#Idk which one is more popular but I don't want to spoil it for anyone who doesn't want to see it/hasn't read it

[zeighost]

I need someone to teach me how to tag this as spoilers-

THIS FUCKING WHITE RADISH KNOWS BUT HE'S GOT IT ALL WRONG 😭😭

Genuinely, got scared there for a moment, but then this fake wanna-be White Star started spewing his own (wrong) opinions, and then I started laughing s

[sunderwight]

Bingqiu AU where SY and LBH grow up as childhood friends (idk maybe they're both at QJP but Shen Jiu is less of an asshole, or maybe SY transmigrates into Random Village Bully Child No.3 when Binghe's mom is still alive -- or both) and there's none of the tension of the idea of "one day Luo Binghe is going to rip my limbs off" for Shen Yuan.

So he and LBH can just be bros! Fantastic! Shen Yuan has never had a little brother before but he's had a little sister, he knows how to do this. Just spoil the cute kid rotten!

It's only fair compensation for how many terrible things LBH is gonna have to endure on the road to ruling the world, after all. SY also feels more freedom to change minor aspects of the plot around, too, like maybe he'll stop Liu Qingge from dying, definitely he can help LBH get a better start to his cultivation journey, and maybe the abyss and xin mo thing doesn't really need to happen...?

The list of things SY considers meddling with ends up including wives.

Like really, come on now, Luo Binghe may be a stallion protagonist but there's no need for that many women. Especially when at least half of them are just increasingly cheap copies of the other half, and that's being generous about it. Some of PIDW Binghe's wives were, frankly, horrible people. And if he's being honest about it, it wasn't fair of Binghe himself to take on that many either. Even if anyone would naturally give their left arm to be the protagonist's wife, after a certain point Binghe just can't spend that much time actually with them! And then he can't form the kinds of deep and meaningful bonds which might actually help heal his trauma!

SY's not looking to interfere too much, of course. Ning Yingying is not his favorite wife, but she's fine. She causes trouble but it isn't on purpose, and she's genuinely sweet and willing to befriend Binghe before he's anything special (although even now, it's obvious Binghe is special). Ning Yingying can stay.

And of course, so can Best Wife Liu Mingyan.

But Sha Hualing? Well, she offers some political advantages, and as the demon wives go she's not the worst. She's kind of iconic and was very popular, but Shen Yuan thinks the harem could do without her scheming and malicious attitude towards the other wives. The cost of harmony was too high for the political bonuses offered, especially when Binghe might as well just take her ancestral lands by force and be done with it. He's going to advise against that match.

And the Qin sisters. Sure there's the legendary threesome, but Wanrong's dead weight and it never struck SY quite right how Qin Wanyue pressured Luo Binghe into sex. The threesome wasn't even good anyway.

Better Qin Wanyue than the Little Palace Mistress on that front, though. But aish, that's complicated, the Palace Mistress is even more politically vital to securing HHP than Sha Hualing is for her father's kingdom, and almost as bad for the peace and harmony of the harem. Ultimately SY will leave it up to Binghe, but if Binghe asks, he's going to advise against the Huan Hua wives too.

With thoughts like this in mind, SY starts talking to Binghe about how to establish a household, what to look for in a spouse (or twenty), and other topics of that nature. What sort of household Luo Binghe ought to strive to have, and what sorts of standards he should himself to. Also while of course assuring him that Shen Yuan isn't interested in women. Lest he worry that Shen Yuan might be trying to steal any of the wives from him, at any point. He's not competition!

SY: I am helping to pave the way for Binghe to have better marital relationships! I am the best big brother slash best buddy ever! don't worry, no matter what happens to Binghe, this gege will be your no.1 cheerleader forever!

LBH: is he saying I should get a palace if I want to marry him? well... that sounds reasonable. ok, I will do it! (•̀ ω •́)✧

[burningcheese-merchant]

honestly, i am very much with you about not really liking hollyt/aya.

it feels like. im a hollyberry fan and i rarely if ever see people analyze her character or say something about her, even in the context of that ship. and same thing with pitaya. even on ao3, most of the fics tagged as ho.llytaya just have them as background characters while the main ship is what the story is actually about.

i completely understand your distaste, and my distaste comes from the fact that people treat that ship like it's their obligatory ship to have to prove that they think about characters that don't use he/him pronouns in english.

