#I mostly work on female experience in fandom lately

[theclockwitch]

I mean...

So people get mad when I comment on their stuff so NEW YEAR NEW ME NEW STRATEGY I will just scream into my own void and your voids are clear. Gucci? We gucci.

Saw a post about how or if men in a certain canon that will remain nameless bc I'm tired of hatemail every time i come on this site view themselves as male and what that means.

I am...uniquely positioned to offer an opinion on this?

LORE DROP: I actually have a PhD in gender studies and history, specializing in the Crusades.

Yes. It's true. I wrote four hundred FUCKING pages about the 12th century renaissance and how it reshaped masculinity and how men in the crusader era constructed masculinity. There was a lot of Judith Butler up in there. A LOT. And Theweleit though you might think he's out of place? He really wasn't.

After that, a lot of my work in the 2010s was about transhumanism and gender. That used a lot of Romanyshyn and Haraway and if you don't know who those are, you should read them? Highly recommend Romanyshyn's Technology as Symptom and Dream will blow your mind into about 783 different pieces. While I was mostly working on the construction of femininity in that part of my life because there were SO many movies coming out with cyborg women, it...it ain't hard to go back to my roots of studying masculinity and talk about

ya know

transhuman masculinity.

One thing Haraway asks us is how come we don't already consider ourselves cyborgs. One could argue that if we define a cyborg as someone who needs technology to survive or function, you could say an LVAD patient is a cyborg, or someone who has a limb replacement is a cyborg...but Haraway would also suggest that if you (like me) need to take a pill to get out of bed every morning...you are also a cyborg. Just because it's not metal does not make your technological adjunct...not a technological adjunct. So the first issue is...are these I WILL NOT MENTION THE CANON FOR REASONS ABOVE people considering themselves cyborgs? Or do they hold that for the people in UNNAMED CANON who do use more obviously metal adjuncts.

(She also asks us how or if we can escape the meat, but that's for next time.)

The answer seems to be...no? At the end of BOOK TITLE REDACTED a character is missing three limbs and refers to the fact that he will receive robotic replacements, without any sort of dread, as though he clearly thinks of himself as if not a cyborg, than someone who holds his humanity very lightly in his (one remaining) hand. In fact it's fairly common in Unnamed Canon that people have cybernetic augments, the same way we just...pop our levothyroxine to function and don't wonder if that makes us un/trans/bimodally human

Theweleit's big takeaway (obviously I'm glossing over a lot because it's like 800 pages of men being neurotic about WWI) is that one tenet of construction of masculinity is the idea of purity and the fear of contamination/corruption. Theweleit's hussars construct masculinity as a 'not female' in the same way modern society often creates female as the 'not male' or 'male manque'. In other words, taking one gender as the baseline and defining the other simply as...not that. Theweleit sees that the Germans post-WWI, reeling under the loss of the Great War, viewed women as, ya know, evil. Softening, Weakening. All that Victorian-era (yes I know the Victorians were British but this kind of cultural movement was widespread in the area, this was when Germany was arguing, especially with all the 'excess' female population about the 'frauenfrage' the 'woman question') (Yes I don't speak German so I probably misspelled that idc this is tumblr you're not my dissertation director). So men in Theweleit view women as the Problem. Women are why they lost the Great War, because their men weren't MANLY enough. (Fun side quest: look up the dates of the founding of the Boy Scouts and British Brotherhood of Scouting to see that this issue was not just German, but in the AIR from the early 1900s onward) So Theweleit is writing about how they strove to become MORE manly, to strip away from themselves a lot of the 'weakening' female influences, one of them being, ya know, corruption. And of course the best way to do that? Physical violence. (Think Fight Club if want a modern cognate)

Now look at UNNAMED CANON. Sex segregated, asexual (sorry but they fucking ARE and hooo boy that's the comment that's gonna get me more hate mail) and worried constantly about 'corruption' and contamination? Theweleit would praise these as ubermen.

I've got a bunch more to blather about but my shift starts soon, so I'll just put a pin in this: Do they see themselves as male.

First you have to look at how they construct what they think is male.

Then you have to add the one thing that was my first contribution to scholarship on masculinity but still shocks people when I drop it on them at conferences (gdit people read my fucking articles XD I love it when they ask for follow up and who I was quoting and I'm like *me uwu* ): masculinity is something that needs to constantly be proven. Again and again. Unlike cultural constructions of femininity, which you are for (sexist reasons that this post is too long to get into and also off topic but trust me it checks out) biology, (before you argue, that's next time when we get into Butler and de Beauvoir and Dworkin); masculinity is something that needs constant validation and revalidation. This isn't a condescending 'men need asspats' but masculinity is only as good as your last badass deed, and it needs to be constantly refreshed with...more badass deeds. Last week's hero could be a washup (I mean the basic arc of Johnny Lawrence and Danny La Russo in Cobra Kai is ALL about that). So masculinity is something that needs constant reproving, reaffirmation, revalidation. All that canon shit about 'forged in the fires of war'? It ain't a one time thing. It can't be.

Short answer, thus far, without getting into Butler (that'll be next time): Yes.

More whenever I get around to it.

[olderthannetfic]

I thought it would be interesting to see if I could easily determine which ships had the most works updated in 2023.

It turned out to be fairly easy, though a little time consuming. I think these results should be reasonably accurate.

Some points to note:

I did this on my own account, and I have like 2 people muted. So I am capturing the effects of archive-locked works, but my numbers might be off by one or two works due to muting.

Works updated in 2023 is a number that constantly changes as works are deleted or updated again in 2024.

I didn't scrape the entire archive or anything like that, so it's possible I missed a ship that would bump one of these down below 100. I'd take the last few at the bottom there with a grain of salt. But I think we can be reasonably sure the top ones are accurate and that the kinds of numbers that we see at the bottom there (eighteen hundred plus works updated in 2023) are about where the cutoff will be even if we find a ship I missed.

--

As for how I did this, I went to the category tags and the rating tags, filtered for updating in 2023, then excluded ships in the sidebar till I got to 130-150 ships excluded. I also grabbed ships that are big in general from tag search, which you can use to find all relationship canonicals, ordered by frequency.

I combined those lists of ships, cleaned off the works numbers, and generated a list without duplicates. That got me three hundred and something (yes, they were mostly duplicates). I generated the relevant AO3 URLs, opened them in batches with Open Multiple URLs, and copied the works totals into a spreadsheet. Not as tidy as using a script but honestly pretty easy if you know a few spreadsheet formulas to clean up data.

The key here is that if you're only going for pretty good and not accurate beyond a shadow of a doubt, all you need to do is generate a list of likely ships, then check them.

It's possible that there's some much-updated ship that is so evenly spread across these various other tags that it just missed showing up in the sidebar. Hopefully, grabbing more than just the top 100 avoided this problem.

This method also doesn't take into account backdated works. If a whole archive was imported in 2023 but all backdated, there could be some ship that didn't have new works but where AO3 users experience in 2023 was of an influx of content.

I also did this just now, in late March/early April, so some 2023 works have inevitably been deleted or updated again. So the exact work counts don't represent the experience of using AO3 throughout 2023. A fandom active in early 2023 might not have much updating in early 2024, while a fandom active in late 2023 would. This could demote the latter a few places in the rankings since I didn't grab numbers on January 1st.

Even if a person scraped AO3 every day or was monkeying around in the databases, you also have to ask what conceptual answer you're after. Is it works a user could have read at some point during 2023, whether they were deleted by the year's end or not? Is it new-to-AO3 works or only newly-created ones, not including imported archives? Does it matter if the works are fic? If they're in English? What about accidental double-uploads or translations of a single work?

I hope this makes it clear why a definitive ranking is not actually possible.

However, despite these drawbacks, I am confident that the rankings above accurately represent the broad trends on AO3 in 2023. Just don't get too fixated on whether a ship should be at number 73 or number 74.

And, of course, I excluded these from the top 100:

Original Character(s)/Original Character(s) - 20,026

Minor or Background Relationship(s) - 16,187

No Romantic Relationship(s) - 8,052

Original Female Character(s)/Original Male Character(s) - 7,195

Original Male Character/Original Male Character - 6,283

Other Relationship Tags to Be Added - 5,618

Original Female Character(s)/Original Female Character(s) - 3,990

Original Character(s) & Original Character(s) - 3,210

Here's a spreadsheet if you want to see the actual numbers not as a shitty screencap. I left the next few below 100 for context.

[plounce]

i think criticism of lyse's design is extremely valid. i think if she looked more like basically every other ala mhigan (brown) a lot of the wrinkles around her stormblood character* would get ironed out. however i do think that she is overly criticized. gamers hate when a woman has an arc where she grows and learns.

lyse's story is one of diaspora, and returning to her homeland and having to learn about how people live under occupation and how to work with that. there's a reason she is paired with hien (lived under the empire, helped lead a failed rebellion, and then fled into exile) and fordola (lived under the empire, doesnt know a free ala mhigo, is a depiction of how imperialism steals away a people's future (their youths) and chews them up in its machine to further crush resistance). she is both an outsider who asks questions to be a vehicle/companion protag for our wol to learn more about ala mhigo, and provides someone who is very emotionally invested in its struggle for freedom. contrast to heavensward: the person most emotionally invested in their own people is ysayle. estinien seems very mercenary and gruff and is mostly invested in his hatred of nidhogg, aymeric is a cool-headed politician who's trying to do what's right but also politically possible (aymeric the #bluewave), and haurchefant is pretty absent for a lot of the plot and is mostly invested in the wol. nobody is as passionate about ishgard as lyse is about ala mhigo (this is my perception, YMMV, etc, i am notably rather lukewarm on hvw). the point of lyse is that she must learn about the homeland she was ripped away from and still desperately wants to help. and to learn about something, you have to start out with a lack of knowledge. you know. like a character arc.

also i feel that people often misremember lyse's job. she is not the leader of ala mhigo. that's more raubahn's job. lyse became the leader of one specific cell of the ala mhigan resistance, of which there were many. she now has a position in their armed forces. we see her a lot when ala mhigo comes up in msq because 1. we are almost always with the scions and she is obviously gonna be ala mhigo's scion liasion 2. she is the character most strongly associated with ala mhigo so of course the writers are gonna use her for that. but while she is influential in the government she does not run it. also - lyse has experience as an anti-imperial activist! she was involved in multiple castrum infiltrations and both of the empire's massive defeats on the eorzean front! she's a scion, she has experience!

i have other thoughts but it is late. obviously not loving lyse doesn't make you a misogynist. i don't even feel very passionately about her, i think she's fine. i am talking more about macro-level fandom trends than accusing you the reader of being a gamergate mra. i also think that there's a lot of unpacked misogyny in all our heads that we need to deal with, and if that part of that means stepping back and giving female characters more grace and putting some mental energy into actively understanding/analyzing them, then all the better.

*i do realize that part of the issue was that they were stuck with her 1.0 design of a blonde white girl on a middy model (since f highlanders didnt exist for a while). perhaps there is a universe where her dropping the archon mark glamour changes a lot more about her appearance, and that lyse had a few different phenotypes than her sister - but i am not qualified to say whether this would be better or worse. there would be some interesting discussions on it, though.

[stranger-rants]

Runaway Max Annotation Series

This is part of a series I am doing on Runaway Max by Brenna Yovanoff. To see previous posts including the annotation guide, check the [#rm annotations] tag on my blog. These posts will follow the general formula of summary, annotations, quotes, and any thoughts or analysis I want to provide based on my own interpretation of the text. You can use my posts as references in fandom discussions.

Runaway Max Chapter Two

Max and Billy experience their first day of school. Max talks about her life back in San Diego, and why she tried to run away to L.A. to be with her dad.

Annotations:

1) Background

Their first day of school was "a Tuesday, more than a month after school already started," which means they started school mid-October. Max had friends in San Diego named Ben, Eddie, and Nate. She didn't have female friends.

2) Family Context

Max ran away to stay with her dad in L.A. after she had been told that they were moving to Hawkins. Susan views her ex-husband as wasting his smarts on irresponsible things and inconsistent work. He did some illegal jobs here and there, and he lives in a dingy apartment.

3) Unreliable Statements / Limited P.O.V.

Max says that she thinks having Billy around is making Susan crazy, but there's little to no context explaining why she thinks this. Susan is getting them ready for school, and Billy doesn't say or do much of anything to combat this.

4) Evidence of Abuse / Neglect

Neil is the one making them move. Max thinks that Susan is just going along with it. Max's father is not a responsible parent. He is often late in picking her up and frequently falls asleep in front of the T.V. Susan doesn't trust him to take care of Max, which begs the question - why would she trust Billy to take care of Max?

