#for the people that are fans of both epic and wicked

[toxinoire]

I'm gonna write this gelphie post of mine again, but like, a polished with an actual build up version of it.

I'm posting that on ao3 so...

*sighs* Booksical Gelphie will be the death of me.

[lovelypink2005]

I wonder how many people/kids back then actually DID send the Scholastic Inc. This mail right after they finished reading the 5th book...

[hughesysgirl28]

Request? No

Pairings: Nico Hischier x fem!reader

Summary: a girl has been starting a rumor that she’s dating Nico Hischier. Except, she isn’t. You are but it’s a secret so nobody else knows but you two and close friends. Getting tired of the girl and her rumor you decide to reveal your relationship during one of your concerts.

A/n: I’ve lowkey been obsessed with Karma by Taylor Swift lately so I thought of this!

Requests are closed!

Warnings: use of y/n, minor cursing

-

Karma

-

Sitting in the apartment you shared with your boyfriend Nico you sighed. You had a day off and were spending it with Nico before the last concert of the American leg of your tour at the Prudential Center tomorrow but low and behold the same girl who was saying she was dating Nico last week was still saying it and the worst part was a lot of people believed her. She had made some weird photoshopped pictures that actually looked real unless you knew who the hockey player was actually dating. Yourself.

“Liebe, don’t worry about it.” Nico mumbles to you pulling you to lean against his chest on the couch you both resided on currently. “But, Neeks, it’s getting worse now.” You sighed yet again while scrolling through the girls instagram.

“Maybe we should reveal our relationship then.” Nico says pressing a light kiss to your shoulder.

“Are you okay with that?” You ask now turning your head to look at him. “If it eases your mind and gets this girl to stop then yes.” He reassures you.

You think about it for a second then nod. “I have an idea. At my concert tomorrow, you’ll see.” You tell him after thinking of an idea. You’d reveal your relationship with your song Karma.

“Now let’s just enjoy our day together Y/n.” Nico says to you grabbing the remote and turning on the tv to your shared favorite show. You gave him a big smile putting your phone away as you both watched it while cuddling on the couch.

-

It was the next day. It was also about time for you to go out on stage. You paced around back stage doing breathing exercises.

Nico had came back a little bit earlier wishing you good luck hugging and giving you a short kiss. After that he had gone to where he and some of his teammates and their girlfriends/wives would be sitting.

Your chosen outfit for the night was a type of white dress with long white sleeves that had bows on the end. You also had a white bow in your hair. Your stage manager then came to you and said it was time to start the show. You nodded grabbing your mic and walked out there onto the stage.

“Hey Prudential!” You exclaim to the crowd with a big smile waving out to your fans. They all screamed happily as you came out on stage and talked.

“I hope you guys have a good time tonight cause I plan to make it an epic one! The first song is one of my personal favorites Karma!” You said into your mic. This was the song. You’d reveal yours and Nico’s relationship with the first one. The entire world would know before tomorrow.

“You’re talking shit for the hell of it. Addicted to betrayal, but you’re relevant.” You sang dancing around the stage with your dancers. You loved your job. Getting to sing and entertain people. This song you had actually written about Nico. You never told him it was but you had a feeling he knew.

“Sweet like justice, karma is a queen. Karma takes all my friends to the summit.” You sing then look to where Nico would be and grin.

“Karma is the captain of the Devils coming straight home to me.” You sing point to where Nico was. The camera had fanned over there to him showing him on the screen for a quick second as everyone screamed louder at the reveal.

You sway your hips in a dance as you continue the song. “Nico’s a relaxing thought. Aren’t you envious that for you he’s not?” You sing with a wicked grin looking to the middle camera as it points to you.

Soon the song was over and you continued the concert. Everyone enjoyed it from what you could tell considering all of the joyous screaming.

After, backstage, Nico came to you hugging and spinning you around with a grin his dimples showing. “That’s my girl!” He exclaims. “Always, Nico.” You say as he puts you down but still hugging you.

Your arms were wrapped around his neck. You both kissed a quick but meaningful kiss before you went and changed into regular clothes so you could go out with the rest of his team and their girlfriends/wives for the night.

[sarahreesbrennan]

Quick Evil Note

To all my wicked darlings, I have now received rather a lot of messages asking me about the influences of Long Live Evil. And I wish to get messages about LLE and truly appreciate the ones I do get! And I wish to answer them. But answers about influences are tricky.

The book has been out in the US for a little over two weeks, and it’s going so well so far, I couldn’t be more delighted and appreciative about its reception.

But also I’ve been informed (not asked) that two of my characters are obviously somehow both Harry Potter and Draco Malfoy of Harry Potter, and Wei Wuxian and Lan Wangji of Grandmaster of Demonic Cultivation. (Very puzzling as I don’t think these pairings - and one isn’t a pair - have much in common with each other or with mine. Vague hostility against a vaguely academic backdrop for a bit? For the record… in the book everyone is an adult and I don’t even have any academic backdrops to be vaguely hostile in front of…) This hasn’t happened to me in a long time, because I haven’t had an original novel out in a long time due to illness, and it is upsetting to always be discussed differently than writers who didn’t openly link their real names to their fan identity.

I have very different feelings and new appreciation for fandom than I once had. It’s been amazing to see and meet people who have stuck with me for decades. People are generally way more open and affectionate to and within fandom than they once were. Love matters to me a good deal more than hate. But getting death threats in your early 20s for excitedly telling your Internet friends you were going to publish a book does mark the psyche, and so does having your characters dismissed as other people’s characters.

And we can say there is nothing wrong with fanfiction or writing fanfiction and there isn’t! Fanfiction is great and can be genius. Terry Pratchett wrote Jane Austen fanfiction, and didn’t (and shouldn’t) have people saying Captain Wentworth = Captain Vimes. Still, when a TV show is discussed as ‘like fanfiction’ or when Diana Gabaldon said she didn’t like fanfiction and many said ‘YOU write fanfiction’ it isn’t intended in any kind spirit, even when it’s fannish folk saying it. And it’s just generally odd to have everyone call your apple a tomato, and has had professional consequences for me in the past.

