#also it's kind of wild that one of my top posts is actually from 2021

[worldsentwined]

I posted 231 times in 2022

55 posts created (24%)

176 posts reblogged (76%)

Blogs I reblogged the most:

@grammarpedant

@blackrabbitrun

@minutia-r

@baladric

@notapaladin

I tagged 231 of my posts in 2022

#my art - 39 posts

#the queen's thief - 24 posts

#dnd - 23 posts

#the murderbot diaries - 21 posts

#dungeons and dragons - 20 posts

#queen's thief - 20 posts

#poetry - 19 posts

#silly things - 16 posts

#oh i love this - 15 posts

#murderbot - 12 posts

Longest Tag: 139 characters

#because at this point i've sort of forgotten who's into what and also half of my brain is at all times consumed with my original characters

My Top Posts in 2022:

#5

Not quite midnight here, but since the AO3 collection is live, here is my gift for @vaysh11 in the @mbd-gift-exchange! True story, I haven’t actually watched the Mandalorian but the idea of Murderbot and the Mandalorian encountering each other in a bar in space was such a good mental image that I had to draw it. I hope you like it! You can also find it on AO3. (Bonus: a ficlet describing Murderbot’s reaction to this heavily armored stranger, as seen in a conversation with everyone’s favorite research vessel. Read it on AO3 or under the cut!)

<opening secure feed channel>

SecUnit? Is everything okay?

I'm not sure. Running a risk assessment now.

Do I need to deploy the-

For fuck's sake, ART, do NOT deploy the Pathfinders. This guy just has a lot of weapons, that's all

Just weapons?

And armor

What kind of armor?

<file sent: ArmorGuy.img>

Mandalorian

What?

That's a Mandalorian warrior. Culturally significant armor style, beskar steel. I can send you an info packet if you want

<file sent: Mandalore_culture.file>

<file sent: Mandalore_history.file>

<file sent: Mandalore_religion.file>

Sure, ART, go ahead and send it, not like I have anything better to do than read

You don't have to be sarcastic, I'm just trying to help

You can help by telling me if I need to worry about him going after my humans

Our crew, you mean?

...

...

Yes, our crew

Unlikely. Has he shown any interest in them?

No. I just...he has a LOT of weapons

And armor, don't forget the armor

Yes, thanks, I'm very aware of the armor

Do I detect a note of jealousy?

Fuck off, ART

<secure feed channel closed>

62 notes - Posted December 31, 2021

#4

Wanted a new phone wallpaper (that would fit my new, awkwardly large phone) so I played around and doodled on top of a pretty texture my friend @audreycritter made.

92 notes - Posted February 21, 2022

#3

New @mayakern skirt arrived today! I love how the pockets are green inside, it's such a fun detail. (Also, many many thanks to Devin for exchanging my order for the next size up after I bought a different skirt in the recent sale and realized I'd prefer a larger size, this one fits perfectly!)

124 notes - Posted June 2, 2022

#2

Immakuk and Ennikar they anointed each other with the oil of the gods made only for the gods

So a few weeks ago @shaelit asked if anyone had drawn that scene, and then the request got shared in the QT discord server and I was bullied into drawing it lovingly reminded that I have the ability to draw. Anyway, it was high time I did some art from these myths, the Immakuk and Ennikar stories are my favorite in the series and this one is a particular favorite.

124 notes - Posted November 11, 2022

My #1 post of 2022

This has probably been said before on the posts about leaving comments on fics you like (especially when you get the "already left kudos here" banner) but it just occurred to me that the easiest comment to leave when you have already left kudos is "I liked this fic so much I read it twice".

223 notes - Posted October 12, 2022

Get your Tumblr 2022 Year in Review →

[absolutebl]

BLs with Strong Historical Elements

Costume dramas, historical BLs, and BLs with time travel or flashbacks to historical locations & times.

These are in order of my personal preference, best at the top.

I Feel You Linger in the Air

2023 Thailand

IFYLITA is an exquisite BL, from filming techniques to narrative framework (much like Until We Meet Again). It's about a gay man from our time who falls into the past, becomes a servant to a noble house, and falls in love with the heir. It turns out this has all happened several times before. Steeped in history and family drama it edges into lakorn (but not as much as To Sir With Love and with way less scenery chewing). This is an elegant and classy soulmates BL... from Thailand which normally doesn't even try for classy. The main couple (both as a pair and as individuals) were excellent, particularly Bright (Yai) whose eye-work acting style is a personal favorite of mine. Pity about the ending. Oh it wasn’t that sad but it wasn’t good either. This show could easily have earned a 10/10 from me except that it fumbled the… erm… balls in the final quarter. Argh. Whatever.

Nobleman Ryu's Wedding

2021 Korea - WeTV

A boy cross-dresses to take his runaway sister's place as a bride to a shy scholar, turns out they like being married. A historical setting allowed this BL to use some seriously old fashioned romance tropes (arranged marriage, evil step-sisters, Cinderfella) but also modern BL stylings like fake relationship & secret identity (drag) plus some cute gay panic. It reminded me of 12th Night more than anything else which just happens to be my favorite Shakespeare play. For all these reasons, I adored it.

(the ghat kiss!)

Tinted With You

2022 Korea - Viki

Fun stylish time travel meets portal fantasy with a likable cast, historical setting, and two actual kisses that mitigate the rough plot and issues around anachronisms.

Word of Honor

2021 China (censored) - Viki/YouTube?

I don’t rec Chinese stuff often, because I believe in censoring the censors, but this show is one of my favorites of the post 2016 censored bromances. It’s two murder-gay assassins (pining sunshine/tsundere), and they are so insanely gay for two boys who will never be allowed to kiss. Tropes include: wuxia, soulmates, paranormal, historical, and fantasy elements.

To Sir, With Love AKA Khun Chai

2022 Thailand - YouTube?

This is a true lakorn (basically Thai tellenovella or soap opera) with scenery chewing performances, especially from the mother characters. Gone With the Wind + Days of Our Lives but gay. That said? I loved it: A glorious central brother relationship (the best, made me cry), het romances, class divide + gay *gasp* main romance - oh my word, the campy drama of it all! Arranged marriage, rebellion, cut sleeves, over-the-top death with curses and regrets, beautiful if inaccurate costumes, secrets unraveling, cover ups, sparkle murder, sex herbs, coils within coils including snakes and murderous green metallic sequins (is anything gayer on this earth?). It’s a WILD ride but it does end happy for our gay boys. A man cries when he finds DEATH GLITTER. Come on! You haffa watch it. That said, like Manner of Death I struggle to rate something on a BL scale when it patently isn’t a BL. So I ended up giving this exactly what I gave that show, 7/10 I enjoyed it a whole lot, but not as a BL.

The Untamed (Special BL Edition)

2020 China (censored) - YouTube

Censored wuxia bromance, amorphous ending. Probubly the best known BL of its kind out of China and responsible for bring many fans to the BL side.

Our Skyy 2: Never Let Me Go

2023 Thailand - YouTube

I was nervous to watch this PondPhuwin vehicle but I liked it a lot! Doomed soulmates + paranormal time travel to fix the past. I’m happy for the outfits and the dancing (if not the singing). It’s not a bad premise and it’s nice to see GMMTV lean into its high production values for a change. I'd adore a full historical starring these two and this was definitely the best of the second series of Our Skyy. I don't think you have to have watched the original Never Let Me Go to enjoy this.

Legend of Long Yang: Rebirth

2017 China

Gaga

Whipping boy trope... literally, servant character takes the strap for the prince, who then makes him his bodyguard and lover when he becomes king. Low budget historical, comes off as kind of cosplay wuxia version of Irresistible Love, but we get (in the credits) an actual kiss, and they both live. So yay for small mercies.

The Director Who Buys Me Dinner

2023 Korea (historical flash backs)

iQIYI

A new employee at a film company encounters a director who claims to have lived 300 years and insists that they have to date (eat, hug & kiss) if baby doesn't want to die. It has a lot of Japanese elements, not the least of which are: an office setting, the fact that every character in this show is unhinged, and a killing of the gays. Featuring a gorgeous & stellar cast, TDWBMD should have utilized them less for melodrama and more for chemistry. This BL surprised me by going there with a lipstick mark AND an actually gay idol. But (you knew there was a but) while it's a unique twist on an office romance it is NOT a unique twist on the doomed red thread trope, resulting in it feeling less than the sum of its parts and ultimately unsatisfying. This might have also had to do with the fact that this was one of those KBLs where I felt how very short it was the whole time I was watching, like I was missing something constantly, in every episode. Worth watching for some but seriously flawed.

First Love Again

2022 Korea (historical flash backs) - Viki

A popular novelist who remembers his past lives meets his soulmate for the third time, only to find she has been reincarnated into the body of a man. This one started out a touch mean-spirited, but we eventually got a good kiss. The confession/rejection scene was justified and the reconciliation and ending was... fine. All in all, the pacing felt rushed and the romantic arc was underdeveloped. They go from like to love to boyfriends in a red hot minute. But that’s par for the course with Korea’s short form. If you don’t mind a heavy does of melodrama in your BL this one has a solid story with a strong concept that’s well acted and produced, making it a classic KBL with better than average chemistry but ultimately a touch forgettable.

Love in Spring AKA Spring of Crush

2022 Korea

This show was all over the place with uneven acting, narrative, and focus (sometimes it wanted to be a slapstick comedy, sometimes a depressing melodrama) which meant no one, actors or viewers, took anyone or anything seriously.... AND it’s a bromance. I was left wondering if SalHyung is now code for “they were roommates” in Kdrama historicals but otherwise largely apathetic and unimpressed. Korea, I now know you can do better. Do better.

Mermaid's Jade

2019 China (censored-esk) - Gaga

Kills the gay.

The Male Queen: Han Zi Gao

2016 China - Gaga

Kills the gay. Schrodinger's BL, both a BL and entirely not one at the same time.

Diary of Heong Yeong Dang

2014 Korea

Kills the Gay

I was gonna do a top 10 list, but there aren't enough by my metrics, so many end sadly.

This post at the behest of @verymuchof thank you for the idea!

Dated April 2023, includes only BLs that had finished their run by that date. Not responsible for cool costume flix that come after that. But you should check the comments to see if any have been added by others!

I might have missed a few that only have time historical elements since I don't always track those.

Also I would like to point out a decided lack of Japan on this list. My ninja yaoi consuming tiny past self is VERY upset about this void.

WHERE ARE MY GAY NINJAS??!!!

(source)

[quonka]

"Hey, this pretty much universally beloved video game OST actually kind of hits-- why is no one else talking about this?"

Sometime last year in September while looking for more background music to study and write to other than the Neopets: The Darkest Faerie OST, I looked up the Minecraft OST on YouTube.

Then that same December, my personal 2023 Spotify Wrapped released with C418 as my number one artist, who produced the Minecraft Volume Alpha album in 2011 and the Minecraft Volume Beta album in 2013; along with his three 2018 singles for the OST Axolotl, Dragon Fish, and Shuniji.

with a total of 2,518 minutes listened to, in the span of a little less than four months; I was put in his top 1% of listeners-- something I had definitely felt a little embarrassed about at the time.