6) Max & Billy Relationship

There isn't much antagonism between them in this chapter which is odd given the supposed circumstances that lead to the move not yet revealed or even hinted at early in the novel. Instead, there is an attempt at solidarity in being pissed off about the move - Billy says Hawkins sucks and says, "I bet you're already planning your next jailbreak right?"

7) Valuable Insights

Susan and Max disagree greatly on how a young girl should dress and act.

8) Billy's Characterization

Billy is enraged by the move. Max says he "lost it" when he found out, but he expresses this mostly by keeping to himself. He blasts his music in his room and refuses to eat dinner with the family. Billy is told by Susan to drive Max to the middle school and walk in with her to make sure she gets what she needs. Billy drops her off, refusing to go in.

Quote(s):

Billy rolled his head sideways to look at me. "But I don't want to, Max. They're not paying me to babysit you. If you don't like it, maybe tomorrow you can walk."

This chapter reveals just how poorly planned this book is because there's not a drop of a hint of a piece of evidence as to why the family moved to Hawkins, even though fans adamantly use this book as evidence that the move was all Billy's fault. There is no hint that Billy blames Max or that Max blames Billy for it.

I know that later information contradicts this by putting blame on Billy's violence, but information that is revealed later on isn't meant to contradict the entire tone of a chapter but rather enhance it. The feeling the reader gets from this chapter is that Max and Billy didn't want to move, and they're unhappy in Hawkins.

Not that they're ready to kill each other over it.

I am endlessly fascinated that Max's mom doesn't want Max around her father because he's "irresponsible" but then turns around and expects her step son to babysit Max for free. It's his first day, too, and she expects him to not only drive her to school but check her in when he has to do that for himself when he gets to the high school.

Billy explains himself clearly and logically to Max as to why he's not going to do what Susan wants him to do, and you know what? He's right. Not only that, but Max is perfectly capable of checking herself in. The statement that Billy is "driving Susan crazy" is also random and lacking context, making Billy out to be the "bad guy" for being an annoyed teenager.

This doesn't mean that Billy hasn't done anything to piss her off or drive her crazy, but there is absolutely no context for the statement that explains what he's saying or doing that's so wrong. I cannot emphasize enough that statements are just made about Billy with little to no detail backing them up, so the reader is just expected to believe Max.

Max was also unlikeable in this chapter for one main reason - the "I'm not like other girls" attitude she carries. It's fine that she doesn't vibe with femininity in the way that her mother expects her too, but she puts herself above other girls in many ways to make herself "different" from them. She is a child, though, so this can change over time.

Back to Susan... Again. I have to say this again.

If Susan really doesn't trust Max's father to take care of her, it makes no narrative sense to expect Billy, her step son who she supposedly can't stand, to be Max's babysitter. It's irresponsible. If she wants Max checked in at school, she can do it herself because that's certainly not Billy's job when he also has school to go to.

The main thing we learn about Billy is that Billy is basically parentified and somehow that makes him the bad guy.

[zurrr]

@nopecontest says no one uses this place to blog anymore, only reblog, so ill post some thoughts here and call it "blogging".

the internet is getting stupider and as i approach my 30s i find myself thinking more frequently about mid 2000s internet and all the dumb things i was interested in. ytmnd. different internet forums dedicated to sonic, ed edd n eddy, and the powerpuff girls. the friends i lost contact with from those forums. avgn when he was in his 20s and just starting out. wanting to make ytps thinking that was my calling at the time. newgrounds. albinoblacksheep. getting banned from deviantart multiple times because i was under 13. none of this is present anymore and will never be present again and thats bleak to think about on a regular basis. kids on the internet today will never experience online memories like this.

im more accepting of working my same retail job forever than i ever was, as the benefits are all i think about and how things could be worse. it used to be a big anxiety of mine, trying to think about how i could break away from retail and never go back to it, but honestly there is nothing else especially when i have no skills or education (if that even matters anymore) but like at the same time i dont care as much anymore. i make enough to get by. i could buy a thing i dont need and still be able to buy things i do need. im in a good position and have things others dont and theres no reason to fret over it anymore.

ive been figuring out my identity lately. i slowly came to the realization that i do not like wearing feminine clothes or presenting solely as female. ive struggled with body dysmorphia since, i wanna say before age 8 idk anymore, and ive always associated this was having an eating disorder, which im not gonna deny that i have. i often calorie restrict, and sometimes i dont realize that im doing this because im occupying myself so much that im not thinking about taking care of myself. this will be an ever-present thing about myself, but im learning that i can combat this by changing my wardrobe. i feel more confident when im not settling for wearing a dress or putting on make up cuz i feel like i "have to", and instead choosing clothes that are actually comfortable and not form fitting. ive been trying to explore this more, still a ways to go maybe, but mentally it's been comforting to consider and ill say here i go by she/they pronouns. it used to be she/her with no hesitation but thats not me anymore.

ive been watching one piece since last year and it's been interesting. this is one of those series that i never thought about watching, mostly because i didnt really grow up watching anime religiously and this is one i knew existed but i didnt think it was something i needed to touch when i just watched western shows. one piece is good. another thing that is good is dragon ball z, another series i didnt think id ever touch. i think both changed me for the better cuz it broadened my horizons and it feels like i made new friends. not in fandoms, i mean characters. im friends with characters. puar dragon ball is my friend.

to those who have been following me forever but only on tumblr specifically, im still drawing the same ocs. theyve gotten more complex, meaning they are much sadder and burdened with insecurities that i know too well. NEVERMIND is the only thing im gonna do forever cuz it's gonna take me a long time to get anywhere with it and i dont have enough time in a day to do it all, but thats ok to have only one creative focus. NVM is therapy and i dont need another project. you can read my webcomic here but it's on hiatus until next year. it is also apart of spiderforest which is a webcomic collective, maybe check out other comics on SF too while youre at it and support webcomic creators.

im gonna be grieving about panda (the cat i used to post about here) forever and thats ok too. she passed away 2 years ago in november and i think about her every day. i dont get as emotional about it anymore though. i maybe could if i focused hard enough on it, but i dont have to do that because i have a another cat now who is named bean. she's 4 and is so fuckin silly (and smelly) and i love her a lot. more rambunctious than im used to, but the memories i and @nopecontest have begun building with her have been well worth it. here she is playing mario sunshine

[daughter-of-sapph0]

quick question, what's an era 2 tumblr user? we have eras??

it's sorta something I made up myself. tumblr has gone through various shifts in presentation and tone that dramatically affected how people use the website. honestly idk if anyone besides me actually uses this system, but I'm gonna use it anyway because it's funny

so Era 1 is from the start of tumblr until dashcon. this is where the dashboard had those weird lines on the side of reblogs, was the hight of superwholock, allows editing other people's posts, and was filled the overwhelming prevalence of fandom. back then, tumblr wasn't very mainstream and most people who used it were big nerds (affectionate). so there was a strong sense of community between people who had shared interests.

Era 2 starts after dashcon in summer of 2014. this was a disaster of an event that sorta boosted tumblr's popularity for better or for worse. this is also when I first joined in late 2015 as an undertale blogger originally (my first blog has since been deleted though). this is what I'd call the meme era of tumblr. it's when most of the most popular jokes are from. it's when massive inside jokes and tumblr references started. and it's the time where the most people were active. and it lasted until about late 2018 with the porn ban

Era 3 was kicked off with many users deciding to leave tumblr near the end of 2018 beginning of 2019. tumblr's policy on porn up until then had been "go nuts. show nuts" until it was bought by virison who tried their best to make it "family friendly". the whole thing was handled very poorly ("female presenting nipples") and didn't even get rid of all porn, just porn from sex workers and artists who sold nsfw content to make a living. most of those people left for sites like twitter, and many other sfw artists (and also people who just used tumblr for free porn) left with them. for a while, tumblr was pretty empty. but not entirely. there were still very close knit communities, arguably even closer than Era 1 even. and honestly, this is when tumblr was at its most usable. it was quiet. the only thing that you had to worry about was the occasional porn bot (and staff's growing authoritarianism, but we'll get to that). it's hard to argue when exactly Era 3 ends. I like to say it's when elon musk bought twitter, but I also think it might have started a bit before then. it's more of a slow transition that happened sometime between early and late 2022

Era 4 is the return era. when everyone who went to twitter came crawling back. this was sorta kicked off with staff starting to be more lax with their porn restrictions. but don't think that staff was having a change of heart and suddenly nice. for the longest time, they had been overstepping boundaries and abusing their authority, such as banning mainly Black and leftist users calling them "Russian psyops". it was also around this time that people discovered that there were several terfs on the development team, and that was likely the reason they didn't ban nazis and terfs despite both being in clear violation of the tos. tumblr staff tried to distract from this controversy by adding a bunch of gimmicks. the crabs for April fools, blazing posts, checkmarks, tumblr live. this for some reason actually worked, and a lot of people just forgot or didn't care about staff any more, and it actually brought in a lot of new users. I have no idea how long Era 4 will last. all the Eras have been kicked off with a massive change in how social media operates that becomes more dramic and impactful each time. so short of the us government completely banning tiktok for good, I doubt Era 4 will end any time soon.

sorry this turned mostly into a rant against staff near the end. as you can obviously tell, I'm sorta biased towards Era 2 and 3, as that's when I had the best experiences with tumblr. and a lot of the problems I have with the site today can be traced back to staffs stupid decisions and abuse of power and authority.

but yeah. I hope that makes sense.

[merykitten]

Looking for roleplay Partners!

Not an art post but i'm so desperately bored lately-

The point is that i'm looking for some roleplay Partners who are not too busy with their lifes. I already contacted 14 People and they're too busy to be active 😭🙏

I'm not asking to be there all day of course, but if you think you won't be able to be active at least once a day do not dm me!

Also DO NOT DM ME TILL YOU READ ALL THE POST PLEASE! Important points will be colored!

With this ad, i'm not replacing the rps i already started.

Now, some messy info and rules:

• First of all, i'm 21 so NO MINORS! Mandatory 18+ roleplayers! I'm looking for people who aren't sensitive with nsfw. If you are, i'm not the right partner for you! We Will discuss about limits in DMs.

• I have 8/9 years of experience but i'm evolving my way of roleplaying since it was quite poor before :,))

•My time zone: GMT+1 (I'm italian and i won't roleplay in my native lenguage-)

Muses

• I honestly have no muses! i'm willing to try roleplaying as any danganronpa characters you want me to do IF, in exchange, you do the same for me! (UDG nor Anime/Novel characters not included!)

• If it wasn't clear in the previous, i mostly do double ups. I want both parties to have fun so if you do something for me, i'll do something for you. Basically we'll much likely do two roleplays or even more.

• Thought, if you guys don't have an oc and simply enjoy roleplaying as canon characters we can either do a double up with a cc x cc or just one roleplay if you don't wish a double up.

• We can discuss in DM about the canon characters you're interested in and, if you have some, your headcanons about em! I'll try my Best to make you happy BUT, since i'm Cisgender and Straight, i won't roleplays trans HCs or some complicated sexualities because i wouldn't be able to represent em right 🙏 we can discuss about it in DMs.

• Regard my part, I'd like the characters to be as canon as possible but we can discuss about my minor headcanons before starting.

Interests

• Currently, the fandom i'm mainly into is Danganronpa! I'm also Willing to try Tokyo Revengers!🙏💖 i didn't design ocs for the second one yet but i probably improvise-

• If you can't roleplays as at least one of the following characters, do not dm me!

(from most favourite to least.)

Danganronpa:

- Mondo Oowada <3

- Kaito Momota <3

- Kazuichi Souda <3

Tokyo Revengers:

- Ken Ryuguji (Draken) <3

- Chifuyu Matsuno <3

- Souya Kawata (Angry) <3

- Atsushi Sendo (Akkun) <3

- Ryohei Hayashi (Peh yan) <3

- Hakkai Shiba <3

Literacy

• About literacy, i'm semi-literate. I'm not english but i'm quite fluid! Usually the lenght of the answer depends on how much i have to work on; Usually the start point is longer.

• No illiterates/one liners please!

• If you write a higher grade, don't judge me i'll try my Best to not disappoint and fit with your style!🙏

Ships

• About ships, honestly I'm looking for OC X CC! CC x CC doesn't entertain me much, but if you don't have ocs for a double up and wish to do that instead, i'm willing to give a try! ONLY FOR DANGANRONPA, NOT TOKYO REVENGERS!

• If its an interesting OC that could fit with mine, i'm willing to try OC x OC! I also like to make the ocs interact with each other or become friends! <3

• I have two danganronpa female OCS and i'm opened to try more pairings ^^ Better to discuss this in DMs tho- About Tokyo Revengers i'm working on it XP (i Wonder if i'll someday create some male ocs-)

Plotting

• About plots, I can come up with pretty simple plots n scenarios, nothing too complicated! I absolutely LOVE slice of life, Fluff, romantic, smut, even a bit of angst why not? We Will plan a Plot before starting!

