#sunday reading recap

[bookgeekgrrl]

My media this week (30 Mar - 5 Apr 2025)

Ludwig is absolutely delightful!

📚 STUFF I READ 📚

🥰 Reflections (Indexing #2) (Seanan McGuire, author; Mary Robinette Kowal, narrator) - Henry & her team once again stop fairy tales from destroying reality. I love this series so much. I so wish we had gotten more but grateful we got these two!

🥰 Too Like The Lightning (Travis Beaudoin) - very delicious summer fling/age gap romance that ends up being more

😍 Stellate (ZenaidaMacroura) - absolute banger fic, just wonderful. Medical stucky AU where they're both doctors. Starts with a meet ugly but is warm & wonderful. Fantastic, well-developed supporting characters. 5 star read.

😍 A Passel of Backhoes (ZenaidaMacroura) - marvelous follow up to the incredible Backhoe - a series of vignettes of the Barnes sisters in adulthood. Just wonderful.

💖💖 +78K of shorter fic so shout out to these I really loved 💖💖

take a little more (addandsubtract, gigantic) - hockey RPF: dylan strome/multiple, 15K - a very hot gangbang fic

back seat drive (silentwalrus) - MCU: stucky, 9K - ridin' #1 - "Bucky wants a car. Bucky gets a car. Now Bucky wants to blow Steve while he’s driving the car. It’s awful, how Steve just keeps giving him what he wants."

under the hood (silentwalrus) - MCU: stucky, 17K - ridin' #2 - "Steve continues his terrible campaign of giving Bucky things. Bucky continues various terrible campaigns of his own." (feat Daisypuff the chow. iykyk)

Draw Closer (rainbow_nerds) - 9-1-1: buddie, 8K - cute alt meeting

📺 STUFF I WATCHED ��

Doctor Odyssey - s1, e12

Ghosts (US) - s4, e17

Home Town Takeover - s3, e4

Death In Paradise - s14, e7

Happy Sad Confused - Nathan Lane talks MID-CENTURY MODERN, THE BIRDCAGE, THE LION KING, theater work

What Is The Future of Creativity & Empathy? | Jacob Collier Asks Hank Anything

QI - series P, e8-10, 12, 15-16; series Q, e1

Mid-Century Modern - s1, e1-2

Mamma Mia!

Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again

D20: The Ravening War - "The Light and the Shadow" (s17, e4)

D20: Adventuring Party - "The Mystic River Episode" (s12, e4)

Ludwig - s1, e1-4

🎧 PODCASTS 🎧

What Next: TBD - This Is Your Brain On Ketamine

Rebel Ever After - How readers react when authors talk politics, with Joanna Shupe

Pop Culture Happy Hour - The Studio

The Atlas Obscura Podcast - The 6-Day Race

It's Been a Minute - Am I a god?! Why "manifesting" your reality is easier than ever

The Sporkful - All Aboard The Pizza Bus!

Vibe Check - Hey, Sis: featuring Tourmaline

Science Vs - Ghosts: The Science of Spooky Encounters

Short Wave - The Iguanas That Rafted To Fiji

The Atlas Obscura Podcast - The Cave Below Minneapolis

Switched on Pop - Chappell Roan is giving country… and hair metal?

Shedunnit Book Club - Raffles (Green Penguin Book Club 8)

Welcome to Night Vale #265 - Labyrinth HQ

99% Invisible - The Great American Pyramid

Vibe Check - Horns Are Made to Be Tooted

Pop Culture Happy Hour - Daredevil: Born Again

Today, Explained - Why young people are getting cancer

The Atlas Obscura Podcast - A Glass Palace in the Arizona Desert

Wild Card - John Green likes being alone and Elizabeth Olsen owns her mistakes

Ologies - Medieval Codicology (WEIRD MEDIEVAL MANUSCRIPT ART & MEMES & SNAILS)

One Song - The Clash's "London Calling" with Fred Armisen

It's Been a Minute - Oaklee, Cohen, & Mateo: why are these Gen-Alpha's hottest names?

Handsome - Pretty Little Episode #33

Today, Explained - Pray for Hooters

Strong Songs - The Music of the Muppets

You're Dead to Me - History of Coffee: from devil’s brew to our favourite beverage

Wait Wait… Don't Tell Me! - Sterling K. Brown

🎶 MUSIC 🎶

Mamma Mia: Original London Cast {1999}

Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) {2018}

Käärijä

Dancing Queen [Cher] {2018}

Take a Chance - a Metal Tribute to ABBA [Amberian Dawn] {2022}

Def Leppard

Ricky Nelson

The Clash

[horrortalecomic]

Horrortale is back.

It will update every Sunday, to the best of my abilities.

Horrortale Book II, Chapter 3 starts with a quick recap of the events that take place in the Waterfall Game. You can play it here on Newgrounds.

Thank you for reading :)

[pucksandpower]

The Girlfriend Test

Lando Norris x girlfriend!Reader

Summary: no new LN merch is deemed ready for sale unless it passes the girlfriend test (or in which you are Lando’s favorite hoodie thief and the sight of another driver’s brand on you drives him just a little bit crazy)

You hear the front door open and close, followed by the sounds of Lando rummaging around in the entryway. “Babe, I’m home!” He calls out.

You’re curled up on the couch in his latest hoodie design, a soft charcoal grey number with black sleeves and his LN logo embroidered over the heart.

“In here!” You reply. Lando comes into the living room and smiles when he sees you wearing his new creation.

“Well hello there, hoodie thief,” he says, leaning down to give you a quick peck on the lips before flopping down on the couch next to you. “So I see you found my newest sample.”

You grin and snuggle further into the super soft fleece. “I don’t know what you’re talking about. This is my hoodie now.”

Lando laughs and tugs lightly on the hood. “Oh is it now? I could’ve sworn this was a prototype I brought home from my design meeting a few days ago.”

“Nope, definitely mine,” you say cheekily. “It’s so cozy I don’t think I can ever take it off.”

“In that case, I guess it passes the girlfriend test with flying colors,” Lando declares. At your confused look, he elaborates. “Oh, I never told you about the girlfriend test? I can’t launch a new LN design until you have stolen it out of my closet. That’s how I know for sure it’s comfy enough for my fans.”

You raise an eyebrow in amusement. “You’re telling me every hoodie so far has passed this supposed test?”

“You got it,” Lando grins. “I’ll leave the samples laying around and if you end up snagging one and wearing it all the time, I know it’s prime merchandise.”

You think back and realize it’s true — Lando’s hoodies have a habit of migrating into your wardrobe. The papaya one is your go-to for grocery store runs. The tie-dye version is your favorite for lazy Sundays. Even the bold purple hoodie he released last month has already earned a permanent place on your desk chair.

“So you mean to tell me this was all part of your master plan?” You ask in mock offense. “And here I thought I was sneakily stealing your comfiest clothes.”

“Baby, if I really didn’t want you wearing my stuff, I wouldn’t make it so tempting to take,” Lando says sincerely, wrapping an arm around you. “But it makes me so happy to see you in my designs, wearing my brand.”

You cuddle into his shoulder. “That’s really sweet, babe.”

“Anything for my number one fan and favorite hoodie model,” he says, planting a kiss on the top of your head.

You snuggle together in contented silence for a few minutes, your head tucked perfectly under his chin.

“So, how was the simulator today?” You ask. “Get some good practice in for Monza this weekend?”

Lando nods. “Yeah, had a really solid session. Tweaked a few things with the setup that I think will help with the low downforce.”

“Nice,” you say. “Maybe another podium this week?”

“We’ll see,” Lando replies. “Ferrari looked quick in Spa so it could be tough. But I feel good going into the weekend.”

“Well, I know you’ll kill it babe,” you say supportively. Lando smiles gratefully and pulls you closer.

“But anyway, enough about F1. How was your day off?” He asks.

You launch into a recap of your relaxed day — sleeping in, catching up on chores, and working on some creative projects you’ve had on the backburner. Lando listens intently, asking questions and commenting on the new songs and recipes you’re dying to try. The conversation flows easily, as it always does between you two.

Before you know it, Lando’s stomach rumbles loudly and you both crack up. “I guess that means it’s dinnertime,” you say, checking your phone. “Pizza sound good?”

“You read my mind,” Lando replies. While you call in the usual order from your favorite local pizza joint, Lando queues up Netflix and scrolls through options for tonight’s viewing.

Thirty minutes later you’re back on the couch, the coffee table littered with pizza boxes and cans of soda. Lando hits play on an episode of Brooklyn Nine-Nine and you settle in, toes tucked under his legs to stay cozy.

You’re only halfway through the episode when you feel Lando’s gaze on you. You turn and find him staring at you wearing his newest hoodie creation, a small smile on his lips.

“What’s that look for?” You ask around a mouthful of pizza.

Lando shakes his head, the smile growing wider. “Nothing really. Just thinking about how lucky I am.”

You tilt your head curiously and he continues. “I have my dream job, getting to race cars for a living. And then I come home to you and … I don’t know. It just feels really good. Like everything is kind of falling into place.”