However! All the asks I’ve received have been very kind, and I do want to answer them. I do want to talk about my influences because they are manifold and because I actually think it’s important to always talk about influences. I don’t believe stories exist in isolation - we tell tales in a rich tradition, and also a story doesn’t come alive to me all the way until it’s heard or read.

Long Live Evil is a love letter to fandom: it’s chock full of references to many many stories I’ve loved, to fairytales, myths and legend and Internet memes and epic fantasy and meta. My acknowledgements are endless partly for this reason. I do owe a great debt to many portal fantasies and archetypes and musicals and jokes about genre and plays through the ages, though I do think of my characters as themselves and nobody else.

I was frankly tempted to go ‘Yes I stole EVERYTHING! Bwhahaha!’ But while I am thoroughly enjoying and finding great freedom in my villain era, I do want to talk sincerely to you all as well, especially when asked sincerely interested questions.

But I’m a little scared to do so and have people say ‘AHA! Now we know what it’s fanfiction of’ (it’s happened before) or ignore me and go ‘we know the truth!’ (it’s happened before) and to feel like I’ve injured my book. Long Live Evil means more to me than any other and I really want to get talking about it right, and make sure it has the best reception I can give it.

So. Questions on all Evil topics very very welcome but answers to influence questions may come slowly. Bear with me. I am working on this!

[xreaderdumpster]

Some playlist head canons for the X-Men

Not sure why but lately I’ve had ideas involving songs for the X-Men characters! So below I’ve given each character 7 songs I think would be in a playlist for the characters! Feel free to disagree, this is all my personal opinion ;w; Also this isn’t music accurate for the 90’s so suspend your disbelief!!

Scott- Cosmic Dancer by T. Rex, Talking in your sleep by The Romantics, Little Lion Man by Mumford and Sons, Espresso by Sabrina Carpenter (defo a guilty pleasure artist introduced to by Jubilee), Where is my Mind by the Pixies, Heroes by David Bowie and I believe in a thing called love by The Darkness (see “I’ve got you”, he’d defo do this song at drunk karaoke).

Gambit- The Pretender by Foo Fighters, Fuck me like you mean it by Steve Rodriguez, Chk Chk Boom by Stray Kids (gives me very Gambit does tricks to this song vibes), Ma Belle Evangeline from Princess and the Frog (obviously), Powerless by Waterparks (kind of a good song he’d sing to Rogue), Good Old-Fashioned Lover boy by Queen and Iris by Goo Goo Dolls.

Logan- Paint it black by Rolling Stones, Walk this way by Aerosmith, Southern Nights by Glen Campbell, Midnight Ride by Orville Peck (introduced to him by Rogue, would defo do a drunk duet to this song), Hurt by Johnny Cash, Barn Raising from Seven Brides for Seven Brothers (I head-canon that he secretly loves classic MGM musicals like Seven Brides and Calamity Jane) and Automobile by KALEO.

Rogue- Timber by Kesha, Can’t Remember to forget you by Shakira and Rihanna (sexy dancing in the club to this song with Morph and Jubilee), All the things she said by t.A.T.u., The Reason cover by Lady Parts (just gives me Rogue vibes!), Maneater by Nelly Furtado, Die with a smile by Lady Gaga and Bruno Mars and When you’re gone by Avril Lavigne (still got a lil emo/goth phase in her and this song is just sad enough to fit the vibes of both goth and the rest of her music with Avril).

Jean- Me and my husband by Mitski (gives her and Scott vibes), Chain by Fleetwood Mac, Young Volcanoes by Fall Out Boy (didn’t want to go with the obvious “The Phoenix choice from this album), Like real people do by Hozier, SOS by Abba (again, about her and Scott), Light my Love by Greta Van Fleet and Defying Gravity from Wicked.

Storm- Woman by Doja Cat, Cobra by Megan Thee Stallion, Thunderstruck by AC/DC (I’m sorry this is an obvious choice!!!), Confident by Demi Lovato, Little wolf from Epic: The Musical, My love mine all mine by Mitski and Good Riddance (Time of your life) by Green Day (feels like she’d connect with this song somehow, introduced to Green Day either by Morph or Gambit).

Hank- It’s All Right by Jon Batiste, Just a man from Epic:The Musical (I feel like he’d quite like the concept of this musical), Minecraft by C418, Concerning Hobbits from Lord of the Rings, La Vie en Rose cover by Louis Armstrong (gives me big jazz fan vibes), My baby just cares for me by Nina Simone and Sonata No. 14 “Moonlight” by Beethovan.

Jubilee- Crazy by LE SSERAFIM (was hard to narrow down a couple of K-Pop songs but this gave me the most Jubilee vibes), Girls just wanna have fun by Cyndi Lauper, You belong with me by Taylor Swift (she’d 100% be a Swiftie!), Bed chem by Sabrina Carpenter, Guess by Charli XCX, Just Dance by Lady Gaga and She’s homeless by CreepP (a good dance song when she’s out with Morph and Rogue).

Morph- Queer as in fuck you by Dog park dissidents, Tragedy cover by Brian David Gilbert, Abracadabra by Lady Gaga (Jubilee and Morph are both big fans of Gaga!), Dancing by myself by Billy Idol, I’m still standing by Elton John (headcanon that they love dancing), Let’s dance by David Bowie and Joyride (circus night) by Freshman Biology (original works too but this one’s funnier and they give the vibe they’d like parody music).

[phantomspren]

Hello! I'm Tesh! I'm an adult, aroace, American, use any pronouns, and am going to school for film and media production. (I'm going through a journalism program, so I also sometimes I say I'm a journalism student, just depends on the situation.) I've got minors in cultural anthropology and creative writing.

I crochet, do HEMA (smallsword mostly, though a bit of rapier and longsword too), and write! I'm also a Nerdfighter! And theoretically I'm learning Welsh and German.

I mostly reblog things I think are silly, but also plenty of serious stuff and fanart and things.

Media I am currently working my way through:

Books: Count Magnus and Other Ghost Stories (MR James)

Games: Slay the Princess (I've played through twice already, but you know how it is)

Shows: Doctor Who, Arcane, Owl House (17th rewatch I think)

Audio dramas: Magnus Archives (3rd relisten), Welcome to Night Vale, Malevolent, and Hymns For the Road

(Will I keep this up to date? We'll see. If not, I'll delete it eventually.)

