#shoutout to this fantastic post again

[shishishi-sunny]

SPOILERS FOR ONE PIECE CH. 1138

Vibes for this chapter:

Now that my hands have stopped shaking, here are my main take aways. This is gonna be a super long word vomit, so just be prepared:

Shamrock is aware of Shanks (they might have met) and seems disappointed that Shanks likes chilling with ✨the commoners✨

If Shamrock’s sword has the Cerberus-Cerberus Fruit, that means that the theory of Blackbeard having it is debunked

The Shiki-looking figure made a reappearance when Luffy was talking about Shank’s family and seems to be approaching the castle, so we might meet them soon

THE MURAL AND HARLEY

I wonder if there will be a specific character that made the mural, who we’ll be introduced to later. Ripley’s line about “a child’s dream” stood out to me

Due to the “Three Worlds” that Robin reads about, I’m assuming that it’s basically confirmed that there have been 3 holders of the Nika fruit, that coincided with the 3 world-changing events (the first Nika, Joyboy, and now Luffy)

There are 3 demon-like figures, one for each world. I assume they represent the foe that each Nika rose up against, but are they different? Are they the same? Are they all Imu? Only Oda can tell

And here’s everything I took note of on the mural:

The First World

The forbidden sun — power source? Devil Fruits???

Seems like it caused the separation of the earth and the sky/heavens

Lots of factory imagery

Who were the slavers?

The figures (the slaves) carry sun/starburst things. Are these the forbidden sun? Devil fruits? They seem to be throwing them toward the Second World part of the mural, where “embers of war” are mentioned

BIG SNAKE, SERPENT OF HELL, WHO ARE YOU???

The Second World

“The God of the Forest sent forth demons” — is this about devil fruits? Fruits grow on trees (duh) and then obviously demons = devils. And later, it talks about the Sea becoming enraged

Mentions of people belonging to the Half-Moon and the Moon. What is the difference? Is this referencing the Lunarians?

“Humanity killed the Sun, and then ascended to divinity” — they killed Nika or Joyboy? Seems to be about the Celestial Dragons

“The God of the Sea became enraged” — about the rising of the sea levels?

bruh, the boats look like Enel’s ship. If Enel comes back, I’ll lose my mind

The Third World

Where we are now. The final arc. What we should expect. The future.

References the Void Century and how the Elders and Imu remember what happened and what might happen (“the day of promise”)

“They will surely meet again” Who? The reunion of everything that was separated in the First and Second Worlds? The reunion of all the gods that were mentioned?

The mural is amazing and there are so many details throughout, but especially in this section

Obviously there’s Nika/Joyboy (Luffy) leading an army against a figure that’s probably Imu

Under Imu, there’s a boat with figures in white uniforms — Marines/the World Gov

In Nika’s army, there are figures that represent: giants, minks, lunarians, mermaids and fishmen, samurai/ninja/people from Wano, a robot (Emet?), dwarves/tontatta, Sea Kings/Laboon (the whale), and a ship with a flag that looks like the Alabasta kingdom’s flag (@sabo-torao’s post brought my attention to that, shoutout to them)

There are so many details that I probably missed and so many things that Oda probably hasn’t explored yet, but will and I’m so excited

But TLDR: Oda cooked, Lore Piece is real, this chapter was fantastic, and the final war arc is gonna blow my mind

[awingedinsect]

I want, to want, to live

Hello!! Back again with a bit of art, this time my favorite sleepy boy💜 this is my first time really using watercolor and gotta say I’m in love with the result!

Inspired to post again because of a really sweet shoutout by @channelsoph , that made my morning to hear how much you liked my III. I hope you and anyone reading has an absolutely fantastic day.

[lurkingshan]

Japanese QL Corner

Another fantastic week to be a JQL fan. The first three of these are on Gaga, and I highly recommend jumping into the weekly watch!

Takara's Treasure

This show is exactly the low stress vibe I need for a Sunday evening. My child Taishin continues to be cute as a button, and Takara is clearly charmed, if still a bit wary. I was very into all the cute content this episode with the marbles and the glass earrings. Honestly, this show doesn't inspire much deep thought because it's just so straightforward and pleasant, and I am digging that.

I Hear the Sunspot

After getting Kohei’s backstory last week, this week we got to see a bit more of what makes Taichi tick and remember that below his sunshine exterior is a deeper well of feelings, and not all of them happy. This is the guy who opened the show by punching someone, and today we learned one source of his inner turmoil: parental rejection. My favorite scene in the episode was the one where he confessed this wound to an unwitting Kohei, who, when he realized Taichi was saying things to him he couldn’t hear, demanded Taichi keep his commitment to always communicate with him clearly. I loved this bit of nuance and how it tied back to Taichi's lecture of the girl earlier, because even though there was clearly no malicious intent here, Taichi knew Kohei couldn’t hear him and tried to take advantage of that to avoid vulnerability. He’s not perfect, and I loved that Kohei felt safe to call him on that. A fantastic scene and I am loving this.

Ayaka is in Love with Hiroko

The hilarity continues as Hiroko bends herself into pretzels to find ways to interpret Ayaka's love confessions as anything other than what they clearly are. Ayaka continues to escalate with some help from Kumi and her otome gaming tips, but Hiroko latches onto her friendly relationship with Yuya to continue believing she's straight. Speaking of, I love that Yuya is just a good coworker with no ulterior motives. A lot of dramas would make him a rival or a villain, but here he is a decent guy, and I appreciate it and the way he and Risa are clearly picking up on Ayaka's feelings and keeping it to themselves. Highlights of this ep include the escalating group massage and Ayaka's chaotic attempts to cook for her beloved, and I am dying to know what misunderstanding in the past damaged Hiroko so much. I just love every character in this story and I'm having a great time.

Bonus: Zettai BL 3

The Bs are back to L again, and it is every bit as fun as I expected. Mobu continues to be a treasure and a delight, and at this point, methinks the lady doth protest too much about not wanting his own love story. I was delighted with the way his story went after last season's cliffhanger, and also pretty excited to see this show kick up the heat levels on all the background mini bls. There were so many highlights of this new season that I don't want to list in detail because I just want you to go watch. It's an incredibly pleasant way to spend a couple hours! Major shoutout to @ikeoji-subs for creating English subs so all of us international fans could watch and enjoy; the last of the episodes was posted last night, so go ahead and dive in!

Tagging @bengiyo for anime update.

[froidefille]

Day 30: fic on your TBR that you’re most excited to read

📚 Go up to Gilead by anonymous

Draco/Harry, 107k, E

Written for: H/D Erised 2024 @hderised

Summary:

Harry Potter’s sense of purpose drops dead with Voldemort. So does Draco Malfoy’s freedom. Nine years later, Harry’s still a soldier. Draco’s still a sacrifice. Harry’s going to die in his Auror uniform, and Draco doesn’t deserve to live. But when the clock runs out on Draco’s sentence, a new one starts ticking. As it was, so it will be: they’ll survive together, or not at all.

Just looking at the summary and the tags, I know it’s going to ruin me. Can’t wait :D

📚 Dwelling by aideomai

Draco/Harry, 83k, T

Summary:

Curses, James and Lily Potter ride again, several Ministry balls, a teenage Summer of Love, a grim young adult dystopian winter, a few different Draco Malfoys, secrets and the problems re: not having any, alternate lives, impossible lives, real lives, allusions to Dirty Dancing, and just because it's not called the Mirror of Erised doesn't mean you shouldn't know better.

After devouring Far From The Tree, I can’t wait to read everything aideomai has ever written

📚 The Pain From an Old Wound  by anonymous

Draco/Harry, 30k, T

Written for: H/D Erised 2024

Summary:

Getting hit with a mysterious blood curse is all in a day’s work for Harry Potter. Having to work with his former colleague, rival, bully, and boyfriend, is not. Harry’s not sure which is going to do him in first: the curse sucking his magic dry, or Draco Malfoy, as frustrating, condescending, and painfully attractive as he’s always been.

Exes to lovers! Curse breakers!! Case fic!!!

