Icon credit goes to Vera Brosgol. Last update of profile: 4/27/13.

Tumblr: terminatedcapriciously

Devianatart: Reenie_Bleenie (I do photography, mostly)

HI! I'm Reenie Panini Bleenie, an average girl who loves to read, write, sing, draw, and edit stories. I've been writing Fanfiction for three years now, and am well-acquainted with many fandoms, such as: Invader Zim, Animaniacs, Harry Potter, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Bone (the graphic novel), Pinky and the Brain, Avatar: The Last Airbender, Looney Tunes, Scott Pilgrim VS The World, Loonatics: Unleashed, Homestuck, Dr. Who, Firefly, Adventure Time, Avengers/Marvel, Dr. Horrible, and many, many, many, many more (enough to warrant four "many"s.)

My current largest focus fandom is Homestuck. Patron is Gamzee, favorite kid is Rose, and OTP is EriSol, any quadrant. I would really like to go listing all of my ships and rants and whatever, but I tried that and dear god, it was JUST TOO MUCH. You people will have to do without. As for reviewing Homestuck... Hopy Hecka, people. I don't think a fully accurate review of everything in Homestuck is even possible. To everyone who hasn't heard of it or would like a quick, accurate description without anyone going into unnecessary detail but still doing the comic justice, I would suggest the video below.

Here ya go: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MLK7RI_HW-E

Hope that works.

Okay. As SOME people might have noticed (I hope), I've been gone for a hugegantic amount of time. I sincerely apologize for this, if I kept anyone on tenderhooks, but I had some problems with my computer and then well, eh, life stepped in and kind of steamrollered me à la A Fish Called Wanda. Not that I'm going to go on a depressed rant or anything, I'm fine, just SUPER BUSY. Those of you who have read my Loonatics story "Problem With Quick Decisions," and have been made aware of the sequel I was planning will be pleased to know that I have the first chapter completed and it is being given the finishing editing touches. If you sent me a PM during my period of inactivity, I will do my absolute best to get back to you. You have not been ignored. Thanks also to all my reviewers during that time; you raise me up. (#inspirational music) Anyway, I'M BACK, and am very happy about it. Missed you all!

Also, I've decided to simplify (sort of) my profile. Gone are all those pointless (if amusing), space-wasting paste-its. From now on, I'm going to do some actual, interesting reviews on my current obsessions. Read them if you want to.

Okay, so lately I've become totally enamored with this AMAZING comic called Anya's Ghost, by Vera Brosgol. It's about Anya Borzakovskaya, (Yes, I DID spell that correctly, I checked) a first-generation Russian immigrant who falls, Alice-esque, down a well and finds a ghost. Anyway, this is what I think of the piece ad characters (spoiler warning):

Starting with Anya. I could see something very human in all of Brosgol's characters, and it's most prominent in Anya, probably because she's the one you see the most of. She's not a perfect protagonist, full of joy and rainbows, but she isn't tragically flawed either. She doesn't intend to impact anyone around her negatively, but she still brushes off Dima, the other, less Americanized Russian student, with much causticity and frequency. Not to mention her alienation of Siobhan as soon as Emily seemed a better option. Emily actually kind of annoyed me, because of the way she doted on Anya and gave her all those syrupy compliments. The way she was characterized made her inevitable betrayal (#wash washburne; firefly) fairly predictable. She DID bring out show Anya's gullible, hungry-for-praise side, on the other hand. The most irritating thing about Emily, to be perfectly frank, was her generous amount of screentime. We saw WAY to much of Emily, and not enough of the side characters, most of which were absolutely delightful to read, especially Siobhan and Dima.

Dima was pretty cute. He's a blatant example of a character trope where there's a clueless, loveable sap who gets beat on all the time and you adore him for it (#"the woobie," tv tropes and idioms), but none of the other characters show tropes save Emily, so that's acceptable. Besides, if Dima is a trope, he's still awesome just because of that line about the ham cakes, and how he's totally not embarassed to shout that kind of thing in the middle of school. All of the scenes with Dima are fun, because while he does exhibit a trope, he has the potential to become a much more intricate character given a little more focus and depth.

And now... Siobhan.

First off, for anyone who does not already know this because it's actually pretty hard to tell given her representation, SIOBHAN IS A GIRL. Yes, she has very short hair. Yes, she's the only girl in a private school who wears the male version of the uniform instead of the female. Yes, she tromps around in combat boots and makes crude comments. But she also wears barrettes, and one of the few scenes that includes her is set in the GIRL'S BATHROOM. I actually read a professional review of the book where they kept calling her a boy. Seriously. It might be hard to tell at first, but they DO refer to her as "she." And Anya makes a comment about her breasts (which are admittedly visually nonexistent). Lastly, "Siobhan" is a STRICTLY female name. Thinking she's a male at the beginning is understandable, but anyone who continues to interpret her as a boy after having read the whole comic thoroughly exasperates me.