You set down your pizza slice and cuddle up to him. “Aww babe. That’s so sweet.” You give him a greasy kiss on the cheek. “I’m the lucky one you know. I get to see you living your dream every day. And then I get to be here to celebrate the wins with you and cheer you up after the tough days. It’s pretty amazing.”

Lando wraps both arms around you in a hug. “Love you so much,” he says softly.

“Love you more,” you whisper back, your head tucked perfectly under his chin once again.

***

The next evening, you’re sprawled across the bed browsing on your phone when you hear Lando come home.

“Honey, I’m home!” He calls out in a sing-song voice. You grin, expecting him to come give you a kiss. But instead you hear his footsteps stop abruptly.

“Babe, what … is that?” Lando asks slowly.

You look up confused. “What do you mea-”

Then you spot what he’s staring at in horror: the soft teal hoodie you’re wearing with an embroidered Enchanté logo across the front.

“Oh this?” You say casually. “It’s from Daniel’s new merch drop. The fleece is so soft, I couldn’t resist snagging one.”

Lando’s jaw drops open. “You … you bought a hoodie? From a competing merch brand?”

You stifle a laugh at how seriously Lando is taking this. “Well yeah, you gotta support your friends right? And I told you how comfy it looked in his posts.”

Lando just blinks slowly, looking utterly betrayed. You almost feel bad for riling him up.

“Babe, come on, don’t look at me like that! You know I’m your number one fan.” You get up and go to hug him, but Lando dodges you.

“Nope. No hugs until that … that enemy hoodie comes off,” he says dramatically.

Now you really have to hold back your laughter. “Lando, don’t be silly.”

But he crosses his arms and sticks his chin up. “I’m dead serious, Y/N. My own girlfriend, wearing another man’s merch!” He shakes his head in despair.

You bite your lip, trying not to smile at his antics. Time to have some more fun with this.

“Well if you’re going to be like that, maybe I’ll just keep it on,” you say nonchalantly, snuggling back into the ridiculously soft fleece.

Lando’s eyes go wide. “You wouldn’t dare!”

You raise your eyebrows challengingly. “Try me.”

You stare each other down for a few tense moments, before Lando huffs loudly.

“Fine then. Desperate times call for desperate measures.” And with that ominous statement, he lunges forward and lifts you up, tossing you over his shoulder.

“Lando!” You shriek through laughter. “Put me down!”

But he marches down the hall determinedly, you still slung over his shoulder. He brings you into the living room and gently tosses you onto the couch. Before you can react, he rips the Enchanté hoodie up over your head in one swift move.

“Lando!” You squeal, trying to reach for the hoodie, but he’s quicker. In a flash, he has the offending article of clothing in his grip.

“How could you bring this … this enemy propaganda into our home?” Lando accuses dramatically. He holds the hoodie between two fingers like it’s contaminated.

You have to press a hand over your mouth to contain your giggles. Lando looks utterly scandalized at the sight of you in his rival’s merch.

“I’m sorry babe, but you left me no choice,” Lando says solemnly. And with that, he crosses the room, opens the fireplace, and tosses the hoodie in.

You gasp loudly. “Lando Norris, did you just burn my hoodie?”

“I had to protect the sanctity of this home! Can’t have you falling for another man’s branding,” Lando exclaims. But you can see his facade cracking as he fights back a smile of his own.

You get up from the couch and poke him in the chest. “You’re absolutely ridiculous, you know that?”

Lando grins sheepishly. “Maybe. But you love me.”

You roll your eyes but can’t fight back your own smile. “Debatable at the moment,” you joke.

Lando pouts and gives you his best puppy dog eyes. “Come onnnn, you know I’m your favorite driver.”

You pretend to think about it for a moment. “Hmm well Daniel does give the best hugs ...”

“Hey!” Lando exclaims and tackles you into a bear hug. You dissolve into giggles as he squeezes you tight and sways you back and forth.

“Nope, absolutely not allowed,” he declares, still holding you captive.

You lean back to look up at him with a smile. “Oh yeah? And why’s that?”

“Because you’re my girl and I don’t share,” Lando states matter-of-factly. His eyes are soft now as he gazes down at you.

You feel your heart melt a little. You stand on your tiptoes to give him a sweet kiss. “You’re right, I’m all yours Lando.”

His answering smile is dazzling. But then a thought seems to occur to him and a grin spreads across his face.

In one smooth motion, he strips off the neon green hoodie he’s wearing, leaving just a black t-shirt underneath. Before you can react, he pulls it down over your head, enveloping you in soft fleece that smells like him.

“There. That’s better,” Lando declares satisfied.

You snuggle happily into Lando’s worn hoodie, his warmth still lingering in the fabric. Looking down, you recognize it as the exclusive design he wore constantly last season.

Lando’s eyes crease with happiness as he looks at you swimming in his hoodie. “That’s my girl,” he says softly, pulling you close again.

You nuzzle into his chest, perfectly content.

“Am I forgiven for my momentary lapse in loyalty?” You ask cheekily, peering up at him.

Lando pretends to consider this for a moment. “Hmmm, I guess I can let it slide this one time,” he teases back. “But only because you look so damn cute in my clothes.”

You smile and tighten your arms around him. You sway together slowly, Lando humming tunelessly under his breath. The fireplace crackles gently beside you.

After a few moments, Lando speaks again, his voice quiet. “You know I was only joking around before, right? You can wear whatever you want babe.”

You lean back to meet his gaze. His brown eyes are warm but serious now.

You touch his cheek softly. “Of course I know that Lando. Your hoodies might be the comfiest, but they’re not the only clothes I own.”

Lando nods, looking relieved that you understand. “I just never want you to feel like you have to choose between me and your own style or interests.” His voice is earnest. “I want you to always feel free to be yourself.”

Your heart swells at his words. You reach up and kiss him tenderly. When you pull back, Lando is smiling again.

“Thanks babe,” you say. “That really means a lot to me. And same to you, obviously.”

Lando grins. “Of course, it’s you and me against the world! Oh, and McLaren against the other teams,” he adds cheekily.

You laugh and snuggle back into his chest. “Yes, McLaren over all,” you agree, just to make him happy.

“That’s my girl,” Lando says again, pressing a kiss to the top of your head.

[catsushinyakajima]

KLANCE FIC RECS FOR THE NEW YEARS RECAP PART ONE

2024 has come to an end! Here are all of my fav fav Voltron fics and authors that I've interacted with throughout the year. I'm trying to make this list as diverse as possible so everyone can find some tropes they like but I PROMISE all these fics are worth a read. Listed in no particular order, we have:

fear no more the heat o' the sun by taromi | 28k | Canon-Divergent

This fic is an ASTOUNDING depiction of Keith's perspective on life and how Lance changes things up. Every scene between them added not only to their dynamic, but also to our vision of Keith. We see how he is and how things unfold so beautifully. The prose is beautiful and the scenes carry both fluff/emotion so well.

Silver Bells by heavily_caffeinated/@heavilycaffeinatedsblog | 86.3k | Christmas AU

I'm not one for much holiday cheer/hallmark-esque tropes, but caf's writing still managed to draw me in so much. I applaud Caf sincerely for their incredible diligence to upload a chapter everyday (totaling to 86k words in 25 days!!), and their enthusiasm to include everyone in it's creation. This fic is a pure show of passion, in both it's story and the creation of the story. I encourage you all to check out their other fics too.

late night talking (can’t get you off my mind) by ShatterinSeconds/@shatterinseconds | 5.8k | Werewolf!Keith

This fic is SO GOOD for touch starved Keith. It's short and sweet and you get both perspectives of their pining and feelings together. It's a really cute one shot, and I had trouble picking between this fic and other fics by the author so check those out too! Also @shatterinseconds is the goat for not only commenting on all my fics, but somehow always being in the comment section of every fic I read.

Hearts Don'/t Break Around Here by klancekorner | 135.5k | Roommates/Childhood Best Friends

This fic is a classic in the KL fandom but I still don't hear it talked about enough!! I don't usually like childhood best friends trope that much but this fic made me LOVE it!!! It also portrays Lance's anxiety and Keith's avoidance so so well and shows them growing up beautifully.

Cores of Diamond by speaks/@speakswords | 25.6k | Friends with Benefits

One time I lost this fic in my bookmarks and spent a whole day trying to find it. It's such a good depiction of the way KL don't always see eye to eye due to a lack of proper communication and bridging that gap between them. Has NSFW scenes!

Where the water meets the sky by speaks/@speakswords | 106.3k | Mer!Keith

I NEEDED to rec another speaks fic, this one is unfinished but it ends on a conclusive note. There's themes of growing up, living with changes, reunions, and also lots and lots of feelings.

got got got it bad by kairiolette | 10.3k | Post-War | Pining Keith

This one is also pretty popular. It's so so funny. And so real. Keith goes through the five stages of grief as he realizes he loves Lance and like. Of course he would do that. Really sweet.

so kiss me (kiss me kiss me kiss me) and tuesday's sweetheart (sunday's lover) by hearttpoem | 10k | roommates AU | getting together

This author writes the BEST modern/roommates AU. I love the way KL lives together in their fics and I love the way you can see different love languages in the fics. I was going back and forth between which fic to rec and I chose both these fics cuz I read them all the time!!

