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Looking for spoiler-free NYT Connections hints or just wondering why Connections is trending today? We've got what you need to understand the clues for today's puzzle without spoiling any of the answers.

Of course, Mashable has also provided daily hints and answers for Connections, Wordle, and Strands for years, so we can help you if that's also what you need.

While we are focused more on meanings than hints in this story, sometimes learning that many of the words have completely unrelated meanings is a clue in and of itself. Connections frequently includes clues that involve words within words and other visual clues.

SEE ALSO: NYT Connections hints today: Clues, answers for September 14, 2026 Coot meaning

Medium-sized birds that look like ducks.

Goose meaning

A large bird that is smaller than a duck but larger than a swan.

Loon meaning

Large diving birds with sharp red eyes.

Teal meaning

Small, European dabbling ducks.

Canary meaning

A small finch or person who gives info to the police.

Rat meaning

Rodent or someone who betrays a friend's trust.

Snitch meaning

A tattletale.

Stoolie meaning

Slang for stoole pigeon. A bird that's used to lure other birds into a trap.

Bag meaning

A flexible container to carry things.

Cutlery meaning

Edged cutting tools.

Stirrer meaning

Utensil with a long stem to mix drinks.

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Straw meaning

A tube used to suck up a beverage.

Blue meaning

Color with the hue of the sky or shorthand for a type of pasture grass.

Crab meaning

A decapod crustacean or a type of invasive grass species.

Lemon meaning

An acidic fruit or a kind of grass found in southern India.

Wheat meaning

A cereal grain or a kind of low-maintenance grass type used for feeding animals.

Have you learned the meanings and still want the things? Check out the hints and answers for today's NYT Connections puzzle.

Are you also playing NYT Strands? Get all the Strands hints you need for today's puzzle.

Meet The Mashable 101: Our list of the content creators shaping the internet today

If you're looking for more puzzles, Mashable's got games now! Check out our games hub for Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more.

Not the day you're after? Here's the solution to yesterday's Connections.

The NYT Connections puzzle today is not too difficult if you know about birds.

Connections is the one of the most popular New York Times word games that's captured the public's attention. The game is all about finding the "common threads between words." And just like Wordle, Connections resets after midnight and each new set of words gets trickier and trickier—so we've served up some hints and tips to get you over the hurdle.

If you just want to be told today's puzzle, you can jump to the end of this article for today's Connections solution. But if you'd rather solve it yourself, keep reading for some clues, tips, and strategies to assist you.

SEE ALSO: Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more: Play games on Mashable What is Connections?

The NYT's latest daily word game has become a social media hit. The Times credits associate puzzle editor Wyna Liu with helping to create the new word game and bringing it to the publications' Games section. Connections can be played on both web browsers and mobile devices and require players to group four words that share something in common.

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Each puzzle features 16 words and each grouping of words is split into four categories. These sets could comprise of anything from book titles, software, country names, etc. Even though multiple words will seem like they fit together, there's only one correct answer.

If a player gets all four words in a set correct, those words are removed from the board. Guess wrong and it counts as a mistake—players get up to four mistakes until the game ends.

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Players can also rearrange and shuffle the board to make spotting connections easier. Additionally, each group is color-coded with yellow being the easiest, followed by green, blue, and purple. Like Wordle, you can share the results with your friends on social media.

SEE ALSO: NYT Pips hints, answers for September 11, 2026 Here's a hint for today's Connections categories

Want a hint about the categories without being told the categories? Then give these a try:

• Yellow: Birds that like water

• Green: Undercover

• Blue: Disposables

• Purple: Kinds of grass

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Here are today's Connections categories

Need a little extra help? Today's connections fall into the following categories:

• Yellow: Waterbirds

• Green: Informant

• Blue: Common Single-Use Plastic Items

• Purple: ___Grass

Ready for the answers? This is your last chance to turn back and solve today's puzzle before we reveal the solutions.