📚 Mirror, Me by @kamaela

Draco/Harry, 18k, E

Written for: H/D Tarot Fest @hd-tarot

Summary:

Harry’s current predicament is, he can admit, rather dire. Being caught stalking aside, he thinks his nose might be broken. Humiliation licks up his rigid spine, but along with it is a prickle of ill-advised anticipation, a foolish thrill at what Malfoy might do. Harry is a little lost. His house is rejecting him and his friends and family are busy and moving on. To cope, he turns to what’s tried and true; following Draco Malfoy. The first time was an accident. Sort of.

This sounds like my favourite post-war Harry, lost in the world, with Draco somehow always in his way ^^

Honorable mention

Guys, I have 16 pages of „marked to read” works. 113 opened AO3 tabs.  And a full ‘to read” tag on my tumblr. With all those fantastic fests going on, those numbers only keep growing. So just a quick shoutout to all the creators – THANK YOU for sharing your works and time and effort with us and making our days better!! <3

And of course huge thanks to @hprecfest mods for this prompt!

[httpiastri]

PERFECTLY FINE – 2023 SEASON SOCIAL MEDIA RECAP

author's note: dropping this off for yall ahead of the weekend bcs i have important sports stuff these next two days and likely won't be on here at all (i won't even have time to watch the races 🙃). just a little cute thingy before the first chapter hehe! the twt pics are unevenly cropped so pls open them to read all 😚 also this is my first social media au so go easy on me <3

author's note #2: you may not notice this if i don't say it but i'll say it anyway… i actually edited out zak from like four pics so that i could post this 😭 lol

series masterlist

MELBOURNE, APRIL 2023

yourusername amazing weekend here down under!! so thankful for my fantastic team for all of the hard work, the car is a pleasure to drive. and shoutout to my lovely teammates, i love being annoyed and pushed around by you all ❤️

show all 86 comments

user icon!!!

‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎

frederikvestiofficial i would never annoy you 🥲

→ yourusername oh fred no, i didn't mean you 💔

→ olliebearman did you mean me?

→ yourusername nooo teddy bear, never 😢

→ dinobeganovic_ did you mean me??

→ yourusername take a guess 😐

‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎

user not her calling ollie TEDDY BEAR ??? im out

→ user right in front of my salad 😪

→ user right in front of paul too

→ user chill 😭 she's allowed to have a nickname for her FRIEND

‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎

paularon_ ❤️🏆

‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎

dinobeganovic_ time for a haircut? paularon_

→ yourusername don't hate on the curls, they're cute 🐑

→ paularon_ i can defend myself

→ yourusername do it then?

‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎

user great drive today!! u really deserved that win 💙

‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎

saacha_fqt thank you for the champagne! 🥳

→ yourusername merci merci 🍾

???, MAY 2023

SPA-FRANCORCHAMPS, JULY 2023

paularon_ p3 in spa. thanks to the team for the good work

show all 98 comments

user good job paul!! still not sure why prema thought the slicks were a good idea but 🫶

‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎

user why is he looking so upset 😭 mate you just got a podium, celebrate a little

→ user rumor has it he and y/n broke up… so i would understand if he isn't too happy

→ user omg you're kidding

‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎

user that first lap was mega 🔥

‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎

mercedesamgf1 great job all weekend paul. good points to head into the break with. 👏

yourusername had a pretty good time in spa 🤭

show all 72 comments

user sprint race win and then 4th in the feature? queen behavior

‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎

jakcrawford_ dino and ollie looking great

→ dinobeganovic_ 😎😎

‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎

redbulljuniorteam amazing work!! 💪

‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎

user y/n rlly is red bull personified omg, she truly loves her team

→ user and they love her back 🥺 always commenting on her posts, aww

ZANDVOORT, AUGUST 2023

yourusername look how happy jackie is for his podium <3 thanks zandvoort!!

show all 61 comments

user i love to see ollie being bullied on his bike

→ yourusername me too

‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎

olliebearman adorable jakcrawford_

→ jakcrawford_ 👍😀

‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎

user love to see y/n happy even after what happened with paul 💓

→ user yes yes! she was hanging out in the prema paddock all weekend, joking around with ollie and fred. and then she even went out for dinner with jak and clem 🥺

→ user i didn't know she's friends with clem?

→ user she probably isn't lol but she follows jak anywhere like a puppy 😭

MONZA, SEPTEMBER 2023

yourusername the best season ever 😭 where do i even start? massive massive thanks to the entire team. all of the engineers, mechanics, workers back home at the factory, and everyone else involved, i'm so thankful for you all. and big thanks to my family and friends for supporting me all the way, i couldn't have done any of this without you all. and to my dear, lovely teammates: you're the best, i'll see you all again soon. ❤️ (and congrats gabrielbortoleto_ for the championship! 🏆)

show all 132 comments

user why does it sound like she won't stay with prema 😭

→ user tbh it seems unlikely since kimi will probably move up to f2... and ollie will stay with prema too, so idk where she would go

→ user please :( let me stay delusional

‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎

gabrielbortoleto_ congrats on p2! see you again next year

→ yourusername 😉🤩

‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎

user congrats on a great season!! can't wait to keep following you in the future <33

‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎

redbulljuniorteam you made us proud this season 🫡 let's keep pushing!

→ yourusername thank you!! can't wait to see where 2024 takes us 💙❤️

‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎

user had so much fun meeting you in zandvoort 🥺 hope you have another amazing season 2024!

‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎

user is that her and paul in the fourth pic?

→ user no, it's her and dino from when they both ended up on the podium in hungary!

‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎

user she went from posting several pics of paul in her dumps to posting none… 💔

→ user i can't handle being a divorce child 😭

CAMBRIDGE, DECEMBER 2023

yourusername happy holidays 🤍🤶❄️🎄

show all 295 comments

user is that OLLIE in the last slide??

→ user byeeee i've never felt more single

‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎

dinobeganovic_ send me the gingerbread cookies, won't you?

→ yourusername oh we will, don't worry 🥰

→ user WE will ?!??!! 😭

‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎

user kinda icky how she moved on from paul in like a week

→ user it's been months. get over yourself.

‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎

user bearman with a bear plushie 🥺 i'm so soft

‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎

user the matching pjs.... when is it my turn???

???, FEBRUARY 2024

[bakerstreethound]

To Another Year

Relationship: Sherlock x lestrade!sibling reader

Warnings: mentions of fireworks, alcohol, Molly makes the briefest appearance, slight hints of jealousy, and Sherlock is a little grumpy

Summary: When the party for the new year begins at 221B, you reflect upon your year and the many blessings it's given you - that one of a new family, both blood and chosen.

All writings belong to me @bakerstreethound​ (Do NOT copy, repost, claim, or translate my works to other sites. I only publish here and on A03 under the same username) 

Word Count: 1.09k+

A/N: Happy 2024 everyone! Let's hope it's a good one. University has had me in a whirlwind this past semester and up to this winter course I'm on the tail end of. I hope to continue writing and posting more stories about our beloved detective. I know this is a few days, almost a week short of the new year, but it is Sherlock's birthday, so this works as a two-for-one gift. I sincerely hope you enjoy it. As always comments & reblogs are greatly appreciated. Huge shoutout to @strangelockd for beta reading and helping with the title! Graphic by @firefly-graphics

Mrs. Hudson rushed into the room, a bottle of champagne in one hand, the other holding a tray of sweets balanced precariously on the platter. You smiled, making your way over to help before John shoved you aside, taking the platter from her in stride. 

“Let me get that for you, Mrs. Hudson, ah yes these look swell!” John grinned, and you rolled your eyes, joining him as he popped a brownie in his mouth. 

You chuckled, biting into one as well, letting the warmth coat your tongue and suddenly you felt like a child again. “Oh, Mrs. Hudson you’ve outdone yourself truly. These are fantastic!” 

She chuckled while pulling out the glasses, clearing the table in the kitchen from the remnants of Sherlock’s experiments you’d cleared away, but somehow mysteriously popped up again.

You groaned in exasperation. You couldn’t remember the last time the kitchen, or the table for that matter had been clear of experiments or Sherlock’s current fixations. 

“Say, where is Sherlock?” John asked, taking another brownie from the tray. 

You shrugged, taking a sip from the champagne Mrs. Hudson handed you. “I haven’t the faintest idea. If he had any plans he didn't tell me.”

“Since when does he ever have plans other than dragging us along on cases?” John nudged you playfully and you sighed. 