Where the apple falls by europa_report/@jupiters-junipers | 130k+ | post-war | comatose

No fic rec list is complete without this fic. This fic is genuinely one of my favorite KL fics, its not finished but I believe the author will finish it. The prose is beautiful and it is an entire emotional rollercoaster. You guys should definitely check this fic out

I've Said Too Much (You Promise I Can't Ever Say Enough) by negativefouriq | 1.8k | Autistic!Lance | Est Relationship

This fic is short, sweet, and such a good depiction of having so many thoughts and wanting to share them all and the anxieties of it. Keith's perspective and his reactions to Lance are very healing to read.

baby, i'll rock your world by AsterikaMay/ @catsushinyakajima | 9.5k | Christmas AU | Gift giving

I am putting one of my fics here lol because I did enjoy writing this one a lot! I keep writing fics about gift giving and pining...this must say something about me ahahah

Part two here

[parasolladyansy]

DxP recap & thoughts

🌧️ Diamond x Pearl REWRITE spoilers ahead!

If you haven’t caught up with the story (or don’t care lol), come back when you’ve read up to the end of Chapter 2.

—

Hi-ho! So, for this Sunday, I thought I’d do something a little different, & kind of do a “recap episode” lol ;u;

I reread DxP REWRITE from start to finish. The biggest feelings I got were “wow, I did all that!”, & “this story is a lot more coherent than I remember it being lol”.

Funny to think about how this just started from the intrusive thought of “I MUST RESCUE RAGGED TRAIN MAN. With time travel! & PLOT!”

New thoughts & ideas came to mind, between rereading this & the other AU’s I’ve been working with (that happens sometimes, where I can only continue working on a thing when I switch gears, or “tracks” as our monochromatic friends would say lol)

I’d like to show more of Emmet’s more positive personality. Through chapters 1-2, we saw his more competitive side, his conductor side, but not so much that shining optimism he has. At the end of Chapter 2 there, he let himself be vulnerable, getting some heavy things off his chest.

Between that & seeing his brother again, alive & well (even if he doesn’t remember who he was), has to have helped his mental state. Maybe even allow him a little more hope, finding more reason to trust Ansy & Ikrit as well as this journey they’re on.

Meanwhile, Ingo is in a very vulnerable state. He’s been recovering memories, traveling with Mizumi & Sasmu to reconnect with his lost past. He catches a glimpse of someone “verrry important”, & hit a bit of a wall, trying to get a closer look.

This next chapter I fully intend to give more attention to him & our friends in the past as they work through this.

—

I’d like to thank all of you again - I feel like I’ll never stop feeling grateful. 8u8 Next Sunday, I may just post the cover, depending on what I can do. The pace is likely going to be slower as I’m very behind schedule here, but I’d like to get back on this train. 🛤️

[microcest]

We've done 50 prompts!

This is such an exciting milestone of microcest and I hope you've all enjoyed this as much as I have. (One year is coming up so quickly!)

Doing this every week has inspired me to make @macrocest (and thus Cestember and Macrocest Bingo) and @shipcestroleplay, as well as create collections like Oops Not Incest and Anoncest.

And I've met some amazing friends here, too many list!! I am especially grateful to @cassetteinability and @litcest 💕

If you want to read any of the 79 works in the microcest collection, click here.

If you want to write for any of the first 50 prompts, you can always submit a work no matter how much time has passed.

The first 50 prompts recap:

03 April 2024 - shh… don’t let mom hear

10 April 2024 - family movie night

17 April 2024 - separated at birth

24 April 2024 - sunday morning mass

01 May 2024 - sharing a bathroom

08 May 204 - testing how affectionate they can act in public

15 May 2024 - wrestling/tickle fight

22 May 2024 - let’s play pretend

29 May 2024 - caught getting off while forced to share the same bed

05 June 2024 - “Have you ever done this before?”

12 June 2024 - on display

19 June 2024 - body swap

26 June 2024 - blind date

03 July 2024 - romantic leads in a play

10 July 2024 - camping trip

17 July 2024 - bathtime

24 July 2024 - playing doctor

31 July 2024 - wrong number

07 August 2024 - welcome to the family

14 August 2024 - hidden camera

21 August 2024 - toy box

29 August 2024 - blackmail

04 September 2024 - bunk beds

11 September 2024 - prostitution

18 September 2024 - glory hole

25 September 2024 - playing house

02 October 2024 - inspection

09 October 2024 - black cat OR bestiality

16 October 2024 - bite me OR cannibalism

23 October 2024 - haunted house OR noncon

30 October 2024 - costume OR necrophilia

06 November 2024 - peeping tom

13 November 2024 - that isn’t mine

20 November 2024 - like father, like son

27 November 2024 - I never knew

04 December 2024 - undercover

11 December 2024 - de-aged

18 December 2024 - why is your family like that?

25 December 2024 - Traditions

01 January 2025 - Time Loop

08 January 2025 - genetic test results

15 January 2025 - genderswap

22 January 2025 - incest chicken (like gay chicken but incest)

29 January 2025 - Can I ask you something?

05 February 2025 - I dare you

12 February 2025 - candy hearts

19 February 2025 - curse

26 February 2025 - what about me?

5 March 2025 - tucked in

12 March 2025 - I’m stuck

Have a good week fam, see you Wednesday!

[chosetherose]

Taylor and Karlie were at the same wedding in NYC and it’s not a secret.

💥💥💥

I messaged a mutual a couple days ago saying how interesting I thought it was that Taylor and Karlie each let it be known that they are in NYC. I’d been meaning to make a post about this but have a sick toddler and didn’t get to it. Anyway, it struck me because normally Taylor and Karlie go to great lengths to make it seem like they are in different places.

To recap, on Friday 9/6/24 Taylor and Karlie each deliberately let us know they were in NYC.

Taylor was papped at Lucali in Brooklyn on Friday night. I’m not sure what time but it was dark so it was late.

Karlie posted two pictures of herself very clearly in NYC; near the September 11th Memorial and in a subway station sign to Brooklyn. We don’t know when they were actually taken but she wanted to establish herself as being in NYC. According to my screenshots, she posted these late like just before 11pm.

The next day on Saturday 9/7/24, Taylor was papped outside Electric Lady Studios with reports that she was attending Karen Elson’s wedding to Lee Foster, the owner of Electric Lady Studios.

For those that don’t know, Karlie is good friends with the Bride. See this post for more on their relationship. My mutual said Karlie has got to be at that wedding. But we didn’t know if her attendance would be public.

Then on Sunday 9/8/24 we got confirmation Karlie was at the wedding via tabloids and Karlie posting a wedding favor on her story with an iconic Electric Lady leather couch in the background.

There’s something about the pics of Karlie outside Electric Lady. She genuinely looks happy. ☀️

I’m so curious if the narrative will become about a private Kaylor reunion behind closed doors. They can sway the wind however they want since no one can read into pap walk pics of it, etc.

Regardless, I sincerely hope they enjoyed themselves at the wedding and are basking in a bit brighter sun today. This feels like a step forward. 💕

[roomwithanopenfire]

Stats Sunday

Happy March!! Thanks for the tag @nausikaaa! Unfortunately, my goal is to make this banner worse every month, so be prepared—we've only just begun.

Early post for me. I should be sleeping but I started making my graphs and then... well, here we are.

Here's my February Recap loll. Stats and graphs and musings incoming. (this post is so long but i promise there's a snippet in here)

Rest of post is under the cut. It is long. You've been warned.

I've posted two things last month! A valentine's day fic for Ebb/Fiona and Chapter 3 of the Way We Are. (Technically i posted 3 but this stranger things oneshot was posted on the 1st and written in January so it feels like January's accomplishment)

Total words written for February: 14405 (this beats Jan by 460 words!)

Days I met my writing goal (200 words): 20

Days I didn't write or edit anything: 4

Day I wrote the most: Feb 11th with 2249 (this beats last month's high score of 1717!)

Number of Fics worked on: 10 technically, but i have not been consistent with most of them. mainly worked on 3.

Daily Average: 514 words (but like last month i am highly inconsistent and my WC varies wildy depending on the day)

(I really like the little curve in the middle. also two the days that look like zero are actually 1 words, which is my placeholder if i spend all day editing)

And here's a pie chart to show my WC distribution across projects. Tbh a lot of these were fics that i've had in my fic ideas doc and all i did was make a google doc for them and word barf onto it my ideas, that's why there's so many small slices.

some slices are so small you don't even get to know my placeholder names. also i hope the title THTHIPWGI intrigues you, i'm always excited when i can title a fic right away and refer to it by a fun accyromn on my spreadsheet.

Other notable things from February:

I finished writing all of The Way We Are!! (kind of. i have one more scene to write. Monica's fault.)

I took over the @carry-on-sapphic-week event!! Check out the prompts if you haven't yet <3

I've received So Many beautiful valentines from the CO discord servers exchange. my mailbox and my heart has been full

The CO fandom was able to raise $500 for Fandom Trumps Hate!! (and I got to make a spreadsheet bc of this!!!) (also i won two auctions from this, one for each fandom i'm in)

My car battery died and I had to get a new one :/

I started a new journal!