I'm feeling kind of unhappy today and I let that influence me to ramble semi-coherently. TL;DR is Hollytaya is dumb, boring slop that further perpetuates Pitaya's ongoing character assassination in Kingdom and I deeply resent its popularity, especially when its fans often mock and malign Beast x Ancient when they are literally the exact same shit, but Hollytaya is good and acceptable because (insert lame excuse here). But whatever, I don't really care at the end of the day, I know and like plenty of people who ship it and it's no skin off my nose. My opinions are just that, opinions. You do you, friends. Have fun without me

Man I sound like a grinch beneath this cut don't I lol. Please feel free to skip it if you don't want to deal with that, it's understandable

I just don't really understand Hollytaya. I felt like I was in the Twilight Zone when I first went online after finishing the Red Dragon arc and got bombarded with ship art. I don't see anything and never have. Do I need new glasses or something

You'd think I would like Hollytaya, since it pretty much is just BurningCheese in a different costume. But I don't. In fact, Hollytaya sickens me. It was the first tag I ever blocked on this site lol. I hate even remembering it's a ship that exists at all. It just rubs me in the worst way possible and I struggle to even put how or why into words. It's as though it's simply a trait passed down from my distant ancestors and whatever the reason for it existing was was lost to time eons ago. Some primal repulsion. Fighting a centuries old blood feud when you hardly even remember why anymore.

Pitaya acts like a child. Hollyberry treats him like a child. I do not see how romance could bloom in a dynamic like that. All Pitaya ever does is act like a spoiled brat. A whiny dimwit. And Hollyberry behaves accordingly, in my eyes. Why would you want to date the person you basically have to mother every time you meet. "If you won't stop terrorizing my kingdom I'll never spar with you again" the tone with which she said that to him was like a schoolteacher scolding a tantruming 5 year old. Maybe I have different ears than everyone else idk. (You really don't understand how frustrated I am with how Pitaya is characterized in Kingdom. Look at Ovenbreak, it's like night and day. What the fuck did they do to them. Look how they massacred my boy. And as far as I'm concerned, Hollytaya only serves to further ruin Pitaya's character, because it and every depiction I've ever seen only leans into that character ruination. And I can't even blame people too much for that, because the game itself makes it seem like Pitaya's entire fucking existence revolves around Holly and wanting to fight Holly. There is literally nothing else to him as a person, and Holly honestly isn't even all that much better tbh. Holly is a jolly drunkard who takes nothing seriously and has a happy dandy life while everyone else around her suffers tremendously (I know that's not true, I know there's so much more to Holly, but Holly's development has been massively neglected to the point that she almost seems one-dimensional compared to the other Ancients) and Pitaya is her pet dog. It's a fucking disgrace)

All the fanart is the same. Just the same shit every time. All anyone ever does is make Pitaya a dumb simp and Holly the big strong woman in charge (and always taller than Pitaya for some reason. Why are you all afraid of Tall Pitaya. What's this unconscious need to drag Pitaya as far down beneath Holly as possible in any way possible. They're a fucking dragon, just let them be tall. Holly doesn't lose her worth if she's shorter than Pitaya lol). Never seen a single person ever actually address that Pitaya has committed actual crimes against Holly, her family and her kingdom, and has never said or done anything to apologize or atone. Never seen anyone acknowledge that Holly should have to morally and psychologically struggle with wanting to be with someone that personally threatened to kill her son and granddaughter. Never seen anyone acknowledge that Holly would be shunned by her people for basically romancing their dictator and would-be killer, and her friends would question her sanity and integrity. I can do that shit with GC and BS (and Holly and Eternal Sugar, for that matter), why can't anyone do it for Holly and Pitaya? Hollytaya is the not-yaoi equivalent of yaoi slop to me. It's fucking dumb and boring. I see Hollytaya randomly appear before my eyes somewhere and I remember what was done to ShadowVanilla. Except Shadowvanilla wasn't always slop, it got turned into it by new fans. Meanwhile that is what Hollytaya always was from day 1 and you can't convince me otherwise

Holly and Pitaya have nothing to offer each other romantically. Nothing that a simple friendship can't also provide. I just like them as friends. Brother from another mother. Sister from another mister. I think of them and I remember Mona-Lisa and Jean-Ralphio from Parks and Rec or some funny friend/sibling relationship like that. That's enough for me and I don't understand why it isn't enough for anyone else. (They've repeatedly referred to each other as "friend" anyway. They've already friendzoned each other lol. Sorry to burst everyone's bubble.)

