#Because he’s the first fictional character I remember seeing and just absolutely adoring.

[frostyclove]

Starting a 13th Doc rewatch in honor of sunclair so i can write it accurately since ive only ever seen it all once. i will be obnoxiously high (because why not) one post per episode i think?? sorted by reblogs? that seems like a plan. hopefully 3 a day. as a prerequisite ; my opinion of the 13th doctor is essentially '10th doctor but more color' and i do generally think i like her more than 10. dan > ryan > graham > yaz - its nothing against yaz its entirely chibnall just being really solid at writing endearing old men; its his biggest writing strength. we shall see if any of this changes with the rewatch :) I write a lot. sorry in advance on the length

With that, onto The Woman Who Fell To Earth !

yall can never make me hate ryan the intro is actually so good

i, personally, do not think doctor who should look that pretty. the sky should not be that crisp i feel like i am looking at a microsoft computer picture thing. too pristine. but objectively absolutely stunning absolutely gorgeous. between the framing and the lighting and the color grade and how it looks on the costumes - the show looks very nice.

dynamics!! character building is already off to a great start and it was unpaused for like 3 seconds. also the way it cuts to the other shots - that was very pretty. again very film. but objectively very pretty.

i should note here that i should have done some homework and watched the 5th doctor era before this - for some reason i have an idea that it must be chibnalls biggest classic inspiration but ive never seen it so i cant provide citations for that. but its likely a thing i'll say as it goes on

lol just tosses the bike now okay - very nice characterization. but i myself am stuck worried thats gonna whack somebody on the way down

also like techincally is them siting on the rocks not considered character building like theyre all fucking crazy adventurous people. like adore them but omg thats scary as hell and theyre just chillin - perfect for the doctor !

well thats a completely different forest.

that is such a torchwood style moment and honestly there is a bit of a torchwood feel to all of 13s era and i do really enjoy that.

now i am american so i must say yaz's uniform looks utterly fake because in my mind the real one is the welsh one from torchwood. i know its a country or more specific of a difference. but the welsh one is the real one to me.

i know theres dicourse about the yaz of it all here. i dont remember what it is though. so ill say - im reading this as yaz first handling the thing, while also like very much having to fake the confidence in order to do it. like shes not comfy in it yet, but she can and she will. and then secondly her boss being a bit of prick. but like hes a cop why would i be mad about them having a cop act like a cop (a prick). idk.

ryan is incredibly funny and charismatic in this scene, yaz is less so but thats also a character point again its giving awkward and im enjoying that from her. also they both kinda go flat when they realize they know each other - so im fairly certain that was an intentional character choice as well. theyre like, acting like its a reunion. very natural to reality.

oh i strongly disliked the camera placement on that scene though

train! okay now the perfection of the shot looks better now because there enough shadow to make up for the lack of pixel lines. contrast is apparently a skill not being taught

disappointed in graham but we certainly are learning about the two of them and their personalities. in action no less!

lol not graham being immediately then whacked by the most possibly violent crash in the circumstances

well that just got absolutely horrifying maybe they are teaching contrast i see the plan now

alright - the music is very different. its not bad. its actually really good. its just really different. i feel as though im watching a 2015 creepypasta video. like i associate it with the deepest parts of fictional fear, but its also like, doctor who and the start of the episode so its almost out of place. although it is very torchwood!

lightning worms? i dont remember the villain being lightning worms

omg jodi looks so good wtf i forgot how good she looked in this ep why didnt we keep this wig

i cannot see. what is going on with this section

i love her "stay put" girlie you just showed up why would they do that also i think she just fully assumed they were already her companions there - 12 regenerated to clara and strax after all.

very monologue but practical and i think it works and ads that always begged for by fandom aspect of 'domesticness' assuming i even understand it (not sure i do i just see people complaining about its lack all the time idk what theyre on about tbh)

i love how like almost planned the doctor is. its like beat by beat performative its perfect. just the right amount of dramatic flair

if this is the only episode her bottom lashes have mascara then a fashion crime has been committed

chat im trying to be casual here but im actually in love with jodi whittaker wtf i forgot how much i did just love her embodying the character. like this outfit why couldnt we keep the coattttt

lolll they think shes absolutely bonkers i love it shes adorable

shes such a goof 'can we have the lights and sirens' babes what do you think ?

not doctor brain then translating for everyone else frankly thats improvement !! we love to see little growth moments between doctors. internalize those clara cards!

not the lesson on the importance of community hes trying to do the thing hes trying

shes literally glowing <3

'yeah i guess so' how can you NOT like ryan oh wait his poor phone

YOURE ALL MEAN TO THE GOOFBALL FOR WHY. BE NICE TO THE GOOFBALL. omg ryan get behind me ur getting the wally treatment welcome to the team

graham what the fuck not you too

TINKER FAIRY DOCTOR TINKER FAIRY DOCTOR

i love the doctor speech paired up with set dressings fitting for a serial killer lair. thats a beautiful touch

lol its actually so funny to think about earth being a proxy war location given how many proxy wars we have like honestly yeah uk or the us should kinda bear the brunt of those (obvs none actually should but its fiction guys its called ~dramatic irony~)

so sincerely what foundation is jodi wearing in this its amazing

the drunk guy was so unnecessary and yet also so funny

like the camera shouldnt be sooo good that i can clearly tell styrofoam when i see it. poor costume departments everywhere yall deserve better conditions (joking guys it just makes it annoying and difficult its not like a full on work hazard i know)

im gonna need some good fic recommendations i think. i kinda forgot how susceptible i am to big eyes as if thats not like the defining characteristic of my type omg the doctor absorbed clara's tricks

ooooh its a game i wonder if itll tie into any of the stuff from this season somehow/eventually idk just seeing the double game of it all

im so so sorry guys she just looks so much like kate beckett and i just realized this and now i also am thinking about her and now im just very distracted im certain the plot is plotting along but outside of the tim ice blue guy being a cheating loser theres not much plot going on for me to miss

talks a big game but then just lets them have it doctor why are you like this

this is why you be careful. because he is special. he is valued. because he is the trophy. for an alien species. be careful out there/j

every character death will be humanized. im noticing that is a recurring thing

i do think they were going for leaving the options open for a ryan yaz something and omg am i glad they did not but this part does feel like it was specifically for the just in case they did

ngl i hate the crane of it all. interesting for like a writing prompt but i do not enjoy it i dont think

you know i have some thoughts on graham right now and they arent good one

youtubing how to crane omg ryan the icon

okay i take it back jodi looks hot as hell on the crane its all worth it for that shot wow

this guy is honestly quite adorable ; reminds me of whittaker from the pitt funnily enough. sad hes probs gonna die

fucking ridiculous the doctor is what the fuck why are we doing crane parkour

yeah now you know how some of the companions felt doctor you do a lot of running and youre usually very tall

im not gonna talk about the one thing. im just not. i dont know. i just sad.

'sorting out fair play in the universe' awwww and then the giggle thats kinda cute actually a nice little thru line

so im not gonna talk about that either i have no postable thoughts about that its certainly organic looking

oh the sad is now well thats rude the music is very good that was icky i am tearing up

can someone please give ryan a hug omg

still wanna have a really long chat with the costume dept . why did we land on that , exactly?

also the best part of that is the earrings and i dont even think they kept those

not kicking them out to space omg silly ass cliffhanger

okay that took me three hours and i really enjoyed it and i held back on commentary omg that was kinda a mess on my end but on the whole 8.5 i think, really solid episode. i'll do more tomorrow :)

[lilolilyr]

Reader Wordcount Tag Feb 2025

Yeah I'm still doing that xD 2024 • January '25

I've read 4 million words in fic this February!

