Watership Down graphic novel came out yesterday, here's Hazel and Bigwig doing a nice little boop

Avatar: The Last Airbender Live Action Thoughts!

-First of all, ya'll need to leave those child actors alone, they are babies and they didn't write the show, nor was it their idea to do it. I have seen way too many people body shaming children; leave them alone they all did well!

-I think Gordon makes Aang just as cute and small and powerful as I always saw him as!! He manages to joke around and be fun even when the storyline is a lot darker and more serious.

-I really wish Sokka was able to be more of his goofy and silly self. I understand why he isn't, and his humor is more sarcasm and dark jokes, but I saw glimpses of him in there! His excitement when he was with the Mechanist, engineering and getting to do something other than be in charge. Also when he has any older brother convo with Katara or Aang. I'm hopeful with time he'll be able to loosen up!

-(Speaking of the Mechanist, my boy Danny Pudi was SO GOOD, I love him, him and his little son).

-I wish Aang would practice waterbending with Katara :( those scenes of them practicing together were always some of my favorites in the series. Just beautiful kataang moments. I'm glad they addressed it but I missed those moments.

-I don't understand how you guys can't be having fun watching this, I get so excited waiting for little moments of lore, or when Jet and Katara were fighting in the forest I was sitting in front of the TV like "WHERE'S SMELLERBEE AND LONGSHOT. OH MY GOD NO IT'S PIPSQUEAK!" It's just so much fun! The colors are beautiful, the effects are gorgeous, and the plot and characters are entertaining. Think about the piece as it's own thing and enjoy it!

-Adaptations are just that; adaptations, and things will be changed! I think so far I haven't minded their changes, I understand why they've been made. There are things to criticize, but I think this is pretty well done.

-Zuko is fantastic; I think all the child actors are fairly good but Dallas' pissy attitude and the faces he makes are so so fun! I feel for Zuko and I'm scared of him when he shows up, and he's just as annoying and bratty as ponytail Zuko should be. His physical motions are fantastic!

-TEO WAS SO LITTLE?? Oh my god, like as a kid I thought the cartoon version of him was kinda hot so when they wheeled that tiny baby in I was HORRIFIED.

-Idk why YOU ALL weren't scared of Lizzy Yu's Azula, but her little smile in her intro scene gave me a lil chill. Maybe it's because I was away when the show first came out so I saw post after post about how bad she was, but I just.... Thought she'd be worse?? She did really well! Ya'll better be careful though or Gaten Matarazzo will come for you, that's his girl.

-So far the mushing of plots has made sense to me. Yes, I miss the silly filler episodes and the traveling the Gaang did, but it allows us to sit in a scene longer, and to colorize the world better, when we're in one place and one plot for longer. I think that's important for this type of medium and this amount of episodes. They might be able to justify more next season if this show does well enough.

-I am OBSESSED with Zuko and the 41st division oh my god, what a fantastic and well thought out addition. The reveal, and they're bowing for him when he comes back was DEVASTATING.

-They we're GIVING us Sokka and Katara best sibling moments, I loved all of them. They are so cute, they just mean so much to me.

-I don't feel Appa or Momo as characters like I did in the cartoon. I'm hoping this can change, because rn they surprise me every time they get on screen. I'm like "WHAT- oh it's Momo, he's here." How are we going to feel Appa's loss as much as we did in the cartoon if they continue to like barely be in it.

-Ken Leung SLAYED as Admiral Zhao, I watched him go literally insane as the episodes went on.

-Aang's imposter syndrome and feeling of failure being focused on I will always enjoy, even if I hope he can be silly next season too. His entire character arc this season just made me want to cry.

-Bro the coloring during the the Siege of the North was A M A Z I N G. The way the color faded in and out with fireballs and the monster koi passing nearby, just so pretty. It looked awesome.

-Making Yue a waterbender? The best. Her freezing Sokka in place so he can't stop her? Heartbreaking.

-Iroh and Zuko paddling off looking for bestie Lt. Jee?? Okay.

-They really grew this show up for us adults that watched it in 2005 and focused in on the really painful moments, themes, and details.

how many chps does spinoff tr currently have and where do you read it man 🫠

There are currently 29 chapters with 4 bonus mini ones. I read it on manga see

Prejudiced People

Being about a person who has to hide who she is from the society she lives in, Suitor Armor is brimming with prejudiced people. People who think mages are snobs, people who think fairies are vicious, people who think gays are sick, people who think soulbonded automata aren't people. The fantasy prejudices of the story map really cleanly onto others - for instance our heroine wears a binder for her wings.

What I love is that outside of a somewhat standard villain, the prejudiced people are not monsters. They're all pretty good people, with flaws, trying to work shit out. The queen is jealous and often thoughtless but cares deeply for her adoptive sister and king and she causes trouble as often because she's trying to do right by them as because she's managing her image. The mage has a horrible past and an unhealthy attraction, but that same horrible past sometimes limits how harshly he judges others. The king has to balance the stability of the kingdom with attempts to make things better, and is inexperienced besides (and has spent much of his youth being manipulated). The armor has no prejudices at all, but sees things with a simplicity that often does not serve in human society. The fairy cannot trust humans after some of their number murdered their family, but in spite of having many chances makes it clear they don't want to hurt anyone not directly responsible. The surgeon is sanctimonious and acid in their speech, but also does the bloody, hard work every day to try and make lives even a little better for people in an impossible situation.

