#that's the two main groups in my upcoming book

[inkandpaperqwerty]

Heyyy, guess who almost went to bed and then realized they had to make this post??

That’s right, so we’re gonna speedrun this! Rehearsing Tragedies is getting updated this Wednesday (02/12), I didn’t get nearly as much done with Collision Course as I should have, I can’t stop salivating over different ideas about things that are going to happen in Want is a Wasting Disease, and I am cultivating a deep hatred for Microsoft Word.

Thanks, as always, for reading and supporting me!! You guys are the best!!

[gghostwriter]

Hi!! I saw your requests are open for fluff and I love your writing and have an idea currently plaguing my mind if you are interested (but no worries if not!) 🩵

There’s this girl on tiktok who does rejection therapy where she makes little requests to strangers with the expectation of being denied, but sometimes the outcome is super sweet. I think it would be cute for a kinda shy reader to be doing rejection therapy and ask Spencer (or any of the BAU) to like play rock paper scissors or hold their badge or something with the expectation of being rejected, only to be pleasantly surprised when she isn’t rejected

Spencer Reid x Fem! Reader Trope: Fluff! Just fluff w.c: 1.33k A/N: Slowly defrosting my request box purely for fluff. I do feel a bit rusty in writing again, it's a muscle I've forgotten to exercise on the daily. I am no chess player so I honestly don't know how to write a game. Anon, I hope this still lives up to your imagination! Main masterlist

Intermezzo. // Spencer Reid

Hushed adult chatter and boisterous children’s laughter filled the greening park, once cold and barren from the winter past. The sun, as if still shy to take center stage, peeked behind a cloud of white curtains. Vibrant hues of picnic blankets scattered all over the green grass, books and wicker baskets keeping them from going with the windy breeze. 

Over the past few weeks, you’ve gotten comfortable in the new city you now call home. Bringing the tumbler of coffee against your moistened lips, the corners of your mouth lifted to form a soft smile, marveling from how far you’ve come. This city now contained your coffee shop down the block, your bookstore tucked between alleyways, and your park nestled in the middle of the bustling city. 

Your therapist was excited for this new chapter of your life, coaxing you to take baby steps away from your cocoon and enjoy what it had to offer. Filled with slight trepidation a few weeks ago, you sat on the exact same bench, back rod straight and hands wringing from the unknown when a group of men, ages of all varying degrees, had caught your eye. They were gathered under the shade from two great trees, seated and hunched over, playing various states of chess.

Fascinating.

They kept to themselves, something you could relate to. As Saturdays and Sundays passed on, you found yourself wondering why there seemed to be no women or any newcomers, to be exact, that join in the fray. Do people not feel the draw? Is it only you who found them intriguing?

Movement caught the corner of your eye.

A new face walking towards the gaggle of men—or to be exact, hobbling towards with crutches under his armpits, to an unoccupied chess table. His eyes scanning along the throng of players before briefly looking down and tapping his uninjured foot to an inconspicuous beat.

You observed him with fascination and anticipation, wanting to see if any of the usual faces would join in on his table, allowing him to be absorbed into the otherwise impenetrable group.

Five minutes.

Then ten, the seat in front of him remained empty. 

You briefly wondered if you could do it—you weren’t after all bad at chess, being a past player in high school. Not that you won more than three competitions, joining the team was purely an excuse for extra credits and to get out of physical education. 

Could you do it?

Could you walk up to a complete male stranger and ask for a game?

Could you take the rejection that may come with it?

Gnawing on your lip, you found yourself moving closer and closer, steps quiet and hesitant but each shuffle ringing in your ear. His eyes, feeling the change in the wind and your upcoming presence, met yours—both wide-eyed and unsure.

He seemed to be just like you, a doe-eyed deer stepping out of their hiding for predators lying in the wait. A gust of breath escaped your lips, a measly amount of strength returning to your tightly strung body.

“H-hi,” you whispered. 

He blinked before clearing his throat. “Hi, how can I—” his gaze tracking the path of your gaze, the opposite black pieces on the chess board. “Do you, do you want to play?”

You timidly smiled. “If you’d have me, yes.” 

