#2022 favorites

[getawayfox]

OMG it’s already January! I’m so very late to this and I have seen so many wonderful lists, but I very much wanted to make my own, so I did. We are so lucky to be spoiled by so many incredible fics – here are some (in no particular order) that grabbed me by the heart and never let go.

💀 draco malfoy’s substitute murder service by @oknowkiss (Draco/Harry, E, 10k)

I HAVE. NO WORDS. In the best possible way. This fic has to be experienced first-hand. E is an insane genius. That’s it, that’s the rec.

🧑🏼‍🍳 Make This Leap by @oflights (Draco/Harry, M, 118k)

Competent Draco and disaster Harry my beloved! This fic is so sweet and lovely and I want to live in it forever.

📩 Per my last letter (I hope you choke on it) by @fluxweeed, @lastontheboat (Draco/Harry, T, 10k)

I laughed SO much reading this! It went straight into the bookmarks and I visit it every so often when I need a pick-me-up. And I swear I discover some new clever detail every time I do! Delightful, hilarious, perfect.

🐥 Robin’s Flufftober 2022 by @rockingrobin69 (Draco/Harry, M, 17,5k)

October was my favourite month because every day we got a dose of soft soft Robin sweetness - a moment of peace and safety every time her name popped on tumblr dashboard. I protect this collection in my bookmarks like the treasure it is.

❣️ Draco Malfory Absolutely Does Not Need to Be Loved by Harry Bloody Potter by @nv-md (Draco/Harry, E, 18k)

Draco’s voice in this fic! From the very first sentence (no, from the title!) I knew I was in the right hands. What a treat!

🛁 Rubber Drakey by @crazybutgood (Draco/Harry, T, comic)

This fic is an utter delight, creative and clever, adorable and laugh-out-loud funny. This is Draco in his cutest form!

🌞 Look For Me In the Sun by @wolfpants (Draco/Harry, M, 9k)

Obviously a wolfpants fic had to be on this list but which one? *points at the whole catalogue* There is no way to go wrong there, what a year they had! I think I have screamed most about Pages of you (the number of times AO3 tells me I visited that one is embarrassing), Romp and Circumstance, and The Hollow (yes these are links, what of it, no it’s not cheating), so I’m going mention another favourite: Look For Me In The Sun, gorgeously atmospheric, achy, stunningly written.

🦦 Kept in Cages by @sweet-s0rr0w and @ihopeyoubothstaysafefromharm (Draco/Harry, E, 77k)

This has got to be THE fic this year for me. It’s fitting, because last year it was Nor All That Glisters, which got me into the drarry fandom properly, so of course it’s Sweet who just casually swoops in with another banger that won’t leave my brain, accompanied by the most incredible Joy art. I think this fic had me already at the tags but I was not ready for everything there is to love about the story - it’s impossible to do it justice in just a few short sentences, but if you haven't read it yet, it should be on your list for sure.

💍 Paper Rings by @lettersbyelise (Draco/Harry, E, 50k)

OTP: inevitable. Two timelines, both so exquisitely delivered: eighth-year drarry and grown-up drarry, both times so different and wholesome. This story is everything I love: nuanced, funny, full of pining and history.

🌙 Take the Moon by @tackytigerfic (Draco/Harry, M, 15k)

This fic grabbed me and squeezed, and I don’t think I’ve been able to catch my breath since. I’m actually lost for words here because the story makes me feel so much but I haven’t been able to name it yet and maybe that’s okay. It’s the Tacky way of reaching deep down into my feelings and letting me sit with them.

🍋 Preserving Lemons by @saintgarbanzo and @ihopeyoubothstaysafefromharm (Draco/Harry, E, 17k)

I think this might be the only time I managed to guess the author when this was still anon (and, well. The genius artist too). Such intimacy and longing, gorgeous food and so many layers to the story.

🌼 He Loves Me, He Loves Me Not by @sleepstxtic (Draco/Harry, Draco/Astoria, T, 5k)

I know that the infidelity tag might put some people off, but this is a stunningly written (devastating) Astoria PoV that absolutely clawed at my heart in the best possible way.

🍎 The Wrong Sort by @vukovich (Draco/Harry, not rated)

This fic makes me want to scream even though Vuk came back with a second part that patched up my broken heart. “I didn’t know how else to keep it” will forever be etched into my eyelids. Thank you, Vuk.

