#binged the entire thing recently and so far it's really good

[justskyla-art]

who up vasting they error rn !? !? (/J) (lazy ahh doodles)

[genericpuff]

Are there any comics you were into around when LO was first coming out that you still adore and highly recommend? Any comics you wish got far more attention they they have?

There are several artists I used to love the comics of that went on hiatus years back/the artist doesn't make content anymore and I still look at them fondly (Snakes and Ladders by Mulattafury guts me. I would've loved to see it continue 😔)

So LO was kind of one of the first "webtoons" I got into, and by that I mean I was reading tons of webcomics for years prior to it, but the whole vertical format thing was still very new at the time and I wasn't accustomed to it. I spent a lot of the early to mid 2010's reading manga scanlations and indie webcomics, some of which are still ongoing today (though others unfortunately were never completed):

City of Blank (which is now an Originals series and it's in its final season, please check it out!!!)

Monster Pop (this one is actually really similar in art vibes to LO, it's very pastel and fun! idk if the creator still makes comics but she DOES make eco-friendly plus-sized skirts with POCKETS now!)

The GamerCat

AwkwardZombie (i stg this is one of those comics that will probably live to see the heat death of the universe LOL)

A BETTER PLACE (this one was REALLY fun to experience at the time because it pulled off some time travel shenanigans that you literally had to be there to read, you deadass can't read the original pages that got overwritten in the timeline near the end of the story, it doesn't affect the overall narrative at all but it's fun knowing that I was there LOL)

Grassblades

An Exercise in Futility

A Tale of Two Rulers

Theodd1sout (yep, before they were big on Youtube, it was a webcomic!)

Fail by Error (unfortunately it seems the creator of this comic has removed it from Tapas entirely, I'll see what I can dig up through Wayback but until then you might be stuck with Pinterest on finding strips from this one)

A Matter of Life and Death (this one is pretty much cancelled indefinitely BUT the creator is still an active comic creator and just recently started up a new original project! they also make super cool Jojo fanart and AU stuff if you're into that haha)

Two Guys and Guy (same as Fail by Error, its site seems to be long gone now but some of the strips can be found online)

Happle Tea (^^^)

And of course there was all the manga that I used to binge like fucking crack LOL Soul Eater, Death Note, Naruto, Bleach, Full Metal Alchemist, Yotsubato, Sailor Moon, One Piece, Deadman Wonderland, and those were just like, the well-known popular ones, there were a ton others across varying degrees of popularity that I don't even fully remember the names of now.

On the whole, there was a LOOOOT of stuff I read prior to LO, I used to practically live on sites like Tapas. Some of it's still as good as ever, others haven't aged quite so well, but for the most part, I look back on it all very fondly as it's what made up a lot of my formative years as a webcomic creator :'3 If you haven't read any of these, feel free to check them out, maybe you'll find a new favorite! <3

[victoriadallonfan]

Parahumans Fandom based on the best and worst comments/messages I've received or seen:

Fanfiction.net - (Best) - Someone told me they had no idea that Worm had a sequel and they quickly binged the entire thing after reading my fanfic. Told me they loved how optimistic the story was and thought my fic did a good job of emulating that.

(Worst) - Being sent a message about how they wanted to rape the main character (Victoria) and tried to bully me write a different story for them.

Reddit - (Best) - Numerous posts about how the setting and story of Parahumans has given people positive vibes, made them felt seen, helped them process traumatic events in their lives, or exposed them to different cultures/ideas. Even while acknowledging the very real faults of the stories, and how things could or should be improved, there are a lot of great analysis's out there on the subreddit.

(Worst) - Pick your poison: "Nazi's aren't evil", "Mind rape isn't real rape", "Even if it was rape, it was deserved", "Why doesn't Taylor join the Empire?", "Sophia deserved what happened to her", "You don't agree with Taylor's decisions? You're just like Uvalde Police!" Death threats in general.

Tumblr - (Best) Actually too many to mention. I am disappointed that I am a relatively recent member, because there are a lot of people who post funny, insightful, and even valuable point of views. Even when I disagree with them on 99% of things, mostly Ward related obviously, there's always at least a handful of posts from even those users that I can look at and go, "Wow, that take really made me re-evaluate things".

(Worst) Awful lot of people telling me to kill myself and worse from Anons, more than any other site. Like, damn tumblr, way to take the prize from Reddit. Still, same sort of behavior as on Reddit, just styled differently by users to pretend it's better.

Spacebattles - (Best) Had someone tell me that they love how my Victoria fanfic was great and inspired them to read Ward, where they felt really seen as a survivor of sexual abuse, and that they are processing what they've going through in a new lens. Helps that I'm like, one of 4 active Ward fic writers, so the fandom is far smaller haha

(Worst) Had a white supremacist recruiter try to convince me and others that their Empire 88 Self-Insert was just a joke, while also trying to recruit people. Got them banned lmao

Sufficient Velocity - Don't use that site for anything other than Pale updates

AO3 - Nothing but positivity from them, if they decide to leave a comment at all

[fourseasonsfigs]

Combined Six Harmonies Cultivation Method

I've been busy celebrating the end of my intensive Chinese class by binge-watching my way through Fox Spirit Matchmaker. I had planned to go back to posting about my figs right afterwards... but... during a big block of work travel fell into watching Mysterious Lotus Casebook (as excellent as everyone says and then some, highly recommend). After that, I figured I'd be back to posting about my figs. And THEN - well, then Gong Jun started showing up in some absolutely incredible behind-the-scenes-pics in his new role as Su Muyu. Dear reader, I had no choice (none! zero!) but to immediately binge-watch my way through all existing episodes of the Tales of Dark River donghua*, as well as start working my way through Blood of Youth. You understand. I know you do!**

BUT, in the meantime, I've also been slowly and steadily working my way through photographing my figs that continue to arrive in shipment after shipment. I have built up quite the backlog, so I'd better get to posting them!

Today we have Armory figs, from episode 36. These cute chonks commemorate this moment:

We've seen this armory scene before in fig form - quite a long time ago here and much more recently, in a building block version.

I remember watching this scene in shock - I had no idea what was coming. What a gut-wrenching, gorgeous scene. I love every bit of it.

These figs arrived safe and sound in their protective polystyrene box. I have to say I've had (crossing fingers, knock on wood) very good luck with this packing so far. Most figs I've gotten have arrived perfectly intact.

The figs came with the platform base and the figs themselves.

The paper cover peeled off from what turned out to be a sticker. I had thought it was going to be a magnet or something, so I was a bit surprised. The sticker ended up VERY securely sticking to the metal disk - I tried pulling it off to better reposition the top part, but no luck. It was on to stay for good.

As you can see, the metal disk makes it spin. The resin disk isn't perfectly round - it's a little more handmade than precision made, and I didn't stick the sticker on in the most optimal position, so it doesn't spin quite as easily or freely as it might. Which is fine! I'm not going to be playing with it, it's just in my display case.

Here they are! These two little cuties are just finished performing the ritual, and Zhou Zishu has just opened his eyes to see that something very strange has happened to his zhiji's hair...

This is a pretty good angle to see Lao Wen's face - these figs are so tiny and they are so close to each other that it's difficult to actually get their faces in the picture.

We see A-Xu's hair bun here, minus the hairpin of course. I must say I really hoped they managed to pull it out of the door when they left the armory, assuming the avalanche didn't shatter it into a hundred pieces.

This is a nice shot of Lao Wen's guan - very stylized as you can see.