• What i'm not into? Violence, yanderes, gore, tragic stuff n similar- i'm a simple gal 😭🙏

• Also, I'm not much into platonical stuff-

• I can also possibly do AUS, but i won't guarantee it will last long-

^ If the Plot gets boring, we can discuss a new one with no problem! You decide about your rp, i decide for mine!

Others

• I only do roleplay on Discord.

• It would be better if you were, like me, able to rp as more characters at once to fill the roleplay more.

• I'm such a yapper so i don't mind OOC!

• Do not use emojis in roleplay please!

• If you need to detach yourself for an important reason, please let me know and don't ghost me completely please! 🙏

Hope we can get along <33

[over-eden]

Experiences in fandom outside of Tumblr/Twitter

Decided to share this experience because just like my experiences in international fandom spaces, I do not see a lot of radfems/radfems that are into fandom being aware of English speaking fandom communities outside of Tumblr/Twitter.

I do want to note that while I am mostly active in non-english fandom spaces, this post is specifically about an event in the USA I went to last year.

At the beginning of 2024 I had the opportunity to attend a fandom convention. This was not an anime convention or specific to any one show or media, it was a convention "by and for fans of all fandoms and flavors". I had never attended a convention like this and despite being on tumblr for plenty of years for most of that time I have always been on the edge of fandom. I tested the waters occasionally but I was usually happy to be an observer.

That changed around early 2017, and then last year I attended my first offline fandom convention in the states.

I had no idea what to expect and had gone along because a fandom sister I had grown close to wanted someone to come along with her. While I have gone to big anime conventions to accompany friends before this convention was nothing like that.

One of the first things that was immediately different was the size - I was told that the convention I would be attending would be around 70-100 people. The other thing was that panels were suggested by attendees who wanted to be moderators and then voted on by everyone else. An online meeting was held to determine what panels and moderators would make it on to the official programming. At this point I still was pretty much in the dark about what this event would entail.

Finally the convention date came around and what I discovered was a thriving community of women. In the introduction pamphlet the event is branded as one that "welcomes all orientations and genders" but the reality of the event is that it is almost all female only. To give a brief breakdown of the type of environment I was in:

-Me and the sister that invited me along are late 20s AND with the exception of maybe three other attendees we were the youngest ones there. All other attendees ranged from late 30s all the way up to late 70s.

-There were only two attendees that explicitly identified as something other than a woman: a mid 20s trans man and a queer trans man whose age I am unsure of.

-For biological men, in all three days of attendance I only counted four total. 3 of them stayed out of sight for the most part and you would only see them around when they came around lunch/dinner hours to pick up their wives so they could share a meal. They came to support their spouses but did not attend the panels. The fourth man did moderate a panel and (unfortunately) I did see him a lot in the hallways but outside of that panel I did not have any other common areas that I had to interact with him.

-The event badges you are given do have a spot for pronouns but as mentioned above outside of notable exceptions all other women either forgo that section entirely or have she/her listed.

Other things to note:

-When you first arrive you are given a program book which includes a welcome message, a schedule and anything else you may need to know about the convention.

-There are volunteer shifts you can take, meaning that during the convention you sign up for certain hours where you work as staff which can also include women coming up to you for questions. These are not mandatory but if you sign up you can get a discount off of next year's convention tickets.

-As mentioned above, panels are all chosen by the attendees each year, however there are "permanent" panels: the welcome panel, a fan video contest, and an exit panel. There is also a vendor space that is permanent.

Now that the stage is set... my experience:

From the very beginning it felt like a box of wonderful surprises. First- I came across a woman that I knew from my personal life at the convention. Had no idea she would be there! Did not even know she was a fandom sister! And yet here she was checking me in and giving me my badge and program book.

Next thing - I am a detransitioned woman but have kept all the physical changes testosterone gave me. There's stuff I cannot get rid of even if I tried such as my voice, but for the stuff I can such as facial hair - I have kept those as well because I love how I look with it. However this was a source of agony for me leading up to the convention because I was not sure if I should shave or not. I wanted other attendees to recognize me as female but I did not want to compromise my own physical appearance.

Eventually I decided to keep my facial hair and make sure my badge had listed my pronouns as she/her thanks to the encouragement of the woman that invited me along. I did not get they/them or anything else AT all. That being said, at the beginning I was still so incredibly nervous, I kept thinking things like "they may still not recognize me as female" "what if my presence makes them uncomfortable", ect ect. This was for all intents and purposes an apolitical event so for all I knew these women did not even know what a detransitioner was.

What finally took away my nervousness:

Around midday after I had attended a few panels I headed down the elevator... an older woman ran in as she was going down too. I asked what floor she was headed to and she looked at me and said something like "So you are the deep voice I have been hearing!" I immediately was mortified and thought to myself "I really did bother another woman with my voice! Oh no!" And so before I had even let her finish I immediately apologized and told her that I was so sorry about that. What I had hoped to convey with this I still do not know but the woman responded back with "I was just curious! I kept hearing such a different tone than usual and I was intrigued!"

Later on during the dinner that the event had organized, me and my friend sat down with her and had a conversation that lasted almost two hours. She had been a part of fandom culture since her early 20s and was now in her mid 60s. 

Setting aside my own personal hang ups around my appearance ... what were the panels like?

While each panel had their moderator, it didn't really feel like a single woman was in charge. We all contributed to the discussions and each conference room had a large easel pad to write down any notes or ideas we wanted. 

The only panel that left a tiny bit of a sour taste in my mouth was a sci-fi related one that was co-moderated by a man. You could immediately tell the environment had shifted for that panel. Suddenly we were not a group of women sharing ideas together but everything seemed to just be a discussion that went on where and how he wanted it to go. (Luckily this one was the only panel he moderated, and while I have a lot to say about that, the woman that was co-moderating the panel with him was wonderful and amazing.)

Experiences aside... what were the panels about? So, so many different topics! Ranging from typical fandom discussions (panels related to specific shows or pairings) to all sorts of technical stuff (how to make video edits, how to archive your own online materials) to things like sharing fandom related cooking recipes (which really just delved into a session to share recipes of all kinds).

Just as the panels varied in subject and expertise, so did the women! I met so many women that had a masters degree, were professors or were working on PhDs. Not to mention the amount of women in tech fields. 

To give just a tiny bit of insight:

One of the panels I attended was about the different types of love an android can feel in fiction. It was moderated by a literature professor but what I had not expected was for the conversation to shift due to the amount of women that attended that had extensive experience in tech fields. One moment we were talking about a particular book and its depiction of artificial intelligence and the next a woman who worked as a cloud architect had chimed in with her own knowledge and now the conversation had shifted - suddenly we were no longer talking about a novel and  the women with careers in tech had started a whole conversation with technological terms that I had to struggle to keep up with.

And on that note... another thing I had not expected to walk out with? How to maintain my own media server. This was not a panel but a woman whose room my friend and I were visiting and who was working on this project of hers during the evenings that kindly gave us an impromptu lesson.

Of course no women's event is complete without arguments. The closing ceremonies had plenty of suggestions for next year that turned into smaller arguments and prior to that on the second day of the convention I too had gotten into a spirited discussion. Maybe there is some kind of irony that out of all the sisters I met that day, the person that I got into an argument with was a self identified queer trans man. But even this, as heated as I was when he would not consider my point of view on a certain character I look back on with fondness.

We had argued so long and so loudly that at the end of it, three different women came up to me and asked me what the series and character we were arguing about was because of how passionate the discussion was. (And had it not been because me and my friend had to run to another panel, I would have been set to continue the argument for another hour haha)

All in all, I left the convention with a totally different view and experience of English speaking fandom that I didn't know existed. While I am firmly immersed in international fandom spaces, this convention helped me discover an English speaking community so vastly different from what tumblr and twitter had offered and I was so glad to have attended.

If I had not I would never have discovered that the USA has all sorts of small fandom conventions just like these. All run by women for women! And all of them not advertised in the social media frequently visited by young women. I even found out that in my very own city around 25 women gather each fall to watch a movie and do their own panels about whatever fandoms they are into!

For any sisters in radfem spaces that are curious to know more:

Due to the age group of the women that plan and attend these conventions the fandoms that are talked about are usually not going to be the recent show that's streaming or trending. To give more examples, here are some of the shows that had panels at the convention I went to:

The Professionals (1977 British crime-action drama)

Highlander: The Series (1992 sci-fi show)

Starsky & Hutch (1975 action series)

The Sentinel (1996 action/thriller show)

Lastly: if you are curious to know more/find out what conventions to attend I would suggest going on to this website . Or if you really want to put in the work, search for Facebook communities/pages dedicated to any of the shows I listed above. You're bound to find a hidden gem or two. :)

[deliriumsdelight7]

🔥🌷⭐️ Hope I'm not too late for the ask game!

Not at all, and thanks for the ask!

🔥- Name a crackship, now convince me why it would work!

To me nothing says crack like two characters from two entirely different stories, so let me present to you my favorite old man yaoi crackship: Iroh from Avatar: The Last Airbender, and Izzy Hands from Our Flag Means Death. First off, I’m a basic bitch who loves sunshine/grumpy. Second, while a life at sea might not be Iroh’s cup of tea ideal life, it’s one he’s more than willing to adapt to for a loved one. He also has experience dealing with someone reeling from being disfigured and abandoned by someone they love, and we’ve seen that Izzy will eventually respond well to persistent kindness as long as he doesn’t think he’s being coddled. They both have a passion for music. And in exchange for that kindness, Izzy would be unwaveringly loyal in a half-feral junkyard dog way. Iroh would lecture Izzy on his piracy and violent tendencies, and Izzy would flip out every time Iroh does something impractical for the sake of luxury (getting flashbacks to Stede fucking Bonnet) but they’d definitely wind up banging it out after music night on the ship.

🌷 - Problematic fave?

Izzy Hands. Severus Snape. Rumpelstiltskin. Billy Hargrove. Any character who radiates the energy of “kicked dog who snaps at the hand reaching out.” I desperately need some female characters to add to this list.

⭐️ - Most controversial fandom you like the media of

I don’t really know what makes a fandom controversial, to be honest. The only one I can think of is Harry Potter, which I honestly don’t love the media of. Mostly I just like Snape (see above).

[sunshine-and-his-stars]

Alright, for the most part I've been avoiding posting at all on tumblr lately, mostly only reposting a few fanarts I like or stuff about Queen Kat. I know so many people have already said their piece about this, and maybe she may never see this but hopefully if enough people start talking about it, someone will see that there aren't just awful people in this fandom.

I joined the SAMS fandom about a year ago or so? Because of an ex who was really into it, and dragged me into it. It quickly became my comfort show. I fell out of it after our break up, and the concept of the show was really iffy in my mind for a while because I was still scared of that breakup and that ex. But about a month or so ago one of my friends mentioned the Lunar and Earth show, talking about it on a VC and said I should try to get back into it.

I had never gotten to the point where Earth was in the SAMS when i was originally into it, but the moment I started watching episodes with characters like Earth, Pollux, Nebula, etc, I absolutely fell in love with them. Earth is a character I see so much of myself in as an oldest daughter, and while Earth is technically the youngest she still carries that weight of the issues I deal with myself. Especially in a family with incredible amounts of generational trauma, I could see my own experiences and coping mechanisms in her. Earth and Monty's relationship is so precious to me. They both have issues that they are still dealing with, but they are working on it together through supporting each other, clear communication, and genuine love and affection. That's all you can ever dream for in a relationship. And they still have their issues, but they are *trying* so so hard.

Earth is there for and supports every character. She plays therapist even when she really shouldn't because that's what she thinks she has to do. And then there's her break from that, where she deals with trying to put herself first, which is something I'm healing from myself. And Earth's issues are portrayed so beautifully.

How I see a lot of Earth's quirks, coding, emotions etc are portraying actual issues that people deal with, even if they're technically animatronics. Earth's current problems being an example of chronic pain, her memory issues being a representation of blocking things out from PTSD (which is something I do), and the current thing that started most of this, her need to promise that she wouldn't hurt her brother. I don't understand why people would be upset about that, because that is something I would do.

If anyone reading this right now is a Queen Kat hater, or a hater of any of the other female VAs / TSBS characters, you can go right ahead and block me. Some people need to learn how the fucking block and scroll button works. THE VAS DON'T OWE YOU ANYTHING.

I was seven years old when I learned that I needed to think before I spoke. So maybe some of you need to go back to school. Use the THINK module!

Before you type, ask if your statement is

T - True? H - Helpful? I - Important? N - Necessary? K - Kind?

Stop acting like pathetic children and get a fucking grip. Fanart and Fanfiction are for your opinions and ideas. The TSBS actors don't need to do anything for you. They Deserve Better. Kat deserves better.