My number three artist then was Lena Raine, who also worked on the later entries into the OST, with Minecraft: Nether Update in 2020; Minecraft: Caves and Cliffs in 2021; Minecraft: The Wild Update in 2022; and also has a fair number of tracks in the most recent addition to the OST, 2024 Minecraft: Tricky Trials.

Mine-Craft

I can't even say that the reason why I can focus so well to this soundtrack is because I have a nostalgia for the game like in my Darkest Faerie Post. While I did absolutely play the game a lot when I was younger like every other twelve-year-old with computer access; for as long as I can remember, I've specifically turned off the in-game music so I could listen to my own.

That's why for so long, I never really had any palpable attachment to the music.

However, due to that whim in September, I have discovered probably my favorite Video Game OST ever-- one that I listen to for schoolwork yes-- but also one that I often listen to when walking around my college campus between classes, or when biking around my neighborhood, or reading a book for fun-- or when I just need to calm down.

Variety Hour

I think the one of the main reasons why it's so versatile is just the number of artists that have produced songs towards its collection. There's C418 and Lena Raine, but there's also Kumi Tanioka, Samuel Åberg, and Adam Cherof.

This could have been a drawback, where so many different contributors to the same project might've lead to some discordance in the whole sound of the OST-- but none of the artist's sounds really clash with each other all too much, which is incredibly impressive considering the time gap from the release of the first album to the most current album.

Probably one of the most different songs I've heard on the soundtrack so far is Adam Cherof 's 2024 Precipice -- and honestly, I couldn't care less because this song is genuinely incredible. There's so much passion, and energy, and it really feels like you're standing atop a precipice, with the faster tempo of the song and the airy echoing of chimes and keys acting to simulate the wind whipping past your ears-- it's fun, and adventurous, and different and I adore it.

Back to the Beginning

Because Minecraft: Tricky Trials released so recently, it was not in my 2023 wrapped, but with just how many great and repeatable songs are on that album, I fully except to see both Precipice and Creator in my 2024 wrapped.

The song that did take my number one spot though was Équinoxe, off that original album, with Ancestry off of Minecraft: Caves and Cliffs taking my second spot and Moog City again from that original album taking my third spot.

While both Moog City and Équinoxe are beautiful pieces that I could go on and on about, I specifically want to talk about Ancestry.

This song is this beautiful and unnerving atmospheric piece that specifically was designed to play in the Deep Dark Biome, which as the name suggests, is a haunting little area deep underground with little to no light.

I love all the echoing in this song, the crispy static just under the pulsating higher tones, the glitchy wind instrument sounds-- it all contributes to this gorgeous "mysterious and unknown scary" ambiance that the dev team was aiming for.

There are a couple songs like this one too, full of a darker, more somber atmosphere-- another one of my favorites being from C418's Minecraft Volume Beta, The End, or from his Minecraft Volume Alpha, Thirteen.

I guess I'm a sucker for a darker soundtrack because the Minecraft OST has more than its fair share of cold and heavy ambiance.

Looking Forward

I could genuinely talk at length for at least half of this soundtrack. There are so many rich pieces, and motifs, and melodies that I've grown incredibly found of. There are still songs on the OST that I feel like I'm discovering for the first time, where they might not have caught my ear the first couple listens-- but after a while I've started to really hear the intricacies in their scores and gain a new appreciation for them.

I'm honestly considering making a tier list for the soundtrack, or maybe even doing a couple posts at the very least.

I genuinely think that if anyone hasn't listened to the Minecraft OST, they should give it a shot, whether it just be for fun, or to study and write to. You really don't need to have an overwhelming sense of nostalgia to enjoy the music-- and I'm proof.

Here is the entire, currently up-to-date Minecraft OST playlist on Spotify neatly organized in chronological order by user Darra (Everybody say thank you Darra). If you don't have Spotify though, here is the similarly organized playlist by user NightBunny8 on Youtube (Everybody say thank you NightBunny8).

To anyone who is familiar with soundtrack though, what are your favorite songs? or the opposite; if anyone hates any of the songs off the OST, I'd love to hear which ones. I can't say I really Hate any of the songs... maybe one... but that can wait for the tier list or a subsequent post.

[potatoesandsunshine]

TAG GAME

tagged by @jadeandquartzes ty jade!! this was super fun

Rules: Go to your (current/main) AO3 account and find the following:

What ratings do you write most of your fics under?

T is the winner by far! the breakdown is 102 fics rated T, 29 fics rated G, and 4 rated M. this makes a lot of sense, since i feel like i usually aim for fairly T subject matter and writing style. i don’t have the chops to write gore, and the ‘work my way up to writing smut’ road is a long one. but i’ll climb that mountain one of these days. i’m practicing. so far it’s pretty easy to write really really bad sex scenes and extremely hard to write ones that i think are halfway decent.

What are your top three fandoms?

Critical Role is the biggest by far (82 fics, wowza), followed by D20 at 27 and Fallout: New Vegas at a whopping 5. but when i tell you those 5 fics mean more to me than the preceding 109....... it is true. (i’m not counting tlovm as a separate fandom, because i tag all the tlovm stuff as CR as like the umbrella it’s under)

What is the top character you write about?

this is a really interesting question, because it shows how kind of... not concentrated on one character i am? Pike is my top character, but she’s not in all hundred CR works, just 18 of them. i like to write about lots of characters i guess. (weirdly i thought the answer would be beau since i was so obsessed with her in the C2 era, but she’s like... ninth highest)

What are your top three pairings?

the top 3 pairings are: Rose of Sharon Cassidy/Female Courier (NEW VEGAS BABEYYYYY), Scanlan Shorthalt/Pike Trickfoot, and Fjord/Caleb Widogast. fjord/caleb being that high is wild actually. i think it’s because i write a lot of friendship stuff? anyway there’s no excuse for only one of these pairings being f/f. i’m sorry women i will be better

What are the top three additional tags?

Angst, Light Angst, Fluff. and i promise you angst and light angst are distinct from each other. i know it when i write it. more indicative of my writing is probably the next 3: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Friendship, Post-Canon. i love going down the ‘what if this had happened?’ rabbit hole or the ‘what happens after the camera’s cut?’ winding lane.

Does any of this surprise you?

you know... yeah it does? i always forget how much D20 fic i’ve written, because i’m pretty out of the loop of it now and MUCH of it was like 2020-2021 which are years i have mostly forgotten because of All Of That. sometimes i forget that i wrote more than like... 2 fics for acoc and that’s it. i truly just remember inventing plumbeline/annabelle and then the absurd calroy/donetta/ciabatta threesome unless i really think about it.

going through my works is fun because i’m a big rereader of my own stuff, but it also reminds me just how many ideas i wanna write in the future :) also it’s crazy that i only have 4 dragon age fics spread across all three games when i think about how much of my brain is taken up by that franchise. there are 9 dragon age documents in the WIP folder and three more just paper outlines in various notebooks. i’m insane about it right now. and they need me in there.

ty again!!! this was a really fun one :) as always, anyone is welcome to do it and say i tagged them :P

[artfightdramaconfessions]

So, this year I did my first Art Fight; I had joined in 2021 but kept myself as a spectator to observe it and see what the rules would be like, how things are done, the general etiquette of it - and I think, being involved in the fight is very different from watching it.. Wholesome, sweet and kind on the outside; very distant, lazy and disorganized on the inside.

Personally, however, I had a wonderful time! I think I pumped out loads of art and I am proud of what I did for others; high-quality, fully-rendered, respect being given to character features and everything being on-model. I drew exactly 80 pieces, majority of them being waist or fullbody, and only about 5 simple-shaped characters and 3 mass attacks. It was heartwarming to see much of it later being posted on Toyhouses, in the character's reference pages, and elsewhere. All around, I was satisfied in what I was able to provide and enjoyed drawing characters I wouldn't personally design, like drawing really cute girls and ferals when I usually lean to monsters and men! I found unique designs, novices and beginners, all sorts.

And while I got a quarter of defenses in return which I absolutely cherish and some sweet comments on a majority of my pieces, I saw how others have complained about not being given responses for work that they've poured hours into... That made me wonder if that's just.. Generally the mentality of artists now; either too introverted to show appreciation to fellow artists in spite of us collectively knowing how challenging it can be to make art, or just joining to farm and then acting too tired or busy to actually participate. - And then the other half almost kill themselves and psychologically drain themselves in the parasocial cycle that Art Fight has to offer in its "trading environment". Sure I could be classified in the latter group too, but I still practiced self-care and got shit done compared to the burnout horror stories I see. It's quite a wild contrast to observe, and leads to psychological turmoil on both sides when one only gives and the other only takes.

There's also the case of people joining the fight and not contributing at all; just picking a side, dropping some characters, (sometimes a broken promise) and then disappearing. I do not want to hear the "they have real lives off the internet, they were busy" excuse, either - I too have a life: I am a teacher during the week /and/ I have a weekend job. When it is summer holidays for the Northerners, I am down in the Southern hemisphere, dealing with the winter, working and freezing my hands up to the point I don't want to create art sometimes when I get home - but I was still perfectly diligent and on top of things.. But hey, maybe I'm built different, and some people are simply just lazy and want rewards without the effort, or quickly assume they deserve more than what they should.

On the bright side, I'm glad I didn't deal with anyone hostile or disrespectful, and I only encountered two genuine art farmers who pretended they didn't know how to draw or "weren't skilled". Always the same excuses, at some point we have to stop giving them the benefit of the doubt so often; As gatekeepy as it is, I'd imagine a game for artists should be reserved for artists, it's not like an unfit marine biologist would want to participate in the Olympics, let alone be allowed to, so why should people who otherwise hate drawing or don't want to learn the skill and deliberately say such things want to join? In a sense it feels like a mockery towards art and the exchange of creativity in general, and I've been on porn sites that check the quality of your art before they post it better than this! There should be at least an entry requirement for signing up for Art Fight where you send in an artwork before the mods verify your account; there would be a fuckload less farmers, for certain.

I'm hoping that maybe, just because it was my first Art Fight, that /maybe/ this high-attack low-defense ratio of mine is to be expected, and if I just manage to spread my art to even further crowds and find new people to attack, I'll find others who will like my designs and be eager to draw them with the same level of eagerness I had to draw theirs. All that matters to me is if I find people who /want/ to draw my characters, not feel obliged to, in the same way I was never obliged to draw that pink, ridiculously-well-endowed Succubus or stocky, angry little Pokemon - but I did it anyway! I simply enjoyed the spontaneity and diversity of character design and unfamiliar fandoms. In the end, after all I've said, it doesn't matter how much art you get in return, it's about how proud you feel about what you contributed to the fight, and what you learned and discovered in the fun little world of character design.