🥂 Nights With You by @the-sinking-ship (Draco/Harry, E, WIP)

Technically, this counts because Sly started posting in Dec and I’m obsessed! Flirting! Banter! Oblivious Draco! *screams*

[filmografie]

Favorite films of 2022:

Hive, dir. Blerta Basholli

Great Freedom, dir. Sebastian Meise

The Fire Within: Requiem for Katia and Maurice Krafft, dir. Werner Herzog

TÁR, dir. Todd Fields

What Do We See When We Look At The Sky?, dir. Alexandre Koberidze

The Eternal Daughter, dir. Joanna Hogg

One Fine Morning, dir. Mia Hansen-Løve

Nothing Compares, dir. Kathryn Ferguson

Aftersun, dir. Charlotte Wells

Decision to Leave, dir. Park Chan-wook

[gerec]

Gerec’s Favorite Fics - 2022

It's that time of year again = go read these lovely fics and ring in the New Year!!!

Reminded Me of Brighter Days by emperors_girl 

There on his welcome mat is a brown long-handled basket with a bundle of blankets inside. The basket gurgles at him. Then it begins to cry.

No Three-to-Five, You’re Doing Life by brawlingdiscontent

Charles gets revenge. The third and final installment (though it should also stand on its own). Charles and Erik take their kinky and dysfunctional sex life to an all new level. 

twilight by ikeracity, specficslut (homosociality)

"Volatility was a chemical property. Erik remembered Mrs. Berkowitz saying, with the rhythm of a chant, volatility was how likely a substance was to mist into air, and that was how he felt now, like he could dissolve into nothing at any moment, unless he fucked Charles so hard his eyes spun back in his head."

For someone who kills monsters for a living, Erik is irrationally conflicted about the monster in his bed.

Mr & Mr Eisenhardt by faerie_ground

Charles Haller and Erik Eisenhardt meet at a bar, fall in love, and get married. Neither of them know that the other is an assassin working for a rival agency- but they're about to find out real soon.

a traditional courtship by Helenish

Maybe it’s even a game between them; he catches Charles often enough, watching him, curious, bemused. He lets it go further than he would, otherwise.

i worry that love is violence by intentation (WIP)

Seven years ago, Erik Lehnsherr vanished from a college bar after a night out. The investigation into his disappearance was brief and inconclusive, and his file was eventually shelved as a cold case.

Seven years later, an MIS raid on the home of one Sebastian Shaw reveals the truth: Erik Lehnsherr had been kidnapped, imprisoned in a cellar, and kept as a sex slave for seven years.

Now, in the aftermath of Shaw's arrest, Erik is confronted with the cold reality of his freedom. His burgeoning relationship with MIS agent Charles Xavier may save him--or destroy them both.

Feeding the idea of you, leaving me starving by hllfire

Apocalypse won, and Charles Xavier's body and power is his to take over the world and build a new one from its ashes, but Erik isn't sure if Charles is completely gone or not.

What We Inherit by populuxe

Ever since David came to live with his father, their relationship has been polite but distant: his father is always working, and David still sort of thinks of him as Charles Xavier, The World’s Most Famous Telepath, a larger-than-life figure he first saw on television five years ago.

But when the grandmother David never knew existed calls and demands to meet her grandson, a harrowing weekend trip reveals how much he and his father don’t know about each other—and alters things between them in ways he never would have predicted.

Unlived Histories (The Double Vision Remix) by populuxe

When he was a boy, a man visited Erik and his mother and helped them escape before the war. Years later, Erik finally learns the man’s identity—but the truth is far more complicated than he ever could have imagined.

Erik’s Flawless Minivan (Terrible Hanukkah Sweaters and Other Life Challenges Remix) by winter_hiems

Erik has two main goals when it comes to his kids’ school: making other parents jealous with how smooth his car runs, and teaming up with Gabrielle Haller to yell at teachers for not respecting their kids’ mutant and Jewish identities.

And then Gabrielle’s ex comes to town. And he’s very attractive.

unconventional by ikeracity

Ten years ago, Charles and Erik co-starred on the explosively popular animated show Greenkeep, where they first earned their big breaks — and where they fell in love. Now, at a cast reunion a decade later, they've made careful, PR-vetted plans to reveal their relationship to the fans with minimal fuss.

Of course — easier said than done.

pale, then enkindled (The Don't Read the Retweets Remix) by midrashic

The animated kids' show that brought Charles and Erik together gets a live-action reboot.

On the CW.

some like it sweet by ikeracity

He's just your sugar daddy, Erik reminds himself every day. You can't be in love with him.

