#obviously you don't have to match

[sysig]

Blind side (Patreon)

[trashcanwithsprinkles]

First of all omg thank you for updating today my sign ups at uni took the entire morning and part of the afternoon and I spent it reading the chapter on and off 💜 beautiful timing

Do you happen to have drawn the drip for the clan meeting from any of the other clans? 👁️ 👁️ Or also alternatively do you have a doc or visual aid for the different clans and their representatives? I know it's probably silly buy I love knowing more or less who's who and I'm having trouble keeping track (⁠•⁠ ⁠▽⁠ ⁠•⁠;⁠)

and THE CHAPTER WAS SO GOOD GAGSJSLLAKSJA that bamf zhongli tag is preening rn

i had a color chart somewhere and some doodles so i've cleaned them up and compiled them + added those who were missing

edit: here's a version with the locations of their territory

[ironworked]

Given the reasons behind 911's move from FOX to ABC (x, x), its ratings and viewers for this season so far, the currently developing spin-off, its year to year evolution, 911 vs its timeslot rivals and other ABC shows (shown below), and this ranking of this year's broadcast shows so far

911 year-to-year evolution:

vs ABC shows (this season):

vs timeslot rivals:

...

[starsonablackboard]

a long-ass unstructured yappin about trod lambert because i really, really love them and i feel like they don't get enough recognition (maybe i just dont see it tho). (im not even putting the read more bar here, you're going with me even if you don't want to)

maybe it's my taste in characters (it's definitely it), but im much more fascinated by them than by narinder. and don't get me wrong, trod narinder is beautifully written, complex, interesting, and just plain fun to read. he's tall dark and handsome ™ emoboy (lovingly), he likes killing things but he also has a dream journal, is patient with kids and remembers that lamb likes red foods best. but you take one look at him and go "oh that cat has some baggage". and you take one look at lambert and go "oh, a goofy sheep". and then this sheep hits you with a moving truck.

like, what do i mean – narinder (im sorry for using you as an opposite example you're the second half of the pairing what can i do) is obviously complex. lambert is subtlety complex, moreover, they're deceivingly simple and they learned to hide their complexity very well. like we're 400k?? words in and we know pretty much nothing about them. their family? their father used to sing a song to them sometimes. what song? did it have lyrics? what situations was it for? how did their father's voice sound? next question. their long term goals, their fears, their nightmares? no. and we're in their pov half the time (and i know that this is intentional because sara has talked about this, about lambs tendencies to deflect and hide themselves behind masks).

i distinctly remember the moment i understood that i will love them as a character – it's when in earlier chapters (before 4th one im pretty sure) narinder hides an axe in his sleeves and lambert takes a look at him and goes "you don't cross your arms often. i don't think you yet realise that you're able to do it again. whatcha hiding in there?" and i was like. oh. they're smart. and im not saying it like i thought they weren't smart before that, im saying that it takes a certain type of attentiveness and skill to notice such small details and to put them together. and they drop that line with a smile and in a silly speaking manner ("watcha") that at that point annoys narinder to no end. yes, they're silly goofy and i love them for it, but this is barely the surface of what they're actually are. (oh and i also really like the fact that their unseriousness and light heartedness isn't a "fake personality", it's just one of the layers sides of their character)

in my native language we have this phrase that translates to "kindness should come with fists/kindness should have fists/whatever" (maybe there's a similar one in english but I've never heard of it) and i think it suits lambert incredibly much. they are kind, i would say radically kind at that. let's be honest the whole "enemies to friends" part of the fic exists and has any chance of existing only because lambert is continuously and stubbornly kind to narinder. he tries to kill them, they bring him food. he bashes their head into the altar, they make him clothes. he curses them again and again, they make sure he doesn't run out of candles. i once mentioned this part to my friend (that knows nothing about cotl and by extension trod but listens to my yapping anyway) and she said something along the lines of "he walks all over them but they continue to love and love and love" and i don't think that's it. lambert is incredibly, sometimes unreasonably kind (and selfishly, where the whole "why do you keep a murderer around" part comes in, but I'll talk about that later), but they have boundaries, their kindness, however generous and forgiving, has limits, and those limits are clear and hard once you reach them. they will never ever let anyone "walk all over" them, even if from the outside it looks like it, they know what they want and what they're willing to tolerate, and when those boundaries are broken they never hesitate to act.