Drumroll, please!

The solution to today's Connections #1191 is...

What is the answer to Connections today

• Waterbirds: COOT, GOOSE, LOON, TEAL

• Informant: CANARY, RAT, SNITCH, STOOLIE

• Common Single-Use Plastic Items: BAG, CUTLERY, STIRRER, STRAW

• ___Grass: BLUE, CRAB, LEMON, WHEAT

Looking for Wordle today? Here's the answer to today's Wordle.

Are you also playing NYT Strands? Get all the Strands hints you need for today's puzzle.

Meet The Mashable 101: Our list of the content creators shaping the internet today

If you're looking for more puzzles, Mashable's got games now! Check out our games hub for Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more.

Not the day you're after? Here's the solution to yesterday's Connections.

Today's NYT Strands hints will be easy if you excite easily.

Strands, the New York Times' elevated word-search game, requires the player to perform a twist on the classic word search. Words can be made from linked letters — up, down, left, right, or diagonal, but words can also change direction, resulting in quirky shapes and patterns. Every single letter in the grid will be part of an answer. There's always a theme linking every solution, along with the "spangram," a special, word or phrase that sums up that day's theme, and spans the entire grid horizontally or vertically.

SEE ALSO: Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more: Play games on Mashable

By providing an opaque hint and not providing the word list, Strands creates a brain-teasing game that takes a little longer to play than its other games, like Wordle and Connections.

If you're feeling stuck or just don't have 10 or more minutes to figure out today's puzzle, we've got all the NYT Strands hints for today's puzzle you need to progress at your preferred pace.

SEE ALSO: Wordle today: Answer, hints for September 14, 2026 NYT Strands hint for today’s theme: Oh My Gosh!!

The words are related to being surprised.

Today’s NYT Strands theme plainly explained

These words are adjectives used to describe fright or excitement.

NYT Strands spangram hint: Is it vertical or horizontal?

Today's NYT Strands spangram is vertical

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NYT Strands spangram answer today

Today's spangram is That's shocking.

NYT Strands word list for September 12

• Exclaim

• Shudder

• Freeze

• Gasp

• Start

• Recoil

Meet The Mashable 101: Our list of the content creators shaping the internet today

Looking for other daily online games? Mashable's Games page has more hints, and if you're looking for more puzzles, Mashable's got games now!

Check out our games hub for Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more.

Not the day you're after? Here's the solution to yesterday's Strands.

Today's Wordle answer should be easy to solve if wash off your plates before putting them in the dishwasher.

If you just want to be told today's word, you can jump to the bottom of this article for today's Wordle solution revealed. But if you'd rather solve it yourself, keep reading for some clues, tips, and strategies to assist you.

SEE ALSO: Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more: Play games on Mashable SEE ALSO: NYT Connections hints today: Clues, answers for September 14, 2026 Where did Wordle come from?

Originally created by engineer Josh Wardle as a gift for his partner, Wordle rapidly spread to become an international phenomenon, with thousands of people around the globe playing every day. Alternate Wordle versions created by fans also sprang up, including battle royale Squabble, music identification game Heardle, and variations like Dordle and Quordle that make you guess multiple words at once. 

Wordle eventually became so popular that it was purchased by the New York Times, and TikTok creators even livestream themselves playing.

What's the best Wordle starting word?

The best Wordle starting word is the one that speaks to you. But if you prefer to be strategic in your approach, we have a few ideas to help you pick a word that might help you find the solution faster. One tip is to select a word that includes at least two different vowels, plus some common consonants like S, T, R, or N.

What happened to the Wordle archive?

The entire archive of past Wordle puzzles was originally available for anyone to enjoy whenever they felt like it, but it was later taken down, with the website's creator stating it was done at the request of the New York Times. However, the New York Times then rolled out its own Wordle Archive, available only to NYT Games subscribers.

Is Wordle getting harder?

