News bites: February 23, 2026

Feb. 23rd, 2026 09:00 pm
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Posted by tccolb

Kim Min-ha, Noh Sang-hyun Netflix has announced a new movie called Messily Ever After (working title), reuniting Pachinko co-stars Kim Min-ha (Typhoon Family) and Noh Sang-hyun (Genie Make a Wish). And this time, they’ll be playing a couple who first locked eyes in art school and have now been together for a wild and sweet …

The post News bites: February 23, 2026 appeared first on Dramabeans.

Mostly Kindle Daily Deals!

Feb. 23rd, 2026 04:30 pm
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Posted by Amanda

Lucky Bounce

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RECOMMENDED: Lucky Bounce by Cait Nary is $2.99 and a KDD! Lara reviewed this hockey romance and gave it a B+:

If you’re looking for a book that will make you swoon from the giddiness of falling in love, then this book will hit the spot. Just don’t be too surprised when it ends abruptly.

“Lucky Bounce is a funny and charming hockey romance that I couldn’t put down.” – Rachel Reid, USA Today Bestselling author of Time to Shine

A single dad pro hockey player falls for his biggest fan—who just happens to be his five-year-old daughter’s teacher—in this fun, flirty romantic comedy from Cait Nary

Ezekiel Boehm is no stranger to teaching kids with famous parents. But when the pro hockey player he’s been thirsting after walks into the Rittenhouse Friends School gym hand in hand with a tiny kindergartener, he figures he must be hallucinating. Spencer McLeod is a lot of things—Zeke’s favorite winger on the Philadelphia Liberty; a menace on the ice; a mumbling, reluctant but somehow captivating-as-hell postgame interview—but he’s not a dad. Except he is. Apparently.

Zeke can be chill about this. He can.

Surprisingly, the more time he spends with Spencer, the easier this becomes. School volunteer events turn into reserved seats at games, turn into…more. And even though Zeke is 100 percent committed to ignoring Spencer’s blush, to ignoring the way he looks in that one pair of gray sweatpants, he can’t take his eyes off him.

This can never work. Can it?

Add to Goodreads To-Read List →

You can find ordering info for this book here.

 

 

 

Love Interest

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Love Interest by Clare Gilmore is $1.99 and a KDD! Gilmore’s 2025 release was my best book of the year and I rated it 5-stars on Goodreads. I’ll probably pick this one up, just to explore her backlist a bit more!

Casey Maitland has always preferred the reliability of numbers, despite growing up the daughter of two artistic souls. Now a twenty-four-year-old finance expert working in Manhattan, Casey wonders if the project manager opening at her company – magazine powerhouse LC Publications – is a sign from the universe to pursue a career with a little more sparkle. That is, until she’s passed over for the job in favor of the board chairman’s son.

Alex Harrison is handsome, Harvard-educated, and enigmatic. Everybody loves him – except for Casey. But when the two are thrown on the same project, they both have something to prove. For Casey, it’s getting tapped for a transfer to the London office and fulfilling her dreams of travelling. For Alex, it’s successfully launching a brand that will impress his distant father.

As work meetings turn into after hours, Casey and Alex are drawn to each other again and again, but neither can avoid the messy secrets and corporate intrigue threatening to tear them apart. What they discover about their own company might change everything – including the dreams each of them is chasing.

Add to Goodreads To-Read List →

You can find ordering info for this book here.

 

 

 

The Re-Write

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The Re-Write by Lizzie Damilola Blackburn is $1.99 and a KDD! This came out in August and was mentioned on Hide Your Wallet. It’s a second chance romance with some reality TV elements. (Not full one set on a reality TV program, but the hero got the villain edit on a reality TV show.)

In this lovers-to-enemies-to-lovers rom-com, two exes are faced with one deadline. Will they make it to the end?

Temi and Wale meet in London. They flirt, date, meet each other’s friends.

Then they break up. And Wale goes on a reality dating show.

Instead of giving in to heartbreak, Temi throws herself into her writing. She’s within touching distance of a book deal that would solve all her problems. But publishers keep passing on her novel and bills still have to be paid. So, when the opportunity to ghost-write a celebrity memoir arises, Temi accepts.