circling back to the selfish kindness part. i love how forgiving bishops' isn't for bishops'sake. it's for theirs. they refuse to let the anger and resentment consume them (im pretty sure sara made a whole comic about this point specifically), they've seen what it does and they will not repeat the mistakes of gods that came before them. the sheer will to live and to live the best life you can in this is also so impressive and important to me – it's one thing to not let your god to sacrifice you, it's another to step your (rightful) anger on the throat no matter how hard it is because you know you won't be happy or even fully your own self if you don't. their mercy isn't a weakness, their kindness isn't an invitation to exploit them. almost all of the things lamber does they do for their own sake first and foremost (yes, even running themselves dry for their cult. they fully understand what they're doing and why – they want those under their care to prosper, and they're willing to do what it takes. the sacrifices they make are stemming from their want. it's different from exhausting yourself just because you were told so).

all this to say that i find them to be such a beautiful blend of things that are usually written as mutually exclusive. they're lighthearted and silly yet complex and smart. they're kind and forgiving yet selfish and incredibly able and willing to stand their ground. they're determined to make their own choices even if to outsiders those choices seem incredibly poor.

they're subversive at every step and they feel so alive and vivid because of that. i love them. thank you bamsara

[aroaceleovaldez]

once again thinking about the worldbuilding in the riordanverse of "names are power" / "belief is power."

The Tri were only able to become immortal through convincing enough people to worship them that it became true. Monsters and immortals only exist through continued belief, and if enough people believe that they're dead or gone then it becomes true, like Pan. Their varied forms exist and manifest as they're believed in and called upon. Names call attention and epithets summon aspects. They're acknowledgement. Belief. Putting a name to a concept creates it as an individual.

And that's so fascinating when you start applying it to demigods. How much of their abilities are based on belief in themselves, in expectations of each other, in their parents' expectations of them? We've seen mortal figures who became immortal in some form or another because they were remembered. Even the lares - ancestral house gods, who persist because they're remembered. They have a legacy.

At what point does a demigod achieve that status? Rumors and whispers about them so persistent that they slowly become true. "I heard that Jason Grace is the son of two gods, does that make him a god?" "I heard Percy Jackson defeated a titan single-handedly. That he can create hurricanes without breaking a sweat. That he can control blood." After awhile, after enough rumors, does it become impossible to tell where they end and the legends begin? Isn't that what being a demigod is; half-legend?

[broken-clover]

It's eternally a little funny whenever I see someone say something along the lines of 'everyone in Strive is so happy now! Everyone's stories are getting resolved! It'll be hard to make a new game when everyone's retired and living peacefully and resolved their problems' and then there's a haunted semi-sentient mecha corpse in the corner constantly screaming from being trapped in limbo

[lupins-hehim-pussy]

I think of so many stupid shenanigans between Wriothesley and his daughters in the Addison Lee verse. They tell Wriothesley crazy shit all the time, their daddy-daughter secrets, and it drives Neuvillette nuts that Wriothesley won't snitch.

Sigewinne, whispering into his ear: Today at school I punched a boy because he was being mean. I waited until it was recess, and made sure that no one was watching, and I punched him. Everyone knows he is a liar, so noooo one believed him when he cried about it. And Sigewinne is aaaalways a superstar so Mr Vautrin didn't suspect a thing !

Wriothesley, mildly concerned: Uh huh.