When it comes to books, I've also read Agatha Christie's very first Poirot, 'The Mysterious Affair at Styles', in an anniversary edition that had her original ending as well as the one amended by her editors, which was an interesting comparison to see! Also, I think I should be able to start guessing who the murderers in crime stories are because in the last three crime novels I read and two films I watched, it was always my favorite minor character! xD I also continued the Discworld novel 'Moving Pictures' but only made it a chapter or so further in, not because I don't like it - the shenanigans of wizard university students in particular were hilarious - but just because other things were more interesting to me at the moment. Oh, and I read some chapters in a non-fiction book about birds! I got it for my dad at the library because I figured that as an avid birdwatcher he might find it interesting and I was right :D and once he finished it I also started reading and I can only recommend it, it's very interesting! 'The Bird Way' by Jennifer Ackerman. Funnily enough my dad used a bookmark I gave him a couple years back with of a painting with a bird in a tree on it, made by @amysnotdeadyet :D

My fic reading and thus my recommendations of the month are a bit more varied than just Star Wars this time - though we've still got a whole bunch of that! Other fandoms too, though: The Witcher (mainly Geraskier, especially anything related to the Accidental Warlord series by @inexplicifics - I read a Star Wars adaptation to that by @bairnsidhe, the Accidental Verd'Alor series, months ago that I absolutely adore and when I went back to it saw it was inspired by the Witcher fic and I love that one just as much!), DC (SuperBat) & Warehouse 13 (Bering and Wells - the gift exchange was so much fun and I ended up reading even more fics after I went through all the new ones!) :)

Unrelated but fitting to my still ongoing Star Wars obsession - shoutout to @toboldlynerd and the badge maker at their university! I absolutely adore these and they'll take pride of place on my coat and laptop bag :D