It might feel like Wordle is getting harder, but it actually isn't any more difficult than when it first began. You can turn on Wordle's Hard Mode if you're after more of a challenge, though.

SEE ALSO: NYT Pips hints, answers for September 14, 2026 Here's a subtle hint for today's Wordle answer:

Cleanse.

Does today's Wordle answer have a double letter?

There are no recurring letters.

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Today's Wordle is a 5-letter word that starts with...

Today's Wordle starts with the letter R.

The Wordle answer today is...

Get your last guesses in now, because it's your final chance to solve today's Wordle before we reveal the solution.

Drumroll please!

The solution to today's Wordle is...

RINSE

Don't feel down if you didn't manage to guess it this time. There will be a new Wordle for you to stretch your brain with tomorrow, and we'll be back again to guide you with more helpful hints.

Are you also playing NYT Strands? See hints and answers for today's Strands.

Reporting by Chance Townsend, Caitlin Welsh, Sam Haysom, Amanda Yeo, Shannon Connellan, Cecily Mauran, Mike Pearl, and Adam Rosenberg contributed to this article.

Meet The Mashable 101: Our list of the content creators shaping the internet today

If you're looking for more puzzles, Mashable's got games now! Check out our games hub for Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more.

Not the day you're after? Here's the solution to yesterday's Wordle.

If you need to take a breather after Lanterns' fifth episode, I don't blame you.

Episode 5 saw Green Lanterns Hal Jordan (Kyle Chandler) and John Stewart (Aaron Pierre) face off with Manhunter Zoe Macon (Poorna Jagannathan) in a battle that left Rushville in ruins. On top of that, it also pitted Hal and John against one another, leaving the role of Green Lantern in flux.

SEE ALSO: 'Lanterns' finally reveals its Manhunter. Here were the biggest hints at the truth.

Between these game-changing confrontations and a number of key character deaths, episode 5 truly felt like a season finale. What do you mean, we still have three episodes left? How could Lanterns possibly top this? Let's take a look at what the show still needs to wrap up, and what it's already resolved in its biggest episode to date.

What happened in the Rushville fight?

A better question might be, what didn't happen? Zoe healed John from the wounds he sustained from Hal crashing their car. She then announced a town-wide kill order on Hal, causing the citizens of Rushville to gear up to protect the Manhunter in their midst. She also began obliterating chunks of Rushville with the laser satellite introduced in episode 4.

Meanwhile, Hal went Manhunter hunting in the hopes of delivering Zoe to the Guardians himself. First, he sent Antaan (Paul Ben-Victor) and his vengeful alien crew on a wild goose chase to William Macon's (Garret Dillahunt) compound, claiming Macon was the Manhunter. While Macon put on a convincing performance thanks to some language and backstory coaching from Zoe, Antaan figured out the ruse and killed him. (RIP to Lanterns' resident exhibitionist wife guy.) He tried to go after Zoe next, but Hal tossed him away from her, leaving him to blow up in mid-air. (RIP to the "Antaan is Atrocitus" theory.)

SEE ALSO: 'Silo' showrunner Graham Yost teases what to expect from Season 4 — including one key character's fate

All this is just the prelude to the heart of the Rushville battle: the knock-down, drag-out fight between Hal and John at the motel. The two duke it out over the power ring, unleashing months' worth of resentment before Zoe blows the motel to smithereens. (In a sweet move, or maybe just a practical one, Hal manages to bubble John along with him for protection.) In the aftermath, John uses Hal's prone body as bait for Zoe before sniping her, therefore wiping out the second-greatest threat Hal is facing.

John, Hal's greatest threat, remains alive, and he takes both the ring and the lantern from Hal. But instead of reciting the Oath and taking over as Green Lantern, he tells Guardian Lianna (Laura Linney) he wants no more part of this. After all his traumatic childhood training, all his discipline, all his sacrifice — in the end, putting on the ring feels like nothing. To answer the question Hal poses after their fight: No, it wasn't worth it.