It's one thing to have to endure its unfortunate popularity, and like there's nowhere I can go to escape it and no one to talk to who doesn't like it either. Hollytaya almost feels mandatory to some extent. I feel the phantom sensation of the barrel of a gun burrowing into the back of my head whenever I'm forced to see it again because a mutual or someone I follow reblogged something (and I can't just click "not interested" like I usually do, you can't do that with reblogs). Triply so not only because I ship them both with other characters, but also because I ship Pitaya with Fire Spirit, when the fandom just randomly declared them parent and child and routinely attacks anyone that interprets them differently. This ship makes me feel so alone. Like the one black sheep in a sea of white.

It's another thing to see so many fans be so hypocritical about it. Huge chunk of Hollytaya fans I've seen will turn around and decry Beast x Ancient when that is literally what Hollytaya is. Zero irony or self-awareness. And I mean, fine. Whatever. Be that way. Lord knows I'm not all that different. Just don't be a dick about it. Which a lot of them are lol. A lot of them are the same ones that will actively harass Beast x Ancient fans, because you know. BurningCheese is toxic but Hollytaya isn't. Somehow. For some reason. (I've genuinely tried so hard to understand that and I can't lol. By all accounts, the fandom should hate Hollytaya because it fits the criteria for "toxic" and "abusive". But they don't. It's one of the most popular ships. Because? Because. Just because. No actual reason listed. I get the impression that a lot of people in this fandom don't think things through often lol)

Idk man. PitayaFire is vastly superior to me. Pitaya's and Fire Spirit's deep flaws and hidden virtues mesh so much better together. They have more to give and more to take from each other. The foundation of their relationship is already so fascinating. The fact that this ship is slept on the way it is is so wild to me. Where have any of you been. What's going on with you guys. PitayaFire is peak real estate for angst and tension and character exploration. Why y'all gotta leave me hanging like this. I'm not crazy I swear

But... whatever. I say all of this and end it with "ship what you want it's not my problem". Because it honestly isn't. As annoyed as I sound, I really don't pay ships I don't like much thought unless prompted, like with asks like this one. I blocked the tags forever ago and just click "not interested" if they show up on my dash. I don't go looking for content because it's not for me. And I don't go out of my way to bother anyone who likes Hollytaya or whatever else I don't because that's shitty and a waste of time. They're talking cookies who honestly gives a fuck. Do whatever so long as it isn't adult x minor or something equally inexcusable. I have plenty of friends and mutuals and followers that like Hollytaya and I don't think any less of them for it. I still like and cherish them. I'd be an awfully lonely person if I turned away everyone who liked something I don't. That's a terrible way to live, nobody should do that.

And of course, everyone is welcome to disgree and/or ignore me. I'm just a random weirdo on Tumblr, my opinions aren't the law lol. Doesn't actually mean anything to me if someone doesn't like BurningCheese or PitayaFire, so it shouldn't mean anything to anyone if I don't like Hollytaya. We all have more important things to care about than that

[marcilled]

hi Vivian! I've been meaning to ask about reading dungeon meshi for a while but I've been super low on things to read for a bit now so I want to take the plunge! I wanted to ask, are there any "caveats" you have about recommending it? I know sometimes people will love a thing but actually not recommend it to others lol. I don't think this is one of those situations but I wanted to check :) Or if there's anything like "the first couple chapters are slow but then it picks up" you know. Also do you have suggestions for a good place to read it?

You've just activated an unskippable cutscene. *rubs hands together gleefully*

For those not aware (if you follow me you're probably aware... but just in case), Dungeon Meshi is a fantasy comedy manga by author Ryoko Kui about a group of adventurers who have to cook and eat monsters to survive in a dungeon. It's a seinen, meaning it's targeted more towards adults, which really shows in a lot of its plot beats and humor- like how the party nearly disbands because Laios (the party leader) can't afford to pay everyone upfront, etc. It's also not entirely accurate to call it a comedy, really, it's an action/adventure series that focuses on comedy, oftentimes dark humor. Which brings me to your question!

I don't have any big caveats for recommending Dungeon Meshi, I think it's a series just about anyone can pick up and get enjoyment out of! But there are some things I think are worth warning about, since the story actually gets pretty serious later on, and explores some potentially triggering themes.

Here's some content warnings for dunmeshi I can provide just off the top of my head (that shouldn't spoil anything on their own); Body horror, eye trauma/eye injuries, asphyxiation, cannibalism, blood, some gore, unsettling imagery, uhh general warning for? psychological themes (idk how to word this or even warn for this without spoiling though) and mentions of child abuse.