And, of course, the celebrity turns out to be Wale…

Will Temi and Wale repeat the patterns of their past? Or can they write a whole new story?

Add to Goodreads To-Read List →

You can find ordering info for this book here.

 

 

 

Tangled Up in You

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Tangled Up in You by Christina Lauren is $1.99! This is the only non-KDD. This is book four in the Meant to Be Disney retellings series. I believe I’ve heard this one has some slightly darker elements than what you’d think, specifically about the heroine’s upbringing.

She has a dream. He has a plan. Together they’ll take a leap of faith.

Ren has never held an iPhone, googled the answer to a question, or followed a crush on social media. What she has done: read a book or two, or three (okay, hundreds). Taught herself to paint. Built a working wind power system from scratch. But for all the books she’s read, Ren has never found one that’s taught a woman raised on a homestead and off the grid for most of her twenty-two years how to live in the real world. So when she finally achieves her lifelong dream of attending Corona College, it feels like her life is finally beginning.

Fitz has the rest of his life mapped out: graduate from Corona at the top of his class, get his criminal record wiped clean, and pass himself off as the rich, handsome player everyone thinks he is. He’s a few months short from checking off step one of his plans when Ren Gylden, with her cascading blonde hair and encyclopedic brain, crashes into his life, and for the first time Fitz’s plan is in jeopardy.

But a simple assignment in their immunology seminar changes the course of both their lives, and suddenly they’re thrown out of the frying pan and into the fire on a road trip that will lead them in the most unexpected directions. Out on the open road, the world somehow shifts, and the unlikely pair realize that, maybe, the key to the dreams they’ve both been chasing have been sitting next to them the whole time.

Add to Goodreads To-Read List →

You can find ordering info for this book here.

 

 

 

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Posted by tccolb

With Lunar New Year festivities continuing until midweek, tvN paused their Monday-Tuesday slot, while Honour and Our Universe took a dip from last week. On the weekend, In Your Radiant Season made a decent premiere, next to a strong exit from both To My Beloved Thief as well as Positively Yours. Compared to last week, …

The post Drama viewership ratings for the week of February 16-22, 2026 appeared first on Dramabeans.

Cover Snark: Community Submissions

Feb. 23rd, 2026 08:00 am
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Posted by Amanda

Welcome back to Cover Snark! These covers were all sent in by the community!

Her Alien Matchmaker by Melissa Riddell. A shirtless, headless man with X tattoos at his ribs and collar bone. A big planet is in front of his waist.

From Jane Buehler: At first glance (small thumbnail) I thought he was shooting out a laser beam from his chest!

Sarah: That’s an interesting place for a stigmata.

Amanda: Why is he so grainy, like his skin is the texture of a basketball.

Sarah: Wait. WAIT. Whatever this cheetah-print thing is, it is both above and below his pec. What IS that?! Why is it partially encircling his pec? Why is it shooting out pink silly string? WHAT IS THIS.

And this is only the first cover. God help me with this set.

The Satyr in Bungalow D by Joyce Wadler. An illustrated cover of a resort in the background with a pool and cabanas in the foreground. There's a woman with a 1940s style bikini, a headband, white sunglasses, and a beach bag with a towel and books. She's talking with a man sprouting tiny horns. He has a button down shirt, unbuttoned, khaki shorts, and is holding ballcap in his hand.

From Jen: My cousin introduced me to you guys a while back. We have a regular cousin chat about your Cover Snark because it cracks us up.

Recently I was at a gift shop and saw this gem. I immediately shared it to the cousin chat and they encouraged me to submit it!

Thanks for giving us all so many laughs.

Sarah: At first glance this looks unremarkable, but the more I looked the tiltier my head got. Why does his chest hair patch match the small patch of hair on his arm? I’m presuming the Yankee’s logo is backwards on purpose but also ????

And her boobs are going in very different directions – unless she’s got one of those bathing suit tops that only holds in one tit and the other is free to roam. I Hate suits like that. Also she’s reading a book called HOWL and that’s very funny.

There are a lot of stylistic choices that I really like, and also some details that I do not get.

Claudia: I have one question — why he doesn’t seem to have eyes?

