banner appeared above the main hallway, and the clouds parted.

Spring Promenade: the yearly end of the term celebration to reward students for their hard work, a tradition dating back centuries. Also the perfect opportunity to make a move. If Ambrosius still couldn't muster up the courage to confess his undying devotion, then asking Ballister to Prom would be a close second.

Tragically, Ambrosius lacked the power of planning that Ballister seemed to brandish so effortlessly. He fussed about for weeks, struggling to brainstorm the perfect means. Definitely not anything public: Ballister was easily embarrassed and would likely run before Ambrosius could finish the question. Maybe a handwritten note on scented stationery, tucked in the pages of his favorite book. But what if he didn't see it in time? Or what if he did but somebody had already asked him? Or what if he didn't want to go at all? What if he-

"Are you going to Promenade with anyone yet?" Ballister asked casually, during one of their study sessions.

Ambrosius's heart was in his throat, but he managed to choke out, "N-no, not yet. Are you? Going? With someone?"

"Well, Liliana invited us both to go with her and Grizelda. What do you think?"

"Yes!" he said, too quickly, and recovered with a "I mean, sure. Whatever."

"Great." Ballister grinned. "It'll be so much fun to go with friends." And he continued to study as if the words hadn't crushed Ambrosius's heart like an empty root beer can.

Finals flew by. Ambrosius did extremely well, which was unsurprising considering how many beautiful days he sacrificed to studying, though Ballister was still top of the class. The stress of exams was nothing more than an afterthought in Ambrosius's mind compared to the preparation for Promenade. He had finally formed a plan: during the dance, he would pull Ballister aside and confess in a sweeping, romantic monologue, so well-written and heartfelt that it would be impossible for Ballister not to return his affection.

By the time Prom arrived, Ambrosius had narrowed his thoughts down to the--sixth? Seventh? He'd lost track--final draft of the confession, stuffing the script in the pocket of his golden suit jacket.

He had envisioned himself arriving at Ballister's doorstep, waiting to see him come down the stairwell, just like in the movies. But Ambrosius forgot they lived together, so they ended up getting dressed in the same room.

As Ballister adjusted his black tuxedo, Ambrosius pulled out a small box from under his bed and shoved it in his hand. "Here."

"What's this?" Ballister frowned at the contents, confused. "A favor? For me?"

"I-it's traditional," Ambrosius stammered. "And... and you know, since we're not going with anyone else..."

Ballister beamed at him, and Ambrosius thought he might melt at the sight. "That's so thoughtful, Amb. Can you help me pin it on?"

The golden flower and ribbons nearly blended in perfectly with Ambrosius's suit. Ballister admired it in the mirror before his face fell. "I didn't get one for you, though."

"It's okay! I don't mind."

"Wait, I have an idea." Ballister loosened his black tie and pulled it over his head, then did the same for Ambrosius's golden tie. Ambrosius wondered if he imagined the slight blush that crept over Ballister's cheeks as he switched the ties. "There," said Ballister triumphantly, surveying them both in the mirror. "Now we match."

Even though Ambrosius's parents had never met Liliana's or Grizelda's parents, they all seemed in perfect collusion, constantly arranging and rearranging the four teenagers for pictures until Liliana lost her temper and commanded them to stop, as they were now running late.

The institute's dining hall had been transformed, covered in balloons, bright lights, and sparkly decorations that hung from the ceiling. A long banquet table held an array of appetizers including a massive charcuterie board, with a large bowl of red punch at the end. A live band performed onstage while students mingled and danced.

After an hour or so, Ambrosius felt brave enough to take Ballister aside and out to the empty bleachers of the training field.

"What's up?" Ballister asked, mirroring Ambrosius by leaning on the rail.

Ambrosius cleared his throat. "Well, Bal. Ballister. Bally hoo, my old pal Bal." He gently punched his shoulder, trying and failing to pretend the action wasn't awkward.

Ballister just blinked at him patiently. Why was this so hard?

"We, uh, we've been friends for a long time," Ambrosius said.

"Yep."

"... Long, long time. Years."

"Sure."

"... Most of our lives, really."

"Ambrosius, is everything okay?" Ballister's soulful, worried eyes seemed to swallow him whole. It was now or never. Ambrosius reached into his pocket for the speech.

"Am-BRO-sius!" a voice hollered. Ambrosius bit back an annoyed groan as Todd bounded up the bleacher stairs and threw his arms around them both. His breath smelled like something that was definitely not red punch. "You comin to the afterparty, dude? My folks are out of town and we are gonna get cray-zayyyy." He clapped Ballister's shoulder. "You can come too, Mr. Vale-DICK-torian!" And then he fell apart laughing at his own terribly unfunny joke.

"Yeah..." Ambrosius didn't even try to indulge him. "Can you actually give us a minute, Todd?"