No-pressure-tagging everyone who sees this to make their own rec list of their favorite February fics, and/or share what books you've read recently- or to just remember to use the Ao3 bookmark-rec function a bit more in the future :D

~~~ continue reading ~~~

I also read a couple of great Harry Potter longfics but we're not talking about that above the readmore, no Sir, because jkr sucks with her bigotry and thus any HP content shan't be advertised. If you're already in the fandom tho, there are a bunch of fics by queer and anti-jkr authors in there, and in general well written fics!

~

Reader Wordcount Calculation: History 5,242,138 - to read: -896,597 (several works, I also did the excel calculations here instead of counting them one by one bc it was several Ao3 pages long lmao, so many this month mostly bc of the Accidental Warlord thing - I always opened the inspired-by fics and bookmarked them to read later, bc I didn't want to confuse myself by reading AUs of the AU in the middle of the fic lmao), - to continue reading: 824485-143206-73343-87257-59903-18578 - didn't read yet -8018-3503 + external source: 20000+6000+6000+9000+74000+42668+30989 → Total: 5242138−896597−442198−11521+188657 = 4,080,479

The authors I've read most fic from this month, %es figured out by copying the author column from the excel history sheet (so it's not entirely accurate, but ish), and checking them in https://wordcounter.net/: winner by a wide fucking margin @inexplicifics inexplicifics at 14%, then @kitastrophea local_doom_void 3%, @whispered-story whisperedstory 3%, and at 2% each @penandinkprincess penandinkprincess kaedwenitome shadowfoxdemon27 just_another_dax @sparrowrising sparrowrising musicalgalaxy1000 falconer54 :)

&, both because of the fic recs and to make you look at the pretty badges, adding my still short Star Wars tag list: @toomuchactionforme @the-willow-that-weeps :)

In case anyone's curious, this is the bookmark from my dad's bird book - it has clearly suffered some under my dad so I didn't want to put it above the readmore bc this really doesn't do the art justice anymore lmao, but it's still very pretty! And I didn't find the exact art on Amy's blog to link here o.o

[halliescomut]

Love Sea Ep 3 watch along

Okay, but that little reminder text is a perfect example of showing you care without saying you care. 🥹

Okay but sometimes Mame is unexpectedly very deep and very good with words.

P'Vi confuses me. I do like the blunt honesty her and Rak have though. That's important in friends.

Mook is so absolutely adorable. If Vi makes her cry I will figure out how to kick the ass of a fictional character.

So it seems their dad did worse than just leave them based on that convo between Rak and his sister. (I think I remember discussion of that from where ppl were discussing the novel on Twitter, but I did make the decision to not try and read the novel first.)

I kinda wanna know where all of Mut's button-up shirts are from. I really like them.

Rak being all depressing and Mut and ....shoot I forgot his name again... going diving.

Mut(Fort really) is just so cuddle shaped.

On iQiYi the OST lyrics overlap with the actual captions and it's annoying as fuck

This fucking nosey ass 🤣🤣

The difference in aesthetics for their clothes here is so wild. I will say though that I like that there's wardrobe repetition. That's not always common in TV, and it really fucks with the believability. I know it's more common in Thai BL, but that's mostly bc so many involve ppl that wear a uniform of some sort (looking at you University BLs).

Interesting...very interesting. I talked.... somewhere... About how the social power dynamics at play here were dangerous because they were going into this whole thing without being honest (with themselves or each other) and it was going to have fallout.

I don't know if I'm surprised Mut took so long, or if maybe I expected him to take Rak's verbal abuse a little longer.....

A beautiful scene. It's a lovely bit of physical acting how Rak sort of melts into Mut.

I do think it's so funny how Mut always says he's so simple (and in some ways he is) but people seem to take it to mean not smart or clever, and he's very obviously both. I can't tell if he truly sees himself that way or if it's an attempt to have people underestimate him....maybe it's both.

Well now I'm just depressed. Thanks a lot Rak. But seriously, I do appreciate the clarification of the family dynamics. I'm also a bit surprised Rak is opening up so soon to Mut about this. Idk if it's because it's at the front of his mind, or if Mut's kind of easy acceptance of everything makes it seem easy...idk.

Ruh-ro raggy .... Rak thinks this is gonna be a failed experiment because he truly doesn't think real love exists, but I fear he will be wrong (this is a romance after all).

I'm curious about Mut's motivations though. I believe he believes in love. I also think he wants Rak to, or maybe just for Rak to have some peace? Idk. He's surprisingly hard to read. As much as I think he likes Rak (both as a person and a sex partner) I don't think he's fallen in love with him at this point.

While I do love a fake dating storyline ... I'm still on the fence about P'Vi.

I feel like Fort had to carry Peat for a long time for this scene. I bet his arms were killing him. (Though we've seen the gym pics, I know he's been working out.)

That's so cute.

Oh yeah...slow mo pushing the hair back. Very Baywatch

Are we doing more beach sexy time?

I Guess Not. We're back at the keyboard.

You're gonna sit here and tell me that's not a goddamn puppy in human form??? LIES!!

He's goddamn adorable. I'd want one for myself if I wasn't Ace and had any idea what to do with one other than feed it and take it for walks.

Peat's got nice hands 🥵...send tweet.

That was such a sharp poke. OMG 🤣🤣

Okay but this is practically a still from the PaiSky fanfic I wrote. Linked here.

Rak likes cuddles. Cute little bean.

Palm ....that's his name. I was thinking Pond earlier, which is close. And now he's being nosey again.

Mut's face when Palm waved back🤣🤣🤣 Like bitch I ain't waving at you

I do think it's sweet how determined Palm is to be a good wingman though.

I do appreciate the love bite front and center. But what are our thoughts on whether it's makeup or a 'practical effect'?

"A dog in rut more like." "Well then his owners is as well." 🤣🤣

Mut's nervous to take Rak to his home. Sweet, but legit if Rak were to judge him for his home I would vote for kicking him to the curb, no matter how much I like him.

Ahhhhh.....so Ja is VI's costar...okay. God I forget how fucking tall he is. Mans practically a redwood.

Is this like Wedding Plan, but make it straight???

I know that bunny purse is entirely impractical for the person I am, but it's so cute.

It really is weird people would be claiming boob job when I think Vi is a B cup on a good day.

Very impressive just fully ignoring the sexuality question Vi.

Mook, babes....you gave in way too fast.

"I'm not bi." I know a lie by omission when I see one. That statement does not equal that you are straight.

You are a damn liar Rak. This little visit has nothing to do with inspiration. You want to be nosey and learn more about Mut.

I like the environmentalism aspect woven into the show. It's good.

As if I couldn't hate your dad more Mut. Calm down Satan.

So we know why Mut left. But really how can someone make their living from nature but not care enough about it??

Okay exhibitionist Rak.

Idk why but there's something about Rak straddling Mut that just....

Well.....we can tick off the Fort's nipple obsession of on the bingo board.

And we're returning favors. Very egalitarian.

Two condoms....well. You certainly had plenty of energy there didn't you....

There's a couple wrappers on the floor, but those do look unopened.

Also vaguely off topic: while the sheets are not the Slutty Geometry Sheets™️, I think my sister has the same kind.

Hmmm....now this is a juicy conversation. Rak being so intentionally honest here telling Mut to ask him to stay. He's afraid to take the leap, but he wants to.

As a side note....I cannot tell you how much I love them showing Fort's physical 'imperfections'. The kind of farmer's tan he has going on, you can see the stretch marks on his upper arms. He's an absolutely gorgeous man, but so often that stuff gets filtered out, or covered in makeup. I love seeing it. We need this more.

OMG I'm crying.

This is important though. Rak needs to know that his answer will have consequences.

That was the right answer. (Though the shabby hole comment about his house was a bit much. I'm hoping that's more a translation issue.)

I suspect the country mouse shall go to the city in next week's episode.....

Awwww Rak in Mut's tank top. Cute.

I really thought Rak was bare-assed for a second pulling a Pete, but no, he's in khaki pants.

So cute and sweet 🥹🥹🥹. Also, I love the bed net. Malaria is no joke.

So next week are we looking at just an NDA or is that contract for like a full Sugar Baby position??

Also end credits change-up again. Now MutRak are walking together....symbolic.

Well that's all for this watch along. I don't think I'll have 4k words to say about it tomorrow, but we shall see.

[a-decent-human-being5]

My Thoughts and Opinions on all the Season One Drawtectives Witnesses Because I Just Finished Rewatching it

(Spoilers under the cut btw)

Buzz: Yeah his design is adorable the drawtectives are completely valid to just melt the second he comes on screen. I adore his voice and the fact that he doesn’t really talk that much, very fun contrast with the cute design. His crush on Dr. Fontaine is also incredibly cute glad they got to sit next to each other at Huck E. Heese. Wish I could eat some of his food but that’s kinda how I feel about all fictional chefs cause I like good food.

Don Jovi: What a name. I remember when I first watched the show I didn’t like him very much because he was the first witness to say “well you gotta earn the clue about the murder” but all things considered they’re chill. I don’t have many thoughts on them though other than the fact that it’s funny how even he finds the crew’s love for Buzz to be a bit much.

Avis Smythe: He obviously didn’t do it but I absolutely feel like he would kill for his son, even though he doesn’t actually know his age lol. Idk he just defends Ogalvy as a good kid so much, despite how blatantly obvious of a troublemaker he is, that I absolutely could see him killing for him if it came to that. Which brings me to yeah in terms of being a good dad he probably should set more boundaries but I love that he just lets Ogalvy do basically whatever weIl also swearing up and down that he’s such a good boy. I get why he was chosen as the fall guy but I also love that the crew went the complete opposite direction with it of “well it couldn’t be Avis cause he’s so nervous he’d probably just tell us if he did it”. However that does always make me wonder how he was able to be a good mole in his job. Also I didn’t say it yet but for him and Ogalvy both the designs are amazing. The reveal that they aren’t actual bird people is iconic. I love how their designs still perfectly match the masks like I would expect no one else under those masks you know.

Ogalvy Smythe: He’s such a little chaotic troublemaker of a kid I absolutely adore it. The fact that this child is not just a thief but a dedicated thief is amazing. Like he’s actively getting so upset when he realizes that there were expensive jewels in this house that someone who’s not him already stole. It’s perfect. He’s also Such a funny character like his lines are iconic and consistently had me laughing. It’s just that complete accurate bluntness that a 5 or something year old has. I don’t want to repeat myself too much but it should be said just how good his design is. Like he is just an egg and I love that for him. It’s not that important and makes sense but I do appreciate just how fitting the cartoon characters he assigned to each of the drawtectives are. Like yes Rosé gets hot lady, York gets hot guy, and Grendan gets dog, perfect. Also speaking of the drawtectives I love how they all eventually came around on him. And of course you can’t talk about Ogalvy without talking about his bond with Rosé. It’s adorable love these thief buddies love that Rosé takes him under her wing despite the fact that she’s trying to get out of that lifestyle. I love it all. Rosé asking what all he stole to try and see if he has the jewels is both a very smart move on her end and such a cute little bonding moment. Plus that gave us all the iconic line of “the hearts and minds of the people”. Overall I just absolutely love Ogalvy he’s probably my second favorite witness and despite his criminal tendencies, or let’s be honest here do in large part to them, he’s such a fun and charming character.