I like how they included the Yin Yang book under their hands.

A-Xu's little shocked face is just too cute. Sorry A-Xu, I know this is a heartbreaking moment for you!

All that white hair. I think everyone will agree with me that no other show has managed to have a white wig quite as beautiful as post-ritual Wen Kexing. They did a gorgeous job of layering a slightly darker grey at the roots and pale grey/white in the rest of it, to give it the most natural looking effect. All the stark white wigs I've been seeing (yes, particularly as I've been watching Blood of Youth) tend to look pretty fake.

You can see the grey disk the figs are on isn't quite perfectly circular. It's not as off-balance as it looks here, some of this is the angle and the shadows, but it's definitely different from the perfect circle of the base.

And we're back around to the front again. These are really tiny figures - I think the fig maker decided to make them a bit smaller so that when you add the podium the entire thing isn't too big.

Here's a comparison between a normal sized fig - our poor A-Xu after he's been rescued from the Tianchuang prison (have I posted about this one? I'll have to check). As you can see, even the combined podium + figs is quite a bit smaller height wise from a regular fig.

Here's the closest I could get my camera to Lao Wen's face - not much of a close-up, but it's the best I could do! You can see his rosy little cheeks. You can also see Gong Jun's beauty mark there right under his eye.

Sheesh it was hard to get a close up of A-Xu's little face. I think the shot we got earlier as I rotated the fig around was better than this one. You can barely see one of Zhang Zhehan's beauty marks - the other one is definitely there, just blurred out due to my phone's inability to focus in.

There's no text on the Yin Yang Book, but it does have some nice fold lines to show where it would fold back up.

Ah, here's the best angle to show the almost-a-perfect-circle-but-not-quite of the top disk.

No fig card or box art for this one, which is too bad, it would have been awfully cute!

Material: Resin

Fig Count: (+2) 523

Scene Count: (+1) 37

Rating: It's ok guys, it's all going to be alright!!!

[link to the Master Post Index]

*I have been enjoying the Tales of Dark River donghua quite a bit. After I post this, I'm going to watch the Tuesday night drop of episode 26, tantalizingly tension-titled Trouble Brewing. Bring it on!

**I mean, you can totally understand why I got distracted from my blog posts:

I like this pic a lot, I've definitely seen this sword formation in the donghua many times!

Alright, alright, I'll stop. I love the costuming in this. I'm so excited!

[rogerdelgado]

I'm late to the game for my Watcher Top 5 to celebrate Watcher's 5th anniversary. I blame tumblr! But, without further ado, here's to the Ghoul Boys and the rest of the gang that helped me get through the early days of the pandemic. I couldn't have done it without you! (Well, okay, I could...but it wouldn't have been nearly as much fun!)

Also, this turned out to be much harder than anticipated. I didn't even realize I'd watched so many different shows. I am leaving off Pod Watcher only because the OP didn't include it, and that makes it a little easier. Otherwise, it would definitely be in the top 3. There's nothing better than just hanging out, and that's the vibe you get from Pod Watcher.

Okay! Without further, further ado...

My Watcher Top 5:

#5 Survival Mode

I'm a gamer, so this one's a gimme. I love watching Shane and Ryan gaming together, and would 100% watch them play anything. Hoping there's another season of this on the way soon, but if there isn't, don't kill the dream! Would love to see the gang play Fortnite someday.

#4 Social Distanding D & D

I'm also a tabletop gamer! Much of my formative youth was spent DMing (that's Dungeon Mastering) small Dungeons & Dragons games to entertain friends and family, so to see Shane running the show was a lot of fun. Ryan's hilarious half-elf bard Steve still creeps into my thoughts on an almost weekly basis.

I know most people aren't socially distancing now, but Steve needs a comeback, so I'm always hoping for some version of this to make its way back into the production circle. The only reason this isn't higher on my list is because it's not an ongoing series.

#3 Are You Scared?

Who doesn't love a good ghost story? An urban legend? A creepy tale? Are You Scared? is like a grown-up Goosebumps or Are You Afraid of the Dark, only better because we get Ryan and Shane along for the ride! I recently binged the entire run for the first time, and it's so much fun.

#2 Ghost Files

Would I even be making this list if Ghost Files didn't exist? Probably not! This is what brought me into the fold, of course. Like Shane, however, I do not enjoy ghost hunting tv shows as a general rule. Everything typically feels a little too hyped and eventful for my skeptical mind to enjoy. It's the balance between skeptic and believer that really hooks you here, so whether you genuinely believe in ghosts (Ryan) or just like doing stupid things with your friends (Shane), you are represented here!

I've never encountered anything supernatural in my life, but I can get easily spooked by dark, unpleasant places, so I logically side with Shane, while emotionally bond with Ryan on every run. It's the perfect combo!

And, finally, my number 1 choice for my Watcher Top 5 is...

#1 Too Many Spirits

It's Toooo Many Spirits!!!

Okay, okay, a little explanation is in order here. How did two guys reading fan submitted stories around a bonfire while getting increasingly intoxicated make it to the top of my Watcher Top 5 Beatdown? Well, buckle in, because it's...not really all that exciting, but I'm going to tell you anyway.

2020 is here and with it...the plague of the century (so far...I see you H5N1)! I am an essential worker, so I get to go out into the big bad world and be expendable while other people discover sourdough starters. When I do get home and scrub myself into a state of sanity to rest up for the next day, I need entertainment!

So, after revisiting eleven seasons of Cheers (again), I decide I need a place where everybody knows my name, but...like ol' Sam Malone, I just gave up drinking, figuring I need my immune system at its best (which is still not great, but hey, we do what we can). Also, like Sam, what I find is a place where everyone gets increasingly more intoxicated while I get high on friendship! And that place is...Ryan's backyard? Someone's backyard anyway.

Somehow, Too Many Spirits became a way for me to find solace in sobriety while also enjoying the intense nostalgia of drinking with friends around a bonfire. All of this might sound a little pathetic, but it worked for me, and it helped get me through some dark times (along with my actual online friends who were all very supportive, too).

So, there we have it! My Watcher Top 5 Beatdown is complete!

Except..."You didn't mention Puppet History!!!" I hear you scream with rage. Well, that's because I've only recently discovered it! "How is this possible?" I hear you ask, your voice trembling with shock and awe. Well, what can I say, except...life is a process, man. I'm doing the best I can. And, I've found my next binge Watcher!

[chaotic-orphan]

Okay so fun fact, I meant to send this ask like 2-3 months ago and then I psyched myself out of it because I was spending too much time overthinking so, uh, yeah. I regained the courage the do this after deciding to a) stop overthinking and b) the other few times I’ve done this it’s been received well (again, overthinking. Also I’m probably over explaining sorry-)

I've only (well, kinda but not really, it’s complicated) read a few of your series so far (the Delirious villain x hero caretaker, the Benign Mischief one and also a few other things I can’t remember (read the JoD one, if that’s what it’s called. It was great). I do plan on reading your other series and writings and works of literature but unfortunately, life getting in the way and a horribly forgetful mind with a short and easily overwhelmed attention span and ADHD does NOT bode well for binge reading or heck even just getting started. Once I do, I zoom through but the building inertia is out of my control, or it is but it’s Sisyphean) and I just gotta say, it's all FUCKING amazing.