But Todd ignored him, dragging him back towards the dance. "Come on, Am-bro, my date's been asking about you all night. She's never met a descendant of Gloreth."

After a series of introductory hand shakes and more loud whoops than Ambrosius ever wanted to hear again in his life, he finally broke free, emerging onto the crowded dancefloor. The band stirred up one of his favorite songs, and he scanned the room for Ballister, hoping to ask him for a dance.

He froze. There in the center of the dancing couples, Ballister swayed to the music with Liliana in his arms.

When he caught Ballister's eye, Ambrosius turned away. He ran down the hallway, past the startled, lip-locked couples, and climbed the stairs to the not-so-secret roof entrance. He burst out of the metal door, catching himself on the railing as he fought back tears beneath the starry expanse.

"Ambrosius?" Ballister's voice. But Ambrosius couldn't bring himself to turn and face him.

"I'm fine," he said curtly. "You should get back to Liliana, finish your dance."

Ballister paused. "She... just wanted to dance while her girlfriend was in the bathroom."

"... Girlfriend?"

Ballister sighed and joined him on the railing. "Look, I... I didn't tell you because she asked me not to say anything, but Lily's had a crush on Grizelda for months. She didn't ask her to Prom because she was scared of getting rejected, so that's why she wanted us all to go as friends. Then it turned out Grizelda felt the same way so they got together right before Prom." He studied Ambrosius, not understanding the ironic pain laid bare on his features. "I wouldn't have danced with her if I knew how much it upset you." He thought for a moment, his fingers absently toying with the gold favor pinned to his chest. "... Why did it upset you?"

Ambrosius gazed at Ballister, watched a spring breeze ruffle his dark hair, his mouth still in a questioning pout. Even after all these years, he remembered what it had been like to kiss that mouth, the gentle prickle of his beard. He wanted to kiss him again.

No. He needed to.

Ambrosius reached up, cradling Ballister's head in his hands, ignoring the surprise on his face. Ballister only had the chance to say, "What are you-" before Ambrosius consumed the words, pressing his lips to Ballister's with a delicate force.

It was even better than he remembered. Once the surprise passed, Ballister leaned into him, even hummed contentedly.

Reality hit, and Ambrosius broke away, mortified. "S-sorry! Fuck, sorry, I'm doing this all out of order-" He fished for the speech in his pocket. "I was supposed to do the romantic monologue first, then I could-"

"You wrote a romantic monologue?" Ballister spoke slowly, as if in a daze. "For me?"

"Yes." Ambrosius cleared his throat and read, "'Bal, we've been friends for a long time, and you know that I- Mmph!" He didn't get to finish as Ballister crushed their lips together again. He kissed the way he trained, with intense passion.

Ambrosius savored it for a moment before releasing him with a breathy chuckle. "Can-can you let me finish? I worked really hard on this."

"Right sorry." Ambrosius only managed to inhale before Ballister linked his arms around his waist and captured his mouth again, murmuring against his lips, "Actually, you can tell me later."

☾ ♞ ♘ ☀

"'And so Bal, all of that said,'" Ambrosius read. He was lying back, head on Ballister's chest. They had discarded their tuxedo jackets, having loosened their swapped ties and unbuttoned halfway down their shirts. The clothes all stank of sweat: years of training had given them both enough stamina to dance for nearly two hours straight, right up until the end of Promenade. "'You're my best friend and... I love you.'" He twisted around to see Ballister's glowing face. "Well? What do you think?"

Ballister kissed his knuckles. "That was beautiful. But your grammar is atrocious."

Ambrosius gawked at him. "What?"

"Amb, you're almost a legal adult and you still say 'all of the sudden'? It's 'a'. 'All of a sudden'." He took the paper from Ambrosius's shocked fingers. "Not to mention your spelling. For Gloreth's sake, Amb, sound it out: 'de-fin-ite-ly'. You wrote 'defiantly'."

"Are... are you actually critiquing my heartfelt declaration of love?"

"It's called constructive criticism."

Ambrosius swiped the speech back, pretending to be offended. "You know what? I take it back. I don't love you."

Ballister chuckled. "You can't take it back."

"Oh yeah? Watch this." He wiggled his fingers like he was casting a spell. "I don't love you anymore. In fact, I hate you," he said playfully.

Ballister kissed him again, this time much more tender, before resting his sweaty forehead against Ambrosius's with a soft smile. "I love you too."