Sigewinne: Papa would say Sigewinne has to be nice to everyone, but, Sigewinne thinks bullies need to get punched sometimes, b'cos, b'cos otherwise, they think everyone is just gonna let them be mean

Wriothesley: Y'know what. That's fair

[thatswhatsushesaid]

the thing that actually irritates me the most about that post isn't that it's clearly about me, because eh, whatever, i have certainly received worse on and off anon. it's that it has no place in the jgy or jc character tags, because it's not about the characters! why did you tag this when it's just about your weird beef with me? it's irrelevant! nobody else cares about this! but they have to scroll past it to get to the fic and fanart and meta that they might be looking for. very annoying.

whatever.

[mildcicada]

[sherlock-is-ace]

.

[poisonouspastels]

Thinking about Rana introducing Groda to other people bc she has to be forced to socialize eventually. And like, Groda meeting Sunny eventually and immediately clocking that he's missing an arm and trying to subtly tug on Rana's shirt almost instantly while being very clearly panicked but still trying to hide it. And Rana eventually pulls her aside like "What?? what is it?" "You didn't tell me he was missing an arm!!" "...Why would that matter?" <- understandably getting the wrong impression from this "Because I've seen it before." "Oh."

And that was the day that Rana learned Sunny's arm was ripped off by Groda's Warden at the worst possible timing.

[sysig]

Caughtcha, gotcha, not letting go ♥ (Patreon)

[dollypopup]

colin should 'suffer' for penelope

aka: 5 short reasons why wanting colin to 'suffer' or 'grovel' or whatever other bullshit this fandom keeps pulling is stupid and makes no sense and should have been buried ages ago, how is this still a thing?

1: it sets a terrible and unhealthy dynamic between an endgame couple

especially considering Polin's motif is that of a mirror, if Colin is expected to grovel or suffer for Penelope's affection and forgiveness, it only stands to reason that Penelope then, too, would have to reciprocate. how Penelope treats Colin's ills is setting the precedent for how he's expected to handle her own against him, of which there are many. giving him the cold shoulder, holding what he said over his head and rubbing it in his face, potentially not even explaining why she's upset at him: these are not signs of a mature woman ready for a marriage to ANYONE

2: Colin's slights against Penelope are considerably less harmful than Penelope's against Colin's and it makes no narrative sense for her to be on her high horse about it

'he ruined her prospects' 'he talked about her behind her back' 'he laughed at her' (we don't even know if that one's true, frankly speaking)

but Penelope did the exact same to him and she did so first. Please remember that Penelope is the reason Colin and Marina broke up, and it was her express goal the entire time. Penelope humiliated Colin and Marina both by exposing them publicly (not to mention rubbed the salt into the wound for days afterward). Penelope didn't even think about Colin's feelings because she tried to confess her crush on him immediately after his engagement went poof. Penelope holding Colin accountable for what he said without herself recognizing the ways in which she's hurt him, too, makes her out to be a hella hypocrite

3: it's weirdly catholic on main?

love isn't about suffering points or penance or guilt and i'm tired of Christianity pervading every damn thing. sorry not sorry, some of us want an actually fulfilling love story

4: y'all are just mad Colin didn't love Penelope back from jump and it's a revenge fantasy

which, fine, that's what fanfic is for, but it's OOC, y'all are aware of that, right? because if he DID want her from the start, we all know that it wouldn't be Polin? why are you shipping a friends to lovers ship if you INSIST that the friends to lovers dynamic is less than? guess what? unreciprocated love is kind of part of the deal. you don't hold a grudge against your friend for not loving you back immediately. Colin shows he cares about Penelope in SO MANY WAYS that somehow are completely invalidated because it isn't meant to be romantic? imma say it: fuck you if you think that way. friendships are important and beautiful and deep and fulfilling with or without romance. Colin sticking his neck out for Penelope to help her family from Jack's scheme? an act of love. Colin sending Penelope letters after her father passed? act of love. Colin telling Penelope she's 'really very good' and holding her hand in appreciation of her coming to talk to him? act of love. if you think those acts of love mean nothing just because he isn't fucking her seven ways to sunday, maybe analyze your own viewpoint of relationships and ship Pen w/ some random stranger who makes heart eyes at her tits from jump