“Sherlock always likes to go off and run around without regard to us,” Mrs. Hudson pipped in, taking a sip from her glass.” But that doesn’t mean we can’t have fun without him. Surely he’s bound to show up.” 

“Oh, I’m sure he will, he’s been on a few holiday cases up in Cardiff, from what Greg has told me,” you smiled. Speaking of the devil your phone buzzed and you moved with John and Mrs. Hudson to the living room where you promptly seated yourself in Sherlock’s chair, John following suit in his own while Mrs. Hudson sat on the couch you’d pulled closer to the chairs. 

You pulled open the text from your brother, your smile widening. Greg’s message was a selfie of him hauling a grocery bag, likely offerings for the party accompanied by an “on my way!” and a profuse apology for being late as Scotland Yard refused to close at a decent hour.

Well, a decent hour for Greg would be five, so he could sleep earlier and be to work at an even earlier time. Between the both of you, you’re more the night owl.

You take another sip of your drink, watching as John set up festive music on the telly, and opening the curtains where you were met with a rich dark sky littered with stars, the moon glowing softly. You admire the sight and you can’t imagine anything better than this or anywhere you’d rather be. 

Your phone buzzed again, met with another text from Greg. Make sure to keep Sherlock in line. 

Thanks, Greg, you think. If you had any idea where he was you would be sure to do so as he was your significant other. Yet communication on large cases tended to hinder his whereabouts. 

Pretty sure John will do a fine job once we find out where the hell Sherlock went, you shot back. 

“What’s this Grantham wants?” Sherlock burst through the door in all his glory, his beautiful Belstaff billowing around him as he fiddled with his phone. Joh chuckled, rolling his eyes at the absurdity and you huffed in amusement. 

“Wonderful to see you too my dear. Welcome home!” You rise to greet Sherlock but he’s over next to you in an instant pulling you in for a hug.

You fall into him, sure that Mrs. Hudson is giggling in a corner sending a meaningful look to John. You don’t care in the slightest, not anymore. Sherlock was always yours and you are his, despite the doubts you had from time to time through the years. 

“Oi, come on you two lovebirds is this a party or what?” Greg beamed, patting John on the shoulder, raising a glass to Mrs. Hudson. It didn’t take him long to find the drinks, you chuckled to yourself, pecking Sherlock’s cheek. “Also, my brother's name is not Grantham. You should know this by now.”

“Smart girl that one is,” Greg said, “yet she gets herself involved with the likes of Sherlock. I’ll never understand it. The Lestrades like danger over stability it seems.” 

“Oh knock it off you all,” Mrs. Hudson admonished. “At least take a few more drinks and at least eat. I bet you all haven’t eaten since lunch, and likely skipped breakfast as well.” 

You cast her a look, for she knew you all too well. “Of course, Mrs. Hudson,” you pulled yourself from Sherlock’s embrace even though it was agony to do so, your mind screaming for you to pull yourself up against him and drown in his kisses and warmth.

You quickly give your brother a hug and Greg grinned good-naturedly as you squeezed him tight. It’d been weeks since you’d seen him given the business of the holidays.

It was nice to finally settle down without the impeding stress of work and other responsibilities, relinquishing yourself to the relaxation amongst friends and family. It was why you cherished moments such as these and when you hugged Sherlock again, ruffling his curls, as he grumped, but you knew deep down he enjoyed it. 

******

Soon enough you’re all full of champagne, a filling meal, and in generally good spirits. Molly made a chance to stop by, too, and you pulled her into a warm embrace. She blushed in the dim light, not expecting it from you. You couldn’t blame her for having a crush on Sherlock all those years, but your mutual jealousy between you had faded with time and you’d come to enjoy her company.

You hand her a glass, eyes shining in mirth and at that moment you know you’ll be alright. With your found family and kin in the room, all felt right. 

Perhaps the year would be a good one after all. 

You found Sherlock in his chair observing the quieter atmosphere as everyone settled, talking quietly. You noted the way his fingers tapped on the chair impatiently and you carefully situated yourself in his lap, setting your half-empty glass on the side table.

From the window, fireworks light the sky in all their glory and soft cheers ring through 221B. You brush your lips against Sherlock’s, and he welcomes you into the dawn of what hopefully will be one of the best years in your memory.

******

[smallsies]

Audio Drama Sunday — May 26, 2024

It's been tragically long since I had the time to make one of these posts amidst the rise in jam chaos & other things over the last few weeks, but the event officially concluded yesterday with the release of 14 new pilots!!

In all honesty this event consumed most of my life so far this year, but I am incredibly excited to be on the other side of it - having released the first episode of my debut audio drama, @spacespeckspod as well ! - with so many wonderfully talented people. These shows are beyond incredible, so I just want to dedicate today to talking about them! (& I truthfully haven't listened to anything except jam shows as of late, lol)

@gavinswindowpod - "In-universe TTRPG" is always such a fun angle, and this show did a stellar job balancing the different directions that can take. Listening to the character's conversations feels very much like overhearing a group playing, all of the actors did an incredible job with that! & I'm looking forward to more in the future :)

@theichorousrotpod - Firstly, G knocked it out of the park with the music in this show, it's incredible. Secondly, "pathetic guy trapped by the horrors" is beloved and very well done, Sam is an incredibly talented writer and the cast did a stellar job bringing these characters to life. (I would let Dr. Yates perform top surgery on me etc etc.)

@thefinderskeeperpod - Beyond with being two of the nicest people ever, Lemon and Maddie's character dynamics in this was SUCH a joy to witness. "Grizzled old man & clueless newcomer walk into a bank, except there is something incredibly wrong with the bank teller" is spectacular, the sound design was, of course, spectacular, and I'm very excited to hear more.

@valdiviansfinest - Clear bias in saying this, but space shows are SO fun, and the Valdivian's Finest team did an amazing job showcasing all of the best parts of the genre. I don't have enough good things to say about this show, I love space Amazon and don't think the courier service has ever done anything wrong ever.

@working-tidal-pod - Taking points off for Louis spawning the "it's a comedy" joke that became a constant reference when we were listening to shows (/lh) BUT the writing is so funny, the sibling dynamic feels incredibly realistic and all of the actors are amazing and very talented. Feesh show has the potential to become a go-to comfort podcast, looking forward to hearing more!

@asbestos4president - This show is incredibly fun, "alien Twitch streamer" isn't a podcast I ever thought I would encounter, but the team did an absolutely fantastic job with their pilot. The writing is really funny in the classic aliens-misunderstanding-human-concepts way, with more modernized in-jokes that makes the characters feel very realistic!!

@beyondrepairpod - Extra props to this group as they were the event match team, with much less time to organize before scriptwriting, but managed to put together a stellar pilot. Hope was so well-done, the ship AI is VERY normal and you can absolutely trust them, shoutout to Pancake for their absolutely spectacular acting there!

@worldfusepodcast - These characters are incredibly charming and this world is so fun. Everything about this is just really well done; all of the actors were amazing, the writing is clever & easy to follow (& it's, of course, very fun that Ila is playing a detective :)!!) Looking forward to hearing more of this show!

@hello-are-you-there - Again, slight bias as I love a good apocalypse plot, but HAYT is a really fun radio show style podcast by a really lovely team. Aiden's moments of snark are great, Milo did a wonderful job bringing him to life amidst the bleakness of an end-of-the-world plot, & the inclusion of mythology is really well done!

@gobbpodblog - Magical zoo! Magical zoo!!! I love strange and unusual creatures and this team did an amazing job bringing them to life in this episode :D The animal ambiance at the start was really charming, and Prinxe & Caw were fantastic as Jake and Dr. Vermillian. Really excited to hear more!

Schrödinger's Pledge/@englewoodafterdark - As a college student I understand the implicit horrors of Greek life all too well (/lh.) The exploration of hazing practices and the normalization of them within those communities honestly is scary on its own, and the sound design really brings that to life in this pilot. Beyond excited to hear more Englewood After Dark later this year!

The Block - Fi was the only participant to make a solo show, and ended up with a spectacular example of what a one-person show can look like! I'm a little sad this podcast isn't continuing as they've introduced such an interesting concept and world here, but they did an outstanding job with the pilot.