[whencartoonsruletheworld]

i feel like we’re finally at the age of information transparency on the internet that studio head execs are showing their own asses in an unprecendented way. like we all knew they were bigoted old farts who hate minorities and animation as a medium BUT now we have the entire hbo max tobacle, and that’s only the most obvious.

recently two tv shows for wings of fire and phoebe and her unicorn were cancelled– the first because of netflix budget cuts and the second because “nobody wants to watch a female-led show.” as for the latter, that’s so obviously not true that it’s laughable, what with basically every disney animated show being female-led and extremely popular incl. owl house and amphibia, legend of korra being revered rightfully for its badass queer woc main, the female-led infinity train seasons being just as popular as the male-led, my little pony getting a terrifying number of fans... i don’t even have to explain this to y’all i don’t know why i am, it’s just obvious that isn’t the case. the reason i lumped it in with wings of fire though is it shows that these execs literally have their heads so far up their own asses they don’t realize that they’re literally throwing away money. both wings of fire and phoebe are EXTREMELY popular with their target demographic– i work at a library and go to bookstores like, once a week, and wings of fire is THE kids’ series right now– every library and bookstore has a dedicated shelf just for it, every kid in the us and canada reads these gay lil dragon books. i don’t know much about phoebe but i do know that i have to shelf her graphic novels every goddamn day so they’re getting checked out constantly. making these shows would give these studios an immediate HUGE audience but they don’t want it because.......... ???? honestly the only thing i can think of is bias against animation, but also i do know that while WoF is very cishet in the first few books, later books add quite a few queer dragons and that could def be a reason. 

netflix also recently told craig mccracken, creator of some of the most beloved kids shows of the 2000s, that “original content doesn’t sell anymore” and they need to do reboots and remakes instead. which is funny coming from the company that made stranger things which, while nostalgia-bait for the 80s, is an original fucking story. also the owl house and amphibia are disney’s top shows rn. the most popular kids movie right now is encanto, a completely original story. and that’s just in KIDS MEDIA, do i need to bring up the popularity around everything everywhere all at once, squid game, the knives out franchise, etc? we’re in an age of remakes and reboots yeah but original stories can still make money and gain fans if you make a good fucking product. but netflix doesn’t care about that, as evidenced by how fast they cancelled first kill and also every other show that was good.

and idk what it is but something about the state of the internet right now means that we’re all seeing this in a way we hadn’t before. we’re all seeing how fucking dumb these execs are– well, dumb or actively malicious. or even trying to commit corporate suicide for some reason. it’s just interesting to me that all this is happening now when in the past we were just kinda like. stuck with whatever we got

[xxbrightshadowxx]

How the hell did I learn about the 9th Amulet book through two brothers arguing in the backseat behind on a two hour plane trip from Arizona? I thought they were joking at first till I searched it up and it’s real and it’s coming out very soon. So after I learned that I decided to re-read the Amulet series up till 8 and decided to tell whoever is willing to read this my thoughts!

Clarification beforehand though, I do enjoy Amulet. It was one of my favorite pieces of media for a few years and even inspired me to create my own story similar to it. While I may come off a bit hatful and aggressive, I do like this series but that doesn’t mean I don’t have my fair share of problems with it

Books 1

So I’m going off the same rating scale that I use for movies so go check out my Trolls Band Together review to know what each rating means and just replace movie/film to with book. Anyways I give this book, 6/10. I enjoyed this book. This was the first graphic novels series I read and I was excited to know what happened next. I also loved how the robots and the robot house looked. I don’t have any problems with the first book. Primarily because it’s way too early to have any problems.

The reason why I rate it low though, is because while I enjoy it, it’s not my favorite. It didn’t do much to really impress me nor draw my attention. It did just enough to make me wanna see what happens next.

Book 2

With the second book I give it a 6.8/10 right between 6.5 and 7. Why? Well for starters I enjoyed the Elf plot line. To me, when I first read the series was much more interesting then the main one for some reason. This is the book where we meet Leon. Leon, for the most part was an interesting character. Not to mention we get some world building through him about the elf king and being a stone keeper.

Navin’s plotline, while useful to some degree, wasn’t my favorite. Of course it’s important but I was less invested than I should’ve. That might just have been a personal problem I have with Navin later in the series but we’ll get to that later.

My only problem with this is Luger. Now, Luger is a good villain and I found him intimidating when I first read the second book. I think my problem really stems from the fact that this is the only book where Luger gets to be a villain. This should be a book 3 problem but book 2 is where he is defeated.

Book 3

Book 3 was my favorite when I was younger and it still holds the place as one of my favorite amulet books in the series to this day. I give it a good 7.5/10. This book does a lot of things right in my opinion. I like the action sequences and the new information about Trellis backstory proving again that he is the most interesting character. I also found Rico and Enzo funny believe it or not. They are a fun addition to the party.

However, my problem was the robots. Miskit and Cogsly were just there most of the time. They didn’t really guide Emily like they were set up to be. I didn’t feel anything when they got captured. Which is not something you want your readers to feel when something bad happens. I also found Luger’s personality change strange. I expected him to be a bit more hostile and condescending after being defeated. Granted, you could argue it was the stone but still, it was odd.

Book 4

I have mixed feelings about this book. This is where certain problems that I have with Kazu start to show. First of all, I give this one a 7.5/10 as well. I was never sure if I should trust Max until the very end. I never understood Max. He was suspicious and I thought he had bad intentions some times and other times I thought for a moment maybe he did have good intentions for Emily.