Now, Lanterns is both Lantern-less and Manhunter-less. With these two key elements wiped off the board, what's next for the series?

What comes next in Lanterns?

Now that Lanterns has gotten its Manhunter mystery out of the way, it can focus on its next big mystery: Who killed Hal Jordan?

Remember, episode 1 ended with John and Sheriff Kerry Kane (Kelly Macdonald) examining Hal's corpse at the football field in Rushville, right back where all the Manhunter shenanigans began. Episode 6 will likely pick up in the 2026 timeline, examining what John's life has been like post-Green Lantern training — please let him be an architect now! — and his quest to solve Hal's murder. Hopefully, we'll also find out what Hal was up to in the last decade. Did he stay in Rushville? Did he continue to woo the very married Kerry? Did he remember to feed Earl?

Since Lanterns takes place in 2026, that means that Guy Gardner (Nathan Fillion), first introduced in Superman, is now this sector's Green Lantern. Fillion is confirmed to be starring in Lanterns, but will he be appearing in a goofy cameo, or as an active participant in the investigation of Hal's murder? Plus, will we get more time with Lanterns' more extraterrestrial characters, like Lianna or Sinestro (Ulrich Thomsen)? Or any face time at all with the cosmic fear parasite Parallax, a Green Lantern franchise staple?

The answers to those questions await in Lanterns' last three episodes, but until then, I think we all need to take a nice, relaxing nap to decompress from the madness of episode 5.

Lanterns is now streaming on HBO Max, with new episodes premiering Sundays at 9 p.m. ET on HBO and HBO Max.

After years of complaints about how little you could customize the Windows Start menu, Microsoft is finally overhauling it in the 26H2 update. In reality, though, they are only catching up to something an open-source app figured out years ago. Meet Flow Launcher, a keyboard-first app launcher that is superior to the current Start menu from all directions.

My current phone is the most expensive one Motorola sells — the Razr Fold. But I've fallen in love with many more adorable Moto phones over the years: a Moto E, a Moto G, a Moto G Stylus, and a Moto Edge. Some of these were very cheap, but they punched above their weight, and it's possible to jazz them up even further still.

Though many have tried, no one delivers a line like Christopher Walken. In Back in Black, Walken's distinctive diction turns "Shut up" into a moving "I love you." And that's just a taste of what makes this off-kilter comedy such a treat.

SEE ALSO: TIFF 2026 preview: 18 films (and shows) you'll want to see (and how)

Written by Ron Murphy and Nick Torokvei, and helmed by the former, Back in Black stars Walken as Clyde Mortimer, an undertaker in a long line of undertakers. He runs Mortimer's Family Funeral Home with his chipper wife Autumn (a pleasant Jane Curtin), and their orphaned granddaughter Sam (Ella Ballentine of 2016's Anne of Green Gables and The Vampire Lestat). But things are rough in the death business, as no one in their charming small town is dying lately.

Clyde, who always has plenty to say, is funny in his fury, insisting that no one dying is no way to live! He's especially aggrieved about how the COVID-19 pandemic should have been a boom time for morticians, but the sharp decline in in-person gatherings prevented that. But fret not, Clyde, because Sam has a plan. And it involves her handy screwdriver.

Back in Black is like Dexter with a cozy crime twist.

The opening shot of this dark comedy is Sam using a screwdriver to build a coffin. This becomes a very telling image. With her family facing financial ruin, Sam uses her screwdriver and her engineering know-how to strategically loosen screws about town, leading to one death after another. To the average police officer, this might seem like a string of bad luck, these accidents at grocery stores, construction sites, and motel swimming pools. But a local cop is on to her.