DMs/asks: I really love talking to people. I'm kinda shit at asking good questions to facilitate conversations, but feel free to DM me or send me asks and tell me about your projects or to talk about media we both enjoy or anything like that. Or ask me what I think the meaning of life is, I do have an answer and like talking about it and hearing other people's thoughts. :) I will probably not DM you first because my social anxiety is quite bad with that, but that does not mean I do not want you to say hi.

Media I really enjoy and occasionally post about:

Books: The Cosmere (my first real fandom it is forever in my heart), The Locked Tomb, Lord of the Rings (also the movies), Phantom of the Opera (musical and other adaptations as well), Percy Jackson, Septimus Heap, The Raven Cycle, The Anthropocene Reviewed, The Wayfarers series, House of Leaves, The Dark is Rising Sequence

(My favorite genres are fantasy, gothic horror, older dystopian/sci fi/speculative fiction (I am a HUGE Ray Bradbury fan), history, and sociology. I have books recs. Ask me for book recs. Unless you want romance, I don't really read romance.)

Games: Hollow Knight, Outer Wilds, Slay the Princess

Shows/movies: The Owl House, Amphibia, Gravity Falls, Psych, Good Omens (fuck Gaiman), the 1996 Hamlet, Over the Garden Wall, The Muppet Christmas Carol (I kinda wish I was joking but I'm fucking obsessed with this movie), Barbie in the Princess and the Pauper (I am mostly joking but also it's so funny)

Audio dramas: The Magnus Archives (*shakes like a wet chihuahua*), Welcome to Night Vale

Musicals: Les Miserables (also the book), Come From Away, The Hunchback of Notre Dame (Michael Arden my beloved, I have not read the book yet), Hadestown, The Count of Monte Cristo (also the book), Wicked (not the book), Treason, The Clockmaker's Daughter (not the book there is no relation between the book and the musical), Frankenstein (also the book), Jekyll and Hyde (only portions of the musical, but also the book), Epic (I haven't read the book since I was fifteen but I enjoyed it)

Other music: The Mechanisms, The Amazing Devil, The Mountain Goats, The Narcissist Cookbook, The Crane Wives, To Kill a King, Sparkbird, AlicebanD, Fish in a Birdcage, Poor Man's Poison

A note on tags: I tag all Locked Tomb stuff with "The Locked Tomb," not tlt (it's short for a different thing in a different community I'm in). My personal tag for when I talk about shit is "Tesh talks." Other than that I think I do pretty normal things when it comes to tagging, feel free to let me know if you'd like me to change how I do stuff to make it easier to avoid spoilers or anything like that.

[theluckywizard]

2024 Writing Round Up

thank you for the tags @queenaeducan and @lykegenia 🥰 As always I am super grateful to the Dragon Age Fan Fiction discord community! I couldn't have done any of this without them!

words posted:

237,776

additional words written:

Probably another 30-40k

grand total of words:

270,000ish! (about half as many as last year, but the words are a much higher quality and I didn't yeet 120k of them LOL)

fandoms:

Dragon Age!

highest kudos:

In the Shattering of Things with 206 (Cullen x Trevelyan, Hawke x Trevelyan DA:I epic)

highest hit oneshot:

Unvarnished with 1,852 (Blackwall x Trevelyan smut)

new things I tried:

1. Alternate Universe with Kiss Me Moonstruck 2. multi-pov fic with Something Wicked This Way Comes (where five companions search for Inquisitor Rose Trevelyan and manage the situation after she disappears from the Winter Palace ball: Vivienne, Josephine, Cullen, Garrett Hawke and bard Fidencio Frye). 3. my first exchange! I wrote Love at First Fight for Windwalker57 featuring his OC Aedan Cousland and his old flame Marie Trevelyan as they dance around their attraction at the Grand Tourney mid 9:20s

fic i spent the most time on:

My DA:I long fic In the Shattering of Things! It's still going strong and I am super proud of the 80k words I added this year. I've grown a lot as a writer since I first started and my additions to the fic this year have been lovingly and deliberately crafted.

fic i spent the least time on:

Together Alone (Cullen & Bethany DA2 fic) I love it, but it's just lower on the priority list.

favorite thing i wrote this year:

I am super proud of everything I wrote this year, but like last year my fic Kiss Me Moonstruck is right up at the top. (Matchmaking fic based on the idea that Leandra Hawke and her old friend Alsatia Trevelyan are trying to fix up their kids, Garrett and Rose) This time last year it was a nascent fic with just a few short chapters formed, now it's published, about 16 chapters long and still growing. It represents a type of romantic story I just can't seem to find enough of that's both a little bit madcap the way romantic comedies of old are but also real. One with flawed characters that feel authentic to the world that made them and one that explores the juiciness of Kirkwall and the nature of attraction/falling in love and how timing often shits on us and ultimately how to prevail when the world insists on being the worst. Being a DA2 fic necessitates some degree of drama and tragedy because Thedas is still Thedas. I'm really proud of it and I'm so grateful for the people reading it because it is such a niche pairing.

favorite one shot:

Probably An Inexplicable Pull, a little fic I cooked up from a prompt @caitlam sent me that pairs with my DA:I long fic. I was trying to capture that very early glimmer of attraction between Commander Cullen and my out-of-her-depth-but-trying-her-best Herald Rose Trevelyan.

favorite thing(s) I read:

Destiny is Just in the Timing by @crackinglamb (Varric x Cadash, DA2-DAI) The Varricmance we all need! Lamb's fic is so wonderfully snappy, like the whole thing is just smirking right back at me as I read it. I love Varric paired with the Cadash hired to follow him around Kirkwall and keep an eye on him. Spicy, sweet, snarky, FUN. Garrett & Shae are the friendship I needed. Loved this fic front to back! Kingdom Come by @nirikeehan (Blackwall x Trevelyan, post-Trespasser). I adore this grief-addled second chance fic where the Inquisitor makes a whole bunch of questionable decisions with ex-flame Blackwall after the death of her husband Cullen. So good. So crunchy. So hot. Ropes of Fate by @delicatefade I don't think a fic has ever made me scream-laugh as much as this one. Dalish life, written in the perspective of a preteen. Deep Dalish headcanons. So many universal truths about teens. It's brilliant. cut down at the garden gate by @carnalapples (Sebastian x f!Hawke) OH THE ANGST. This fic made me swoon and cry. It's heartbreaking and grabbed me right at the start with a hundred flaming questions.