I also like Alyson mostly because she felt much more real. She was fun and I liked her character. Leon, Rico, and Enzo have their moment, the prison break which I enjoyed reading. I also like the Elf racism while Trellis and Luger are at the prison. Granted, it’s brief but it’s to be expected and it does give some insight on what other people think about Elves. I also liked Vigo. I was glad to see another stone keeper on the good and he also came with more world building which I’m always glad to see.

However, Miskit and Cloglsy were both weak parts and I was confused about how everyone was dead and stone and Max’s agenda for a while. I had to re-read certain parts to fully grasp what was happening.

Book 5

Book 5 was a 7/10. I don’t have many thoughts. For one I am mad they split up the original party. Karen, Miskit, Cloglsy, and Leon felt like they were meant for more before they got shoved in the brook closet. Sure, Cloglsy is here with Navin but it isn’t much. I do enjoy seeing Navin and Alyson hanging out, that’s fun. Max’s backstory is sad..he tried helping his friend and her family from prison. Only for it to backfire horribly in his face and be thrown into prison for trying to be a good person. His hatred and need to revenge for his dead friend is such an interesting concept for a villain and he poses such a genuine threat and I love it.

Then there is the about the voice. I am not gonna lie, not a big fan of it. The reveal that the voice is the elf king felt odd and sort of out of place. I don’t know. I have mixed feelings about it.

Book 6

Max. Max, max, max. All I got to say is f-ck you, Kazu Kibuishi for screwing over such an interesting character. This book gets a 5.1/10. The utter and total whiplash I got when Max wanted to work with Trellis, Emily, and Vigo gave me migraines. There was no build up and it was so random. And his death, are the FUCKING kidding me. This just felt like a lazy way to write out a character. Max knew that Layra wouldn’t approve of his actions and that’s why he asked for forgiveness. Then he tried to justify with her and it’s such horse crap! No to mention, it was so fricking anticlimactic and just lazy!

I also wasn’t a big fan of Navin’s side plot. Also something reoccurring is that Emily is just there. She doesn’t push the narrative because she has no goals. She just does heroic stuff because she feels she has to. Not because she wants to. It makes her feel flat. Which is disappointing since she had potential to be great.

The reason why I don’t put this as a three is because the scene where they save the elves and Trellis announces himself to be the real king, is cool. Not to mention I liked Riva. She’s a character that had great potential. However this is not enough to save this book.

Book 7

Oh, firelight. You are the embarrassing sibling in the Amulet series. I give you 3/10. First off, one good thing I’ll say is I am glad we are continuing the theme of lost. Even if it feels weird, pacing wise. That’s it. That’s the only thing I really enjoy about this book.

First off I didn’t like Pil, Alyson, and Navin’s storyline. It was just there and it took up too much page time. Second, Gabilan. Oh, Gabilan. He was also just there. We get his backstory, he does some stuff and then he dies. He’s a plot device and while if you really think about it, everyone is a plot device, Kazu didn’t try to hide the fact that he is a plot device. Also the ending. TRELLIS. YOU ARE TELLING YOU DID EVERYTHING TO TRY AND STOP HER FROM BECOMING A BIRD! WHAT THE F—

Book 8

Where do I begin. First off, this book was a 0/10.

And now my problems. First off the si fi outer space plot like win Navin was so boring. Oh my god. I felt nothing. But that. That part was least of my concerns. My concerns was everything else. First of all, Trellis and Vigo got nerfed so easily that it annoys me. They stop the army and that’s fine, though they did it without trying. And that’s it for them. In the entire book. I have several issues with them shoving Riva, Trellis, and Vigo in the closet.

But my biggest issue is Emily and the void. First of all how the hell did she get out so easily. Was this even an issue if she just left without any problems any help. WHY DID SHE NEED NO HELP! If it was that easy to leave the void, why did it take people years to get out. What the fuck. Also what the fuck is with the future Emily bullshit?! TIME PARADOX ARE A THING KAZU. THERE IS A REASON NOT MANY PEOPLE DESL WITH TIME TRAVEL. Also who the hell is Moze’s dad?! Why does he have to her son?! Kazu, why?! You missed the mark by a landslide.

Also the elf king. WHAT. THE. FUCK. IT WAS SO FRICKING EASY TO DEFEAT HIM. JUST HAD TO TAKE OFF HIS DAMN MASK. TELL ME THIS. IF THE ELF KING WAS THAT EASY TO DEFEAT, WAS HE EVER A REAL THREAT IN THE FIRST PLACE?! NO! WE HAVE BEEN BUILDING UP TO THE ELF KING AS THR BIG BOSS SINCE BOOK 2 AND WE DEFEAT HIM IN THE MOST ANTICLIMACTIC WAS POSSIBLE ARE YOU FUCKING KIDDING ME?! NOW THE MAIN THREAT IS A BUNCH OF SHADOWS?! WHY?! WHY! AND IF YOU TELL ME THAT THAT ISNT WHAT BOOK 9 IS ABOUT IT STATES IN THE AMZON DESCRIPTION: “Emily finally understands the stone's power and what she must do to defend Alledia from the shadows.”