Erik's got it all figured out—a delightful roommate, regular sex, his textbooks paid for. Except for the way his heart goes haywire whenever his sugar daddy is around.

scandal of the century by joshriku

The headline reads:

STEAMY SEX TAPE BETWEEN MAGNETO AND PROFESSOR X LEAKED!

“All right,” Charles says. “I wouldn’t call it steamy, you know, that’s an exaggeration.”

“That is seriously not the point, Professor,” Jean answers.

(A sex tape is leaked. PR crisis ensues).

how near to fairyland by ikeracity for hllfire

Since childhood, Charles has kept all the things he can't let go of in a beautiful room in his head. Cuba brings his precarious balancing act crashing down.

to put the world between us by populuxe

Erik Lehnsherr is one of the hottest actors in Hollywood: fresh off an Academy Award nomination, he’s about to star in HBO’s most anticipated show of the year. And even though online chatter about his recent string of queer roles keeps getting louder, his personal life remains personal—just as it always has, and just as his manager and publicist continue to advise.

But when he winds up at the same wedding as his college best friend, Charles Xavier—and when they quickly fall into bed together—he’s forced to revisit the past he’s been trying to get away from for years. The pull between them has always been magnetic, but so has the weight of secrecy. Can they keep from repeating the same mistakes, or will the price of the truth be too high?

[frenchygv]

I decided to paint my fave books from last year just for fun and now I want to do it every year and for years past.

[literatureaesthetic]

my top 3 films of 2022!! bladerunner 2049 is now my new favourite of all time, and i'm never gonna stop talking about it (sorry in advance) — my full 2022 list!!

[sleepy-monochrome-prince]

2022 Favorite Manga

It was generally an odd year for me in terms of reading manga. For several months I just had no desire to read anything. I’m sure it was due to depression (2022 started off...rough). I got a second wind around October so most of these I actually read just in the past three months.

Sayonara Sorcier by Hozumi (2012)

Astral Project - Tsuki no Hikari by Takeya Shuji & marginal (2005)

SHY by Miki Bukimi (2019)

Hinomaru Zumou by Kawada (2014)

Darwin’s Game (2012)

Change the World (2018)

Batman Justice Buster (2020)

Wind Breaker (2021)

Prison Hearts (2015)

My Home Hero (2017)

[o-the-mts]

2022 Year in Review: Favorite Songs

2022 Year in Review: Favorite Songs

Following up on my Song of the Week posts all year long, below are my 20 favorite songs of 2022! If that’s not enough, check out the Tidal and Spotify playlists with 51 smashing songs of the year. https://listen.tidal.com/playlist/3851ab49-6894-419d-94f4-30f391cab05f   The songs are arranged alphabetically with only one song per artist! “Blue is the Eye” by Ye Vagabonds “Cheetah” by Jay-Jay…

[kashilascorner]

2022 FAVORITES, part 2

see my other favorites of the year here

TV (anime)

1. Mob psycho 100 (seasons 1 to 3)

GIF by squirrelstothenuts

2. Showa genroku rakugo shinju [aka Descending Stories] (season 1)

GIF by muppethole

3. Kaguya-sama: love is war (season 2 & 3)

GIF by noisylovepatrol

4. Paradise kiss (season 1)

6. Given (season 1)

7. Akatsuki no yona [aka Yona of the Dawn] (season 1 + ovas)

8. O maidens in your savage season (season 1)

9. Castlevania (seasons 2 to 4)

10. Lupin III part 4

Mention: Arcane (season 1), Bloom into you (season 1), Ayakashi: samurai horror tales (season 1), Cyberpunk: edgerunners (season 1), Urusei Yatsura All Stars (season 1; still airing), Batman beyond (seasons 1 to 3), Dragon Age: absolution (season 1), Chainsaw man (season 1)

TV (live action)

I only watched a handful of live-action shows, from which my favorites were

Derry girls (season 3)

2. Star Trek: the original series (season 2)

3. What we do in the shadows (season 4)

Special mention: The last dance (2020)

[iridisscentt]

Favorite films watched in December 2022:

The Banshees of Inisherin (2022), dir. Martin McDonagh

The Night of the 12th (2022), dir. Dominik Moll

A Cure for Wellness (2022), dir. Gore Verbinski

Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio (2022), dir. Guillermo del Toro & Mark Gustafson

[gozdziak]

I read 51 books in 2022. These are my favorites. I read The White Book by Han Kang both in English and Polish translation. Both were exquisite. Han Kang wrote the book while on scholarship in Poland!

