#Weekly Link Love — Edition 18

[fandom-friday]

The goal of Fandom Friday: provide a place where people can shout-out their favorite creators from the week, whether it’s a piece of fan art that made you smile or a fanfic that moved you. Drop a link to your favorite creations this week into my ask box along with what you loved about it, and I will give them a shout! It doesn’t have to be Star Wars either! If it’s on another website (AO3, Twitter, etc.), please be sure to state that as well.

This happens each week, so don’t feel like you’ve got to get out everything in one week. Just keep track of them throughout the week or send me an ask whenever you find something, and I’ll drop them all on Fridays (or throughout the weekend if I get a lot). The cutoff for each week is THURSDAY 12 PM (I’m in the Pacific timezone). Anything received after that will roll to the next week. A summary of the weeks’ recs will be posted at the end of the weekly queue, so check back here for all of the awesome fics and art! And be sure to go give the creations on that list some love (and don’t just share the ask responses I put out).

2024 Fandom Friday Weekly Summary Master List

Rules and additional details under the cut! PLEASE make sure you read the rules before sending something in. If your submission violates any of the rules, I will delete it.

Rules:

Please send submissions to my ask box (sending them all to one place makes wrangling them easier each week). In your ask, please include the creator’s handle, a link to their work/post (if links aren’t working for the ask, please DM me them), and what you loved about it!

Please ensure the link is to the creator’s original post and not your own reblog or repost of their work (if they’re on another platform). The idea is to drive people to visit the creator’s page!

The creation does not have to have been posted this week! It can be something older. Also, don’t worry about whether or not a rec is a repeat from a prior week. Just looking to celebrate things that made an impression on you this week, whether you’ve seen it before or not!

NSFW is alright! Just make sure you note it in the ask so I can flag appropriately! Since I’m including 18+ material, minors may not participate. 18+ posts will be tagged with NSFT/lemon/lemony lemon (trying to cover all my bases).

NO incest, underage, cl*necest blogs, master/padawan (or similar power dynamics), dub-con/non-con/rape occurring IN the fic (to include stalker/obsessive behavior fics). Also, no H*rry Potter. There are a few others that I also won’t share due to my discomfort with them (i.e., R*xsoka), so if you’re not sure, ask. Also, many of you submit multiple works at once, and that’s fine, but if one of those works contains something that violates the rules, I will delete the entire ask, so something to be extra careful about when submitting!

Submissions that deal with 18+ material or difficult/triggering topics (pregnancy, abuse, drug use, etc.) MUST BE TAGGED APPROPRIATELY.

If your rec involves spoilers from a show that’s currently running, please include that info in the ask so I can tag it appropriately (I will normally tag a few different ways, but I always use #<show title> spoilers if you need to filter (for example: Andor spoilers will be tagged #Andor Spoilers). I will stop tagging spoilers two weeks after the show stops airing.

You can submit GIF sets or edits, but please ensure you are submitting from the blog that actually created them. Wanted to add that caution since there’s been a lot of people stealing/reposting GIFs and edits in particular recently. So just be cautious.

Try to avoid commentary in your ask that might make others feel bad (“the only person who knows how to write XXX correctly…”). It’s important to be able to appreciate creators without making others feel bad, so let’s try to keep the commentary complimentary without being off-putting for other creators.

Self recommendations are allowed and encouraged! Shout out your own hard work! You deserve the recognition!

*Rules subject to change so PLEASE make sure you read them before sending something in. If your submission violates any of the rules, I will delete it.

**If you have any questions about any of the rules, don’t hesitate to DM me!In addition to sending me asks, I highly encourage you to go either leave a comment on and/or reblog someone’s work (tag me or use the #Fandom Friday tag if you do!). Let’s get the interaction back up on this website and show the creators that work so hard on their stuff some love!

[shortfictionweeklychallenge]

Short Fiction Weekly Challenge

Time for a new prompt from the Short Fiction Weekly Challenge, tumblr edition. Let it spark your imagination. Any character, any fandom, any original world. Reblogs welcome!

Post your story to your blog and send the link to Short Fiction Weekly Challenge! We’ll send the link out to all our followers to enjoy.

This week’s SFWC prompt:

Week of October 18, 2024

Following Footsteps: If your character had a solid mentor or role model, following their footsteps is probably second nature. It may have started when your character was a child, a bright-eyed student, a nervous apprentice, acolyte, or initiate. Now, in adulthood or old age, it’s their duty to continue the path. Your character might be in a dark place or lost, emotionally or physically, and needs guidance--footsteps--to get out. Is it a good path, one that leads to their growth, or a destructive one leading to tragedy? Whose footsteps does your character follow and why? And where do they lead?

Feel free to continue submitting stories for any prompt.  A masterpiece missed the deadline?  Don’t let it gather electronic dust.  Submit it anyway and Short Fiction Weekly Challenge will publish it.  

This week’s featured previous prompts are: 

Conflict Resolution: Stories often involve conflict, and our characters often have go-to solutions for resolving them. Suppose your character’s go-to solution isn’t available? Why it’s not is an entirely different prompt; regardless, for this exercise they have to choose a different approach. What happens when the character who fixes everything with their fists has to rely on diplomacy? When the character who always buys their way out of trouble has no funds, no access to their funds, or is dealing with people who aren’t interested in money? A character used to being in authority doesn’t have it anymore? Someone who relies on fast-talk, charm, and seduction needs to persuade a group that knows they’re lying, finds them annoying, and isn’t at all interested in sleeping with them (and may even find the idea repulsive).  Put a conflict within the conflict this week.

Best Deals Anywhere: Is your character the kind who loves bargain hunting? Do they love to haggle with merchants and always hold out for a sale? Do they need to pinch pennies or is it more like a game to them? Did they grow up scrimping and old habits die hard? Were they more wealthy at one point and now have to watch their money? If they’re the seller, are they really offering a fantastic deal or does it just appear that way? Do they enjoy the back-and-forth bargaining at least as much as making a sale, or is their list price always final? How does your character deal with a day or time or event when everything is on sale? 

Got an idea for a prompt?  Submit it here.

[celtfather]

Memories of Ireland #670

Sing a song to the Dublin girl on the Irish & Celtic Music Podcast # 670. Subscribe now!

Celtic On the Inside is now on sale in our store. Support the podcast by buying one of these limited-edition CDs and Album Pins. Shop now!

Dublin Gulch, Wylde Nept, Enda Reilly, The Crowfoot Rakes, The Ciderhouse Rebellion, Molly Donnery, Natalie Padilla, Kevin Meehan, Fig for a Kiss, Blackthorn, Derek Warfield & The Young Wolfe Tones, The Drowsy Lads, Charlene Adrima, Bealtaine, Drumspyder, Ironwood, Hayley Griffiths

GET CELTIC MUSIC NEWS IN YOUR INBOX

The Celtic Music Magazine is a quick and easy way to plug yourself into more great Celtic culture. Enjoy seven weekly news items for Celtic music and culture online. Subscribe now and get 34 Celtic MP3s for Free.

VOTE IN THE CELTIC TOP 20 FOR 2024

This is our way of finding the best songs and artists each year. You can vote for as many songs and tunes that inspire you in each episode. Your vote helps me create next year's Best Celtic music of 2024 episode. You have just three weeks to vote this year. Vote Now!

You can follow our playlist on Spotify to listen to those top voted tracks as they are added every 2 - 3 weeks. It also makes it easier for you to add these artists to your own playlists. You can also check out our Irish & Celtic Music Videos.

THIS WEEK IN CELTIC MUSIC

0:02 - Intro: High Octane

0:11 - Dublin Gulch "Rick O'Shay Reel" from Tap 'Er Light

3:10 - WELCOME

5:14 - Wylde Nept "The Butterfly" from All's Fair

7:12 - Enda Reilly "My Dublin Girl" from Hy - Brasil

9:31 - The Crowfoot Rakes "The Marion Jig (Live)" from Off She Goes

11:27 - The Ciderhouse Rebellion with Molly Donnery "Jimmy Murphy" from A Little Bit Slanted

14:41 - FEEDBACK

18:46 - Natalie Padilla "Sailor's Love" from Paths and Places

22:24 - Kevin Meehan "The Living Bridge" from Spanish Point

25:45 - Fig for a Kiss "Johnny Be Fine" from Wherever You Go

27:35 - Blackthorn "Almost Every Circumstance/Galloping Ass" from Here's To You

31:22 - Derek Warfield & The Young Wolfe Tones "The Lough Sheelin Eviction" from Let the Free Birds Fly

37:51 - THANKS

41:19 - The Drowsy Lads "Memories and Moments" from Everyone In

44:50 - Charlene Adzima "The Old Flail/Pauline Conneely's/Sizzling Bacon" from The Initiation

49:21 - Bealtaine "Star of the County Down" from The Founders' Room Vol 2

52:14 - Drumspyder "The Templehouse" from Green Mantle

56:15 - Ironwood "The White Gypsy" from Gretna Green

60:23 - CLOSING

1:01:14 - Hayley Griffiths "Black Is the Colour" from Far from Here

1:05:10 - CREDITS

The Irish & Celtic Music Podcast was produced by Marc Gunn, The Celtfather and our Patrons on Patreon. The show was edited by Mitchell Petersen with Graphics by Miranda Nelson Designs. Visit our website to follow the show. You’ll find links to all of the artists played in this episode.

Todd Wiley is the editor of the Celtic Music Magazine. Subscribe to get 34 Celtic MP3s for Free. Plus, you’ll get 7 weekly news items about what’s happening with Celtic music and culture online. Best of all, you will connect with your Celtic heritage.

Please tell one friend about this podcast. Word of mouth is the absolute best way to support any creative endeavor.

Finally, remember. Reduce, reuse, recycle, and think about how you can make a positive impact on your environment.

Promote Celtic culture through music at http://celticmusicpodcast.com/.

WELCOME THE IRISH & CELTIC MUSIC PODCAST

* Helping you celebrate Celtic culture through music. I am Marc Gunn. I’m a Celtic musician and podcaster. This podcast is for fans of Celtic music. It’s here to connect you with some of the amazing musicians who are performing Celtic music around the world.

If you hear music you love, please email artists to let them know you heard them on the Irish and Celtic Music Podcast. Musicians depend on your generosity to keep making music. So please find a way to support them. Buy a CD, Album Pin, Shirt, Digital Download, or join their communities on Patreon.

You can find a link to all of the artists in the shownotes, along with show times, when you visit our website at celticmusicpodcast.com.

Do you make Celtic art? We’re looking for a design to incorporate into our shirts, album pin and CD in 2025. We’d love your contribution. Email some design ideas with or without our podcast name.