Deputy Donna (a snarling Louise Lambert) is on the case, even if her sheriff (a blustering Tony Nappo) thinks she's way off base. However, the cat-and-mouse element of Back in Black is more a subplot. The main story focuses on Sam's relationship with her grandparents and the budding romances that emerge from the funeral of the first murder victim. When she's not listening lovingly to Clyde's rants or having a glass of wine with her grandma ahead of some embalming, Sam meets Kevin (a quirky Giamo Alfredi) a needy nephew of the deceased, and Charlotte (a whiskey-smooth Watson Rose), a raven-haired beauty who offers to help the Mortimers in their work — meaning putting makeup on the dead.

Through murder, Sam quietly expresses her love and devotion for her family, securing their future by ending that of others. And I do mean quietly. Sam doesn't speak. She is the Teller to her garrulous grandfather's Penn. And Ballentine proves a masterful scene partner, using a coyly comic series of countenances to express Sam's excitement, doubt, consternation, and pleasure. It's to her that Walken will repeatedly say, "Shut up." And far from coming off as a denouncement or diminishment of his onscreen daughter, it comes across as a playful "I see you." Sam doesn't need to speak for her grandfather to know her heart, even if he doesn't know her secrets.

Yet Ballentine is equally enchanting opposite the whole ensemble, whether taking in the awkward requests of Kevin, the surly accusations of Donna, or the silky seduction of Charlotte. The young actress smoothly pulls from a long line of silent but brilliant performances that date back to Charlie Chaplin and Buster Keaton. That reflects the playfulness within Back in Black's sense of humor. However, don't get too cozy, because Murphy won't make a joke of murder.

Back in Black dares to challenge its audience.

In Dexter, the eponymous serial killer focuses his homicidal tendencies toward other killers, creating an anti-hero the audience is invited to theoretically root for. Back in Black offers no such comforting compromise. Sam, while she is seemingly sweet, is killing who is convenient. And that means good people will die. In the first instant, all we know about Dale (Stuart Hughes) is that he's a grocery store manager who is kind to his employees and customers alike. So, when he's locked in the walk-in freezer by a sabotaged lock, the audience has no reason to think that he had it coming.

And Murphy doesn't offer a silly depiction of death like one might see in Bryan Fuller's Pushing Daisies, where colorful hues and playful production design softened the blow of mysterious murders. Here, we are witness to Dale not only realizing he's trapped but crashing out as he realizes he is going to die. Other deaths will follow, with loved ones lamenting their losses in front of Sam, with no idea of her role in those demises. Each time, Murphy challenges the audience by bringing laughter and pain simultaneously.

Through a silly story about a failing family business, he creates a dark comedy centered on a morally complicated anti-hero who we might root for even as we are shocked and appalled by her actions. Watching Sam, I thought of Mia Wasikowska in Park Chan-wook's Southern gothic thriller Stoker. There, Wasikowska played a similarly doll-faced killer with familial motivations. But Back in Black is not remotely dark or dry like Stoker or Dexter. Despite its deadly content, Murphy keeps the tone that of a small-town feel-good movie. That makes every kill freshly shocking. And in the end, this collision of wicked and nice makes for a movie that is delightfully odd, unapologetically macabre, and a hell of a good time.

Back in Black was reviewed out of the Toronto International Film Festival. The movie's theatrical release date is TBD.

Thrillers are currently dominating Netflix's weekly top 10. The Whisper Man, which was one of our top movies to watch in August, remains at No. 1. The Secret Woman and Ready or Notalso landed in the top 10, so thrillers are of interest to subscribers at the moment.

I spent nearly six years running a dual-socket decade-old Xeon server as my primary NAS. Recently, I moved to an off-the-shelf Ugreen NAS and started comparing the two. The thing is, they really can't be compared, and I realized I've spent way more money on that old Lenovo than I originally thought.

Most of us learned Microsoft Word while growing up and never really questioned it. It was on most computers, so it became the default for everything, including notes that had no business being formatted like a printed document. You don't need an entire document to take a few notes; you should use an app built to manage them like databases.