Like, the words? The structure? The general plot (kudos to the person who sent the ask and prompt/essentially story outline for that thing because they did it very well; I was intrigued and could already imagine the story in my head just based off the outline/prompt but also you for, y'know, making/building it. Er, for both of them?)? The emotions, the descriptions, the fucking everything was zfgklszfjoresojiulnhg (in a good and very positive way).

Seriously, teach me your ways, I hope that, if I ever decide to actually get the courage and dopamine to get started trying to practice the art of conveying intricate stories through words, that I’ll be half as good as you are with the structure and plot line and dialogue and portraying each character in a way that you can distinguish them between the writings (I’m very bad at that one so it’s very amazing to me seeing how other writers do it. Also, I’m joking of course, about teaching me your ways, you don’t have to. But if you did, highly appreciated! No pressure, I seriously hope I’m not somehow pressuring you-)

I am very intrigued to see where (if you are at all planning on continuing it; no pressure or anything. I really hope I'm not being seen as pushy or anything; just want to know if you ever plan on continuing that story) both of the stories go next and what the resolution will be because the most recent one with the hero x villain one (I think t currently on part 5? I could be wrong) is amazing but I also very much want justice for what Villain is going through and has gone through at the “care” of their older sibling. Very violent justice…

And for the benign mischief one, also very intrigued to see where it goes and what happens to Cosimo since, I forget what part I left off on (think it was 5. Only just realized my brain was being dumb and I am very happy to see what the next 3 parts are going to be), but it’s great!

Just in case I somehow made it a bit hard to decipher (I ramble a lot, sorry), long ask short, alongside a lot of (hopefully not incoherent and unstructured and hopefully not somehow accidentally insulting. I am not good at tone and tend to overthink this stuff a lot) word vomit compliments and my appreciations and amazements at how amazing you write, I’m tentatively asking if you plan on continuing the storylines for those two specific, uh, storylines.

Just, overall, your writing is actually fucking epically (?) well done and also, from your other posts, you seem like a very passionate (and also motivational? In the sense that you encourage others by leaving commentary in the tags and all that) person and I think that’s pretty cool.

I do fully understand though if the answer to continuing the series is no; that’s your own prerogative and your own writing project and I, as a random internet stranger, probably wouldn’t be very respectful if I constantly hounded you so I completely understand if you aren’t open to that (just trying to make sure you understand that I am not trying to be pushy or demanding with my ask; just genuinely wondering if you are making a continuation. Sorry if this is strange or creepy or anything like that; just trying to make sure that any misunderstandings I may have made in writing are dealt with)

Just, god, I have so many more things to say and also more things keep forming but I don’t want to make this an entire dang college essay so instead (and also included), uh, appreciation post :D in case I missed something

(@idkanonymystuff also just in case the link doesn’t work, go to that blog and find “big ass appreciation post” and you’ll find it :]. I’m not sure how tumblr works still but maybe access it there just to make sure it’s the most recent because it gets updated with more thoughts and stuff):

https://www.tumblr.com/idkanonymystuff/

771497664659537920/finally-did-it-big-unhinged-appreciation-post-for?source=share

But seriously, you seem very cool and I hope to one day sit down and read through your other stories because seriously it’s like goated with the sauce (??? Heck am I saying lol).

THE STORIES SPEAK TO AND I DONT UNDERSTAND WHAT THEYRE SAYING BUT ILL DAMN WELL TRY MY BEST (I don’t know what I’m saying but I’m saying something…just not sure what lol. It’s positive to clarify)

ANYWAYS, I do hope this message isn’t taken the wrong way (I am just overall very fucking enamored by how well you write and want to tear through your other works of literature and just general amazement at it all and also asking if there will be an update to the story (no pressure for that last one though)), and that you’re having a good day/night, taking care of yourself, staying hydrated, and all that jazz :)

-idk (the tag I will use if I ever interact again, probably gonna stay lurking tho so pls excuse, just know that I be lurking and supporting.)

(Also, I got some new info while drafting my brain thoughts into coherent appreciations, such as the whole other blog thing and you cleaning up your stories, so sorry if some things are repeated, I did my best to restructure it ad may have missed something. Also please excuse if it’s sloppy, I did draft it but didn’t have time to double check because it be eepy time. Hope it’s alright. God there’s so much more but—no shut up me stop overthinking, we are not staying up till 1 am again just go-)

HELLO HELLO IDK hehehe, feel free to lurk away, I love being a lurker too, I am just cursed and doomed to be loud about my feelings which is why I use caps a lot to express my feelings over the internet hehehe, screaming from behind screens

((ALSO! Please don't feel pressured to read anymore of my fics if you don't feel like it, we only have a certain amount of energy through the day, and I appreciate it a lot, but look after you first hehehe))

TO ANSWER YOUR QUESTION SO YOU DON'T HAVE TO READ THE ENTIRE RESPONSE (for your ADHD):

YES! I will update Delirious Villain x Hero Caretaker, AND A Benignant Mischief, after I update: The Stranger and Semantics, and probably before Intoxicating Fear, so they can slide in between the updates scheduled :)

So expect them in two-three weeks, which is the best I can offer ^.^ Something to look forward to (hopefully, hehehe)

ABOUT RAMBLING -

I AM THE BIGGEST RAMBLER (and entirely unapologetic about it) so never fret about rambling in regards to me, especially if social interaction feels like a death sentence (I'm sorry, I read that on your mentioned post and I couldn't stop cackling ahahahahhaah, so relatable)

And don't worry your ask wasn't pushy, creepy, demanding or annoying, it was a delight to read :) Thank you for sending it after all your doubt :)

Thank you for your kind words about my stories, it really warmed my heart ahahahahah, I love that you want Villain to get revenge on his brother in Delirious Villain x Hero Caretaker. I agree that the prompt for A Benignant Mischief was SUPER DETAILED and I could practically see the story playing out in my head as I read it too hehehe!

ABOUT WRITING -

I am gathering that you have tried writing before, from how you were talking about trying to make characters distinguishable from each other, which is 9/10ths of the secret to writing and getting better at it.

You will be shocked with how much you learn from just trying to write, and in the act of writing, so you said that it's hard for you to make each character distinct, and the fact that you have noticed that in your writing IS A WRITER'S BRAIN analysing your own writing and seeing the flaws. Even looking for how other writers do it to try and improve yourself is a very writer thing to do, so you already know what makes writing good *objectively*, which is half the battle.

I suck at writing settings, using the senses and painting a picture with words, which is why all my settings are janky and so I FOCUS on trying to distract readers with character interactions because that comes more naturally to me ahahhaahah. So we all have our natural strengths and weaknesses in writing.

And as some famous writer said: WRITERS WRITE, which is my advice to you.

TEACHING YOU WRITING -

I don't know if this was a joke or not, but I do like to encourage people to write and continue writing, and get them hooked on the disease that is writing, entrap them into the shackles of their creative minds.

But I think you are your best teacher, like reading what you like and trying to emulate that in your own writing - All good writing is re-writing as well, so if you hate something at first glance, just put it aside for a few days and then edit it, no matter how cringe. It gets easier and less cringe ahahahahah, and remember that comparison is the death of creativity so try and focus on your own writing. You have something of value to add, your own voice and style so remember that when writing.

But in regards to teaching you, I could write some prompts, or send you some of my favourite whump/hero and villain prompts, but you can even look them up on Tumblr and you'll get soooo many good ones that will spark your imagination and write from there!!!

IF YOU READ THIS FAR...