There's probably more that I'm forgetting, but despite its reputation for being silly, dungeon meshi gets pretty damn dark at times!! All the same, it is, to its core, built upon the humor- even in the tensest, most dramatic chapters, there's always something to lighten the mood, something to make you smile. It's kind of surprising, really, how masterfully Ryoko Kui finds this balance of drama vs. humor. No one illustrates this dichotomy better than Laios...

(least spoiler-y image I could find)

As for slow starts... I suppose it depends on what you're hoping to see in dungeon meshi! If you're excited about izutsumi (the catgirl), she doesn't show up until much later on in the manga. There's some other popular characters that don't show up for a while, either. Also, I just re-read the first chapter before answering this ask- the start is a bit slow, i.e. everything seems low stakes at first, but I think that's only to dungeon meshi's benefit tbh. I kinda dislike when series will show their hand way too soon. I think the premise and presentation of dungeon meshi is strong enough on its own, although the early art style is really unrefined and messy compared to the modern chapters. The art gets so much better as time goes on! As do the characterizations... You really get the sense that their personalities weren't entirely figured out yet in chapter 1. I think that's fine, though, the roots are all there.

All this being said... I'm gonna be honest with you, I've never actually re-read dungeon meshi from my initial read of it! and I've been keeping up for each new chapter since, like, 2018, which is crazy to think about... I really ought to do a re-read sometime, it'll give me a fresh perspective I'm sure. truthfully I just struggle to read things, which is the only reason I haven't reread it like 10 times. I still love it to bits anyway. I hope that this answer is enlightening regardless, and- oh! also! you can read dungeon meshi on Mangadex, though I recommend buying it physically if they sell it where you live :-)!!

Anyhow thank you for indulging me, i love talking about dungeon meshi & introducing new people to the series! i hope you enjoy it!!!

[takami-takami]

THANK U FOR THE TAG MWAH MWAH Was tagged by @aquadenks to rec some of my own fics so! Some author's notes too, spoiling the subtext lol but giving some behind the scenes info! I'm just gonna pick my favorites, not so much the ones I'd recommend.

For recomendations: Stray Dogs Will Crawl Home for sfw; How to Fix The Ache or Can't Help Myself for nsfw

My faves:

Nightmares. | angst, hurt/comfort

I wrote this to cope with the GRAGGGHH feeling after watching the Lady Nagant episode. Like I wrote this late as hell at night too in order to be normal. I like the way I wrote the panic, it was fun to try and tweak it to be more in character and make the body language and dialogue believable. I find his theme of corruption and being used by the hpsc and feeling shackled to be very interesting to explore. I had to write the boy being comforted for his past or I'd die.

I Think I Love You. | fluff

The cutest fic I ever wrote. Pure good feelings. I genuinely love this one, I think it's adorable and head-over-heels!Keigo is my weak spot. I giggled so hard to myself when I wrote about the platonic kiss to ground himself. He's so cute. Fuzzy feelings. Happy happy happy.

Happy Birthday. | angst

Pure angst. PURE angst.

I had this in my notes for a long while, actually, and had the idea in my head for longer. It's a catharsis piece, very personal. Whenever I would have a moment related to a Thing, I'd pull out my notes app and work on this and just vomit my feelings onto the page. I still remember stopping in the middle of grabbing groceries and pulling out my phone to type the "what did you make me do" part as soon as I thought of it. Typing outside on my phone like a madman. Very therapeutic. Even though it's my least popular fic (probably because of the subject matter and lack of x reader) it means a tremendous deal to me.

How To Fix The Ache. | smut

The smut fic of the bunch— HEAR ME OUT, this is one of my favorite smut fics so I picked it as a representative (My other favs are Crybaby, Accidents, and Sweet, Sweet Indulgence. Not including the mini drabbles. I can answer which of those I like if anyone's curious!). So I'm putting it here. KEIGO YANKING IT MY BELOVED!! I like the pacing here, the tension building, the payoff at the end where he mcLoses it. Sexually frustrated virgin mess Keigo :(((((.