Faucon: Coolest person ever. I love how laid back she is it can sometimes be very funny just how chill she is about absolutely everything. Like just how cool she is was something so refreshing that it was almost comical. Love how she inspired Grendan to change up his name for the first time that’s pretty cool. Even though the name change is just a joke at that point Faucon is still just so supportive of it like it’s real sweet to see. Objectively she’s just the down to earth celebrity but she’s so good at being it you know. She’s cool and understanding while also not down playing her fame. I feel like most down to earth celebrities in fiction fall into a trap of just disregarding or not really liking their fame but that’s not really Faucon. She might be chill and not actively bringing up her status as a celebrity but she still loves her music and her band and if her interactions with the drawtectives is anything to go off of her fans too. She is truly just so nice and supportive about like absolutely everything. Even for something simple like Grendan not knowing many songs her immediate response is, that’s fine and you shouldn’t feel like you have to lie about it. Ended up loving her a lot more than I previously did upon rewatch.

Harper Justice: A lot of people love Harper but I’m not one of those people. I get why other’s like her so much but I am York in this situation. Her spoiled contradictions in her morals upset me. I also can’t stand how she didn’t give them any clues at the end of it. I do like her a lot more in the one shot stream where she’s less drunk and angry, plus giving her a pet that she loves immediately makes her more endearing. This post is only really about season one though so as it stands I still don’t really like her. I hope that her and her mom get closer after she tells her the truth about her past though. I just think it would be nice especially since they’re the only members of the justice family that are left.

Sam Ug: Sam gives us a lot of interesting information after Grendan uses their power on her. I really think her past as a criminal is intriguing especially in relation to Sorin giving her a second chance and her not really trusting people because of her past. Love that she’s based on a dragon and the cigarette representing the smoke is a cool choice. Kinda unrelated to her as a character but her drawing prompt is one of my absolute favorites in season one. It’s just so funny to watch the crew explain photoshop actions in traditional art wording as everyone is just sitting there like damn you really brought your whole ass art kit here tonight huh Grandma. Overall though I think she’s interesting and her past has some cool implications about how she is currently.

Emery Justice: Emery is a horrible evil dad killer we know this, however sense we do know this it can be a little fun to watch him upon rewatch. Like seeing him so quickly agree with any witness the drawtectives propose. Watching him talk up how strong the person must of had to be to overpower his dad. How he out the gate says he wants to help catch whoever is responsible for his father’s death. Like I don’t really like Emery and he’s probably my least favorite witnesses of this season, but sense he is the murder he can also be kinda interesting for that reason.

Susan Fontaine: She’s very sweet and very proficient in her field of work which I respect. She’s actually so sweet that it catches the crew completely off guard, which is pretty funny to watch considering they’re so not used to someone being so agreeable and easy to work with. I think it’s cute how she knows most celebrities because of the interns at her job like it’s just kinda sweet. To me her listening to her interns about casual stuff kinda just shows her caring nature even outside of this case. Also I already said it when talking about Buzz but they’re pretty cute together. Them sitting at Huck E. Heese is adorable. Yeah she’s nice and sweet but I honestly don’t have many thoughts about her outside of that.

Llarm Alasa: My favorite witnesses. He is fashionable for one like the outfit is just great. I completely forgot that he opened it up with the drawing prompt immediately but I kinda love it. It kinda feels like a fun contrast to Dr. Fontaine who gave them all the information up front and then asked for a drawing after just for fun. I don’t know if this was at all intentional but it sure works out nicely with their episodes being back to back. Him just wanting to do something by getting into the drawing challenge dose makes sense though cause as he says he’s been in this room for ever. Also he’s so incredibly tired which again is completely fair considering he’s the last witness and had to just sit in this room for 10 hours. And all this on the same night that one of his best friend died like that sucks so much. He’s so clearly not doing well right now given the whole situation so he tries to distract himself with invention ideas so he doesn’t have to think about it. He basically says this himself. He also brings up how he tends to bury himself in his work to distract from his personal problems which just has me sitting there like bud that’s an awful coping strategy. I’m just glad that at the end of it though the drawtectives give him a new thing for him to think about with whether or not anyone there has been an animatronic the whole time. Also can I just say that his response of “that would be amazing” to that thought is so funny. Like given the witnesses track record you think he would just say it sounds stupid or something but no, to him that idea is cool as hell. It’s just so endearing and speaking of things that make him endearing, I’m great at segways I know, I love him for being a cat owner. Plus it’s a black cat that’s named after something he really enjoys which appeals to me specifically as someone who also has a black cat that was named after something I enjoyed. It is a slight upset that he doesn’t show the crew any cat photos but like he comes around in the end by telling them to follow his Binstagram so I won’t hold it against him. Honestly the only real slight I have against him is that you can not go around picking up obvious murder weapons off the floor my guy. Like do I kinda respect him for not really trusting the bumbling idiots that are the B team cops? Yes. Do I think that could be an interesting thing to think about considering he was Sorin’s close friend and wanting an important piece of evidence to be taken care of properly kinda shows a weird sense of care for him? Also yes. But do I think it was a good move? Absolutely not. At least he eventually trusts to give it to Jancy and the other three. Also I do think he’s mainly trusting Jancy over the drawtectives considering he actively lets out a sigh of relief when she comes in the room. Anyways I’m sorry that I rambled so much about my favorite but I just love him so much he’s literally my favorite witnesses/npc of the entire series.

[that-one-enby-ranger]

Hi, you reblogged a thing asking to ramble about the outsiders, and I remember reading that book like 2 years ago and loving it. I and my best friend would absolutely adore hearing you ramble about the outsiders, so, please dooo

Oh I will gladly ramble on about The Outsiders.

Firstly I'm just gonna start off with my order of favourites from the main seven.

Darry. He is my absolute love. I made a list of my top ten favourite fictional characters over all and he was number four. I would gladly marry him. I want to hug him. I will defend him until the day I die. Patrick Swayze is amazing too.

Sodapop. He used to be my favourite when I first read it, but then Darry went straight up to my favourite and now he is my number 2 and will probably be for the rest of time. I love him though, he's so sweet and amazing and handsome. I think when I first read it I felt I related to him because I'm the middle child as well and even though my sisters don't fight like Ponyboy and Darry do, I sometimes get left out of things like when they play Bendy or Little Nightmares.

Two-Bit. He's my little goofball. And I love thats there more to his character as well than just being a little goofball. Like how his father left, and he really cares about the rest of the gang like Pony and Johnny because he wants to look after them and was going to go to texas to find them. When writing The Outsiders fanfics he's fun to write for because he's a just a funny little guy. I love him. I want him as a friend. Or a husband. Either is fine.

Dally. I love him. I love characters who are fucked up with very high emotional walls who secrelty loves someone a lot and has a lot of trauma. The only thing I don't like about him, as that he kind of reminds me of my dickhead stoner cousin.

Johnny. I know he's low down, but I still love him a lot, and I want to look after him, and adopt him, and make him feel better, and kick his parents arses because they're little pieces of shit that deserve to go to hell. My sweet little lost puppy.

Steve. A lot of people don't like him, and I used to not really care about him, but I do now, because even though he's just a side character whose not in it much, he's still complex and got trauma, mainly from his dad. And he's Sodapop's best friend and I ship Stevepop. Plus he's played by Tom Cruise in the movie.

Ponyboy. I honestly don't really care about Ponyboy. He's just kind of there for me. Being realistic out of the entire gang he's probably the one I could relate to the most, and that I'm probably the most like especially since he likes to read and watch movies, but he's still kind of boring to me. I normally find the main characters boring. Sometimes.

Anyways now that the done. Darry. I love me Darry. A lot of this will probably be about Darrel Shayne Curtis Jr. because I love him so goddamn much. Words can't even describe how much I love him. He's just another complicated character. I don't care if he hit Ponyboy. I shall defened him. He loves his brothers he's just trying to look out for them. He probably shows more affection for his brothers than me and my sisters do. He literally calls them bub. I only do that with my best friend and it's because of him. She doesn't even realise it, she just thinks I randomly started calling her bub. I don't usually like guys with big muscles that you can see, but Darry is the biggest exception ever. I usally like twinks or people that are strong and have muscles but it doesn't really show that much until they do something, or have not as visible muscles but they are still visible, and still have really strong arms, like how I imagine Halt. And Patrick Swayze is gorrrrrrrrgeousssssssss. I love him so much.

JUST LOOK AT THIS MAN. HOW COULD YOU NOT FALL IN LOVE WITH HIM. AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA. WHEN MY FRIEND ASKS WHAT POLAROID PHOTO I WANT PRINTED FOR MY BIRTHDAY IM CHOOSING HIM. I WOULD CHOOSE BRIAN OR FREDDIE OR JOHN OR ROGER BUT I ALREADY HAVE MY ENTIRE ROOM DEDICATED TO HIM AND I HAVE NOTHING ON HIM EXCEPT FOR THE BOOK.