Speaking of CDs and Album Pins, Celtic on the Inside is the name of the latest compilation CD and album pin by the Irish & Celtic Music Podcast. The album is now officially on sale. Only 100 copies of the CD and 100 copies of the Album Pin are available. This is a great way for you to preserve your memories of the Best Irish and Celtic music of 2023. Plus, it’s a great way to financially support the podcast so we can keep bringing you great Celtic music each and every week.

Preserve your memories at magerecords.com where you can get the CD and album pin.

Oh! And do you know what an album pin is?

An album pin is an enamel pin themed to a particular album. You get a digital download of the album. And you can then wear your album on your sleeve… or attach it to another piece of clothing. It’s a visual way to tell others that you are Celtic on the Inside.

If you are a Celtic musician or in a Celtic band, then please submit your band to be played on the podcast. You don’t have to send in music or an EPK. You will get a free eBook called Celtic Musicians Guide to Digital Music and learn how to follow the podcast. It’s 100% free. Just email Email follow@bestcelticmusic and of course, listeners can learn how to subscribe to the podcast and get a free music - only episode.

Plastic Free July. Plastic Free July® is a global movement that helps millions of people be part of the solution to plastic pollution – so we can have cleaner streets, oceans, and beautiful communities. Will you be part of Plastic Free July by choosing to refuse single - use plastics?

THANK YOU PATRONS OF THE PODCAST!

You are amazing. It is because of your generosity that you get to hear so much great Celtic music each and every week.

Your kindness pays for our engineer, graphic designer, Celtic Music Magazine editor, promotion of the podcast, and allows me to buy the music I play here. It also pays for my time creating the show each and every week.

As a patron, you get ad - free and music - only episodes before regular listeners, vote in the Celtic Top 20, stand - alone stories, you get a private feed to listen to the show or you can listen through the Patreon app.  All that for as little as $1 per episode.

DONATE: Make donation to the podcast.

A special thanks to our new and continued Patrons of the Podcast: Frank D, Sean C, Michael H, Tim S, Miranda Nelson Designs

HERE IS YOUR THREE STEP PLAN TO SUPPORT THE PODCAST

Go to our Patreon page.

Decide how much you want to pledge every week, $1, $5, $25. Make sure to cap how much you want to spend per month.

Keep listening to the Irish & Celtic Music Podcast to celebrate Celtic culture through music.

You can become a generous Patron of the Podcast on Patreon at SongHenge.com.

TRAVEL WITH CELTIC INVASION VACATIONS

Every year, I take a small group of Celtic music fans on the relaxing adventure of a lifetime. We don't see everything. Instead, we stay in one area. We get to know the region through its culture, history, and legends. You can join us with an auditory and visual adventure through podcasts and videos.

The Celtic Invasion of Scotland’s Whisky Distilleries is now booked. The next Celtic Invasion will go to Galicia in Spain IF I can get enough people to explore that region with me. I need a minimum of 6 to make it happen. It’s not yet open, but if you’d like to join, sign up to our mailing list. Learn more about the invasion at http://celticinvasion.com/ #celticmusic #irishmusic #celticmusicpodcast

I WANT YOUR FEEDBACK

What are you doing today while listening to the podcast? Please email me. I’d love to see a  picture of what you're doing while listening or of a band that you saw recently.

How are you listening to this podcast? I’d love to know that as well. The show is available on a bunch of podcast apps like Apple Podcast, Amazon Music, Podcast Addict, iHeartRadio, Player.FM, Pocket Casts, Cast Box, Pandora, Podbean, and my favorite Overcast

Email me at follow@bestcelticmusic.

Cheryl Arvio emailed: “Hi Marc, My boyfriend went to an Irish set dance yesterday. Since it was Pride Day in Chicago, he wore your Pride Month with the Irish & Celtic Music Podcast T - shirt to the gathering, prompting several of his fellow dancers to tell him that they, too, are listeners of the podcast!

Just thought you'd like to know you've got fans here in Chicago  ☘️☘️🎻🪗😊”

Daniel Ide emailed from Fallbrook, CA: 'Dia duit Marc  -  I am delighted to officially become a patron of The Irish and Celtic Music Podcast.

I have been a fan of your show since this time last year, and an Irish and Celtic music fan most of my life.  I stumbled upon your podcast while searching “Celtic Music” on Sirius Radio.

I played in an Irish Folk music band in college 40 years ago (when The Chieftains ruled and Sinead was kicking ass).  We called ourselves “The Rakes of Kilarney”.  I was a guitarist and singer back then, today I am a full on percussionist (congacero mostly) with a passion for Latin - Jazz and Afro - Cuban rhythms.  This past year I have been practicing my Bodhran playing to a level of session quality performance (thanks to your podcast).  My plan is to travel to the West of Ireland in the end of October and session hop my way from Galway up to Sligo and beyond.  I will be hitting you up for recommendations as the date grows closer.

I am 5th generation Irish - American.  My ancestors fled the hard times In Ireland during the 1870’s, landing in Boston.  Very few of them, generationally, have ever returned, myself included.  I have been a student of Irish and Celtic history and culture with a romantic notion of returning “home”.  My parents have been there a few times, making connections with distant relatives in Castlebar and Derry.  I intend to return to the origin point of most of my family, feel what needs to be felt and embrace what ever is to come of it.  Ever since I read John O’Donohue’s “Anam Cara” I have been absolutely smitten with my imminent return to the home of my ancestors.

So, as you can see, I am experiencing a delightful homecoming to my ancestral roots, and The Irish and Celtic Music podcast is providing me with a lovely springboard for weekly indulgences.  What I love most about your show is your authentic love of the music, and the wonderful new connections being made for Irish and Celtic Music right in our own backyards.

Blessings of Peace and Love to you and your’s.

Slainte, Daniel"

  Check out this episode!

[coda-blue]

(This is a crosspost from my Patreon. To see the rest of the free, accompanying art dump, click here.)

**********************************************************

I've decided to do my first ever summary of my entire year. Frankly, this has only been made possible because I've gotten into the good habit of sharing my weekly victories over in a separate dev server, so recalling won't be a stress-fest.

I'm going to address my progress in various aspects of project development and personal development. Here's my massive dump:

Project Summary

Art

I mostly made art concepts and game assets for several visual novel projects in varying stages of production. The styles between them all are intentionally different and makes for a good test of skill for me. Notably this year, I felt no strong desire to draw for myself. Actually, most attempts were met with a deep-seated repulsion of the idea in a way that is hard to describe, because rationally I obviously want to draw, but subconsciously there was this violent blockage. It may be some form of burnout that is either unaffected or overridden by my sense of obligation to collaborative projects, considering I am admittedly a workaholic. Hopefully I can overcome that in 2023, as there's things I'd like to do just for my own self-betterment.

In 2022, I made...

A character sprite and graphical user interface overhaul, and brand new game page assets for my published visual novel, This Life Escapes Me 

Incomplete character, storyboard concepts, and animation studies for my other personal visual novel, The Corpse Lieutenant

18 monster concepts of 6 side characters for Drop Dead Daters

Fae and human concepts for the cancelled MaFAEa by Katy133

Main character concepts and final render for Sails and Silk by Ryan Aldred

An entire point-and-click background, alternate interactable states, and prop and inventory assets for The Greatest Escape(room)! by Destini Islands and Allie Vera

A couple chibi character commissions for personal clients

A few pixel art doodles

A couple sketches

Writing

Almost all of my writing this year was produced for visual novel projects. And almost all of these works have some sort of fantasy element to them, but a few projects were developed for a younger or more general audience than the late 20s to early 30s target I usually write for (aka myself), so actively thinking of the language and voice to use for these different narrators and characters was fun. Unfortunately, the same issue of lacking a desire to create more short personal works shows up here as well, but maybe that may change in 2023.

In 2022, I wrote...

Line edits for Teisatsu by Pacchi Studio

The short epilogue story for This Life Escapes Me 

Clarifying lore and research notes for The Corpse Lieutenant 

Several short stories (and designed their respective quote graphics) published on my Ko-fi account

A short smut fanfic that I will never link here, lol

Edits up to a third of the 90,000-word common route second draft for Primrose Path

My assigned route and script annotations for Drop Dead Daters

My chosen route "Explore" for Blanket Cat by Studio Ghost Legs

A writing style guide, character bios document, appendix, three full chapters, a bonus chapter, script annotations, and in-character product marketing quotes for Maledictorian by Wisteria Realms

Audio

I lent my voice acting and voice editing skills to a number of small projects this year. All of this was volunteer work. I truly do love voice acting, but unlike art and writing, I don't currently view it as a career path to actively pursue, as the online hustle culture and general "grindset" of it is intensely wearisome. Outside of my network, I only apply to what seems interesting and pays fairly, but within, I am usually approached by fellow game devs for game jam opportunities. And I love to contribute to those! So it's no surprise that this year, all of my voice acting was a direct result of game jams. As for voice editing, while I have the skills, this year I only ever did them when the team needed a helping hand.

In 2022, I have...

Voiced the goth lesbian Saoirse in How We Show Love by tofurocks

Voiced the unpredictable spy otherwise known as Boss in Teisatsu by Pacchi Studio

Cleaned, edited, and mixed my fellow voice actors' lines in Teisatsu

Voiced the brain-eating amoeba-infected Marlowe in Parasite In Love by Night Asobu

Voiced the dimension-warping disgruntled employee otherwise known as The Game Master in The Greatest Escape(room)! by Destini Islands and Allie Vera

Business

I've shifted my business identity into the Coda Blue alias over the year. My social media presence expanded as well, though in the past month, it feels like it's also diminished. After a series of bad decisions from other corporate entities—the general NFT wave, Twitter's buyout and gutting, DeviantArt and ArtStation doubling down on siding with unethical AI generator art harvesting—I've made decisions that ultimately protect me of being subject to further platform failures and other people's valid yet wearisome doomscrolling. I am looking forward to creating an easier system for updates across platforms and potentially streamlining onboarding for certain client services.

In 2022, I have...

Made several moves to arrange my work and solidify my identity under my alias Coda Blue

Set up with various payment processors for better ease of client transactions and game sale payouts

Selectively offered story and project consultation services for narrative-focused game devs

Worked on my unpublished personal website

Created a Carrd to arrange my various site links

Created a Ko-fi for writing commissions and cross-posting devlogs, the latter of which I've just been too tired to do since the idea's inception

Created this Tumblr for cross-posting devlogs and promo, though it's quickly becoming my timeline replacement for Twitter 

Deactivated my DeviantArt account

Deleted my ArtStation account

Personal Review

Career

The biggest and best decision I made this year was deleting various unused or unhelpful job board and portfolio website accounts. I had such a fixed idea of what my success was "supposed" to look like—working as a 2D character artist in a local art studio—and relied on sites and services that did not accommodate my atypical work history (transitioning out of almost a decade of retail and customer service into freelance game development). I became embittered when I kept getting passed up, tying that to a view of my worth. It wasn't until I killed off everything and just focused on my own projects that I felt so much happier, naturally producing what I wanted to, and ended up freelancing in more enjoyable ways. It's possible that I keep working for myself in a self-employed capacity, but ideally, I would switch from specialized labor into an administrative and/or consulting role. It's less tiring and distressing when you feel exhausted from making calls all day versus the frustration of burnout when your livelihood relies on the physical output of drawing and typing.