writing goals for 2024:

1. keep a sustainable pace and avoid burnout 2. get through Here Lies the Abyss in my long fic and beyond 3. continue to learn and grow and stretch myself 4. RESEARCH especially grief stuff 😩

new works:

So many companion fics for In the Shattering of Things! Rumors (Hawke POV), A Sense of Duty (Cullen POV), Thirst (Cullen POV), Serah Bird (Hawke POV), An Inexplicable Pull (Cullen POV), Something Wicked This Way Comes (multi POV) and In Search of a Wayward Bronto (Hawke POV) The Firmness of his Resolve a comedic smut fic written as a gift for my friend featuring her Trevelyan and Cullen. Kiss Me Moonstruck of course New chapters for The Coldest and Warmest Dawn, Together Alone, Chaos Turkeys: Hawke Family Drabbles, In the Shattering of Things.

Tagging the above mentions as well as @skinwalkingxana, @warpedlegacy, @ammoniteflesh, @plisuu, @hekaerges

Template under the cut:

words posted:

additional words written:

grand total of words:

fandoms:

highest kudos:

highest hit oneshot:

new things I tried:

fic I spent the most time on:

fic I spent the least time on:

favorite thing I wrote:

favorite thing(s) I read:

writing goals for 2024:

new works:

[ash-and-books]

Rating: 2/5

Book Blurb:

Captivating and deeply romantic, a new slow-burn, enemies-to-lovers fantasy romance perfect for fans of Sarah J. Maas, LJ Andrews, Penn Cole, and Stacia Stark.

A dangerous bargain. An obsessed prince. A forbidden love that could split the Fae court... and break the world.

Thanks to the Fae king's heartless tithe, my family is starving. If I don't do something soon, my war-wounded father and two little sisters won't last much longer.

So I make a desperate deal with our village mother--she'll save my family, and in return, I'll attend the royal ball in disguise and perform an unnamed task.

She won't say what it is, but it doesn't really matter. Whatever it turns out to be, it's worth it to protect the people I love. All I have to do is get in, do the mysterious deed, and get out without attracting the notice of the cruel royal family.

But somehow, I manage to catch the attention of not one, but *both* wicked Fae princes.

The Crown Prince acts possessive and won't let me out of his sight. His growly, bad-tempered brother is another matter.

His beautiful exterior is in complete contrast to the darkness inside him, and I have the terrifying feeling he can see right through me.

Which is a very bad thing once I learn the task I'm bound to fulfill--or else face unthinkable consequences.

If I fail, my family will die. If I succeed... I might not be able to live with myself.

A Court Bright and Broken is a gripping romantic fantasy novel set in the beautiful and dangerous world of the High Fae where magic rules, secrets abound, and true love will not be denied. It's an enemies-to-lovers, hidden identity, slow-burn Romantasy with Cinderella vibes and will enchant readers who crave delicious romantic banter, toe-curling tension and sizzling chemistry, immersive world-building, magic, angst, and royal Fae intrigue.

Readers who love character-driven epic fantasy like Spark of the Everflame, A Court This Cruel and Lovely, A Court of Thorns and Roses, Throne of Glass, the Broken Kingdom series, and Gild will devour A Court Bright and Broken.

Your next Romantasy addiction awaits. One-click to start reading today! Welcome to the Age of Fae...

Review:

A fae romantasy retelling of Cinderella featuring a golden retriever-esque fae prince who falls for a poor human girl who makes a bargain with a witch that will change both their lives. The story follows Raewyn, a human girl who's family is poor and she needs to find a way to feed her sisters and find medicine for her father, and Stellan, a fae prince who dreams about marrying for love. When they meet and Raewyn saves Stellan, he gives her an invitation to the ball his father is hosting. The very night Raewyn goes to the local witch to try and sell her something in order to make ends meet but the witch gives her a new bargain: if Raewyn attends the ball (which she never intended to in the first place) and do a service for the witch (which she will tell her at a later time) then said witch will plant a garden to feed her sisters and cure her father. The bargain is too good to turn down and Raewyn immediately agrees.... yet when she arrives at the ball she realizes too late that she has been enchanted and that she is enchanting both the prince and the entire royal court. Raewyn must keep up the act but finds herself thrown in a love triangle between the two princess. Unfortunately I did not care for this story at all. I love a fun retelling of a classic fairytale but I just found myself so bored by this take. I didn't care all that much for the characters and wasn't all that invested in the slow burn romance. I didn't feel any chemistry and the story just felt kind of dragged on. I wish i could like the story more but I won't be continuing the series as it isn't for me but I do think maybe other fantasy slow burn romance readers might have a fun time with this.

Release Date: February 14, 2025

Publication/Blog: Ash and Books (ash-and-books.tumblr.com)

*Thanks Netgalley and Oxford South Press and The Nerd Fam for sending me an arc in exchange for an honest review*

[donteverblameash]

°MY BIO!!!° (Updated as of January 23rd, 2025 :)

Bio under cut! :]

(Asks for c.ai bots, hcs, doddles, and fics are open! More on that under!)

Hello! Welcome to the place where my ramblings go! Here's a bunch of stuff about me!

Pronouns: He/Him/His (Okay with They/Them or Xe/Xir I just prefer He/Him)

Names I like to be called: Ashspinz/Ash/Spinz. (Or whatever is funniest in the moment, but pls nothing fem, inappropriate, or slurs!!!)

Other identity stuff: I'm a proud transgender male and Pansexual. I am a black American with an Irish and Native-American background. My birthday is March 11th, and I am a Pisces, I am disabled, I am a MINOR!!!!

Hobbies and things: Watching movies, reading, writing, drawing, making YouTube videos, talking to my friends and partner, baking and cooking, attempting to act and sing, spam posting on Tumblr, etc...