I swear to fuck when I read the book for the first time it changed my life and I instantly fell in love with it. My sister read it first for a novel study and she liked it, and then for my year 9 English class we had to read some books from a list that was given to us and the Outsiders was on it so I read it, and loved it very very much. I finished it before I had to return it so I just read it again immediately after finishing it. And then I watched the movie, then watched it again, then read the book again and again, and watched the movie, and bought the book and read it, and now I have lost track of how many times I have read and watched it. I read the book and watch the movie multiple times a year. When I first read it, I was reading in the car on the way to school and that was when I read the very sad death scenes. Did not expect to read a very serious plot point on a fifteen minute car ride to school. I remember thinking there's no way this ones gonna die, and then he did. I THOUGHT HE SURVIVED THE FUCKING FIRE. I had watched the movie with my sister before reading it but I wasn't really paying attention, the only thing I remember was the scene where Pony and Soda were hugging in bed, BUT I DIDN'T REMEMBER ANYONE DYING SO I THOUGHT WHEN I READ IT THAT EVERYTHING WAS GONNA BE OKAY. THEN I DEFINETELY DIDN'T EXPECT HIM TO DIE LITERALLY TWO FUCKING PAGES LATE. I am ashamed of my self that I have never cried over this. I'm surprised I have never cried while reading or watching. I may have cried over it once or twice, but it wasn't because of the deaths or how tragic it was, it was because I wanted to hug Darry and I couldn't.

The entire fucking cast is amazing. You've got Patrick Swayze, you've got Tom Cruise, you've got Rob Lowe, you've got Matt Dillon, you've got Ralph Macchio, you've got Emelio Estevez and you've got C. Thomas Howell who I don't really care about if I'm being honest. I also find it funny that pretty much the entire cast became famous apart from C. Thomas Howell, and he played Ponyboy who is literally the main character. But all the other cast became famous from different movies. Patrick from Dirty Dancing, Rob from probably St. Elmo's Fire or something, and the Outsiders too though, Matt from something else I don't know, Tom from like everything, Emelio from the Breakfast Club and Ralph from Karate Kid.

There's the Outsiders musicle now that I haven't watched yet and I don't know if I want to. I've heard its good, and people like the cast, but I'm too attached to the original movie cast, and I honestly don't know if I like it or not. I keep switching between being okay with watching and just refusing to watch it. And it's funny because when I heard there was going to be a musicle I was really excited but not I'm just meh. If it came to New Zealand to Wellington where I saw the Shrek musicle then I would probably see it if I had money. But at the moment I probably won't watch it. It's like the outsiders tv show they have, I probably won't watch that either. Also sidenote, I watched Shrek the Musicle in a haunted theatre called St. James Theatre. Why do I feel like i'm spelling musicle wrong.

I have another sideblog dedicated to The Outsiders as well called @ponyhasapepsiaddiction. I should make another sideblog entirely dedicated to loving Darry.

I feel like I definetely have more to say on them. But I've been writing for ages and it's 1:00pm for me now, and I'm hungry and want lunch. I know people may not be interested, but I do have some Outsiders fics, most of them have been recommened by other people.

Here's some random photos I also have saved to my computer:

That's not alll of them. There's defintely more.

Thanks for letting me ramble on about my babies. Out of all my favourite books this ones my second fav after Rangers, and out of all my favourie movies this ones my second fav after Bohemian Rhapsody so I kind of like it. Also thanks to anyone who actually read to the very end and put up with my bullshit.

Just putting it out there, if anyone would like to hear me yap about and ramble on about other things I like I will also gladly do Queen (that one will be the longest trust me), Rangers Apprentice obviously, Good Omen, Our Flag Means Death, ducks, Marvel, different fictional characters I like, different celebrities I like, or just OCs and Wips, like my novel.

[jtownraindancer]

top 5 burn characters go

Good gods Anon this is evil. Only five!??? 😭💕

I spent like three days trying to make up my mind on this, and I'm still not satisfied, but as of the moment, in no particular order:

The Best Boys

Mr. William Guppy of Kenge & Carboy, Bleak House

He's awkward, he's manipulative, he has no real social skills to speak of, and he's in love. I actually really disliked this character when I first read the book circa 2011, but as Burn seems wont to do, I ended up being completely won over in the end. ^_^; His Guppy is expressive, less a comic relief and almost sympathetic. I mentioned in a conversation with @synthapostate about how Guppy is technically an antagonist, but he's played in such a way that you really can't see it (unlike the book). Also the camera is half in love with Burn this entire series, and it makes it very, very easy to fall in love with this dorky, curly-haired puppy of a man.

Dr. Hermann Gottlieb, Pacific Rim & Pacific Rim: Uprising

I could write sonnets about Hermann for how much I've come to love him. 😅 He's one of the Characters of All Time for me. From his passion, his stubborn resilience, and his sharp humor, to his unwavering loyalty for those he cares for and his ability to care so deeply, how could I not irrevocably fall for him? (Also singlehandedly the cause of the 2023 Burn Binge.) Hermann found his way into my heart from the very beginning, but I never realized how at home he had made himself until the day I turned around and he was patiently waiting for me to see him. I think I fell for him and Newt in the same fell swoop, and my love for both of them is unwavering.

Dr. Owen Harper, Torchwood

I've been in love with this bastard since 2013; I've been repressing that adoration for 10 years. I- I don't really remember the exact moment that my opinion of Owen shifted from extreme dislike to him carving a permanent place in my very being, but there it is. He's sarcastic, an incorrigible flirt, and has one of the biggest, kindest hearts I've ever come across in fiction. At the time, I was pre-Med, and I aspired to be half as compassionate a doctor as him. After Exit Wounds, I gave up Torchwood (I couldn't, not with Tosh gone too.), but I've slowly been dipping my toes back in via Burn's reading of some of the books & the Big Finish audios. It's been 10 years, yet I think I'm more in love with this bastard than I ever was before. (And okay, I admit, he might be my favorite-favorite ^_^;)

Sgt. Detective William Blore, And Then There Were None

Bill, Bill, Bill... He's a crooked cop, he's tired of everyone's nonsense, he's filled with regret, he's probably gay. Detective Blore is yet another classic lit character that I first met back in the late 20-aughts, early 2010s who I really didn't care for. Then 2023 rolls around, and not only did I come to love him in this adaptation, but I've ended up going on an Agatha Christie bender because of it. Burn made me... well love would be too strong a word, but I definitely rank Blore as "a poor little meow meow."

Major Edmund Hewlett, TURN

How could this list be at all complete without including my beloved major? (Just picking a gif for this made me realise how badly I've missed him. 🥺) Edmund is... How do I explain how much I adore this guy? How do I possibly pin down the levels of pride I have in his journey, in his growth, explain the way my heart aches at the twists and turns that will tear him apart and build him back even stronger? How do I possibly do justice in conveying how damn aspirational he is, how merciful, how delightful? I can't, really. He's a force of nature that one must experience for themselves. (And I need to resume my rewatch methinks~)

Runner-Ups

(or the characters who have been spinning in my brain nonstop like rotisserie chickens and absolutely deserve mention)

Ben Jarvis, Cheat

I... I have entire essays I want to write about this guy. I have theories I want to discuss, but as most of them are... I can't. Yet. Maybe soon? I- Anyway. Ben was a huge surprise, and definitely nowhere close to what I was expecting when I finally got around to watching this show. I would be lying to say it wasn't a pleasant surprise, and I absolutely love how Burn was able to do a lot of solo work this series, with a lot of focus on body language and his uncanny knack for killer expressions.

Jacko Argyle, Ordeal By Innocence

This... This beautiful little shit ♡ One of the first Burn movies I actively chose to seek out, my second in his Agatha Christie adaptations, and my first dive into gif making. And Jacko-! Oh, Jacko... You stole my heart then broke it in only a few, few precious moments of screentime and backstory. He haunts the entire film, he haunts me still, and I'm so glad I had the chance to meet him.

Martin, Up There

(Oh look yet another one of my gifs 😅)

Martin is absolutely one of my favourite characters, especially for his absolute growth during the film. He crawls out of his downward spiral, he finds himself again, and ultimately discovers that there can be life after death. He just- He's grumpy, he's beautifully sarcastic, he's depressed, he's loved, and he just- Seriously I love him. Martin feels like a friend who I haven't seen in an age, and it's always a good day to bump into him again.

Reverend Benedict Marley, Lark Rise to Candleford

I almost forgot my favourite clergyman??? D:

Benedict Marley came into my life just to shake my very foundations, send me on an existential journey of self discovery, and waited for me at the end of it all with a soft smile and encouraging words. He only had one episode in the show, but his story was so easily woven and understood, his humility humbled me, and in ways that make me almost afraid to admit aloud- I felt seen in a way that I ever so rarely am. I connected to him; I understand him. He has depths that I could hardly explain in a single paragraph, but I can say that- out of all these characters- my feelings are birthed more out of a very deep respect and admiration.

I can't say this list will stay the same- I'm far from through with Burn's portfolio- but for his on-screen roles, these guys firmly remain top-tier for me. :)

(If you'd like to hear about his voice work instead, please let me know; I could go on for Hours about some of those lads. ♡)

Thanks for the ask Anon, and if you haven't seen any of these yet, I definitely recommend them!

[olenvasynyt]

Tamlin 5 23 25 28

For this character ask game!

5. What's the first song that comes to mind when you think about them?

Bro lmao absolutely Little Lion Man by Mumford and Sons! The lyrics are so crazy on-point it makes me cry I absolutely adore it.

23. Favorite picture of this character?

Ooooooh this is hard ummmmm I gotta pick just one? 😩

25. What was your first impression of this character? How about now?

Ugh I honestly don't really remember my impressions of Tamlin when I read ACOTAR for the first time...I wasn't in the fanbase so I knew nothing about endgame ships but I did get the feeling that Tamlin and Feyre were just not going to end up together. I think what made me fall in love with him was the scene where he took care of the blue faerie who got his wings cut off. I really liked how Tamlin was the one who buried him and idk he was just so respectful and genuinely kind. I also loved when he explained to Feyre that he wrote the raunchy poems with his warband. I never really was like...attracted to him though. He just made me sad and just leaves this bittersweet feeling that I really adore.

Bro getting into the fanbase around 2022 was fucking rough because people are fucking awful and idk, have this very black and white view of Tamlin and basically every single character in ACOTAR and it pisses me off. I do think I was a bit influenced and I do still agree that he hurt Feyre ofc, but he's a fictional character and I can still appreciate and love him. I was really into the podcast Book Talk For Booktok and I sent several questions to them (I think they answered a couple which was cool) but I wrote out this super long one in Feburary of 2023 about my opinions on Tamlin and the complex nature of his character. I am reading it now and bro you can tell how scared I was to say that I liked him haha. I think his past traumas are what really makes me sympathize for him. I'm interested to see what SJM does with him in future books...idk I do think he will come back again but I'm not completely sure he'll get a healing arc? But Spring is important. Idk the whole fanbase's hatred for him just makes me really nervous and pessimistic for a good Tamlin arc.