“Yes,” a smile forming on his face, hands fighting to push the wayward curls behind his pinking ears. “Of course, please.” 

Gingerly seating on the marbled seat, you muttered a ‘thank you’ under your breath, one you were sure he didn’t hear.

No words were exchanged further as he moved his white pieces with grace. It was a complete contrast to yours, rusty and unsure even to that moment as to what you were actually doing seating in front of a chess genius. That was who he was, you realized, as he ate another of your pawn. Perhaps this was why no one dared to occupy the seat. He was no outsider or meek prey, he was the king (or prince) and the predators of all chess enthusiasts in the group.

You could feel the heat from the gazes of the spectators, other tables long abandoned to view and scrutinize the eventual downfall of the challenger. Whispers of strategies under their breaths and shakes of their head as they predict the next thirty-seventh move. 

Briefly you wondered if you should just call it quits, wanting to hide from the pressure. But isn’t this a prime opportunity to take further steps away from your comfort zone? Isn’t that was your therapist would have wanted? Perhaps, you were expecting rejection in the beginning and now that you were in the thick of it, you wished that it had come instead. The sweet ‘no’ from his handsome stranger’s lips rather than feeling your nerves fray from the trap laid in front of you—a pawn in perfect position to take his queen on c1. 

“Would you like to take a break?” he asked, expecting his voice to be filled with mockery and superiority, but rather was coated with the sweet, worrying tone you’d expect from a doting grandmother. 

Shaking your head no, moving your king away from endangerment—g8 to h7. 

Your opponent smiled before quickly taking his turn with a pawn. 

The game continued on in such manner, give and take, between two strangers turned opponents. You could feel the end coming as his moves further stalled, now requiring the handsome stranger to assess the remaining pieces on the board to his gain. In turn, you studied him. 

The ends of his hair brushing against the middle of his long neck. Its’ roots sticking to his forehead, shiny from perspiration. Sleeves of his button down haphazardly folded to expose his forearm and one subtle vein that disappears and appears as he moves. You doubted he was any older but the underlying confidence brimming underneath his humility made you think he’d been exposed to the underbelly of the world, long before you did. 

Seven moves later, he flashed you another smile—bigger and more joyous than you’ve seen. “Draw.”

The spectators stilled into silence. A rarity, one of the older gentlemen whispered under their breath before everyone brought into an applause. 

It happened in a flash causing breath to be caught in your throat. You’ve done it. The game was over. You’ve gone above and beyond from what your therapist had asked you to do—her “rejection therapy” leading you to an unknown you couldn’t wait to explain.

“Good game,” he breathed out.

You nodded, watching as his right hand reached out in between, casting a shadow on his knocked over king. “Oh—” lifting your hands in front of you to act as a barrier. “I’m not much of a—the number of pathogens passed during a handshake—”

“Is staggering. It’s actually safer to kiss,” he continued on before chuckling to himself, hand still extended out regardless of the trivia being shared between you two. “Not that I’m saying we should but yeah, I’m not much of a ‘handshake-r’ myself.” 

Giggling, you slowly reached for his awaiting hand, giving him a way out before both palms met and fingers locked around it. 

It was warm, like the sun that was no longer hiding behind the curtain of clouds, like a tumbler of freshly brewed coffee made by your favorite barista. 

“I’m Spencer. Spencer Reid.”

Your cheeks heated. “Nice to meet you, Spencer Reid. I’m Y/N.”

Hands still firmly connected across the chess game long forgotten, both of you seemingly unwilling to let go of the physical connection.

He cleared his throat. “Would you like to play again sometime?”

“If you’d have me again, yes.” Briefly biting your lip before taking another brave step, creating another ‘rejection therapy’ moment. “Or we could have coffee or tea sometime?”

You waited with bated breath. 

The corners of his eyes crinkled and another breathtaking smile painted his face.

“I’d like that. I’d really like that.” 

Comments & reblogs are highly appreciated!

[cassandraclare]

*sighs a bit* Okay. Guys. I have been asked this question a lot, and answered it a lot. I don't know how to give a better answer — Dru & Ty&Kit share significance as main characters — so I guess I'll talk a little about comparison and structures.