A Dog Unfed. | angst, hurt/comfort

This is my most recent fic but also another favorite of mine! Literally helped me so bad to write this. Do not know where I would be if I didn't write it. I feel like, I honestly didn't want to turn this into a fanfic at first. It was just supposed to be a thing for only me to see about how I'm feeling because the feeling was overwhelming; but I wanted to share it, so I turned it into a thing with Hawks (which also helped a ton)! I think you can tell, at least in the beginning part. I break the fourth wall at the end a little which I thought was cool but definitely was worried about doing. I let go of a lot of inhibitions and a desire to Appeal to Others when writing this one. Like I told myself when I was writing over and over, "all my writings are mine but this one is Mine." Very special place in my heart. <3

But my FAVORITE fic is still being written. Idk when it will be finished though, it's a big one— I don't like posting chapter by chapter, so I'm just gonna finish all the chapters first and then slam it onto the table hopefully.

Tagging ANYONE steal this. :3

[idwsonicshowdown]

Coming Soon...

...Tangle and Whisper in Sonic Forces: Speed Battle? Wait. They're already in that game, aren't they? You're absolutely right! And they're in Sonic Dash, too! But do you know who isn't in either of those games? Every single other character from IDW Sonic! You might be able to tell where I'm going with this and, if not, I'll explain it now: We're going to be running a mini tournament over the summer and the theme of this one is "Which IDW Exclusive Character would you most like to see added to the Sonic Mobile games?" SEGA Hardlight have been very supportive of IDW in the past, from adding both of our girls here to the game to giving Whisper an alternate outfit to even including them in their April Fools post - with a nod to Whispangle. We don't actually know if any other characters from IDW will ever appear in these games, but it'd be nice to think that they could and that got me curious to see which characters you'd like to see most WHEN IS THIS HAPPENING? No exact time-frame, but soon(ish). My current thinking is that when the finals roll around for @sonicshipbattles that'll free up more of my time, so hopefully then. I'd like to say this month WHO IS INCLUDED? That's where you come in. Presently, I have two ideas about how to do this: Firstly, that we include all 32 characters from the Pause Game Edition Tournament, with two new characters being added to replace Tangle and Whisper. Those characters could be the guy from the 5th Anniversary Issue (who seems to have no name?) and the "new cat guy" (YES I know the spoilers, but I'm trying not to spoil it for anyone who doesn't). But I'm open to suggestions However, a lot of the characters included in that bracket are incredibly minor, to the point that Round One was mostly weeding out the oneshot characters so the main cast could carry on. And I'm worried that it wouldn't be interesting to repeat that. So, I'm considering as an alternate we skip ahead to a 16 character line-up. This would be everyone who made it to Round Two last time, plus Rough and Don, because it'd feel wrong to include Tumble and Nite without them I will put up a week-long poll after this post to see which of these options you all prefer and whichever option wins, we'll go with that EDIT: That poll is here BUT WHAT ABOUT TANGLE AND WHISPER?? They're not included in this one because they already have the prize. They already won! However, I know you all want a specific Tangle vs Whisper poll, so I will give you one soon, even if it isn't the divorce poll :3 AND THE WINNER GETS ADDED TO THE SONIC MOBILE GAMES??? Heck no! I don't have that kind of power! This is absolutely just for fun and has no real stakes whatsoever. Unless idk, the slim chance that someone from SEGA Hardlight sees this tournament and uses it to gauge popularity. But beyond that, nope! We'll just have to believe that Nevin the Scrapnik might make it in one day ;0;

[givereadersahug]

37!

Dandelion!!! <3<3<3

37. Promote one of your own “deep cut” fics (an underrated one, or one that never got as much traction as you think it deserves!). What do you like about it?

I think I shall pick one from each of my 3 main ships atm.

For Snarry --- the first fic that comes to mind is Red Strings. It's one of the first long fics I wrote coming back to writing and idk. I just wanted to read more Asian influenced Harry Potter fics? Or maybe I'm picking the wrong fics to read. At the time I was having trouble finding a 'red string of fate' Snarry fic to read. So, I rolled up my sleeves and I sat down at my computer. Write the fics you want to see in the world! That's my motto! *nods*

For Matchablossom --- it has to be Devotion. I'm spoiled in the Snarry fandom, truly. There will always be interaction on my Snarry fics. (No matter how small or how weird the fic is. I mean, I wrote several anthropomorphic Snarry fics. Bat!Snape and Fruit!Harry, anyone? 😂) And people are so happy to engage with me! However, with my SK8 the Infinity fics? Not so much. Mostly cause I don't hang out with the fandom on Twitter and I write non-popular tropes and/or fic lengths. Which, I'm totally fine with! But Devotion? Man, I love that the fic to bits. A found family fic, yes. But I also like to read about established relationship going through relationship milestones without the character's fears along the lines of 'omg, we disagree with this one small thing and now we have to break up' drama. Idk how to describe it. Is it even a niche---a somewhat healthy relationship dynamic with couples that actually communicate? I'm chalking it up to my very particular tastes/needs/wants. 😂 But, yes. That fic was tailor made for me.