My Fandoms, an ever growing running list of things I like, will VERY likely change

Marvel Cinematic Universe/Marvel/Marvel Actors (Not the biggest fan of the actual company!!)

DSMP (taking a step back from it though)

Heartstopper

Hamilton

In the Heights

Sanders Sides

Epic the Musical

Percy Jackson (GO ARES CABIN 🗣🔥)

Harry Potter and the Marauders (I do NOT support JK R0wling)

Doctor Who

Gilmore Girls

Grey's Anatomy

Dear Evan Hansen

Mystreet/Minecraft diaries

My Hero Academia

Arcane

Sonic the Hedgehog

My Little Pony

One direction

Dead poets society

My DNI list: Big0ts, transph0bes, abeli$ts, P0rn accounts, Wilbur S00t supporters, MAPS, Ped0s, DDLG, ABDL, or ANY variants, people that don't stand with Palestine, People against age regression, people who hate on people due to their interests, or people that are here for negative intent, aren't open to civil conversation, and being civil and respectful. Again, please be noted, that THIS BLOG IS RUN BY A MINOR.

Wicked

Call of Duty

Supernatural

Brooklyn 99

Fair warning: I may make innuendos, and I often do swear! Anyone is allowed to interact and ask questions, but please be appropriate and respectful and no NSFW. I love answering questions and try my best to get back! But I do have school, and it takes precedent!

Also, please do not ask for donations. I am a high schooler with no money to give, and there no way to know if the person asking for donations is legit. I completely understand and sympathize with anyone in need of help, but please do not ask for donos. I can not help.

I may sometimes bring up topics of age regression and tickling both completely and STRICTLY sfw for me. Please DNI if you find age regression to be a k1nk or feti$h and/or don't believe someone can enjoy sfw tickles. These are both very personal to me and ways I cope. Please don't bring any yucky stuff here.

Other things: I have a C.ai account @/Undeniably_Ash and I am taking requests for bots right now in my Ask Box! Please note that I only make platonic bots, mostly mother and father ones, and all bots must be sfw, and I usually only make bots apart of my fandoms or my own ocs!

Headcanons, doddles (little sketchy drawings), and short fic requests are also open. Same rules apply! (For these, you are allowed to request romantic pairings between two consenting adults)

I'll try to get all of them done, but I may not be able too, it's not personal at all if I can't get to your ask!

That is all I have for today. Enjoy your time here! :)

[margridarnauds]

wicked and epic the musical

Wicked

Oh...God the complicated relationship I have with this musical. Was obsessed with it when I was 12, but it kind of died down as I got into other musical theatre fandoms. By the time I had kind of developed as a musical theatre fan, I was kind of over it, so I was never really into looking into bootlegs as much. I didn't and don't DISLIKE it, but. It's there. It has some nice songs.

When I saw it live, I was kind of disappointed because the cast wasn't at its best (the danger with touring productions where, depending on the day, you can get some very tired performers) and the audience wasn't at its best (disruptive high school class several rows ahead of me), with both Glinda and Elphaba overacting.

Do I blame the musical as a whole? NO. I still want to get tickets the next time around because like the Bourbon kings of France, I never forget and I never learn, but I still wouldn't put it into my Top 10...or even my Top 20. There are some really impressive technical elements seeing it live, but if you have an Elphaba or Glinda who aren't putting the work in, it will REALLY show -- the show is really riding off of the hope that it has actresses who are willing to fill in the gaps. (Also...I have never been part of the fandom because I've NEVER liked the way that they talk about Fiyero especially since, imo, he has the character arc that a lot of people wish Glinda had.)

Still living in hope the movie will actually be good! Let's form a prayer circle! Should have been a proshot.

Epic

The best musical that should absolutely never become an actual staged production.

Wonderful music, you can really tell that Jay has put a lot of heart and thought into every single line and every single musical choice, I'm always amazed at the sheer RANGE and the characterization and the way that it tweaks the Odyssey to better convey the themes he's going for, I love the take on Athena in particular (she also gets the best songs), "Warrior of the Mind", "My Goodbye", "God Games", and "Dangerous" have been on my repeats for MONTHS. This musical really gave me hope for the world of musical theatre, at a time when I was really...doubting the future of the English language musical theatre scene in general. I'm always blown away looking at his behind the scenes videos because it's so clear how PASSIONATE he is about the project.

...but I am begging the man to not try to actually stage it because I think it would destroy him. It's a marvelous concept album but I do not see any way of staging it that would be less than tens of millions of dollars.

[not-so-mundane-after-all]

📚, ✍️, and 🐇For the ask game! 💕(the hearts are for you, not the ask game)

📚 Is there a fanfic or fanfic writer you recommend?

For a writer I'd recommend, I have to give a shout out my insanely talented bestie from the Titans fandom, my witchy writing partner, Dr Angst herself, @wonderbatwayne (RunningInThePouringRain on AO3) 💜💙🖤💚 Even if you haven't watched/heard of this show, it really shouldn't stop you from checking out her stories because she writes the romantic and family dynamics between these characters SO WELL it's actually insane, the level of emotion poured into her works should be studied and I have been a dedicated fan and student of her works ever since we met. I wouldn't be the writer I am today if it wasn't for this beautiful, brilliant soul.

If you want to get to know the family we love to write about, check out her work We're The Graysons. The one that will absolutely destroy your heart and introduce you to the father-daughter duo that owns my heart is Fear Makes Companions Of Us All, my personal favorite. And if you let me insert a little bit of self promo here, I want to introduce you to our baby we created together and we continue to be insanely proud of, a Titans AU story that absolutely took over our minds and made us create a world within a world - Wicked Game. I love to think of it as a 90% original story because we really took the characters and started from scratch. It's big, it's epic, it's an emotional roller coaster. It's a story about love stronger than anything. Even if I wasn't a co-author, I would highly recommend it to everyone.

✍️ What’s your ideal writing setup?

I need peace and quiet. I write on my phone most of the time so I like to lie down on my bed or go sit on the porch. If I get in the zone, I can completely lose track of time this way. I edit on my computer though, because there I have tools that help me make my writing crisp and clean (I used to just word-vomit into my phone and then copy-paste it straight on AO3. I shudder at the thought every time now)

🐇 Do you write for yourself, for others, or both?