First, all series have different structures. I don't think it's super useful or predictive to try to map an upcoming, unknown book series onto an existing series. In TLH the main character was Cordelia, everyone else was secondary to her, and people's roles and the significance of them altered from book to book. It was a big ensemble cast and they mostly stayed put in London especially in book 1.

TWP focuses on a smaller group of people. It also has a very different structure. In book one, Dru is not with Kit and Ty. They are in different places, both of which have their own stories that are significant to the plot. There is no way to see Place One without following Dru. There is no way to see Place Two without following Kit and Ty.

I know that TWP is a long way off. I know there are people who are very angry with me that there's such a gap, but there isn't anything currently I can do about that, or about the fact that I don't yet have the schedule for my upcoming books. That rests in the hands of several different publishers who must coordinate the release times and production schedules for four different series. I am not withholding any information about when these books come out. I simply don't know it yet.

I understand that TWP being a long way off makes for anxiety, and that those who are worried Kit and Ty will somehow be secondary are looking for tiny clues in microscopic details — micro-reading the of placement of the word "and" in my newsletter and such — that are meaningless, but I get that it all comes from anxiety. (FTR, those worried Dru will be secondary are equally anxious.)

I think there is only so much I can say. Because there's a big gap between TLH and TWP everything I do say or every image or hint about it is freighted with a weight of assumption it can't really support. Anxiety is always going to trump reassurance. And truly, at the end of the day, if you only care about Kit and Ty and find the idea of a Dru story tiresome, you will feel like they got shafted because when you absolutely hate a plotline, you will always feel like it's taking up way too much space. That's just how our minds work.

I've been doing this long enough that I know no book can survive a hostile reading. I know that Book Three of a trilogy is the one people hate until they don't. (When Clockwork Princess came out people hated it so much I considered quitting writing!) I know that it's wonderful to love a character but can also be a problem for people when I put out books that aren't about that particular character or dynamic. I know that for a lot of people, Sword Catcher and Ragpicker King are just tiresome things that have no business on my schedule because they're not Shadowhunter books. And I get it. But I also have to block it out, because I've been writing a long time, and I've gotten to a point where I know that I have to write the thing I want to be writing, because if I don't, if I sit down and try to force myself to write something I'm not feeling like writing at that time, I'll be making myself physically and mentally sick. And that's no good for anyone, really.

I suppose the positive thing is that, while this would not have been true five years ago, I am at the place where I want very much to be writing Wicked Powers. I missed these characters and am glad to be back with them. I consider this a story in which there are three main characters. And that is all I can say right now because it's all that I know.

(And this was much more of a general response to a lot of things than a specific response to this question, but I did feel like it was stuff that I needed to say. Creators are at the end of the day, just people. Sometimes we are powerless to reassure. Sometimes we are tired. Sometimes we are wrong. Sometimes we try things and they don't work. Sometimes we can't explain to you what our story is going to make you feel, because only reading it is going to tell you that. This may be one of those times.)

[snk-smartpass]

TEXT Vol. 05 Jean’s Textbook

He’d gotten rid of as many of his belongings as possible when he joined the Survey Corps. There was no point in bringing anything like his jumbled collection of notes, and anything he did need he could buy or be issued. There was one item, however, that he kept in his bags because he’d need them to review the basics when understanding an operation.

“…My textbooks, huh. I guess I did leave them here.”

It had been some time since Jean last returned to his quarters. When he opened his bags in the personal space he’d been assigned, something moved him to pull the books out.

••••••

Around the time the old regime had been overthrown and Jean had met up with the main unit of the army…

Jean had been acting separately from the rest of the Survey Corps as a member of the “new Team Levi,” keeping him away from the main unit for some time. His bags had been haphazardly tidied up, just like those belonging to the rest of his squad. Now that much had been settled and he had returned, he needed to prepare next for the new operation to retake Wall Maria. When he unfastened his bag, he found a number of textbooks he’d used during his time in the Training Corps.