In 2023, I will move into an associate or assistant position in the producer, product management, or project management role, or a full-on art director role for a steady day job. I just want the money to roll in so that I can invest it into what I actually have a strong interest in, which absolutely are these narrative-focused projects and the talented people working on them.

Hobbies

My biggest concern for me is figuring out why I had an entire year of doing barely any creative personal work for study or fun. I'm afraid it will extend into the new year, and with it, consequences that may creep into my collaborative output as well. While I'm not sure, I believe that if I do end up needing a break from art and writing, I think my collaborators will understand as I discuss with them expectations and next-steps in private. But my guess is that my dwindling desire to partake of my hobbies is that my hobbies have become work, so I need to engage in new, different, and exciting ones. I think doing so will rekindle my old flame by bringing in a new passion into my life.

In 2023, I will try a new hobby. I've been thinking about whittling or playing bass guitar as a start. I may try the former, as it is more accessible out of the two.

Health

I made massive strides towards my physical and mental health this year. I was finally able to identify with a proactive doctor an underlying health issue I've been having, and in going on a specialized treatment, so much was corrected in a matter of months. I had more energy, my general moodiness vanished, my appearance improved, and I returned to exercising (my usual de-stressor). I have a better understanding of my body and I can now make more informed and conscious decisions on my health. That said, towards the end of this year, I have started to become anxious and depressive with the change in seasons. I recognize this as seasonal affective disorder, so aside from getting back on proper medication for it, I realize that my current work environment is stifling.

In 2023, I will go back to exploring the public. I'm a people-person extrovert, so I get energized by socializing, even against depression's best efforts. The various, simultaneous public health failures have made me more anxious of being back outside, but I need to make a conscious effort to go out and be immersed in nature, in cultural enrichment, and just your usual recreational activities. I need the uplift for my sanity and creativity, and as long as I continue to stay masked and up to date on vaccinations, I should go back to the adventurousness I used to have a few years back. I'll start by choosing one new event to visit every month.

Final Words

I did plenty, and I'm proud of every single bit. I'm thankful for those who support me, who encourage me, and who keep me company. You help me be who I am today.

[mresundance]

Creatives Sietch: the Perfect Discord Community for Dune Creatives

Who  This  Community Is For

Hey YOU. Yes, you. You’ve got a huge creative soul just bursting with a love of Dune. And if you’ve been wandering the internets looking for a supportive community of like-minded Dune creatives, look no further than Creatives Sietch on Discord.

What Creatives Sietch Is Like

Our community is tight-knit, huge-hearted and welcoming of everyone. We have amazing fanwriters and artists, folks interested in video editing and a mighty band of “screamers”, ie, cheerleaders who simply love consuming fanworks and showing their support. 

In Creatives Sietch we . . . 

Discuss meta

Thirst over ALL the actors

Share fanworks, both our own and others

Squee over pet pics

Compare various adaptations of Dune

Show off Outfits of the Day

Enjoy special movie watching events together

Host weekly writing sprints

. . . and more!

So if hanging out with a bunch of chill, nerdy creative Dune fans is your jam, you’re most welcome to join us by hitting the link below. 

18+ Only 

Keep in mind that this is an 18+ group. We’re simply an adult group and discuss things of an adult nature at times. Please respect this and do not join the group if you’re not 18+. Thank you! 

Ready to Join?

Simply click the link below to get started. We can’t wait to meet you!

COME WITH US, JOIN WITH US

[boombox-fuckboy]

5 Criminally Underrated Audio Drama: Supernatural Fiction Edition

Always hard to resist a good bit of supernatural fiction, who doesn't love some good monsters and mysterious happenings? Podcasts certainly have no shortage of it, and better yet, it's almost all very queer.

There's only a few popular supernatural podcasts, most of which are more horror or fantasy leaning anyway, but there are some incredible lesser known ones that could easily fill that space! Without further ado, here are 5 absolutely quality supernatural podcasts.

Up to date as of 16th July 2021

Jar of Rebuke

"Join in Dr. Jared Hel's journey as he works to re-discover his forgotten past and learns about various entities and anomalies within the small farm town of Wichton for an organization called 'The Enclosure'. With creatures and stories based upon real legends and lore within the midwestern United States, follow along as Jared tries to figure out the secrets of the town as well as the secrets of their own identity."

Adventures of an unkillable (well, he can be killed, just doesn't stay that way) amnesiac scientist as they investigate strange creatures, make new friends, and eat lots of tasty food in the small town he's living in. Really well written and paced, full of cool creatures and enticing mystery with a dash of horror, and an absolutely endearing lead. Very queer. There are currently 18 episodes of between 10 and 27 mins each.

Jar of Rebuke is available on major podcasting platforms and Spotify. Content warnings are given at the start of each episode from season 2, though not for earlier episodes, and transcripts of each episode are available on the website. You can also follow their tumblr at @jarofrebukepodcast!

Monstrous Agonies

"From werewolves in the doghouse to new ghouls at work, there's no problem too strange for this weekly advice segment, from the UK's only dedicated radio service for the creature community"

A community advice radio show in a world where humans and monsters and creatures of all kinds live together in a world just like our own. Delightful exploration of the cultural and everyday aspects of this world, as well as individual tales of familial, platonic, romantic, and (non-explicit) sexual intimacy and conflict. Simple but clean soundwork with the absolutely most soothing narrator/presenter I've encountered, and of course, both subtle and overt queer rep. Season 1 has just finished, there are currently 35 episodes of between 10 and 20 minutes each.

Monstrous Agonies is available on major podcasting platforms and Spotify. There are no content warnings available, but transcripts are linked in the show notes of each episode. You can also follow their tumblr at @monstrousagonies!

Murray Mysteries

"A gothic-comedy audio retelling of Bram Stoker's Dracula"

A super fun, super queer, and honestly super faithful modern adaptation of Dracula. Instead of Mina's diary, it's the podcast she and her flat-mate Lucy, run together! The friendship between the two feels genuine in a way shows rarely capture. Van Helsing has the same cool but weird professor energy of the original that adaptations never get quite right. Dracula himself has got the be the most fun and well thought-out modern take on him I've seen. Mina and Jonathan are still the absolute sweetest but with the inspired addition of being an acespec bi couple. Lucy's three suitors are all different genders. I could go on. It's also just, really funny. You don't have to have read Dracula to hear it, but it'll still be an extra layer of fun if you have. Season 2 is currently airing, and 21 episodes of roughly 8 minutes each are available.

Murray Mysteries is available on major podcasting platforms and Spotify. Content warnings are not given, but transcripts are linked in the show notes of each episode. You can also follow their tumblr at @knovesstorytelling!

The Night Post

"In Gilt City, conscripted couriers are both respected and shunned. They inhabit the borderlands between a growing industrial society and the untamed, arcane frontier that surrounds it. The Night Post is a weekly supernatural audio drama about survival, tradition, and the vast unknown."

After his husband goes missing, Milo is conscripted to take his place as a courier. But nights delivering the mail in and around his city are filled with unexplained strangeness even the other couriers, Val and Clementine, can't anticipate, and while looking for his husband, they find far more and far stranger. Really well made, acted, written, full of more mystery and intrigue than I can hope to do justice to here. And it's very queer. The Night Post is on break between seasons, 15 main episodes of roughly 15-20 mins each, and 4 minisodes of about 5 mins each are currently available.

The Night Post is available on major podcasting platforms and Spotify. It has content warnings at the top of the transcripts, which are linked in the show notes of each episode. You can also follow their tumblr at @thenightpost!

The Way We Haunt Now

"Eulalie Elizabeth Reed is haunted by lots of things. Paths not taken. Failed relationships. Mistakes. Fears. Hopes. But she’s never been properly haunted before. That’s about to change. The Way We Haunt Now is a lighthearted horror audio drama about female friendships, found family, and fighting the narratives that try to define us––even in the afterlife. Oh, and ghosts. Did we mention ghosts?"

Eulalie has always been a little haunted, but after she comes home with an antique phonograph, this becomes a bit more literal. What starts off unnervingly spooky and very mysterious becomes a gentle and wholesome ghost story. I love the chill vibe of it, the mystery, the optimistic outlook on humanity, well thought-out soundwork. They are currently between seasons and crowdfunding for season 2! At present there are 10 episodes of 15-20 mins each, and one 5 min minisode available.

The Way We Haunt Now is available on major podcasting platforms and Spotify. It has content warnings at the top of the transcripts, which are linked in the show notes of each episode. You can also follow their tumblr at @thewaywehauntnow!

Want more great audio content?

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5 Underrated Comedy Podcasts

[bizarrequazar]

GJ and ZZH Updates — September 4-10

<<< previous week || all posts || following week >>>

This is part of a weekly series collecting updates from and relating to Gong Jun and Zhang Zhehan.

This post is not wholly comprehensive and is intended as an overview, links provided lead to further details. Dates are in accordance with China Standard Time, the organization is chronological. My own biases on some things are reflected here. Anything I include that is not concretely known is indicated as such, and you’re welcome to do your own research and draw your own conclusions as you see fit. Please let me know if you have any questions, comments, concerns, or additions. :)

[Glossary of names and terms] [Masterlist of my posts about the situation with Zhang Zhehan]

09-04 → Chen Liying deactivated her Weibo account, possibly because she couldn’t figure out how to delete her pfp history that had a photo of herself in it.

→ A Twitter space was held by Bluebird, QuelleVous, and Flora discussing CPF plants within the fandom. [recording] [written notes]

→ LockNLock posted a photo ad featuring Gong Jun. (1129 kadian)

→ 361° posted two photo ads featuring Gong Jun.

09-05 → Vogue published an interview with Gong Jun where he talked about his morning routine. [full translation] In it he said, “If you have a problem with your knees, don't do running, cycling, etc. Even though they seem easy, if you don't master the technique well, it will actually affect your knees.” Fan Observations:  -  One of the photos of his food includes a jianbing.  -  The fried eggs in the same photo are cooked in a style unique to Jiangxi. In other words, these were definitely cooked by his “ahyi” 😉

→ A magnitude 6.8 earthquake struck the Sichuan region.

→ Gong Jun posted on Weibo, “May your hometown be safe 🙏” His studio reposted it, adding “May everyone be safe 🙏” A hashtag about this got on hotsearch.