I don't feel discouraged to draw less next year, I'm going to simply relent, but I can see why other artists hang their heads after their first time when they encounter hostility, are ignored, or don't get what they want out of it.

I think these are some things that I would want to improve if I could:

The ratio should calculate points, that will really incentivize people into prioritizing quality over quantity with their attacks. If you want to see how many attacks VS defenses someone has, just go and check on their front page (if you want it to specifically see how many attacks and defenses they had in one year specifically, they should add a sorting filter for that). The only "downside" I can imagine is an increase in mass-attacks, a joy for some but not for others.

After July, I think that we should still be able to submit Revenge-Only attacks during August - and to not have revenge chains be exploited, only be able to post a revenge once on a Level 1.. Level. I see a lot of people seeming guilty for not being able to attack back within the month or being a minute too late to submit a revenge, and then also just being too shy to submit the attack off-site / not being able to do it offsite / not thinking it's worth it without getting points / etc. - and easy resolve would be to allow revenges to still be posted during August, and Moderators can calculate the event scores and winners in September; trying to cram all of the admin into 12 days is insanity and I am speaking from a perspective that deals with a painful amount of admin. Also, get a fucking search bar that's accessible for everyone, holy Hell.

I'm.. Not sure if my tangent was in good spirits or not, it's rather just thoughts that have been rolling around in my head while I've been reflecting on my experience. Hope everyone else had a good Art Fight and reached their goals, or met and made some friends through it. :)

.

[carlatsukinamistolemyhamsandwich]

Diabolik Lovers x Cupid Parasite Crossover AU

Some quick notes before we start: For anyone not in the know, Cupid Parasite is an otome game that was localised in late 2021 and revolves around the concept of a heroine who works at a matchmaking service. The heroine is tasked with finding matches for the so-called “Parasite 5”, a group of 5 men who have proven so impossible to match that everyone else has given up on them. There’s also a whole bunch of Greek mythology mixed in (the heroine is literally cupid) but I won’t go into too much detail with that because spoilers.

The game is kind of wild but I absolutely love it so… I wrote a crossover with DL. You don’t have to have played the game in order for this to make sense, nor does this post contain any spoilers for Cupid Parasite beyond the synopsis I’ve included above. I originally intended to write this introductory post in prose but unfortunately I never managed to find the time so I’ve decided just post my planning notes as is.

Plan:

6 S boys are all human because there is no sensible way I can work vampires into this AU

-Ages:

Shu - 24

Reiji - 23

Laito, Kanato, Ayato -21

Subaru - 19

Reader works as a bridal advisor at the most popular matchmaking company in Kaminashi town(?), keep cupid corp name? Rename to something like aphrodite agency?

Reader is the top bridal advisor after working there for just 2 years.

The agency has been tasked by Karl to find matches for his sons to “help to better secure their futures and maintain the family image”. However the boys have proven unmatchable and been nicknamed the parasite 6:

Shuu - Lazy Parasite

Reiji - Strict Parasite (?)

Ayato - Oresama Parasite

Laito - Perverted (?) Parasite

Kanato - Unstable Parasite

Subaru - Tsundere (or Violent) Parasite

Thus reader gets tasked with matching them.

Fic plan:

Quick intro to reader and agency

First meeting with Sakamaki brothers -> interviews

Shuu - sleeps and then won’t stand to leave the office

Reiji - Manages to get Shuu out of the office, seems okay (currently doing a PhD in chemistry i.e. life sorted? lmao) then nitpicks reader, critiquing everything from their posture to their speech patterns

Ayato - makes unrealistic demands (mainly with regards to body type)

Kanato - says that the girl has to be able to bake but won’t be forgiven if she eats his sweets. Talks to Teddy and freaks reader out. Then says that the girl should look cute when she cries in fear. Reader is AFRAID

Laito - Flirts with the reader and is generally deplorable

Subaru - Earns brownie points by kicking Laito out of reader’s office and reader sympathizes that he’s young to be looking to get married but tries to comfort him on the fact. Thinks that they might actually be able to help him but then he punches the wall after he leaves and reader is forced to reevaluate. 

Reader laments how difficult the task will be, goes home to find Karl waiting for them. They ask why he really wants to get his sons married and he simply says it suits his purposes. He then makes a comment about how easy it is to convince a landlord not to rent to someone, even one who has a trustworthy record. He goes on to say that in fact, someone with enough influence may just be able to stop a person from being able to rent in this city altogether and that were that to happen, the individual in question might be left with no other option than to marry into money, as it were. 

The reader asks if that was a threat, and Karl (maybe he goes by Tougo here?) replies that it’s nothing so serious, just that if they fail in their job then he may have to resort to other means of getting his sons hitched and then comments that the reader themselves is unmarried and close enough in age. Karl leaves and reader realizes that they have to find matches for the Sakamaki bros or else they’re going to be forced into marrying one of them.

Some extra notes:

Reader’s gender here is up to you 

There are no vampires in this AU, yes I know it’s disappointing, but if the reader is supposed to be matchmaking the Sakamaki brothers, I needed them to be, you know, not literal murderers.

The boys are not highschool age here because 1) the idea of highschoolers being forced to use a matching service makes me VERY uncomfortable, so the boys ages are the same/close to those of the love interests in Cupid Parasite and 2) while we’re not given their actual ages in canon, we know for a fact they’re all older than the ages listed for them in their profiles anyway.

[nogitsunbae]

I posted 7,084 times in 2022

That's 7,084 more posts than 2021!

326 posts created (5%)

6,758 posts reblogged (95%)

Blogs I reblogged the most:

@ickypuppi3

@every-dayiwakeup

@billiammayfield

@deedoop

@junkyardcamaro

I tagged 1,296 of my posts in 2022

#mungrove - 121 posts

#billy hargrove - 71 posts

#harringrove - 57 posts

#skz - 56 posts

#harringroveson - 55 posts

#hellcheer - 17 posts

#abuse tw - 14 posts

#actual sunshine of my life - 13 posts

#👀👀👀👀 - 13 posts

#yes - 11 posts

Longest Tag: 137 characters

#billy watched him go didn’t say anything else pulled the list out of his back pocket and saw the word sugar in susan’s messy handwriting.

My Top Posts in 2022:

#5

Hopper took Billy in after Neil was arrested.

It was a nightmare, getting a call from El, who was trying so hard to be calm, and all Hopper could hear in the background was Max screaming, crying, telling someone to “please wake up, please!”

Walking into the Hargrove house to see El holding Max, them both huddled next to a crumpled body on the floor, bloody and barely breathing.

Hopper didn’t know Billy that well, but he knew what he was seeing. He crouched down and rolled Billy over, asked El what the hell happened, and when the only response he got was Max whispering “Neil,” he knew.

He called an ambulance, got Billy to the hospital, and promptly waited for Neil Hargrove to get back from wherever the fuck he went after almost beating his son to death.

That was three years ago. Billy had been 16, scared, angry, wild. After he was released from the hospital Hopper had offered, mostly because Jane had that look in her eyes that said she knew more than she said, and surprisingly the teen boy had said yes.

So he moved in, his trashy band posters in his new tiny bedroom, more ashtrays added to the ones Hopper already had, and now Hopper had to not only deal with El wanting sleepovers and new clothes and trips to the mall, but also Billy blaring his music and rolling home at 3 am.

It wasn’t an easy transition, but they made it work. Billy would flinch every time Hopper so much as moved in his direction, would scream and shout at him, would knock over shit just to get a reaction, but he never did.

Then, one day, kind of similar to when the first autumn wind blows in, things had seemed to have changed.

El and Max were best friends. Billy didn’t mind driving them places. He stopped flinching when Hopper looked at him. Started talking more. Started bringing his own friends over.

Hopper had to reinstate the 3-inch rule whenever Steve Harrington came into the picture.

Three years, and he became part of Hopper’s little family, which by then had grown to include Joyce and her boys, and also, since Billy had taken a shining to him, Steve, who didn’t have much for parents, either.

Three years, and then Billy was 19 and leaving, back to California, to the sun and waves that he always talked about. Steve was already in the car, waiting, and Billy stood in front of Hopper, leaning his weight from foot to foot.

“Thanks,” he had said, blushing and looking down at his feet. He didn’t hug, still, and that was fine, Hopper knew.

He didn’t know if he would ever hear from the boy again, hoped he would, but the bittersweet tears sprang to his eyes as he watched the Camaro zoom away, because Billy was gone.

Two weeks later, Hopper was making breakfast with Joyce for the kids, when the phone rang. He groaned, already thinking of the bullshit work had for him now, and picked it up.

“Hey, Dad… we made it.”

1,722 notes - Posted September 18, 2022

#4

Billy is dead. He’s dead and gone and Steve and Max are going insane, actually, because Steve will trip over a crack in the sidewalk and hear manic laughter, Max will be listening to music and hears what she thinks is “this is a terrible fucking song, shitbird” in her headphones over the song, Steve keeps waking up at night to the smell of cigarette smoke, Max keeps hearing an engine rev in the distance.

Finally one of them breaks and just screams “Billy you piece of shit, you’re dead!” and all the lightbulbs in the room smash, they hear the Camaro roaring in their ears, and someone is screaming so loudly the walls shake.

Billy isn’t quite dead and gone, yet.

1,989 notes - Posted August 20, 2022

#3

Billy gives Steve a mixtape and Steve thinks it’s going to be dirty metal songs about sex and drugs and driving too fast. He fondly rolls his eyes at Billy, who’s just smiling, wicked lips upturned and tongue sweeping his bottom lip.

“You trying to turn me on to your trashy music?”

Billy leans in, gives him a kiss, cotton candy sweet and melting on Steve’s tongue.

“See you tomorrow, Pretty Boy?”

“Of course, weirdo.”

Billy walks to his car, rolling out of the quarry and leaving dust in his wake. Steve scoffs and gets in the Beamer. Didn’t really look at tape in his hands before shoving it into the tape deck. Expects his speakers to explode with heavy metal.

Instead.

Instead he hears Little Wing by Jimi Hendrix. Nights in White Satin by The Moody Blues. Wish You Were Here by Pink Floyd.

Finally, he hears Going to California by Led Zeppelin, and he doesn’t realize he hasn’t driven home, hasn’t left the quarry, is sitting in his car and crying and realizing he’s so, achingly so, in love.

The tape pops out, and Steve finally looks at it, teary eyed, and lets out a laugh, because written on the front, there in Billy’s perfect handwriting, is a question Steve knew Billy wouldn’t ask him with words. So he asked him with music instead.

“California?”

2,231 notes - Posted August 10, 2022

#2

“Billy you can’t just punch Vecna in the face.”

“I’m gonna clock that motherfucker.”

“We have a plan!”

2,291 notes - Posted July 20, 2022

My #1 post of 2022

Billy and Eddie after fucking Steve

2,456 notes - Posted July 21, 2022

Get your Tumblr 2022 Year in Review →

[artemistorm]

I posted 961 times in 2022

That's 961 more posts than 2021!