28. If you could have this character meet another in another media, who would you have them meet?

I would want him to meet Chaol in Throne Of Glass because I think they are extremely similar in a bunch of ways but mainly their character arc. They both have this sort of toxic masculinity that rules their lives: they suppress their feelings, they struggle with their position in life, they have done wrong to the FMCs. But Chaol had this absolutely incredible arc that was just perfect and it's something I want for Tamlin! I feel like Chaol after TOD could help Tam out a lot and be good bros.

I would also say Jaskier from The Witcher. I feel like Tamlin is Jaskier and Geralt's love-child lmao. He's a big strong guy who can be pretty stoic but also has angry moments, sad moments, and goofy moments. And Jaskier and Tamlin both have a love for music and ugh IMAGINE TAMLIN BECOMING A TRAVELLING MINSTREL AND BEING SO HAPPY AND FUN LIKE JASKIER YES!

[gimmequeerbooks]

Carry On by Rainbow Rowell (review/rec)

Genre: Fantasy

My rating: 9/10

I feel like Tumblr is well aware of these books already, but I figured it was a solid start as any.

Carry On and its subsequent books was such a pleasant surprise! Years ago, I had read Fangirl, another book by Rowell. And I loved it! I also recommend that one, but there are no LGBTQ+ characters or themes from what I remember. In it, the main character, Cath, was writing a fanfic from her favorite book series from childhood, Simon Snow. Simon Snow evidently involved a teenage boy named Simon whom attended wizarding school. Oddly, some sort of event or disaster would happen at this school every year, with Simon and his friends (but mostly Simon), being at the center of it. Simon would appear to be some sort of “chosen one”. Sound familiar?

Carry On, is the fanfic that Cath was working on. From Fangirl, we already knew that it followed Simon through his last year at wizarding school and that Cath possibly made the best enemies to lovers story known to the world of fanfiction. I actually avoided reading Carry On for a long time because I usually really hate Harry Potter fics. Not to mention that I thought it was going to be a lot like other spin-off books that end up just being boring. Eventually, out of desperation to find more queer stories, I caved, and I found out that my assumptions were absolutely wrong. It turns out that Cath really did write an excellent enemies to lovers story!

The characters are extremely relatable, and over the series we get to see how these characters develop from teenagers to young adults. I love that we also get to see how they react emotionally to the things that have happened to them as well. Unlike a lot of Chosen-One stories where the main trio can just take on challenge after challenge and make it out seemingly unfazed, it feels like Carry On pulls back the curtain on what these sorts of characters would actually be dealing with after facing huge, life-altering events. I’d like to say more here, but I’m afraid that I will spoil them!

The world of Simon Snow is also pretty hilarious. Every once in a while, Rowell will seemingly poke fun at Harry Potter’s plot holes or stupid rules. These books had me laughing when it didn’t have me in Deep Introspection Mode. What with its tongue-twisters of spells taken from nursery rhymes and the main villain being named “The Insidious Humdrum”. That being said, while Carry On perhaps has its roots in Harry Potter, it is a complete story in its own right. Instead of being about the up-and-coming Chosen One and the chaos that ensues, Carry On is more-so about how people can and do move on and grow after their world was turned upside-down. Most Chosen-One stories, and really most young adult fiction books, end with high school, and I can't tell you how much I appreciate the Rowell gave Simon and his friends a future beyond just high school. I love how she shows how at every age there are new challenges to face. Life goes on beyond high school!

Of course, I don’t want to forget the reason that these books have made it onto my blog! Where is the gay content!? The main characters, Simon and Baz fall in love, and it’s adorable. Simon doesn’t realize at first that he may be into men, so he has to have a bit of self-discovery there. Meanwhile, Baz thinks he’s pining for a straight boy who could never fall in love with his enemy and rival and hates vampires, like him. It’s like if Malfoy and Harry were to fall in love, except Malfoy actually has some redeeming qualities and proves that he’s quite nice. I feel like this comparison still doesn’t do Simon and Baz justice though. Rowell also shows the awkwardness between first loves and how it may not always be smooth sailing throughout the books. In addition, I have a headcanon that Penelope, another one of the main characters, may be somewhere on the demiromantic and/or demisexual spectrum.

If your in the mood for laughing, some crying (or both at once), discussions about change, and the feeling that you just want to reach into the books to give a hug to people that don’t exist I highly recommend the Simon Snow trilogy.

[helenofjupiter]

assigning taylor swift songs to bridgerton couples (part 2)

with explanations that no one asked for (proceed with caution)

part 1 for a, b, c and d

eloise & phillip - i hadn’t even read the book and i knew paris was their song. i feel it captures their essence. “no, i didn't see the news 'cause we were somewhere else” while benophie are just as deep in the countryside, i think philoise truly don’t care about anything that goes on in the ton. “i want to brainwash you into loving me forever” i’m not sure why this line in particular stands out to me in context of their relationship. maybe because going into it they both had their agenda. also phillip constantly thinking he has to find a way to make eloise stay forever. “confess my truth in swooping, sloping, cursive letters” i think this one is self explanatory. secondly electric touch, i was hesitant about this one cause i’m just not a fan of this song sonically but the lyrics were too on point. “just breathe, just relax, it'll be okay // just the first time ever hanging out with you” - eloise sitting in her carriage on the way to meet a man who basically proposed to her without meeting once. from phillip’s “i've gotten used to no one callin' my phone” when eloise shows up and the servant’s “hey, we got a caller” and phillip going “wtf no one comes here, you sure about that”. also “i've grown accustomed to sleeping' alone” yeah eight years will do that. “i was thinking, just one time maybe the stars align, just one time and maybe I call you mine” 

francesca & michael - so i have a story regarding this one. as i got to the second half of the book and the spice started flooding in, i felt like the need for some equally sexy music in the background and i remembered (honestly don’t know how i ever forgot) the altarpiece of taylor’s music  false god. truly all the stars aligned, while i read the words “she felt cherished. worshipped. loved” miss taylor swift sang “we'd still worship this love”. other than that it does fall into the vibes category. tho if one day we are blessed enough to actually get their season i am expecting every social media feed to be drowning in edits of  franchel to this song. but also alternatively to don’t blame me. again, sexy. well the spice in this book was just on another level and i also couldn’t figure out if taylor has a song about being in love with your cousins spouse for six years. i think this is more from michael’s perspective. i mean “i've been breaking' hearts a long time” he even broke mine by being fictional. “if you walk away i'd beg you on my knees to stay” michael stirling would absolutely do this and frankly i can’t stop picturing it. if we do get to them in the show some glorious day, this is my official plea to include this song in the soundtrack. 

gregory & lucy - speak now is the somewhat lazy choice but have you read the prologue timed to this song. “i hear the preacher say, "speak now or forever hold your peace"” the church went silent “there's the silence, there's my last chance. i stand up with shaky hands, all eyes on me” the priest stopped his drone, and every spine in every pew twisted until every face was turned to the back. to him. “horrified looks from everyone in the room but i'm only looking at you” she said nothing, but he saw her. // she looked so beautiful. i rest my case. it was really hard to pick a song for them because there’s so many twists and turns in the book so my honourable mentions are haunted (when gregory convinced everything is solved and then lucy goes and marries another man) and daylight. finally i settled with ivy. “my pain fits in the palm of your freezing hand, taking mine but it's been promised to another” i mean lucy has been promised to another man from the start of the book. it just fits them, okay (can you tell i’ve been writing this for four hours at this point).

hyacinth & gareth - dear god, hyacinth is my favourite character in the whole books series. i adore her but for the love of god i could not figure out what songs to choose for hyareth. it was truly a headache and if anyone has any suggestions, please do not hesitate to tell me. because they are such a chaotic and energetic duo, i wanted something that would fit them musically but ended up picking cowboy like me and peace. both are truly in the vibes category, i don’t have much of an explanation. in cowboy like me “and the skeletons in both our closets plotted hard to fuck this up” felt kinda reminiscent of the whole polt line with gareth and his father who wasn’t really his father. peace has a little more substance to it. in my head this is more from hyacinth, she is wild and you will never get bored with her but she can also be a lot and tiring. “you know that i'd swing with you for the fences, sit with you in the trenches. give you my wild, give you a child” this is who hyacinth is, she is a ride or die, and i truly believe she would sit in the trenches with gareth.

[pyramidheadguides]

Going to be writing a series about horror villain designs. Why? Because I want to and nobody can stop me.

Pyramid Head-- one of my favorite fictional characters of all time. First shown in Silent Hill 2, released in 2001 (before I was even born), he still stands as one of the best horror villain designs of all time in my not so humble opinion. Silent Hill 2 was just remastered in 2024 and I finally got the chance to play it. Reminded me how much I love this design.

He was designed by the visual artist Masahiro Ito, to fulfill a "chaser" role in Silent Hill 2. The edges of the helmet were inspired by the "King Tiger" German tanks from WWII. Other inspirations in his design included the 1990 psychological horror film Jacob's Ladder, and his executions were based off of the scenes in the 1995 historical drama Braveheart.

Technically the correct name for him is "Red Pyramid Thing", while "Pyramid Head" is a moniker given for ease of use.

He is sometimes shown with a pointed front tip of the helmet, however the "correct" or original depiction has the flat rim inspired by the tanks.

Pyramid Head in the original game is used to represent the guilt the main character, James Sutherland holds after taking the life of his wife Mary. He's shown attacking smaller and weaker monsters (usually vaguely feminine ones) and thus his larger and imposing figure represents masculine violence.

Many don't remember how animalistically he behaved in the first game. He may appear human, but he is not a man in a mask. He is something else entirely-- shown when a long tentacle-like tongue extrudes from his mask, and seems to detect chemical or vibrational cues more than seeing, shown waving his hands around to "search" for things.