ALSO THE FACT THAT EMILY IS ALIVE SEEMS LIKE A NO BIG DEAL TO VIGO AND TRELLIS ALSO THEY JUDT LER HER LEAVE TO GO KILL A BUNCH OF SHADOWS ALONE?! ALSO OLD EMILY WAS THERE TO GIVE EMILY HER STAFF AT THE END. AGAIN, TIME PARADOXS ARE A THING KAZU.

Overall thoughts:

It’s obvious that Kazu Kibuishi wrote this story without a proper outline. What does that mean? It means Kazu didn’t know how he was going to end the story or the middle. He knew the beginning and instead of trying to figure out and plan the entire story, he wrote what he thought of right on the spot. When waverider comes out I will buy it and read it. I will also most likely rate it and write down my thoughts. Till next time though, if you actually took the time read this post and indulge in my thought process and ideas.

[aurorawest]

Bargain of Blood and Gold by Kristin Jacques - 3.75/5 stars

Reminiscent of Jordan L Hawk's Widdershins series, but with vampires and werewolves. Also takes place in Maine, which isn't a very common setting. Unwittingly, I bought the second book in the series months ago, and I realized as it got to the top of my TBR that I didn't have the first book! I had to scramble to order it and I was happy I enjoyed it since, obviously, I already have the second book.

Ander & Santi Were Here by Jonny Garza Villa - DNF at pg 2

Captive Prince by CS Pacat (reread) - 5/5 stars

Prince's Gambit by CS Pacat (reread) - 5/5 stars

Kings Rising by CS Pacat - 5/5 stars

I think I loved these books even more on my reread.

Gravity by Tal Bauer - 4.25/5 stars

Probably my favorite hockey romance that I've read.

The Modern Mythos Anomaly by Juniper Lake Fitzgerald - DNF at pg 132

I actually liked the story, the characters, and the writing in general, but this book just needed another few edits to slim it down a bit.

Lose You to Find Me by Erik J Brown - 4.5/5 stars

Leeward by Katie Daysh - 4.5/5 stars

The blurbs on this book are hilarious, because they're all like, tall ships people, and then Mackenzi Lee, hailing it as a lovely queer historical romance. This was a really lovely book and I'm excited for the sequel. Also hoping for more kissing in the sequel since this was a serious slow burn.

Riley Weaver Needs a Date to the Gaybutante Ball by Jason June - 3.75/5 stars

Starseer by Katya Hernández - 4/5 stars

Be Dazzled by Ryan La Sala - 5/5 stars

I loved this book so much!! Oh my god. Super funny, very romantic. It revolves around cosplay which is of course a special interest of mine.

Northranger by Rey Terciero and Bre Indigo - 4.5/5 stars

Flying Without a Net by EM Ben Shaul - 2.75/5 stars

The Watchmaker of Filigree Street by Natasha Pulley (reread) - 5/5 stars

Striking Distance by Sarah Rees Brennan - 4.75/5 stars

I didn't expect to like this as much as I did. The graphic novels were good but changing to a novel format allowed for much deeper characters. Surprisingly devastating and also really funny.

The Old Haunts by Allan Radcliffe - 4/5 stars

The Gay Best Friend by Nicholas DiDomizio - 5/5 stars

Main character is the best friend of both the bride and the groom, and everything surrounding the wedding becomes a train wreck beginning on the weekend of the bachelor party, when the bride asks the MC, Dom, to keep tabs on the groom for her. As someone who is extremely conflict avoidant with friends but not family and romantic partners, I heavily related to Dom. There's also a romance that I really loved.

Romance Languages by AJ Truman - 4.25/5 stars

I think this was my favorite of the South Rock series. It deals with some more difficult topics—Julian's self-loathing over his body image is heartbreaking (and relatable), and Seamus's guilt over the way his gambling addiction hurt his ex was very well done. I'm a sucker for stories where a character learns to ask for help, not to mention difficult parent-child relationships, and this had both. I also appreciated Julian's arc re: sex and virginity.

Darkhearts by James L Sutter - 5/5 stars

Another bandmates-in-love treasure, with a twist—the main character, David, left the band right before they got famous. He ends up falling for one of his ex-friends/bandmates after they reconnect. The author is a musician himself, and it definitely shows (in a good way). I'm really a sucker for The Burdens of Fame, which this book definitely had, but there's actually a really good arc for David and how he deals with his jealousy and resentment over being left behind. Plus he wants to be a carpenter rather than go to college, which was cool.