I finally figured out how to spell February

my savage worlds campaign finally got our ship back and made it off this stupid planet that we've been on forever.

i've started watching Yellowjackets and I'm really enjoying it

I read so many CO AU fest fics and each one of them was so good. I think i've read all except one so far, and honestly this fest has been so fun i'm obsessed with you guys, you're are so talented.

SPEAKING of CO AU fest fics, @fiend-for-culture's fic, Everything In Between, is SO good, i've been thinking about it all week. you should read it (and leave a comment so i can read it bc i'm stalking the comments on this fic and there's not enough to sate me)

i have spring break in just one week!!

Okay, i promised you words, so here's a snip from my COBB.

“And I’m sorry,” Simon says. “For what?” “Driving you off yesterday.” “That wasn’t your fault. I was being terrible.” “Yeah,” Simon agrees. “But I shouldn’t have dismissed you like that.” I make a face. “I’m not having a heart-to-heart with you, Snow.” Simon groans. “Why do you have to do that?" "What" "Everytime I think we're making progress you say something nasty like that."

sorry this post is so long, thank you for reading if you made it this far

tags, hellos, and apologies:

@alexalexinii @aristocratic-otter @argumentativeantitheticalg @artsyunderstudy @arthurkko

@beastmonstertitan @blackberrysummerblog @best--dress @bookishbroadwayandblind @bookish-bogwitch

@the-beard-of-edward-teach @brilla-brilla-estrellita @cccloudsss @ciescen @confused-bi-queer

@cutestkilla @drowninginships @facewithoutheart @emeryhall @fiend-for-culture

@hushed-chorus @iamamythologicalcreature @ileadacharmedlife @theimpossibledemon @jyae23

@larkral @lovelettersto-mars @meanjeansjeans @m1ndwinder @monbons

@noblecorgi @orange-peony @prettygoododds @raenestee @rimeswithpurple

@run-for-chamo-miles @rbkzz @shrekgogurt @simonscones @skee3000

@supercutedinosaurs @sweetronancer @talentpiper11 @toc-the-scrambled @thewholelemon

@valeffelees @youarenevertooold @you-remind-me-of-the-babe

added some new ppl to this tag list, feel free to share a wip you're working on—art, fic, etc. it does not have to stats like mine is loll. i use wipsdays as my soapbox.

[ofmdrecaps]

07/10/2024 Daily OFMD Recap

TLDR; David Jenkins; Rhys Darby; Taika Waititi; Vico Oritz and Samba Schutte; Rachel House; Lindsey Cantrell; Kristian Nairn and Nathan Foad in Wee John Wednesday!; Gypsy Taylor/Ra Vincent/ Adam Wheatley; Articles; Cheers M'Queers; YouBearFineThingsWell Day 2; Love Notes; Daily Darby/Today's Taika: National Kitten Day!

== David Jenkins ==

Chaos Dad was out in droves today inspiring more honking all around! First, he retweeted one of our incredibly creative crewmates' Calypso cosplay and moving words from this past weekend!

Source @ StellarCyn's Twitter

Next up, David responded to our beloved @ofmooshd with some encouraging words! What are you up to David?

Source: David Jenkins' Twitter

== Rhys Darby ==

Our friends over at @adoptourcrew are pushing everything bear this week and we love to see it! We're with you crew, so excited! Here's the Decider Article they linked, and the exclusive clip with Rhys below!

Source: Adopt Our Crew's Twitter

== Taika Waititi ==

Today I learned that Taika was one of the Executive Producer / Director of one of the episodes of the new series Interior Chinatown, premiering November 19th on Hulu! The man is involved in everything it seems!

Source: Ronny Chieng's Instagram

Follow up from yesterday, I had forgotten to include OFMD's bestie (Astroglide)'s response to the latest Taika version!

Source: Astroglide Twitter

== Rachel House ==

Rachel House was featured in a Concrete Playground article about her directorial debut film The Mountain!

Jumping Behind The Camera When You Love Being A Supporting Actor: Rachel House Talks 'The Mountain'

Source: Concrete Playground's Instagram

== Vico Ortiz + Samba ==

Florida Supercon is coming this weekend, 12-14 Jul and both Vico and Samba will be there both Saturday and Sunday!

Source: Vico's Instagram

Vico's other upcoming work, Lesbophilia, will be joining the LaughAfterDark Comedy Fest in October! Visit their site to learn more!

Source: its_michellewest Instagram

Ticket are now on sale for the LA premiere of FireFuckingFire at @lashortsfest  They'll be screening at 10pm July 28th and closing out the festival! You can buy tickets here!

Source: juliaeringer's Instagram

A little late on my part sorry-- Happy Non Binary Awareness Week from Vico!

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Vico Ortiz (@puertoricaninja)

Source: Vico's IG

== Gypsy Taylor / Ra Vincent / Adam Wheatley ==

Gypsy, Ra, and Adam were nominated for Costume Design, Production Art Department/Design, as well as Concept Art Awards with the Australian Production Design Guild! Congrats you three!

Source: Gypsy Taylor's Instagram / APDG Awards Website

== Lindsey Cantrell ==

Reminder! Our beloved set designer's new short Watching Walter will be airing at the LA Shorts festival in LA on July 19! You can buy tickets here if you're in the area!

Source: Lindsey Cantrell's Instagram Stories

== Kristian and Nathan ==

Our darling Kristian and Nathan gave us YET ANOTHER insanely fun WJW. These two are the absolute best. If you get a chance, give it a watch. CW: Mention of Witnessing Shootings/Death

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Kristian Nairn (@kristiannairn)

Some minor highlights from WJW today!

Nathan's been traveling!

Both of them are going to a bunch of American Comic Cons

Kristian has been working on his book and being crafty (turned some white Nikes into Spiked, Glittery Nikes)

Kristian and Nathan will be doing a wee WJW in Raleigh with the cast if they can

Nathan will be going to a not yet announced European Comic Con sometime this year

Kristian read a few excerpts from his book

There will be an audiobook version that Kristian will voice

During OFMD S1 Kristian asked David and everyone about his accent and if he should change it and David replied with "We just want YOU Kristian"

One of the funniest days on set was Nat Faxon and the GreenScreen teeth when the Swede had Scurvy

Nathan described himself as "Nathan Underscore Foad" and now the fandom will henceforth call him this.

These were some of my favorite shots of these two:

And this is a bit of bonus features for the WJW but you'll have to watch it for context:

Source: Nathan's Instagram

Adopt Our Crew was kind enough to put together his list of where you can buy Kristian's Book! Reminder-- bookshop is great if you want to support your local bookstores!

Barnes & Noble

Amazon US

Amazon UK

Bookshop.com

Source: Adopt Our Crew's Twitter

== Articles ==

Adding already mentioned and one more article to this section for more easily finding them later! Thank you @adoptourcrew for sharing them!

Decider: The Hungry Games

The 10 Best Show's To Watch If You Love 'Lady Jane'

== Cheers M'Queers! ==

The Cheers M'Queers variety show tickets are on sale now! Join Our Flag Makes A Difference on July 31st at Akbar, in Los Angeles for drag, music, and so much more! Get your Tickets here!

Source: Our Flag Makes A Difference Twitter

== You Bear Fine Things Well ==

Yesterday was Day 2 of #YouBearFineThingsWell by @adoptourcrew and they asked the fandom what kind of bear each member of the crew would be! Starting off the fan spotlights, I'd like to give a special shoutout to the fab @ everyonegetcake on twitter, for their brilliant submission of Kraken Ed Bear aka Cocaine Bear to the event! I laughed pretty hard at this one.

Source: @ everyonegetcake

I am so very happy that our dear crewmate @sirencalll included Mary Louis and Alma! Look at that proud mama bear! <3

Source: Sirencalll on Twitter

Our badass crewmate Jeniye aka @ nifafifa on twitter got one I didn't think I'd ever see and that is Buttons and Karl!

Source: NifaFifa's Twitter

And to close out the fan spotlight of #YouBearFineThingsWell Day 2, I'd like to end on a submission by the glorious Manu, aka @ VictoriaVan9 on twitter! That is an impressive spread by both Ed AND BearEd!

Source: @ VictoriaVane9's Twitter

== Love Notes ==

Hey there lovelies! I saw so much continuous clowning today! 2-3 days in a row? It's been a while since we've had that much all at once! I'm so happy to see people feeling the love and camaraderie with each other again! I hope that continues even if we see things calm down! Something I heard in WJW today that really stuck with me was "We just want YOU Kristian", something David said when Kristian kept asking if his Belfast accent was okay for the role. How absolutely heartwarming is that? We knew that David and the rest of the cast and crew were kind and wanted everyone to be themselves, but to hear that out of the mouth of Kristian and how it affected him, in his book where he poured out his soul-- just hit so much harder. That really is one of the major values that drew me, and I know quite a few others of the crew to OFMD so hard. Acceptance and celebration of individual uniqueness is at the core of OFMD-- it's part of the building blocks that makes our show so special. Each crew member has their own skills they bring to the table, and we can feel safe when we're allowed to be our true selves around others.