Pyramid Head is my all-time favorite horror villain. I absolutely adore him. <3

[jdreamer00]

Zhongli Birthday Questionnaire

Ohk, I am new to this and I never post, but I felt compelled to give this a go (please tell me if I did something wrong)

1. What left the deepest impression on you when you first met him? Was it how he looks, talks, or something else?

Okay, basically, everything? The details of his clothes, his voice, and the topics he talked about—it left a lasting impression on me. By the end of the Jade Merchant part in the Archon Quest, I was already smitten.  I remember waiting to meet him in-game actually. I saw someone's screenshot of the character and immediately thought, 'oh, he's going to be my favourite' which was quite an innocent thought at the time because I never anticipated becoming a simp to a fictional character for the first time in my whole life and now it's been five years of that

2. What do you like most about Zhongli as a character?

That's a tough one!! But what I love the most is his core values and ideas; like his fascination with nature and people. Being a bigass dreamer my whole life and pursuing astrophysics irl, I was used to being usually the one to talk weirdly specific about stuff. I see some of the same energy coming from him, but he's much more stable and less anxious than me I love him

3. What is your favorite Zhongli voice line, and why do you like it?

I love his idle osmanthus wine—yes, that very line. Despite it being somewhat annoying in the English version, to me it highlights Zhongli's character trait of frequently citing ancient poems to express the most specific emotions. Initially, I found this mannerism to be strange and overly complex, especially since I had nonexistent knowledge of the Chinese language and culture. But, I’m beginning to understand it much better now.

You can come back to the past, but there's no one there? Ah. I love it. Both existential and melancholic, yet such a delicate and wonderful emotion.

4. Does Zhongli resonate with something in real life for you? Has he managed to influence your life in some way?

Absolutely! As I mentioned, I have a deep romantic fascination with the world and all the little details in between. Now, whenever I learn a new concept in math or visit a museum or gallery to explore a new exhibition, I can't help but imagine how I would explain it to him in my mind. I find myself gushing about how amazing and real human existence is and feel validated and grounded, knowing there's nothing wrong with me. Also, my first love in this lifetime was geology, lol. Meeting Zhongli felt like reigniting a forgotten memory.

5. What part of Zhongli's design do you love the most? Do you have a favorite outfit?

Zhongli looks stunning in everything, period. But I particularly love his hairstyle, although I'm not sure if that counts? Signature of Teyvat chic: long strands of hair paired with a shorter cut. And the colour of his dark hair?  Sigh, I'm in love with this colour.

6. Zhongli has a lot of lore. What’s your favorite story/feat that he's ever done?

I honestly can't decide. There is undoubtedly a lot to him being the oldest character in the game, but most of what we know comes from the Archon War period. While there are plenty of little stories that show his love for humanity, sacrifices, and friendships, I mostly feel disheartened.

So, I'm going to choose something more light-hearted and pure: his obsession with cubes 🟧 I adore how much joy he derives from them; it’s really cute, and I love cubes as well!

7. If you could give Zhongli a birthday present, what would it be?

Wool scarf! Because his birthday falls in the middle of winter, it only feels right to give him with something warm and fluffy. I have a cream tartan scarf in mind.

8. If Zhongli visited you for a day, where would you take him?

This questionnaire is hard, I swear. Just one day? Hmm... I think I would like to climb a mountain and set up camp there to watch the city at night and drink tea while having a conversation.

9. If you could talk to Zhongli, what’s one thing you’d want to ask him?

I wanted to know if he feels happy now. I just want to hear it from him. And I would also like to hear whether he feels lonely?

Ikik, He has always been surrounded by people in his life, but I can't help but wonder how lonely it must be to be the object of respect and admiration for so long

10. Which of Zhongli’s attacks do you like using the most? How do you prefer to use him in a team? What build do you have him on?

Obviously, this is his shield. The strongest in the game, the skill that carried me and many other players through the game, and the one for which I've collected his C6. I have a hybrid build with a Homa. Classy

[snarkivistfic]

Shipper Tag Game

Tagged by @heyholmesletsgo, thank you! :) I apologize that this took me literally forever to do!!!

1. What ship were you completely obsessed with when you were a teenager, but now you don't care about anymore? I think probably Alec Scutter/ Maurice Hall from Maurice but I wouldn’t say I don’t care about them anymore

2. Which ship would you consider your first one? I had to think about this really hard. I don’t remember if it was George and Susan San Francisco from Alien Nation or Maurice Hall and Alec Scutter from Maurice.  I loved both of these couples fiercely but especially the former I haven’t even thought of until I started thinking about this. 

3. Your first fanfic was about which couple? I didn’t ever write it down till much later

4. Do you remember the first couple you saw fanart of? I apologize to artists – I do not!!

5. Have you ever gotten into ship discourse? With my social anxiety? Heavens no.

6. Did you use to have any NOTP or have one currently? I guess I do but I honestly don’t think about it too much. Like I don’t read those ships but honestly can’t be bothered to block any content because I don’t care that much.

7. Who were the couple in the last fanfic you read? WeiLan from Guardian (Shen Wei and Zhao Yunlan)

8. Currently, do you have any OTPs? SO MANY (can one have multiple One True Pairings?  Yes, yes you can).  ZiNing (Ouyang Zizhen /Wen Ning) is my absolute number one.  But I also passionately love ChuGuo, BigTay, ChanPol, XiYao, YaoYang (CLs Yao and Ouyang), ZhuiLing, and Qin Su/Bicao.

9. Is there any couple that, to this day, you are extremely mad about not getting together? Okay so this is a bit of a deep cut and I refuse to google the names of the characters lest it upset me again. I adore the actor Rupert Graves (Probably because he plays Alec Scutter) and he was in this movie called Dreaming of Joseph Lees.  His character has sooooo much chemistry with the female lead and they are so good together. But in the end she goes back to her horrible and cruel husband because he’s been injured or something I don’t remember.  I just remember I was sooooo mad and it still upsets me to think about it now.

10. Is there any ship you used to dislike but now you think they are kind of interesting? I mean probably if you have a really wide definition of ship and it encompasses my whole life of imagining fictional characters together. But I can’t think of one right now.  

11. Do you have any ship that, in the past, would've been considered normal but now you would be cancelled over? I can’t think of anything. 

12. What is your favorite crack ship? People consider YaoYang to be a crack ship but like I don’t think I could be so passionate about them if I thought that. I am not writing them as a pairing as a joke.  I think the first time I wrote them seriously (a fic called A Call to Arms) I started it as a joke and a way to play with unreliable characters. But I ended up sort of getting in their heads and now I love them so much. Because I think people in my life find me annoying and a little too much of a know-it-all (who is often wrong about things) so I kind of identify with CL Yao in a way.  So but yeah I guess technically this is my favourite crack ship?

13. What is the couple you read the most fanfics about? Honestly, I guess WangXian just because there are the MOST of them. 

14. What do most of your ships usually have in common? Hmmmm.  I think, and maybe this is in all ships?, that each of the characters sees something in the other that no one else can. Like maybe everyone else thinks they are annoying (lol YaoYang) or just a sweet sexless cinnamon roll (ZiNing), or for whatever reasons the characters don’t think they deserve love or that anyone could love them.  I think that’s the thing.

15. What you absolutely hate in a ship? This is hard for me to answer because the whole point of fiction is that you can like things that would be terrible in real life.  So a dynamic that would suck irl could be a great ship dynamic?  I guess I don’t have an answer.

Tagging @unfortunatelycake @jaggededges123 @justacoyote @linacies @zaelriel (no pressure at all! I won't be offended if you're not interested!) and whoever else would like to answer!

[not-poignant]

So I first want to say I adore your writing. You are one of the few authors that I've found that not only has amazing technical skill, but somehow manages to laser focus on EXACTLY what I look for in a story. I don't often reread stories (unless I'm doing a review) simply because there's so much I want to read, but yours are some of the few stories I come back to on my rainy days. When nothing else is motivating me to read, your work gives me that kick.

Reading Efnisien and Gary's story (or whichever Underline story gets updated) is absolutely one of my weekly highlights. It is also such an interesting experience for me as a mental health professional because sometimes I'll read through some of the stuff the Hillview staff does and I'll just be like 'oh no friend we absolutely do NOT say that to a client' lol (then again I live in the US which is dystopian nightmare and worked at some facilities that are probably run more like the other omega rehab centers but well what can you do about it 🤪).

Efnisien too, is honestly probably one of favorite original characters in a long time, and honestly I sometimes have to take a step back because he reminds me so much of some of the boys I used to work with (granted Efnisien is an adult and I worked with teens mostly).

All this as to keep up the fantastic work, and I can't wait for the next chapter!!

Hi hi anon,

I'm so glad you're enjoying the writing! *bounces* The rereading is huge, especially if it's something you never do. Whenever folks tell me they reread it's like the best feeling. I love rereading particular stories (for comfort, because I want to just experience certain feelings again) they end up becoming my faves and just... idk how to explain how that feels when it happens but AHHH it just makes me want to write more stories that can do this for folks

Underline the Black has been awesome to write. Tbh there's been a few mental healthcare professionals over the years who have engaged with my writing! It's been interesting to see the different forms of like... interaction and engagement, the way a job / career can influence how one sort of interfaces with the stories and the characters. I imagine it can be pretty frustrating sometimes, like watching a medical show when you're a doctor and being like 'NO THAT'S NOT HOW IT- *huffs*' ahaha

Thankfully I'm writing a fictional dystopian universe so I can do what I like (I mean even if it was contemporary and set in modern times, I could still do what I like, I just think the suspension of disbelief would be a tougher sell eep) :D

It's funny to me because I've been on the other end - I've been a client of many mental healthcare professionals on and off for about 20 years. I remember the first time I said I'd fire someone like Dr Gary as a therapist (from Falling Falling Stars) if he was my therapist, because fuck no, too pushy, too overbearing, and it's kind of interesting to me to write things I wouldn't want to experience, or that aren't okay, but that make sense within the logic of the world, or for the logic of the characters.