176 posts created (18%)

785 posts reblogged (82%)

Blogs I reblogged the most:

@factorialsfandoms

@linked-maze

@anadorablekiwi

@enjolras-out

@chibanova

I tagged 578 of my posts in 2022

Only 40% of my posts had no tags

#linked universe - 171 posts

#lu wild - 48 posts

#save for later - 46 posts

#an unexpected ask - 45 posts

#lu hyrule - 40 posts

#lu legend - 39 posts

#fanfic - 36 posts

#around the campfire - 31 posts

#lu wind - 27 posts

#lu sky - 23 posts

Longest Tag: 138 characters

#tldr: lack of kudos/comments/interaction on ao3 fics leads to writers being discouraged or discontinuing their fics or deleting their fics

My Top Posts in 2022:

#5

Random LU Headcanon Dump

Twilight keeps a stash of hair ties for Wild somewhere within easy reach.

Warriors keeps a stash of candy he feeds to Wind if Wind is a good boy.

Wind HATES eating the bruised parts of bananas and apples. Says they’re rotten and gross.

Twilight can’t have chocolate, grapes, or onions or garlic due to his wolf side.

Legend and Four are the cleverest members of the chain. Wind’s up there too.

As King of Hyrule, Sky taxes the other Links when he wants something from them.

Hyrule knows how to predict the weather and navigate using only nature’s signs, like the stars, animal behavior, and plant growth patterns.

Time secretly visited Kilton while in Wild’s Hyrule because he was interested in Kilton’s masks.

Four prefers to eat vegetarian if at all possible. [I don’t know why. He just seems like a conscientious vegetarian kind of person.]

Wild uses chopsticks because that’s what the Sheikah at Kakariko taught him. The other Links use forks and spoons.

Warriors unexpectedly has a lot of babysitter knowledge, like how to change diapers, swaddle babies (or misbehaving Links), and play with small children.

363 notes - Posted July 6, 2022

#4

How to Curse a Geologist

- May all your volcanoes remain dormant, unchanging and utterly boring.

- May every interesting rock and mineral elude you.

- May your field work yield nothing but unlayered mud and sunburns.

- May all your seismographic sensors mysteriously break in the middle of winter

- May your rock hammer fall in a crevice in the rock never to be retrieved again

- May your geophysical computer models yield nothing but unintelligible chaos

- May all your maps and research notes be eaten by mountain goats

433 notes - Posted May 29, 2022

#3

LM Hyrule is a chipmunk

433 notes - Posted September 29, 2022

#2

Wind: Fucking bastards.

Wind: What a bunch of scurvy-laden turd bucket bilge rats.

Wind: I can’t believe those asshole moblins shredded my best lobster shirt!

Twilight: You’re lucky you didn’t get hurt more than a few scratches.

Wind: F U C K.

Wind: What am I supposed to wear now? Just go shirtless? What if we get in a fight?

Wild: What’s wrong with fighting naked?

Twilight: Wild! Don’t encourage him.

Sky: I’ll mend your tunic, Wind, don’t worry.

Twilight: I’m sure one of us has a spare tunic you can borrow—Wild, don’t you have some extra clothes?

Wild: Oh! You’re right! I have just the thing!

Wild: *digs in bag, pulls out the DLC lobster shirt*

Sky: …wait… what?

Twilight: …How…?

Wind: How do you have my shirt when I also have my shirt?!

Wild: Um…

Wild: I can explain.

Wild: Actually, no I can’t.

Wild: Let’s just chock it up to timeline shenanigans. Anyways, here you go.

573 notes - Posted May 30, 2022

My #1 post of 2022

Hyrule: What’s the weirdest situation you’ve ever found yourself in?

Legend: Once I was a painting.

Time: Once I was a tree. I had to fight the moon.

Wind: Oh man, there are so many crazy things I’ve done, how can I pick just one? For starters, there was the time that I got shot out of a cannon, and then the time I was rescued by a talking boat, and then there was the time I—

Wild: I got dead and then I got un-dead. Multiple times...

Twilight: Uhh… my whole adventure…

Four: That time my personality got chopped up into pieces.

Sky: Honestly, I’d have to go with the very first day of my adventure—when Sun got knocked out of the sky by a tornado and later a magic sword woman told me I was the Chosen One—it caught me so off guard I didn’t believe it was real.

Warriors: Some lady fell in love with me and it broke reality.

Hyrule: …

Hyrule: Uh…

Hyrule: Can you guys say all of that again? My brain got stuck on that first one—did you say you were a painting?!

726 notes - Posted May 29, 2022

Get your Tumblr 2022 Year in Review →

[advancedimagesblog-mel]

Blog Post #4

-What are you passionate about?

I’m quite passionate about illustration, photography, design (obviously), playing video games (specifically the Sims 3), listening to good music, eating good food, and learning stupid things from the internet. All these interests mostly stem from just learning about things I like. Once I’m invested in something I have to know everything about it.

-What culture/geography/region/country do you identify with?

Canada, not really, but I’ve lived here my whole life. I’ve actually never been anywhere outside of Ontario and Quebec. I’d love to travel around but I’m not rich :*). I’m also Portuguese, but I've unfortunately never been to Portugal. I’d love to go but I don’t know any of my family over there and they probably don’t know of my existence. However, my boyfriend and I would really like to go to Japan! I don’t personally connect with it, but we made plans to go eventually, sometime after graduation and I’m set on making the trip happen.

-Is there a design, object or product that you love or hate and why?

D2L/Brightspace!!! I hate it (lmao). It’s not awful but there are way too many ways to do the same thing, which makes everyone so confused. Blackboard was surprisingly much easier, and I kind of miss it (like Stockholm syndrome). I just wish I could see my grades properly in 2DL, blackboard had a nice grades panel and you could compare your grades with your classmates anonymously.

-Are there any recent events/news, Canadian or otherwise, that you FEEL for?

Yesterday (Sept. 26th) there was a guy swinging an axe outside of TMU (toronto metropolitan university). My sister goes there, so it was kinda scary. She thankfully is taking a course that operates outside of the campus grounds, but it’s so wild that people would go to a college campus and swing axes.

-Is there an experience that impresses you while travelling [people, place, service]?

I rarely travel, but I went to Italy once in 2021! The people were nice-ish even though I didn’t speak Italian, and the food was quite good. I was shocked however, that they rarely serve vegetables (I was dying for cucumbers or broccoli after the trip). The trains were also quite fast, but it was still a long trip when taking them. My family and I went from the top of Italy (Del Garda) all the way to Rome in one day. We actually went twice, but it was exhausting.

-Do you consider yourself a T-shaped individual? If so, what area/discipline do you know well? What other areas/disciplines do you know to some extent?

I would consider myself a jack of all trades when it comes to art (aside from sculpture, I suck at that). I’m quite good at photography, design, illustration, and pretty much use any kind of physical medium (oil, acrylic, pastel, water colour, ink, pencil crayon…) due to the years I spent doing art over having life experiences (T-T). I would say I have a deeper knowledge in design, as that's what i’m studying, and I like learning more about it to hopefully aid me in future job prospects. However, in terms of weird knowledge (my favourite kind), I know a lot about video games, but with specific video games, I know A LOT about them. More specifically, Undertale…I KNOW cringe. What am I 13? I got invested in the game when it came out and I still get really invested in topics I like. I will go out of my way to learn everything I can about them, almost to the point where I learn things that aren’t even true, just theories (a game theory :0 -matt patt).

[atlanticcanada]

N.S. woman goes viral for Maud Lewis-inspired crocheted sweater

A Nova Scotia woman who found her passion for crocheting during the pandemic recently went viral for one of her creations.

Grace Tompkins, a biostatistics PhD candidate in Waterloo, Ont., is originally from Truro, N.S.

The 26-year-old took up crocheting as a quarantine hobby in 2021.

“I started doing something called ‘No Statistics Saturdays’ to kind of maintain a work-life balance. I always watched my mom knit, just dishcloths and stuff like that, and it was just too slow for me,” she says.

“So, I went into our little yarn cabinet and my sister had a crocheting hook laying around, I picked it up, tried it. I wasn’t horrible at it.”

She admits the first sweater she tried to make was “unwearable.”

“I just kept going at it and eventually I was making wearable things and getting better at it and it’s been such a good stress relief for me, as a student.”

From there “Grace’s Handmades” was born – social media accounts chronicling her crocheted bags, hats, tops, tapestry and more.

Tompkins says her sister Emma is also artistic and runs a successful Instagram page called “Housecat Arts.”

“It kind of overnight exploded. In December, when I posted a reel making actually her Christmas gift, I had to block her for a little bit so she wouldn’t see it,” she says. “It’s still not really a business, I don’t really know what I’m doing, to be completely honest, it’s more of like my creative outlet, but I’m kind of working on the business aspect of it.”

Tompkins’ latest sweater design was inspired by Nova Scotia folk artist Maud Lewis’ famous 1955 “Three Black Cats” painting.

        View this post on Instagram

                      A post shared by Grace’s Handmades Crochet (@graces.handmades)

Tompkins says it was her most time-intensive project to date.

        View this post on Instagram

                      A post shared by Grace’s Handmades Crochet (@graces.handmades)

“I think, like many other Nova Scotians, I have just a love for Maud Lewis. I have a print of it in my living room and I look at it every day,” she says. “There’s been a lot of other crochet artists that have made famous paintings into different things, like tapestry crochets, bags, sweaters, and I thought, ‘Well I can do that.’ So this is kind of just what happened. I whipped up the sweater in about three months, posted it online and it went wild.”

Tompkins says she expected the sweater to get some attention, because she has many Nova Scotian followers, but not as much as it did.

“I kind of thought it would stay within the crochet community, but when I posted it on Twitter, there were people -- who I would say are not crafters -- that were just so drawn to it,” she says.

“People have been messaging me left, right and centre, saying, ‘Oh, I need one for so and so and I need one for myself and do you have a pattern?’ It’s been amazing, but overwhelming at the same time. The reach has been incredible.”

Tompkins says the final result was her first attempt at the sweater.

“I mean there was a lot of – I would do a row, undo it, redo it, stuff like that. But yeah, I completely freehanded it, there’s no pattern and it happened to fit me like a glove. I think it was meant to be.”

She adds that crocheting has been a bit of a distraction from her PhD, but she welcomes it.

“I do think it’s important to have balance, so I don’t mind that this kind of is happening. I think I’m kind of like statistician by day and a crocheter by night. It’s cool to have something to do in the evenings that is not math,” she says, laughing.

Tompkins says anyone looking to pick up crocheting should try to be patient.

“I have a reel that says your first project is going to flop – it’s so true. You can look at the first sweater I made, it’s horrendous. Rome wasn’t built in a day, this isn’t my first sweater,” she says. “Start simple, make some dishcloths, make some potholders, stuff like that. It’s such a good craft, I would be so happy if one person picked up a hook because they saw this sweater and thought it was cool.” 

from CTV News - Atlantic https://ift.tt/W9IsPHo

[absolutebl]

Could you recommend me 1-2 good "standard" bl from each of the main bl producing countries (China, Japan, Taiwan, Thailand and South Korea)? I'm interested in the differences in tropes and execution between bl from different countries, especially Taiwan and Thailand. I'm looking for bl that's highly rated because it's well-executed but doesn't stray from the expected formula for its region.