OFMD exudes that kind of acceptance in droves. We can hear it in their varying accents, in the wide array of queer portrayal, in the character's love and acceptance and forgiveness of each other-- in the music, the stage decoration, and the cinematography. We each are different, and we all bring things to the table that make the fandom, or the world a better place. We may not always get along, but it is in the uniqueness of so many crew we find creativity, love, kindness, acceptance, and a place where we can feel safe and learn to be more of our true and authentic selves. Embrace your uniqueness lovelies. You are different from me, from your moots, from your favorite fan artist/writer and that's fucking beautiful. We want YOU, crew. Be YOU in everything you do. Rest up lovelies, see you tomorrow <3

== Daily Darby / Tonight's Taika ==

Today was National Kitten Day so these two appropriate gifs just HAD to make an encore appearance. Gifs courtesy of the stunning and brilliant @kiwistede and @yourcatwasdelicious!

[halalgirlmeg]

🚨🚨🚨PLEASE DO NOT SCROLL HELP IS NEEDED🚨🚨🚨

Hello, everyone. I am still campaigning for Shimaa and we are still quite a ways from our goal. Unfortunately, the last time Shimaa and I spoke was Sunday. Prior to Sunday she was telling me that the internet was very slow, and I know that there have been issues with distributing esims as well. So I am waiting for her to get back to me, and I hope that when she can reach out again that we are much closer to the goal. Really, I hope that we can meet or exceed the goal at that point and hopefully both of those moments come sooner rather than later. To recap she and her family are needing this money for food as there were more food items being let into Gaza and there are multiple people in their family and we want them all fed and full in this instance. I know we have heard of the ceasefire that is coming up on Sunday. But I know that that is just the beginning of the end, I'm very happy for those who are joyous in having made it to this part. But I also know that this is not the end that more help is still needed and I want to help Shimaa and her family for as long as help is needed. Also the art you see depicted here was made by @im-smart-i-swear who is still offering commissions in exchange for your help. you for reading this far. Please don't turn away, please help me help this family in anyway you can.

GOAL: 222.95/400

[nevermoorsource]

Jessica Townsend's recent Instagram post (2/24/25):

✨Nevermoor Readalong✨ Week One STARTS TODAY! I’m so excited to be kicking off Week One of our Nevermoor Series Readalong! ☂️ We’re starting with Book One Chapters 1-8 this week, commencing a 9-week journey through the first three books, finishing right on time for the Australia/NZ release of Silverborn on April 30. This is how it works: Everyone reads the designated chapters at their own pace throughout the week. I’d love to see where you’re reading, so be sure to post your pics with the hashtag #ReadalongNevermoor2025 😊 If you’re reading on the train - let’s see it! 🚂 If you’re reading with your pet - I wanna see that lil friend! 🐶🐸🐥 If you’re drinking a nice beverage ☕️🧃🧋 or enjoying a snackeroo 🍪🍎🥪 while you read - I actually *need* to see that! Be sure to subscribe to my YouTube channel (🔗 LINK IN BIO), so you can meet me there on Sunday for my recap of the week’s chapters. I’m really looking forward to diving deep into Nevermoor and sharing some author insights that I haven’t previously had the chance to share with you! In the meantime, Step Boldly into those first eight chapters, Nevermoorians. See you Sunday! (If not before - here on Instagram.) 🥳 JT xx

[bookgeekgrrl]

My media this week (23-29 Mar 2024)

just going to quote my OL friend Grace bc she summed it up perfectly: I'm not saying Mid-Century Modern is ground-breaking or spectacularly good, but it is light and joyous, which, these days, is kind of a "fuck you" all by itself--and I'm here for that kind of "I choose happiness" attitude. Also, no one on that show is hard to look at!

📚 STUFF I READ 📚

😍 start by pulling him out of the fire (pricklywhicket) - 85K, eventual steddie but starts with a lot of fantastic Munson Family Feels™ and really focuses more on Found Family and how Wayne Munson is the GOAT.

🥰 Indexing (Indexing #1) (Seanan McGuire, author; Mary Robinette Kowal, narrator) - what if fairy tales were real and constantly trying to manifest their stories & rip open reality and there was a secret federal agency devoted to making sure that didn't happen… - hadn't read this since it was published in 2013 and pleased to find it holds up really well

😊 This Place Is The Beat Of My Heart (gloromeien) - 152K, shrunkyclunks with chef!Bucky - great found family vibes & supporting characters, also some great food writing. Solidly enjoyable

📺 STUFF I WATCHED 📺

Bringing the Funny to Sci-Fi with John Scalzi | Writing Masterclass | SFF Addicts Ep. 146

One Song - Lady Gaga's "Poker Face"

Handsome - Pretty Little Episode #32

The Sam Sanders Show - Bruce Vilanch on Writing the Worst TV Shows Ever

One Song - The Supremes "You Keep Me Hangin' On"

Home Town Takeover - s3, e3

Renovation Aloha - s2, e5

Miss Fisher's Murder Mysteries - s3, e3

Harley Quinn - s5, e10

Smartypants - s2, e2

Um, Actually - s10, e5

No Taste Like Home - "Issa Rae’s Senegalese Royal Roots" (s1, e5)

No Taste Like Home - "Henry Golding’s Malaysian Adventure" (s1, e5)

D20: The Ravening War - "Yonder Where the Fruit Do Be Lyin'" (s17, e3)

D20: Adventuring Party - "On the Glucian Road" (s12, e3)

Mid-Century Modern - s1, e1-10

🎧 PODCASTS 🎧

The Curious History of Your Home - Pests

Short Wave - What Scientists Got Wrong About COVID-19

Today, Explained - Gen Sex

Pop Culture Happy Hour - Severance

The Atlas Obscura Podcast - Dylan’s Mailbag: Illegal Edition

Pop Culture Happy Hour - The Residence

Vibe Check - The Call Is Coming From Inside the House

Switched on Pop - Writing The Who’s ‘My Generation' With Pete Townshend

⭐ Decoder Ring - How Books About Things That Changed the World… Changed the World

Decoder Ring - Decoder Ring Plus | How Beef Changed the World

⭐ Wild Card with Rachel Martin - John Green still has hope

David Tennant Does a Podcast With…Celia Imrie

Pop Culture Happy Hour - Death Of A Unicorn And What's Making Us Happy

Short Wave - Rare Narwhal Footage Shows New Tusk Activities

It's Been a Minute - Is it time to give up on marriage? Women seem to think so.

Smart Podcast, Trashy Books - 660. Murder By Memory with Olivia Waite

⭐ Song Exploder - Key Change: James Acaster on OutKast

You're Dead to Me - Arctic Exploration: the fatal quest for the Northwest Passage

Hit Parade Plus - The Bridge: Ballad of the Forgotten Hits

Imaginary Worlds - Mary Blair: Coloring Outside the Lines at Disney

🎶 MUSIC 🎶

Username acrostic playlist

The Police

Relaxing '80s Rock

[kellyvela]

Sophie's Hon Vol. VIII One Year Anniversary Edition 🎂

I'M BACK!!!!!!!!! In time to celebrate one year since I started this series ⸜(｡˃ ᵕ ˂ )⸝♡

So let's see what the lovebirds have been up to lately!!!

~~~

Before starting this recap, it's worth to mention that Sophie Turner is legally and oficially single again.

Indeed, on Friday September 6th 2024, a Florida court declared Sophie's marriage dissolved.

~~~

Red Cockscombs & Pink Calla Lillies 🌹🌸

On Sunday September 15th 2024, Sophie posted this instagram story captioned with a red heart emoji ❤️

In the story we can see a flower bouquet and a card that reads "I Love You So Much"

In the bouquet we can see red cockscombs (love & affection) and pink calla lillies (appreaciation & admiration).

When I saw this story, the red heart emoji, the meaning of the flowers, and the message on the card made me think it might be a gift from Perry.

And a couple of hours later, my suspicion might have been confirmed with Sophie's post on her grid . . . .

~~~

TIME OF THE SEASON 🌞💕

On Sunday September 15th 2024, Sophie posted a carousel on her instagram grid featuring several photos of Perry and/or Perry related.

The post was captioned with a sun emoji 🌞 and accompanied by The Zombies song "Time of the Season"

It's the time of the season When love runs high In this time, give it to me easy And let me try with pleasured hands To take you in the sun to promised lands To show you every one It's the time of the season for loving —The Zombies

The carousel basically summarizes Sophie's Summer of Love with Perry and their close friends, but for the first time she posted pictures that she took of her boyfriend alone.

~~~

Here we can see Perry at Estelle Manor:

---

Here we can see that Sophie got her wish to go to the beach the past Summer!!!