Sarah: I was wondering that, too! It looks like they got blurred or something? Why does she have features while he does not?

Amanda: Why are we not talking about the fact that he’s a satyr?!

Sarah: A satyr in that shirt!

Homebound by Meredith Trapp. An illustrated cover. A man and woman are kissing in an desert with cacti in the background. He has on a red button down with the sleeves rolled up and brown pants. She has wavy brown hair, white jeans with brown caps, and a blue halter top. She's holding a white cowboy hat in front of their faces, hiding them kissing.

From Marianne: This popped up in my edelweiss+ pre-approved and I had to embiggen because what was I even looking at? Who wears light beige jeans with their chaps???

Sarah: WHAT is WITH the cowboy-hat-hides-the-faces trend? Do people not like drawing faces? Or is kissing difficult (I imagine it is) to draw?

And WHY would anyone wear light jeans with chaps. I get that it’s a Look, but also it’s a Laundry.

Amanda: It reminds me of when you’re in middle school and you draw people with their hands in their pockets or behind their back so you can avoid it.

Sarah: “Where’s your teal and white cow print cowboy hat?”

“Why?”

“I need it for reasons.”

Jace by Alisa Woods. The background is a grainy wolve face with yellow eyes. In the foreground, a man with dark hair is lifting his dirty tank top. There are smears of dirt and/or grease on his arms and torso. One hand is grabbing his pec and the other is at his waistline.

From Deborah: Is he giving himself a simultaneous breast and pelvic exam under the watchful eyes of Dr Giant Tree Wolf?

Sarah: That’s a very intimidating way to do a breast exam.

Amanda: It also looks like he’s checking his crotch. Perhaps he’s just making sure everything is where it should be.

Sarah: So many cover models do that. Should we be worried?

In Your Radiant Season: Episodes 1-2

Feb. 23rd, 2026 07:00 am
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Posted by DaebakGrits

A new healing romance has arrived on our screens, and it’s giving Our Unwritten Seoul meets Find Me in Your Memory. Since I adored both of the aforementioned dramas and thoroughly enjoyed this premiere, I’m optimistic that this latest entry in the genre will continue its upward momentum and emerge as one of the year’s …

The post In Your Radiant Season: Episodes 1-2 appeared first on Dramabeans.

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Posted by tccolb

Parading out the pretty, pretty cameos to make Blackpink’s Jisoo (Newtopia) swoon from her Boyfriend on Demand, Netflix has come out with a new poster and video teaser set. But can AI really win against our leading man, the also – if not more – heart-fluttering Seo In-guk (Twelve)? There’s just so much to do …

The post Jisoo considers Seo In-guk vs. Boyfriend on Demand appeared first on Dramabeans.

musesfool: a loaf of bread (staff of life)
[personal profile] musesfool
I got up to watch the hockey this morning and despite Team USA pulling it off in OT, I do not accept that Bill Guerin was proved right in his choices. Eighty-five percent of the game was played in their defensive end and they only won because Connor Hellebuyck stood on his head. Maybe a little more scoring power on the team could have given them some breathing room. I am just saying. I'm happy for Hellebuyck and the Hughes brothers, and I got a little teary when they brought out the Gaudreau jersey and his kids, and I'm not gonna lie, watching Jon Cooper and Connor McDavid (along with Sam Bennett, Tom Wilson, and Brad Marchand) lose was pleasing to me on a deep, personal level, but overall, I'd still have preferred the Finns or the Swedes take home the gold.

I then baked some oatmeal for breakfast for the week, and made macaroni salad for a few days of lunch, and then for dinner, I made angel hair as planned, though when I actually read the recipe, it was not anything new to me - it was what I always do for a super quick tomato sauce, except they were adding chile crisp to it, which I guess is the thing nowadays - every recipe I read has chile crisp in it, but I'm not really a chile crisp person. I have the heat tolerance (in terms of spiciness, though I also don't like my food super hot temperature-wise either) of the whitest baby you know.