Now that I'm done ranting about that, I'll say Siobhan has to be my very favorite character in the whole book. She's dark and vibrant at the same time, caustic and bitter but still loyal and protective of her friends. The scene on the bus where she defends Anya (albeit crudely) against some snotty prep girl gives an inkling that she's a much better friend than Anya seems to take her for. By the time we reach the point where she attempts, though quite tactlessly, to point out that Sean may not be the best choice of romantic interest for Anya, it's clear Siobhan is invested in the relationship; her biggest issue is her lack of a mental filter and foresight, rather than being a horrible person. Siobhan has some crisp and creative one-liners, and unlike Anya, doesn't seem to be at all concerned with fitting in. I'm not sure whether we were supposed to read her as lesbian, transgender, genderqueer, or just a tomboy, but throughout the comic this is never addressed or mentioned, which is kind of great.

(As a sidepoint, I personally read her as a romantic interest for Anya, especially after her graceless and gruff attempt to show Anya she cares and give her relationship advice. The fact that this novel did not end up a lesbian love story remains both a disappointment and very plausible fanfiction opportunity.)

Even though I love Siobhan the most, ALL of the characters in Anya's Ghost are interesting. Even the unnamed gym coach seen for a grand total of about three pages has as much character depth as Anya herself. I'm really impressed with the writing here. I mean, I KNEW the art was going to be impressive (Brosgol is a storyboard artist), but the characters and dialogue blew me away.

As for the story... That could use a little bit of work, and that's mostly because I don't think that that ghost part was even necessary. The characters are all so spectacularly interesting that the ghost, Emily, seems a bit flat compared to the rest of them. It's also simply enough to watch these spectacularly crafted characters collide and interact; the predictable paranormal plotline didn't do anything but distract me from them. On the other hand, at least it isn't Casper the Friendly Ghost, and there is a sinister turn, and when it comes to the more realistic plot points, Brosgol shines. Anya's party scene in particular is very genuine, and this sort of genuine feel is what keeps the ghost bit from becoming tedious. Because the rest of the story is realistically portrayed, Emily's involvement isn't cheesy or forced. There are some good lessons enclosed, and they aren't forced on the reader. Anya, Sean, and Elizabeth all function as social negative examples.

The climax was a bit, well, anticlimactic to tell the truth, and it felt a tad rushed. Emily's eventual quiet yield only lends further evidence to the case that she existed mostly as a plot device. But the conclusion itself is satisfying. Anya reunites with Siobhan, despite having given up smoking, and appears on the path to personal betterment, for lack of a less cliche statement. Overall this is one of my favorite graphic novels, right up there with Jeff Smith's BONE, and I have much respect for Vera Brosgol. Well done, madam.

I think I've rambled enough for now. But here's the basic message: READ THIS BOOK. Seriously, it's easy. There are pictures.

I'm not sure if you want to know more about me, but here comes a list of stats, like it or not!

Full Name: I'm not putting that out on the internet, silly! There is one way you can find out, though. You see, I wrote my full name on a piece of paper, placed that paper in a plastic baggie, put that baggie in a box, and put that box in the cabinet next to the five-legged skeleton in the wardrobe with Ravenclaw's diadem on it next to the stuffed troll in the Room of Requirement. Oh, wait... Didn't the Room burn down in book 7? Oops. Guess you'll never know.

Age: I am immortal. No joke.

Lives in: Washington (the state).

Speed: 5/10

Strength: 7/10

Endurance:7/10

Agility: FAIL.

Cuteness: 8/10, but it doesn't count online.

Fun Fact: I have never met anyone from Wyoming.

Fun Fact: I am mildly obsessed with socks.

Fun Fact: I have written (or at least started writing) about six chapter books with my own characters and everything, and hope to get them published someday.

Fun Fact: I dislike oranges. To the point where they make me nauseous.

Fun Fact: Water is harder to photograph than one would originally think.

Fun Fact: I really like fun facts.

SPECIAL NOTICE TO ANYONE WHO IS A FAN OF THE GRAPHIC NOVEL "BONE" BY JEFF SMITH: THIS FANDOM NEEDS SOME LOVE!! ONLY ABOUT SIX BONE FICS EXIST ON THIS ENTIRE WEBSITE!! JOIN ME IN THE MOVEMENT TO BRING THIS FANDOM TO LIFE- WRITE, WRITE, WRITE!! MAKE JEFF SMITH PROUD!!!! Also, pasting this little paragraph on your profile wouldn't hurt.

Ok, enough about me. On to the useless filler part of the profile!

"A question that sometimes drives me hazy: am I or are the others crazy?" -Albert Einstein

“We protest you calling us ‘little kids’. We prefer to be called ‘vertically-impaired pre-adults’.” -Yakko Warner

"Of the 36 ways of avoiding disaster, running away is best."

"The only reason I care about how I look is because I'm afraid other people will judge me as harshly as I judge them." -Me, Reenie Bleenie

Ned Flat: Why are you acting like this?

Yakko: We're not acting. We really are like this.

"Wait a minute. You expect us poor, innocent children to climb up dangerous scaffolding and paint naked people all over a church? We'll do it!" -The Warner Brothers and Warner Sister

Brain: Promise me something, Pinky. Never breed.

This is Kitty. Please copy and paste Kitty into your profile to help her gain world domination.

Reenie