5: it makes Penelope an asshole to her own long term partner

dude, if a friend of mine insisted I crawl on hands and knees to determine whether they want me back in their lives, i don't want to be around that person? so many of these narratives make Penelope a straight up terrible person. if you want your partner to suffer? you probably don't actually like them very much, but Polin is narratively MEANT to be the couple that likes AND loves one another. be real, if your friend ghosted you for months, gave you the cold shoulder when you tried to talk again, treated you like shit (you can't argue that him 'suffering' isn't treating him like shit in some way shape or form) as you tried to apologize, and then you find out that she was the reason you and your ex broke up and she wrote straight up nasty things about your family for YEARS, you would want absolutely nothing to do with that friend. why should Colin be expected to be any different? do these two not deserve a lovely love story built on love and affection and trust and honesty? a healthy happy relationship in which they see one another and appreciate one another for all they are? no? so why do you ship them?

+1: it's oversaturated in this fandom

polin is a fantastic ship. how is THIS their main trope?

find a new fucking idea, PLEASE

[disruptedlogic]

OPEN STARTER || EVENT 001.

this was the last place that ariya wanted to be. some kind of masquerade ball for once again, something she had no interest in. if she wasn't a level i, she probably would have found some lame excuse to not attend and spent the night alone. technically speaking she was still spending her night alone but this time she was in too tight of a dress while the person she kind of wanted to come to this lame event with was on someone else's arm. even more of a reason not to be here.

grabbing a glass of champagne, she leaned her back against the bar. taking a few sips from the glass, she let her eyes scan the crowd of masked faces. everyone in some sort of disguise helped ease her nerves slightly. she tried to tell herself she wasn't looking for a certain "couple" in the crowd but she would be lying. why had talia agreed to come with him of all people?

lost in her own thoughts she hardly felt the person come up next to her at the bar. "sorry, i wasn't paying attention. i can move over if you want."

[britneyshakespeare]

i love bratz as dolls but i fuckin hate mga as a brand. fuckin idiots

[best-fictional-cat]

Finally, what you've all been waiting for (probably):

Round 2+ brackets!!!

(randomised - with very slight adjustments - using a wheel; possibly subject to change in the further rounds but very unlikely)

Group 1

Coco Grimalkin (Purrfect Apawcalypse) vs Miyuki (Avatar the Last Airbender)

Slugcat (Rain World) vs Catbus (My Neighbor Totoro)

Behemoth (Master and Margarita) vs Amp / Anp / Anpu (The Disastrous Life of Saiki K)

Kitty Softpaws (Puss in Boots) vs Pixie (Pixie and Brutus)

Chi Yamada (Chi's sweet home) vs Rum Tum Tugger (Cats the musical)

Tabby Slime (Slime Rancher) vs Tangy (Animal Crossing)

Cringer / Battlecat (He-man) vs Cinderpelt (Warrior cats)

Blaze the Cat (Sonic the Hedgehog) vs Scourge (Warrior cats)

Group 2

Mae Borowski (Night in the Woods) vs Natsume Soseki (Bungou Stray Dogs)

Domino (Amphibia) vs Shoe + Wagahai (Ace Attorney)

808 (Hi-Fi Rush) vs Niko (Oneshot)

Squirrelflight (Warrior cats) vs T'Ana (Star Trek: Lower Decks)

Hong + On (Trash of the Count's Family) vs Alpine (Marvel comics)

Jaspers (Homestuck) vs Mao Mao Mao (Mao Mao: Heroes of Pure Heart)

Thomas Kincade Brannigan (Doctor Who) vs Caroline Coughs (Sparklecare hospital)

Mewo (Omori) vs Baron Humbert von Gikkingen (The Cat Returns)

Group 3

Greebo (Discworld) vs Aldwyn (The Familiars)

Simba (The Lion King) vs Leona Kingscholar (Twisted Wonderland)

Jenny Linsky (Jenny Linsky, Esther Averill) vs Findus (Pettson and Findus)

Cheshire Cat (Alice in Wonderland) vs Mad Mew Mew (Undertale)

