Not To Harp Back To A Few Days Ago But The Whole "taking Phone Calls In Public/loud Music In Public/playing

literally so funny how there's people on this site that actually think it's a reasonable response in any situation to threaten others with the fbi like yeah that's the epitome of white queers as per james baldwin's evergreen quote lmao

So You Want To Read Batman Comics But Have No Idea Where To Start

So: you’re new to the DC Comics fandom and are interested in Batman and his family. Maybe you already know a bit about them and are just looking to figure out where to start reading actual comics. Maybe you know nothing. Maybe you know a whole lot about one character but want to start reading more about another one.

Whichever it is, I’m here to help! There’s a wide range of Batman/Batfamily comics (for all ages, moods, and types of people), and I’m happy to meet people where they are and help people dive into comics. On that note, brace yourselves, because this is going to be a long post. Recs start under the cut.

—IMPORTANT NOTES ABOUT READING COMICS—

Superhero comics are traditionally written in what’s known as runs; an author gets to have an extended period on an ongoing (or limited) title where they (traditionally) write in 4-8 issue story arcs; think of these arcs as chapters in a potentially never-ending book. These individual issues are colloquially known as floppies. So when I talk about “Tom Taylor’s run” on the Nightwing title, for example, I’m talking about the (as of now) current writer, who’s been the main author on the Nightwing title since March 2021 and whose story arcs begin with Nightwing #78. Every so often, titles end, the principal author on the titles switch up, or they’ll have “guest/interim authors” come in to do single issues or a single story arc.

These story arcs are then collected in hardcovers or ‘trade paperbacks’ (generally referred to as trades, occasionally TPBs); both collect the entire story arc (plus bonus/behind the scenes material, in some cases) in a single paperback/hardback book. Trades are super useful if you want to read an entire story at one time, want to be economical about your comics spending, and/or want to read things in order. Occasionally, if a writer has a particularly long run on a title or a big company event happens, you get published omnibuses that collect an entire event or run (or part of it, if the event is big enough); omnis are very expensive up-front, but ultimately they tend to be good deals and are often curated well. These collections are all generally also released digitally. Frankly, unless you’re into comics collecting, want individual issues for their pretty covers, or are supporting a currently ongoing run, I would default to buying trades/omnibuses where possible. It’s simply cheaper and easier for reading.

List Notes: Each character list is sorted vaguely chronologically according to a combination of IRL publication dates and the character’s personal timeline. Big caveat that these are not all-inclusive reading lists nor are the inclusions inherently indicators of quality; I’m just trying to hit major character highlights. You should also note that many comics contain multiple Batfam members due to the ridiculous number of crossover events and the solid integration of the Batfamily as a whole into each others’ books in the post-90s era. Comic rec tl;drs are given at the end of each character’s list. Most of the links will take you to Amazon/Comixology, but I also talk about various ways to access and read comics at the bottom of this post.

Secondary Note: DC Comics works in three universes: the pre-Crisis universe (everything published from the beginning of DC Comics until the Crisis on Infinite Earths event in 1986), the post-Crisis universe (everything published between 1986 and 2011), and the post-Flashpoint universe (2011-now). 

In 2011, DC completely rebooted their universe following the ‘Flashpoint’ event. This new universe (interchangably called the New 52 universe, post-Flashpoint universe, or Prime Earth) drastically changed many characters’ histories, personalities, and relationships with each other (sometimes for the better, most of the time for the worse). The early years of the post-Flashpoint universe are an absolute incoherent mess continuity-wise; DC’s been trying to sort it all out over the past few years with the Rebirth and Infinite Frontier events (with varying degrees of success), and there are definitely some bright bits and pieces, but it is not my favored universe (though I will certainly recommend it where needed or when it’s good). 

Now: let’s get started, shall we? Lists below the cut (please click here to view the most updated version of this post on desktop via my blog instead of on mobile/the dashboard, for easy readability and formatting purposes):

Keep reading

collection of posts for a very specific dynamic

Being an older sister is hard—raising a fourteen-year-old is harder.

✨ danny vision  ✨

Another avenue I want to explore in an Amity Park is Weird scenario is all the niche sub-cultures going on.

There is absolutely NO WAY there isn't a thriving goth community in Amity Park. They're holding picnics every full moon. They're holding crafting sessions in their friends' basements. They're adopting ghost animals left and right: eight-legged dogs and blob-cats, skeletal fish and neon bearded dragons.