Brute by Kim Fielding - 4.25/5 stars

We Could Be So Good by Cat Sebastian - 5/5 stars

What can I say about this book? Why was it so lovely? Why did it make me feel so much? Why can I not rate things higher than 5 stars? It's a million stars in my heart. Aside from just being a gorgeous mid-century America m/m romance (my favorite), this one features an Italian-American main character. The stuff with Nick's family was spot-on. I just loved this book. I felt like I was wrapping myself in a big, comfy, historical gay romance blanket.

Drowned Country by Emily Tesh - 5/5 stars

The sequel to Silver in the Wood. Had a very mythic and sort of folk horror vibe. This one is from Henry Silver's POV instead of Tobias Finch's and takes place two years after Silver in the Wood, which is time that Henry has mostly spent sulking in Greenhollow Hall, sans Tobias. Really highly recommend this duology. Emily Tesh is a treasure.

The Alchemy of Moonlight by David Ferraro - DNF at pg 11

[yakultstanreblog]

@alwayschasingrainbows hi hi thank you sm for all the questions <33 I appreciate u sm ik u accidentally asked on my main but I’m gonna answer them here :))) also thank you for sending ur own answers too I loved reading them and learning more about you and found them super interesting!!!!! <3

1. What is your favourite childhood movie and why?

Strangely I’d never been big on movies or tv as a kid or even now (I want to get more into it now but my adhd still says no) my mum even told me that when I was young she could sit my brothers in front of the tv to be entertained but not me, I’d lose interest hella quickly… probs the first time I got into anything tv related was when I was 10-12 and was invested in the drama of the tv series “dance academy” on abc3 Ive actually met the producer! other than that I didn’t mind a reality show as a kid but then most of that wore off after I studied media in school and we went as live audience to “reality” shows and I realised how set up everything was and couldn’t care less afterward -

If I had to pick any movie that I loved and that still strangely brings me some sort of comfort.. it would have to be the 2010 Jaden Smith Version of Karate Kid ahahaha idk why (well I kinda do there’s lots of reasons but then I’d go on another whole tangent so I won’t) I was like 11 when it came out so I think that can count :) I can weirdly watch it over and over whereas most other movies I watch once and never again.

2. Do you have a favourite book or book series and why?

I talked about this in some previous posts on here but my fav book of all time is “Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine” by Gail Honeyman !!!!! I also am very passionate about “The uncaged sky: my 804 days in an Iranian Prison” by Kylie Moore-Gilbert (the audiobook version narrated by Kylie herself) and fav wholesome series has gotta be the Heartstopper graphic novels!!!! AHAHA again I could go on and on and on about why I love them all individually as they are all VERY DIFFERENT from each other, but I’ll literally be writing like 3 giant essays so I’ll stop myself now!! I will say, while it’s important we consume and love media that we don’t relate to to broaden our perspectives of life, it’s obviously easy to consume and love media that we see a small part of ourselves in and think this has a lot to do with why I love these so much!

3. The colour that makes you happy

Probably a dark green which reminds me of the rainforest:))))

4. Your favourite cereal?

I honestly don’t eat cereal and never really have :,) cereals were kinda demonised in my house as a child (almond mum tings?) but then eventually they weren’t anymore but I never rlly enjoyed their taste - this is such a sad answer but probably Kelloggs sultans bran LMAO. I haven’t had it for years but I rlly don’t mind it … I think it’s probably very different to American cereals cause it’s not sweet … one time I went to an American food store here in Aus and everything I tried taste like pure sugar and hurt my stomach so bad LOL never again I’m hoping and praying that Americans have other food options not featured in this store 😭 cos I understand some of it as a one off dessert but like everyday breakfast omg noooo I hope ur stomachs are ok

5. Your favourite gemstone?

I’m ngl I don’t have a super passionate answer about this one off the top of my head (sorry I’m such a boring person!!) I think they’re all so pretty!!! I gave them a google to try decide which I like most but it’s impossible .. I think I love any of the blue ones!! I’ll tell you one thing I rlly don’t love the yellow topaz cos I’m born in Nov and I see it on everything and I swear it’s the worst one imo like liteeally any other one I love! But I can still appreciate it ig :,)

6. Any activity you liked as a child and do you still like it now?

My biggest pain as a child was athletics!!!! I used to be competitive in 100m, 200m, long jump and triple jump :) sadly I no longer do athletics or compete but my passion for running/competitiveness lived on and by 15 I ran my first half marathon.. but from 17 onwards I got quite sick and was unable to run (minus a few little months of getting back into it over the yrs only to have to stop again) and now I’m 24 and finally getting back into it again.. kinda.. cos my health is still kinda shit but I’ll go for a lot shorter runs a couple times a week and hoping and praying my health gets better so I can proper get back into it.. not to compete anymore just for myself cos it’s one of the only things in this life that brings me joy :) I’ve also always loved taking photos although I’m not professional or anything it’s just been a fun little hobby I guess.. I have a few diff cameras but in currently trying (failing) to save for this new different one.. just waiting for my uni scholarship money this tri bc I’m too unwell to use it to go on a holiday atm I’m gonna use it to buy this camera I’ve been wanting oop :,) I’m a much bigger a fan of film photography over digital but the camera I’m planning on buying is kinda a combo of both eg. It produces images of a similar vibe to film photography but is actually digital so u don’t have to worry about wasting film :) it’s also a point and shoot, super small and can be taken anywhere which is much better than my current digital camera which is bulky and has a million settings idk how to use lol.