I'd say both. I write the things I want to see happen, things I wish could've happened but didn't, things I love that speak to my soul. But I yearn to share this love with people, I want to be able to get excited about something and have someone I can safely go to and freak out about it, and vice versa - I want to be that person for someone. I love seeing my friends in the comment section, it always makes my day. And I love to make them happy so sometimes I'd scribble down a little bit of something that might not always be 100% up my wheelhouse but is perfectly curated for their loves and needs.

And I also love to create for those who are longing for something they might not find anywhere else.

Thank you so much, love! Sending LOTS OF HEARTS your way ♥️❤️🤍💗💙💚💛💜💖💕💓💞❤️‍🔥🩷🩶🩵🧡

[treesap-blogs]

Happy Saturday, everyone! Review of “The Lost Dreamer” by Lizz Hurta!

Hello, Tumblrians! My apologies for the sheer number of reviews last week, I was trying to clear all of my reading queue before I read The Wicked Bargain :). (Review won’t be in a while though, I didn’t wanna have a reading void and as a result restocked my reading queue for the next two weeks oops.) (Eh, it’s fine, it’s mostly fun!!) I’ll be changing up my format a bit, too! Although this is purely for fun, I’m not a fan of how I don’t sound qualified or put-together a lot of the time.

(No epic Story Discovery Backstory for this review! I just stumbled across it during a trip to the library closest to my house.)

Published in 2022(most of my reads are very recent), The Lost Dreamer is a YA fantasy novel taking place in ancient mesoamerica, following two perspectives, Indir and Saya. We don’t really know how the two perspectives are connected, besides them being in the same world and both characters being Dreamers at some point, until the last quarter of the book. (Dreaming being a practice where people essentially connect themselves to the spirit realm, almost always to prophesize, it’s rare for a Dreamer to actually interact with a spirit inside. It’s mainly done to observe the fates of their home/land and anyone they know.) Indir’s a Dreamer who works for the Fire Temple, and lost her ability to Dream after Dreaming for the former king before he died, while Saya’s a Dreamer who goes around village to village with her mom while she tries to pass her abilities off as her own. I was intrigued by the premise of this, it seemed very unique and I appreciated the added bonus of the dual perspectives! (That was something I liked in Hunted By The Sky, I was looking forward to it here too once I put that together.)

It took me a while to get through this book, though, literally due to the fact that its pacing was very slow. I saw complaints about that in the reviews, but I thought “it’s only 380 pages or so! How bad can it be?” and ugh I definitely underestimated that. Now, while I get that not all stories have to be fast-paced(Our Wives Under The Sea is a different genre/demographic but fits that pacing), and authors have different ways of fleshing out their worlds and introducing their lore(see: Dune), this book seemed to just be a standalone? A standalone that ends on a cliffhanger, granted, but a one-and-done thing nonetheless. Needless to say, I found that frustrating and it made this a tedious read.

Also! This is nitpicky, sorry, but I thought the perspectives were also confusing in the context of trying to connect them together. I was unsure if Indir’s events were affecting Saya(or vice-versa??? I thought from the Lost Dreamer talk Indir would find her on her journey initially), if they were unintentionally following each other, that kind of thing. It was explained by the end, though, which I thought was..strange, but explained the timeline of the perspectives, so.

SPOILER SECTION’S BACK, BABEY!!! (end of it will be listed ^^) seriously tho huge spoilers

So it turns out, Indir and Saya’s stories are not happening at the same time. Indir’s is years behind Saya’s and, essentially, history to her. Indir is revealed to be Saya’s actual mother; the one that paraded around Saya until she ran off to go on her journey was one of Indir’s former friends until she kidnapped an infant Saya. Indir figured out somehow that her daughter was going to be the Lost Dreamer, and was trying to find her all this time.

What the fuck????

Not to say that the twist came totally out of nowhere because there’s bits and pieces where you might be like “Celay might not be her real mom because she’s been relentlessly cruel this whole time and lies about everything!”, “when the spirits mentioned Saya’s mom making sure she was safe, it could be a different person because Saya doesn’t really address Celay as her mother anymore”, and I thought the second thing actually, but I was thinking it would be like a..chosen family thing? Not that route.

 I don’t know what else to rant about in the spoiler section, sorry y’all 😭literally just wanted an excuse to be like “the ending was weird what was that”.

And then we get some kind of tease that they’ll go back for the first time since The ChaosTM that left a scar in Indir’s childhood, but the story ends. It’s like sequel bait but with no sequel???!!

    Raugh.

END OF SPOILER SECTION!! I did not have a lot to ramble on about, actually. I am running out of ammo. I am drained as I write this.

Basically, for those who didn’t read the spoiler section, I just said the ending was weird and I didn’t like it lol.

Do I think this is a bad book? No. I do not think so. It just wasn’t my cup of tea, although I can see why other people may enjoy it because it has an interesting plot and background to it. It felt like it was mediocrely executed for something that had a lot of potential, and I’m pretty bummed about that. I’m worried I might be too harsh on it, though, as this is just Lizz Huerta’s debut book, so I’ll allow her some space to hone her craft before judging her as an author. 

Book Rating: ⭐️⭐️½ or ⭐️⭐️⭐️/5 stars. 

-Paz, signing off!

(Book trigger/content warnings: Childbirth scene, verbal and some physical abuse from a parent, mentions of kidnapping, animal cruelty, violence.)

[thescrapbookingscientist]

Bimonthly Media Roundup

- King's Maker (Webcomic) - I'll talk more about this next time after I finish it, for now I love the concept and character designs and think there's some good ideas here in both visuals and individual scenes, but overall think the execution is pretty flawed in actually displaying court politics and the effect on the people as a whole given how little we see of anyone not directly involved in the rich boy love drama.