Great BLs that ALSO rep for their country's style

I really took the "represent" part seriously. Here are my (end of 2024) quick pulls, explanations etc in the linked posts at the bottom.

Japan

Seven Days (or I Cannot Reach You)

Old Fashion Cupcake

For the darker stuff: Tokyo in April is

Korea

Semantic Error

To My Star

For their new style of darker stuff: The 8th Sense or Love for Love's Sake

Thailand

These were absolutely the hardest to pick, so I couldn't stick to 2. There's just so much Thai BL.

My School President - best high school rep (heritage = Love of Siam, Love Sick, the true Thai BL beginnings)

Bad Buddy - best uni BL rep (heritage = 2gether, SOTUS, the beginning of Thai BL global dominance) alternative = Oxygen which is possibly the most classic Thai uni BL we have ever gotten (but Bad Buddy is better acted)

We Are - best GMMTV ensemble piece, heritage is actually also Love Sick, but in 2024 everyone is gay.

Lovely Writer - best meta

My Ride - best pulp

The Sign - best wild what-the-actual-fuck? ride (KinnPorshe also an option)

For an example of the few times Thailand got elevated: I Feel You Linger in the Air or A Tale of Thousand Stars. But these are atypical, we only get a few of them a year from Thailand.

Taiwan

These were the easiest to pick.

We Best Love

Be Loved In House: I Do

But actually: History 4: Make Our Day's Count will tell you everything you ever needed to know about Taiwanese BL in one mess of a show. It's just... not that great.

China

Addicted

Word of Honor

The Philippines

Gameboys

My Day

Vietnam

Mr Cinderella

My Lascivious Boss

But by most standards neither of these are actually very good.

Here's a 2022 post where I talk about the differences between country's styles and approaches.

If you want representative samples from a historical perspective than I do that here:

In that post, you'll need to decide what kind of representation you want to consume though, because some are very old, and others newer, since this is set up to learn about the evolution of the genre.

I also wrote a whole series on the history of the genre along with my top 10 picks at the time (2022). It's old now but still holds up for what you want. I would say pick any two from the top ten of each list, but please understand my personal taste leans toward the lighter fluffier fare. (Which means my top ten from places like Japan is very skewed. Also several countries have added new top 10, for me personally, in 2023 & 2024).

Here's a fun one on the tropes people love in the different countries

And a personal favorite, very silly and not helpful at all.

(source)

[strunmahalok]

I posted 428 times in 2022

That's 2 more posts than 2021!

1 post created (0%)

427 posts reblogged (100%)

Blogs I reblogged the most:

@theforceisstronginthegirl

@snarky-badger

@dragonshost

@birdsbats-maddness

I tagged 428 of my posts in 2022

#food - 86 posts

#recipe - 78 posts

#art - 29 posts

#dessert - 23 posts

#chocolate - 20 posts

#chicken - 20 posts

#idk what to tag this as - 18 posts

#music - 18 posts

#real history - 13 posts

#video - 12 posts

Longest Tag: 133 characters

#for me some of the senarios presented were very circum stanchelso it's hard to give the all or nothing question they were looking for

My Top Posts in 2022:

Did you mean my only original post this year, tumblr?

So I was sitting and thinking about the weird things we do and don’t consider child appropriate. And I was also wondering if I ever read anything as weird as Animorphs apparently was and yeah actually I think I did.

Do y’all remember “The Guardians of Ga’Hoole” by Kathryn Lasky? Those random owl books that were apparently popular enough to make into a movie? I read all 16 of those and they got wild. Spoilers btw

The series starts with our protagonist, Soren, who is a baby. He wants to practice flying, his parents tell him he’s still too young he doesn’t have the right feathers yet. They leave to go hunting and Soren sits at the edge of the nest, fantasizing, thinking about trying it anyway, before he decides he slips and falls to the ground. So he tries to hide and wait for his parents to come save him, but he gets kidnapped by a group of owls called St, Aggie’s Orphanage. Who take children and brainwash them. These kids are forced to be active and doing stuff during they day (they are owls) and then at night instead of sleeping their forced to march in circles in a special chamber until they get “moon sickness” Eventually, Soren and three other kids teach themselves how to fly and escape searching legendary Guardians of Ga’Hoole to help them take down the evil orphanage. And that’s literally just the first book.

speedrunning the rest of the books, Soren is reunited with his old house keeper, a blind snake named Mrs. Plithiver, who tells him his parents have been murdered by an owl eugenics cult and his older brother and younger sister are missing. I am not kidding when I say eugenics. They were called The Pure Ones. They had an entire cast system built around around the tyto owl genus, with barn owls being the most “pure” and every other speices being increasingly dehumanized (deowlfied?) and if you weren’t tyoto at all you basically had to die, So any way, Soren finds he didn’t fall, he was push by his brother as an intiatian into the pure ones and rises through the ranks to become their leader. The pure ones and the orphanage decide to team up, the Ga’hoole go undercover, and in book six both organizations are basically reduced to nothing. Also somewhere in there there is something about iron filament putting off enough magnetism to mess with how their brains work in it’s very not good. But finally Soren gets to retire to be a dad.

Book seven we get a new protagonist. Coryn, the kid who was being groomed to be the heir of the now defunct eugenics cult. Despite them being basically nothing anymore his Mom is still raising him like the pure one can make a come back (think Kovu from the lion king 2). But something happens that Coryn decides that this is not for him, and he runs away to find out what the world is actually like. Okay, so these next bits I had to read the wiki to figure out. Coryn has the ability to see the future when staring into fire, he decides he needs to catch a special kind of coal from an active volcano, which he does, and then he takes it to Ga’Hoole to become their king. Also he kills his mom by shoving her into the path of a rabid wolf. There’s a lot happening their the the wiki is not jogging my memory enough to put any of that into context.

books 9-11 are a prequal arc about how  coal catching became a thing, the developemnt of back smithing in owl society (those two things have been happening the entire i just haven’t felt the need to bring them up) and how  Ga’Hoole was founded to fight Hagsfied, magic demon owl/crow hybrids. And some  worldbuilding on how dire wolf society works, That has also been in the background the entire time. Note sure when it was introduced but was really important in Coryn’s section I guess

Back into the present Coryn and the original four owls we followed go looking for a magic book used by an Arch-hagsfied, Meanwhile back at Ga’Hoole, owls start worshiping the special ember Coryn caught like it’s a golden calf. They make  up increasingly elaborate rituals and they built a prison overnight for anyone who is blasphemous towards it. The Band + Coryn come home, are horrified tear everything down and the special coal is thrown into a pile of less cool coals but nobody seems to beable to tell the difference and grab it out.

Book 13 a secret owl kingdom is discovered. The band, Coryn, and another owl named Otulissa are guided there for a visit by a blue owl  called “The Striga”. Turns out all of the owls there are blue, but some of them have weird long feathers and can’t fly without the assistance of kites. The last remnants of the pure ones apparently stalked our protags to the new kingdom. Striga kills one of them which is a big no no, so he gets banished and our heroes take him home with them.

Ah, from there on out things become very, there is “no war in Ba Sing Se” As Striga gains influence over Coryn. The Band is banished and mass book burning are instituted. The Band tries to figure out how to fix this and discover the hagsfied are not gone, Striga is one of them. And the blue owls from the secret kingdom lived very specific lifestyles to keep the hags from remembering there were evil. It’s why to no bloodshed rule was important, it maybe woke his magic? IDK the wiki is really bad for this book, some of these discoveries were maybe made in the previuos one? And the next book in the wiki is hyper detailed and I tl:dr-ed it because it’s 1am.

Anyway, anything that comes from the secret kingdom is bad new. Coryn’s mother is actually not dead and teams up with them. I guess there’s another war. The Ga’Hoole recruit a bunch of other species to help them fight the combined forces of the hag owls and the pure ones, and some where in that Coryn drops the sacred ember back into the volcano they got he it from.

And the last book is a prequel about Ezylryb. A famous in universe blacksmith.

This post was not supposed to be this long. It was supposed to be a"wow adults let me read a 16 book war series about way eugenics is bad actually and it wasn’t considered to dark for children?” But I ended up summarizing the whole series ‘cause it’s even weirder than I remember. And now this post is too long and I don’t want to get started on the spin-off series “Wolves of the Beyond” which is a six book series about why ableism is bad actually. Wolf society in these books is very ableist even in the owl-centric books it comes up decently often.

So yeah, this was one of my favorite series when I was kid and I think I started reading them when I was seven. I eagerly awaited the next book coming out and I legitimately don’t think my Mom ever checked what they were about. They were just the owl books I liked.

18 notes - Posted March 15, 2022

Get your Tumblr 2022 Year in Review →

[psychiatricwarfare]

I posted 9,010 times in 2022

That's 7,446 more posts than 2021!

103 posts created (1%)

8,907 posts reblogged (99%)

Blogs I reblogged the most:

@blizz4rd1203

@daughter-of-sapph0

@chaosdisorganized

@imdrinkingyourmilkshake

I tagged 544 of my posts in 2022

#bug talks - 93 posts

#unreality - 23 posts

#ask - 13 posts

#actually dissociative - 12 posts

#bug answers - 11 posts

#me - 10 posts

#dpdr - 9 posts

#&lt;3 - 6 posts

#actually traumatised - 6 posts

#traumacore - 6 posts

Longest Tag: 135 characters

#and ever since i annoy everyone i know throughout the holiday season with how unnecessary the overwhelming amount of christmas there is

My Top Posts in 2022:

#5

currently thinking about narcissus and how he was turned into a flower as a gift from the gods so he could stare into his reflection forever because of his adoration for himself and his own beauty and somehow that incredibly beautiful story of self love is somehow depicted today as narcissus being this incredibly selfish and evil human being who was stripped of his humanity by the gods as punishment despite being turned into a flower being an act of love from the gods in other myths

anyways i hope all narcissists (and anyone with one or more cluster b disorders) have a wonderful day, the gods love u and i do too 🖤

46 notes - Posted March 26, 2022

#4

i hate that when trying to research certain disorders (for example aspd) all the criteria just says some bullshit like "theyre just terrible people, disgusting human beings with no regard for others" like shut UP im trying to learn actual psychology not your little ableist headcanons omfg this is why mentally ill people hate psychologists

all the diagnostic criteria is like "they lie, cheat, steal, theyre deranged" as if people with aspd cant choose to be good people, as if theyre doomed to be this sick stereotype society thinks of them as

its beyond infuriating because it also implies that any criminal with a mixed criminal history is more likely to be able to get an aspd diagnosis than an actual abuse victim whos developed aspd as a result its just so fucking infuriating how professionals think the criteria for some disorders is "theyre visibly bad people" and not, like, having symptoms

68 notes - Posted April 21, 2022

#3

fellow insane people, if youre listening to something for a while, like the sounds when playing a video game or a certain song or whatever, can you still hear it after you turn it off? like, not it being stuck in your head, actually hearing it? full on auditory hallucination. and if so, why does that happen? its very confusion and actually terrifying sometimes

84 notes - Posted April 17, 2022

#2

here's your friendly reminder that disability advocacy has to be intersectional!

happy disability pride month to BIPOC disabled folk!

happy disability pride month to queer disabled folk!

happy disability pride month to disabled women!

happy disability pride month to those with physical disabilities!

happy disability pride month to those with mental disabilities!

happy disability pride month to those with invisible disabilities!

happy disability pride month to those with visible disabilities!

happy disability pride month who are unable to work due to their disability!

happy disability pride month to those who are seen as "Not Disabled Enough"!

happy disability pride month to those whose disabilities arent recognised as a disability!

happy disability pride month to those who require any amount of mobility aids!

happy disability pride month to those with high support needs!

happy disability pride month to those with low support needs!

happy disability pride month to people who are demonised because of their disability!

happy disability pride month to literally every kind of disabled person!!