Eart(h) FM - We listened to this one in the server the other night, & this show was definitely a lighthearted uptick from some of the other things we listened to, lol! It feels a bit silly to say a show about the end of the world is fun, but there is just so much hope and life this team managed to fit all in one episode, and the music is wonderful.

@spacespeckspod - I feel a bit awkward talking about my show, but I do want to say thank you to my lovely teammates who helped bring it to life! I appreciate all of you endlessly, and I'm really excited for the future of our little space show <3

If you want to check out these shows, they're all available on the Jam feed, & @aclickbaittitle has also started an (in-progress) Podchaser list of those with individual feeds!

Finally, an extra shoutout to the crowdfunder for Forged Bonds, @forgedbondspod which is still running & which you can check out here! Pine is such a wonderful member of the AD community, & (especially as a fellow classics enjoyer) I'm really looking forward to seeing what they do with this show. If you have the means, you should absolutely go support them & their amazing podcast!!

[bookishbroadwayandblind]

IT's A WRAP folks!! I want to say a huge thank you to @carryon-countdown for putting this together and to the mods for being such sweet humans! I'm so happy to participate in my first year of COC and am excited for hopeful participation in future years because it really has been such a pleasure!

I wasn't able to write every day, much to my dismay (the snowflake exchange gift fic needed attention!) but I did write about... *deep breath* Peaddington cuddles, baby retrospectives, practice kissing, Fifth-year angst, Fantastical Winters, Tender truths, Post-canon comfort, Vampire Yearning, Rhys/Gareth, Food-based introspection, Fantastical Winters Part Two!, Female Rage, Mer!Simon, Secret Gardens, Love-spiked Chocolates, Megamind Crack, Kindergarten Besties, Vampire Healing, Wisdem Teeth, Natasha/Lucy, Goat!Simon, Gareth/Rhys again!, Jealous Slip-ups, AND carol remixes! So yeah, I couldn't have asked for more! Check out the full series here :)

Shoutout to the phenomenal @roomwithanopenfire whose charming and emotional fics really brought joy to the season, and whose kindness kept me writing! and to @skeedelvee whose fic rec lists were INCREDIBLY valuable! I love you all so much! Here's to a new year with new connections!

[leothil]

Tumblr Fandom: A Year in Review 2023

@mistmarauder thank you so much for creating this and tagging me! 💛💛

Top Five Blorbos: 1. Eddie Diaz - 9-1-1 2. Leon Draisaitl - Hockey rpf 3. Embry Carter - Rebel Kings MC 4. Matthew Tkachuk - Hockey rpf 5. Eddie Fulton - Summer Sons

Top Five Fandoms: 1. 9-1-1 2. Hockey rpf 3. Rebel Kings MC 4. Percy Jackson 5. Summer Sons

Top Five OTPs: 1. Buddie - 9-1-1 2. Mattdrai - Hockey rpf 3. Embry and Mateo - Rebel Kings MC 4. Andrew and Eddie - Summer Sons 5. Quinn Hughes and Brady Tkachuk - Hockey rpf (listen. I can feel the brainrot brewing for these two. It's gonna get worse.)

Shoutout to Some New Friends: I feel like this year is the first time I really properly interacted with @shitouttabuck, @messyhairdiaz, @eddiebabygirldiaz and @toboldlynerd and it's been a truly wonderful time! Shoutout to @nunc-spes-spei and @zahlibeth who are always willing to yes-and spec/ideas and indulge weird theories, you're the best!

Shoutout to Some Old Friends: @rewritetheending, talking to you more this year has brought me indescribable amounts of joy, comfort, relief, every positive feeling out there! I can't emphasize enough how important you are to me! @onward--upward you are a true champ for putting up with my weird hrpf rants and excessive post sharing, I love sharing the brainrot with you! My Buck and Eddie girls @burnthatbridge, @girldadbuddie, and @thatsveryood, I treasure you SO much and hope we can share an unhinged video chat again soon (NZ meetup??)! And my absolute ride or dies, my teeny tiny friends, @buckactuallys, @capseycartwright, @clusterbuck, @hattalove, @oatflatwhite, and @thatbuddie, you're the best thing I have gained from this webbed site, I can't believe I get to talk to you every day! All hail the superior search engine etc, I love you so much!

Favorite Creation You Posted This Year: I've loved doing my fic recs from the archive-project and I've been so happy to see other people discover new old fics through it! (It's not finished, I just wanted a break over the holidays!)

Favorite Creation Posted by Someone Else This Year: I've got to shout out @butchdiaz's Eddie Diaz is the archer because I sat eating breakfast at our summer cottage one morning back in July, watching this video on repeat and struggling to keep my feelings somewhat contained because I couldn't spoil my sister by showing it to her.

People Who Brightened Your Year: Everyone I've already mentioned, naturally, but also @tripleaxeldiaz, @henswilsons, @kitkatpancakestack, @eddiediaaz, @try-set-me-on-fire, @transboybuckley, @trippedandfell for being those extra bright spots on my dash and sometimes in my DMs!

Anyone Else You’d Like to Mention: Big shoutout to all of my mutuals and followers, you are all fantastic and I'm really happy to be here hanging out with you! Extra thanks to @evcndiaz @nymika-arts @glorious-spoon @ellelans @spruceoutoffive @captain-hen @fcntasmas @andrewblur @spaceprincessem @mellaithwen and @mistmarauder for being absolutely wonderful presences on my dash, mwah!

Five of Your Favorite Authors This Year: In the interest of not trying to double-tag people (and get to shout out even more peeps):

@bropunzeling I've reread all of your mattdrai fics more than is probably healthy, and you are this 🤏 close to making me acquire new blorbos by reading the rest of your bibliography.

@msmargaretmurry I'll have you know I reread Head Above Water three times this year and it made me more unhinged every time. That's not counting the times I went back to it just to reread a favourite scene or two.

@hopetorun your mattdrai winner's room fic rearranged something in my brain and I'll never be the same again.

@letmetellyouaboutmyfeels I don't know how you do what you do but I'm in awe, every single time!

@littlespoonevan I've gone back to reread several of your fics this year, and there's something so uniquely sweet and comforting about them!

Five of Your Favorite Artists/Gifmakers/Podficcers/Etc. This Year: 1. @bilosan your gifs are so gorgeous and I always love seeing what kind of sets you put together! 2. @like-the-rest-of-la if I could eat your art, I would!! It's so stupidly beautiful! 3. @skyhighrollins911 your edits are beyond gorgeous, and the cast sharing them as well is so deserved! 4. @barbiediaz your gifsets bring me endless joy and make me stop to look even when it's a fandom I'm not personally in! 5. @baneme-art I am so in love with the way you draw Buck and Eddie, I could look at them for hours!

Three Things You’re Looking Forward to in 2024: 1. S7 of 9-1-1. Of course. 2. Continuing to learn more and get better at west coast swing! (Please let me get into the spring course I will be crushed if I can't have it regularly for half a year 😢) 3. Book seven of Rebel Kings MC (Garrett Leigh you KNOW what you did!)

Tagging: Anyone and everyone tagged in this post already!

[chemicallywrit]

Audio Drama Sunday!!!

Again this is far from comprehensive because I am a feral podcast monster, but here’s what stuck out to me this week! Mostly spoiler-free, unless you count vibes as spoilers!

🗡️ Cry Havoc! Ask Questions Later managed to have a happy? Ending? Honestly the way it managed to be a hilarious historical sitcom with an ending that chilling was MASTERFUL. Great job writers, y’all are fantastic. It is obviously not absolutely true to what we know about Roman history, but it is true to the spirit of it in a way that’s really satisfying for me personally.

🦀 @thesiltverses oh MAN. The way this story says again and again that you cannot earn your way out of being trampled by a system that doesn’t care about you hits every. Single. Time. And what are you going to do, try to remake that system? There are always going to be people who can’t handle that and fight against you, to their own detriment. This story is fantastical and exaggerated, but it’s always so real at the same time.

👁️ @hellofromthehallowoods is trying to kill me, straight up. I have no idea what Halloween will bring for this show and i’m dying. It’s very difficult to predict storylines on Hallowoods and that’s something I love about it. Will this pair break up? Will this pair die for their cause? Will this pair find each other again, even through death? Shoutout to the great guests this episode, I always enjoy seeing who Mx Wellman invites into the world.