→ Hogan posted one of Gong Jun’s recent photos, advertising their shoes he’s wearing in it.

→ 361° posted three photo ads featuring Gong Jun.

09-06 → Bluebird translated an investigation done by a Chinese fan showing evidence that a known CAPA plant was present during Zhang Sanjian’s recent hiking trip. This also shows that the mountain part of the trip took place on 08-18—not in real time with the Instagram’s posting as they claimed—meaning there was plenty of time for the footage to be edited.

→ Gong Jun’s studio posted a promotional video for LockNLock spoken by him, announcing that their contract has been renewed. LockNLock later posted this as well.

→ Colgate posted a photo ad featuring Gong Jun.

→ Madame Figaro made a post (1129 kadian) announcing the release of their issue featuring Gong Jun, with three different covers to choose from. Caption: “The sincerity and hot pillow of the youth are presented concretely by time, @ Gong Jun Simon looks back on the past, the opportunity is always there Invaluable. Autumn is getting stronger, creating a new style, and meeting a different Gong Jun” Gong Jun’s studio reposted this with the added caption, “Rich colors, multiple collisions. Step into the world of oil painting with boss @ Gong Jun Simon and feel the charm of art.“ The magazine sold over 70k units in the six hours that it was available. Fan Observations:  -  The veiled ballcap is one of a kind, borrowed from the Virgil Abloh exhibition. The full outfit includes a skirt, but it’s not clear from the photos if Gong Jun wore this.  -  The coat from the outfit with the fortune cookie hat is by John Galliano, Gong Jun is the first person to model it.  -  The rose suit has a sheer lace back, this is momentarily visible in one of the following videos.

→ BEAST posted an illustrated commercial that includes a brief animaton of Gong Jun from their recent ads with him. The commercial is centered around the theme of reuniting with loved ones.

→ Madame Figaro posted thirteen photos from their photoshoot with Gong Jun. Caption: “Unrestrained youth, at ease like the wind, @ Gong Jun Simon has a vast expanse of his own world. Inadvertently, not deliberately, love has become the driving force for him to explore the interpretative path, and endless possibilities can burst out wherever he looks. At this moment, explore the interesting fashion universe with Gong Jun and record the fearless moments.” Gong Jun’s studio reposted this with the added caption, “Play fashion fun with boss @ Gong Jun Simon, and interpret multiple charms”

→ Gong Jun posted nine of the photos to his personal Weibo, caption: “Look at the picture and say it’s ‘art’ 😎“ This was reposted by Madame Figaro. He also posted nine to his Xiao Hong Shu shortly after, caption: “Anyway I think... very handsome 😛”

→ #GongJun trended on Twitter.

→ Gong Jun’s studio posted a behind the scenes douyin from the photoshoot. Caption: “‘Magic’ whirlwind walks in small steps, 🤓 come and follow the pace of boss @ Gong Jun Simon to feel the gorgeous autumn.“

→ Gong Jun posted ten of the photos to his Instagram, caption: “🤗🤗🤗”, and commented on it, “Finally I don’t have to take screenshots anymore... 😂” Fan Observation: His comment is possibly referencing the comments he left on his 04-02 sunset photo asking how to save a photo edited on Instagram without posting it. Interestingly, this older comment seems to have now been deleted.

→ Madame Figaro posted a short behind the scenes video. Caption: “From impatience to gentleness, @ Gong Jun Simon has found his own pace and goal.” They later posted another behind the scenes video. (flashing images cw) Caption: “Holding a sense of stun, no limit, and no slack, on the way to grow @ Gong Jun Simon owns comprehension. For him, ‘the only way to get rid of fear is to face it.’”

→ Gong Jun’s company donated 500,000 RMB to relief for the Sichuan earthquake.

→ Fans tried to donate to Weibo’s public welfare platform in the name of “Zhang Zhehan and Gong Jun’s fans” only to recieve an error saying that the name contained illegal content.

→ Tangle Teezer posted two photo ads featuring Gong Jun.

→ 361° posted three photo ads featuring Gong Jun.

→ The Chinese State Council announced that government agencies will tighten oversight on private industry groups, requiring them to work with relevant agencies, stipulating that they cannot publish anything representing the government, requiring government agents to be present for major administrative meetings, and requiring them to regularly report in to the relevant agencies. [paraphrased tweet]

→ Paparazzi published articles saying that Wu Lei and Zhao Lusi, the leads from the recent drama Love Like the Galaxy, are not a couple. This got on hotsearch.

There has been some longstanding tension between their CPFs and junzipis due to misappropriation by them of gay- and LLD-specific terms and fandom culture; their CPFs—soon joined by toxics—began to slander Zhang Zhehan under the hotsearch, with even mods of their supertopic participating and signs that water armies were used. A number of the leaders of the slander were discovered to be planted fans, one of whom is married to a man who runs a water army company: [1] [2] [3] [4] 

Junzipis have demanded that they apologize. At the time of this post, that has not yet happened and the fighting is still continuing. 

Additional reading about this: [1] [2] [3]

Some of the people attacking from their side have threatened to try to get Zhang Sanjian’s brand’s supertopic closed. Please do.

09-07 → #GongJun continued to trend on Twitter.

→ Colgate posted a photo ad featuring Gong Jun.

→ Hsu Fu Chi posted a photo ad featuring Gong Jun.

→ LockNLock posted a compilation video with a voiceover by Gong Jun to celebrate the upcoming anniversary of their partnership. They later also posted a photo ad featuring him to announce a giveaway. (1129 kadian)

→ Mengniu posted a photo ad featuring Gong Jun.

→ Kangshifu posted a photo ad featuring Gong Jun.

→ Another new Zhang Sanjian echo wall Weibo account (creatively named “Zhang Sanjian echo wall is back again”) was deactivated.

→ It was discovered that Chen Liying’s daughter follows several of the big Wu Lei/Zhao Lusi accounts.

09-08 → The Instagram posted four more pictures from the “trip” and changed its pfp to a shirtless photo of Zhang Sanjian. The photoshopping is horribly obvious and he barely has any muscle definition, bad attempt.

→ LockNLock posted a photo ad featuring Gong Jun. (1129 kadian)

→ Tangle Teezer made a post advertising a giveaway that includes photos of Gong Jun.

→ A PSA spoken by Gong Jun about disaster relief for the earthquake was released.

09-09 → #TheRealZhangZhehan trended on Twitter.

→ LockNLock posted nine of their previous photo ads featuring Gong Jun to celebrate the upcoming anniversary of their partnership. 

→ Madame Figaro posted a collection of photos of male artists wearing blue plaid, including a photo of Gong Jun from 2021.

→ One of the mods for the Wu Lei/Zhao Lusi supertopic was replaced by a known anti.

09-10 (Mid-Autumn Festival) → The tag the fighting has been happening under got near the top of the general hotsearch, indicating that it has likely been paid for. This is quite worrying, as it shows an intention to draw attention to what’s happening.

→ Hsu Fu Chi posted a photo ad featuring Gong Jun.

→ Mengniu posted a photo ad featuring Gong Jun.

→ Kangshifu posted three illustrated ads featuring Gong Jun.

→ Madame Figaro posted the article about Gong Jun featured in their issue. [full translation]

→ Gong Jun posted three selfies taken on 08-19, caption: “Happy Festival, sharing some selfies” (13:21, 511 kadian) The caption is in traditional Chinese and includes some... interesting character choices. His studio reposted it with the added caption, “Happy to mention the holiday benefits from boss @ Gong Jun Simon 🥮 Boss's selfies are high-definition, handsome and high-definition! 😎” Fan Observation: He kadianed with the same timestamp during last year’s festival.

→ The Instagram posted a video for the festival using a still image of the moonviewing scene from Word of Honor but with Wen Kexing cropped out.

→ Gong Jun’s studio posted six photos of him wearing a white shirt in a pool. Caption: “Ding! The holiday benefits have been delivered 😎, the summer heat has subsided, and the autumn is cool. I wish you a happy holiday with boss @ Gong Jun Simon! (It has been stored for so long, just waiting for today)” Fan Observation: The photos were taken at the Royal Begonia resort in Sanya.

→ LockNLock posted a compilation video celebrating the anniversary of their partnership with Gong Jun.

→ #wordofhonor trended on Twitter.

Additional Reading: → Flora’s daily fan news thread → There are worries that the fighting with the other actors’ fans is intentional. 09-18 is a politically sensitve date, please be mindful of the way your actions could negatively reflect on Gong Jun and Zhang Zhehan.

<<< previous week || all posts || following week >>>

[shortfictionweeklychallenge]

Short Fiction Weekly Challenge

Time for a new prompt from the Short Fiction Weekly Challenge, tumblr edition.  Let it spark your imagination.  Any character, any fandom, any original world.   Reblogs welcome!

Post your story to your blog and send the link to Short Fiction Weekly Challenge!  The link will appear in our feed and the site index, and your blog will be listed on the Participating Blogs page.

This week’s SFWC prompt:

Week of November 18, 2022

Testing, Testing: Is your character verifying communications work? That a student retained their lessons? The loyalty of an underling? The faithfulness of a love interest? Was your character the one doing the testing, or the one being tested? How were they tested? Did they pass or were they disappointed in their or another’s performance?  

Feel free to continue submitting stories for any prompt.  A masterpiece missed the deadline?  Don’t let it gather electronic dust.  Submit it anyway and Short Fiction Weekly Challenge will publish it.  

This week’s featured previous prompts are:

I HATE This Song: We've had several prompts regarding music, most of them positive. How about that one song or genre your character can't stand? An ex's favorite song? The song that reminds them of a bad time in their life? The song that played over and over and over and over until they couldn't stand it? A song they mistake for one they enjoy and it disappoints them every time? A song that grated on them from the beginning and their opinion went downhill from there? Write a story about your character and the one (or perhaps several) pieces of music they absolutely hate.

Not My Holiday - No holiday is universal, even on Earth. Are your character’s holidays in line with the culture they live in? Do they celebrate something different at a time no one else does? Do they feel left out on either occasion? Their reasons don’t have to be cultural; they might associate bad experiences with a popular holiday or good ones with something obscure. There are stories in any of the permutations. Write one.

Got an idea for a prompt?  Submit it here.

[celtfather]

Secret World of Celtic Rock #625

Two hours of contemporary Celtic music to celebrate The re - release of The Secret World of Celtic Rock on the Irish & Celtic Music Podcast #625.