1,708 notes - Posted July 1, 2022

My #1 post of 2022

crazy how every mentally ill/disabled person i know, knows more about psychology than most psychologists i know

absolutely wild how every physically disabled person i know, knows more about them than almost every professional i know

its almost like they should listen to us or something

4,292 notes - Posted October 24, 2022

Get your Tumblr 2022 Year in Review →

[d-criss-news]

20 Questions With Darren Criss: How Acting Has Helped Him Make New Music

While Darren Criss has graced our TV screens with a range of characters, from high schooler Blaine Anderson on Glee to serial killer Andrew Cunanan on The Assassination of Gianni Versace, he was last spotted just being himself, on our For You Page on TikTok. “I’m walking to rehearsal with a guitar on my back with a Trader Joe’s bag ... I did not bring an umbrella because I forgot that it was raining. I’m rocking that NYC musician life,” the Glee alum explained in the hilarious clip posted three days ago.

While Criss’ acting work has earned him acclaim and stardom, he leaned into making music during the pandemic. On Aug. 20, he dropped a new EP, Masquerade, featuring five new tracks that Criss says were inspired by the different characters Criss has embraced throughout his career. After Criss wrote songs for his musical comedy web series Royalties and Apple TV+’s animated sitcom Central Park before the pandemic struck the United States, he then used those experiences as a precursor to his new EP. As Criss continues to promote his new music, he answered 20 of Billboard's questions – giving us a peek into how his new EP came together, and how growing up in San Fransisco shaped him as an actor, singer and all-around artist.

1. What inspired your latest project, Masquerade?

Although I would have preferred that it come at a far less grim cost, I finally had the time. Before the pandemic, I had written 10 new songs for my show Royalties -- along with an original song for Disney and another for Apple’s Central Park. These were all assignments in which I was writing for a certain scenario and character. Go figure. It was the most music I had ever written in a calendar year. This really emboldened me to rethink how I made my own music— to start putting a focus on “character creation” in my songs, rather than personal reflection. The latter was not proving to be as productive. The alchemy of having this time and having set a new intention with my own songwriting and producing made me put on a few of my favorite masques and throw myself a Masquerade.

2. How do you think your background as an actor complements your music?

They are one and the same to me. I treat acting roles like musical pieces— dialogue is like scoring a melody; there’s pace, dynamics, cadence, tone. Physical characterization is like producing -- zeroing in on the bass line, deciding on the kick pattern. Vocal characterization is like choosing the right sonic experience, choosing the most effective snare sound, and mixing the high end or low end. It goes without saying that it works in the complete opposite direction. Making each song is taking on a different role literally and employing the use of different masques to maximize the effectiveness of the particular story being told.

3. On Instagram  you wrote that “Masquerade is a small collection of the variety of musical masques that have always inspired me.” Which track do you identify with most in your real life?

Everybody absorbs songs differently. Some key into the lyrics, some into the melody, some the production, some into vocal performance. When I listen to songs, I consider all of their value on totally different scales. So it’s hard to say if there’s any track I “identify” with more than any others, since I -- by nature -- identify with all of them. I think I just identify with certain aspects more than others. If it helps for a more interesting answer, I will say I enjoy the slightly more classical, playful -- dare I say -- more Broadway-leaning wordplay of “Walk of Shame,” but that’s just talking about lyricism. I enjoy the attitude of “F*kn Around,” the batsh--t musicality of “I Can’t Dance,” the relentless grooves of “Let’s” and “For A Night Like This.” All have different ingredients I really enjoy having an excuse to dive into.

4. What’s the first piece of music that you bought for yourself, and what was the medium?

Beatles audio cassettes: “Help” and “Hard Day’s Night.” I just listened on repeat on a tape-playing Walkman until my brother and I got a stereo for our room with a CD player in it, which was  when I just bought the same two albums again, but this time as compact discs.

5. What was the first concert you saw?It’s hard to say, because my parents took us to a lot of classical concerts when we were small. But I guess this question usually refers to what was the first concert you went to on your own volition, and that my friend, was definitely Warped Tour ’01. My brother and I went on our own— two teenagers going to their first music festival, in the golden age of that particular genre and culture. It was f--king incredible.

6. What did your parents do for a living when you were a kid?

My dad was in private banking and advised really, really wealthy people on how to handle their money. My mom was, by choice, a stay-at-home mom, but in reality, she was my dad’s consigliere. They discussed absolutely everything together. They were a real team, and I saw that every single day in the house. They both had a background in finance (That’s how they met in the first place.) and were incredibly skilled at all the hardcore adulting things that I absolutely suck at. They were total finance wizards together. So of course, instead of becoming an accountant, I picked up playing the guitar and ran as far I could with it. Luckily, they were all about it.

7. What was your favorite homecooked meal growing up?

My dad was an incredible chef. For special occasions, I’d request his crab cakes. They were unreal. I’ve never had a crab cake anywhere in the world that was good as my dad’s.

8. Who made you realize you could be an artist full-time?

I don’t know if I’ve actually realized that yet.

9. What’s at the top of your professional bucket list?

The specifics change every day, but the core idea at the top is to continue being consistently inconsistent with my choices, and to keep getting audiences to constantly reconsider their consideration of me. But I mean, sure, what performer doesn’t want to play Coachella? What songwriter doesn’t want to have Adele sing one of their songs? What actor doesn’t want to be in a Wes Anderson film?

10.  How did your hometown/city shape who you are?

San Francisco. I mean, come on. I was really lucky. The older I get, the more grateful I am for just being born and raised there. It’s an incredibly diverse, culturally rich, colorful, inclusive, vibrant city. By the time I was born, it had served as a beacon for millions of creative, out-of-the-box thinkers to gather and thrive. I grew up around that. The combination of that with having parents, who were unbelievably supportive of the arts themselves, laid an incredibly fortunate foundation to consider the life of an artist as a legitimately viable option. It’s a foundation that I am supremely aware is not the case for millions of young artists around the world. I was absurdly lucky.

11.  What’s the last song you listened to?

I mean probably one of mine, but not by choice. I know, lame. But I’m promoting a new EP, what’d you expect? But if you wanna know what I’ve been listening to, as far as new s--t is concerned: a lot of Lizzy McAlpine, Remi Wolf, and Charlie Burg.

12.  If you could see any artist in concert, dead or alive, who would it be?

The Beatles is an obvious "yeah, duh." Sammy Davis, Mel Tormé, or of course, Nat King Cole. I would’ve loved to see Howard Ashman give a lecture on his creative process and his body of work.

13. What’s the wildest thing you’ve seen happen in the crowd of one of your sets?

I feel like just having a crowd at all, at any one of my sets, is pretty wild enough.

14. What’s your karaoke go-to?

The real answer to this I’ll write into a book one day, because I have a lot to say about karaoke etiquette. I have two options here: I can either name a song that I like to sing for me, for fun, or I can name a song that really gets the group going. The answer depends on what kind of karaoke night we’re dealing with here. So I will say, after I’ve selected a ton of songs that services a decent enough party vibe for everyone else, then I would do one for me, and that would be the Beatles’ “Oh! Darling.”

15. What’s one thing your most devoted fans don’t know about you?

What I have up my sleeve.

16. What TV show did you binge-watch over the past year?

Dave is a stroke of genius. There are episodes that I believe are bona fide masterpieces. Also, My Brilliant Friend is a masterclass in cinematic television.

17. What movie, or song, always makes you cry?

It’s A Wonderful Life.

18. What’s one piece of advice you would give to your younger self?

Get used to sharing everything about yourself and your life now, or more astutely, to the idea that you don’t necessarily get to control how your life is shared. I know it’s not really your thing, but you’re gonna have to get used to it, so start building up those calluses now. And don’t worry, all the stuff you love now will be cool again in your mid-thirties, so keep some of those clothes because you’ll be a full-blown fashion icon if you just keep wearing exactly what you’re wearing. Oh nd also, put money into Apple and Facebook.

19.  What new hobby did you take on in the last year?

I’ve always been a linguaphile. My idea of leisure time is getting to study or review other languages. This past year, I took the time to finally dive into learning how to read, write, and speak Japanese. Other than making music, it was one of the biggest components of my 2020-2021.

20. What do you hope to accomplish or experience by the end of 2021?

I hope I get to play live shows again.

[evak-fic-rec-turtleanon]

Evak Fics - Pining

I’m posting half of this list first because I started it a long time ago and it’s taking me a while to go through all the fics. So I will update with more later. 

*** Mutual Pining *** Pining - I might put mutual pining under pining if we don't see much of the other person pining. *** Bonus - The pining is not between Evak 

For the anon from this ask.

I will try my best to separate out the mutual pining fics but I think it will be tricky if it's not tagged as that. So bear with me and let me know of any mistakes or fics I missed out on.

. First Posting : 11 July 2021. Under 15k fics.  .

******* Mutual Pining *******

Even the Illustrator by eavk (SERIES, 3 fics) - An AU where Even’s an illustrator who draws what kids describe to him for YouTube, and Isak is the smitten father of a six year old with a wild imagination.

Postcards by HedwigsTalons (1k words) - Isak's wall is covered in postcards. Isak is supportive of Even's career and he cherishes every postcard but the long distance relationship hurts.

Feelings Come and Go, But Not With You by ultimatelawrence (1.9k words) - It was meant to just be a holiday romance. A fling. Nothing like love. But now it was six months later and Even was still pining over the angel he had met in Paris.

let's pretend into forever by Bellakitse (2.3k words) - “Let me get this straight,” Even starts. “You lied to your boss about having a boyfriend, told her it was me, and now you need me to go with you to your science nerd dinner?”

i will love you until the very, very end (and you were my best friend) by traumatic (2.4k words) - Isak and Even share something in the cool waters of a spring fed pool that no one, not even their fiancées, could ever understand.