🔎 @knovesstorytelling okay look, y’all, I have never read Northanger Abbey, so I don’t know why Kit’s being told to pack her bags and get out, and I am so UPSET. What’s going on????

📉 Within the Wires is back!! And my WORD, the juxtaposition of this season being motivational tapes while listening to the current season of The Dream about life coaches?? I am transfixed and horrified, let’s GO.

🎟️ @longcatmedia Mockery Manor. I love these clowns so much. I love that Bette is really smart and really dumb at the same time. Everyone’s acting is top notch, but I’m especially a fan of Karim Kronfli in this show. Everyone knows he’s got the range, but it’s so fun listening to him be this fussy little guy.

👻 One of the shows I’ve been catching up on is Ghosts in the Burbs, a deceptively spooky and delightfully witty single-narrator ghost show. I’m listening through the Lilith arc and….woof. WOOF. I know how it ends and it’s still terrifying.

🩸 IT’S HEMOPHOBIA DAY, omg, everyone please check out Hemophobia, I am so excited for Hemophobia. It’s sitting in my queue staring at me with that creepy-ass logo art. I’ve talked with CSW about this show and heard the trailer—religious trauma horror with amazing sound design and an amazing cast??? You kidding???? I am drooling over here. Join me, won’t you?

🧟‍♀️ This week is also the premier of The Dead! As soon as that feed appears I’ll be putting it everywhere, and I’m so excited to show everyone the first series. You’ve heard of snakes on a plane….

💐 On my end, as Re: Dracula continues its march to the finale, this week I find myself recording Inn Between and The Dead. I am still trying to make rent ahead of my new job’s first paycheck, so if you liked this post or the other things I do, would you consider sending me a ko-fi?

Now if you’ll excuse me, I will be listening to Hemophobia very quietly and very scared by myself in the dark. Until next week!

[akfamilyhome]

2024 Year in Review

(This is a public post, and is also available on Patreon!)

Wow! What a year. Compared to last year, a lot more things definitely happened, including several core videos I'm very proud of, the launch of Useless Nintendo Trivia videos, and the main channel finally passing the 50,000 subscriber mark! This has been one of the best years for the channel in a while, and I'm very thankful for all the support and feedback.

Outside the channel, my Bluesky account created in 2023 has passed 10k followers, I talked about WarioWare with Scott the Woz for an hour, and lots of very neat things happened in real life for me as well! I was able to switch day jobs in December and work with a company in the retro gaming space which is very exciting, and I visited America, met some of my friends there and attended the Portland Retro Gaming Expo for the very first time! So overall, a very eventful year, and I'm definitely excited to both look back on the stuff I've made, and give some hints about what's next!

You know the drill by now, I'm going to be sharing my retrospective thoughts as well as some fun facts about every video I've made on the main channel during 2024!

The Joy of Nintendo DSi/3DS Camera & Sound

This video idea was the winner of a Patreon poll back in June 2023...and yeah, ended up releasing in January 2024, but that meant it made for a pretty fantastic start to the new year! After talking about previous camera-related offerings from Nintendo like the Game Boy Camera and Photo Dojo, it only seemed natural to talk about the built-in camera and music apps for the DSi and 3DS, and I think it hit a great balance between being informative about the lesser-known aspects of these apps, and also having some decent gags! I even ended up upgrading my 3DS capture card from an old 2DS to a New 3DS XL during the production, just because I had to showcase the 3D mode-exclusive camera features. So far, it's served me incredibly well! I can absolutely vouch for the quality of Loopy's stuff now.

Some folks were wondering I managed to capture footage of the DSi camera and sound apps, the truth is...I kinda lied and that footage was captured on my New 3DS XL capture card! Yes, you can install and run DSi Camera and DSi Sound on a 3DS.

I'd like to once again give a shoutout to ThattsCherry (who also did the animation for my latest intro), who drew two animated shots featuring stylized Nintendo employees! Her style lent incredibly well to these sorts of visuals, though I did accidentally overlook a mistake where there was a 3DS logo in the background of a shot...about the DSi camera. (Oops) I also want to shout out TikaratheMew as well for the fantastic parakeet thumbnail art! (She also did the thumbnail art for my Famicom R.O.B. the Robot video as well!) I posted this sketch/final comparison on social media previously, but here it is again for posterity:

And finally, just a random fact: the brief gag featuring the 'retro-inspired indie game' actually comes from a university programming assignment I did years ago, but reskinned with generic pixel art as the original just used 8-bit sprites from Super Mario Bros.! (It also ran way faster than it was supposed to because it was originally programmed on a Windows virtual machine running on a Mac...so yeah.)

I Went to Hong Kong's Nintendo Live & Pop-Up Store

This video was a great opportunity to document two Nintendo events that were basically happening in Hong Kong back-to-back, and I hope it was useful for those who weren't able to attend these events, or those who want to know more about Nintendo's international events! I still hope these events are successful enough to warrant future large-scale Nintendo events in Hong Kong (which I am totally down to also document), but we haven't had further confirmations outside of a few series-specific promotional events now and then. Here's hoping!

Since this video, more Nintendo Pop-Up Stores have opened in places like Taipei, Seoul and Singapore, with the latest one being part of a manga convention in Barcelona! Seems like they've been doing pretty well, and makes me wonder if they'll ever revisit places for a second round!

Though aside from these pop-up stores, there are still plenty of officially authorized partner stores in Hong Kong that sell both Nintendo products and merch! A very neat one that opened recently was 'Assemble' in Wan Chai, which not only had Nintendo merch (including new stock for the Super Famicom Mini for some reason?), but had dedicated merch areas for third-party partners like Sega, Namco and Square Enix, and even had demo stations for indie games and Arcade Archives releases!

A Cartridge for Nintendo's Lost Devkit

In terms of obscure Nintendo stuff that has been talked about on this channel, the Game Processor RAM Casette is definitely way up there! While these carts (and the Game Processor in general) have been known to exist for a while, and this is also not even the first YouTube video about the Game Processor RAM Casette (Circuit Rewind was ahead of me and figured out how to reprogram one using a Raspberry Pi!), I'm still glad this video was able to get more eyeballs on this little known piece of Nintendo history, and perhaps the dream of finding the Game Processor isn't dead yet! (Hey, if the largest Sony CRT ever made could be found, anything's possible.)

One thing I actually didn't touch on in this video is the packaging that the Game Processor RAM Casettes originally came in! And with a few more auction listings popping up online since that video, I can now show you that...they're basically completely blank Super Famicom game boxes. That's kinda funny.

I mentioned that one of the assets for a Mario Bros.-style game created with the Game Processor's editing tool 'Mario Factory' was later reused for the Mario Bros. minigame in the Super Mario Advance series. While we do have an image proof of this from a flyer scan, I didn't show it in the actual video as the original Japanese accounts that posted these images seem to be a little strict regarding reposting of their work, and I'd like to respect their wishes if possible. With that said, I can now link to those original tweets here, if you haven't taken a look!

How Many Times Have I Paid For Super Mario Bros.?

For Mario Day this year, I decided to just do a scripted video about a ridiculous Mario topic, and since I already had a spreadsheet lying around that kept track of every legal copy of Super Mario Bros. I own, this video was the result, and it ended up as silly as I envisioned it to be. Perhaps Mario Day videos can be another fun annual tradition, though I haven't thought of any ideas for this year's right now. (I mean, I could talk about all my copies of Mario 64 like I teased last time...but that's probably a better fit for the Plus channel!)

The obligatory question is, have I obtained any new copies of Super Mario Bros. since this video was published? The answer is yes: I obtained a loose cartridge of Super Mario Bros. + Duck Hunt + World Class Track Meet on the NES, Super Mario All-Stars + Super Mario World on the SNES, and a US copy of Super Mario All-Stars Limited Edition on the Wii! The count continues.

Those with keen ears may have noticed that the endslate theme in this video is an arrangement of the 'Every Day is a Mario Day' commercial jingle! I asked Megan, the composer of my endslate theme, to give it a little remix for the occasion, and it turned out so well, I definitely have to use it more than once now lol

Useless Nintendo Trivia #1-5

This year marked the start of the 'Useless Nintendo Trivia' series, each installment containing 10 useless Nintendo facts, inspired by my 2023 April Fools video. This was conceived as a relatively simple but fun series of videos that I can put out in-between the major productions, and so far we've covered 50 whole pieces of useless Nintendo trivia! I'm very happy about how this series has been received, so...yeah, more episodes will definitely be on the way! When we reach 100 pieces of trivia, it might be fun to do a compilation of them to see how long they would be when put together!