Anyway! It is a super easy but delicious meal and if you don't mind waiting a few extra minutes, you can do it all in one pot. Boil your pasta - angel hair is best for this, imo - and reserve a cup of pasta water before you drain it. Return the pot to the stove over low heat and add in a nice glug of olive oil (2 tbsp if you need a measurement), and then add a whole can or tube of tomato paste to the oil (so between 4 and 6 oz). Stir it around and season it as you like - I used garlic and onion powder, oregano and red pepper flakes and salt, but if you want to get fancy, you could probably saute a diced shallot and some minced garlic in the oil for a minute or two before adding the tomato paste - for 2-3 minutes, until it's all hot and sizzling. If you are so inclined, add chile crisp to suit your taste. Then add the pasta back, and about half the reserved water and toss it until the pasta is coated. I only used 4 oz of angel hair, so if you have more, you might need more water. Then put it in bowls and sprinkle it with parmesan cheese. If you are in an even bigger rush, you can sizzle the tomato paste in a frying pan while the pasta cooks and then combine it all back in the pasta pot. The couple of minutes you save isn't worth having to wash an extra pot to me, but it might be to some people.

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No Tail to Tell: Episodes 9-10

Feb. 22nd, 2026 11:00 pm
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Posted by Unit

Our gumiho tale is back from hiatus with plenty to tell in its penultimate week. The fate swap now has life and death stakes for our ex-soccer star, and our ex-gumiho is faced with a choice between the man she loves and the life she wants to return to. EPISODES 9-10 After Shi-yeol and Eun-ho’s …

The post No Tail to Tell: Episodes 9-10 appeared first on Dramabeans.

vital functions

Feb. 22nd, 2026 10:15 pm
kaberett: Trans symbol with Swiss Army knife tools at other positions around the central circle. (Default)
[personal profile] kaberett

Reading. Finished The Rose Field (Pullman)!!! I am Making Arrangements for it to Leave My House. Read more... )

ANYWAY. I finished it. It Is Done.

Then read the first few pages of Dead Hand Rule (Gladstone; latest in the Craft Wars) before deciding that actually I need to reread at least the end of Wicked Problems in order to remember what's going on...

Writing. Progress continues both glacial and extant.

Listening. My relisten-while-actually-awake of the first chunk of The Hidden Almanac continues, slowly.

Playing. We have finished an Exploders run on Hard in Inkulinati. I am contemplating, given how smoothly that went, whether I want to have a try at Very Hard...

Cooking. It's not quite "this week's breakfast dal, and a loaf of bread", but it does sort of feel like it was. Partly because for reasons we did not get our usual box of veg on Monday last week, which meant that we were scrabbling around using up Shelf Things and the occasional Supermarket Discount Item...

NO WAIT, I also DID make buckwheat pancakes, and inspired by [personal profile] lnr combined Tinned Pear and Stem Ginger with Vanilla Essence and also Ground Cardamom to go in same. V good. Will repeat.

Eating. My mother acquired for us, as A Special Treat, a variety of Baked Goods from The Fancy Bakery In Eddington: my favourite is still the fig-and-?ricotta, but the blueberry-and-?ricotta is also very good, as is the fougasse. A was extremely pleased with the pain aux raisins. AND my mother made some excellent baba ganoush, eaten with said fougasse.

This week also feat. rainbow bagels (which we got to watch some of the manufacturing process for!) as well as misc other foodstuffs from Shalom Hot Beigels.

A has some coffee and butterscotch cake (leftovers from a test bake!) from Flour Arrangements; alas by the time I got my act together to actually collect Excess Test Cake the apple pie and lemon had both all gone...

Exploring. I got to spend a little time in the City of London Cemetery, which is currently ablaze with (among other things) purple crocuses; we also (on our second attempt) managed to go on A Snowdrop Walk Around Anglesey (with thanks to [personal profile] aldabra for reminding me that it is That Time Of Year still!). Snowdrops excellent. May or may not get around to sharing some photos. (Our first attempt at A Snowdrop Walk Around Anglesey Abbey wound up mutating into a poke around the back of Churchill and Astronomy to peer at bulbs and other plants misc, which was also very enjoyable even if I did once again fail to take A to see the Barbara Hepworth.)