“I can’t believe I kept these …”

Even though he’d joined the Survey Corps and found himself in an ever-changing situation, he couldn’t allow himself to be negligent when it came to reviewing his fundamentals… And so he’d brought these books upon someone’s recommendation.

“A Guide to Marching Drills… What does this say about nighttime movement on horseback, again?”

One of these volumes seemed to be exactly the reference material he needed for the upcoming operation, and he casually began flipping through its pages.

••••••

[Seems like this appears on exams a lot.]

“…What’s this?”

The first handwritten words to jump out at him were not his own. These were marks left behind during a group study session for a written exam in his Training Corps days. Jean remembered sitting in the center of everyone, having placed his own textbook in the middle of the desk for them all to see and at times write in as they discussed this and that.

Jean couldn’t remember who the rushed cursive belonged to at first, but his memories of that day gradually began to return to him.

(Armin? No… If it was the person right next to me… I guess it’d be Marco.)

The words were written right-side-up on one side of the book. They’d been penned by someone reaching in from the side.

He shook his head at the memory of his close and now departed friend as he turned the page to find other writings.

••••••

“What’s this one say…?”

Jean couldn’t read the upside-down letters at first. He turned the book around, then gasped.

[Horses can move in other unpredictable ways. Be careful]

[—>Finger whistling, page 54]

The thick and powerful words of caution belonged to Reiner.

The thin and weak words that pinpointed Jean’s weaknesses and noted where he needed to read belonged to Bertolt.

Back then… they were comrades he learned alongside. In fact, it had been Reiner who suggested that he hold onto his textbooks. He had said that while Jean was talented, he had a tendency to rely on the fact. That’s why he needed to hold onto books that would let him go back to basics.

“…He really could see what’s most important.”

The contents of this textbook would have to be solidly in the minds of the two who were now on the “other side.” They would also know how the Corps would move by horseback according to it, too.

In other words… such was the opponent that now awaited them.

“The last ones I wanted to have to face went and became our enemies.”

…So this is what they meant when they said the world is a cruel place.

Jean quietly closed the book and placed it deep within his bags, as if to seal away the memories of the time he spent with the two.

••••••

SOURCE: Attack on Titan: Short Stories 3

TRANSLATION: Ko Ransom

[casparscunttt16]

"You're jealous" |Stiles Stilinski|Oneshot

Jealous!Stiles x Reader.

Summary: In which your friend Javier is tutoring you for an upcoming quiz in your Spanish class leading you to be spending more time with him rather than your boyfriend Stiles.

Warnings: Jealous Stiles, slight arguing.

(Gif not mine)

I walk through the busy hallways of Beacon Hills High, rushing to my locker hoping I can be quick enough to not get caught in a group of students. I make it to my locker and put away my books and binders, then heading down the hallway towards the cafeteria. "Hey wait up!" I hear a familiar voice and I turn to see my friend Javier. "Oh hi Javi" I smile at the messy haired boy, and pull him into a hug.

"Hey do you wanna start studying now? We can definitely do so in the cafeteria if you're okay with that" he chirped with a toothy grin. "Of course whatever works for you works for me" I respond as we walk down the hallway side by side. "Thanks for tutoring me by the way I really appreciate" I add on. "The least I can do for you helping me snag a date with Danny" he chuckles. "Sooo how's that going?" I drag out.

Javier tells me how it's going with him and Danny and I smile listening to the details of how the date went, how things are between them, if they'll be anymore dates in the future etc. We walk into the cafeteria and sit at a table, Javier places his bag on the table and takes out his laptop, flash cards, highlighters and other things for studying. About 10 minutes into the study session my boyfriend walks over to the two of us.

"Hey baby" he coos hugging me from behind and resting his head on mine. "Hi babe" I say turning around and kissing his lips. "Did you wanna go out to lunch with me and Scott?" he asks casually because on most days thats what we did. "No I can't I'm studying with Javier, maybe after school we can hangout?" I suggest raising an eyebrow. "No yeah that's fine" He smiles and kisses my forehead then walking off to Scott.

"Well isn't he cute" Javier compliments "How long have you two been a thing?" he asks as he picks up the flash cards. "He's very cute, but almost two years. A year and nine months next month" Javier smiles at my answer then parts his lips to speak. "Okay let's get started on fill in the blank, I think that'd be easiest".