“I would like to go to the beach at some point, but right now I’m working in London and it’s basically pissing it down with rain every day,” said Turner, who was headed back to London right after the event. “So I don’t really feel like I’m getting much of a summer, but I’m hoping to do a few more barbecues, maybe go to the beach soon.” —WWD

And next to her, we can see some limb of Perry lol 👣

~~~

Another unknown limb next to the backgammon board??? Probably Perry 👋:

~~~

Here we can see Perry bathed in the sunset light at the Wilderness Festival:

~~~

It was the time of the season for loving indeed!!! 🌞💕

~~~

💎 JOAN'S LAUNCH 💎

On Septermber 19th 2024 Sophie attended the Launch of her new ITV series 💎 Joan 💎, at Jack Solomons Club in London.

Perry accompanied Sophie to the event, supporting her during her big night ❤️

~~~

RED OR BLUE PILL 💊

On Friday October 25th 2024, Sophie and Perry dressed as Neo & Trinity from The Matrix to attend a Halloween party:

~~~

~~~

It was a great choice for a couple costume 💊

Sophie's friends Tabby, Taura & Ellie W. were also at the party.

~~~

ANGEL PIE 😇 🍰

On Sunday October 27th 2024, the day of Perry's 30th Birtday, Sophie posted a sweet tribute to her Hon with twelve photos of them together during their first year as a couple 💕

The post was captioned with "Happy Birthday my angel pie 🍰 🎉 30, flirty and thriving 🎈" and accompanied by Goldford's song "Orange Blossoms."

The caption is a reference to the movie "13 going 30", as you can see in this gifset.

And "Orange Blossoms" is a song that I first listened when Sophie posted it on her instagram stories on December 12th 2023, and since that moment, I knew it was their song!!!  [See here; here & here]

Now, to the pictures!!!

~~~

1. CAIRO, BABY!!!

Oh my God! When I first saw this photo of them kissing in that romantic pose, him in a tuxedo, the pyramids of Giza in the background, etc., I immediately thought I was looking at some poster or scene from a James Bond movie.

Now, I can tell you that this pic was taken during Perry's 30th Birthday Party in Cairo, Egypt:

I would love to know more details about this lush party ✨

~~~

Back in London, a little bird told me there may have been a more intimate celebration with Perry's family and Sophie ❤️

~~~

2. IN LOVE ON THE NILE

Here they are also in Egypt, sat together touching heads, with the River Nile in the background bathed in the sunrise light . . . . This photo can't be more romantic!

~~~

Egypt is a special place for Sophie and her family. During a Dark Phoenix promotional interview, when asked "What was your brightest holiday memory?" She said: "I used to go to Egypt a lot with my family. I love Egypt." And now she also shares Egypt memories with Perry 💕

Also, I think Perry's 30th Birthday Party in Cairo was planned months in advance, because when Sophie was filming the Hugo Spritz campaign in Côte d'Azur mid June, she was asked about her "Next destination?" and she answered: "Cairo, baby."

~~~

3. Him

This is a classic "boyfriend taken by his girlfriend" candid photo ❤️

And if you haven't noticed yet, check out how their styles are mirroring each other: black Ray-Bans and tan Polo Ralph Lauren corduroy jackets!

~~~

4. LOVE IS IN THE AIR 🎈

When Sophie was filming her upcoming psychological thriller movie 'Trust' in Mexico, Perry visited her for about a week, and they were doing a lot of turist activities, like flying in a hot air balloon over the Teotihuacán Pyramids, near Mexico City:

Sophie posted this instagram story with the view she had from the hot air balloon:

~~~

5. XOCHIMILCO

Another photo from Mexico. Here the lovebirds are sat on one of the colorful "trajineras" in one of the Xochimilco canals:

~~~

6. PASSION RED

In the middle of a crowd, bathed in red light, music blaring, the lovers kiss 💋

~~~

7. SKIING IN MERIBEL

On January 29th 2024, Sophie posted some photos of them skiing in Meribel together with a couple of Perry's friends. Those were "group friendly" photos, but for his birthday, Sophie chose a photo of them alone hugging in the middle of the snow ❤️

~~~

8. ALL I WANT FOR CHRISTMAS

Find someone who looks at you the way these two are looking at each other under the Regent Street's beautiful Christmas lights in London 💕

~~~

9. PINK RIBBON 🎀

That's some sexy little black dress, Sophie! But please explain why are you tying a pink ribbon around your man's neck?

~~~

10. BEST SEAT

Here are the lovebirds again, matching in green and earthy tones, looking lovingly at each other:

~~~

This is a familiar sight by now:

~~~

11. HALLOWEEN

The decoration with cobweb, the lovebirds in costume, and Sophie's long hair, makes me think that this photo is from a 2023 Halloween party:

I would love to know what they are dressed as? They look hot 🔥

~~~

12. ANSWER YOUR PHONE, TABBY!!!

Sophie and Perry trying unsuccessfully to FaceTime Tabby Doherty and making sad faces ☹️ ☹️

Sophie deleted this photo from the carousel since she accidentally posted Tabby's phone number . . . . Opps!

Being in love is very distracting lol

~~~

It was a lovely set of photos, testament of Sophie's new chapter in her life. They look truly happy together 💕

~~~

✨ HE LIGHTS ME BACK UP ✨

On October 30th 2024 Sophie was announced as the recipient of the performance award for the UK Harper’s Bazaar Women Of The Year Awards 2024.

Lydia Slater, editor in chief, interviewed Sophie for this edition. At the end of the interview she asked Sophie about Perry:

Still, there is no doubt that she has moved on, both professionally and personally. Since the end of last year, she has been dating Peregrine Pearson, who is in line to become the 5th Viscount of Cowdray. “We’re very happy,” she says, blushing, when I ask how it’s going. “It came around very quickly. I just needed to go on a date to know how to do it again. That was the first date and the last date, and it’s been great.” What’s he like? “He’s lovely. He’s funny, and he brings out the cheeky side of me, the fun side. He lights me back up.” It will be thrilling for us all to see how brightly Sophie Turner can shine. —Harper's Bazaar

The "she says, blushing" got me blushing (˶ᵔ ᵕ ᵔ˶)

~~~

BYE BYE 2024

On January 6th 2025, Sophie posted a carousel recap of 2024. The post was captioned "Bye bye 2024 - A pic a month."

The new pics fearturing/related to Perry are the following:

MAY: FADE INTO YOU

Here we can see Sophie performing for a small audience of friends/family. She is singing Mazzy Star's song "Fade Into You" while trying some sexy/acrobatic moves.

Bless Perry who was ready to hold her in case she fell, lol

He really brings out the cheeky fun side of her!

~~~

JUNE: CLIMBING YOU

Here we can see Sophie wrapped around Perry, while snapping a selfie in a bathroom's mirror:

~~~

This is another familiar sight now:

Ahhh the perks of having a very tall boyfriend . . . . So you can climb him!

~~~

OCTOBER: MORE EGYPT

Here we can see Sophie happily posing in front of the Ramessid columns in the Mortuary Temple of Ramesses III in Medinet Habu, Egypt:

This picture was taken during the trip to Egypt for Perry's 30th Bithday Party.

~~~

DECEMBER: MORE BEACH

Here's a photo of Sophie taken by Perry (you can see his leg there), while she was sleeping in the fetal position, somewhere on a beach location:

As Tabby's comment on this post says: "If sexy and cute had a baby, it would be you."

They are two cheeky fun lovebirds, indeed!

~~~

I'm glad Sophie got to go to the beach one more time to end the year. And maybe she even welcomed the New Year on the beach, since her instagram story from January 8th 2025, mimicking Macaulay Culkin at Raw on Netflix on January 6th 2025, looks to be recorded on a beach location, with those white windows, her wet hair and tan skin (also, I'm pretty sure she's wearing Perry's black cap).

This story can also be an answer to all those stupid comments about her daughters on her 2024 recap post. In the video this is the exact moment when one commentator says that "Kate McCallister (Kevin's mom in Home Alone) is the worst mom of all time:"

Well, Sophie seems not bothered at all by that! As she should!

Or maybe I'm reding too much into this story and she just wanted to say: “Merry Christmas, ya filthy animal" to some unknown addressee ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