Screaming Orphans, Derina Harvey Band, Wakefire, The Celtic Kitchen Party, The Bordercollies, The Elders, The Secret Commonwealth, Stout Pounders, The McKrells, Hearthfire, Scythian, The Town Pants, the commoners, Highlander Celtic Rock Band Australia, Kilrush, Ewen McIntosh, Fast & Vengefully, Shades of Green, Paddyman, Jamison Celtic Rock, Kellys Wayke, Thom Dunn, Chance the Arm, Voice of Lir, The Dreadnoughts, Hugh Morrison, The Langer's Ball, Reilly, Syr

GET CELTIC MUSIC NEWS IN YOUR INBOX

The Celtic Music Magazine is a quick and easy way to plug yourself into more great Celtic culture. Subscribe and get 34 Celtic MP3s for Free.

VOTE IN THE CELTIC TOP 20 FOR 2023

This is our way of finding the best songs and artists each year. You can vote for as many songs and tunes that inspire you in each episode. Your vote helps me create next year's Best Celtic music of 2023 episode.  Vote Now!

Two weeks after the episode is launched, I compile your votes to update a playlist on Spotify and YouTube. These are the results of your voting. You can help these artists out by following the playlists and adding tracks you love to your playlists. Follow us on Facebook to find out who is added each week.

Listen on Spotify and YouTube.

THIS WEEK IN CELTIC MUSIC

00:08 - Screaming Orphans "The Blacksmith" from Paper Daisies

03:51 - WELCOME

05:34 - Derina Harvey Band "Up All Night" from Waves of Home

09:55 - Wakefire "Storm Warning" from Meaning of Life

12:51 - The Celtic Kitchen Party "On the Banks (Of the Rideau River)" from Last Call

17:18 - The Bordercollies "Danika Smile" from Sticks and Stones

21:12 - The Elders "This is Your Ride" from Well Alright Then

25:00 - The Secret Commonwealth "Field of Bannockburn" from Last Call

29:55 - Stout Pounders “Throw It All Away” from Pour Decisions

32:43 - The McKrells "On That Northbound Train" from Still Pickin' 2022

37:26 - Hearthfire "Coming Home" from After the Fall

41:09 - BREAK

42:35 - Scythian "Last Days of Summer" from Jump at the Sun

45:04 - The Town Pants "Broken" from Something to Say

48:40 - the commoners "Think of Me" from What's Your Whiskey For

52:09 - Highlander Celtic Rock Band Australia "Loch Lomond" from North of the Wall

56:39 - Kilrush "Josephin's / Teatotalers / Father Kelly's" from Kilrush

63:03 - Ewen McIntosh "The Highland Muster Roll" from Ma's Math Mo Chuimhn

1:07:38 - Fast & Vengefully "End of the Republic" from Rozzie Me Bow

1:11:18 - Shades of Green "Song To Shatter Stone" from Conversations We Never Had

1:14:56 - Paddyman "Express Yourself" from One for the Road

1:17:34 - BREAK

1:18:33 - Jamison Celtic Rock "Whole of the Moon" from Hafaguone

1:22:40 - Kellys Wayke "Those Were the Days" from Kellys Wayke

1:27:15 - Thom Dunn "The Rare Aul' Mountain Dew In The Hills of Connemara" from Forfocséic, Vol. 2: Whiskey & Work

1:30:33 - Chance the Arm "Sleepy Maggie" from The Green Groves of Erin

1:36:11 - Voice of Lir "Marrie's Wedding" from Aislingeach

1:41:46 - The Dreadnoughts "Cider Holiday” from Roll and Go

1:46:09 - Hugh Morrison "We All Want" from Lift Your Head Up

1:48:32 - The Langer's Ball "Drinking for Two" from Whiskey Outlaws

1:50:54 - Reilly "Irrigation Station" from Durty Pool

1:53:59 - CLOSING

1:55:14 - Syr "Lay Of The Ashes" from Sentinel

2:00:12 - CREDITS

The Irish & Celtic Music Podcast was produced by Marc Gunn, The Celtfather and our Patrons on Patreon. The show was edited by Mitchell Petersen with Graphics by Miranda Nelson Designs. Visit our website to subscribe to the show. You’ll find links to all of the artists played in this episode.

Todd Wiley is the editor of the Celtic Music Magazine. Subscribe to get 34 Celtic MP3s for Free. Plus, you’ll get 7 weekly news items about what’s happening with Celtic music and culture online. Best of all, you will connect with your Celtic heritage.

Finally, please tell one friend about this podcast. Word of mouth is the absolute best way to support any creative endeavor.

Promote Celtic culture through music at http://celticmusicpodcast.com/.

WELCOME CELTOPHILE TO CELTIC MUSIC

* Helping you celebrate Celtic culture through music. I am Marc Gunn. I’m a musician and podcaster out of Atlanta, Georgia. This Podcast is here to build our diverse Celtic community and help the incredible artists who so generously share their music with you. If you hear music you love, please email artists to let them know you heard them on the Irish and Celtic Music Podcast.

You can find a link to all of the artists in the shownotes, along with show times, when you visit our website at celticmusicpodcast.com.

Do you have the Irish & Celtic Music Podcast app? It’s 100% free. You can listen to hundreds of episodes of the podcast. Download it now.

Hey Celtic Bands, I’m looking for new music and stories in 2023. To submit your band, just complete the permission form at 4celts.com. You’ll also find information on how to submit a story behind one of your songs or tunes.

Get a free Celtic Musicians Guide to Digital Music eBook. email gift@bestcelticmusic

THANK YOU PATRONS OF THE PODCAST!

Because of Your kind and generous support, this show comes out at least four times a month. Your generosity funds the creation, promotion and production of the show. It allows us to attract new listeners and to help our community grow.

As a patron, you get music - only episodes before regular listeners, vote in the Celtic Top 20, and you get a private feed to listen to the show.  All that for as little as $1 per episode.

A special thanks to our Celtic Legends: Bill Mandeville , Marti Meyers, Brenda, Meghan Walker, Karen, Emma Bartholomew, Dan mcDade, Bob Harford, Carol Baril, Miranda Nelson, Nancie Barnett, Kevin Long, Gary R Hook, Lynda MacNeil, Kelly Garrod, Annie Lorkowski

HERE IS YOUR THREE STEP PLAN TO SUPPORT THE PODCAST

Go to our Patreon page.

Decide how much you want to pledge every week, $1, $5, $10. Make sure to cap how much you want to spend per month.

Keep listening to the Irish & Celtic Music Podcast to celebrate Celtic culture through music.

You can become a generous Patron of the Podcast on Patreon at SongHenge.com.

TRAVEL WITH CELTIC INVASION VACATIONS

Every year, I take a small group of Celtic music fans on the relaxing adventure of a lifetime. We don't see everything. Instead, we stay in one area. We get to know the region through its culture, history, and legends. You can join us with an auditory and visual adventure through podcasts and videos.

In 2023, we’re going on a Celtic Invasion of County Mayo in Ireland. We’re gonna explore the area and get to know Grace O’Malley, the Pirate Queen. Learn more about the invasion at http://celticinvasion.com/ #celticmusic #irishmusic #celticmusicpodcast

I WANT YOUR FEEDBACK

What are you doing today while listening to the podcast? You can take a screenshot of the podcast on your phone. You can send a written comment along with a picture of what you're doing while listening. Or how about a picture you took of a band that you saw.

How would you like to introduce an episode of the podcast? It’s super easy. Contact me for details.

Email me at celticpodcast@gmail or message me on Facebook.

Check out this episode!

[missatan]

Wanna get better at Blender?

Hello friends!!  ☆

If you are interested in blender and editing, you should join Blender Baddies on discord! It doesn’t matter if you are just starting out or just a veteran. Anyone 18+ can join!

We have:

   ♡ weekly challenges

   ♡ help with learning blender

   ♡ a safe and loving community

Everyone is super helpful and kind on there and it easily became one of my favorite servers to be a part of. Without them, my blender skills wouldn’t have improved!!

Must be 18+

if you want to join, send me a msg or an ask, and I will send you the link to the server!

[lopez-richter-fangirl]

Hiiii long sappy post ahead but read for info about the upcoming release of my college fic in bold!!

I’m just over halfway through final edits and the final word count is hovering at around *drum roll* 127k words 😳 If you've been following, I know what you're thinking, yes that is more words than the first draft, I promise I did cut some stuff, this is what we're working with 🤪

So now I'm like... pretty much ready for it to be out in the world? And I hope everyone loves it as much as I do because it really has become very dear to me 🥹 Structure-wise it's appalling, clearly there's still so much that needs to be cut but I'm too attached to it. But emotionally, I think it hits all the right places, there are points it makes me want to cry, there are points it was pure torture to write and yet this doesn't even cover as many years as the real life pre-relationship, there are scenes where I really think the writing is beautiful if I do say so myself. It strayed a little further from real life than I think I originally thought it might but there are still a lot of moments that feel very real to me, or at least to what I imagine they could have been. And this particular characterisation of them? They're my babies. And I had to keep reminding myself while writing it that at this point they WERE babies (18 and 21??????) 😭

I’m very excited to post the first chapter tomorrow (for a reason that will be revealed) and then twice weekly after that on Wednesdays and Saturdays 🗓 Mostly because I don't know if or when I'll write another fic so I'm not ready for this one to be over too quickly 🥺 (Side note: definitely not ruling another fic out! I truly love writing these two so much and if inspiration strikes me again I'm sure I would go for it, but this was the last solid idea I had for a whole fic and I think that's part of why I've taken so much care over it and made it so fucking long trying to include every possible idea I had, because if I am going out on this I want to be going out on a high, which I think this is. I'm gonna try and shift focus to working on some original stuff and we'll just see what happens on the fic front. Anyway!) But when I was calculating dates I realised a twice weekly schedule also means it'll be starting in September and ending in May, which feels like a fitting span for this story, even though it takes place over several years 💙💛

It's going to be a longgg journey, but I hope you'll join me for it, if you want. I've been thinking it might be fun to post the wattpad links to each chapter on here along with a little mini commentary of any thoughts I have about it, any BTS on the process, songs that particularly fit?? I know that’s what author’s notes are for but I feel more connected to my tumblr audience than to wattpad, you know? I don't know, let me know ✏️ But I'm grateful for anyone that wants to read it and any and all feedback. It's rare for me to love my writing as much as I do with this fic but I think it's because of how grounded in reality it is, they definitely feel the most true to the way I see Joey and Lauren that I've ever written them. And I'm really excited to share it with you 🥰

Shoutout to Gabi who's read all but the epilogue and tells me it's good so I know at least one person likes it before I publish it, and is also all round the best and most supportive friend ❤️

And I have to say a huge thank you to anyone who's ever read one of my fics. It started off as a single oneshot after AVPW and I now have like 175k total reads across all my works 🤯 I know that's probably the same 5 people rereading them thousands of times but that's still an absolutely mind blowing number for me. I might not have rediscovered my love of writing if it weren't for all of you. Thank you 💗

And finally here's a cover reveal for Right Place, Wrong Time ‼️ (very basic lmao but some fun/painful fitting details)

[nightklok]

Hello everyone!