And for Thorki. My OTP. --- A Star's Birth. I have yet to fully write a plot heavy fic (or a super long fic) for my OTP. They intimidate me. I have so much feels for this ship idk where to start (or even when to stop, tbh.) This fic was written for Flash Fiction Friday. They provide a prompt and you have 24 hours to write something for the prompt. I'm used to super low hits. (One of my goals is to write a fic where I get ZERO hits, which is super hard! I thought I got it with my Dick Fight Island drabble! There were only 2 other works! Who would be looking for fics for that manga series!?!?! Alas.) But this Thorki fic I was a tad disappoint in its reception. But what can you do? Maybe it's the one-sided daughter/father romantic relationship that threw people off. 🤭🤭🤭 I also tried a different writing style, which was fun! Another point for that fic! *nods*

Thanks for asking, Dandelion!

questions for fic writers

answered - 1, 17, 26, 41, 37

[citrustan]

not sure if im the only one that noticed something but: people who read fanfic are kinda hypocritical when it comes to which characters to hate lol. for example, the "girl best friend of a bangtan member" trope. in this fic, y/n plays the girlfriend so everyone hates yuna—girl bsf— so much. however, when there's a fic and y/n is actually the girl best friend herself, THEN all of a sudden, everyone doesn't hate the "girl bsf." if anything, they support it. 😵‍💫 like, y'all can just admit you hate whichever female character that gets in the way of your ship @ readers LMAO

an example: there's a pretty popular fic going around that im reading "mutual help" by personasintro. long story short, jungkook and y/n (both best friends) had a "fwb" type deal to get his ex kiko jealous so they can date again. their breakup was caused when kiko came clean and told him that they should break up bc she cheated, and they did. later on he still wanted to make it work so he came up with that plan to fake date y/n to make kiko want him back, and it worked. so they start dating and SOOOO many readers were rooting for jungkook to cheat with y/n or rooting for sexual tension/romantic moments between y/n and jk even tho he's literally already with kiko. not even just that, but some readers were saying WAYYY out of pocket shit towards her. (the story is very very complex LOL i don't think my simple explanation can really explain well). i don't wanna say much bc i don't wanna spoil but, i think it just shows the hypocrisy that some readers have when it comes to keeping the same energy towards different kinds of characters. it just sounds like they are threatened by another character getting in their relationships way.

tbh, i do find yuna annoying, but i don't necessarily think she's a bad person, you know what i mean? and same thing with kiko, especially once you actually read the story and learn more about her. i just think some readers need to chill with that lol

hm yes ya I see it but at the same time I mean idkdbdj it's okay, they're just characters and you're obviously going to favour oc right, especially when you write in favour of oc? idk if that makes sense heh but like idk it's pretty obvious that you'd hate anyone and anything that's a hindrance to your otps relationship right? so idk it's all good hehe

[im-the-punk-who]

I'm new to the fandom, but haven't gotten the chance to watch the show yet. Bit weird I know. I've been spoilered for bits and pieces and read some fanfic. Why is so much of the fandom silverflint when flinthamilton is there and so beautiful? I don't want to watch the show and become confused between the ships (lol). Thoughts?

OH BABE. WATCH THE SHOW - JOIN ME IN MY HELL HOLE.

Since you said you've been spoiled a bit, this does contain some spoilers for the show. Nothing major, but I dont think theres a way to talk about this otherwise. ❤

OKAY. I'm gonna say this as politically as possible, lmao, since there is...a healthy dose of animosity between people who ship silverflint and people who don't - mainly because the interpretations of John Silver's character are so varied.

For the record, enemies to lovers is my least favorite shipping trope, and silverflint is probably the biggest notp I've ever had. Edit: And Flinthamilton hits my absolutely favorite shipping trope, which is friends to lovers. We state our personal biases out front like REAL scientists of literature, lmao.  That said I have a bunch of mutuals who ship it and I try my darndest to uhhhh at least support them in that to the extent I'm able.