There's a young man called Raphael who performs live music every week at a dance club with his band: he's got a myriad of shiny piercings, and a phone camera roll full of his rabbits, Morningstar and Salem. Perhaps those ghosts are bad business like the Fentons say, but the club's never felt more alive.

The scene and emo kids are multiplying at a rapid rate. The punks and grunge folks are doing shit with textiles that makes every quilting grandmother in a five mile radius swoop in to pass on their skills. Josie and Betty, old friends who periodically upload photos online of their handmade lace, suddenly gain an influx of young folks who want to learn how to make their own ghoulish patterns.

There's a new group peeling off from the goths that dress like the embodiment of Halloween– all bones, pumpkin orange and lengths of costume jewelry.

The historical costuming community is alive and well in these times, and they fall upon the few ghosts from times past willing to share knowledge like starving wolves. Their minds are full of patterning-math and fabric prices, and their excitement is, quite literally, infectious.

A revolution starts up in food service: a great many restaurants closed or moved to follow the many people who left Amity after the ghosts first came. A pair of brothers open a restaurant that has the best Polish food around: people politely don't comment on how the owners are dressed in clothes a century out of date or how their eyes gleam. Two cat cafes open, one space themed and another with loose definitions of what counts as a "cat." Assorted coffee and tea shops dot the landscape: some serve donuts, some have cupcakes, and others have breakfast wraps, sandwiches or savory hand pies.

People that can't afford to open a restaurant sell food out of their homes, advertised by cardboard signs with phrases like CAKES FOR $10, and BARBEQUE RIBS FOR SALE painted on them in gigantic bright letters. High school students bring in bags of cookies they made the night before and completely sell out of stock before the day is done. One woman's house has no signage and yet is known by word of mouth to be a herbalist, selling tins of homemade tea blends, flowers, assorted plant clippings, and cough drops.

Someone down the street of Casper High sells small batches of eco-friendly soap at a nearby corner store.

During summer time, lemonade stands are everywhere. Some of the lemonade is made with the strange fruits from one of the parks: no one dies, so it's fine.

The Farmer's Market has gotten... intense.

Danny Phantom color backgrounds illustrated by Kaz Aizawa (Part 5 of 5).

diasomnia's "ARBITRARY NATURAL DISASTER" vocals only!! okay first of all, this is just as clean as savanaclaw's diadem, second it's like i didn't even remove the background music because tf you mean it's a whole acapella???? they're so good when you got literal LEGENDS singing (KAZUKI KATO I BEG YOUR FINEST PARDON WITH THOSE VOCALS) and you can hear them much better this time!! IT REALLY FEELS LIKE A MUSICAL HNNNNNNNNNNGH

the reliance on others to guide your journey.

⋅˚₊‧ ୨୧ ‧₊˚.

“i can’t shift. what should i do about it?”

you just admitted that you cannot shift, then asked how you can shift. those are two conflicting statements. if you don’t know how to shift — your body & what works / doesn’t work for you — how is somebody else, a stranger, supposed to know that ? you know yourself best. you are the only one who can help yourself.

⋅˚₊‧ ୨୧ ‧₊˚.

“i’ve been trying to shift & no method or routine works for me.”

this all boils down to something & that is the reliance on other people to tell you how to shift. i can give you everything that helps me; my books, my affirmations, my subliminals but at the end of the day that’s what helps me. information, that i have found through trial & error. everyone is different & not everything will help everyone. this is why not getting your heart set on one method or one way to do something is essential.

⋅˚₊‧ ୨୧ ‧₊˚.

during the peak of misinformation on shiftok, I don’t believe a lot of the misinformation was actual misinformation. people asked how to shift & people told them how they shifted & somewhere along they got misconstrued as a “how to” guide. if something helps you or doesn’t , it’s not misinformation. it’s a different way of doing things. think like doing math, there’s multiple ways to find the answer. people with learning disabilities (like myself) sometimes have to go the extra mile to have things make sense in our minds because not every mind is the same.

things take time, especially to perfect a craft. if you’re someone who draws or paints, you have to know the techniques & where to shade & where light hits the subject at certain points. if you’re someone who works out, you have to use certain equipment maybe or get into a habit of going to the gym. both of those take time & discipline. you don’t just pick up a pencil once & become one of the greats or walk on the treadmill for two minutes & instantly meet your desired result. it’s a routine.

no, you don’t have to have a routine but it’s beneficial. it can help hey you into a mindset, it can aid in your self confidence. if you’re confident, you will perform better. it gets you into a habit of something & making a habit out of something is the first step in being intentional & getting your mind & body into a mindset.

⋅˚₊‧ ୨୧ ‧₊˚.