You might've also seen that some pieces of trivia have also been uploaded to the channel as YouTube shorts. I think this is basically the best way to utilize the shorts format going forward, rather than focusing on making exclusive stuff for it, and if one of the shorts does end up blowing up, it'll still be a nice bonus!

Every Nintendo Stylus

And here's 2024's April Fools video...which if I recall correctly, was another spontaneous idea! I originally talked about Nintendo styluses as an unscripted video on Akfamilyhome Plus, one of the first unscripted videos on that channel in fact, but that video actually left out a few styluses that I didn't have on hand at the time, so I figured if I were to revisit the topic, it would be in the form of a scripted video to cut down on the babbling, and possibly as part of the April Fools series (just because of how ridiculous the topic is). This video blowing up in views is something I can't exactly say I anticipated, but I guess joke topics just do that sometimes...

I made a joke in the video about if anyone ever used the original 3DS stylus by just extending it halfway, so allow me to showcase this incredible reply comment:

When I was looking for accurate stylus terminology for this video, I was made privy to a patent-related rabbit hole that eventually culminated into a piece of useless Nintendo trivia! I'll just link you to the short version here if you haven't seen it yet.

The 34 Games I Beat in 2023

The 2023 game review video ended up coming out in late April because of the Mario Day and April Fools videos (...which may end up being the same case for this year if I can't get it out by February, oops), but this time around it did perform a little better than my 2022 video! It's still neat to have a time capsule of sorts about my immediate thoughts about each game I've finished, and the unpredictable lineup still makes it a fun watch for some. Just to look ahead, 2024's game lineup will be a little shorter at 25 games, but there will be a bonus section or two here and there!

Not much else to add here for this video, but if you look in the description, I have a link to a spreadsheet that compiles an alphabetical list of every game I've looked at in this series of videos, for those who want to look up my quick thoughts about a particular game!

Nintendo's Hotel SNES: The Super Famicom Box

It seems like pretty much every Things of Interest episode released in 2024 was a result of spontaneous new finds and additions to my collection, and the Super Famicom Box was certainly no exception. There have been several YouTube videos that show off the system before, but there haven't been as many scripted videos that also dive into its deeper functionality, so that's sort of what the aim of my video was, to showcase how it would be to set the whole thing up and go through its many settings for the folks (a.k.a. most people) who don't have one, and also offer a simple point of reference for those who do end up getting their hands on one. Really, the only thing I haven't done in the video is basically take the system apart -- there are people out there who are way more qualified to do that!

I've shared the following links in one of my monthly Patreon reports, but for those who haven't seen them, here's a few more interesting videos related to the Super Famicom Box that are worth checking out:

Long Island Retro Gaming has done a mod adding RGB to the system -- and with some results you may not have expected!

Some of their footage was used in my video, but Impendo64 has both added a custom coin slot to their unit, but has also apparently modified one of the game cartridges to add custom games onto it! I hope they make another video showing how they did it in the future!

This is about the original FamicomBox and not the SFC variant, but Yukki games came across a few working FamicomBoxes still doing their jobs in a small Japanese hot spring inn, if you'd like to take in the vibes!

64DD on a Flashcart: The SummerCart64

The Things of Interest video about the SummerCart64 is one of the few unscripted videos on the main channel, where I basically take a look at a thing by just...casually using it and showing off its features! That felt like the best format to show off this flashcart in particular, especially because 64DD support was the one interesting part about it. I did get the price of the Phenom Mod version of the cart a little wrong in the video (I misquoted the PCB price instead of the fully assembled one with shells), but in the end it was still neat to get some more eyeballs on this project, and a few new developments have been made since that video as well!

Since the video, the N64 Flashcart Menu has seen several updates that addressed some of my previous (minor) complaints: there's now a functional settings menu within the interface, and most recently a favorites and history tab have been implemented!

And since Phenom Mod released their version of the SummerCart64 for order, plenty of other cheaper SC64 clones have also started to pop up on the market, particularly ones on Chinese sites like AliExpress. I even got a free product offer from one of the sellers! (but decided against it as it would make for a pretty redundant video) While I can't compare every variety of the SummerCart64 out there, I was eventually able to get my hands on two different AliExpress variants of the SummerCart64. They had pretty different molded shells (one being a tighter fit than the other) and cart connectors, and while in terms of functionality they were fairly similar, making it a viable option for those on a limited budget, they definitely don't have the luxury of the Phenom Mod's more durable build, along with proper support available in the N64brew Discord should any problems arise, so I think there's still some worth in that! This is just my opinion though, it's up to you to decide which SC64 variant you want to go for for your own purposes.

I Broke the Nintendo World Championships Leaderboards

Speaking of spontaneous video ideas, this video definitely was one, being basically born from a stupid Discord conversation while playing the new Nintendo World Championships game. The resulting video is definitely a rare breed for the channel, it's been a hot while since I've done a 'what happens if you do x in y' type of experiment for a video, but it seems people did end up enjoying it!

The week this video went live, I actually tried the same strategy to get on the 2024 Birth Ranking again, and it seems that no one else ended up trying it out for themselves! ...which makes sense, because the setup is way too convoluted. But if there's someone out there still determined to try this trick right now, there's a high chance you'll be able to earn 1st place on the 2024 birth year ranking for yourself! (Or rather, 2025 ranking now lol)

Pyoro: The Bird, The Beans, The Legend

...and finally, this was the next big core video that I was originally intending to make, following the 3DS/DSi Camera & Sound video! As I said in the video itself, this idea came long before the leaker known as Pyoro became a prominent figure, and with the release of WarioWare: Move It, it made for the perfect opportunity to do a Pyoro retrospective with some fun gags sprinkled throughout. And in a first for the channel, this is also the first ever sponsored video on the channel! ...I'll talk about more of my thoughts on that down below in a bit.

If you look at the video thumbnail, all of the Pyoros featured come from a piece of official artwork or in-game sprite...except one, which I drew back in 2021.

Turns out, there were several Pyoro cameos that I forgot to mention: for some reason my mind completely blocked out the fact that Super Pyoro appears in the intro of WarioWare Gold, and there's also a small blink-and-you'll-miss-it Pyoro cameo in WarioWare Move It:

As I said, this is the first video on the channel to be sponsored (by Surfshark)! As taking a sponsor was something I'd never done before, I felt this was a good learning opportunity to do so, and considering how well the video ended up doing, I think Surfshark probably got way more than their money's worth in the end...

Before I ever considered legitimately taking up a sponsor offer, I set several rules for myself: anything I promote must be something I've used in the past and can recommend based on personal experience (if it's something I've never heard of then I would at least do my research and give it a try first), and the sponsor integrations should be made as fun as possible. The Pyoro video was essentially a testing ground for these principles, the idea of integrating the sponsor led to the creation of the VRChat skits, and as a result I think it turned out pretty well! (A post about the sponsor segment itself ending up doing numbers on Twitter, which I think is a good enough indicator lol)

The reason why I took this long to accept any sponsor at all is simply because a lot of offers that come through to my business inbox don't always look the most legit at first glance, especially if it's from a product I've never heard of before. I've also never went through the process of taking a sponsorship myself, and I've heard a few stories of bad sponsors or phishing scams involving fake sponsorships, so I was basically extremely vigilant about them. That being said, this sponsorship was definitely a net positive for me as a learning experience! I don't know if I'll end up taking more sponsors in the future, as it really just depends on the right one stumbling into my inbox that I think I can actually execute properly. And between my inconsistent video schedule and my recent job switch, I don't think I'll have to deliberately seek out sponsors in the near future. I'm feeling content with having this YouTube thing as a side hustle for now, with Patreon support and perhaps the occasional sponsor as bonuses that will potentially push me slowly towards being able to do this full-time in the far future!

And lastly, if you didn't know, some outtakes and animatics for the VRChat skit segments in this video are available to my $5+ patrons!