So, imo, the biggest reason silverflint is so popular is that they're the two characters with the most screentime together. Silver and Flint are on screen together in some capacity in just about every episode from the first to the last, and their plotlines and character developments are deeply intertwined. No matter what their actual relationship was, no matter if they were canon or if there were any actual romantic feelings between them, they were bound to be a big ship, especially since one of them is canonically attracted to men. Conversely, Thomas only has about 40 minutes of screentime in the entire series and it is all in flashback from before the series begins. Now of course he also has a lot of what I'll call 'off-screen callbacks' - James' entire character arc depends on his love and belief in Thomas' ideals - but he and James only interact for a very brief period of time and we really dont get a whole lot about Thomas himself.

There are reasons people ship both, and reasons people might be drawn to silverflint over flintham which all comes down to personal preference, but I really do think the biggest reason is their screentime disparity.

That said...even though Silverflint isn't canon, and Flintham IS the show's endgame, that doesnt make one more valid than the other as a ship because that's categorically not what fandom is about. I don't think there's a confusion to be had there, because there's no such thing as 'this is the right ship and this is the wrong one.' I have ships I doggedly sail that aren't canon and that for some are their notps. And I would quite literally fight to the death over them given half a chance. That's fandom!!

I will say that the reason silverflint is my notp is because I personally feel like the relationship becomes incredibly unhealthy when you put a romantic spin on it - but for some people that's the attraction! Or they don't have the same set of personal experiences I have that lead me to those conclusions! Just as a lot of people have experiences that sour them to him, John Silver is a very personal and relatable character to a lot of people. And honestly, if that's true why wouldn't they want to have him get with James Flint who is not only very beautiful but also technically perfect in every way and has never done anything wrong in his life, ever?

And that's okay! Again it's fandom! Everybody is right! You get validation! And you get validation! Everybody gets validation!!

(Lmao that's wrong - there are some people who are wrong but they're mostly wrong because they try to insist their views are the only corect ones.)

Idk what to tell you. Do I personally wish there was more flintham and less silverflint? For sure, lol. But that's because, let's be real - there was ABSOLUTELY NO WORLD where I wasn't going to be a rabid flintham shipper, and also absolutely no world in which I was going to like John Silver as a character enough to want him near my kin, my sun, my only light, my absolute unit of a child James Flint-McGraw-Hamilton any longer than absolutely necessary. I'm aware of my bias. I stand by it, but I am aware of it, lol. BUT HERE'S THE GREAT THING ANON IF YOU JOIN ME IN SHIPPER HELL WE CAN FIX THAT. BE THE CHANGE I WANT TO SEE!!

My biggest advice is that, at its heart Black Sails is a show about stories and the personal bias inherent in them. Keep your mind open, and try not to let fandom influence your personal feelings towards what you find enjoyable. (Even me. If you end up shipping silverflint, I promise I will try very hard not to take offense lmao). Oh, and don't expect a happy ending for anyone. Black Sails is a tragedy, and in true tragedy form there are no happy endings for anyone except the british empire.

For the most part this is a great fandom and Black Sails itself is a show that I think everyone should watch - even if they aren't in it for the ships. While I have some major problems with it(particularly its treatment of its female characters) it's also hands down the best show I've ever seen in a lot of ways. It is full of not just the most pure and perfect mlm ship in Flintham but ALSO some great canon wlw ships, a dumb himbo who ruins everything, lots of POC - specifically a large number of really excellently portrayed black characters - and just...absolutely phenomenal writing. And it says gay rights with its fucking chest. And it contains the most heartbreakingly real portrayal of why revolutions fail and whose stories get told that like. I've ever, ever seen. I still cry when I think too hard about it please don't look at me.

ANYWAY LONG STORY SHORT WATCH BLACK SAILS. (James&Thomas 4eva)

(And, to that end uhhhh, here's some timestamps for violence against women in the first season. I've been meaning to add on for the other seasons but just haven't had time.)

[bluemoondust]

It’s 🙄🩴 anon here, I have a question. Why the hell is Encanto so popular? I gave up on disney a while ago, but jesus christ why do people like this movie (especially the bruno character) so much? Idk why, but everytime I see a post specifically about the character bruno, i hate it more. Should I just watch the movie? Ugh, sorry for the rant, i’m just super busy lately, maybe I feel left out since I don’t have time to watch it. The primary question that I was getting at is, why is it so popular

Okay, so here's just my take on this— anyone who wants to add on this, feel free to do so since this is just my reasons for liking the movie so much and everyone's reasoning is different.

Also, I'll speak about the movie without spoiling too much on the plot. But here I will say, I completely recommend the movie but do not feel pressured to watch it because everyone deserves to watch movies on their own without others pushing them to do so. They should be able to look at a movie and say they'd like to watch it.