Welcome to the MTL Rare Pair Month Challenge!

Starting July 4th all the way to the end of the month, this is a challenge where you can write, draw, or create anything really only based on rare pairings!

As doing daily challenges may not possible for some, I am including weekly challenges!

Each week has a theme, and you can use that however you want to! You can replace a day’s theme with a weekly theme, write one fic per weekly theme each week, center a theme around the challenges, anything you want! How you complete this challenge is up to you, but this is just another challenge that I’ve decided to include to either make things harder or easier for everyone :D

Excluded Pairings

Note: While these pairings are excluded, you are allowed to write OT3s of these popular ships (Ex: Charles, Pickles, and Nathan). The decision to exclude these pairings was based on AO3’s relationship tags (the pairings with over 100 fics) and just general fandom knowledge.

Skwistok (Skwisgaar Skwigelf/Toki Wartooth)

Nickles (Nathan Explosion/Pickles the Drummer)

Narles (Nathan Explosion/Charles Foster Offdensen)

Chickles (Charles Foster Offdensen/Pickles the Drummer)

AO3 Collection

I've created an AO3 collection for you to put your works in and see others' entries! For an official link, here it is! https://archiveofourown.org/collections/MTL_RPM_2021

When you edit your works, make sure to add this to Collections: MTL_RPM_2021

FAQ

Can I post content somewhere else other than Tumblr/AO3?

Yes, you can! I might only see the challenges on tumblr, AO3, and Instagram but you can always double post to get more traction!

What is the hashtag?

please use the tag #MTLRarePair2021! (Optional but encouraged!)

Do I have to do all 31 days/Do I have to complete the weekly challenges?

It’s all entirely up to you! If you want to do one over the other, both, and/or work on them separately it’s up to you! You are not obligated to do all 31 days or all 4 weekly challenges. The point of this challenge is to have fun so where’s the fun in being stressed out?

Can I write crossover pairings? (I.E Nathan Explosion x Eddie Briggs from Brutal Legend) Self-inserts/OC x character pairings?

Of course! It wouldn’t be a rare pair event without some crossover or OC pairings now wouldn’t it?

If you have any questions, please feel free to reach out to me, but remember there is no limit to this, just do what will make this fun and easier for you! Good luck!! (Any questions will be tagged as #MTLrarepair2021qanda so be sure to check that out if you wanna see if your question has been answered!

Week 1 Theme:

Tarot Cards: Tarot Cards can answer many things but will they even ask? With this week’s theme, you can write a fic centered around tarot cards, a tarot reading, or a single tarot card that sticks out to you! If you have a deck of your own, maybe you can use the cards to guide your fic?

Day 4: the first… Day 5: Arranged Marriage/Fake Dating Day 6: Heroes/Villains Day 7: Sunrises/Sunsets Day 8: Monster AU/Magic AU Day 9: Soulmate/Enemies to Lovers Day 10: Mutual Unrequited Love

Week 2 Theme:

Fear of The Unknown: Season 4 especially seems to slowly shift to this theme for the viewers; what will happen to Dethklok? What is Project Falconback? Take this challenge as a reflection or confrontation of what characters may have to face, whether it’s with the prophecy or with their own relationships. Alternatively/additionally, you can use this to write on pairings you haven’t before!

Day 11: Deleted Scenes (This would be different from Day 18 as this is more focused on adding to an episode, rather than rewriting an episode)

Day 12: Kidfic/Kid AU Day 13: Coffee Shop AU/Tattoo Shop AU Day 14: Lies/Honesty Day 15: Dating App/Random Meeting Day 16: Rainy Day/Beach Day Day 17: Road Trip/Night Drives

Week 3 Theme:

Changing of the Seasons: As old as time, the seasons change one after another without fail. Will their feelings be as long as summer nights or will it slowly fade over time by the time fall rolls around? This week’s challenge can do anything with the seasons, metaphorically or physically doing something like raking leaves or attending local winter festivals.

Day 18: Episode Rewrite Day 19: Blind Date/Double Date Day 20: Sick fic/lazy day Day 21: Power Outage/Stranded Day 22: Prom/Wedding Day 23: And there was only one bed…./Actually, there are two beds Day 24: Amnesia/Reminiscing

Week 4 Theme:

Emotional Turmoil: Can you tell that a show is lacking in something so much that there needs to be a challenge about it? Definitely. This final challenge can really amp up the angst or fluff you may desperately crave. Will their emotions run high in an ever-changing environment? Is the weight of their past or future finally making them break? Or will they finally confess their feelings when it’s all too late?

Day 25: Pre-klok/Post-DSR Day 26: Angst/Fluff Day 27: Secret Dating/Undercover Day 28: Stargazing/Star watching Day 29: Mistakes/Fixing Day 30: The Last… Day 31: Free Space

[ailendolin]

Based on your head cannon for Kitty and her father, could I maybe request some fluff with the Captain and Kitty and him reading / telling her a story?

Loving all the stories, eagerly awaiting the next Whump Wednesday 😊

Thank you so much! 💙 I'm so happy people are enjoying the weekly fics!

Of course you can request a fluffy fic about Kitty and Cap! In the notes of the headcanon post @iris-in-the-rain mentioned that a similar fic already exists where Kitty asks Cap to tell her a story and he ends up talking about Havers and him. I don't have the link to it seeing as I haven't read it myself but I thought I'd mention it in case you might want to check it out. I'm sure @iris-in-the-rain can provide the link.

(Edit: The fic in question is called Knight Watch and can be found here.)

You're welcome to change your request, of course, if the above mentioned fic is already what you're looking for. But if you'd still like to see my take on it, I'll write a little something for you for August's Fluff Friday 😊

Prompts are open.

Whump Wednesday and Fluff Friday fic schedule so far:

11 May: WW prompt: “I think I really need a hug.” about Humphrey - BBC Ghosts

18 May: WW prompt: Something Kendall/Ellis related - Yonderland

25 May: WW prompt: Nigel giving Thomas a massage - BBC Ghosts

1 Jun: WW prompt: Julian talking about his childhood angst – BBC Ghosts

3 Jun: FF prompt: Friendship fluff between Ian and Anne - Bill (2015)

8 Jun: WW idea: Julian / Thomas fic part 2 - BBC Ghosts

15 Jun: WW prompt: Cake Bake Ladies post-battle – Yonderland

22 Jun: WW idea: Nigel meets Jemima - BBC Ghosts

29 Jun: WW prompt: Gabriel birthday fic - Bill (2015)

1 Jul: FF prompt: Ho-Tan and Vex build a blanket fort - Yonderland

6 Jul: WW prompt: Thomas fainting – BBC Ghosts

13 Jul: WW prompt: Ian seeks comfort from Gabriel after a nightmare - Bill (2015)

20 & 27 Jul & 3 Aug: WW slots are still open

5 Aug: FF prompt: The Captain telling Kitty a bedtime story - BBC Ghosts

[sunnydwrites]

My Triannual Goals: September-December 2021

Hey all! Sunny D is back once again; I’ve spent this whole time moving! I’m finally settled into a new place, and I’d love to start off this new chapter by setting some goals for myself. Here’s the link to my last post on triannual goals, so we’re here to review and renew!

Last Period’s Review

Complete the entirely of the “Korean for Beginners” textbook PDF. - Fail. I didn’t do this, but I did make some nice progress! I’ll be coming back at this one with a stronger study plan and schedule.

Land 540 spinning kick. - Success-ish. I didn’t completely get it, however I’ve been able to get the kick out more consistently. It’s a halfway success because while I can technically land the kick, the execution isn’t where I want it to be.

Test for my 2nd Dan Level 6 in Taekwondo. - Success! I did this! It was awesome!

Post and release a project for the TTWF server, and start planning the second one. - Success! We released the first edition of our zine! Keep an eye out for the submission process of the second, coming soon.

Code an operational bot for Discord. - Fail. I think this was a bit of a hyperfixation and me getting in way over my head. However, I learned the basics of Python!

Complete the development of two planets in Journey to Valeria. - Fail. This was something I’m kind of disappointed about, because the project still means a lot to me. I have some reworking to do.

Finish the readthrough and note-taking stage of The Murder of Elijah Patel. - Success! This actually went a lot faster than I was expecting it to, and I’ve made good headway already on the second draft!

Write 50 sections of Kaleidoscope. - Fail. Kaleidoscope found itself on the back-burner, which I’m definitely disappointed with. This is something I will also have to change.

Finish the first draft of The Immunity. - Fail. However, I did start releasing it on my Wattpad!

Move into a new house! - Success! I’m writing this post from within my new room!

Start releasing content on my Patreon. - Success-ish. Patreon ended up not quite being my thing. I released content there for a bit, but I ended up unpublishing my page for a few different reasons. Keep an eye out for announcements regarding that!

And two marketing goals. Sadly, I didn’t reach either of them.

This period is really forcing me to take the good with the bad. Some of these fails, I’m really disappointed in... others, not so much. I’m trying to take these into account as I set and start to work towards my goals for the next period!

Start releasing YouTube videos on a weekly basis again.

Create developed worlds on WorldAnvil to share.

Release the Halloween edition of Tripping the Zine Fantastic.

Complete the first draft of The Immunity.

Complete the second draft of The Murder of Elijah Patel.

Write at least 30 sections of Kaleidoscope.

Lay out a full development plan for Journey to Valeria.

Win NaNoWriMo with a first draft of a revisited old concept.

Have at least 18 short stories prepared for the release of a new anthology.

Land 540 spinning kick at chest height.

Test for my 3rd Dan black belt.

Achieve a 4.0 GPA and land on the dean’s list for the Fall 2021 semester.

Complete the “Korean for Beginners” PDF textbook and practice at least 3 times a week.

Finish the second section of Norwegian on Duolingo.

Read 4 books.

Work out for at least 20 minutes a day, at least 5 days a week.

Release the Ultimate Writing Tracker for 2022. (You’ll see!)

And 4 marketing goals that I’m choosing to keep private!

The last month of this period made it difficult for me to stay on top of things, and that’s something I’m really looking to change. A new place means I have readjusting to do, but I’d like to make it positive and push myself to some new heights here.

Does anyone else have any goals for the end of this year? Tell me all about them!!

[isshuns]

the progression of things - discarded scenes

this is a dump post for scenes that were in the original draft, but never made it to final version of the fic. they bear no connection to the final version of "the progression of things”, but i liked them enough that i couldn’t bear just deleting these scenes (TPOT underwent a lot of editing and rewrites) ;_; they were part of the original premise where I wrote Miyano as ace/demisexual, but in the end it didn’t work out ;_;

click on the “read more” link if you’d like to read them, but take note, they’re were part of the rough draft, hence are extremely unpolished. 