Thank you for your ask. I hope you write more if that is what you like, it is both a dopamine increase and major decrease at the same time once you start writing a lot and frequently, so be advised there are two sides to it like a knife.

And I hope you have a great day/night too, and I am sorry for the delay in the reply!!!

[eclipixels]

I think this is my first time requesting so sorry if it’s weird but can I ask for a continuation of that pregnant reader and kaneki or was it done already and I just didn’t find 🧍🏼‍♂️

i just recently found you and i really wanna say that your writing is so fun to read 💞💞

Parenthood?

Kuro!Kaneki x Reader

Content: Kaneki's feelings towards becoming a father, all his doubts and worries (this is pt.2) -> pt.1

[1,000 words]

     Kaneki had never truly had anyone to call his own until you came into his life. For the first time, someone wanted him, cared for him, and saw him as more than just a person to be overlooked. You treated him like he mattered, like he was human. You were the one thing he loved most in this world, he'd do anything for you.

     When he found out you were pregnant, he would be lying if he said he wasn’t scared—terrified, even.

     You both were still in college, so it was unexpected, to say the least. But you two made it work, just like you always did. But, it wasn’t just being broke and untimely nature of the city that frightened him.

     His life had been shaped by mistreatment, especially from those who should have loved and cared for him. He knew his upbringing hadn’t been ideal. He understood that there were things about him that were different because of it.

     But, what if he wasn’t good enough to be a father because of it? What if he made mistakes?

     You reassured him, reminding him that mistakes were inevitable—not just his, but both of yours. That’s just how life worked. Still, the “what-ifs” plagued his mind.

     Something shifted when he noticed the small bump that was beginning to show. It was like a switch flipped in his mind and instinct kicked in.

     His love and care for you had always been immense, but now it was multiplied tenfold. He checked in on you constantly, gave you shoulder and back massages, ensured your favorite foods were always stocked, and walked you to and from class—even if it meant being late to his own lectures.

     He's always with you, taking care of you even when you're scared that he'll see you as gross. Vomiting your guts out? He's rubbing your back and holding back your hair. Binge eating the entire pantry? He's already asked Hide to stop by and bring some more food. Crying over a studio ghib li film? He's got you wrapped in his arms under the covers soothing you.

     "You feeling better, love?"

     “At this point, I've forgotten what better feels like” You shut your eyes, leaning into his touch, pressed against the warmth of his chest.

     "I'm sorry," He breathed, and you looked at him confused.

     "For what?"

     "For getting you pregnant." He frowned, speaking so seriously. You laughed, pressed his cheeks with both your palms before leaning in for a warm kiss.

     "Don't be, silly."

     Kaneki closed his eyes, trying to beat the negative thoughts away from his mind. Right now, all that mattered was you.

     One of your favorite moments became your weekend trips to shop for baby things. You’d spend hours browsing cribs, clothes, furniture, toys and the excitement in Kaneki’s eyes was contagious.

     “We need to start them early, Y/n-chan!” he exclaimed, holding up a set of toddler books. You laughed at his enthusiasm, gently reminding him how far off that stage was.

     “How about this? Or this? Wait, what if they don’t like green? Or what if they hate dinosaurs? Are dinosaurs scary for babies?” He furrowed his brows in concern.

     “Baby, they won’t even be aware of their own existence for the first few weeks. Whatever we pick will be perfect,” you chuckled at his overthinking.

     “Okay, so what else is left on the list?” He peeked over your shoulder, wrapping his arms around you from behind. This was everything—his perfect girl, his perfect baby, and all the love he had for them both. He couldn’t wait to meet them. With a small kiss on your shoulder, he glanced at the baby shopping list on your phone.

     “I think we’re done, actually,” you said, looking at the cart filled with a baby bathtub, clothes, diapers, and more.

     "Love?" he whispered softly, his voice tentative. You hummed in response, still focused on double-checking the list to make sure you'd gotten everything.

     "You know I'm happy about this, right? About the baby?" he asked, his eyes filled with a mix of worry and guilt.

     "Yeah, of course I know. It's kind of obvious," you laughed, glancing up at him. "Where’s all this coming from?"

     "I just… I don’t know if I’ve been the best partner to you. And I keep talking about how scared I am to be a dad. I don't want you to think that means I'm not happy about this," he admitted, his voice quiet.

     "Ken, I know you. I understand," you reassured him, stepping closer and resting a hand on his arm. "You're just worried, that's all. It just shows your love and how much effort you're putting into being the best dad you can be for our little one."

     "Do you think they'll love me too?" he asked, his voice uncertain. Was it a dumb question? His mind wandered back to his childhood, to the absence of love he’d experienced. His memories were filled with books, but not warmth.

     "Without a doubt," you smiled, giving him a reassuring squeeze. And you were right.

     When the baby finally arrived, the moment Kaneki first held them in his arms was indescribable.

     It was all chaotic and overwhelming, he worried for you and felt upset at the thought of you having to endure so much. But the instant you both saw your little one, the noise of the world seemed to fall away. It was just the three of you.

     And as soon as your baby made skin contact with you and Kaneki, they stopped crying. He could feel it, the love that radiated between you and the new little life you’d created together.

     "So cute, Y/n-chan! Can you believe it? Our own little baby?" Kaneki cooed, doting on the now sleeping newborn.

     "I know, they're so tiny." You responded, tired and sleepy and hungry.

     "Ken?" You looked up at him with those pretty eyes, still wet with tears from literally just giving birth. He immediately grimaced, pain was something he hated most, especially if someone be loved was feeling it.

     He was a bit dramatic. You still remember the first time you got your period after you two started dating. He understood why, but he believed that biology should've known better and skipped you because someone as precious as you should never have to endure period cramps.

     So, having to see you go through this? He was willing to bring you the moon if it meant it'd compensate for it.

     "Yes, my love?" He looked at you with laser focus. What did you need?

     "Sushi..." You signed out desperately. Huh? Oh wait! Of course! You couldn't have any while you were pregnant. Kaneki gently gave you back your child before peering outside the room looking for his orange-headed best friend.

     He noticed the man dozed off in an awkward position. He had also come along in support of your guy's baby, having grown an important part of your life too because of Kaneki.

     "Hide! Sushi! Quick! Where?" Kaneki woke up his friend. The man woke up rightfully confused, wondering why he was being shaken. A decade later in life, and Kaneki's grown ass still goes to him for help when he's panicking.

     You were able to get your sushi eventually. It was fucking delicious.

     Kaneki made a vow right then and there, he would be the best father he could be as he watched you gobble down entire rolls of sushi while your baby slept peacefully on your chest. He wouldn’t let his past define him. Instead, he would use it as a foundation to grow. No longer would it hold him back or make him question his abilities. For his new family.