Breathe Me by photographer_of_thoughts (4.5k words) - A high school reunion brings Isak and Even together after ten years, and neither of them can forget what happened when they were both seventeen.

Everything comes back to you by MermaidsandMermen (4.8k words) - Light pining. A dribble oneshot for Halloween, full of fluff and Even and Isak and a tiny pinch of angst. Because we need some Halloween fluff. That's all.

Fuck Tha Police by MacksDramaticShenanigans (5.2k words) - “This,” Eskild said, spinning the photograph around so everyone could see it, “is a picture of the latest piece of vandalism from our favorite little street punk.” he finished with a heavy sigh. They are both cops.

i tried to be strong but i lost it (i knew it was wrong, i’m beyond it) (6.3k words) - Even has a thing for his intern, Isak has a thing for his boss, they're both a bit clueless and their friends just want them to get their shit together.

all I see is you by littlemovie (Lejla) (7.4k words) - “Aren’t you gonna ask me why I’m a bad person?” Isak somehow whined and demanded at the same time. Jonas blew out a breath in amusement, which made the dark curls on his forehead move with his breath. “I’m guessing it has something to do with that guy, Even, from the coffeeshop?”

Addicted by endlessandinfinite (8k words) - They’re both completely, overwhelmingly, and incredibly...addicted. Best friends to lovers.

Calleth You, Cometh I by Kollakolan (8.4k words) - “Isak!” Mikaels pipes up. “Didn´t you two have a thing?” he turns to Even. A thing, Even thinks to himself. Yes, Isak and him definitely had a thing. They actually had a low-key thing going for years, but it never really turned into something more. The timing was never right.

In Vino Veritas by Sabeley (9.9k words) - After seven years apart, Isak wakes up to find Even in his bed and a wedding ring on his finger.

Let Me by GayaIsANerd (10.6k words) - Summer brings a lot of things. The smell of sunscreen. The sound of children playing in the shallow part of the lake. The taste of cold beer. The sweet tang of weed. But most importantly, summer brings Isak.

Something Borrowed, Something Blue by BluebeardsWife (10.8k words) - Fake dating AU, you know the drill. Even hires Isak to pretend to be his boyfriend at his ex's wedding. This Means Nothing to Me by cuteandtwisted (10.8k words) - Isak and Even are friends and roommates who don't believe in love anymore (after they both get dumped by other people) until they do. Aka the Friends/Roommates-To-Lovers Don't you let me go by solarpower21 (12.2k words) - In this universe, Isak and Even are roomates and nothing more. Except that there is something more between them and they both know that but are too stubborn to admit it. Too bad it takes a very unfortunate event for them to face the truth. Burn Down The Disco by TheGirlNoOneKnows5 (12.2k words) - A 'Black Mirror: Hang The DJ' AU in which Isak and Even decide to rebel against a futuristic dating system that pairs users up with various people in order to find their perfect match.

La Petite Mort by EvenbechNeiheim (13.4k words) - Even Bech Næsheim is one of those cool and very hot media students at Uni who might just got the task to make a film project. Eskild is the best wingman and things like accidently falling in love with an asshole media student happen. Based on the FIRST KISS YouTube video that gave the internet an entire meltdown. 

when your heart is bleeding, i'm coming to get you by orphan_account (13.5k words) - Isak doesn't exactly expect his hookup from last week to be the love advice columnist at the school newspaper he's working at. He also doesn't expect to fall even harder for him than he already has, which is a shame, really, since Even's crushing on someone else. 

Heal My Heart for Christmas by iwritetropesnottragedies (recklesslee) (13.5k words) - It’s been ten years since Isak left his small town for the big city of Oslo with his father. He hardly even thought of his time there anymore. Until he received a letter from his mother asking him to come home for Christmas for the first time since he had left. 

Love in the Time of COVID: Battlestar Edition by sweetasmaple (14k words) - Isak and Even find each other again during the COVID-19 lockdown, one Battlestar Galactica episode at a time. 

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******* Pining *******

never seemed so alive by retts (1k words) - Nothing special, just four letters strung together to spell out E V E N but they made Isak's heart race and his face blush and his hands tremble.

Hopeless by waitineedaname (1k words) - Light pining. There was no way in hell Isak would be able to talk to Even. He was tall and cool and handsome, and Isak was pretty sure talking to him would make him spontaneously combust.

i could probably just curl up in you. by milominderbinder (1.3k words) - Isak is away at a cabin with the guys when he gets a text from Even. 'hey, babe, did you take my favourite hoodie?' He is, of course, outraged that Even would accuse him of such treachery. The fact that Isak is wearing the hoodie at that very moment has nothing to do with it.

stuck on you (what did i do?) by itjustkindahappened (1.8k words) - It’s not that Even doesn’t try to be friendly with him—Isak just makes it so hard. Whenever Even approaches, Isak either makes up a fumbling excuse to leave, or just becomes really stiff and refuses to acknowledge Even’s existence.

now and forever (i will be your man) by thekardemomme (2.2k words) -Warning for pain. 3 times isak kisses even +1

i be up in the gym just working on my fitness by orphan_account (2.3k words) - Even knows that he's quite literally going to die when he finds his crush sweating on an elliptical, reading a book with his glasses slipping down his nose.

You know where I stay by nofeartina (2.4k words) - Warning for pain. Isak is so beautiful first thing in the morning. When he still has creases in his face from the pillow, when his face is red and puffy from sleep, his hair all messed up and curly. Even prefers this Isak. This is his Isak, this is only for him.

won't you be my livewire by itjustkindahappened (3.2k words) - "i've been tryin to grab your attention in class for over half an hour by poking you and throwing things onto your desk and you're refusing to acknowledge me and gdi all i wanted to do was tell you that you look cute and now it's gone too far and i can't go back"

Cookies and Cream by GayaIsANerd (3.5k words) - Isak has a crush on the barista. He's too scared to do anything about it, but luckily there's a blizzard coming up.

i can feel the weather in my bones by EvenbechNeiheim (3.7k words) - Isak and Even are childhood friends. There’s a boyfriend sweater and Isak is just desperate to wear it.

On the silver screen by Lokkanel (4k words) - Isak was really not in the mood for this. He had a long week at work, and all he wanted was to relax with his friend, drink a few beers, maybe even smoke some weed and just chill. But no. When Jonas called him to say that he won tickets to the coolest indie film festival in Oslo, Isak knew he could forget his plans for a quiet and simple weekend.

I want to love you (in my own language) by fauu_stine (4k words) - “Okay. Maybe I’m not happy,” he admits in a resigned whisper. “Do you need a shrink discussion or a best friend discussion?” "I think- I think it’s more of a friend with benefits kind of talk."

Don't be an ass by Julieseven (4.1k words) - Even really tried to forget about him. It started out as a harmless little crush, really. He saw him at the karaoke bar SYNG one night, singing "I don't want to miss a thing" at the top of his lungs, clearly drunk out of his mind, but looking like an angel with his messy dark blond locks and crooked smile.

Little Black Book by Laika (4.3k words) - Isak Valtersen is studying his third year at the University of Oslo and having the time of his life. Enter Evy Bech Næsheim, straight out of Nissen, in his stockings, mini skirts and bubblegum scented lip gloss.

cracks in our foundation by towonderland72 (4.8k words) - “You know, like a thousand years ago, men used to wear makeup?” Even asks, as Isak gapes at himself.

Safest With You (Green Curtains) by eavk (5.3k words) - Isak keeps staying up too late studying at the library, but luckily there's an escort service that gives students a buddy to walk with to keep safe at night.

the one with the prom video by thekardemomme (5.5k words) - Even has been in love with Isak since they were younger, but he never intended for Isak to find out this way.

Senses by Lokkanel (5.5k words) - Sight, hearing, smell, touch, taste… Or Even falling in love with Isak, one sense at a time.

you're the one i wanna grey with (5.6k words) - They've only been dating a month, so Isak shouldn't be pathetic enough to miss Even this much when he's only gone for a weekend.

Orion's Nebula by thekardemomme (5.6k words) - Light pining I think. Even Bech Næsheim was enrolled in an astronomy class for one reason and one reason only: the cute ass boy he saw standing in the registration line.

with the taste of a poison paradise by chasingflower (6k words) - It’s routine by now. Isak hangs out with his friends during the day and at night he kisses the Dream-Even that lives on the other side of the door in his living room, and basks in the warm fuzzy feelings he gets as a result of the attention. Coraline Au.

How to Get Your Man - A Plan By Even Bech Naesheim by Evakkk (6.1k words) - When Magnus drops a big secret in front of Even... Even comes up with a brilliant plan to get Isak to reveal his true feelings. All it takes is one little lie, and one crazy family reunion.

To Burn With Desire by photographer_of_thoughts (6.1k words) - AU in which Isak and Even are neighbours and Isak's father has a secret job that unintentionally helps Isak realize he's in love with his best friend.

Watermelon Sugar by MermaidsandMermen (6.6k words) - A little tribute to fruit and touching. To sex, and friendships and finding what you were looking for all along. And of course inspired by Harry Styles latest video offering, just because.

The Fake Boyfriend App by Crazyheart (7.2k words) - AU where Isak is desperately pining for his flatmate Even, and downloads a fake boyfriend app to get over him. When he discovers that the Fake boyfriend is a human, and not a bot, he is sceptical.

That look you give that guy by Lokkanel (7.4k words) - Isak and Even love each other in secret. It is almost thrilling at first, but when hiding and lying to their friends begin to take a toll on Even, Isak decides to end it all. He thinks he has taken the right decision, until Even eventually moves on with someone else.

my longing drives me crazy for you (7.7k words) - Isak's mum worries, Isak makes bad life decisions and Even loves Isak. It's a fake dating au.

I'm Always Here by nofeartina (9.3k words) - “Did you know that Even is working this summer? At that pool at the Plaza?” Jonas says. Isak actually sits up in excitement at this. “Fuck yeah!” Oh, a pool. Actual water they could go swimming in and cool down. And also, Even.

a garden for your love by eggsntoast (9.3k words) - He’s learning to breathe with them, even if he ends up with a floor full of violets by the end of it all. They remind Isak of him, and that’s all that matters. That’s what makes it worse. or: a Hanahaki au ft. Isak heavily pining after Even. Lots of angst.

I wrote an angry letter to the void, and the void responded (9.5k words) - Monday comes, and the book is still there. Isak looks around, content to find the floor practically empty, before giving the book the finger. Fuck that book. - a book finds it's way to Isak's sacred study spot. this proves to be a major distraction.

a constant state of closeness by chevythunder (9.7k words) - “What is it about this dude, anyway?” Elias asks. “You’ve barely even talked to him, right?” “I don’t know,” Even says. “I just got this feeling, you know? Just- I want to make sure he’s okay and safe and… stuff.” - It starts with a hug.