- Wicked (Movie) - I gotta admit, I went in with low expectations but this movie really surprised me, it was genuinely very good. I had some issues of course, I think they stopped songs too often, I was hoping to get more school life scenes between Glinda and Elphie, I thought the Boq plot line was underdeveloped, but those didn't really affect my overall enjoyment with how good everything else was. The pacing was surprisingly good even with the long run time, the costuming and set design was fantastic as was the choreography, the chemistry between Glinda and Elphie was amazing and every actor did a great job in their rolls, both from an acting and vocal sense. The Menezel and Chenoweth cameos were admittedly pretty self indulgent but honestly I enjoyed them, it was neat to hear them sing together. Honestly would pay to see it again, hate to encourage the splitting movies into 2 parts trend but maybe that was the right call here to keep the non musical sections interesting. I will remain skeptical of part 2 given it's the lesser of the two soundtracks but I am still very hyped to see these versions perform 'For Good'. Overall a win for musical theater fans.

- Ennead (Webcomic) - Everyone is allowed to have a piece of media that they like but would never recommend to anyone they know and that's Ennead. I adore the setting and art, I like a lot of the characters and their designs, I do actually like the protagonist and the main romance as problematic they are, and I genuinely think the plot is pretty interesting. But man does it have a lot of content that I would not want to try to justify to my peers like geez. Other than just being kinda egregious I'd also criticize the Eastern beauty standards of making the half cast lighter than they should be and being a bit embarrassingly self indulgent at times, but I will still be eagerly awaiting each chapter.

- The Case Study of Vanitas (Anime) - While this had a rough start it get's more interesting the longer it goes, I like most of the central cast as well as the vampire hunters and their dynamics, Vanitas's backstory gives him very poor babygirl energy, Noe just straight up IS babygirl, and I still quite like the designs and aesthetic of the series overall. I still don't think the narrative progression or sense of humour is great but I'm more positive on it overall than not, we'll see how the rest of the series goes.

- EPIC (Musical) - I've been listening to random tracks from this for awhile now and finally decided to listen to the full set list. It's pretty good, a lot of good vocal talents, the songs are mostly catchy with a few standouts, it's got the usual leitmotifs that we all love, and plot wise it's always got interesting stuff happening courtesy of its Odyssey adaptation. I really don't gel with it's themes or have a strong attachment to most of the case, but I'll reserve judgement until the last saga comes out. For now I'll say that most of the songs by gods or monsters go hard and that Morgan Clae's cover of Get in the Water haunts my soul in the best way.

- Arcane (TV) - Will also wait to give final thoughts on this but man the contrast between Jayce and Ekko's alternate reality trips was so funny every time it cut between them. Like I understand it was emotionally devastating for both of them but Ekko is over here living in ideal future dreamland then it cuts to Jayce eating raw meat while crawling around on a cave floor. Insane choice.

- Dandadan (Anime) - Still fun so far, like that each introduced cast member retains the idiot ball of being stupid and silly and that the aliens got a chance to be sympathetic.

- Dungeon Meshi (Manga) - Farcille placed #2 in the top tumblr ships of 2024! Let's go Lesbians!! They deserve that for real.

- Genshin Impact (Video Game) - Okay so Fontaine has by far been my favorite region plot wise, like wow the story is dynamic and unique and interesting with an actual full interconnected story and likable complex characters who have genuine emotional moments with eachother like wow, who knew Genshin could do it? Landscape wise I haven't explored the majority of the region and still have a bunch of side quests to do, but I do like the whole cast and hope to see them in more events. I've had Navia as one of my favorite units for awhile and now that I've seen her story I can say she's one of my favorites in the game, a really good character to watch and play as I love her. I also just got Neuvillette, so excited to use him.

Listening To: EPIC concept album (All of them), Hard Sell and The Well by The Crane Wives, Re:Your Brains by Jonathan Coulton, Stick Season and Feeling Good by Reinaeiry, Red Wine Supernova and HOT TO GO by Chappell Roan, Wicked Soundtrack, Dream Girl Evil by Florence and the Machine, Ruler of my Heart Sua cover from Alien Stage, Dial Drunk cover by Chloe Breez.

[greensparty]

Movie Reviews: Gladiator II / Wicked

This week I got to review two big studio releases. After last year's successful Barbenheimer release of both Oppenheimer and Barbie, two of the most successful and critically acclaimed movies of last year, many Hollywood insiders are looking to the release of both Gladiator II and Wicked as being this year's Barbenheimer. SNL's Weekend Update recently joked "So get ready for ‘Glad-dicked." I'll save you the suspense and just tell you this, Glicked or Wickiator is nowhere close to Barbenheimer!

Gladiator II

Ridley Scott is one of those directors where even when he's not as great as his best films (i.e. Alien and Blade Runner), I'm always interested in what he's doing and how he's going to take it on. I worked on his film American Gangster in 2006. Months before production began, I worked for one day in the costume dept. Then a few months later, when one of the crew members in another dept. needed to leave for a week, I filled in for a week (not going to name names or the department). While it wasn’t the greatest experience for me, I was quite impressed with the film itself. But I digress. In 2000, Scott made a film that was both a box office hit and a critically acclaimed hit with Gladiator, which won the Oscar for Best Picture. It was a sword-and-sandal epic about a gladiator Maximus (Russell Crowe) trying to avenge the murders of his family. I saw it in the movie theater in the Summer of 2000 and it was one of the highlights of that Summer. A year later on The Sopranos, Ralphie was a big fan of Gladiator and took his fandom too far. As much as I enjoyed the movie, I found it hard to believe it won Best Picture in the same year as such movies as Almost Famous, High Fidelity and Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon. But now after years of rumors of a sequel, Gladiator II is opening 24 years since the first one.

movie poster

Taking place 16 years since the first movie, Paul Mescal (who was excellent in Aftersun) stars as Lucius, the son of Maximus (he was played by Spencer Treat Clark in the first movie), now a grown up. Another general who trained under Maximus is Marcus, played by Pedro Pascal (so good on The Mandalorian). Not going to get into spoilers, but after a battle, Lucius is forced into slavery and bought by Macrinus, played by Denzel Washington (always good in anything he's in). There's also Lucilla, Lucius's mother played by Connie Nielsen (reprising her role from the first film), who sees her son in the arena. That's about all I can say about it without getting into spoilers.