Felix the cat (Paramount) vs Burgerpants (Undertale)

Kyo Sohma (Fruits Basket) vs Ghost (The Owl House)

Rosie (Animal Crossing) vs Talking Cat (Rick and Morty)

Hiili (Fox Fires) vs Mew (Marvel comics)

Group 4

Hobbes (Calvin and Hobbes) vs Tom Kitten (The Tale of Tom Kitten)

Meowthra (Lego Ninjago Movie) vs Jonesy (Alien)

Vodka Mutini / Dr.Meowgon Spangler (Homestuck) vs Lucifer (Cinderella)

Charmmy Kitty (Sanrio) vs Puppycat (Bee and Puppycat)

Nermal (Garfield) vs Lion (Steven Universe)

Spot (Star Trek: The Next Generation) vs Diana (Sailor Moon)

Midnight (Castle in the Air, Diana Wynne Jones) vs Scout (Cattails)

Sakamoto (Nichijou) vs Ankha (Animal Crossing)

Group 5

Periwinkle (Blue's clues) vs Fluffal Cat (Yu-Gi-Oh!)

Salem Saberhagen (Sabrina the Teenage Witch) vs Frumpkin (Critical Role)

Ember (Cattails) vs Nyanky (Taiko no Tatsujin)

Heinkel (Fullmetal Alchemist) vs Amanojaku (Ghost Stories)

Khoshekh (Welcome to Night Vale) vs Catty (Undertale)

Kuro (Blue Exorcist) vs Catra (She-Ra)

Juan The Small Magical Latino Cat (Monster Prom) vs Tigger Sugden (Purrfect Apawcalypse)

Bungle the glass cat (Oz) vs Potato (Cat loaf adventures)

Group 6

Chairman Meow (The Shadowhunter Chronicles) vs Finley / Jelly Donut (Hustle Cat)

Cattail (Plants vs Zombies) vs Nameless evil white cat (James Bond)

Thomas O'Malley + Aristocats (Aristocats) vs Panther Lily (Fairy Tail)

Yoruichi Shihoin (Bleach) vs Jellie (Double Life SMP)

Blake Belladonna (RWBY) vs Tigress (Kung Fu Panda)

Invisible cat (The Invisible Man, H.G.Wells) vs Haru (My Roommate is a Cat)

Pusheen (Pusheen) vs Yellowfang (Warrior cats)

Kirjava (His Dark Materials) vs Kuroneko-sama (Trigun)

Group 7

Gary the Snail (Spongebob Squarepants) vs Skitty (Pokémon)

Bob (Animal Crossing) vs The Kitty (The Bad Guys)

Garfield the Deals Warlock (The Adventure Zone) vs Capper (My Little Pony)

Jiji (Kiki's Delivery Service) vs Izutsumi (Dungeon Meshi)

The Black Cat (The Black Cat, E.A.Poe) vs Nyako / Meowy (Chainsaw Man)

Tabby Von Meow (Webkinz) vs Tom (Tom and Jerry)

Solembum (Inheritance Cycle) vs Lil' Judd (Splatoon)

Bagheera (The Jungle Book) vs Gatomon (Digimon)

Group 8

Plagg (Miraculous) vs Luxor (Tutenstein)

Meowth (Pokémon) vs Remlit (Legend of Zelda Skyward Sword)

Leafpool (Warrior cats) vs The Cat in the Hat (The Cat in the Hat)

Maurice (Discworld) vs Jemima (Cats the musical)

Xiaohei (The Legend of Hei) vs Artemis (Sailor Moon)

Puss in Boots (Puss in Boots) vs Ichigo Momomiya (Tokyo Mew Mew)

Shrödinger's cat (you know the one) vs The Cat (Coraline)

Pasty (Neko Atsume) vs Pangur Bán (Irish poem)

This round will start in a few days, I need a bit more time to make the pictures and arrange the polls ^~^

I think I'll be posting them similarly to round 1 except now each group will be out every 12 hours! I will update you on the exact time this round starts when it's done :)