I am suspicious of fitness trackers. I'm not saying we can't trust companies to safeguard the data they generate, but it would be nice to not have to trust them in the first place. That is why I've been happy to wear a Pebble Time 2, which is the first Android-compatible product I've worn that generates health metrics without also uploading that information to the web.

If you're new to Linux, or you've happily existed in Mint's easygoing ecosystem for years, you might want to hear what its downsides are. That comfortable feeling may cost you dearly.

Google Lens tends to get catalogued as a way to figure out how to identify plants or translate a menu while traveling. That's true, but it can do a lot more than that. You don't need to wonder about stuff or run vague Google searches to figure it out; Google Lens is basically Google search on your phone.

If you've ever used a mesh Wi-Fi system, you've probably noticed that the satellite nodes usually have a spare Ethernet port. It is tempting to use that port to attach a NAS. After all, it seems like a good way to get your NAS connected without running a cable across the floor or through a wall.

Physical media has been dying quietly for years, and most people didn't fight it because streaming was just easier. Buying a digital copy felt like the same thing, just without the disc. The problem is that it isn't the same thing at all, and it's not just about ownership; it's about the quality that we're all losing out on.

When I first tried out Google Drive, it changed everything. Being able to share files and collaborate on documents with others so easily was a complete game-changer, and it made us all so much more productive.

I think I have just seen my favorite animated movie of 2026. And it's Julián, based on Jessica Love's bestselling children’s book, Julián Is a Mermaid.

This year, cinemas have seen sequels for beloved IP like The Super Mario Galaxy Movie, Toy Story 5, Minions & Monsters, Avatar Aang: The Last Airbender, and PAW Patrol: The Dino Movie. There have also been original animal-centered adventures like GOAT, Hoppers, and Swapped. Plus, coming up are Shaun The Sheep: The Beast of Mossy Bottom, Forgotten Island, Wildwood, The Cat in the Hat, Steps, Ray Gunn, and Hexed.

So, what makes me so certain that Julián will be my favorite of the year? Well, for starters, it's a deeply charming story about a child fighting for his individuality, a message that speaks to me. Created by Cartoon Saloon, which produced The Secret of Kells, Wolfwalkers, and The Breadwinner, it is absolutely beautiful. But most of all, over the course of 85 minutes, this magical movie's style reminded me of some of my favorite animated movies and shows, including Steven Universe, Spirited Away, Craig of the Creek, and Luca. Yet at no point did Julián have me wishing I was watching those instead.

SEE ALSO: Fall movie preview: All the 2026 films you need to know about

Julián thrives on comparison, not by being better than these rightly beloved films and series, but by being a solid stone in the path of the cathedral they collectively build to the glory of animation as an art form.

Julián is a summer-set story of LGBTQ+ youth and identity.

Named for its protagonist, Julián follows a little boy over a summer spent with his Dominican American abuela (Milcania Diaz-Rojas) in Brooklyn. He (Knyght Darius Jack) is a cheerful child with a vivid imagination, a love of the ocean, and little awareness of the mess he makes while playing. In the opening scene, his dad Javi (Anthony Sardinha) shows an appreciation for all of this, as Julián excitedly colors a picture, and splashes about glitter on the drive to New York. But his abuela hasn't seen the boy in a while, and her parenting style is very "my way or the highway." So, getting used to her rules will be an adjustment.

In the first act, Julián pulls a move from Paddington, trying hard to respect his host while making an absolute disaster of their bathroom. It's the kind of childish shenanigans that are both adorable and deeply annoying. Director Louise Bagnall expertly shows Julián's missteps as both, allowing the audience to understand him and his grandmother.

In the book (which is just 40 pages with illustrations), Julián's abuela is almost instantly accepting of his desire to be a mermaid and what that entails. Expanding the story, Julián takes time to develop their relationship, working in new characters and obstacles for both to explore. For his part, Julián is giddy to meet a trio of local girls, who are plotting their "mersonas" in sidewalk chalk drawings and readying for Coney Island's annual Mermaid Parade, where revelers dress in all sorts of nautical costumes for a day of festivities and community.