Queen Kat will not be writing anymore for the LAES show because you all made her fucking cry. Get. A. Grip. You are not children, most of you are probably grown adults. This is her world, her creations, her characters, her writing. She deserves so much better than you are treating her, and she deserves to be able to showcase something she really loves and is excited about.

Quit Ruining It For Everyone Else.

[samooooo1]

Requests open:

SO MY DEAR ANONS,

Basicly I wanna write stories and headcanons and many other things but I am a newbie and I wanna write for ya all, since at times I just need headcanons and would love if ya could give me Ideas, I might write late or do the asks a bit late since I am still in school and need to study alot if I wanna truly work for my dear Lord Jesus 💃💃.

_________________________________________

Sooo lets get into it better,

Rules:

Off Limits:

No smut,

Gay,(any type(Furry counts to) plus diffrent character gender besides Male or Female,I am a Christian and I just dont support it, but I love ya all just like God does but I hate your sins as its them who we true followers and children of God really hate)

Not any type of demonic request even if said characters look or in any way Satanic or Demonic I wont do the request.

Any type of bad stuff like killing, abuse etc, I dont even wanna think about such stuff.

Children will be platonic relationship, no more or less

Allowed:

Any type of fluffs, up to kissing.

Relationships headcannon (anything in between)

I write both male and female just state what ya really want and we see what we can get, (also it would be kind if ya could tell me a bit of the character as I dont know every character that is there, thaaanks homies)

(Male reader x Girl or Female reader x Male)

(But keep in my mind its a bit harder for me to write for a female as its mostly die to my lack of experience)

---------------------------------------------------

Fandoms I write for:

Honestly any, as long as it is inside the rules I write for any character.

So you can ask for any requests from any fandom as long as its in the rules I can happily write for you all :D.

But personaly speaking I would love if ya could recommend from these Fandoms:

Digimon: There so little fanficts for them its honestly sad and I would love if ya could just ask for some of them as I love Digimon dearly)

Pokemon: Classics, cool and noice looking Characters in there ;)

Genshin: Same as Pokemon, cool Charas but no Archons or other beings besides humans, sorry for Archon lovers or anyone that is besides a human.

Soulsgame: From Dark souls to Elden Ring, all in between. I love the lore and if you got any request or Ideas. Send them.

For now that be it but if ya got some request to other fandoms kindly tell me, just make Sure please they comply with my rules.

_________________________________________

Thats be it for now!!!

See ya my blessed anons

;)

(PS, I am bad in gramma so sorry if some stories come with bad gramma but hope still one day ya all be enjoying it one way or another, also ya can write me if ya want to make a request)

[olderthannetfic]

From what I've gathered reading your blog you seem to be very much pro-kink, even the ones most people would find 'gross' and until very recently this was something I agreed with. Fantasies are just fantasies and don't have any meaning on reality, right? But lately I decided to browse through some masochistic kink tags on Tumblr out of bored curiosity and what I found made me feel sick to my stomach. Teenage girls (that's what they mostly were) posting about being raped, made into sex slaves, being 'put in their place as women' by men, it all seemed like something out of a misogynist's wet dream. I don't know what I expected by checking in those tags in the first place, but I didn't think it would be that extreme. It just seems hard to imagine a young woman posting about being bred like livestock as is her place as a female and going back to having a healthy view of herself and others as women when she's done. Especially teenagers, since their minds are still growing and being molded by what they experience. It reminded me that I've been seeing a lot BDSM bleeding (heh) over into mainstream vanilla sex, like choking and beating. It just seems like maledom is becoming synonymous with sex and sexuality itself, and I don't think it's natural. Femdom is still and always was very niche, so unless someone wants to argue that women are naturally more masochistic than men I think a lot of female masochism is a result of living in and being influenced by a male-dominated world and should not be seen as healthy and encouraged. This ended up being a lot longer than I expected, but you generally have pretty good takes on things and so I was curious about your opinion on this.

--

Nonnie...

Uh...

I don't mean to be rude here, but misogyny kink + rape kink is basic-ass stuff that's everywhere. Hucows are a staple of crappy image board porn sites full of anime art. If this seems shocking and extreme to you, I don't think you've explored freaky porn spaces very much. This is what I'm talking about when I roll my eyes at fandom wank about "extreme" fic within fandom.

When I personally was 14, I was reading snuff stories with dudes jizzing into bullet holes. The ones that weren't about shooting featured long, detailed descriptions of strangulation. Plenty of them also featured misogyny kink, but my favorite author and photo essayist was always writing about herself as a murdered corporate spy and shit like that without any particular misogynistic element. She'd make her husband cart her around and take photos of her playing dead.

My favorite movie was Crash. It just spoke to something inside of me.

I am far healthier for having been able to explore that through fiction without being yelled at and told I was mentally ill. Kinks develop early, and you cannot make teen girls not have rape kinks. They're one of the most common human sexual fantasies that exists!

We don't know where these things come from, but pathologizing them or imagining they come directly from art teens are looking at right then is shitty. Many people can trace the kinks they find sexual as adults back to things they were obsessed with in early childhood. I think it's possible that misogyny kink would decline somewhat if society got less misogynist, but rape kinks aren't going anywhere, and this kind of social change would be years too late for anyone who's currently a teen even if you could wave a magic wand today.

It just seems like maledom is becoming synonymous with sex and sexuality itself

Nonnie... Where have you been?

First of all, that's all of society for thousands of years. Second of all, as I always say, most people are bottoms:

Most people don't want to be the one doing the work. They want to be the one done to.

Many women are attracted to men.

Actual men expect a lot of babysitting.

Ergo, porn where a man does things to a woman while she lies there like a dead fish, needing to make zero decisions and zero effort to cater to him is very popular.

You see women thinking real rapists are sexy. I see women with a fantasy of finally not having to do all the work.

--

"Femdom is still and always was very niche"

This is straight up bullshit. Femdom is extremely popular, but it is popular among men.

Dude-oriented porn is full of this kind of thing, and it is a fantasy, yet again, of being done to. These dommes dress up in scratchy-sounding lingerie and spike heels and have their wicked way with nerdy, helpless dudes. I wish those dudes all the fun in the world, but their anatomically improbable erotica does not do it for me because it is, like so much else, about a kink dispenser providing for a deserving subject.

Women are not more naturally submissive. Everyone likes to be the pampered recipient rather than the one putting their back into it. You're just only looking at places full of women's porn.

If you hung out on gelbooru or rule34 or e621 or any of the sites with active comments sections, you'd find a very different picture. Try looking up Link. Dudes love Link. It's a handful of guys going "I'd show him what a real man is" and seas and seas of men who clearly identify with Link and want to watch him get dicked down by everybody from Ganondorf to dogs to dickgirls.

Dudes produce a ton of porn where big titty librarians and strict schoolteachers smack around little girly boys while insulting their manhood. Sometimes, they're futas with big dicks. Sometimes, they just use big strap-ons. It's a whole Thing. You just don't see it because you're hanging out here and on AO3.

--

Our kind of spaces always want femdom-for-women to be popular, like it's more self actualized to want to be on top.

This attitude is incredibly toxic. It ignores everything we know about healthy BDSM. It pathologizes bottoming. And it asks sexual fantasies to fulfill a representation quota.

This isn't how desire works.

I'm sorry if I sound testy, but what you sent me is bog standard kink hating. I've seen this exact song and dance so many times, right down to the total shock over kinks that wouldn't even register as unusual on a porn site.

[dem-obscure-imagines]

Unexpected and Unusual

Jedediah Smith x Reader

Fandom: Night at the Museum

Summary: While catching up with your old college friend, Larry, you learn he knows your soulmate. It’s not until you get to the museum, however, that you realize just how strange the circumstances surrounding your destiny are…

Note: Wow I’m actually pretty proud of this one. I missed writing for NatM and I’m always in the mood for a good soulmate au.

Warnings: Some swearing.

Word Count: 2.3k

Reader Is: Female

You looked down at the words written on your wrist and chuckled. You figured whoever your soulmate was must be an actor or something. Maybe you’d meet them at a Renaissance Festival or a dinner and theater type thing? Like Medieval Times, but for cowboys? You weren’t sure, but it seemed like it would be a memorable experience regardless.

Your phone buzzed and you reached to click off the alarm reminding you to head out if you wanted to make it to dinner with your friend Larry. The two of you had met in college and now he worked as a night guard at one of the museums in town. Therefore, you were having dinner a little earlier than you were used to, but you didn’t mind.

So, you grabbed your stuff and headed to the diner you and Larry used to go to in college sometimes. You ordered your usuals and started catching up.

“So…how are things at the museum lately? Any new exhibits?”

“Not since the last time you visited, no. Same old, same old. It’s pretty fun, though.”

“Isn’t it like…creepy? Being there all alone at night?” You asked. The thought of being in a building full of lifeless wax figures and statues and whatnot gave you the chills just thinking about it. Especially if it was dark. It didn’t seem like a fun gig, if you were honest.

“Nah, it’s not so bad.” Larry said. “I keep myself occupied.”

“Well, good for you, Larry. I’m glad you found something you enjoy, finally.”

“Yeah, me too. So what’s new with you? Any updates?”

“Nope. Boss is still a jerk, my classes for my master’s degree still suck, and I’m still not really sure what I’m doing with my thesis or…you know, what I want to do with the rest of my life.”

“Yeah, I feel that. But you’ll get there. I know you will. You’ll figure it out. You always were the clever one.”

“Heh, thanks. I needed to hear that.” You took a bite of a French fry.

“So no soulmate yet then, huh?” Larry asked.

“Yeah not yet…I’m pretty sure he’s an actor or something.”

Larry perked up. “Wait, you finally got your mark?”

“Few years ago, yeah.” You said, grinning and rolling up your sleeve to show him. “Seems like a fun guy, right?”

Larry stared for a long time, something akin to shock mixed with realization washing over his features. “Oh, you have no idea…”

You laughed, looking at him. “What is that supposed to mean?”

“Nothing, I just…” Larry shrugged. “I think I might know him, is all.”

“Woah, you what? You know him? Who is he? What’s he like? Why does he…talk like that?”

“It’s kind of hard to explain…” He thought for a long moment, fighting with himself over something. “You know…why don’t you come to work with me? It might be easier to…well, to show you.”

“Are you sure? Is that allowed?”

Larry had a knowing look on his face. “Oh, I think they’ll make an exception.”

***

Once the two of you finished eating and paid the bill, you went to the museum together. It wasn’t too far away from the diner, close enough to walk, in fact. And it was a beautiful walk. You loved New York.

The sun wasn’t quite setting yet, but you suspected it would be soon. Larry told you that was usually when he went in, just before sunset. And so, once you got to the museum, you started looking around at the exhibits. You’d gone there a lot in college, mostly for research, but also partially because there were some nice quiet spots that were perfect to study in.

“Theodore Roosevelt, right?” You said, looking up at the wax replica of him, riding on his horse.

“Yep. 26th president of the United States.”

“When I was a kid, I always liked him because I liked Teddy bears and they were named after him.”

“I feel like he’d like that.” Larry smiled, laughing softly. “You should tell him that.”

You made a quizzical look and turned back to face him. “What?”

“Yeah, in about…” Larry glanced down at his watch and you watched him incredulously. “Three…two…one…”

“Lawrence, my boy! Good evening!” Said a voice behind you.

You whipped around and looked up at the moving (?) statue. Your eyes widened and you stared up at him as he climbed down off of his horse.

“And who might this beautiful young lady be?” Theodore offered his hand. “Theodore Roosevelt at your service.”

“I’m (Y/N).” You said slowly, shaking his hand and turning back towards Larry to mouth ‘What. The. Fuck.’

“I know, it’s kind of a lot.” Larry shrugged. “But you’ll get used to it.”

“Ah, Larry,” There was another voice, someone coming down from one of the upper levels. He was dressed all in gold, a luxurious cape billowing behind him. He stopped when he noticed you. “Oh, hello. I am Ahkmenrah, Fourth King of the Fourth Kings, ruler of the land of my fathers. And you are?”

“Ahk, this is (Y/N).” Larry looked at you and walked up to Ahk, cupping a hand around the Pharoah’s ear and whispering something that made him smile and laugh quietly to himself before nodding.

“Yes, I can do that.” Ahk nodded and offered his arm to you, which you took hesitantly. “Right this way. Larry wants me to show you where our, uh…little friends live.”

“Oh…alright?” You followed him through the corridors, heart racing as you ran through everything that had happened so far. Wait. If Larry wanted you to come here with him to see…all of this…did that mean…?

“Your first time, I presume?” Ahkmenrah asked, a kind and patient look on his face.

“Yeah, I’m pretty sure I’m hallucinating, actually.”

“Well, I must say, you are taking it very well. Some of the people Larry brings here tend to…faint upon seeing Theodore come to life.”