[megabuild]

this isnt about the ask game but i need you to tell me more about your take on pausetho. i just binged starblight desert and theyre the worst /aff what do you have to say about them

the fact you've specified starblight desert is really interesting to me because not only it is a team canada series but it's also the most recent team canada series- which isn't a bad thing to be clear, because pausetho is eternal and forever, but it interests me because i think pause and etho's dynamic changes a lot in a way that i wouldn't consider applicable to other ships of his that have that long and ongoing history (eg. ethubs, beeftho).

when i think of pausetho i think. the two of them are fundamentally quite lonely characters. full disclaimer that i'm far from #educated on their respective mindcrack povs because i haven't watched them in a hot minute, but. etho is extremely lonely often through choice, especially imo with the way i interpret his time on mindcrack as being shortly after all the 404 nonsense on the lp (tldr he has just went through the most traumatic experience of his life and learned most of what he remembers prior is probably fabricated). etho is also known for his masks and during mindcrack i think a big one was being this very respected and almost famous guy.. a lot of it was in jest ofc but like he's Thee Etho's Lab! this in addition to the fact that he's sort of intimidating in the same way he was in 3l+ll because his uhc rankings were pretty solid.

meanwhile pause is also lonely but imo in a different way. because etho is a guy who chooses loneliness to avoid the eventual hurt that comes from connection whereas pause is a guy who chooses connection time and time again but never really properly connects. hes a lot harder to analyse so forgive me because i also have to tread the dreaded rpf/fiction line here and start pulling from examples most people wouldn't consider due to it being Too Real (also i dont care because its complicated but anyway) one thing that always sticks out to me is the various mindcrack podcast episodes where he ends up being outspoken? i dont have any actual numbers on hand but i Def remember it in regards to like, discussions of female gamers and gamergate and the like and pause often being the one guy to speak up and be like This is shitty actually. that in addition to some far more complicated things i dont have the words to get into right now eg. being the guy on the gayest straight server ever who is actually bisexual But anyway. my point is that among mindcrackers pause to me is in a weird situation where he certainly fits in very well but simultaneously sticks out like a sore thumb in ways he cant really do anything about without massively compromising himself, so despite not being lonely in the same way etho is, there is a certain Something there.. sorry this makes zero sense but this ask has been sitting in my drafts for like a week and im desperate to get rid of it. PLUS he also deals with this in the form of a mask (he is actually a very anxious and soft hearted guy imo but often plays up and is fiercer and shouts more to get laughs but also to come across as bigger and more intimidating than he actually is. not that he needs to because jesus have you seen this guys uhc stats? frankly i should have skipped this entire essay and just linked the various times that etho and pause have clashed in uhc)

anyway jesus this got long . all of this is literally not real btw the main reason i like pausetho is because theyre funny and pause is one of my favourite guys and i wish there was more content for him. but also generally like.. this is the complicated messy reason to like them but also yeah generally just watching team canada and seeing their dynamic is fun bc they are just really good friends ^_^

[luthwhore]

hello, love your blog, was wondering if you have any clex fic recs?

oh man, i have been binging clex fic pretty much nonstop since i started getting back into smallville several months ago, so i can definitely make some recs! with that said, i'm relatively new to the clex fandom, so i would also recommend checking out @clarklexlois's fic rec page, which is super comprehensive and where i found a lot of things myself! i believe @raelis1 also posted a fic rec list a while back that was full of a lot of old gems, many of which are not on ao3 and/or are only accessible via the wayback machine, so i would definitely check out both of their rec lists at some point.

editing to add: @reedrichards also has a rec list posted on their old blog still accessible here!

i'm not sure what specific flavor of clex you're looking for, so I'll try to provide some variety, but given that quite literally 95% of the clex fic on ao3 is smallville-based, most of these are mostly or entirely based on smallville canon.

also, i'm trying to limit this list to no more than one fic per author, but many of these authors have a ton of fic and i would highly recommend looking through their other work!

-

smallville-based:

the identical series, by @lanninglurksnomore. 400k+ words and 20 years in the making. technically still a WIP but the latest chapter was posted about a week ago. since the fic was started at the end of s1, it's heavily canon-divergent, but lanning's characterization of lex and handling of his mental illness is excellent, and the fic really captures lex's relationship with lionel perfectly.

string theory, by spqr. this is technically an omegaverse fic, but the omegaverse aspect is exclusive to kryptonians. loosely set post-series, but it's pretty light-hearted and fun.

let it snow, by mskatej. sharing a hotel room / sharing a bed / snowed in fic. exactly what it sounds like. i really like how bratty the author writes clark in this fic, it feels very true to his canon characterization.

the hinge moment, by @tasabian. basically all of this author's fic is set post-series and blends smallville characterization and history with comic elements, so it feels like a really wonderful blend of the two. i would frankly recommend their entire catalog of fic because they have some of my favorite characterization for clark, but this one in particular does a masterful job of showing the tremendous amount of pressure clark is under as superman.

switch: a comedy of terrors, by rivkat. this one is a bodyswap fic. if you like bodyswap fics, you will love this fic. rivkat has a huge backlog of clex fic and all of it slaps. i think i lost about a week just digging through all of their fic.

marked, by seperis. this author has a very lovely, almost stream-of-conscious style that makes for a very pleasant reading experience. this particular fic manages to hit shaving kink, make-up/feminization, and collaring. 80% porn but then it sneaks angst in on you at the last minute. this author's fic tends to have a very grounded, bittersweet feel to it.

light the torch, by ang3lba3 & Birthdaytoasts. clark/lex/lois. alien heat/mating-cycle fic. if the idea of that triad interests you, this fic will be everything you could want and more.

long time coming, by BewareTheIdes15. by far the most recent fic on this list -- it was just published this month -- but so, so, SO good. post-series, canon-divergent, fix-it-fic of sorts. fantastic characterization all around, snappy prose, and generally a delight to read.

seduction, by lenore. **heavy trigger warnings on this one for lionel being a massive creep.** the first fic is, by it's nature, a pretty uncomfortable read and also not technically a clex fic, so if the tags/summary does not sound like something you want to read in graphic detail (i personally skimmed some parts), you can skip to the second installment without losing anything for the very cathartic follow-up.

manual transmission series, by bipolypesca. this fic is old and only available on the wayback machine, the only thing on my rec list that isn't on ao3. it's very long but so worth it. the characterization for both clark and lex is excellent and it's one of the few long fics i've seen really delve into clark's very specific anxieties around his fear of sex and specifically of hurting people with his powers during sex, as well as the specific prejudices and issues two young queer men living in a small town in kansas would be subject to.

-

comics-based:

wien's law, by obscureshipyard. (unsure if this author has a tumblr.) exclusively comics-based, though the author does have some more smallville-based works i think. features lex as a trans man, if that's something you're into. there's some triggering content and the first few installments are pretty angsty, but it ultimately has a happy ending.

an alienated property, by kantayra. superman and lex, trapped together on a red sun planet. (i'm honestly surprised this trope isn't more popular because it's a lot of fun.) this fic is tagged with smallville, not comics, but it feels more in line with the comics dynamic to me.

a universe of possibilities, by kitsunesongs. dub-con. based on the superman: the black ring arc and may be a little confusing if you haven't read the arc it's based on, but there's so little purely comics-based clex fic that i feel like i have to include it.