The thing about non-monster People With Prejudices is they don't let us off the hook.

When the People With Prejudices are monsters, like Gaston of Beauty and the Beast (1991) or Clayton of Tarzan (1999), we can write prejudice off as a thing that comes out of Bad People. We don't have to look inward. WE wouldn't hurt the Beast!

It's harder to write stories where mostly-good people are just constantly fucking up, and remaining mostly-good, and remaining fun to read. But it can be done, and it's well worth doing.

Weekly Fic (and Meat) Rec 50

Holy moly! This is my 50th fanfic rec list! I have to admit, these have been fun to make each week. Along with these fic recs, I also have a meat rec for you at the end! It's an interesting one, heehee.

To Err is Human, to Purr is Batman by Internerdionality - Batfam with a little Superbat, wip. Bruce gets turned into a cat by Batmite. It's super adorable :)

how to divide the conquest of they sight by streetlight_skeletons - Batfam, complete. A case fic. Something Bruce got into while on patrol is causing him to attack Dick.

Patchwork Pod by Ktkat9 - Superbat, wip. More mer Bruce AU! Still on the look out for missing Bruce!

Stand Up for Yourself by UnicornVomit - Batfam, complete. Jason gets in trouble at school, but Bruce has his back :)

The Return by lurkinglurkerwholurks - Batfam, complete. A re-read for me. A fic about what happens after Bruce gets back after being lost in time, especially with the relationships within the Batfam.

Bruce Wayne and his vampire boyfriend by Speechless_since_1998 - Superbat, complete. Jason runs into Tim at a gala. Tim tries to convince him that Bruce's boyfriend (Clark) is a vampire. Shenanigans ensue.

have your cake and eat it too by amyritter - Superbat, complete. Clark is sad he can't get hickies :( Good thing he has a creative partner :)

As promised, a meat recommendation! If you're from Pennsylvania, you already know it, it's scrapple!

Here is the Wikipedia entry for it:

I was introduced to this dish when I was in college! One of my meat science professors was from that state, and he wanted to teach the processed meats class I was in how to make it. It's actually a pretty interesting dish! Leftover pork meat and pork offal are ground up, mixed with spices, buckwheat flour/cornmeal/wheat flour, and water. It's cooked down and put in to loaf pans so you get that loaf shape. It's sold fully cooked, so you could eat it as is when you buy it, but it's traditionally served sliced thin and pan fried on both sides to get that nice crispy crust. I like to eat mine with maple syrup! It's a nice contrast of sweet and savory, I think.

At one of my previous jobs, I worked in a pork packing plant in Pennsylvania, so we made this! It would be served in the cafeteria as one of the breakfast options, and they would DEEP FRY the slices. They were nice and crispy then!

I think what I like so much about this product is the whole thought process that went into making it, so the packer/butcher shop owner could make money from inexpensive parts of the hog. It is literally made of the leftover parts of the hog that no one wants to eat by themselves (hearts, livers, kidneys). Also, the flours and meals added to extend the product tends to be pretty cheap compared to the meat. The water added as well is also pretty inexpensive. It's a way to create value out of parts of the hog that people would normally not eat, while making it tasty (in my opinion) too! It's problem solving at the meat butchery level!

I know some people might read/look at this and think "gross!!", but I just think it's neat (insert Marge Simpson potato meme here). I also have some good memories that I associate with scrapple when I was going to school and when living in Pennsylvania. ALSO, we have this new thing going on at my work where all the food labs get together and discuss what's happening in our labs each month. The R&D director said that he's open to suggestions to showcase interesting food products in our industry at the end of the meeting. I suggested this to my boss and he didn't like it, probably because he thinks it's gross or something. This is my little "fuck you" to him (that he will never see since he is a straight white man who has no idea what Tumblr is).

Happy reading (and eating!)

Started a star war!

I hope you don't mind that I made this into a separate post @dragonsongmakhali, but I saw this right before I went to bed and wanted to just say it broadly: if anyone ever wants to do their own question drive - please do! I have always tried to stress that, despite it's probably the thing I'm known best for, I would have 0 issue if other people joined in. Honestly, I'd be more upset if people didn't thinking it was my thing. I think the more people that do it, the better it is for the community!

you've had some hot takes before but "electro swing is good actually" might top them all

Electro swing is like twilight in that the people who bend over backwards to showcase how much they hate it are orders of magnitude more annoying than the fans

You have to be in some truly shenkerian levels of musical pretentiousness to be like "this is bad actually" congratulations, John Cage came back from the grave to shake your hand, we are all very impressed

Went and saw The People's Joker tonight, and while it was good and fun and had some good jokes, it 1000% wouldn't have gotten out of the festival circuit on its own without the angry letter from WB. I was definitely not as wowed and blown away by it as everyone else I know who has seen it.