“Oh…well, I guess I’m glad I didn’t pass out, then.” You laughed. “Unless I did pass out and this is all a weird dream…”

Ahk chuckled softly. “Well, only time will tell, I suppose. Anyway, here we are.”

He stopped you in the doorway of a room that contained a few miniature exhibits. One looked like the old West complete with a mine and a railroad, and the other was a Roman city, filled with columns and gorgeous architecture.

Upon closer inspection, there were tiny little people moving about. People that you assumed had come to life like the rest of the museum.

Ahk leaned closer to you and spoke quietly, “Good luck,” before leading you into the room, and straight up to the western exhibit.

“Well, if it ain’t the King of Egypt himself! What brings you in here, partner?” Asked a tiny cowboy, reciting the words on your arm perfectly. He then looked up at you, his expression softening. “And who is this tall glass of water? Are you a friend of Gigantor’s?”

You stared at him, dumbfounded. Your heart raced and your legs felt wobbly. They said fate worked in funny ways, but this was…something else entirely. Now you felt woozy…

“I…think I’m gonna pass out.” You took a few steps back and leaned against the wall. “This isn’t possible.”

“Are you alright?” Ahk asked with concern, taking a few steps closer to you.

You nodded, but you weren’t so sure. Your soulmate, your freaking soulmate was a teeny, tiny cowboy about an inch and a half tall. How was that even possible? Why? How did the universe expect something like that to work out when he was literally the size of your pinkie finger?

You slowly slid down to the floor, taking deep breaths in an effort to get your heartrate back to normal.

“I’m going to get you some water.” Ahk announced. “Stay here.”

“Will do.” You nodded, watching as he left the room while you sat on the cold, tile floor.

Slowly, the tiny cowboy made his way across the floor towards you, careful not to make any sudden moves. When you saw him, though, your eyes widened slightly.

“Easy there. I ain’t tryin’ to scare you none. Are you alright?” He asked, his voice tentative and…nervous? Did he know who you were? Did he have a tiny little soulmark on his arm, too?

“Getting there.” You replied, looking down at him as he got closer and closer.

“I don’t know what to say to you to make you feel any better.” He admitted, his face earnest and somewhat sad. “I know it ain’t…” He shook his head and chuckled. “Well, I’m probably not what you were expecting.”

“I mean…you’re…right.” You nodded. This was ridiculous. Maybe you had passed out.

“I knew you probably wouldn’t take it well.” He shrugged and rubbed the back of his neck, holding up the arm you assumed had his mark on it. “And I wouldn’t expect you to, all things considered.”

“What’s your name?” You asked. It was crazy. It was. But…he was your soulmate, apparently, so…shouldn’t you at least give him a chance?

“I’m Jedediah. What’s yours?”

“(Y/N).”

“Beautiful name for a beautiful gal.” He asserted, causing you to smile, a blush rising to your cheeks. “See, there’s that smile I was waiting for. Breathtaking.” He took a few steps closer, still hesitant to get too close. “You think you’re gonna be alright?”

You nodded. “Yeah, I think so.”

“Good, good.” He exhaled in relief and put a tiny little hand on your calf. “Don’t worry, darling. You’re in good hands.”

As soon as he stopped touching you, the words on your arm started to glow a bright gold color, the light powerful, almost blinding.

“Woah.” You shielded your eyes with your hand, peering through your fingers to look at the letters. Looking down at Jed informed you that this was not a solo experience; his arm was glowing as well.

He wobbled in place, looking down at himself. “What in tarnation…?” He fell back on his little butt, and if you weren’t so confused and startled, you would have tried to help him up. However, as soon as you thought to move, something even stranger happened.

He started to grow.

It was slow at first, with Jed letting out a string of confused curses, but then, exponentially, he shot up until he was human-sized, sitting in front of you on the floor, looking up at you, and then at his own body, and then at you again.

“Holy fuck.” You stared at him for a long time. Now that you could actually make out his features clearly, you had to admit: he was handsome. “Um, hi.”

“Howdy.” He chuckled softly to himself, shaking his head. “They always did say fate works in mysterious ways, but I didn’t expect something like this.”

“Me either.”

“I’m sorry it took so long. The vending machine on this floor was out of water. How are you…” Ahkmenrah came into the room with a water bottle, but dropped it when he looked up and saw you sitting across from Jed at human size. “Oh.”

“Yeah, I ain’t sure either, twinkle toes.” Jed shrugged, getting to his feet. “Probably best not to question it.” Jed took your hands and helped you to your feet while Ahk grabbed the water bottle off of the floor, handing it to you.

“Thank you. For the water.” You said, twisting off the cap and taking a sip.

“Of course.”

“Hey, how are things going in here?” Larry walked in finally, deciding to check up on the situation. He stopped dead in his tracks, staring up at Jed with wide eyes. “Jed? That’s what you look like?”

“We’ve been friends for how long now, Gigantor, and you don’t know what I look like?”

“Well it’s hard to make out your face when you’re so…you know.” Larry shrugged. He looked at you. “You okay?”

“Better now, yeah.” You nodded.

“Okay, good. Because there’s a lot more where that came from.” Larry grinned, and you knew this was only the beginning of something very magical…

***

It didn’t take long to establish a routine. Every night about an hour before sundown, you would meet Larry at the museum. They let you do homework at the front desk on the condition you occasionally did little filing tasks like making copies or stapling things together. It wasn’t a bad gig.

Then, once the sun set, Teddy would come to life and greet you, followed by Rexy, who you’d learned to throw a bone for every once in a while, then Ahk would come down the stairs and greet you on his way to do whatever task he had decided to do for the evening. And then, finally, you’d hear the little electric hum of the yellow RC car Jed and Octavius were so fond of, approaching you slowly but surely.

“Howdy, darling. How are you tonight?” Jed asked, hopping out of the car.

“I’m doing good! How are you two doing?”

“I’m well, thank you for asking, (Y/N).” Oct nodded, smiling.

“And I am doing much better now.” Jed grinned.

You lowered the chain of paperclips you’d made and he grabbed on, letting you pull him upwards until he could grip the edge of the counter, which he did with ease, and then, once he was in position, it was time for your magic trick. You reached over and carefully poked his hand with your pointer finger and immediately, he shot up to human height, smiling down at you.

“I will never get sick of that.” He insisted, reaching out for your hand.

“Me either.” You slipped your hand into his, letting him pull you up from your seat and into the open room, where he effortlessly dipped you back, pressing his lips to yours in a passionate kiss. When he pulled you upright again, you leaned your forehead against his, grinning. “And I will never get sick of that.”

What you had with Jed wasn’t normal, by any means, but that didn’t matter. You finally found your soulmate. And you knew that every night for the rest of your life, you were in for the adventure of a lifetime.

[idleglowingpixels]

Welcome To My Blog!

Whether you're here from my AO3 or from the great beyond, I'd like to welcome you to my blog page. This is mainly intended as a master-post detailing a few things about me, a list of my AO3 fanfics with hyperlinks, what you can expect from my blog -- so forth and so on. I'll probably edit this over time, so if you're ever unsure about something, this would be the post to consult.

About Me And My Blog

Lin / Idle 20 Scorpio (Western Horoscope), Horse (Chinese Zodiac) Cis Female (She/Her) Bisexual

IdleGlowingPixels is my unhinged (currently main) blog. I'm a multifandom writeblr account, mainly focused on fanfics for franchises with low fantasy, romance, and action (mainly superheroes, for some reason...?) elements. I also dabble a bit into horror, but usually I'm more interested in horror that's not super gruesome or disturbing.

I'm currently in the process of developing another writeblr blog specializing in my original works. When I complete it, I'll tag it here.

Asks are open!

Feel free to send me an ask! It can be about my stories, fandoms, me, or whatever you like as long as you're respectful about it. (Spare Asks, Spare Asks Sir/Ma'am)

I am a Tag-Game Friendly blog!

I'm more than open to ask and/or tag games. Again, so long as it's respectful, I'd be happy to be tagged and participate in tag games, especially writeblr-related games!

What You'll Find Here (In No Chronological Order)

Giving more frequent/thorough updates regarding my AO3 fics than the Author's Notes on my fics can allow || Discussing content, head-canons, etc. explored in my fics

Current/Ongoing Works:

XXY || PowerPuff Girls (1998) || Teen AU, Mostly Slice-of-Life, Teen Romance & Canon-Typical Action/Violence (#xxy)

Completed Works:

I'll Talk To You Then || Miraculous Ladybug || 1.1k Word Ficlet/Oneshot || Major Character Death, Tragedy, Chat Noir Identity Reveal (#I'll Talk To You Then)

Trapped By The Rain || Monster High AU || 5.7k Oneshot || Pre-Relationship Fluff for Frankie X Jackson/Holt, in Holt's POV (#trapped by the rain)

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Fanwork masterposts/hyperlink posts || Regularly updated as more content releases || Typically has links to character bios, designs, and related fics

(XXY Masterpost is currently a WIP; will update when enough content releases)

Idle's Monster High AU Masterpost

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Content About Or Related (But Not Limited) To The Following Franchises:

PowerPuff Girls (1998)

Mainly regarding updates about my fic || May also discuss aspects of the 2016 series in relation to my fic || Excited for the 2024 series -- the creator's back AND it's gonna be serialized? Sign me up, I just hope its team can recreate the magic

My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic (2010)/My Little Pony: Equestria Girls (2013)

Almost always reblogging || I don't really follow Gen 5 content so my knowledge is minimal || I grew up on G1 & G3 as the target audience then G4 from adolescence onward

Monster High (2010)

Got into the franchise around late-G1 but didn't really get hyped about it until the pandemic || Gen 3 enjoyer almost solely for merchandise; I plan on watching the series but I'm scared I won't like it q-q I enjoyed the live-action movies tho || working on a G1-based AU with G3 elements I really like (ex. Twyla having ASD, Heath being the son of Hades, etc.)

Miraculous Ladybug (2015)

I don't even know why I still care for this dumpster fire || I'm not continuing past Season 5, I'm sorry I can't do it no more q-q || I intend to make an AU fic rewriting the series in the future!

Five Nights At Freddy's (2014)

My only experience with the franchise is through YouTube || Personally consider the Steel Wool era not canon to the Scott Cawthon era, but do enjoy SW's games || If I do post about it outside of reblogs it's probably for personal thoughts on upcoming/newly released content, or for a Human AU I'm not planning on writing a fic for but I might post about here and there idk

Sonic The Hedgehog (1991)

Usually about the live-action movies, Sonic X or Sonic Boom (TV Series), I don't really follow the games haha

Cuphead (2017) & The Cuphead Show! (2022)

Almost always reblogging || I still haven't seen the DLC content :')

Disclaimers

As you can see from the previous section, this is a multi-fandom blog. I plan on trying to make separate archives/masterposts/specific tags for my AO3 works and fandoms but otherwise it will be mostly multi-fandom with little to no organization.

I try my best to maintain a safe space on my SMs -- if you support/fall under any general DNI criteria, please respectfully DNI with me, my blog or anything on my AO3.

If I make a mistake to any degree in one of my posts, feel free to correct me, I only ask that it's done with mutual respect in mind. I try to be open to criticism so long as it has a constructive intent and isn't delivered in a cruel/demeaning/humiliating manner.

---

I hope you enjoy your browse through my blog, and maybe enjoy my works on AO3 as well. Thanks so much for visiting!

(Updated on 10/26/23)

[absolutebl]

THAI BL MASTER POST

So this is a master post about Thai BL. It’s long. I’ve divided it into parts. Skip to the bits you’re intersted in. 

Am I an agent of trust? At the top I talk about why, or why not, you might want to believe my opinions and how my taste was formed. 

What to watch? In the middle there’s recommended watch lists/orders. 

What else to know? At the bottom there’s links to other posts I’ve done on the subject of Thai BL. 

My experience with the genre: 

I’ve been watching BL since 2017. SOTUS was my first, then Love Sick, then mostly what was on YouTube. During lockdown I decided to try to watch every BL Thailand has ever made. I went back to 2007′s Love of Siam, and to date I’ve watched over 130 Thai BLs. 

My education/career is in social science, pop culture analysis, market research, literary and film criticism, and I currently work in the entertainment industry. I’m a touch OCD. I keep a spreadsheet of all BLs I’ve watched with ratings (about 350 total), and I also use My Drama List. I started with Thai BL but I now also watch anything I can get from Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, and Vietnam. 

I come to BL as a reader of Japanese yaoi, mostly the stuff translated into English from 1997-2007. I also watched many of the first North American and British queer romances and romcoms at about the same time. I don’t consume much anime or European cinema. 

My Taste & What I Lean Towards Recommending

What I like about Thai BL is that is has longer series (focused on story and character development), is very pretty, and tends to stick to the lighter end of the spectrum with happy endings. It rarely gets too serious and usually has comedic elements. 