[panie-wanie-dean-bean]

Eight hours, you are eight hours into this fucking drive and you still can’t believe this is happening. How did this all start again? Oh right, the letter

Not a letter in the mailbox or slid under your door, no no, that would be too simple. You found this letter under your pillow, that you were sleeping on, next to a…concerningly sticky spot on your bed. Where you found it wasn’t the only weird thing about it though, inside the letter was, basically, a threat

It turns out your dad, who you haven’t seen since you were six, recently passed. The letter contained a copy of his will and it was…something alright. He had a lot of weird shit to give away to names you didn’t recognize but he also left you two things right at the very bottom. His house, and his whole ass cult

No, really, "whole ass cult" was written in your dad’s will. If you’d known he was such a comedian you might have uprooted your entire life sooner! Ugh, you honestly didn’t have much of a life to uproot in the first place, the only thing you really don’t like about this is leaving your mom. She’s a good woman, strong as shit too for raising you all on her own, but she just couldn’t go back to this place. You don’t blame her, you hardly know why you’re going

That’s a good question actually, why the fuck are you driving all this way to take care of your dad’s mess? A part of you thinks you can help in some way, cults prey on people who don’t have their life together, maybe you could help some folks get out of there, start a new life

Another, more cynical, part of you thinks you’re going out of some underlying god complex. A place full of people who think you’re perfect and can do no wrong? Of course you’d want that, you’ve always craved what praise you could get from your mom and your teachers and your bosses, a whole comune worth of praise is just what a sick fuck like you would-...No, stop that

You’ve been alone with your thoughts for far too long. You mean, it only takes a few minutes for you to start spiraling into self hatred most of the time, eight hours is just cruel. But, whatever, you’re so nearly there you can taste it. Your gps says you’ve only got about half an hour left, you can do this, just this one last push and you’re there. You hear a little *bing* from your phone and look over to see you’ve crossed over state lines

Of fucking course your cult is in Ohio

[66sharkteeth]

Hey there, 66! Hope you're doing great. I have been going through your account for the past few hours (this reminds me of that one time I stayed up till 2 am as I appreciated all the artworks on your Instagram) so I know you've heard this several times, but I wanted to say it myself too: your work is wonderful. Believe me, I absolutely love it!

I found City of Blank years ago, during its first season. I read it all, and was quite impressed with the concept, intrigued by the plot, and in love with the characters. But before the next season started, I dropped out of reading Webtoons completely, as far as I remember. Long story short, I revisited Webtoon recently, read a few episodes of City of Blank, and was hooked. Yep. I binge-read the entire rest of the episodes in... three to five days?

So I want to commend you on your amazing concept, beautiful and eye-catching art, plot that keeps me reading late into the night (and at the dining table, between my studies, every single chance I get), the characters (really, they're very well-written — please don't doubt that — and unique, with different stories and personalities, I just love them), and the themes too (incorporated nicely, and it does make me wonder what it means to be a human). The way you write grey characters is one of the best things in your story, I feel.

(I feel like I should give you specific examples of what I like, but I have a tendency of talking too much, as you can see, so this will get way too long, I think... and sorry about the already huge chunks of text. but I hope this make you feel happy somehow)

Alright, now onto my actual questions. They're actually not related to the webcomic itself, since I really can't think of anything interesting... But your story is really good, so here are some queries I have about writing in general.

Do you have any tips for thinking of ideas? About concepts, plot, whatever; how to really get your brain in that mode, you know.

How do you create such vibrant characters? My characters are so similar... there are at least three pairs of nearly-identical characters. And how do you make them flawed yet still so likable?

They are pretty general questions, my apologies. It's just that, you know, since I'm getting to interact with the creator of one of my current favourite stories, why not learn something from them? You can just answer with your personal processes or whatever, I just wished to know how you do it.

I'm really looking forward to the next episode (but take your time, I'm okay with waiting). Pretty sad that this is the last season though. I'll miss it. Could you maybe tell me the estimated date of return and how many more episodes we'll have? Just a rough idea will do too.

That's all. (At this point it'll come as a relief to you 😂) Have a wonderful week ahead, lots of love, and know that there are lots of people who genuinely enjoy your work, you adorable shark! ❤️

(also, don't know why I'm telling you, but this is my first ever interaction on Tumblr with literally anyone) (cool site, I like the easy formatting)

(If you've read this entire thing, thank you. Did I bother you too much? I hope not.)

Hey there! Gonna do my best to answer this since it's been in my inbox for a while, but apologies if it's not the most coherent as my head's still in a bit of a fog from a cold.

First off, thank you for the kind words. I remember they made my day when I first got this ask, but they made it again as I'm waking up w/ a throbbing head ache and coughing my lungs out from the NYCC 2023 Con Crud™.

Anyway, gonna answer your questions the best I can, especially because I'm not entirely sure what the best way to answer these kinds of questions are-

Do you have any tips for thinking of ideas? About concepts, plot, whatever; how to really get your brain in that mode, you know.

I think one thing I like to shape a lot of my concepts around is making something unordinary ordinary. I've talked about it before, but one of the inspirations behind blanks is shadow people, like the ghosts. They're so horrifying and creepy to me, and I thought it would be neat if I made a world where the most creepy and scary thing to me was just...super ordinary and mundane. Like a world where you go into your living room and you're like "Man, that shadow person is still standing in front of my tv. How obnoxious."

A lot of my upcoming ideas kind of focus around this concept too. What if we lived in a world where demons were just every day citizens that went to work and school with us? What if we lived in a world where nobody feared death and was excited for it? What if we lived in a world where half the population was in prison? I can't say every single story idea I have falls into this, but I'd say a lot of them do and I find it's often a kick off point for a lot of my ideas.

How do you create such vibrant characters? My characters are so similar... there are at least three pairs of nearly-identical characters. And how do you make them flawed yet still so likable?

Do I make them likable? Sometimes I can't tell when I look at characters like Lyss haha. Because I think she's a victim of how I write characters, which is just... I dunno, write them like they're real people. Everybody is mad at the decisions Lyss made but... I'm sorry. I'll forever die on the hill that everyone are hypocrites and 90% of people would have done the same thing in her shoes. Only a flawless, benevolent, and frankly kind of stupid, person would have just...let Rex go in those circumstances, evil other half be damned. He was still a danger who proved he couldn't control himself, and the same way you'd probably report your best friend who was driving raving drunk after he just smashed into someone, she reported a dangerous person. Even if people hate her for it, I wrote what any person would have done in that situation. And that's how I try to write all my characters, for better or for worse. A lot of Rex's stupid decisions are dictated by his anxiety and depression, and I know from firsthand experience how being in that state of mind can influence your decisions and overall outlook on life and the people who love you, despite what you may think. I guess my advice is just to give them human flaws. A lot of people don't like Nia because she's manipulative, but I write her as a character who 100% practices what she preaches. Yeah, she "gas lit" Rex into joining Blan Corp, but she also 1000% believed it was the best thing for him.

Desmond probably comes off as the more "flawless" characters, but his own self-loathing and... catholic blank guilt is a big part of what pushed Rex away. In the time when Rex was questioning and hating himself for being a blank, why would he ever go the one person who hates himself for being a blank more than him? When he could go to the person (Nia) who celebrates him being a blank, and reminds him he can be loved for being one.

Anyway, that's enough rambling for now. Hopefully that gives you some to chew on.

[crehador]

winter 2025 is upon us and i have very much not finalized my list of things to watch for the season. i might try a bunch of first eps at random and see what sticks, but the ones i'll definitely be following are:

slf s2, ao no hako, and chi - all continuing from fall 2024, so not technically winter shows, but really looking forward to another cour of all of these!

yohaji and touhai (and possibly ao no miburo? don't see an episode count for it listed yet) are also rolling into winter, reasonably entertaining but not as hype as those three up top

if haigakura is resurrected from the dead i will continue with that too and hope it gets ummmmm better. yeag

anyway. new stuff!

first and foremost...