Miyano remembers being fifteen, his school bag heavy on his shoulders, but his heart heavier in his chest. Every day he looks at the mirror in his bathroom and wonders why he was cursed with such feminine features, a smaller build than the rest of the boys in his school; everything on his face seemed wrong as though nature forgot to switch its genetic code back to “MASCULINE, MALE” when constructing his face.

He couldn’t blame his parents, they never had any say in what he’d look like when he was born, and his mother would be heartbroken to hear that her son, bearing such resemblance to her looks, actually hated his own.

But as slightly estranged as he was from his middle school classmates when his looks came up as a topic of conversation, Miyano still heard Things whispered amongst his peers, seen Things even, when his classmates included him in their weekly get-together to ogle at printed materials meant for a demographic way beyond their age.

In the flush of youth, where the boys in his class pondered over their body anatomy, fascinated with nature, and looked to adult magazines (stolen from their older sibling’s stash) for enjoyment, Miyano pondered over the harsh reality of his feminine features, upset but resigned with nature, and looked to fashion magazines (taken with permission from his mother’s collection) for pointers on how Not to appear even more like a girl.

(His father’s copies of Business Weekly helped a little too, even if only to remind Miyano how top businessmen in the country dressed for a business photoshoot with the press – suit, tie and expensive watch peeking from the cuffs.)

When the passage of time came and went and Miyano entered high school, he discovered the world of Boys Love manga and dedicated his free time to understanding the intricacies of this fascinating genre. Being a minor, the type of print he could obtain were fairly sweet and innocent, nothing too explicit save for some scenes that took place on a bed, the protagonists’ modesty preserved with a flimsily drawn blanket over their nude bodies.

Occasionally, a book or two with explicit content would make their way to his collection. The internet was also a place full of wonders and possibility, and once or twice Miyano would (secretly) look up the famous series promised with rave reviews, but somehow, Porn Without Plot never really stuck to his repertoire.

Even after becoming of age, Miyano still finds himself gravitating towards the safety that comes with the PG-13 books. There is a strange sort of comfort in consuming fiction that depicts love as something simple and uncomplicated, straightforward and representation that love– intimacy did not necessarily come hand in hand with sexual acts. Intimacy could exist with or without sexual acts and vice versa, whatever floats your boat, really.

For Miyano, it was always the build up leading to that ultimate confession scene (at the rooftop, under the cherry blossom tree by the school yard, the back of the school gym, endless options) that grabbed him by the feels and punted him into the sun. That’s where the highlight is!! He once told Sasaki, unable to hold back on his excitement that twinkled in his eyes.

And identifying all the event flags leading up to that very moment of their first kiss? Unparalleled. Truly the best of all scenes there is. Peak romance. The bedroom scenes (few and rare in his possession) are really just a bonus.

So, while his peers continued to chat about going through the motions in bed, the closest miyano could ever try to relate to during those conversations was the intimacy that came along with the idea of sexual intercourse.

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

The moment Miyano is done with the last of his midterms and bids his notes goodbye (for now), Sasaki magically appears beside him and whisks him away to the nearby izakaya for a celebratory dinner.

“For getting through the first midterm week of your life~” His giant baby boyfriend coos, ever so sweet like the cakes he bakes.

Miyano pretends to be exasperated, shoulders dramatically slumping over the sticky izakaya table, but his heart knows better. It’s been one month since he’s started college (the one Sasaki also so happens to attend, not a coincidence at all), and the privilege of having more time to spend with one another makes Miyano giddy with happiness.

Gone are the days Miyano can only meet his favourite senpai for a handful of hours after club activities until the reality of their courseload slaps them in the face; gone are the days they have to rely on telephone calls and text messages, where the minutes and seconds flashing across the screen serve as an unforgiving reminder of the time they have left before they have to part ways.

It’s all gone now. Sasaki sits before him, in the flesh, and Miyano has always felt that seeing Sasaki’s smile in person would always be different from seeing it on screen. The grainy pixels on his phone can never do those handsome features justice, nor can it the warmth blooming behind his breastbone whenever Sasaki threads their fingers together and walks him all the way back to his dorm.

The freshmen all share a common dormitory block separate from the rest of the college students, something about building connections and getting to know each other better, so Sasaki insists on walking Miyano back to his room before he makes the trek all the way back to his own. The night is young, the dorms are peacefully quiet, and everyone is probably still out in town having a good time.

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

Loathe as he is to do so, Miyano makes the executive decision to drop by the bookstore one afternoon to try and consult a few adult BL manga. It’s the worst idea he could ever come up with, he hates comparing his own relationship to silly BL manga tropes, but nothing short of an apocalypse would push him to ask the people around him whether it’s normal to… not think about sex in a romantic relationship. While the internet is a wondrous place full of answers and possibilities, Miyano figures it probably wouldn’t hurt to take a peek at how society tackles his questions through the lens of BL manga.

Hurriedly, just before his date with Sasaki, he randomly picks up one of the highly rated R-18 series, heads over to the payment counter quickly, and bolts out of the store the moment the cashier bags his purchases. He makes sure to stuff the damned volumes deep beneath his bag, out of sight, before he heads over to the café to meet Sasaki for lunch.

And when he’s finally back in his own dorm later that night, his roommate blissfully unaware and asleep, Miyano retrieves the book from his bag, cautiously peels away the plastic wrap before he settles down for the night to take notes.

His efforts are all for naught. Halfway through the series – one Junjou Romantica –, it takes Miyano all but 3 volumes before he calls it quits and and promptly closes the book. Guess there’s no way he can redeem his money now, unless Sasaki is into dubcon…? Well, that’s a thought for future Miyano to ponder on. Current Miyano just wants to sleep and wash the images out of his mind with bleach.

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

he has no care for sex, but nothing compares to the tender happiness that comes along with partaking in something sasaki enjoys and yearns for. sasaki’s language of love has always been touch and spending time partaking in activities of common interest.

today, sasaki has picked a soothing lo-fi playlist as their background music. they’re seated on the bed, warmly nestled against each other as they browse through their respective manga

his eyes may be on inked pages, but his heart is long gone. he discreetly observes his boyfriend, the curve of his jaw, long lashes almost curling against the high of his cheekbones as his honey-gold eyes flit across pages and pages of content.

the fingers flipping through each page is steady, long, and miyano suddenly wonders how it would feel to have them splayed across his body, touching him in places his own hands have never ventured before.

“what’s wrong, myaa-chan?” sasaki smiles at him, eyes impossibly fond and kind.

well, fuck it, there’s no going back now.

“senpai, what do you think… about… BL with explicit content?”

sasaki blinks. miyano tampers down the urge to kiss those parted lips.

“you mean books with sex scenes in them?”

“yeah.”

“oh.” sasaki turns away, the hand that’s not rested on miyano’s shoulder has found a place on top of sasaki’s mouth. he’s embarrassed, miyano realizes, and somehow that makes him feel ten times more endearing than usual.

sensing that this was a topic his boyfriend wasn’t going to let go any time soon, sasaki clears his throat and returns miyano’s gaze head on.

“i’m fine with it. why do you ask?”

“i… well.” while miyano struggles for words, sasaki hand starts moving up and down his arm, soothing him.

“are you starting to read rated manga? it’s normal, at least, ogasawara’s girlfriend says so. so there’s no need to be shy, myaa-chan! if you want to recommend any, you know I’ll read anything you lend me. no judgment here.”

it should have been reassuring, but the thought that ogasawara’s girlfriend discussed with sasaki about explicit BL manga like it’s the fucking weather has miyano choking on his spit. what the actual fuck.

do people actually talk about these things? is miyano the abnormal one instead for never entertaining the thought of doing things with his significant other?! has he been missing out on some code of relationship couples ought to follow?! the BL mangas he read never said so!

“myaa-chan? are you okay?”

“you- you talk with ogasawara senpai about these things?”

sasaki’s cheeks colour a lovely shade of red. from his looks, he’s starting to catch up with where miyano wants the conversation to go. that’s a relief, because miyano honestly doesn’t know how to tactfully broach the topic without sounding like a dumb dumb about these things.

“yeah, i do.” sasaki admits, “but only once or twice, because ogasawara needed to vent about things. sorry, does that weird you out? i can stop. i don’t want to make you feel uncomfortable.”

“no, no, it’s fine. totally fine, senpai.” it must be a common boys topic that somehow eluded miyano and friends during high school. at this point, miyano’s face must be burning with the hot flames of embarrassment and shame, he’s pretty sure sasaki’s fingers can feel the heat all the way from where they are, stroking his cheek absently.

“what brought this on, if you don’t mind me asking?” sasaki asks a moment later, when the weight of silence in the room gets a little too much to bear.

“just… some friends talking about it the other day.”

“friends.”

“yeah… fine, classmates.”

“are you… thinking about it?”

at miyano’s surprised expression, sasaki backtracks immediately.

“forget i asked.”

“to be honest, i don’t know what to feel about it.”

“it’s okay, we don’t have to do what you don’t want to do.”

it’s so painfully awkward yet endearing at the same time.

“do you think about it, senpai? about us… doing those things?”

sasaki’s lack of an answer is extremely telling. the shade of red coloring his cheeks is probably bright enough to rival miyano’s own face.

“does it matter? i am happy with doing whatever myaa-chan wants to do.” sasaki finally says, but his eyes have shied away from miyano’s gaze, and something within miyano snaps.

“of course it matters. it’s you, sasaki-senpai. i want you to be happy too. i want to do things that you want to do too.”

something akin to hope blooms across sasaki’s eyes (surprisingly moist).

“thank you, myaa-chan. that thought alone makes me happy enough. let’s leave it here for now and let things progress as they naturally would, how about that? we don’t need to rush into anything. i’m really happy with where we are now.”

he knows that sasaki has caught on to his sexual orientation, no doubt. it’s been a year since he became of age, and yet the BL manga he still buys have never ventured into the explicit genre. briefly, he wonders if sasaki actually keeps his own stash of porn somewhere below his bed, like normal boys would do.

they aren’t in high school anymore. it’s been years, and yet until this point, the thought of doing something more than kissing and cuddling has never crossed miyano’s mind. he wants to cry at how respectful his boyfriend has been all this while.

“myaa-chan? myaa-chan? oh no, yoshikazu, don’t cry. i’m sorry if i said something wrong-”

oh fuck.

miyano has always been uncomfortable with displays of affection and attention, preferring to bask in the comforting arms of his daydreams and fantasies, but his love for sasaki burns greater and he will do anything he can to ensure that sasaki receives equal, if not more, affection and care than the amount his boyfriend showers him in.

scene ends with sasaki hugging miyano tightly, reassuring him and planting a kiss at the side of miyano’s temple. but it does nothing to seep away the frustration gnawing at his bones.