What should you be warned about? Production values can be low and the filming techniques are pretty basic. There are usually sound issues: from cartoon noises to bad looping to poor recording to terrible music choices. Makeup and wardrobe is subpar. Acting can be overwrought and awkward including the chemistry between couples. 

What I don’t like about Thai BL is that it uses problematic tropes: gay for you, dubious consent, punch down humor, stalker/obsession, heterosexual dysmorphia, vilification of femme and other visual queers, sex negativity, and lack of healthy female representation. It’s starting to correct for some of these issues though, slowly but surely. 

When I rate a show highly it's often because it has fewer flaws as compared to other Thai BLs, not because it's necessarily better acted, filmed, directed, or has a fab story. Although I can’t help taking those elements into account. 

Basics of Thai BL

BL: stands for Boy’s Love. All Asian BL can trace its roots to the Japanese yaoi tradition which spread during the 1990s. The first BLs depicted on screen were in Japan and were called live action yaoi. BL comes in both dark (depressing) and light (upbeat) variants, but Thai BL leans light. In Thailand, prior to the rise of BL dramas, there were Y-novels (books featuring a gay romance mostly written by and for straight women) and some translated yaoi manga. The Thai language uses the term “serie Y” to refer to these narratives. 

Thai BL can be divided into two types:

Regular Thai BL: good stuff, generally better acted, higher quality. It is sourced in 2016′s SOTUS and usually has a university setting.

The Thai BL pulps: poorer all around, very low production values, messy plot, cheaply made and churned out, usually high school set. It is sourced in 2014′s Love Sick. (More on the pulps here.) 

Most Thai BL has a university or high school setting (it’s cheaper), but lately (2021 on) they have been branching out, which fandom is excited about.

Any given Thai BL is either an original (somewhat improvised) script or based on a Thai y-novel. Generally the second style has better story and end product than the first. Thai BL doesn’t cinematographically reference yaoi as much as other BL. 

Thai BL series tend to run longer than BL shows from other countries with 8-15 episodes of 40 minutes each. They almost always have happy endings. In order to satisfy this market expectation, Thailand is more likely to green light second seasons and spin off specials than other countries. 

Insider Trading Lingo 

Seme/uke & tsundere: The terms are Japanese, and these archetypes come from yaoi manga. 

Seme = active pursuer or romantic aggressor/dominant.

Uke = passive pursued or romantic receiver/submissive.

It doesn't necessarily correlate to personality, sexual preference, or physical desire. Generally, in Thai BL seme/uke DOES conform to a heterosexually dysmorphic imposition where the seme is inappropriately conflated with boy/top/pitcher, and the uke with girl/bottom/catcher. In other words, Thai BL does not believe in gay without imposing heterosexual rolls onto that gayness. They also fetishize a height difference. (If you want to avoid this here’s a list of BL that has no established seme/uke. Here’s a post where I talk about how the different countries treat uke/seme in their BL narratives and why uke/seme ≠ top/bottom.) 

Tsundere = a character that appears prickly/angry/grumpy at first but softens as the story progresses. (Can be the seme or the uke character.)

Gay For You AKA If It’s You, It’s Okay, the character isn’t “actually” gay he’s just into this one person. There are a ton of issues with (and damage done to the queer community by) the Gay for You trope not the least of which is bisexual erasure. You can read stuff about this from:

a romance author perspective 

a queer perspective 

the fanfic/TV-trope side 

High heat: term from the romance genre that means the characters do more than just kiss. A series can qualify as high heat (e.g. Why R U?) or a pair can be classified as high heat, in that the actors are good at portraying that level of physical chemistry (e.g. MaxTul). (This can also be extended to countries, Taiwan leans towards high heat while Korea does not.) Thai pulps, anything set in high school, and GMMTV tend to avoid high heat. I talk about high heat versus high angst from a film and narrative perspective in BL in this post. 

HEA: Happy ever after. The series ends with the main couple in an act of unity (kiss, sex, engagement, wedding, domestic bliss) that implies they will continue that way. 

Thai BL Specific Lingo & Knowledge 

Visual code or signal markers of gayness in Thai BL: an engineering smock, the gear symbol, (both from SOTUS), pink milk, a clear umbrella, (both from 2 Moons novel), black & white horizontal stripes, and the little yellow backpack.  

FEAR EPISODE 11: In 12/13 ep arcs a breakup/drama/DOOM usually falls during episode 11, so we fans fear emotional suffering when an episode 11 is coming. 

Faen fatale: my term for a femme fatale archetype in BL. Faen is the Thai word for boyfriend/girlfriend. Thai BL often has an ex/wannabe lover turn up as a plot device.  

The 2 Moons curse: 2 Moons is the most popular y-novel amongst Thai readers of the genre, yet adaptations to screen have been plagued with issues. Both the first and second seasons experienced controversy, including accusations of bullying and cast members quitting. Rumor is Call it What You Want is an exposé of the behind the scenes of 2 Moons 2.

Other weird things to know: 

In Thai BL no character locks or plugs in his phone or respects posting privacy. 

Doctors discuss medical issues with anyone in the room. 

Going out in the rain can make a cute boy sick. 

Friends are UP in his business. 

Parents are mostly not present or plot devices. 

There’s a lot of awkward product placement. 

10 Thai BL Fun Facts 

Thai BL Production Industry & Actors 

Trailers are not trailers: Thai BL production houses will release teaser trailers in order to raise money to fund the project. So we get a trailer but it’s rarely exactly like the end result. Also there are trailers out there for BL series that never got green-lit or are stuck in dev hell. Like soap operas, they are sometimes still filming as the first episodes air. 

Actor pairs or BL couples: sets of actors will be cast in different stories, as different characters, but always as the same pairing. i.e. These boys don’t mind kissing each other. Pairs will also be used together for product advertisements, as variety show cohosts, in magazine spreads & look-books & modeling campaigns/catwalks, and for OST & fan-meets & concerts. GMMTV piloted the concept with Singto & Krist after SOTUS took off. Couples have fandoms, special names, and hashtags - almost like K-pop groups. Some actors will pair up prior to getting a series and audition as a couple (SantaEarth), others will form as side dishes (bit parts) and then grow so popular they get their own series or advertising campaigns (OffGun, MaxTul, JeffGameplay, YinWar, BounPrem). 

This kind of co-branding of coupledom can become the primary way the 2 actors earn money. However, perforative gayness on talk/variety shows (in particular) smacks of queerbaiting. Pairs often end up dealing with crazy fans, skinship obsession, stalker behavior, mismanaged expectations, and more: e.g. the good (MaxTul), the what? (MewGulf), the ugly (PerthSaint). I suggest avoiding this cesspit if you can. These are actors. They are acting. End of discussion. 

Here’s a (dated) Guide to Thai BL Actor Pairs. 

GMMTV (the maker of SOTUS) is Thailand’s biggest studio that consistently churns out higher production value BLs and puts them on YouTube with subs for an international audience. Thus their BLs tend to be best known. They keep a stable of actors, old 1930s Hollywood style, and use them in advertising and as hosts/guests on talk shows, gameshows, variety shows, travel/food shows, and other non-BL dramas. GMMTV’s pairs include SingtoKrist (no more), OffGun, TayNew, FrankDrake, PluemChimon & BrightWin. The short series Our Skyy showcases some of their pairs. You can read this post on my Top 10 BLs from GMMTV. 

Studio Wabi Sabi & Starhunter are smaller but popular BL studios that follow in GMMTV’s footsteps by keeping a stable of actors (encouraged to do other activities) often paired up for BL. Wabi Sabi produced higher quality shows like Until We Meet Again. Their pairs include OhmFluke & BounPrem. While Starhunter is a bit more pulp-ish with shows like Gen Y and pairs like KimCop. 

Directors you’ll hear fans talk about: 

Backaof who mostly directs for GMMTV and is pretty sophisticated. 

New directs a lot and for several studios and has a very workmanlike approach. 

Cheewin who mostly directs for indie houses and has a very candy-colored, comedic, and erratic style. Some pairs he reuses include BoomPeak, YoonLay, & MaxNat. 

Bloggers will occasionally use the P’ honorific for directors. (I do not. I consider it inappropriate as the correct address would be Khun.) 

Pairs relatively independent of studio or director (now) include: MaxTul, BothNewyear, YinWar, KaownahTurbo, JeffGameplay, JimmyTommy, and PerthLay. Broadly speaking, pairs that self govern and self promote (or have moved into that) tend to make for healthier brands than those controlled by studios and are less likely to turn toxic. 

MAME: the author of Love By Chance, A Chance at Love, and TharnType among other Thai Y-novels. She’s a popular writer (now producer) in Thailand but her style and choice of tropes is extremely controversial with international audiences, (she includes a lot of statutory rape, dubious consent, and intra-couple violence). However, her characters are appealing and her casting choices tend to be strong. Some of her origin actor pairs include: MewGulf, JaFirst, and MawinRun. 

LIST: Most Significant/Impactful Thai BL Over Time

By year, not necessarily worth watching. Just FYI. 

2007 -

  Love of Siam (queer movie, critically acclaimed, sad ending - first BLish anything from Thailand)

2014 - 1st Gen, THAI EXPANSION 

Love Sick (Thailand’s first real BL, hugely popular INSIDE Thailand) 

My Bromance (out gay actor in a main role, not recommended) 

2015 

Love Sick 2 (longest BL season ever) 

2016* - 2nd Gen, BEYOND BORDERS & THE RISE OF GMMTV 

SOTUS (GMMTV’s first BL, Thailand’s first global hit, responsible for Thai BL becoming the soft power it is today)

Make it Right (first Thai BL pulp, BoomPeak origin) 

Puppy Honey (BL side couple OffGun origin) 

Kiss the series (BL side couple TayNew origin)

Bad Romance (BL side couple MaxTul origin) 

Grey Rainbow (KarnNut, not recommended) 

2017 - the rise of the pulps, Thai BL begins exponential growth**, the concept of short spin offs and specials starts to be explored 

Together with Me (first major MaxTul vehicle) 

2 Moons (first attempt)  

2018 

Love By Chance (first MAME offering)

My Tee (GMMTV’s first pulp)

Kiss Me Again: PeteKao cut (first BL cut by a studio)  

2019 

Great Men Academy (Thailand tries manga filming style)

The Effect (Thailand criticizes its own worst BL tropes)

TharnType (MewGulf break the internet, other people notice BL)

He's Coming to Me & Until We Meet Again (Thailand applies complex story structure to a BL foundation) 

2020 - 3rd Gen, GLOBAL EXPANSION (lockdown)

2gether (everyone learns about BL)

Theory of Love (an established pair given new roles)

YYY (how weird can Cheewin make BL?)

Why R U? (how high a heat can we take?)

Ingredients (BL as advertising) 

My Engineer & Oxygen (first major non-pulp Thai BLs from unknown studios) 

I Told The Sunset About You (Thailands first high cinema BL) 

2021 

1000 Stars (first high cinema BL from GMMTV) 

Manner of Death (gay romantic suspense using a grown up BL couple) 

Lovely Writer & Call it What You Want (Thai BL gets meta with self criticism)

Top Secret Together (first out gay couple in a leading role) 

2022

KinnPorsche (BL gets known by Romancelandia) 

* The GMMTV Holy Trinity of Thai BL (OffGun, SingtoKrist, TayNew) all started in 2016. Also MaxTul & BoomPeak.

** Thailand has experienced exponential growth in BL output since 2017, adding to the number of BLs it produces each year by a factor of 25-35%. 

WATCH LIST: Understand the History of Thai BL

This is basically an ingredients list for a Thai BL cake.

If you want to understand how Tumblr talks about Thai BL and go on the journey many early watchers went on with Thailand, this is it. It’s designed so you can see how the industry in Thailand has evolved, and get all of the inside jokes. So I would watch in order, if you can. 

Love Sick - Thailand’s first real BL, hugely popular INSIDE Thailand, a decent story of bisexual self discovery and messy teen angst and one of the most appealing sweetheart uke characters ever. If you like Love Sick you’ll be compelled to watch Love Sick 2, and it’s LONG so you’ve been warned. Responsible for the pulps. On Netflix or on YouTube (watch the BL fan cuts if you can). 

SOTUS - Thailand’s first global hit, responsible for Thai BL becoming the soft power it is today, also caused the engineering is gay, pink milk, and gears tropes. (You’ll enjoy SOTUS S, the follow up, only if you loved SOTUS.) On Netflix. 

Make it Right - the first Thai BL pulp, if you liked Love Sick you’ll probably like MIR. If not, you should skip it and the pulps in general. On YouTube. 

Love By Chance - first MAME offering with the least offensive main couple, but watch out for those side couples they’re trouble (trigger warning on KlaTechno for rape). On YouTube. 