7. Have you ever read Lucy Maud Montgomery books?

I was about to say no I’ve never heard of her but then I googled it and saw Anne of Green Gables which I read when I was like literally 8… and as I’ve said in a previous post I never remember what I’ve read even if I read it two minutes ago bc adhd tings but I always remember how it made me feel - and I remember really enjoying it! Maybe I should give it a reread cause I barely remember what it was about :,) as for the rest of her books I don’t think I’ve read any! I love so much that you have a fandom page omgggg I wish I was that passionate about something !!!! PLS PLS give me recommendations if someone were only to read 1 of her books .. okay maybe 2 for now!!!!! I might actually give them a read :)))

Thank you thank you again for all ur kinds words I hope u have the most amazing day/night <33333 I appreciate u a lot!

[demigod-of-the-agni]

any cool desi books/media to recommend??

Okay to be fair I am not the biggest consumer of desi media HOWEVER. I have a few niche favourites (some of them come from my research for my Major Work in my final year in high school but here's a quick list):

The Namesake by Jhumpa Lahiri - god this entire book changed me fundamentally. It was like watching my own life play in fast-forward and getting hit in places I didn't want to be hit. if you are a first-generation desi in a western country, you will be on the ground sobbing

If You See Me, Don't Say Hi by Neel Patel - a collection of short stories that methodically break down some of the most subtle and pervasive stereotypes within desi cultures. I've only ever had time to read the first two stories but I'm hoping to get the full book someday

Unaccustomed Earth by Jhump Lahiri - an anthology I read for my senior year as well. Another one of this heart-wrenching pieces that just resonate with me like damn.

The Aru Shah series by Roshani Chokshi - it's Percy Jackson But Make It Desi and honestly such a fun read!! Reading about the Potatoes (this is what the reincarnated Pandavas call themselves not joking) is always bound to make my day

The Age of Kalki series by Vishwas Mudagal - I read this purely for inspiration on my own original novel, and it was fun to use for comparisons for research and my writing. Also, spy stuff and action and all that

The Spider-Man: India comics - hey, desi stuff is desi stuff, and I enjoy anything that has my boy Pavitr in it (I'll enjoy it even more when @/marvelentertainment hires me to write him a book)

The Ms. Marvel show and comics - in Iman Vellani we trust 🙏 also my girl has such a wonderful variety of comics like. she's so cool. i love her. hoping that Iman does a masterful job as she writes Kamala's newest comic

18 Days by Grant Morrison - listen. there is a 2015 graphic novel and there is a 2010 artbook for the 2015 book. They are both the same thing: a retelling of the Mahabharata but make it electronic/futuristic. Read the graphic novel for the story, but I HIGHLY HIGHLY recommend the 2010 artbook as well because my god the ART is just gorgeous. It obviously provides insight on the creation of Morrison's 2015 book but god it is just. so so sooooo good. Mukesh Singh is a beautiful artist I need to have his art tattooed on me

Any desi movies from the 90s-00s - my experience with tamil movies in that time period have always been good ones!! They're chill, they're funny, they're silly, they're romantic, they're thrilling. literally all of my favourite song come from this period (don't disregard movies from later periods either, I watched Brahmastra a few months back and it was lit as fuck).

English translations of popular desi stories - and these stories can be anything. from ye old prevailing Ramayana and Mahabharata to anything written by contemporary desi authors. They've got a lot to share

On a side note me complaining to my desi friends that I want good tamil representation in western media often led to me getting smacked in the face with Never Have I Ever (by my DESI friends! who say it is very good!!) and i just want to say no. don't watch that. as a tamil person living in a western country, i apologise for who Devi Vishwakumar is as a person. i will personally pay for your therapy (has only watched two episodes and was immediately turned off)

I'm giving y'all a whole day to ask me whatever

[brw]

Alright, because Tumblr hates me answering asks now, I'm writing a Simon rec list for someone who requested one here! I've written this as a basic "getting to know Simon" list, with a mix of the most important parts in his history, and issues I consider core characterisation that paint a picture of who Wonder Man is. This means I have left out things that are dynamic specific but don't say too much on Simon specifically, for example his Ms Marvel appearances or later WCA issues with Eric. If you are interested in something like this, please let me know and I'll happily make a further reading kind of list! Additionally, as we get into 2000s I have just given basically every major thing he was ever in, as opposed to 70s through 90s, where I was more discerning. This is because in recent comics, Simon hasn't really been a major player and his opportunities for important roles have become few and far between. This means the characterisation and quality isn't quite there, but it is important bringing you up to speed for modern Simon so they have been included.