Throughout the remainder of the week I was hanging out with Javier in and out of school to prepare for this Spanish quiz, it'll be about 70 percent of our grade because it's about everything we've learned this quarter so this was not something I wanted to take lightly y'know? Today was Thursday and the quiz was on Friday. It was the end of the school day and Javier walked me out to the parking lot. "You're going to do great, girl don't even stress" Javier reassures me then pulling me into a tight hug. "Thanks Javi, but you're literally crushing me" I squirm as he laughs. "Sorry" He smiles before we part ways.

I see Stiles in the distance standing by his jeep as he always did to take me home. I walk over to him eagerly. "Hi Stiles" I kiss his cheek and he looks down at me and rolls his eyes. "What? Did I do something" I ask confused. "Why don't you go kiss Javier since you seem to love his company" he says jealousy dripping off his tongue as he pouts slightly. "Stiles you do know he's been tutoring me right?" I scoff in a bit of irritation as I get in the passenger seat and buckles myself in. "Yeah but it's so painfully obvious he's into you and you're oblivious to it" he says through gritted teeth, tightening his grip on the steering wheel as we pull out of the parking lot and begin driving on the main road. "Stiles he is not into me." I respond in a flat tone, the car fills with silence between us for a few minutes, the radio in the background quietly. "You're jealous" I state in a firm yet questioning tone.

Part 2?

[nawoken]

Heartslabyul's main story card discussion

5.C: Eyo!!!

Sorry for not updating lately. I've been busy with exams, and the bonus exam period is coming soon. I'm dying (TAT)

Apologiy to my anon, who has made a request but I haven't finished it yet. I will try to finish the thing faster. Hopefully, it will be done in the week since I have a lot of exams next week...

5.C: Anyway, so the new main story has been updated. We have Savanaclaw, and maybe part of Hearslabyul (Since we have Cater's card next).

I just only finished the story up until Jack and Ruggie joined the group. I don't know about the thing after that since the new story just out recently and I still have to wait for Gaskmask to play through and translate... So the things I say here might be wrong, after all, they're just my thoughts.

5.C: So I don't know if aside from Cater, is there anyone else from Heartslabyul this time.

Anyway, Cater's new card is amazing! He looks so cool, and the dominant vibe is crazy!!!

My Goddd, they can't do this to me!!! I've been saving for Lilia's birthday card and they have to come up with a bunch of hot, and prettiest cards I've ever seen during this time?! That's unacceptable!

!!!

5.C: But aside from that, I want to talk about Heartslabyul's upcoming main story cards. I mean, who do you think will get the chance to have a new card?

Excluding Riddle since... you know...

We have Trey; Ace and Deuce left and Hearstlabyul is the dorm with the most characters. So I think we will have at least 3 cards for this dorm. We already have Cater so there are around two slots left!

Personally, I think Trey and Deuce will be the ones.

Trey Clover

Because of the thing between Trey and Riddle in Book 1. For me, personally, it's not done yet. I think they haven't talked it out properly about everything, including their past. And Trey might still have quite a lot of complicated feelings about what happened.

Blaming himself for not doing more or something like that. And, with the formula of some characters with complicated stories, or past aside from the overblot equal to new main story card. I have my bet on him.

My only doubt is his dream might only revolve around Heartslabyul so he will only be in his Heartslabyul uniform. So no card...

Deuce Spade

With almost the same formula but more of an interesting past or appearance than a tragic one. He has an interesting past of being a delinquent, and we all know that everyone yearns to see him in his delinquent outfit. Ơ v Ơ

I mean, they want to make money, no? They gave us the Moray twins' Mer card cause everyone wanted it. So I don't see why they don't give us delinquent Deuce.

My doubt will be. Deuce regrets those delinquent days for making his mother sad. So in the dream realm. We might not have a delinquent Deuce but an honor student Deuce... this comes to two paths. One is a new card and the other is no card at all.