Kiss Me Again: PeteKao cut from GMMTV (Dark Blue Kiss is their main series, watch it if you like TayNew’s dynamic & chemistry in Kiss’s BL cut, otherwise don’t bother). On YouTube. 

2 Moons 2 - slightly better than 2 Moons and covers the same territory but with more developed side couples. Watch it to understand the origin of J9, why everyone loves Pavel, and where the pink milk and umbrella tropes come from. On YouTube. 

Until We Meet Again - Thailand applies complex story structure to a BL foundation with a killer outcome. (This is my favorite Thai BL). Trigger warning for the original version of trigger. On YouTube. 

TharnType - some of the most problematic tropes with some of the best chemistry. MewGulf broke the internet and caused other people to notice BL, and everyone still talks about it & them. Watch this to learn why and about all the issues that followed. Trigger warnings for statutory rape & child abuse. On Viki.

Why R U? - if you like TharnType (or couldn’t face it because of triggers) this is a much less problematic take on high heat, with a great soft boi side couple. The story is pants but it’s worth trying to track down for chemistry reasons, and because FighterTutor rep both safe sex and verse. Hard to find. 

2gether - the fluffiest BL that everyone knows about, watch this to see the pinnacle of GMMTV’s style and Thailand’s most ubiquitous BL. On YouTube. 

My Engineer - first major non-pulp classic Thai BL with multiple pairs, from a minor studio. On YouTube. 

Second Chance - Thailand’s current reigning champion of the pulps but if you want to know what a Thai BL pulp is, it’s this, this is what it is. On Viki. 

Ingredients - BL as a story advertisement with a weak seme/uke dynamic and a great soft indie pair in peak domesticity. Extremely comforting and remarkably innovative for Thailand. Shares certain stylistic trends with Vietnamese and Pinoy BL. On YouTube. 

I Told The Sunset About You - first well regarded widely watched high cinema BL. Uses a traditional coming of age narrative, shares some stylistic trends with Japanese BL. Hard to find. (I talk about my challenges with this show here.) 

A Tale of Thousand Stars - first high cinema BL from GMMTV trying to grow up a bit, long form but it shares certain stylist trends with Korean BL. On YouTube.

Manner of Death - BL tries on gay romantic suspense using wildly popular BL pair MaxTul. Tumblr went mad for this one. Shares certain stylistic trends with Taiwanese BL. Hard to find. 

Lovely Writer - Thai BL gets meta with self criticism but using a strong story and great acting. On YouTube. 

WATCH LIST: The Best Thai BL  

This is a tasting menu of Thai BL.

These are the ones I think best represent what Thai BL has to offer. Including some of the most popular, that people seem to enjoy the most. These tend to be the ones that western audiences find the least offensive.

Until We Meet Again (2019) - a non BL trope reliant fated mates romance 

1000 Stars (2021) - strong story concept that nods at BL tropes but manages to elevate them and itself  

He’s Coming to Me (2019) - boy and ghost boy fall in love, must solve ghost’s murder 

Oxygen the series (2020) - uses every Thai BL trope in the playbook for one of the gentlest BLs ever made, bit slow for some

Love By Chance (2018) - AePete are a model new BL couple, softly subversive of the seme/uke dynamic, sweet, kind, and low angst. All the other pairs (TinCan, KlaNo, and TumTar) are old school dysfunctional yaoi couples thrust into a modern narrative. 

Love Sick (2014) - has very few traditional yaoi tropes, but it started several BL tropes of its own, that Thailand now perpetuates.

SOTUS (2016) - All the Thai BLs that followed owe their existence to this series.

2gether (2020) - if Love Sick started it and SOTUS pushed it forward, 2g made Thai BL a phenomenon.

TharnType (2019) - if 2gether reps for the new BL, Tharntype is the last gasp at traditional yaoi issues. 

Bad Buddy (2022) - reigning king of Bl based largely on the killer chemistry and actng of the leads in a Romeo & Romeo romance 

You can read about why I made these choices and why some are missing in the original post. 

OTHER TOP TENS 

Top 10 Highest Production Values in Thai BL

Top 10 BLs Out of Thailand 

Top 10 BLs from GMMTV Thailand 

WATCH LIST: BL That Best Represents Thailand’s Take on the Genre

This is a full course meal of Thai BL in its most concentrated form. 

These are the BLs that I think best showcase Thailand’s style of BL, as opposed to the origin yaoi and the BL from other countries. Each country that produces BL has a particular style that dominates its shows. While there are better BLs out of Thailand, these are the shows I feel most accurately represent Thailand’s style (some of my favorites are not on this list). 

HIGH SCHOOL & THE PULPS

Love Sick

Make it Right

I Am Your King

My Tee

So Much In Love 

Friend Forever 

Brothers 

My Gear and Your Gown

Second Chance

UNIVERSITY

SOTUS

Together with Me

2 Moons &/or 2 Moons 2

Dark Blue Kiss

Love By Chance 

TharnType

Theory of Love

The En of Love

My Engineer

Why R U?

2gether 

Oxygen

Tonhon Chonlatee

Gen Y

Y-Destiny 

Fish Upon the Sky

Nitiman

Bad Buddy 

Honest Elevator Pitches for Thai BL (2020 & earlier) 

Links to Further Reading & Deep Dives into Thai BL 

These are posts in which I make further recommendations, do deep dives into pop culture, story critique, market analysis, or social analysis. 

Country by country analysis, how does Thailand compare? 

Struggling with Thai Language and Acting Style? 

BL Wave Data - Quick Summary (Thai BL is growing exponentially)

Chef de Smooching - Recipes for BL (Thailand production houses & other countries) 

Let’s Play Frankenstein’s BL (best production choices by country) 

BL Roots Week 

The Pulps of Thai BL

ABCs of Thai BL

Love of Siam, ITSAY, Thailand & the HEA Gay 

10 Thai BL Fun Facts

Links to Understand Thai BL Actor Pairs 

These are posts about actor age dynamics, relationships, skinships, and so forth. I don’t IRL ship because that kind of behavior freaks me out, but I am very intersted in the psyche of obsession, fanaticism, tribalism, celebrity worship, etc... So I pay attention to ships especially from a brand management perspective. 

A Guide to Thai BL Actor Pairs for New Watchers (dated) 

BL Actors & Age Dynamics 

Do I think skinship has to do with Thai society? concerning homophobia, Intimacy, plutonic affection, touch aversion, and touch starvation 

Thai BL Couples as my High School Friendship Group 

Links to Understand Thai BL Tropes 

Thailand has developed its own set of visual tropes in BL and spread some of them to other countries. Also it gravitates to specific narrative elements, like archetypes, in its stories as well. 

Thai BL & Traditional Romance Tropes

First Kisses in Thai BL 

SPECIFIC TROPES THAILAND LOVES 

Engineering = gay (and all the other departments)

Pink Milk

Under the clear umbrella

Sponge Bath 

Sing Me Your Feelings (I have no idea why Thailand thinks any boy with vocal cords can sing - they CAN’T - but they’re obsessed with putting it on screen 

Beach trips and forest frolics (origin Love Sick)

Rooftop assignations 

In Thailand, Mosquitos Leave Hickeys

Baby is a floppy drunk (origin Love Sick)

Boys feeding boys 

Matched outfits and sharing his closet 

Post It love notes 

Pinky swears 

Symbolic gift exchange 

Kiss me in the pool 

Drying his hair

Piggyback 

My massive tropes list. 

Links to Understand the Nuances of Thai Language & Culture Impact on Thai BL 

I’m not a linguist but I love the interrelationship between language and culture. There are many things we miss about BLs when we watch them in translation. I started to study Thai in order to understand some of this. These are posts that tunnel into elements we miss as outsiders to Thai culture. 

Explaining Thai to the Casual BL Watcher - It Has Registers - most BLs take place in the informal register, so for tourists this is NOT the kind of Thai you should actually speak. 

Linguistic Fun In Thai BL + Thai Nouns, Thai Verbs - once you understand its logic Thai is actually a pretty easy language to learn to speak as there’s no declensions or conjugations, and making something plural is EASY  

Thai Military Service & Thai BL - AKA why does Tee have a shaved head in Make it Right and why don’t Thai actors disappear for military service the way K-pop idols do? 

Thai BL & Product Placement (weirdly, a defence) 

It’s Thai BL cocktail hour! - I make Thai influenced cocktails to pair with BLs. 

Thai Desserts in Until We Meet Again - all of them described plus meanings and links to recipes. 

Thai Food You Should Eat Because of BL - Som Tum in What’s Zabb Man, Kao Soi in Bite Me, Khai Palo in Enchanté, Gaeng Tai Pla in Close Friend 2, Luk Choup in La Cuisine, Chor Muang in UWMA, Nom Yen in SOTUS, 2 Moons, 2 Moons 2, Nitman, and Love Area

THAI NAMES & MISSPELLINGS 

Thai actors and characters use a nickname (chue len) that can seem really odd to English speakers. Unlike many other Asian languages Thai names are written and spoken as we do in English: (Nickname +) Given Name + Family Name. Names are coupled with honorifics for spoken address, which are based on social status and age dynamics. 

Thai is a syllabic alphabet, so Thai words and names can be spelled multiple ways in English. Thus there are some characters known by multiple names (because different subbers transcribed differently), for example Med/Mes and Than/Thun in He’s Coming to Me, or Aeoy/Aey in Lovely Writer. 

WIERD TITLES 

The Thai language contains no articles, so titles get dropped articles in translation. Hence A Tale of Thousand Stars (missing a) and I Told Sunset About You (missing the). 

PRONOUNS & GENDER 

Thai spoken pronouns mostly gender in first and second (I/you) but not in third (she/he/they). Also nouns often do not confer gender (there is no boyfriend/girlfriend only faen). Also names are often used in place of I/you. In other words, you say your own name, and (honorific +) other people’s names A LOT. Formal polite particles (krap/kha) are gendered, informal polite particles are not. 

THE WAI

The wai, or formal acknowledgment, consists of a slight bow of the head, with the palms pressed together and raised towards the face. The words sawat di are often spoken with the wai followed by the krub/ka polite particle. Here’s Perth Nakhun (Ram from My Engineer) explaining sawat di.

BL Filming Techniques

Yaoi filming, staging & framing techniques in BL

Backlighting & Silhouettes 

Diffuse point lighting, AKA Fairy Lights 

Unidirectional focused lighting 

Staggered couple framing - when characters are staged so that one appears offset or smaller than the other

Central Aperture Framing - Linear framing using pathways and apertures to draw focus to the central figure(s).

Peekaboo Framing - When the director uses doorways, windows, mirrors, or other apertures to give the audience the impression of looking at something they maybe shouldn’t.

BL Docs & NonFic Resources on YT

BL History

Thai BL

TED Ex BangKok (growing up gay in Thailand)

Perth on working on a BL show (Thailand, Aussie perspective)

This post in response to @so-oj​ ‘s lovely question. 

(this post updated end 2021, please note links subject to change at studio’s will and internet capriciousness - source)

[lilydalexf]

Old School X is a project interviewing X-Files fanfic authors who were posting fic during the original run of the show. New interviews are posted every Tuesday.

Interview with Syntax6

Syntax6 has 17 stories at Gossamer, but you should visit her website for the complete collection of her fics and to see the cover art that comes with many of the stories (and to find her pro writing!). She's written some of the most beloved casefiles in the fandom. I've recced literally all of them here before. Twice. Big thanks to Syntax6 for doing this interview.

Does it surprise you that people are still interested in reading your X-Files fanfics and others that were posted during the original run of the show (1993-2002)?

I’m delighted but not surprised because I’ve written and read fanfic for shows even older than XF. Also, I joined the XF fandom relatively late, at the end of 1999, so there were already hundreds of “classic” fics out there, stories that were theoretically superseded or dated by canon developments that came after them, but which nonetheless remained compelling in their own right. That is the beauty of fanfic: it is inspired by its original creators but not bound by them. It’s a world of “what if” and each story gets to run in a new direction, irrespective of the canon and all the other stories spinning off in their own universes. In this way, fanfic becomes almost timeless.

What do you think of when you think about your X-Files fandom experience? What did you take away from it? What did you take away from your experience with X-Files fic or with the fandom in general?

(I feel these are similar, at least for me, so I will combine them here.)

First and foremost, I found friends. There was a table full of XF fanfic writers at my wedding. Bugs was my maid of honor. I still talk to someone from XF fandom pretty much every day. Lysandra, Maybe Amanda, Michelle Kiefer, bugs…these are just some of the people who’ve been part of my life for half my existence now. Sometimes I get to have dinner with Audrey Roget or Anjou or MCA. Deb Wells and Sarah Ellen Parsons are part of my pro fic beta team. I have a similar list from the Hunter fandom, terrific people who have enriched my life in numerous ways and I am honored to count as friends.