Growing. ... I bought a bag of snowdrops In The Green at Anglesey, to go into the ground around the cherry tree at the allotment? The lemongrass seedlings haven't all died?

[Rate and Review] Positively Yours

Feb. 22nd, 2026 07:00 pm
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Posted by DB Staff

This drama has completed its run, the star ratings features is now open, and it’s your time to shine, Beanies! Add your voice to the community and help Dramabeans provide trustworthy fan(atic) reviews for people looking for their next drama. Head to the drama’s page to: A) Add a star rating to the show B) …

The post [Rate and Review] Positively Yours appeared first on Dramabeans.

runpunkrun: girl in school uniform fixes her hair in a public restroom (just say when)
[personal profile] runpunkrun posting in [community profile] fancake
Fandom: Stranger Things
Pairings/Characters: Will Byers/Mike Wheeler
Rating: Explicit
Length: 59,047 words
Content Notes: Bullying and homophobia.
Creator Link: [archiveofourown.org profile] harriet_vane
Theme: Inept in Love, Pretend Couple, Friends to Lovers, Canon LGBTQ+ Characters

Summary: Will needs a date to his mom's wedding. Mike volunteers.


"I have an idea," says Mike.

Ice cubes form in Will's stomach. "How dangerous is it? Like, should I call Dustin to talk you down, or should I call Nancy to be ready to drive us to the hospital?"

"No," says Mike, "you can't tell anyone or it won't work."

"Or what won't work?" Will asks. It's like picking up a rock you know a spider will be under.

Mike gets up and closes Will's door. Hopper doesn't make them keep it open but sometimes Will does anyway, because every now and then lying around alone with Mike on his bed just makes his chest ache too much. If the door is open he can tell himself You can't do anything right now, someone will see.

Mike leans back against the door. His eyes are lit up with that special maniacal gleam that the Wheelers get right before they do something insane, like when Nancy says, "Then we have to go kill Vecna ourselves," or whatever. "Take me to the wedding," says Mike.

"Yeah," says Will slowly, "you'll be at the wedding. Obviously."

"As your date."

Reccer's Notes: They've fixed Hawkins' Upside Down problem (though this predates the final season), and it's the kids' senior year, and Will is worried his mom is worried about him, so Mike hatches a plan to be Will's (fake) date to Joyce and Hopper's wedding because of course he does. That means we've got Will pretending to pretend he's into Mike and Mike playing gay chicken against himself and...losing? winning? both?? Neither of them is doing a great job (or any job) communicating, but their fake relationship thrives and does what all the best fake relationships do, becomes real. A sweet friends-to-lovers romance with just the right amount of agonizing feelings.

Fanwork Link: Roll To Charm Person
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Posted by solstices

In its first teaser, TV Chosun’s upcoming drama Doctor Shin reveals the brewing tension between a genius surgeon and a woman whose brain falls to ruin overnight. But if you thought this would be a cerebral medical thriller, think again, because scriptwriter Im Sung-han’s reputation precedes her – brace yourself for tangled relationships and makjang …

The post Doctor Shin transplants a mother’s brain into her comatose daughter appeared first on Dramabeans.

maevedarcy: A picture of hernando, lito and dani from Sense8 in bed (hertoni)
[personal profile] maevedarcy posting in [community profile] pinchhits
Event: Three is Not a Crowd
Event link: [community profile] threeisnotacrowd
Pinch hit link: PHs post at our comm
Due date: February 24 2026 23:59 (GMT-3)

We have the following PHs looking for a loving home.

PH 9 - Superman (Movie 2025), The Librarians (TV 2014), Leverage (US TV 2008), Star Trek: The Original Series, The Mandalorian (TV), Star Trek: Voyager, Constantine (TV), Marvel Cinematic Universe, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, Crossover Fandom

PH 10 - Marvel Cinematic Universe, KPop Demon Hunters (2025), Boku no Hero Academia | My Hero Academia (Anime & Manga), Heated Rivalry (TV), 9-1-1 (TV), Arcane: League of Legends (Cartoon 2021), DCU (Comics), Marvel (Comics), Teen Wolf

PH 11 - Hazbin Hotel (Cartoon), Bugsnax (Video Game)

PH 12 - The Mummy (Movies 1999-2008), Original Work



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Posted by Amanda

The latest bestseller list is brought to you by nostalgia, Girl Scout Cookies, and our affiliate sales data.