Ace Trapolar

I have nothing to say about him... but I think he will have his Unique magic soon :3

He is fun, mischievous, and also one of the first friends Yuu has. But I'm not sure what type of dream will he have and so I can't imagine if he has a new card, what will it be like.

But, what if they decide to give all three of them a new card to take our money :)

[waitmyturtles]

Turtles Catches Up With Old GMMTV: Secret Crush On You (SCOY) Edition

[What’s going on here? After joining Tumblr and discovering Thai BLs through KinnPorsche in 2022, I began watching GMMTV’s new offerings -- and realized that I had a lot of history to catch up on, to appreciate the more recent works that I was delving into. From tropes to BL frameworks, what we’re watching now hails from somewhere, and I’m learning about Thai BL's history through what I’m calling the Old GMMTV Challenge (OGMMTVC). Starting with recommendations from @absolutebl on their post regarding how GMMTV is correcting for its mistakes with its shows today, I’ve made an expansive list to get me through a condensed history of essential/classic/significant Thai BLs produced by GMMTV and many other BL studios. My watchlist, pasted below, lists what I’ve watched and what’s upcoming, along with the reviews I’ve written so far. Today, I offer my thoughts on the importance of Saint Suppapong's and Cheewin Thanamin's Secret Crush on You in the annals of Thai BL history.]

I offer a very hearty THANK YOU to my dear friends @lurkingshan and @bengiyo for reviewing this draft before publication!

Well! A VERY belated happy new year from the OGMMTVC shores! I have allowed myself a lengthy onboarding back to the pattern of watching older Thai BLs due to many life circumstances around the 2023 holidays.

But I do still stay on my grind: while I was slowly watching and re-watching SCOY over the last month, I've added two current shows to the list, which I'll explain about later, and I've also taken up reading an incredibly important book to this project, Dr. Thomas Baudinette's ethnographic study, Boys Love Media in Thailand, which is giving me tremendous insight and history into the development of the Thai BL genre from direct reporting in Asia. In other words, the OGMMTVC project is still cooking along -- I'll plan to post about the book when my current watchlist is at a pause, while current shows on the list are airing.

All that being said, I'm here today to report on my watch of 2022's Secret Crush on You. Here's a little outline to keep me organized:

1) A quick reminder of how SCOY got on the OGMMTVC list, 2) A thematic hit list of why SCOY belongs on the list, and why it's so important for the history of Thai BL, and 3) A few personal takes on the show.

SCOY got on the OGMMTVC list way back in May 2023, in the comments of my glowing review of the second season of Make It Right, suggested by @absolutebl Sensei themself. SCOY is directed by Cheewin Thanamin, who had co-directed MIR and MIR2 along with New Siwaj. (He is also, famously AND infamously, the director of the recent shows Playboyy and Middleman's Love, as well as many other shows, including YYY, Why R U, and more.)

At the time of my watch of MIR2, I reveled in the fabulous endings of TeeFuse and FrameBook, the holistically loving and embracing relationships of those two couples, who were fearlessly and openly queer and committed to each other; and I compared those endings to that of another fabulous Cheewin show, 2023's Bed Friend, which also ended glowingly, after a hell of a traumatic journey, for the dear mains, KingUea.

SCOY, from a growth perspective, fits between the high school world of MIR and the working adult world of Bed Friend, showcasing Toh, the stalker-shy university junior outcast; Nuea, the popular, athletic, and gorgeous university senior, and their respective groups of friends, who, to a tee, end up with each other. In the comments of my MIR2 review, @absolutebl wrote,

"...there is a case to be made that Cheewin is having a conversation with us[,] the culmination of which is actually SCOY. It feels like everything in his career was leading to that show[.]"

I believe this is absolutely right. While the public commentary on SCOY was that the first few episodes would be hard to digest -- for me, it took until episode *9* to feel comfortable enough to ride the SCOY train -- the amount of internal and external-to-BL themes that SCOY carries within it marks it as an incredibly important show for the annals of Thai BL history.

I also want to note that, after SCOY, Cheewin's War of Y also airs in 2022, as a macro commentary on the BL industry. Without having seen War of Y yet -- I think it makes sense, and is quite fitting, that there may be similar themes between these two shows as to what SCOY was addressing by way of personal and industry-related psychologies.