Now, as for why I enjoyed this movie (and maybe why a lot of people do as well), is because of the movie's topic of issues within family (or simply put, generational trauma). I feel like the movie handled it fairly well with the presentation of the family's characters. I won't go too in depth with it, but a particular scene in the movie made me feel extremely emotional where I actually cried(kind of relating to it, but not fully) besides the scene near the end with the song Dos Oruguitas.

Speaking of the characters, I absolutely adore the Madrigal family. Some aren't given too much time on screen, but each of them convey so much character with how much time they have. Besides Bruno my personal favorites are Pepa and Dolores— Plus, with them having powers gives a lot of creative ideas/headcanons such as how they gained their gifts or the dynamics each of them have with one another since the movie does give that possibility with the few dynamics shown.

Now with Bruno— I think it stems from him being the black sheep of the family and just how he's presented as when you actually do see the movie. I can't go into this too much without spoiling the movie ack— but my first prediction about him was correct before I watched but his personality really made me go haha depressed rat man makes me go brr

But yes— the songs absolutely slapped. They constantly repeat in my head which to me, means that they're just that good! They all really give us so much and listening to them without context of the movie will make someone wonder what even is going on or what happened (which is why I always avoid listening to the songs of any animated film until I actually watch it).

I watched this movie with my family and our experience was very nice and my mom immediately knew near the end one of the characters motivation and reasoning for doing what they did since she has seen it happen before in her family.

Overall, to put things short, I'd say people really like the movie because of the message, characters, and songs. I hope this is a good enough explanation. Though I won't lie, it's weird to explain my reasoning for liking a film like this, especially from Disney because everyone has their fair share of opinions on the movies. I am someone who grew up with the films since oof basically birth so I didn't want to be absolutely biased because that wouldn't be fair to anyone who asks. I'm not used to people asking me what's great about a movie I enjoyed, but again, I hope this helps. Also, don't feel pressured into watching this movie if you don't want to. I'd rather have someone really want to watch it and not feel like they're forced into doing so. That's no bueno...

[lord-radish]

It's a couple days after New Year's and over a week since Christmas, but I want to share one of my favorite holiday songs. idk if it's like a radio fixture in America, but I heard it for the first time a couple years ago on a cover album by Jonathan Coulton.

It's called Same Old Lang Syne by Dan Fogelberg.

I think one thing that ties my favorite musical acts together is this commitment to a blunt, honest, wordy narrative in song. That's what makes No Children by the Mountain Goats so effective, there's no implication or nuance - I am drowning, there's no sign of land. It's blunt, it's raw and it's true. Or there's Old College Try, where most of the second verse and subsequent chorus is a single run-off sentence about resigning one's self to a bad situation - and the misery and resignation really hits close to home.

On the opposite end of the spectrum is The Weepies, with songs like Happiness and How You Survived The War. Blunt, descriptive lyrics like "You’re not gonna lose this one, you don’t have to cut and run. I think you can choose to love, and what is more - that is how you survived the war".

Like yeah, you've survived this long letting stuff roll over you. You chose survival over comfort and care. That's okay, we understand that that's what you needed to do. But you don't have to do that any more - you don't have to merely survive. The same way you chose to survive, you can now choose to love because the danger has passed.

And another essential connecting element between these examples is the artist's focus on universal human emotions in scenarios where these emotions are at their most significant, whether good or bad - of which I'm going to focus on Same Old Lang Syne. The song is an account of running into an old girlfriend on Christmas Eve and catching up for a few hours - there are no open bars, so they grab a six pack and drink in the backseat of her car.

What gets me is how down to earth this scene is. It's not You Light Up My Life, it's not If I Can't Have You - contemporary songs from the era Same Old Lang Syne came from. It's a glance into a chance meeting between old lovers, and it's painfully close to home because the events of the song are rooted so deeply in the mundane and familiar.

The one that gets me, next to the ending of the song, is the chorus: "we drank a toast to innocence, we drank a toast to now / we tried to reach beyond the emptiness, but neither one knew how". Whether it's trying to hit on these emotional notes, or just describing the scene of how they ran into each other and decided to catch up, it's that down to earth, blunt, earnest description - what feels like such an intimately honest account of the situation - that just drives me absolutely wild.

I'm not gonna spoil the song for anyone who hasn't heard it, but I highly recommend giving this song a go if you've never heard it before. I have heard accounts that it's a popular song on the radio around Christmas in America, but it's still such a novel and underappreciated song in my own sphere of influence.