Is This Our Time? by Evakkk (9.9k words) - This is a world where everyone is born with an indistinguishable soulmate mark... it only changes into something recognizable, once you have physical contact with your soulmate, and it's always something meaningful to the relationship. Both partners will bear the same mark. Isak is about to turn 18... and he's the only one in his friend group who still hasn't found their soulmate. But what happens when he goes out one night, gets drunk... and wakes up with his soulmate mark?

Is This What You Wanted? by cuteandtwisted (9.9k words) - Isak is filthy rich and Even is a hardworking male model who just got signed to his father's agency. Even gets an awful offer from Isak: one night with him in exchange for money, and begins to despise him. Little does he know that everything he thinks he knows about Isak is wrong.

Just like in the movies by Lokkanel (10.5k words) - As he began taking in his surroundings, Isak realized he was in one of those small theaters that programmed independent and artsy movies, even old black and white films. He was ready to turn around and walk away when he heard a deep voice say, “Halla.”

my tiny heartbeat in his ear by riyku (11k words) - Now, about a week after the longest day of the year, the empty house across the street has stopped being empty. most beautiful things by scarletbluebird (12.7k words) - This fic is a whole ass journey. Warning for pain. This isn’t a fairytale, Isak tells himself. Even is standing at the bend in the road. He looks like a metaphor for immortal life: the youth a god would kill for. Ambrosia eyes, the universe trapped in the curve of his mouth. He looks like every warning from his mother about strangers you run into after dark. 

One week by Lokkanel (12.8k words) - This thing going on between Isak and Even, whatever they called it - fuckbuddies, friends with benefits - was simple, fun, nothing more. They were friends, they were both free to do whatever they wanted with other people. They’d just meet and have sex whenever they felt like it. Simple. Until what was bound to happen eventually did and Even fell for Isak. 

Plum by Jamz24 (13.2k words) - Femme!teacher!Even asks masculine! plumber!Isak to fix a broken shower on a scorching hot summer day...And if you think it sounds like the start of a porn film you're absolutely right! There's LOADS of smut but ... with LOTS of feelings 

Never be the same by nofeartina (14.2k words) - It starts with a bet - one of those really stupid ones: can they last an entire month without any kind of sex?It’s been 22 days – and Even is dying. 

Somewhere I’ve never been by MinilocIsland (14.6k words) - The first time Even meets Jonas' best friend, nothing goes according to plan. 

If I Should Fall Behind by MinilocIsland (14.7k words) - The plan for tonight had been crystal clear. Stay close to his best friend, and steal her away if needed. Hold her hand through the ordeal of meeting Noora again for the first time in years. Then Even shows up – and suddenly, nothing goes the way it was supposed to. 

All I Ever Wanted by MinilocIsland (14.8k words) - Isak is such a good friend. Probably the best there is. How else could he explain that he's agreed to join Magnus to this place deep in the woods for six full days of silence, meditation, and utter boredom? One thing, he knows. There's nothing exciting for him there. Right? Or: the silent retreat AU. 

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******* Bonus *******

Season 3: Jonas by Laika_the_husband (WIP, SBB 2021 fic) - There is a scene in the end of the script for season 1, where Jonas and Isak kiss each other on a dare. This story is a retelling of season 3 in a universe, where that kiss happened and completely changed the way Jonas sees Isak. Written in Jonas' POV, the story examines sexuality, love, friendship and coming to terms with never getting the boy you shouldn't have fallen for in the first place.

What the fuck is wrong with me? by notanugget (11.6k words) - The five times isak felt guilty for being in love and the one time he didn’t 

thanks for the weed, thanks for everything by evak1isak (13.1k words) - Jokael. Jonas' dealer has moved to Denmark, and Even recommends his friend's weed. What Jonas didn't expect, though, was to develop a crush on a boy, on Mikael. 

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******* WIP *******

Baby, why do you have to shine so bright? by Lilacpotter - Even knew he was radiant, and he was used to people always wanting to be around him, enchanted by his captivating words and glowing smiles, as if he was the tantalising sun. But then one day, he comes across someone who shines much brighter than the sun itself in Even’s eyes.

Lonely Hearts Club by EndingsNotTheStory - The Hearts Club. A show run by Isak and his 3 friends. He's kind of had enough with hearing about people's relationship issues and giving advice. Until the guy from his theatre class and Isak's totally not crush Even calls, dealing with relationship issues. pining

[thehappyrealityproject]

Message from Mariya:

Creating a Happy Reality

Hey everyone! I believe an update is in order! Last time I posted on my blog was September 2019, and now it’s April 2021.

First, I’d like to say that I’m very thankful for my friend, who agreed to type up this message and post it. I’m also very thankful for this incredible tech-free journey, which turned out to be more like a gradual letting go of things rather than letting go of everything that I wanted to let go of at once, and the many wonderful discoveries I made because of it. 

Recent discoveries: Not using artificial lights makes it a lot easier to go to bed earlier and promotes a sense of inner peace, while not checking the time lowers anxiety.

At the core of why I wanted to leave modern technology was a deep desire to reconnect with myself and the magic of real life. And the electrical sensitivity – which reflected my deep dissatisfaction – provided me with the motivation to actually do it.

“Technology is the knack of so arranging the world that we do not experience it.” – Rollo May

The aim of everyday modern technology is to get things done faster, but what that actually does is keep people away from fully living.

Relatable excerpt from a book I was recently writing:

“I see what’s going on here,” said George.

“You do?” I asked.

“Yes. People are skipping the journey and going straight to the destination. You want food? Pop a package in the microwave. You want clothes? Order some online. You want to travel to a new faraway place? A plane will get you there while you sleep. ‘Instant gratification,’ they say. Yet that’s not gratifying at all. Life isn’t about the destination, it’s all about the journey. There is joy in cooking. There is joy in growing your own food and making your own clothing, too. The end result contains only a tiny fraction of the joy compared to the whole experience. People have forgotten this. They’ve replaced the whole experience with activities that only leave them feeling empty, like sitting online all day or watching television. On the flip side, if they returned to the whole experience of things, they might appreciate it much more, knowing that the alternative is senseless; it literally doesn’t require most of the senses. So there is a great lesson in this, one that I’ve learned myself. Maybe that was the reason for why it all came to be this way,” he replied.

I learned that many of the things that people think they need and often seek happiness through are not only the very same things that distract them and keep them away from the happiness they seek (which happens to be our natural state), but also cause harm to them, the environment, and the very life that sustains us – stuff that we actually do need! 

For instance, something we really need – like clean air – is completely taken for granted and diminished because of car fumes (one of the top causes of air pollution) and smoking. The population of bees, which are vital to many of the foods we eat, is decreasing at an alarming rate because of cell phone signals and pesticides. 

Wild nature, another thing we really need, has also diminished. The less I distract myself, the more I feel like I need to be there. I wonder, are we all consciously or subconsciously distracting ourselves from that need? After all, deep down, we are wild creatures who were conditioned to be otherwise.  

In other words, we need much less than we think we do, and we need to protect and take better care of that which we actually do need.

As I was letting go of electronics/modern technology, another interesting thing happened: I became increasingly aware of the state of modern society, AKA the comfortable prison, and it didn’t take long for me to want to leave that behind as well.

I noticed that cities have significantly small amounts of trees; some blocks don’t have any at all. There’s concrete all around, “Keep Off the Grass” signs, overcrowded stores with plastic everywhere, car/train/construction noises, saturation of cars, car fumes, and contrails being dispersed in the sky, releasing carbon dioxide and soot into the atmosphere. Some people are afraid of opening windows because of fumes.

Suburbs have perfectly manicured lawns, so much so that nobody steps on top of them. “Private Property” signs. There’s still concrete all around. Nobody is outside. Why? They’re all inside, staring at screens.

More rural areas have power lines hanging everywhere. Any sensitive or energy-intuitive person can feel the unpleasant energy coming from them. Houses are farther away from each other, and there are larger lawns. More “Private Property” signs. Again, nobody is outside. Same reason. Whether here or in the suburbs, people don’t usually take walks, they take their car everywhere. Unless people choose to exercise, movement is minimized and so is strength. A common theme in these places is stagnation and isolation. 

Most people pollute their bodies with drugs, alcohol, or smoking, and it’s considered completely normal to do so. In fact, many of them get startled when they discover that someone chooses not to do that.

Ironically, organic food, AKA real food, which is our birthright, is considered a luxury now and costs more than fake food.

Is this what they call progression?

I just want to add that even if this really upsets some people, it’s important to know in order to be inspired to create some real and amazing changes. Once you know what is going on, you can turn your attention towards creating what you do want.

I never used to be one of those people who focused on global issues much, but they’ve gotten so out of hand that they are affecting normal day-to-day living. This is not normal.

Meanwhile, I was just looking for a quiet place in nature where I could take walks barefoot on grass (a very natural and beneficial practice), relax, breathe fresh clean air, and not have to ask someone to drive me to a state park.

Can you live in nature without a car? YES. By becoming more self-sufficient.

Last summer, I met a family that grows their own organic fruits and vegetables (and what a magical thing that is!) without any machinery. They shared their strawberries with me. By the way, there are books that teach you how to grow everything, even how to make your own flour and yarn. That’s how they learned their skills. 

I realized that you don’t actually need money to live a joyful life and that the money and exchanging goods and services system is an outdated fear-based system that completely eradicates the joy of giving – one of the highest joys we can experience here. Giving to receive doesn’t feel nearly as good. That’s why many people don’t feel comfortable with that system, even if they do what they enjoy.

So if modern technology or modern society isn’t progression, then what is?

Love. Becoming more loving and allowing yourself to be loved! 

Treating ourselves, others, and the planet with kindness and love, realizing that we’re all connected. That includes not using substances that pollute your own body. 

Falling in love with your uniqueness and the uniqueness of others. 

Falling in love with life!

That’s what it’s always been about, folks.

At this point, however, it’s also about creating a completely different and better way of life. So what I’d like to do is bring The Happy Reality Project into real life, where it was always meant to be, and create an intentional community that reflects happiness and the true meaning of progression. This community can later extend to other places around the world.

Details below:

I’m looking for people who feel like they’re done with modern society – done with distractions, staring at screens all day, being around drug use/alcohol/smoking, air pollution, light pollution, and all the other pollutions, the concrete jungle, the rat race, stagnation, hiding and feeling shame or being shamed for their own beautiful bodies, etc., and done with being under the spell that this is all normal. I’m looking for people who see through the illusion and know that this isn’t progression, but actually quite the opposite. I’m looking for people who want to create something new with me and would be interested in living off the grid without electricity or electronics, observing a sky full of stars, dancing to or playing live music, rediscovering the magic of nature, becoming more self-sufficient, and exploring what it truly means to be a human being and to naturally feel happy, free, and alive!

Let’s put life back into life!

Harmony and being in awe with life is the norm.

Location = open for discussion.

If you’re interested or have any ideas or suggestions, send an email to ------, where my friend has agreed to respond.

Almost 4 months later, update: The email has been deleted due to no responses. Perhaps the internet isn’t the best place to find people who want a lifestyle without electronics. Regardless, we still think it was important to share this message.