That said vera drew should receive $500 million dollars to make the next batman movie

I've had weirdly strong cravings for specifically lemons lately, likely due to seasonal allergies. Thus, roasted lemon slice for snacking

Writing flex:

"Zombies in a national park, zombies in a national park. It must have been her paranoia...It must have been. She had regained conciousness, and began looking around, only to immidiately feel an intense pain in her right leg, wrapped in bandages. Laying on her back felt very uncomfortable, as it pressed on the blisters that kept popping up on her back ever since her father's untimely death.

The nurse standing in front of her was not dressed in modern uniform at all, but in a much more old-school white uniform, somewhat discolored yet very clean, and her hair was protected by a cap that wrapped it entirely, cascading down her back like those of the WWI nurses she saw in photos in history class.

She noticed she was now wearing a hospital gown, and couldn't help but blush at the thought of being seen naked.

"Hello. Do you have any other symtoms aside of your broken leg ?

-Do you think I am going insane. The last thing I remember was two zombies attacking me, and then the feeling I am drowning.

-Well, you indeed fell into the water, and you were covered in liquified flesh. Now, I will reajust you so the blisters on your back don't have that much weight put on them, so the doctor can examin them when they are full."

Transformation...What !

Before she knew it, her bed felt a lot better, and she couldn't help but make a sigh of relief.

"The doctor should be checking on you now, and he will then send a paper to get your approuved for anasthesia, so it'll be in our records in case you ever need surgery."

What !

This can't be right...It had to be some sort of vivid hallucination. This can't be real...

This had to be a weird nightmare.

The Doctor that came in was strange. He seemed middle aged,androgynous, with long blond hair that ended at his waist, tied in a low pony tail, and from his scalp also protruted a few whiskers. His ears were pointy and his irises were larger than those of a human and somewhat iridescent. He was tanned and blond, and on his face was hot-ironed marked a cranberry blossom on one cheek, and a rune an another. From his back protruded a pair of wings, translucent, long and narrow like those of a dragon fly, exept with brown spots at the ends and visible human-like veins, through which she could see his blood circulation and the spots turned from more greenish brown to reddish brown with each beating of his heart.

She really couldn't take her eyes off of his wings, which seemed to annoy him.

"Hello. May you confirm your name for me, patient 349

-Yes, I am Cordelia Lenoir.

-I will examin your vital signs, as well as inspect if your injuries had been treated correctly. You might be able to leave for your record exam, and the hospital altogether today."

He began putting on his stetoscope.

I know who you are!!

Pleasantly Unpredictable

There are a lot of series where something similar to this series, in terms of frequency of tonal shifts, would seem like the author just...didn't know where they wanted the story to go? Or couldn't pick a story to tell?

But to me it also feels like...how do I put this. Slice-of-Extremely-Weird-Life?

It's basically slice-of-life episodic storytelling in a complex situation in a dangerous setting that doesn't always feel dangerous. Not because someone's actively shielding the characters from danger, like you get in Mecha High School shows (generally about being trained for a war that's happening somewhere and clearly if child soldiers are needed something's going badly, but it's not usually immediate that we have someone attack and bring the war zone right into the school itself), but rather...because the danger is so spotty.

When I tried to describe it, just now, I had the realization that it's basically the same kind of threat as the Games in Reboot. A bunch of people get sucked into a deadly environment basically at random, and who knows when it'll happen, but when it's not actively happening you've gotta just live your life. Nobody's found a way to stop the portals from sucking sectors of civilian centers into their dungeons. The main response is about the same too: There are people trained to deal with it whose job it is to engage the portal when it appears and get civvies out alive.

Anyway, one strength of that setting concept is that you can have an enormous variety in what kind of story you tell at any given time. You have natural spaces for life-or-death drama, thrilling victories, terrifying foes...but also natural spaces for the main character to deal with having a stalker. To try to figure out how to explain her risky new job to her mom. To moan and groan about how much WORK her training montage is. To deal with the awkward politics around not intending to be a foreign hero but happening to save a bunch of people when a portal opens up while she's visiting a foreign country. All that and I haven't even mentioned her fancy special power or the premise of the manhwa!

Even if there's technically "constant danger," that doesn't mean you can live your life perpetually in 5th gear, you know? The way the tone bounces around in this comic feels right to me.

im obsessed with hal’s poses it's like he's made of jelly

Ligia reminds me of Ava..

Watched that first Trigun Stampede episode.

No Millie, that's fine, still only 1 episode, maybe she shows up later. Animation is beautiful and there's a fantastic action scene half way through. Wasn't 100% onboard for the new looks but now that I've seen them in action I don't have a problem. Just trying to keep an open mind because this isn't trying to be the original Trigun.

But, man, there's massive plot points that the original series only gave us in drips and drabs and they felt like huge gut punch plot twists when they happened. This just spoiled everything in episode 1. Jesus christ let me get emotionally invested in these characters first.