However, Abeula and her friends see Julián with the girls and heteronormatively assume he's a "lady killer." So, when Julián asks her to do his hair to show off to girls, he's thinking of long braids, like one of the girls has. When he sees the short-cropped cut she's done to "show off [his] handsome face," the boy is reduced to tears.

There's no point in this movie where Julián will come out as queer or discuss such labels with his loved ones. He's just a kid, loving the things he loves and being told that's wrong. After the tears over the haircut, after his insistence that the mermaid costume be colorful and covered in shimmer, Abuela understands who her grandson is. She decides she'll sew him the costume he dreams of, but she also fears how others will react. In a moment of pique, she warns him about being "too much." And so Julián is subjected to the stifling gender norms that are meant to protect him, but make him feel alone and ashamed.

However, like Julián Is a Mermaid (or Luca), this eponymous hero will find his happy ending, embraced by love, community, and family just as he is.

Julián is gorgeous and moving.

Bagnall creates a distinctive visual language for Julián that sets the film apart from Love's book. Thankfully, she rejects the three-dimensional CGI animation that has become almost mandatory for theatrical release across the medium.

Where Julián Is a Mermaid had a painterly look of watercolors, Julián reflects its hero's love of drawing by imitating the texture of markers and crayons. The colors are vibrant, showing the characters' Afro-Latino neighborhood in Brooklyn as a place of life and warmth. The soft edges of the characters and their round, bouncy designs reflect Julián's energy, which is like a Super Ball, high-soaring and playful. In sequences where the world transforms to reflect his imagination, watery fish fly, an aquatic goddess rises, and a whale shark with a belly made of stars soars with the boy mermaid. It's in these moments of embracing play that I thought of Craig and his Creek friends. In the movement of the sea creatures, I thought of Spirited Away's sprites or Ponyo's fishy wonders.

Julián's scenes of joy make moments where he is sad hit all the harder. This brilliant boy, whose nature is to sparkle, is (however briefly) urged to hide his light. The young voice actor's choked-up performance had me spilling tears of my own. The animation, shifting from fluid, spirited dances to stilted shoving, as this kid literally locks his imaginary friend up in a jewelry box, had my heart aching.

But even if you haven't read the book (I hadn't), the love that infuses every frame of Julián assured me that it would get better for him. The world around him is too bright and full of pleasure to keep him locked up in shame or confusion. So, rather than a simple but beautiful tale of a little boy and his abuela who go to the Mermaid Parade together (as Love's wonderful book is), Julián expands to be a thorough and thoughtful story of what it means to be different, misunderstood but still loved.

In the final act, rather than a gentle walk hand-in-hand to the Coney Island beach, Julián offers a rousing action sequence, as he runs away from home to join his friends at the parade. A race against time ratchets up tension, while his pursuing abuela is on a determined mission of her own, to mend what she fears she's broken.

In this race, Bagnall showcases the wonder of the Mermaid Parade, with a cast of characters that could all be Crystal Gems. They have big, colorful hair in pinks, greens, blues, and magentas. Their bodies are varied, none from the same cookie cutter. And when the boy and his friends call upon strangers at the parade for help, it's a trio of queer-coded mermaids (some with facial hair) who aid them kindly and easily. And here, I cried again — tears of joy for the recognition of what it means to find your community.

Where there are moments in Julián where the boy is faced with homophobia, the film overwhelmingly blooms with love. And I loved it right back.

Julián was reviewed out of its North American premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival.

You want your phone to last as long as it can on a charge, but you should pause before you swipe away those background apps — closing them might cause your phone to use more power, not less. It's counter-intuitive, I know, but here's why.

Most Linux distros you'll find are basically a pile of separate programs—a panel, a compositor, a window manager, and so on—all exchanging information and coordinating their behavior to create a cohesive experience.