[filmografie]

Favorite films watched in December 2022:

TÁR (2022), dir. Todd Fields

The Eternal Daughter (2022), dir. Joanna Hogg

A Christmas Carol (1971), dir. Richard Williams

Aftersun (2022), dir. Charlotte Wells

Fire of Love (2022), dir. Sara Dosa

What Do We See When We Look at the Sky? (2022), dir. Alexandre Koberidze

[madeofcc]

Number 12!

Thanks a lot Laura for this ask :)

12/ Talk about a new friend you made this year !

I'll try to be short but I met a lot of new amazing people this year, and it's because of one coworker I met in my last job. She's basically like the sister I always wanted to have, she's gemini as well so we kinda understand each others perfectly and can jump from one idea to another so easily it's scary ^^ We also bounded pretty quickly which is rare for me, and I know I can count on her already if I ever feel down. Typically the kind of friend you need in your life to remind you how awesome life can be :)

[kodasea]

Son of Gondor

[o-the-mts]

2022 Year in Review: Favorite Albums

2022 Year in Review: Favorite Albums

Beyoncé, Taylor Swift, Harry Styles, and Lizzo all released acclaimed albums in 2022.  But you don’t come to this Very Small Blog to hear about that ! I posted 44 Album of the Week reviews this year (which includes 3 albums from last year and 1 reissue from 1966).  Here are 10 of my favorites I’ve culled from the list. Check out my lists of favorite albums from 2014, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020…

[kashilascorner]

2022 favorites, part 3

see previous parts

BOOKS

1. The three body problem, by Cixin Liu

The first book in a trilogy, this is a hard sci-fi. The story ties to the history of China in the 20th century as well as the Cold War, as well as concepts of astrophysics, while creating an impending sense of dread to tell its story. Are we alone in the universe? And if we are not, should we really want to know?

2. Project Hail Mary, by Andy Weir

Another sci-fi book, this one dealing also with aliens... Except in a very different way. The story slowly unfolds as out main protagonist and narrator starts remembering it. It's funny, endearing and also (surprisingly) very, very cute. There are talks of a movie adaptation and for once, I'm very excited about that prospect.

3. Acts of desperation, by Megan Nolan

I think this is the hardest to digest book I've ever read. As we follow the innermost thoughts of our nameless narrator/protagonist, she tells a story of pure desperation following a toxic relationship. The book deals with depression, harassement, sexual assault, abuse, drug use, alcoholism, self harm and eating disorders, among others. Truly devastating, bleak readread that shows some of the nastiest things in human nature.

4. No longer human, by Osamu Dazai

Another bleak reading, this one is very short --but that doesn't make it any less heavy. One of the most depressing books you will find out there, it also deals with the internal turnmoil of it's titular character. I love the Spanish title for this book, which translates to "unworthy of being human". And that really is what this is about. It also deals with themes of suicide, alcoholism and sexual abuse. It hits different when knowing it's partly autobiographical.

5. Pachinko, by Min Jin Lee

Mind you, I have a sense this book is very Christian. After all the main characters in the story are Christian. Here we have an intergenerational story presented in a simple, almost biographical style, following a Korean family that inmigrates to Japan during the colonial era. Through the central character Sunja, we follow the complex history of 20th century Korea and the trials and tribulations of the inmigrant experience, love, loss, trauma, acceptance and, perhaps, success.

6. Dictator, by Robert Harris

This is the third and final book in Robert Harris' Cicero trilogy which, as the name suggests, follows the life of Roman orator and politician Cicero. Here we see his final years coupled with Caesar's ascension to power and downfall. It was a good closure to an otherwise very good trilogy.

Special mentions: Perfume (Patrick Suskind), Love in the times of cholera (Gabriel Garcia Marquez), Circe (Madeline Miller), Evidence of the affair (Taylor Jenkins Reid).

[filmografie]

Favorite films watched for the first time in 2022:

Adoption (1975), dir. Márta Mészáros

An Unmarried Woman (1978), dir. Paul Mazursky

The Red and the White (1967), dir. Miklós Jancsó

Three Sisters (1970), dir. Laurence Olivier

Port of Shadows (1938), dir. Marcel Carné

A Family Submerged (2018), dir. María Alché

Stroszek (1977), dir. Werner Herzog

The Story of a Three-Day Pass (1967), dir. Melvin Van Peebles

The Round Up (1966), dir. Miklós Jancsó

The Collection (1976), dir. Laurence Olivier