~~~

Oh, boy! This was a fun post to write, full of happy and fun images. I wish for an even more happy and fun 2025 for our cheeky lovebirds and for us all 💕

~~~

You can read the previous editions here: Vol VII - Vol VI - Vol. V - Vol. IV (Appendix) - Vol. IV - Vol. III - Vol. II - Vol. I

Until the next report 👋

[pinkkop]

This week's episode is brought to you by my We Are rewatch because that's apparently how I'm dealing with Perfect 10 Liners ending. If you liked Perfect 10 Liners, I'd definitely highly recommend We Are!

QL Recap for Week 14

The 31st of March to the 6th of April

🇹🇭 Lost in the Woods

Episode 3 of 7 || Watching on: Gagaoolala, Wednesday

I'm still a fan of this show!! I like the production a lot, even if it's nothing fancy, like Top Form. As someone who enjoys good views and nature a lot, this show is right up my alley. I do worry what kind of ending they're going for because I don't know that any of our main characters be able to change so much that they would stay on or leave the farm depending on which one of them you're talking about.

🇹🇭 Perfect 10 Liners

Episode 24 of 24 || Watching on: Youtube, Sunday

Oh this was a good show! It didn't manage to surpass We Are for me but it still had some good pairings with great chemistry and some fun friend dynamics which I think are some of the most important things about shows like this and We Are. Particularly for this final episode I'm really glad that Yotha and Faifah got a chance to talk about their mom even if I still think she needs to be punted into the sun. I didn't really have any strong feelings about any of the actor pairings before I started this show but they all really proved themselves to me during it. It felt like all the character's and their plot-lines fit the actors so well and highlighter their strengths in acting. I could see myself going back to re-watch one or two of the pairings but I doubt that I'll ever do a full re-watch.

🇹🇭 Your Sky of Us

Episode 2 of 3 || Watching on: iQiYi, Saturday

This is straight up candy floss. Soooo sweet but not a lot of substance. Good thing I like candy floss! Downside is that this show makes me more excited for ThomasKong's and AuauSave's next shows but those will probably not air any time soon 🥺

🇹🇭 I'm Your Moon

Episode 4 of 8 || Watching on: iQiYi, Sunday

Oh Prey has game! It's so good when the younger character is the one most persistently pursuing the other and honestly this dynamic is what I need when there's a larger age gap. I do love the insights we got into Earl's thoughts with both the shower and the café because she's a character that holds all her cards to close to her chest and is hard to read, so this gives us an insight we otherwise wouldn't have had. On another note, I'd like to thank the second (third?) couple for their effort in that bath even it I was confused for a second why they'd gotten in the bath with clothes on. I guess that's one way of fixing the problem of not being able to show female presenting nipples on TV #RIP On the whole it feels like a lot of effort and heart has been put into this show but some aspects of the production definitely suffer from a lower budget, which I'm imagining is a common problem with GLs at least in comparison to BLs. Either way I'm enjoying it and looking forward to next weeks episode.

🇹🇼 Fight for You

Episode 3 of 12 || Watching on: Gagaoolala, Friday

The first three episodes of this show has me intrigued. It's a really interesting premise and I can't wait to see how it turns out. I bet Da Hei has gotten himself mixed up in something bad because he so desperately wants to take care of his sister, and him and Xiao Bai will for sure get in the middle of some dangerous situation, especially after boss man said that he's basically sent Xiao Bai to investigate Da Hei because it seemed like the best way to keep Da Hei safe.

🇹🇭 Top Form

Episode 3 of 11 || Watching on: Gray, Thursday

I'm slightly more convinced about the pairing after this episode. Speeding through that time period helped a lot to even out their dynamic but I'm still side-eying Jin. Like did he really have a cold? Also I spent the entire honey scene worried for the carpet and thinking that's a waste of honey. In this economy?! Anyways, the production quality makes it an easy watch even if I'm not sold on the pairing or plot so I'll keep watching.

🇹🇭 My Golden Blood

Episode 4 of 12 || Watching on: Youtube, Wednesday

Not much happened plot-wise this episode and I think I've figured out why none of the comedic moments have been hitting the spot for me and I think it's in part because of Gawin. I don't know if it's his comedic timing or if it's the direction he's getting or just the script but something isn't adding up. I've seen people both really liking him as Tong and not and I'll have to admit that for me he's falling a little short for me in this show.

That's it for this week!!

For links and airing schedule check out World of BL (Only for BLs)

[hestzhyen]

Chapter 58 Welp Posting

Hello kind void. Short (for me) yap this time... it's mostly just pain this chapter, after all. So much pain.

Very rough TL of the editor's notes:

First page: 漆羽の命滅契約は一体…? [Uruha no meimetsu keiyaku ha ittai...?!, What in the world happened to Uruha's lifelong contract...!?] Last page: 信念のもと漆羽を殺めた座村を前に… [Shinen no moto Uruha wo ayameta Samura wo maeni..., Standing in front of Samura, who killed Uruha due to his conviction...] Google Translate or DeepL can probably do better than me on this one, so go ahead and copy/paste that text into one of those instead for a better idea. Just note that 漆羽 (Uruha) usually gets auto-translated to "Urushiba" and 座村 (Samura) to "Zamura".

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Pregame Mini Meta Rant: If I hear a SINGLE complaint about how many panels were reused this chapter Imma get heated. Yeah, there's been a lot of copy-crop-paste stuff going on in the past two weeks. This chapter alone re-used Hakuri's exhausted seal pose four times. But the major scenes still hit hard as fuck and the new art is holding up. Let the author do what it takes to avoid burnout and health issues just as his series is getting the major promotion treatment, okay? Dude's had to do a lot of extra work recently with the cover and colour pages in addition to the usual volume redraws and accompanying filler sketches/doodles.

These chapters were probably being written and drawn about the same time as the extra materials. It's not like the author starts drawing on Monday and sends the chapter out by Friday so it can be published Sunday- they're finished weeks in advance before they're released. I recommend checking out a short manga called The Right Way to Make JUMP! by Takeshi Sakurai if the practical details of getting manga out to thousands of readers in both print & digital simultaneously every week seem interesting!

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Uruha vs. Samura

I interrupt this ramble before it even begins to do a little celebratory dance. I got most of what I yapped about last chapter right for once! Yay! ヾ(⌐■_■)ノ♪ I won't have to recap the Samura motivation/mindset yap with the new information! (This will probably never happen again.)

Anyway...

Let's start with this because fuck it was so cool and sad.

I love how every character in this manga holds fast to their convictions, man. But I didn't expect Samura to be so cold about killing his former apprentice y'know?! Not even a hint of remorse from this guy. Between this and the subdued greeting Uruha gave him, the lack of warmth in their dialogue together... I wonder if they had a positive relationship. Uruha certainly respected Samura's skills but the contrast between how he thinks about Kunishige and the man who presumably taught him everything he knows about fighting is striking, isn't it? He was pretty unemotional about having to duel his master to the death despite being such an emotive guy. Yet now we'll probably never know... (sigh).

Here's something I missed on my first read: Samura didn't use Tobimune to face Uruha; he was just the quicker draw with a regular katana.

His sword is closer to being sheathed, while Uruha's sword is still farther out.

In case anyone still wants to believe that Uruha is alive or can come back somehow after this... more power to you. The Sojo copers can probably give you some tips if you need them. But there is one small smidgen of comfort to be had, if one wants to interpret it as such.

Not using Tobimune can be read as respecting Uruha's determination and facing him on equal footing. I know he unnecessarily double-tapped Uruha when he was laying on the ground- he didn't need to slash the guy again with Tobimune to make the kill. I get it, the Enchanted Blades are tools of death. Just let me have this. I need it.

Uruha deserved better. He deserve to live, dammit. I didn't get nearly enough of him. But what a way to go. Standing up for what you believe, your dead (boy)friend's last words telling you to live no matter what running through your head. Fighting for your life to honor his wish even though it's a completely lost cause... fuck what a tragic character. He was such a passionate guy despite the losses he suffered. Uruha, man... I really wanted to spend more time with him, but I guess all we'll get of him are flashbacks about him from other people or during scenes recounting what happened in the war.

The worst part of saying goodbye is that it felt like we had so much more to see and learn about him. His story's incomplete but it's over all the same. That's what hurts most when authors kill these characters- the sense of real loss because of all the loose ends. Anything we learn about him will be retroactive for context. No more growth, no more silly faces... damn you Samura...! Fuck this author makes good villains in a short span of time.

Whatever incident was covered up 18 years ago has to be incredibly awful to drive Samura to become an avenger for the truth. I'm talking "establishing a whole fucking international court system to process it for over a decade" levels of bad. Which it may well be, if this flashback from Sojo's PoV in chapter 8 remains unchanged when we revisit it for context:

Hello, probable war crimes.

Yeah I'm banking on that mystery kid being Magatsumi's current wielder. Whether he was a child soldier or picked up the sword by accident somehow, this might be the clue to The Incident that turned Samura against his allies. The point about how anyone can use the Enchanted Blades is made repeatedly during and after the Sojo arc- why not a child? Covering up a massacre like that would be in a lot of people's interests.

Unfounded spitball theories aside, now that Hakuri and Chihiro are both clued in that some real bad shit went down, we can expect to learn more about it. Hopefully sooner rather than later because I'll definitely be judging the shit outta Samura based on how awful it is. I'm very interested in his moral dilemma but I've got unreasonably high standards as to what kind of event could drive someone to do something so awful (in fiction, at least). IRL people are messy, but fiction demands justification. And the way this incident is being hyped up makes me believe it's different from the other horrors of war sinking in and slowly driving someone to resent everything they did for the cause. Whatever the Bearers and the Kamunabi covered up is going to cast them all -Kunishige included- in an extremely unflattering light.