END

[bizarrequazar]

GJ and ZZH Updates — May 08-14

<<< previous week || all posts || following week >>>

This is part of a weekly series collecting updates from and relating to Gong Jun and Zhang Zhehan.

This post is not wholly comprehensive and is intended as an overview, links provided lead to further details. Dates are in accordance with China Standard Time, the organization is chronological. My own biases on some things are reflected here. Anything I include that is not concretely known is indicated as such, and you’re welcome to do your own research and draw your own conclusions as you see fit. A glossary of names and terms often used can be found [here]. Please let me know if you have any questions, comments, concerns, or additions. :)

05-08 → The Weibo CEO responded to a comment from a Gong Jun fan about Hao Jingfang’s muting, confirming that it was done because of legal regulations (aka because she was posting politically sensitive content) rather than because of mass reporting as was rumored. [translated source]

→ Another impromptu livestream was held by Naan, Qilin, QuelleVous, and Bluebird discussing Zhang Mama’s social media accounts, the entertainment industry in relation to Zhang Zhehan, the current environment about Gong Jun, and a bit more about Hao Jingfang. [recording] (Skip to 1:06:00 in for the serious discussion, the earlier stuff is just chatting.)

→ BAZAAR Men posted one of Gong Jun’s photos from his appearance on Global Chinese Music (04-23). Caption: “The best state is a future that can be expected, and when everything is too late, be a happy self.” (mtl)

→ Zhang Mama’s Meipian account made a post for mother’s day mostly talking about Zhang Zhehan’s late grandmother. Xie Yihua’s brand was mentioned. This post disappeared on 05-11, it’s not known why. There is currently reason to doubt that the account is really her.

→ Gong Jun made a post on his Weibo: “Wishing mothers a happy Mother's Day and good health!!!” Fan Observation: CPFs came out full force to leave positive comments.

→ One of Xie Yihua’s followers made a post mentioning that Xie Yihua had plans to register a new Instagram account; the sentence was edited out of the post shortly after.

→ Photos were spread by Xie Yihua’s followers of a man she claimed to be Zhang Zhehan’s boyfriend (because apparently him liking men isn’t an issue as long as that man isn’t Gong Jun...) The “evidence” was that the supposed boyfriend had recently posted a photo of a ragdoll cat that looked like Kele on his Instagram story.

05-09 → Addition 05-18: Warrior released a photo ad of Gong Jun.

→ Gong Jun posted a photo ad for 3CE. Caption: “Recieve the romance I prepared with @3CE_STYLENANDA!” This was reposted by 3CE with the added caption, “Who is surrounded by a screen of love again? The heart-pounding romantic May, let's start with Junjunzi!” (mtl) and a link to a limited edition bundle with Gong Jun merch available from 05-09 to the end of 05-11.  Fan Observation: 05-20 is the romantic day in May, so why choose to have this promotion end on the 11th, hmmm? :)

→ A photographer posted a photo of Gong Jun from around when Begin Again aired (2020). Caption: “It was in the early morning of late autumn and he came to take pictures in the studio just after work. Have you ever seen Gong Jun (Ling Rui) like this?” The photographer tagged Word of Honor.

→ A new shirt was announced for Xie Yihua’s brand that directly contradicted the reason given in the video of “designing clothes to avoid CP implications,” as the design appeared to be plagarized from one that Gong Jun wore last October. The announcement was deleted after this was pointed out, with the excuse that the wrong design had been posted. 

→ The “boyfriend” made a post in his Instagram story saying “I like women, and only like women...” and making a comment about people mocking his appearance. Absolute clown show.

→ Youyou, a well known CPF livestreamer on Bilibili (if you’ve watched candy videos you’ve probably seen some by her), was outed via chatlogs as no longer believing what she was saying, badmouthing the relationship and CPFs, and supporting the Instagram. She claimed to “have contacts,” who are strongly suspected to be Xie Yihua’s people.

→ YA-MAN posted a photo ad featuring Gong Jun to their Weibo.

→ LockNLock posted a photo ad featuring Gong Jun to their Xiao Hong Shu.

05-10 → A livestream was held between followerno65, Flora, QuelleVous, and Bluebird explaining what had happened with Youyou and discussing the developments with Xie Yihua’s brand. The following entry about Noko happened during this. [here] is the recording, a warning that it gets a bit upsetting after this development occurred.

→ Noko, the brand whose design Xie Yihua had plagarized the day before, posted a statement to their Xiao Hong Shu that they were going to take legal action. Their initial statement referred to EHz.Z as “a Chinese celebrity’s” brand, but this detail was removed after Noko was contacted by CPFs. The entire post was later taken down, it is not known why. Fan Observation: Many fans ordered products from Noko immediately following this, as it felt like the only thing we could do to try to mitigate the damage.

→ Xie Yihua posted a statement about the situation with Noko, pinning the blame fully on her designers. This contradicts what she’s said before about Zhang Zhehan being the one behind the designs.

→ Fresh posted a short promo video featuring Gong Jun for their new online store. (1129 kadian) The same video was also posted to their Douyin.

→ YA-MAN posted another photo ad featuring Gong Jun to their Weibo.

→ Gong Jun’s newest song 青年说 was used in a CCTV news segment about patriotic youth.

05-11 → Zhang Zhehan’s 31st birthday! 🥳

Here’s a collection of things created by fans to celebrate (the numbers are to make it easier to keep track of which ones you’ve looked at, double x’s are for things that have been posted to multiple sites)  -  Art: [1] [x x] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7] [x x] [8]  [9] [10] [11] [12] [13] [14] [15] [16] [17] [18] [19] [20] [21] [22] [23] [24] [25] [26] [27] [28] [29] [30] [31] [32]  -  Birthday pfps  -  Charity drives  -  Fanfiction: [1] [2] [3] [4] [5]  -  Irl events: [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7]  -  Letters: [1] [x x] [2]  -  Newly subbed clips: [1] [2]  -  Public displays: [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7] [8] [9] [10]  -  Videos: [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7] [8] [9] [10] [11] [12] [13]  -  Misc.: [1] [2] [3] (If you made or know of something that I didn’t link here, let me know and I’ll add it!)

→ #ZhangZhehan trended on Twitter shortly after midnight then again for a longer period around the afternoon (CST).

→ The post count on Gong Jun’s personal Weibo went from 739 to 741 despite nothing new appearing, indicating that he made two private posts. [source]

→ The Twitter for the Word of Honor Japanese release made a tweet celebrating Zhang Zhehan’s birthday.

→ 361° made a post at 11:15, a 511 kadian.

→ Addition 05-18: Warrior posted a photo ad featuring Gong Jun.

→ New photos and a short video were spread (presumably by Xie Yihua) that seem to have been promos for the concert Zhang Zhehan was preparing for before 813. [photos] [photo] [video]

→ Xie Yihua’s brand released a birthday message with a photo of Zhang Zhehan wearing their merch, except it was identified as being (badly) photoshopped from an ad for another company from 2018.

05-12 → Gong Jun reposted a CCTV post remembering the Wenchuan earthquake. Caption: “Remember the deceased, remember the pain, pay tribute to the rebirth!” The same was posted to his studio Weibo with the additional caption: “Remembering the deceased, the living are strong! Salute the ‘Unshakable Wenchuan Spirit’.”

→ The Instagram was reactivated. Its display name was changed from Zhangzhehan_Super3 to 张哲瀚.

→ Hsu Fu Chi posted an image for Nurse’s Day featuring Gong Jun.

→ An impromptu livestream was held between Bluebird, QuelleVous, and Flora discussing the Instagram reactivation. The conclusion reached is that most likely Zhang Zhehan was the one who had it deactivated but it was then appealed by Xie Yihua and co., as an appeal takes seven days to be reviewed. [recording] [summary] 

05-13 → 9 months since 813.

→ Kangshifu Jasmine Tea made a post announcing that they will be releasing a “romantic micro-movie” staring Gong Jun on 05-20, with him playing both a manhua artist and the manhua’s protagonist. A poll is open to vote between the two characters. 

Caption:  “A touch of fragrance from the tea shop is brewing @ Gong Jun Simon 's heartbeat theater. The reserved cartoonist Gong Jun came by smelling the fragrance, but was taken first by the funny and flamboyant cartoon Gong Jun. Two people with very different styles, how would you choose? Participate in the voting and make a romantic choice~ ... In the dense atmosphere, romance is always the same.” (mtl)

They later made another post sharing a promotional image, caption: “I didn't hide you very well, I know. Introverted cartoonists and talkative cartoon protagonists in each of my drawings. Who do you pick?” (mtl) The flavour text on the image is “I didn't hide you away properly. It's apparent in every drawing of mine.” [translation]

Fan Observation: Those are gardenias in the promo image, an LLD symbol. ♥

→ Warrior released a photo ad featuring Gong Jun.

→ A video was posted spoken by Gong Jun announcing that Safeguard is appearing at a beauty festival from 05-10 to 05-23.

→ YA-MAN posted a set of nine photo ads featuring Gong Jun.

→ A livestreamer played Light Up the Future on stream and people kept commenting about “Gong Jun’s laopo”, so they looked it up on Baidu and had a very fun reaction to the photo that came up. [video here]

05-14 → A livestream was held between QuelleVous, Naan, Flora, followerno65, and Bluebird intended as the first in a series reviewing the events relating to 813. This one covered the leadup to August and August itself. [recording] [summary]

→ Kangshifu Jasmine Tea posted another promotional image for their upcoming commercial. Caption: “Fortunately, there is no voice missing, otherwise you will definitely hear the heartbeat of ‘not yours’. One is a quiet and beautiful man, and the other is an interesting soul. Which would you choose?” (mtl)

→ Fresh posted a short video spoken by Gong Jun advertising their promotion for 05-20, this was also later posted on their Douyin and Xiao Hong Shu. [subbed video] They also released a new photo ad of him on their Taobao.

→ A costume assistant from Word of Honor posted two bts photos and a short video of Gong Jun. Another new bts video was shared by someone else on the same day.

→ Xie Yihua’s brand now has an Instagram of it’s own (it’s almost like they’re worried the one they already have will be deactivated again...) The two posts that have been made are both of its logo; the first one has no caption, the second one is “explaining” the logo.

→ The Instagram posted three new photos from the same Forbidden City photoshoot. Caption: “One side of the lake is half ice 🧊 The old photos in the album are gradually dissolving” Fan Observations: Fans’ advice at this point is to ignore anything new that comes out of the Instagram, as they seem to be actively responding to what we’ve been saying about it.

→ QuelleVous posted a chart with sources showing that Xie Yihua has six different connections to CAPA.

Additional Reading: → Flora’s daily fan news thread

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This post was last edited 22-05-18.