TOXIC WIZARD YAOI SEASON LET'S GOOOOOOOOOOOOO disclaimer this is not even an image from the anime adaptation but i will always and forever take any excuse to post this owen, disclaimer 2 (electric boogaloo) despite my affectionately calling this toxic wizard yaoi all the time it's not actually bl just to be clear

anyway i've been avoiding all trailers for the anime since i want to go in and be surprised by everything. i do know we're going with f!akira here which seems fair enough since iirc we had m!akira in the stage plays

i don't know anything about if we'll be following the game story or if the anime will be doing something new. my hopes are for following the game, and if it does, i'll be curious to see how far we get (i'm not entirely caught up on the game main story myself... should really get on that lol)

but anyway besides the voice actors. i mean i'm mostly here for the voice actors. for asnm. but besides that and the beautiful card art and the adorable chibis. i just love mahoyaku for its complete and utter mastery of the toxic situationship. these wizards are so fucking weird about each other it's great. can't wait to see them more in motion

i will be very biasedly loving the shit out of this whether it is good or not lol

moving on! the sequels i'll be picking up this season are watakon, ishura, and uniteup (and hanako-kun but rip i can only put three images in a row)

looking forward to more peak romance from watakon, s1 really surprised me by how enjoyable it was. uniteup is really just a standard bog idol anime but it's pretty good as far as standard bog idol series go. it's no idolish7 but it's perfectly serviceable. hoping for some more bangers from this season, though in all honesty i didn't listen to much of the music from the first season besides anela's stuff... should probably check out the other groups

ishura... idk. i think it was fine/fun enough but my main little meow meow is already dead so we'll see how s2 goes i guess

and now for the brand new stuff!

sakamoto days looks like it's going to be a ton of fun, really excited for that one. bathhouse vampire one seems like it has the potential to be really funny too. momentary lily i'm picking up because honestly i like gohands. i'll just say it. i like gohands! they've made some real shit but i like their style! however. if this is named momentary LILY and turns out to not be yuri so help me god

zenshuu and hanashura are, interestingly, kind of complete opposites. i'm giving zenshuu a shot because visually it looks really good and i do love media about making media. the mc being an anime director is deeply compelling to me, but the actual premise is just... not

maybe it will surprise me in a good way, but i'll keep my expectations low

hanashura on the other hand just sounds lovely, i haven't taken a look at the visuals yet, but it seems like it'll be a quaint little school club series. and i love a good school club series

and then there's this isekai one... which i'm not enthusiastic at all if i'm being honest. like i recently binged tondemo skill and it was basically perfect so in terms of isekais where the guy has an online shopping power, i'm good. this one just seems superfluous to me. however... they got suwabe so. i will unfortunately be watching lol

there are a whole bunch of other series that i'll check out when the season begins in earnest, but i'm really hoping to keep my planning list to under twenty this season... so... well that's probably a lost cause. we'll see lmao

but. anyway. these uhhh seventeen? there are already seventeen?? jfc yeah alright these seventeen are on the list for sure

[withloveheart]

What book are you reading or have you read?

Hello Habibti,

Recently, I joined a romance book club to make some new friends in my area. Since then, I've been on a romance binge.

The Bridgerton Series by Julia Quinn

I don't feel this series needs much of an introduction since the show has been a huge hit for many people but in case you've been out of the loop, this series follows the Bridgerton family in regency era with each book following a specific sibling and their respective romantic partners. Personally, I ended up reading the books out of order for a reason I don't even know. The Duke and I is the first book and the one that I found to be the most boring. An Offer from a Gentleman the third and Romancing Mister Bridgerton were equally entertaining for me. I finished them rather quickly but by no means would I consider either to be the best romance novels I've ever come across. The last one that I read was actually the last book in the series, On the Way to the Wedding. It was a chaotic book and I finished it within a day. All the books that I've read though I've had sobume issues with plot points and characterization. I felt like they were missing something more.

Dreamland Billionaires Series by Lauren Asher

Another romance series that I devoured in June. At least the first two books. The last book has been rather slow, and I get bored very quickly. This series follows the Kane brothers who are set to inherit what is essentially this novel's version of Disney. After their grandfather dies, the will is revealed. In order to get their inheritance, the brothers are given a set of tasks to accomplish. Each book then follows each of the men and their female lead as they navigate their personal issues and budding romantic relationship. The Fine Print was a quick read. Rowan and Zahra had nice chemistry and struggles that you could easily root for them. Terms and Conditions was honestly the best so far despite not being the biggest fan of the tropes that were present. I'm mentally stuck with Final Offer, I just can't seem to finish it despite being so close to the end.

The Fake Out by Stephanie Archer

Sports romances are all the hype, but I've never really been a fan. However, when a trusted friend keeps raving to you about a book, the best course of action is to pick it up. She recommended the entire series, but the first book didn't seem interesting in the slightest, so I skipped to the second book. The two main characters are fake dating which then turns into a real romance. No surprise there since it is a romance. By no means is the book unique, but is sexy, romantic, and fun. Witty banter and conversations between the two main leads was enjoyable to follow. Rory, the male lead, is cocky but in a way that is entertaining and not annoying. Hazel was an interesting fleshed out character. Following her struggles with dealing with her own insecurities and attempting to reach her dreams were a treat. If you're looking for a fun book to get you out of reading slump, I'd recommend The Fake Out.

Building a Story Brand - Donald Miller

I really tried to stick with mostly romance but at one point I started itching for a good non-fiction. Building a Story Brand is a marketing book where Miller concentrates on the importance of a good narrative for consumers to resonate with. There is a step-by-step framework that makes things easier to comprehend. Insights from psychology and neuroscience are used to make storytelling more effective in connecting with the customers. As someone who wants to get into the business world, I found this book helpful.

With Love, Heart💚

[dauntlessdiva]

i wish my stranger things Huge hyperfix was still around :( i miss having brainrot over steddie and such yk? but it’s still lovely to see it on my dash depsite not participating as much anymore. and the fic idea is so good??? i think i’ll go and add some of your fics on ao3 to my read later list! :]

i have tried to watch d20 and specifically fantasy high… i think i got to, like, episode 2 or 3 of season 1. my brain can’t comprehend all of the talking and trying to keep up with story. i love dnd so much and i’d love to delve into d20 more and also critical roll. feel free to talk to me about it anytime! who’s your favorite fantasy high characters??

i also have never watched bridgerton! i’ve seen posts on here about it but i really have no clue what it’s about! i’m guessing it’s british but i’m not even sure about that lol. it’s lovely to watch something with your family like that, it’s really sweet

OH SAME!! i love minecraft and i love baking and i love watching crochet stuff but i don’t participate in the hobby. tell me some of your favorite things about minecraft, your favorite things to bake, your favorite crochet project possibly?

i love music so much AHHH!!! who’s your top 3 artists? or what are some of your favorite songs right now? personally, there’s a new album coming out soon that i’m really excited for! and new music actually released tonight for me as well, just has been a great music month for me ^w^

(hope this is okay, i mean, to send multiple asks as conversation!)

I love this, it's like getting letters but online.

(This is what email wishes it could be)

I also have a hard time concentrating on the words with d20, but also woth podcasts and audiobooks too, so I typically find another task to do to keep my ears engaged. Like I'll listen to Dimension 20 while I bake! Or I'll draw in my sketchbook while listening to an audiobook.

In terms of my favourite character from Fantasy High, it's a tie between Fig and Gorgug. My angry little sweethearts.

Bridgerton IS British! And if you like regency era romance vibes but don't care so much about the historical accuracy, then you'd probably like it. There's a lot of sex scenes though so do with that what you will.

My favourite Bridgerton character is Anthony Bridgerton. He's the eldest and he's so stubborn that I wanna box his ears sometimes, but he is also a sweetheart.