Nintendo 3DS E3 2010 Demo Showcase

And in time for the new year, another spontaneous video! I originally planned for a Things of Interest episode to release around Christmas or before the end of the year, but while I was working on it, I was contacted by a team working on preserving some 3DS tech demos from a prototype unit in order to make a video documenting them like I did with 3D Challenge back in 2020, and of course I had to say yes!

It was very fun to both help out with research as these demos were being studied, and to write the script for the showcase as well! I think this is one of the best ways to handle a release of this sort: not just hacking the demos so they can be as playable as possible for the public, but also documenting them in a video so detailed info about them is also as easily accessible!

Yes, the ending is a tease for something else 3DS-related to come. Don't know when exactly that will be as research is still being done to put it vaguely, but it's something I personally think is almost as cool!

Akfamilyhome Plus videos

If there's only one thing I regret for this year, it's the smaller amount of content being put out on my second channel Akfamilyhome Plus, because ironically I got busy from all the videos being put on the main channel instead! Still, there are a handful of bonus videos that have been released publicly on there this year:

I gave Alivel Mall from Kirby and the Forgotten Land lyrics for the game's 2nd anniversary

I tried a Gyromite-themed mini board game on a Japanese pencil case from 1985

I talked about how I create YouTube captions from my scripts

I tried the Nintendo Ten Billion Barrel for the first time

...and as mentioned in the beginning, I documented my very first trip to America!

And over on Patreon, 4 exclusive videos were released: I took a look at some third-party Joy-Con, played PC games with an actual Game Boy as a controller, did my annual room tour for 2024 and built a Famicom made out of cardboard!

Alright, what's next

Okay, so as I just mentioned, I was working on a Things of Interest episode right as I was approached to make the 3DS E3 2010 demo showcase, so right now work will be resuming on that video! And seeing as you've read this far into the post, as a thank you I'll let you in on what it's about...

...it's an original, working Nintendo Ultra Machine from 1967! Just like the Super Famicom Box, while there are videos online that showcase it, there's not a lot of scripted videos that get into the history or nitty gritty details, so I'd like to take this opportunity to showcase one of Gunpei Yokoi's earliest inventions!

In addition to that, there is another Things of Interest subject that I'd like to talk about, Useless Nintendo Trivia will obviously continue with new sporadic episodes, and the next major core video topic has already been decided, though with all these projects in the pipeline, it might be a little bit before that's fully in production!

Overall, I'd like to keep up the momentum this channel picked up in 2024. I was pretty close to my goal of having a video out on the channel every month, save for edge cases where I released a video right as a month ended, or September onwards when I was occupied with my trip to America (and documenting that into a video) among other things! While I have switched jobs in real life, I'm currently hoping it won't affect too much of my video schedule going forward, as working on this channel is something I continue to enjoy immensely, and I'd like to thank you all again for watching in 2024.

So yeah, that's it for this long year in review! Once again, as a thank you for watching all the way to the end, here's a 25-use invite link to my Discord server where chill gaming talk happens! I'll let you in on a secret: these links actually aren't clicked on a whole lot if last year's post was any indication, so if you're reading this, chances are it's still available lol

That will be it for now! Here's to another great year for the channel, and I'll see you in the next video!

[polkadotmotmot]

The art posts stay blessed, but to then bless us with the black star joint!?!?! Surprised and ☺️ smiling. Who knew….thanks again

Oh thanks so much! I grew up a hip hop kid for sure. A Tribe Called Quest will always be my favorite boys. Super young at the time, but I learned a lot from my dad, RIP, who had fantastic taste in music to me. Also, People Under The Stairs. Heavy Hitters. I mean I could go on and on about rap music, but yeah, I appreciate the shoutout!

[hoodienanami]

in the first of what will hopefully become an annual tradition, i've decided to make a post to commemorate my favorite books, movies, and music that i experienced for the first time this past year!

my schedule was pretty packed with both the personal and professional but the art lover grind never stops. not even when a branch went through my roof! so here's my favorites of 2024 in no particular order:

books

the devil finds work (1976) - james baldwin

the heebie-jeebies at cbgb's (2006) - steven lee beeber

the secret public (2024) - jon savage

how to hide an empire (2019) - daniel immerwahr

as usual my favorites are all nonfiction with three out of four of them focusing on pop culture. i'm always eager to listen when brilliant people talk about music and movies. baldwin, beeber, and savage provide great insights into some of the 20th century's best (and worst) art and artists through the lens of racial and sexual politics. immerwahr's history of the american empire was also fascinating and a real eye-opener for me. thank you @chateauofmymind for recommending it to me, it's an essential piece for anyone living in the usa

hopefully i'll read more fiction in 2025. and more books by women

movies

young soul rebels (1991) - isaac julien we are the best! (2013) - lukas moodysson swing girls (2004) - yaguchi shinobu the living dead girl (1982) - jean rollin

once again i have to thank @chateauofmymind as they're the reason i watched all four of these fantastic movies. young soul rebels, we are the best!, and swing girls rocketed up into my favorite movies of all time list incredibly easily, they're just so infectious and so damn good. young soul rebels in particular is the best punk movie i've ever watched. the living dead girl was also lovely, i should have watched it way sooner

a special shoutout to martin (1977) by george romero. it's a truly wonderful picture but it's not on the list because i feel like i need to give it another watch as i was a bit too depressed while watching it the first time to give it the focus it deserved

music

fine art (2024) - kneecap megan (2024) - megan thee stallion carnival (2024) - sheena ringo the doors (1967) - the doors

i finally listened to the doors self titled all the way through and goddamnit it's really good. light my fire nearly made it onto my spotify top five most listened list. goddamnit jim morrison. anyway, 2024 was a fantastic year for three of my favorite modern artists. kneecap's fine art was definitely the highlight, what an amazingly put together album. megan and ringo's albums blew me away too, it's been very exciting to keep up with them and see where they're headed musically

another special shoutout to i'd much rather be with the girls by donna lynn/i'd much rather be with the boys by the rolling stones and i wanna o.d. by the demolition doll rods. they're singles not albums but they deserve a mention due to how much i love them

well that's about it! happy new year and here's to enjoying more books, movies, and music in 2025!!

i've got a few things planned for this new year that you guys should get excited for...no spoilers though, you'll have to wait and see what's in store. until then, hoodie says mwah! love you all!

[tiny-sassy-aggressive]

DAN AND PHIL REACT TO PHAN TWITTER REACTIONS w/ timestamps

.03 sir please don’t crack your hands in my ears.

.11 way to early in the video for a phude Jumpscare

.16 DIP AND PIP ?!!!??

.26 tbh shoutout to Phil for acknowledging that even tho we have fan accounts, not everything we say, create, post is something we would want them to see. Love the self awareness. Appreciate the space he provides

.35 rip Dan memes and tumblr tags

.56 I actually needed to be told I am gorgeous and intelligent, I knows it’s fake but it’s nice to hear even if fake

1.37 WHY IS HE **** ********* THE MIC N O NO NO NO NO WHAT??????

2.08 chill Phil we weren’t gonna fight about it. You’re Edward… OKAY

2.25 how many times are they going to watch pinof 1 ! Babes you can do that anytime you want not just on camera

2.37 Phil is in FULL CRISIS realizing how messy he is as if they haven’t already talked about this before

3.09 TUMBLR NEVER LEFT. YOU LEFT.

3.29 the synced lean in as they discovered the dan has something in his teeth bit was a video

3.40 SO SO SO GLAD THE SOCK VIDEO MADE IT. AND HES ACKNOWLEDGING

3.46 SHOES SOCK VIDEO JUMPS ARE😭😭😭

4.24 “keep reading” oh goodness that. Sir. Okay.

4.44 hi just realized is Dan wearing a muscle tank under the see through shirt????? Side note. Want the see through shirt

5.03 FANTASTIC FOURSOME JUMPDVARE

6.14 NO DAN NOT KATE THEY ARE LISTENINF. DONT BECOME INVOLVED IN ANOTHER ROYAL CONSPIRACY

7.41 absolutely fire meme. I laughed so loud I actually had to pause the video. Worst part? I had already reposted on twt yet still reacted to it

8.05 he is staring into my soul. Hell how is he staring THROUGH my soul

9.17 no words. “It’s not a bad look” alakakakak???