Avengers V1 #9, Avengers #151-#153, Avengers V1 Annual 6 — Simon's origin, death, and subsequent revival.

Avengers V1 #160 — Eric Williams, Simon's brother who previously antagonised the Avengers in #52, #78-#79, #102, #106-#108, comes to ask questions about Vision and Simon.

Avengers V1 #164-#166, #181, #197-#198, #203, #211 are all different arcs and issues Simon plays a prominent role in.

Marvel Premiere #55 is Simon's first solo issue.

The Vision and the Scarlet Witch V1 #3 — Simon comes to help an injured Vision. More clearly outlines the dynamic between these two and remains the gold standard for their relationship.

Wonder Man V1 #1 — Simon's first solo series. This one is weird, but is only the second time we see Simon properly alone without the Avengers to help.

West Coast Avengers V1 #1-#4 is Simon joining the WCA, where he would remain for the remainder of the 80s.

The Vision and the Scarlet Witch V2 #1, West Coast Avengers V2 #1, WCA V1 #2 V&SW V2 #2 is an arc dedicated to wrapping up Vision and Simon's relationship. Looks into Simon and Eric's history, establishes their past and Simon's fear of failure. Simon stays a part of West Coast Avengers, so you can read this for as long as you want, although I find the quality slowly goes down the longer it runs but that's just me. Simon does slowly morph into more of an asshole as this series continues, which comes to a head during the White Vision arc by Byrne.

Marvel Graphic Novel - Emperor Doom — Simon finds himself alone after Doom takes over the entire world using mind control and leads the team against him.

Marvel Comics Presents #38-#45. Simon is sexually assaulted by Enchantress in this one, so it's somewhat uncomfortable to read but shows Simon's new 80s asshole personality and contextualises it.

Wonder Man V2 — Simon's only ongoing series to date. Written by Gerard Jones, so it is understandable if you don't want to read this. Builds up a large, dynamic supporting cast for Simon and more thoroughly establishes his relationship to Hollywood and life as an actor. Lasts for 28 issues and two annuals from 1991 to 1993.

Force Works V1 #1 — Honestly you don't actually have to read this, all you have to know is Simon dies and remains dead until...

Avengers V3 #3, #11, #14, #20-#23, #51— Simon's return from the dead. You can pretty much read this series consistently from #11 because he's in it more often than not but those are the issues I'd recommend reading of that series for Simon specifically. He and Wanda break up in #51.

Simon doesn't really do an awful lot aside from Wonder Man V3 by Peter David, which is bad and I genuinely don't recommend reading it because it's events mean very little and Simon's characteristion is... not it. The next thing he's in that's major is the Revengers arc, but before we get there I'm going to give a short overview. Despite being close with Wanda, Simon wasn't really involved with the Decimation. He was there, but not a major player. Simon also wasn't majorly involved with Civil War, aside from a short mini in the C story section of Civil War: Front Line #4-#7. He also ended up joining sides with his brother as a villain in Dark Reign: Lethal Legion, which is a very edgy book but is interesting to read if you're looking for his dynamic with Eric. Despite this overall inactivity, Simon was heavily affected by these situations and the build-up radicalised him, helped along by his ionic form starting to break up and become unstable.

The Revenger arc carries from Avengers V4 #1-#2, #7, New Avengers V2 Annual 1, Avengers V4 Annual 1, and Avengers V4 #31-#34 where he sort of backtracks on everything he did up to that point. There's some cute moments with Janet though.

A+X #12 is a cute team-up between Simon and Hank.

Simon's next big role is in Uncanny Avengers V1. These issues are #7, #9-#12, #21 & #23. Read these if you want, but Remender's characterisation for both Simon and Wanda is... not my preferred, and he gets them back together, so you have to see a lot of them. The main thing you have to know is that Rogue absorbs Simon in #21, and he remains bouncing around in her brain until Uncanny Avengers V3 #22-#23. This is also where Simon's pacifism is established, but to Remender that means just quoting Ghandi with very little introspection of who Simon is as a person.

That's the last of Simon's major appearances! The only other things left is Uncanny Avengers V3 #28, and the War of the Realms: Journey into Mystery tie-in which is super cute and fun to read.

So there you are anon! This is essentially all of Simon's major appearances with some fun comics that tell you more about him thrown in. As I said, some stuff has been omitted because unless you're interested in specific dynamics, it doesn't really say an awful lot, but I hope this helps and I really hope you enjoy reading!