My friend I saw this screening with said he liked it, but that there was a lot of things that went over his head and it seemed they condensed a lot of facts and info, suggesting it might've been better as a mini-series. My friend was right about that, but the bigger issue I had with this movie is that it can't get past the shadow of the first movie. I don't even hold the first Gladiator up on a pedestal as much as some people. I mean it was good, but it's not a movie I return to that often. But this one, it felt like I just couldn't stop thinking about how much better the original one was. Now credit where credit is due, any scenes of fighting and battle scenes elevated this movie in a big way. And as much as the cast was good, it is truly Denzel's show even in a supporting role, he is showing everyone how it's done. But at 2.5 hours it was way longer than it needed to be. It was shorter than the first one but felt way longer. In recent years we've seen a lot of sequels to movies that came out more than 30 years ago. This wasn't even 30 years old, but it felt like - well, we waited this long for this? Really?

For info on Gladiator II

2 out of 5 stars

Wicked: Part I

If they only knew in the year 1900 that over a century later there would still be adaptations of the book The Wonderful Wizard of Oz in 2024? The book about farm girl Dorothy getting swept up into the Land of Oz has entered the English lexicon in so many ways, i.e. "We're not in Kansas anymore!" or "Pay no attention to the man behind the curtain" just as examples. There have been countless adaptations in film, TV, theater and more. The most famous and greatest was 1939's The Wizard of Oz, a perfect movie from start to finish! It was an early film I saw as a kid. My older sister once met and got an autograph from the Wicked Witch of the West herself Margaret Hamilton. But I digress. There's been a lot of different attempts at a sequel over the years. In 2013, Sam Raimi tried it with a prequel Oz the Great and Powerful. As much as I love Raimi that was a letdown, but was visually stunning. One such attempt was the Broadway musical Wicked that premiered in 2003. It was a big huge hit in the theater world and now it is getting the big screen adaptation from director John M. Chu (Crazy Rich Asians). The first installment Wicked: Part I opens this week from Universal.

movie poster

The film opens with Glinda (Arana Grande) the Good Witch of the North informing citizens in the Land of Oz that the Wicked Witch of the West is gone. This is not a spoiler since it happens towards the beginning of a movie from over 80s years ago (I think we're past the statute of limitations on spoilers from that far back, right?). It, then, goes into a flashback of the young Glinda arriving at Shiz University, where she meets Elphaba (Cynthia Erivo), a woman born green who later becomes the Wicked Witch of the West. This is like an origin story, where we learn that the Wicked Witch wasn't always wicked and the Good Witch wasn't always good, as they room together and work together under Madame Morrible (Michele Yeoh), the head mistress at Shiz. I've probably said too much already, so I'll refrain from the rest.

I brought my son to see this and he really enjoyed it, having seen Wizard of Oz earlier this year. I felt that it was a bit long at 160 minutes. For a movie that's already being split in two, this part could've been a little shorter. The production design is off the charts. The cast shines, but I do wish we got to have more Michele Yeoh, who makes everything she's in better. As a life long fan of Wizard of Oz, this was kind of cool to get into the back story of these supporting characters. In the end, how good this one is really depends on the next one (which is usually the case when you see a movie that's been split into parts). But let's raise a glass to the musical of the year (after the "MacArthur Park" portion of Beetlejuice Beetlejuice that is!).

For info on Wicked

3 out of 5 stars

[themovieblogonline]

Boondock Brothers Return for a Universe Expansion

Remember those legendary Irish vigilantes, the MacManus brothers, wreaking havoc on Boston's bad guys? Get ready, because Deadline just dropped the bomb: The Boondock Saints are coming back! That's right, the cult classic film is getting a major reboot, courtesy of Thunder Road, the powerhouse production company behind the John Wick movies, no less! They're joining forces with Dragonfly Films, who own the rights to the franchise, to create a whole new "Boondock Saints universe." Here's the thing: This ain't just a straight-up sequel. Original creator Troy Duffy, who directed both the 1999 film and the 2009 follow-up "All Saints Day," is stepping aside from the director's chair. But fear not, fans of the original cast! Norman Reedus (aka Daryl Dixon from "The Walking Dead") and Sean Patrick Flanery are suiting back up as the iconic MacManus brothers. The hunt's on for a new director to take the helm, but hey, with Reedus and Flanery back in action, you know it's gonna be epic. While a new director takes the reins for the film, Duffy isn't out of the picture entirely. He's planning to write a series of Boondock Saints books, keeping the story going strong in a different format. This Boondock Saints revival is part of a bigger trend. Remember "Road House"? Yeah, that classic action flick is getting a reboot too, with Jake Gyllenhaal starring. Looks like there's a fresh wave of love for these old-school action heroes! The new Boondock Saints project is being produced by a dream team, including Basil Iwanyk and Erica Lee from Thunder Road, and Todd Myers and Peter D. Graves from Dragonfly Films. Plus, Shaun Redick and Yvette Yates Redick from Impossible Dream Entertainment are joining the party. And it wouldn't be complete without the original creators, so Troy Duffy and Don Carmody are also on board as producers. Executive producers include Reedus, Flanery, Charlie Morrison, and JoAnne Colonna. Rounding out the team is Nat McCormick of The Exchange. Thunder Road has a proven track record with the John Wick franchise and its spin-off series "The Continental." They just premiered Dev Patel's action flick "Monkey Man" to rave reviews, and next up is "The Ballerina," a John Wick spin-off starring Ana de Armas and Keanu Reeves. Talk about an action-packed crew! There was a previous attempt to make a Boondock Saints sequel a few years back, but this time around, they're going all in with a universe expansion. The original film had a rich backstory, and this new project promises to delve even deeper into that world. Here's the best part: the people behind this reboot are super passionate about it. Basil Iwanyk, from Thunder Road, says they're excited to build on the existing mythology and introduce the awesomeness of the Saints to a whole new generation. Todd Myers, from Dragonfly Films, has been dreaming of adding to the Boondock Saints story for over a decade, and now it's finally happening! Both Reedus and Flanery are pumped to reprise their roles. Reedus is looking forward to sharing this new chapter with the fans, and Flanery says with this dream team at the helm, it's gonna be the best Saints movie yet. So, dust off your peacoats, Saints fans, because the MacManus brothers are about to reload and get back to cleaning up the streets, their own special way. Source: Deadline Read the full article