    Image
  1. Give Me a Reason by Jayci Lee Amazon | B&N | Kobo
  2. New Zealand Ever After by Rosalind James Amazon
  3. The Bone Raiders by Jackson Ford Amazon | B&N | Kobo
  4. Sounds Like Love by Ashley Poston Amazon | B&N | Kobo
  5. The Second Death of Locke by V.L. Bovalino Amazon | B&N | Kobo
  6. How Not to Hex a Gentleman by Valia Lind Amazon
  7. How to Marry a Millionaire Vampire by Kerrelyn Sparks Amazon | B&N | Kobo
  8. Murder by Memory by Olivia Waite Amazon | B&N | Kobo
  9. Someone to Honor by Mary Balogh Amazon | B&N | Kobo | GooglePlay
  10. How to Sell a Romance by Alexa Martin Amazon | B&N | Kobo

I hope your weekend reading was fabulous!

Sunday Sale Digest!

Feb. 22nd, 2026 09:00 am
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Posted by Amanda

This piece of literary mayhem is exclusive to Smart Bitches After Dark, but fret not. If you'd like to join, we'd love to have you!

Have a look at our membership options, and come join the fun!

If you want to have a little extra fun, be a little more yourself, and be part of keeping the site open for everyone in the future, we can’t wait to see you in our new subscription-based section with exclusive content and events.

Everything you’re used to seeing at the Hot Pink Palace that is Smart Bitches Trashy Books will remain free as always, because we remain committed to fostering community among brilliant readers who love romance.

musesfool: Wonder Woman against a backdrop of flames (walk through the fire)
[personal profile] musesfool
This afternoon, I made this lemon cake because 1. I had an open container of ricotta I wanted to use up before it spoiled, and 2. I've been looking for a nut-free alternative to my favorite lemon cake since one of my nieces has a tree nut allergy. It turns out I did not have enough ricotta, but I made it up with sour cream, and the cake seems fine. It did stick to the pan in one small spot so I didn't take a picture of it since it had a gash in it, but it tastes great. The trick of adding turbinado sugar to the glaze to make it crunchy is a good one, too.

I also made dressing for coleslaw, which I've never done before - always just bought the pre-made deli version - and it's ok, not great. Not tangy enough, tbh. I wonder if replacing some of the mayo with buttermilk is the way to go. I ate some with a steak I pan-fried for dinner and that was nice. I don't have steak very often, but sometimes it goes on sale and I get it.

We're supposed to be getting between 12"-18" of snow tomorrow/Monday (wait, I just checked, and the current forecast is 39% likelihood of at least 18" if not more, wow), and I'm supposed to go into the office on Tuesday, so I guess we'll see what actually materializes, whether the streets are cleaned, and how I feel on Tuesday morning. Supposedly we're getting a free lunch, but I don't know when the consultant who is supposed to be buying it for our in person meeting is flying in, idk what is going to happen. There was some back and forth on Teams today about the storm and they are notifying everyone to be remote on Monday, which is the smart choice.

Anyway, my menu is not very cozy - I was planning on making that lemony macaroni salad for lunches, and some baked oatmeal with cherries and chocolate chips for breakfast. I do have bread, milk, and eggs, so there could always be French toast! Though I did make that on Wednesday when I realized it was Ash Wednesday (and that I'd completely forgotten Shrove Tuesday). I'll probably have pasta for dinner tomorrow regardless, since it's Sunday.

Today, I watched Batman Ninja, which features the Batfamily time traveling back to feudal Japan (but so much Joker and I am so tired of Joker), and then its sequel, Batman vs. the Yakuza League, which I enjoyed more because it has Wonder Woman in it and she's fantastic as always. It also features I guess this is a spoiler ) It was weird to me though that we got 4 Batboys (Jason's feudal Japan headgear is HILARIOUS), but no Cass or Babs at all, and I didn't love the art for Selina. Someday we'll get an animated version of Wayne Family Adventures and the girls and Duke will get their due!

*

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