My dad likes to hog the tv for the majority of the week, and we have family movie nights all together on Saturday nights. But on Friday nights, my dad invites his buddies/our neighbours over to hang out in the garage for some beers and good conversation, and me, my mom, and my sister will all go watch something on Netflix together.

We've been doing it since Stranger Things season 4 part 2 came out, and we will just sit and binge entire shows a few episodes at a time.

I may be aging myself with this one, (and that feels so odd to say as someone who just turned 25 last month) but my favourite minceracft youtuber has got to be Vintagebeef. I started watching him when he was in his second season playing on the Mindcrack server (it was their 3rd season I believe), back when I was 12.

I love watching him on the Hermitcraft server these days, and it's nice to see him interacting and having fun with minecraft legends of old and new. I also love any Team Canada (Vintagebeef, Ethoslab, and PauseUnpause) videos. It's as fun as it is chaotic, and it's always very chaotic.

I found a recipe online to turn cake mix into cookies by modifying the wet ingredients, and I have been having so much fun getting creative with those on my days off work since I discovered it sometime last fall.

(My favourite ones so far would have to be the marbled cookies. They are to die for)

My favourite crochet projects, to date, are the baby blanket I made for my best friend's little boy, and the dice bags I recently made for my friend and I (she invited me to join my first ever dnd campaign with her)

My top three music artists right now would be Noah Kahan, Chappell Roan, and Hozier (with a shout out to Benson Boone)

But my all time faves? Marianas Trench, Fall Out Boy, and AC/DC

[homestuckdailyweekly]

Homestuck Daily - Week 4/End of Month 1 - 5/11/2024

Today marks the end of the first month of my real time Homestuck reread. If my math is correct (and that is a big if), I have 83 months of reading Homestuck left. Based on some more math, I first read Homestuck roughly 50 months ago. I don't know what point I am making with this, except for the fact that time is long and strange.

If I am being honest, I am finding it a hard time to write this update, because it feels like basically nothing happened this entire week. It probably doesn't help that I've been playing Hades 2, an extremely fun and good game, all week. So everything I have to say about this week of Homestuck is colored by an implicit "And I read this instead of playing Hades 2 in that exact moment." Hell, I could be playing Hades 2 right now, but I am writing this instead.

In case you haven't noticed, dear reader that definitely exists, I don't exactly know what I'm doing with this one here. I know, after I worked so hard on developing a strict and rewarding format these past few weeks, I'm throwing it all away to ramble here and now. The thing you need to know about me, though, is that I make terrible decisions. Always have, always will. I promise I'll get to a point, but we'll get there on my own time.

Where was I. Oh right. 50 months ago. Valentines Day 2020. That was the day I began my first Homestuck read through. My girlfriend at the time- she would break up with me a few months later for non-Homestuck related reasons- was a Homestuck fan, and had tried and failed to convince me to read the comic before. We even spent a date night playing friend sim, which I tried my best not to be confused by. Well, Valentines day came, and I decided I would finally relent to my girlfriend's recommendation, and I spent the day reading Homestuck in my college dorm room. And when I started, I did not stop. Not for a long time. You see, it was a Friday, a Friday very early in the semester, in fact. I had nothing I needed to do and 3 whole days where I did not need to treat myself as a human being. I denied myself food, water, sleep, and human dignity as I read Homestuck, all the while texting my girlfriend my reactions. I think the only time I took a break that weekend was on Saturday, to play in a Vampire the Requiem game I had recently joined. I don't know exactly how far through Homestuck I had gotten when I attended the game- but it was further than a person should be less than 24 hours after starting the webcomic.

Which brings me to my point. How quickly into my binge did I get to the parts of this comic that has now taken me a month to reach? An hour? Less than that? I don't know and am unwilling to do the work to find that out. I don't think I had gone all-in on Homestuck at this point, but I do remember being entertained by the Sylladex fuckery that was going on. I found it intriguing, this little puzzle of mechanics, the audience and John struggling against an unintuitive game mechanic that refused to make things easy. That was 50 months ago. So far on my read through, all I really feel as I get to each new gag about Sylladexes is "Oh, today is just this, huh." A part of me is sad and disappointed these gags aren't landing for me in the way they once had. A part of me is worried what else in this comic will suffer with the addition of time. But then I got to the last page of this week's updates, page 137, a loading animation for SBURB set to Sburban Jungle by Michael Guy Bowman, and that worry melts away.

Sburban Jungle is a song that lights my imagination ablaze with visions of epic machinations. I am the kind of person who listens to music not just because I like a song, but because that song puts images in my head that I can't tear myself from exploring as fully as I can. Even back when I was a kid in highschool, I would spend my bus rides home listing to my ipod, imagining grand adventures and fantastic scenes set to whatever music I was listening to. Sburban Jungle brings me back to those days, I think. That feeling that I find so hard to describe right now is part of why I love Homestuck, I think. It is a story about 4 kids, friends, playing a game together. A game where anything can be possible. A game where music brings actions scenes of epic and mythical scale- like the kind I would think about on the bus ride home- to life. That game hasn't started yet, we are still playing a game I'd like to call "Inventory Management if the Inventory Management hated you". But we'll get there eventually.

I have read Homestuck in realtime for 1 month. I will continue this for 83 more months. There'll be many months where I read nothing, and I'll need to think up something to post during those weeks. There'll be months where I'll struggle to keep everything I want to discuss in individual coherent posts. Homestuck is a land of contrasts, and I am going to experience those contrasts in the fullness of time's length. This is a terrible idea, but those are my favorite kinds.

Now that this is written and done with, time to play some more Hades 2.

[somekeepsakes]

Thanks @urbanowa for tagging me <3

last song: Swampy by Dry Cleaning. I recently remembered how I discovered them by accident when one of their songs showed up on a playlist a few weeks after the plague™ hit in 2020 and how their music went on to accompany me through the rest of the year and beyond ofc bc they haven't lost any of their magic.

latest TV show: I don't watch many TV shows, actually I haven't watched a single one in 2023. The last one was probably a Polish one called Klangor which I was forced to binge at the end of December as I came across it a few days before the TV channel removed it from its streaming service and I needed to hurry up bc I was pretty sure I wouldn't find the German version online as I don't speak Polish.

currently watching: I'm currently working on making my films-to-watch list smaller, the most recent ones I've seen were The Third Man and Die Konsequenz. Haven't decided what's next, it's always more of a spontaneous thing.

currently reading: Die Arbeit der Nacht by Thomas Glavinic. It's a book I found in some bookstore during a trip about a year ago. I was intrigued by the title and also bc some critic described it as kafkaesque. It's a really weird book (in a good sense). The main (and so far only) character wakes up one morning and finds himself to be the only person left in the entire city.

current obsession: Definitely Shortparis since the end of January when I saw them live for the first time. I only started listening to one or two of their albums last year after reading an article about them. When I saw they were coming to Vienna, I bought my ticket on a whim. As I was leaving for Vienna, I wasn't in the best mood due to several things happening at that time so I wasn't expecting much and wasn't really looking forward to anything either. But then the concert just blew me away which was completely unexpected. It was just amazing and intense and managed to brighten my day, my week, my month, my mood whatever and I absolutely adore them now.

tag 9 people: @endorstoiii, @angelolsenwife, @elfyz, @velocidaixxtor, @lastflowerss, @murobrown, @broamen, @lighten-up-squirt & @lillekins if you want to and also please drop me a message if you are annoyed by my tag spam sorry lol