Burnout

He just looks so cute being carried like that even though he's so exhausted and roughed up…

... Yeah. Poor Hakuri.

I won't take up as much space here as I want to yapping about him because most of it's just retreads of things I've been saying for weeks already. But man. Man.

This guy awoke to his powers, killed his dad and brothers, put an end to his family's cruelty, saved a bunch of lives at great risk to himself, passed out, and woke up to try and do this crazy mission with Chihiro all in just over 24 hours. He's so fried he fell asleep while being carried piggy-back and can't even move any more! But he's still kicking himself for not summoning Kumeyuri for Uruha when he had enough adrenaline to sort of stand up on his own. Never mind the brain haemorrhage- he's got lives to save. Ms. Makizumi's words about pushing himself too hard being dangerous just go in one ear and out the other. These people want him to care about himself for the mission and because he deserves it but he just refuses to take it to heart...

Then the person he promised to protect is killed in front of him right after he made it his life's mission to prevent exactly this sort of scenario.

Fuck.

Can't even turn this into a ship moment I'm so bent out of shape. Someone strip me of my fudanshi creds.

It looks like Hakuri did summon Chihiro in a panic after all- he couldn't even call out to Uruha so reaching for Chihiro instead was his first instinct. He just wasn't fast enough because his body and mind are on the brink of totally shutting down. If he's truly unable to use sorcery again after finally gaining his own strength at long last... oh, that will hurt so bad. I'm not ready for how hard Hakuri's going to be on himself when he eventually wakes up despite doing his very best.

Hakuri's gonna be out of commission for sure after this event.

I'm close to 100% positive he'll temporarily lose his powers now. If it comes to be, then Kagurabachi will have passed my bullshit "don't say they'll die if the consequences don't match up to the risk" test. Being paralyzed and powerless for a while is good enough to convince me that death really was a possible outcome. See, it's really that easy. Totally not unfair and arbitrary.

Regardless, there's a lot of suffering ahead for Chihiro and Hakuri. Not only did all of this shit go down the day right after the Rakuzaichi, but there's still whatever the blood test will reveal hanging out there... the political and practical price of this failure with the Kamunabi... processing the guilt of not being able to save a life... coming to terms with how much they don't know... so much has happened to them in a short 24-ish hours, huh? And neither of them have anything good to look forward to in the short-term.

I gotta wonder what Hakuri will do this arc if he's literally unable to move for a while. His PoV gave us the info that there was a specific incident that was covered up, but that doesn't mean he'll be involved in that plot line. But let's save that stress for another time- gotta see how badly he fucked himself up and how things shake out between Chihiro and Samura first.

Chihiro vs. Samura

(Ch. 50) A long-awaited reunion.

What will go down next week? I'm sure as hell not gonna try to guess. Could be anything from casual conversation to an actual skirmish. At least one thing will definitely not happen though.

Neither Chihiro nor Samura are dying here. Chihiro cannot die until the last fight in the series is finished, so that's out (boo joyless nerd take no fun booooooo). Samura's simply too strong to go down to an exhausted Chihiro and we still have to learn the history behind his motives. So he's gonna stick around for a bit longer to cause trouble. Wouldn't be surprised if he's the arc boss! Hiruhiko's got his own training arc ahead of him and all (and some arms to reattach), so he'll be more of a recurring villain than someone to defeat as a character growth moment for now. It's looking like Samura vs. Chihiro for the foreseeable future IMO.

If I can reveal a selfish hope, I want Samura facepalming Chihiro and feeling the scar to be the means of getting insight on how he feels about Chihiro's situation. Samura's probably the one who tipped off the Hishaku about Kunishige's location thanks to accidentally finding out when Momma Shiba took Chihiro to the local festival. Oh boy, if Chihiro learns that Samura was the one that sold him and his dad out... that would be some incredibly potent angst. His hero, a monster? Say it ain't so. Would have told you sooner if I could, Chihiro.

Hm, Kunishige and the Bearers who were entrusted with his vision...

(Chapter 1)

(Chapter 9)

(Chapter 58)

I feel confident in thinking that Samura is basically Bad End Chihiro now. He's been tormented by guilt for nearly two decades and has decided to do everything himself. He'll kill his former comrades and the Hishaku or go down swinging- and kill himself if he actually succeeds. He's on a doomed mission to scorch the earth and take out as much evil as he can. All scum go to hell! Including the guy who's so mired in grief that he does a lot of murder to cope. Those scars of his don't look like tear tracks in some shots for nothin'. (Wait, wasn't I talking about Chihiro for a bit there?)

Chihiro's well on his way to following Samura's path already... he's not the type to kill his comrades, but he's definitely got the "guilty sinning avenger" thing going on strong. So if Samura is Chihiro's "Bad End", what will he force Chihiro to realize? Every major foe reflects a part of Chihiro back at himself and forces him to answer difficult questions, after all. Sojo- forced him to accept that there are multiple ways to interpret and use his dad's legacy

Kyora- forced him to look at his own devotion to his dad's legacy and admit he doesn't know as much as he needs to

Hiruhiko (round 1)- forced him to admit that he thinks of himself as a monster for the lengths he's willing to go to

As for Samura, I think it'll be along the lines of "is it necessary or justifiable to sin and/or commit oneself hell for the sake of a cause?". Maybe "can I be redeemed at all?" (or if redemption is even necessary in the first place). Legitimately can't wait to see what goes down between them next week to get more clues! God I love this manga so much. I haven't been so consistently engaged week to week like this in ages.

...One last thought. This is probably looking too far ahead as an angst merchant and I was rightly rebuked for mentioning it. I should know better than to share the worthless depressing bullshit that goes on in my head. But these posts are supposed to just be some yaps into an ambivalent abyss so... sorry, kind internet void, but you get some of my depresso espresso.

"The least I can do is refrain from causing harm to others and take you Hishaku bastards to hell with me." - Chihiro (ch. 53)

With all the deliberate parallels drawn between Samura->Chihiro and Uruha->Hakuri, I wouldn't be surprised if our favourite protagonist/deuteragonist pair has the same exchange later down the line. Definitely not under similar circumstances! I can imagine scenarios where Chihiro is trying to kill Hakuri but they're so far removed from canon that they make absolutely zero sense.

But there could well be a time where Chihiro decides to leave because he really does need to bear this burden alone and Hakuri tries to call him out on the ridiculousness of that mindset. I think it would be a happier result for Chihiro and Hakuri compared to Samura and Uruha if only because Chihiro isn't as far gone as the blind traitor rat is. But yeah I'm just sticking that in my back pocket to see if it manifests in the future.

Time to write some hurt/comfort and hope canon eases up on the pain soon. It's either that or setting up a bingo sheet with all the angst scenarios I've got written down in my drafts and notes... I choose the one that I can create my own happy ending for. Until next time, dear void.

[cattimeswithjellie]

Excerpt from Doc's 6/23 Stream Recap

I'm going to bed early tonight because I stayed up recapping til 4am last night, so I'm not going to finish this stream until tomorrow. Enjoy this unhinged little sequence from Doc's Sunday stream this week.

43:30 Doc forgets the inherent peril of every GoodTimesWithScar build and gets severely jumpscared by the creeper that sneaks up behind him. He’s not hurt but the front yard of Poe Poe HQ has lost some landscaping. Doc thinks that vandalizing Poe Poe HQ might not be the best move for a guy in his legal position, and it seems like the “SUE TODAY” banner on the courthouse might just be mocking him. He remembers that Scar’s building supplies chest monster hasn’t been picked up yet and goes to rummage through it for extra booshes. He finds some, but comes very, very, very close to blowing up Scar’s entire chest monster when another creeper pays a visit.

44:40 Doc uses freecam to show the now-underground broken rainbow beacon, buried under the road between the courthouse and the police station. The metaphor would be unbearably heavy-handed if it weren’t also obviously accidental. Doc replaces the destroyed bushes and takes a look at Poe Poe HQ by daylight, declaring it a really cool build. He laughs at the enormous POE sign and is confused by the sand countdown clock. Chat tells him it is counting down to the enforcement of the rule against popup shops in the shopping district. Doc wonders who made this, even as he finds a trapdoor with a sign reading “Ultra Redstoners Only.” Deciding he is definitely in that club, he enters without hesitation to check out the guts of the countdown machinery. He studies it for a moment and asks in complete befuddlement “Who _made_ this?” Hearing from Chat that it was Scar does explain a lot. Doc decides he had better leave before the redstone drives him insane.

46:40 Time to go back and work on interior design again. Doc does not want to do his interior design. He bemoans the fact that he got himself into a quarrel with Cleo, who would’ve been the perfect Hermit to tap for all the armor stand work he needs done but is now mad at him. He decides he should wander around and look for design ideas from other shops, because he is so uninspired. Chat suggests Joel has great interiors, so does Pearl. Doc admires Joel’s octopus but does not want one in his armor trim boutique. Chat thinks the octopus is amazing. Doc tells Chat they are useless. Chat doesn’t care; they want to go look at the Lizzie statue at Joel’s base. A chatter says they heard Doc was going to play Stardew Valley and is excited about it; Doc tells them he has played Stardew Valley through three times already. He’s exploited everything exploitable in that game and even made a tutorial for finding rare fish; Stardew Valley has nothing left for him.

49:00 Doc looks around in the honey shop for decoration ideas, but is disappointed to find no armor stand work to get inspired by. Chat wants to hear the song. Doc is unenthusiastic but plays the song. He goes on an entire facial journey as Chat grooves to the “Honey, Honey, Honey” song. “Jesus Christ,” Doc says. This puts Joel at the top of the suspect list as far as Doc is concerned. Anyone who could come up with that song is clearly capable of anything.