Just know that when some folks are going 'no that's not okay!' I'm also like 'it's really not but damn it's fun to write.' Ehehehe

I hope you enjoy the future chapters that are coming! Some of my favourite chapters of Underline the Black are coming up, along with some of the other Underline stories too *bounces*

[bluedalahorse]

As someone who is currently in an MFA program learning to write for children and young adults, and who deeply adores classic literature (I majored in Classics and Les Mis is one of my forever fandoms) as much as I do modern literature, I would like to offer a few (gentle) thoughts.

First, I’ve been in a lot of writing classes over the years, and some have a little more of a commercial lean (here’s how to write something that will get published and sell) while others have a little more of a craft-focused lean (here are the techniques that make up a good story.) Most writing classes have a mixture of both commercial and craft advice. Both types of advice are useful up to a point. The modern advice cited above seems to lean primarily commercial, and commercial in the most simplified, least helpful way. Better writing teachers will give you language and tools for picking your story apart, examining it, and revising it to be better. They will insist on character arcs, but in a nuanced way. They also won’t all agree on what makes a good story. The best writing teachers will teach you that there are multiple ways to tell a good story, while still helping you to be conscious of both craft and marketing.

Second, most classic literature has the same features, like character arcs and characters with flaws, that we see in stories today. These elements of craft may be expressed differently, but they’re still there. Achilles in the Iliad absolutely undergoes a change and has an arc; he is learning to confront his own mortality, and develops empathy for others in the process. Tragic protagonists are always grappling with their hamartia. Historic authors often considered these elements of storytelling as they put stories together, whether they used the vocabulary we use or not, and whether or not they were formally trained. Even for the writers who just wrote based on what they liked, or wrote stories similar to the ones they wanted to read, there was likely an element of reflection as they asked themselves how to make their stories better and more engaging.

Third, classic literature was composed in multiple different historical periods under a range of different technological and sociopolitical conditions. Many of our earliest epic poems derive from oral tradition, and are thus written with repeated phrases and in meters that allow for easy memorization and improvisation. Some novels were serialized. Sometimes censorship affected how a story got told—I can’t find the post right now, but if I remember correctly, the Waterloo tangent happened the way it did in Les Mis as a big way of getting around the censors. In the modern day, authors may not give you an extensive description of setting or the like because you can look something up on your smartphone. It used to be that writing had to cover a lot more bases than it does now, when we have access to information and fiction in multiple mediums. (TV, movies, YouTube, and so on.) Which is a loss, yes, when we think about how books have had to adapt themselves to compete. But we’ve also gained other things. Also, studying why classic lit is written the way it is, and looking at the specific time period in which a book was written and the technology available to disseminate that writing, is to me part of the joy of reading old books.

Fourth, if you are someone who loves classic literature, there are some really great modern novels out there that have a classic novel vibe. I’m going to recommend two of them below.

A Sitting in St. James by Rita Williams-Garcia covers the goings-on at an Louisana plantation when the matriarch of the family decides to have her portrait painted. It is a scathing indictment of the system of slavery, as well as the class and gender norms of the American South prior to the Civil War. It also asks the important question of whether a person’s queerness can save them from their whiteness.

Williams-Garcia’s novel does in many ways read like a 19th century novel. It is written in brilliant third-person omniscient prose, and covers multiple generations of family history. There are very evocative descriptions of setting and character. One way in which it is not like a 19th century novel is that it does not gloss over slavery or racism. And yet even with all the descriptions of hardship there are still moments of joy.

(I would recommend the novel, but I also recommend checking out a list of triggers before reading.)

Do you want the Great Yiddish Novel, but make it queer and disabled and a fantasy novel? Sacha Lamb’s When the Angels Left the Old Country is the story of an angel and a demon who immigrate from a small shtetl to America, and how their story intersects with a young woman named Rose Cohen.

Like St. James, this novel is written in brilliant third-person omniscient prose that feels old-timey. We get lovely authorial asides and tangents. And once again, Lamb doesn’t clean up or lie about the past (there’s a particularly brutal moment in the text calling out the ableism of Ellis Island) while still making moments for their characters to be happy.

I guess what I’m saying is, the world is full of great things to read, both from the past and from the present. It’s also full of great stories to be written in the future. Find the strong, actually decent writing advice that works for the stories you want to tell. Seek out a range of stories—from all time periods and genres, even the ones you don’t initially gravitate toward. Seek out stories from books and TV and plays and movies and songs and poems and your friend’s overly talkative aunt at a barbecue. Find the things that work for you about those stories—the things that you find engaging—and then incorporate them into your own work. There’s so many ways to approach stories and it never hurts to study craft in the work of others!

Every 21st century piece of writing advice: Make us CARE about the character from page 1! Make us empathize with them! Make them interesting and different but still relatable and likable!

Every piece of classic literature: Hi. It's me. The bland everyman whose only purpose is to tell you this story. I have no actual personality. Here's the story of the time I encountered the worst people I ever met in my life. But first, ten pages of description about the place in which I met them.

[mangoisms]

hiiii it’s dc anon <33 oh lord icb u also like the grishaverse like at this point i feel like we have the same brain (which would actually be amazing cuz ur like an amazing writer i want an ounce of ur talent) also !!!! absolutely adore how ck is going i can’t wait to see how steph beats tim up so he can finally stop being the way he is (which probably will never happen because he’s … well … u know …. tim but still). and wait omg before i forget, i loved what u did with jason like idc that he was there for such a small amount of time hes my favorite batfam character and i’m so tired of people completely missing the point of his character (and fuck dc for what they did to him !!!!) thank u so much for doing him justice and taking him away from the vigilante / violent lifestyle, my guy deserves a break.

i feel like this is already insanely long but i saw ur posts abt project hail mary (i hope i didn’t get the name wrong). i thought it sounded pretty interesting and considering that we might as well have the same tastes i was wondering if u could possibly drop some books / book series recs ??? i’m so sorry if this is annoying but i’ve been in a reading slump since the beginning of the month 😭

anyway !!! i know i say this in every single ask i send but u really are amazing pls take care and good luck with the new semester i know ur gonna do amazing, just remember to take it one day at a time <3

HI DC ANON <333 YOU TOO? omg… our minds… that is such a cool coincidence!!!! honestly so happy about it, like daiya. dc. grishaverse. omg. so cool!!! we’re basically bffs now <3 (also this is very long so under the cut <3)

WLDMEKDKEK yeah… yeah… tim is certainly… tim…. but no worries at least here he will Face The Consequences Of His Own Actions. if there’s anything i like to do with him, it’s That. so without saying too much. He will certainly be getting a dressing down from Some People….

OMG? OF COURSE i love jason so much he rotates in my brain just as much as tim (a lot more now that i’m shifting away from tim actually, jason and someone else i shall not name yet…) like he was what drew me into dc in the first place, he will always have a special place in my heart.. and there is just SO MUCH potential for his character and dc will never cash in on it. instead they give him crowbars as a weapon and use him as a prop for bruce and it’s just. UGH.

civilian nurse!jason is in my brain constantly. so much so that i’ve thought about doing something for him. i don’t like to mention fic ideas until they’ve been posted/started writing (that way i know they’re actually feasible!) but for u beloved dc anon i will happily make an exception… so one idea that rotates in my brain a lot is that. civilian nurse!jason i mean, it doesn’t take place in gotham but somewhere else, maybe something like a small town. he’s in pediatrics and something something lonely/unsure what to do now. fulfilled by his job but still missing a social aspect and YEAH. yeah. something about hope something about humanity i’m not sure. like i said it’s a super rough idea that i’d like to do but not sure if i ever will but. for you <3

don’t worry about the length i absolutely do not mind!!! i love talking to you <33 and you aren’t annoying at all!!! i’ve got some recs!!! and you are right hehe it’s project hail mary by andy weir!!! it is SUCH an excellent book, i highly HIGHLY recommend it!!! the martian by him is also pretty good (not as good as project hail mary and with a bit more math too but still understandable!).

for recs… let’s see! i’m not too into fiction these days actually, i lean more into nonfiction and honestly i haven’t read as much as i’d like to (i’m also in a reading slump but project hail mary got me going!) so let’s see

ones i have read and recommend and sorted into categories:

fiction

project hail mary by andy weir

the martian by andy weir

an orestia translated by anne carson

frankenstein by mary shelley (i feel basic for this one but it’s timeless it’s so good even if you had to read it for high school… picking it up on your own and reading it it is excellent)

nonfiction

the body keeps the score by bessel van der kolk (personal favorite and also Very appealing to the psych major part of me so that might skew it)

the art of loving by erich fromme (also a personal favorite)

like streams to the ocean by jedidiah jenkins

poetry

dog songs by mary oliver (i have a collected volume of her poems as well, i think it’s vol 1?)

the carrying by ada limón

currently attempting to read right now (as in i’ve been on it a while…): pride and prejudice by the myth the legend herself jane austen. also currently rereading ruin and rising by leigh bardugo (this and siege and storm went by quickly but again they’re re-reads so much easier)

ones that are on my to-read that i’ve heard great things about:

fiction

if beale street could talk by james baldwin,

sense and sensibility and emma by miss jane austen once again!

nonfiction

all about love by bell hooks

attached by amir levine and rachel heller

i hope this helps!!! and if you happen to have any recs, let me know!!!

this got so very long but i love talking to you so thank you so much for popping in <33 and thank you for your kind words as well <33 i hope you’re doing better and taking care of yourself too!!!! :** <33

[astral-catastrophe]

I would be too powerful if I learned how to draw my first ever blorbo, Luke Skywalker <3