9.22 So suddenly it’s not “we” anymore, huh?

9.53 rip Phil’s slit😫

10.08 I just through Dan making a joke then immediately hitting Phil to let him know he was joking was really funny. Stuff I do with my friends I am tactile

11.46 I ALWAYS thought that image was edited to have all of them. I didn’t realize it was a real photos

12.38 OH MY FOS????? JUMPSVARE WHAT THE HELL

12:45 those pounds weee so aggressive. It sounded like they really hurt. I’m hurt listening

12:46 Phil is watching that monitor like a HAWK he is NOT losing monetization bc Dan wants to wap

13.00 Phil saw and saved this and nobody knew. He lurks. Nobody is safe.

13:36 about nine “what can I say”s in. Dan has a genuine look of terror and confusion. He looks like he’s playing up his reaction a bit in the beginning, laughing and stuff and acting annoyed but this point is genuine horror and realization. This is so gold. Will be giffing later. Also precious Phil

14.50 okay the editing kinda memes his monologue a bit but i was high key inspired. He’s so wrote. Everything is a story that must be concluded. I love that thought process. Clearly bc I am also a grade a yapper but still

15:50 oh the immediate IMMEDIATE regret in Phil’s face

16:35 we love a self aware king. The poster was a tad rough

16:56 THUS CIDEO AND COMMENTARY JS SO SO SO GOOD

17:38 YES THANK YOU THE WADVERT WAS RVEFHONE. We couldn’t eat sleep or think without seeing it

18:11 please wash your blanket? Guys? Like? You can clean, wash, or dry clean anything. Please?

19:00 tbh saw under the robbing blanks and it wasn’t even that bad? Compared to every horrific demon phannie thing that has been seen? Not bad! Could have been worse

19:45 2021 period???? Hello??? You were gone since 2018? At least from dapg??

20:44 yet???? Capitolestor strikes again

20:50 did they not have a keep calm and something on poster in their apt at one point??? Some people?? You mean you???

21:16 I SAW THIS WHEN IT DROPPED. love dami sm. This video was so good

22:24 JUMPSCARE

22:55 “1992” “Daniel” calm down

23:25 “you also let me” guys??? How is this forced situation? Who decided??

24:20 he needs to back away from the mic I can feel him breathing in my ears my goood ess??

24:34 I’m screaming bc they used a clip from the section before we all thought they got high. This section they posted was just a cute section

24:54 literally speechless. Also jumpscare?

26:30 the entire dan induced conclusion is beautiful I love them and their banter

26:54 nvm can you lean into the mic closer and tell us you’re proud again??? Needed that???

[alpaca-clouds]

Solarpunk-Review: Soylent Green is People! by Carlos Orsi

Preface: I asked a couple of months ago, whether people would be interested to read reviews of different Solarpunk shortstories, given that I have collected quite a few Solarpunk anthologies. And several people said, they were. (Shoutout to @solarpunkpresentspodcast!) Hence I am going to start posting a review once or twice a week now. I will start by reviewing the stories from Solarpunk: Ecological and Fantastical Stories in a Sustainable world, given that this anthology is very much part of the beginning of Solarpunk as a genre. Though this means too, that certain ideas of Solarpunk might not be quite as thought through yet.

Summary

The nameless protagonist is a private detective. When a well-known and rich engineer dies by suicide and his mother disappears, several people want to either see the mother found or the death confirmed. After all, there is a considerable heritage to speak about. A heritage that both the engineer's girlfriend, and the mother's church want to lay claim to.

General Review

As it is so often with detective stories that hinge on a big mystery, it is quite hard to review this story, without going too far into spoiler territory. And given this story relies on the central mystery to keep you going (especially as it is fairly long for a short story), I will not spoil it.

It was kinda funny how this story very much did feel like a noir story, though I might note that I really could have done without the attractiveness of female characters being a topic that somehow had to be brought up against and again throughout this story. And while the female characters were not exactly sexualized, with each of them (even the missing 90yo mother) attractiveness was a thing that was brought out.

The mystery itself worked really good though. I was invested in it and the final twist was a good one, that I quite enjoyed. Now, I could point out one major plothole in there - but it is not one that I can talk about without spoiling the story. So just know: Something about the end of the story leaves open a big plothole that to me was not properly answered.

The Solarpunk Factor

Let me talk about the aspect, that I want to bring up in all of these reviews: How Solarpunk is this story?

And honestly, to me the point where it lost me in this regard is the very beginning, where the story brings up that the missing mother was disabled, and it goes: "Could you believe that? She totally chose to be disabled!!!" Because we quickly learn, that basically in this world nobody really is disabled, given that with cybertech and genetech most disabilities have been healed. And while the story at times feels at least somewhat critical of this societal pressure to get yourself cured - and also have your looks changed through genetech - it was this fact that really did not make this story feel Solarpunk to me.

Honestly, in general I got to say that for several reasons (some of which again are very essential to the reveal, hence I will not spoil them) this story felt as if it was set more in a very eco-friendly biopunk world, rather than anything I would consider actually Solarpunk. Partly, too, because we also quickly learn that this world is definitely one of capitalism still.

[kitkat-the-muffin]

Here I am, once again~ Playing Cloutchase with my friend~

Anyway hi! Welcome back to Muffy-Posts-Cloutchase-Spoilers!!! Here are the other two installments: [1][2]

I had SO MUCH fun playing Vol. 3 with my friend! She is amazing at doing impressions and gave YouTube and Twitch the perfect voices, I couldn't ask for anything more. But enough about her since she prefers to remain anonymous, today I am here to present my favorite screenshots from the latest release of Cloutchase!

Without further ado, here are the spoiler-free teases:

And there's the cut!

Aight let's do this

First thing I absolutely loved was that Twitch is so expressive! The facial expressions were all so delightful. ALSO. CLUB PENGUIN. AND WIZ101. And of course Webkinz, Animal Jam, and Neopets are in the background as well hahah, love that too!

This minigame was SO AMAZING omg I am OBSESSED with these character costumes and the fight animation too. Love all the cameos but this Strife content was so awesome!!!! The buttons were a little non-responsive at times but I managed to beat Twitch first try heheh

This is a pretty awesome frame and I'd like to shoutout AJ who I'm pretty sure drew it but I don't have the time or computer charge to reopen the game credits to check. If I'm wrong lemmie know but AJ deserves a shotuout anyway

I love how the subs are sub-sandwiches and I love the design of the camera and chat

I love how complex Twitch's route was. It was very compelling and definitely something I think most streamers need to hear. Swell job Team Timesync! Swell job indeed

I could shout about filmscore and the ghostie crew but instead I'm gonna scream about the google floor lmbo look at it I love it

Oh this. This is beautiful. I read the bonus room content and it's so neat that the timelines lined up coincidentally

Love the dramatic over-the-topness of this fake apology. He's so fake I love it. The voice my friend gave him was kinda like if a greaser was born in Alabama but raised in New York if that makes any sense

I STARTED SCREAMING AT THIS HAHAHAH! YOUTUBE KIDSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS WHYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY

Peak good end, now I know how to tie a tie. I actually really liked YouTube's route as it was cleverly designed and I love all the many different endings. It was kinda like wading through YouTube's recommended section where you'd save each different possibility of choices in your Watch Later and visit them all when you have the time (which is usually never). So many options but what to pick? I picked them all!

So when I got to this point I started laughing because my friend does all the voices and I only play User and Miss Blog Runner so she was carrying this entire section of the playthrough... AND THEN-

AND THEN THERE WERE FOUR! SHE HAD TO VOICE ALL FOUR OF THEM HAHAH! AND SHE DID AMAZINGLY! I kinda wish she wasn't anonymous cause I wanna give her a shoutout, but maybe when all the routes are released I can convince her to voice them all in a fandub (well not them ALL but definitely Kik and YouTube)

SWEET SWEET REVENGE HAHAHAHAH!!!! Totally deserved as long as they're done here hahahah. I do hope they can all tolerate each other again tho but I love this ending

This volume was long but a lot of fun! I love the Strife minigame and kinda hope it comes back in the future with more mechanics. Maybe an entire spinoff game like Smash Bros idk. Everything was so well written and I love how complex the characters are

Another fantastic entry for a fantastic game! Remember to recommend this game to various streamers to give it the attention it deserves (but not too many, don't wanna overwhelm our fav indie creators!)