Second, I learned a lot about writing during my years in XF fandom. I grew up there. Part of this growth experience was simply due to practice. I wrote about 1.2 million words of XF fanfic, which is the equivalent of 15 novels. I made mistakes and learned from them. But another essential part of learning is absorbing different kinds of well-told tales, and XF had these in spades. Some stories were funny. Others were lyrical. Some were short pieces with nary a word wasted while others were sprawling epics that took you on an adventure. The neat thing about XF is that it has space for many different kinds of stories, from hard-core sci-fi to historical romance. You can watch other authors executing these varied pieces and learn from them. You can form critique groups and ask for betas and get direct feedback on how to improve. It’s collaborative and fun, and this can’t be underestimated, generally supportive. The underlying shared love of the original product means that everyone comes into your work predisposed to enjoy it. I am grateful for all the encouragement and the critiques I received over my years in fandom.

Finally, I think a valuable lesson for writers that you can find in fandom, but not in your local author critique group, is how to handle yourself when your work goes public. Not everyone is going to like your work and they will make sure you know it. Some people will like it maybe too much, to the point where they cross boundaries. Learning to disengage yourself from public reaction to your work is a difficult but crucial aspect of being a writer. You control the story. You can’t control reaction to it. It’s frustrating at first, perhaps, but in the end, it’s freeing.

Social media didn't really exist during the show's original run. How were you most involved with the X-Files online (atxc, message board, email mailing list, etc.)?

I participated in ATXC, the Haven message boards, and the Scullyfic mailing list/news group. For a number of years, I also ran a fic discussion group with bugs called The Why Incision.

What got you involved with X-Files fanfic?

I started reading XF fanfic before I began watching the show. I had watched one season two episode (Soft Light) and then seen bits and pieces of a few others from season four. I’d seen Fight the Future. Basically, I’d seen enough to know which one was Mulder and which one was Scully, and which one believed in aliens. An acquaintance linked me to a rec site for XF fanfic (Gertie’s, maybe?) so that I could see how fic was formatted for the web. I clicked a fic, I think it was one by Lydia Bower dealing with Scully’s cancer arc, and basically did not stop reading. Soon I was printing off 300K of fic to take home with me each night. I could not believe the level of talent in the fandom, and that there were so many excellent writers just giving away their works for free. I wanted to play in this sandbox, too, so I started renting the VHS tapes to catch up on old episodes (see, I am An Old). After a few months, I began writing my own stuff.

What was it that got you hooked on the X-Files as a show?

I had to be dragged kicking and screaming to The X-Files. I’m not a sci-fi person by nature. I think my main objection is that, when done poorly, it feels lazy to me. Who did the thing? A ghost! Maybe an alien? I guess we’ll never know. You can always just shrug and play some spooky music and the “truth will always be out there…” somewhere beyond the story in front of you. You never have to commit to any kind of truth because you can invent some magical power or new kind of alien to change the story. I think, by the bitter end, the XF had devolved into this kind of storytelling. The mytharc made no kind of sense even in its own universe. But for years the XF achieved the best aspects of sci-fi storytelling—narrative flexibility and an apotheosis of our current fears dressed up as a super entertaining yarn.

What eventually sold me on the XF as a show is all of the smart storytelling and the sheer amount of ideas contained within its run. At its best, it’s a brilliant show. You have mediations on good versus evil, the role of government in a free society, is there a God, are we alone in the universe, and what are the elements that make us who we are? If Mulder and Morris Fletcher switch bodies, how do we know it’s really “them”? The tonal shifts from week to week were clever and engaging. For Vince Gilligan, truth was always found in fellow human beings. For Darin Morgan, humans were the biggest monster of all. The show was big enough to contain both these premises, and indeed, was stronger for it. The deep questions, the character quirks, the unsolved mysteries and all that went unsaid in the Mulder-Scully relationship left so much room for fanfic writers to do their own work. As such, the fandom attracted and continues to attract both dabbling writers and those who are serious craftspeople. People who like the mystery and those who like the sci-fi angle. Scientists and true believers. Like the show, it’s big enough for all.

What is your relationship like now to X-Files fandom?

I look at it like an old friend I catch up with once in a while. We’ve been close for so long that there’s no awkwardness—we just get each other! I love seeing people post screen shots and commentary, and I think it’s wonderful that so many writers are still inventing new adventures for Mulder and Scully. That is how the characters live on, and indeed how any of us lives on, through the stories that others tell about us.

Were you involved with any fandoms after the X-Files? If so, what was it like compared to X-Files?

I ran the Hunter fandom for about five years, mostly because when I poked my head back in, I found the person in change was a bully who’d shut down everything due to her own waning interest. A person would try to start a topic for discussion, and she’d say, “We’ve already covered that.” Well, yes, in a 30-year-old show, there’s not a lot of new ground…

Most other shows, Hunter included, have smaller fandoms and thus don’t attract the depth of fan talent. I don’t just mean fanfic writers. I mean those who do visual art, fan vids, critiques, etc. The XF fandom has all these in droves, which makes it a rare and special place. But all fandoms have the particular joy of geeking out over favorite scenes and reveling in the meeting of shared minds. It will always look odd to those not contained within it, which brings me to the part of modern fandom I find somewhat uncomfortable…the creators are often in fan-space.

In Hunter, the female lead joins fan groups and participates. This is more common now in the age of social media, where writers, producers, actors, etc., are on the same platforms as the rest of us. Fan and creator interaction used to be highly circumscribed: fans wrote letters and maybe received a signed headshot in return. There were cons where show runners gave panels and took questions from the audience. You could stand in line to meet your favorite star. Now, you can @ your favorite star on Twitter, message her on Facebook or follow him on Instagram. In some ways, this is so fun! In other ways, it blurs in the lines in ways that make me uncomfortable. I think it’s rude, for example, if a fan were to go on a star’s social media and post fanfic there or say, “I thought the episode you wrote was terrible.” But what if it’s fan space and the actor is sitting right there, watching you? Is it rude to post fanfic in front of her, especially if she says it makes her uncomfortable? Is it mean to tell a writer his episode sucked right to his face?

Do you ever still watch The X-Files or think about Mulder and Scully?

I own the first seven seasons on DVD and will pull them out from time to time to rewatch old faves. I’ve shown a few episodes over the spring and summer to my ten-year-old daughter, and it’s been fun to see the series through her eyes. We’ve mostly opted for the comedic episodes because there’s enough going on in the real world to give her nightmares. Her favorite so far is Je Souhaite.

Do you ever still read X-Files fic? Fic in another fandom?

I don’t have much bandwidth to read fanfic these days. My job as a mystery/thriller author means I have to keep up with the market so I do most of my reading there right now. I also beta read for some pro-fic friends and betaing a novel will keep you busy.

Do you have any favorite X-Files fanfic stories or authors?

I read so much back in the day that this answer could go on for pages. Alas, it also hasn’t changed much over the past fifteen years because I haven’t read much since then. But, as we’re talking Golden Oldies today, here are a bunch:

All the Mulders, by Alloway I find this short story both hilarious and haunting. Scully embraces her power in the upside down post-apocalyptic world.

Strangers and the Strange Dead, by Kipler Taut prose and an intriguing 3rd party POV make this story a winner, and that’s before the kicker of an ending, which presaged 1013’s.

Cellphone, by Marasmus Talk about your killer twists! Also one of the cleverest titles coming or going.

Arizona Highways, by Fialka I think this is one of the best-crafted stories to come out of the XF. It’s majestic in scope, full of complex literary structure and theme, and yet the plot moves like a runaway freight train. Both the Mulder and Scully characterizations are handled with tender care.

So, We Kissed, by Alelou What I love about this one is how it grounds Mulder and Scully in the ordinary. Mulder’s terrible secret doesn’t involve a UFO or some CSM-conspiracy. Scully goes to therapy that actually looks like therapy. I guess what I’m saying is that I utterly believe this version of M & S in addition to just enjoying reading about them.

Sore Luck at the Luxor, by Anubis Hot, funny, atmospheric. What’s not to love?

Black Hole Season, by Penumbra Nobody does wordsmithing like Penumbra. I use her in arguments with professional writers when they try to tell me that adverbs and adjectives MUST GO. Just gorgeous, sly, insightful prose.

The Dreaming Sea, by Revely This one reads like a fairytale in all the best ways. Revely creates such loving, beautiful worlds for M & S to live in, and I wish they could stay there always.

Malus Genius, by Plausible Deniability and MaybeAmanda Funny and fun, with great original characters, a sly casefile and some clear-eyed musings on the perils of getting older. This one resonates more and more the older I get. ;)

Riding the Whirlpool, by Pufferdeux I look this one up periodically to prove to people that it exists. Scully gets off on a washing machine while Mulder helps. Yet it’s in character? And kinda works? This one has to be read to be believed.

Bone of Contention (part 1, part 2), by Michelle Kiefer and Kel People used to tell me all the time that casefiles are super easy to write while the poetic vignette is hard. Well, I can’t say which is harder but there much fewer well-done casefiles in the fandom than there are poetic vignettes. This is one of the great ones.

Antidote, by Rachel Howard A fic that manages to be both hot and cold as it imagines Mulder and Scully trying to stay alive in the frosty wilderness while a deadly virus is on the loose. This is an ooooold fic that holds up impressively well given everything that followed it!

Falling Down in Four Acts, by Anubis Anubis was actually a bunch of different writers sharing a single author name. This particular one paints an angry, vivid world for Our Heroes and their compatriots. There is no happy ending here, but I read this once and it stayed with me forever.

The Opposite of Impulse, by Maria Nicole A sweet slice of life on a sunny day. When I imagine a gentler universe for Mulder and Scully, this is the kind of place I’d put them.

What is your favorite of your own fics, X-Files and/or otherwise?

Bait and Switch is probably the most sophisticated and tightly plotted. It was late in my fanfic “career” and so it shows the benefits to all that learning. My favorite varies a lot, but I’ll say Universal Invariants because that one was nothing but fun.

Do you think you'll ever write another X-Files story? Or dust off and post an oldie that for whatever reason never made it online?

I never say never! I don’t have any oldies sitting around, though. Everything I wrote, I posted.

Do you still write fic now? Or other creative work?

I write casefiles…er, I mean mysteries, under my own name now, Joanna Schaffhausen. My main series with Reed and Ellery consists of a male-female crime solving team, so I get a little bit of my XF kick that way. Their first book, The Vanishing Season, started its life as an XF fanfic back in the day. I had to rewrite it from the ground up to get it published, but if you know both stories, you can spot the similarities.

Where do you get ideas for stories?

The answer any writer will tell you is “everywhere.” Ideas are cheap and they’re all around us—on the news, on the subway, in conversations with friends, from Twitter memes, on a walk through the woods. My mysteries are often rooted in true crime, often more than one of them.

Each idea is like a strand of colored thread, and you have to braid them together into a coherent story. This is the tricky part, determining which threads belong in which story. If the ideas enhance one another or if they just create an ugly tangent.

Mostly, though, stories begin by asking “what if?” What if Scully’s boyfriend Ethan had never been cut from the pilot? What if Scully had moved to Utah after Fight the Future? What if the Lone Gunmen financed their toys by writing a successful comic book starring a thinly veiled Mulder and Scully?

Growing up, I had a sweet old lady for a neighbor. Her name was Doris and she gave me coffee ice cream while we watched Wheel of Fortune together. Every time there was a snow storm, the snow melted in her backyard in a such way that suggested she had numerous bodies buried out there. How’s that for a “what if?”

What's the story behind your pen name?

I’ve had a few of them and honestly can’t tell you where they came from, it’s been so long ago. The “6” part of syntax6 is because I joke that 6 is my lucky number. In eighth grade, my algebra teacher would go around the room in order, asking each student their answer to the previous night’s homework problems. I realized quickly that I didn’t have to do all the problems, just the fifteenth one because my desk was 15th on her list. This worked well until the day she decided to call on kids in random order. When she got to me and asked me the answer to the problem I had not done, I just invented something on the spot. “Uh…six?”

Her: “You mean 0.6, don’t you?”

Me, nodding vigorously: “YES, I DO.”

Her: “Very good. Moving on…”

Do your friends and family know about your fic and, if so, what have been their reactions?

My close friends and family have always known, and reactions have varied from mild befuddlement to enthusiastic support. My father voted in the Spookies one year, and you can believe he read the nominated stories before casting his vote. I think the most common reaction was: Why are you doing this for free? Why aren’t you trying to be a paid writer?

Well, having done both now, I can tell you that each kind of writing brings its own rewards. Fanfic is freeing because there is no pressure to make money from it. You can take risks and try new things and not have to worry if it fits into your business plan.

(Posted by Lilydale on September 15, 2020)