I'll get into those themes in a second, but as so many of you know as well: this was also the first production for Saint Suppapong's agency, Idol Factory, featuring (for 2022) a slate of incredible new QL actors and actresses who have already made a fast and deep impact on the genre (...fast and deep impact huh huh ANYWAY).

Putting ourselves into Saint's shoes -- a man well familiar with the pitfalls of the BL industry, vis à vis his associations with his previous PerthSaint and ZeeSaint ships -- I can make a safe assumption that he approached the production of SCOY with the intent to make a groundbreaking show, and to approach the fan service side of the BL industry with as much consciousness for his actors as possible. While I'm not watching Idol Factory's latest show, The Sign, I am noting that The Sign's two stars, Billy Patchanon (of SCOY) and Babe Tanatat are very good at their fan service offerings. (Heng in this video, omg.) But all that being said, the unfortunate incident last year of the untimely revelation of Seng Wichai's and Freen Sarocha's relationship indicates that Idol Factory is also not immune to the controversies and pitfalls of the BL and shipping industries.

What I particularly loved about SCOY -- and why I agree with @absolutebl and many BL fandom veterans that it belongs on the OGMMTVC list -- is that this show unabashedly insisted that all people are people, all humans are equitably humans, and all humans deserve the same emotional and social respect as anyone else. It punched social expectations of the "winners" and "losers" down to the ground to offer nuanced narratives of most of its characters.

We see Toh (Seng Wichai) and his group of friends repeatedly put down and bullied. We see Toh and Jao kicked to the ground for their looks and presentations. We see popular Nuea (Billy) and Sky (Heng Asavarid) suffering from jealousy, insecurity, unrequited love and desire. We see Nuea and Sky objectified. We see Daisy question themself for their femme identity, and we see Daisy's group of friends become so moved and emotional about this change as to both uplift Daisy's preferences and to support them in whatever changes they want to make.

We also see -- for only the second time on the OGMMTVC list, and surely in the biggest BL up til 2022 -- a prominent femme side character in Daisy, one who is very much pursued by a cis male suitor in Touch. (The first time we see such a prominent femme character on the OGMMTVC syllabus is, again, in Cheewin's Make It Right 2, in the character of Yok, who was very out and very gay throughout that season.)

I'm going to examine this more in just a bit, but I also want to note, in a fabulous conversation I had with @bengiyo about SCOY, that this show also somewhat upends social expectations of who exactly gets bullied in a "typical" school setting. We do very much see Toh and his friend group get attacked. We see that friend group come together in support of each other. But we also see them very much accepted, as they are, by the older, more popular friend group.

There are many more examples of these themes, but in any case:

These were nuanced, layered, and sophisticated depictions of humanity, all for a show within the BL genre that had started its journey, way back in 2014, in demanding clear seme/uke dynamics and male/female characteristic assumptions between main couples. SCOY clearly took great pains to examine and upend these assumptions. In particular, the hot tub conversation in episode 9 had me going wild; a conversation that has become legendary as it was the first time (and not the last!) that a character of Billy Patchanon's stated that he was verse:

By the time we get to 2022, I love what this conversation signifies for Thai BL. From SOTUS's Kongpob saying that he'll make Arthit his wife; to Pat clarifying to BOTH Pran AND Phupha, "I'm not your wife" -- and, now in SCOY, to Nuea being like, "oh, roles? Yeah, whateves, I'm down," is such a refreshing spin to the conversation about the demands that the genre, AND society, place on hulking cis-presenting men like Nuea/Billy.

Of course, the biggest upending to any assumptions that viewers (including myself) may have had about the dynamics between the two main couples of NueaToh and SkyJao was in seeing how deeply insecure both Nuea and Sky were of the stability of their relationships with their boyfriends in Toh and Jao. Nuea and Sky both recognized that it was literally society itself -- and the very deep internal impacts that society could have on the psyches of the nerdy Toh and Jao -- that could threaten the sanctity of Nuea's and Sky's relationships.

Nuea and Sky weren't relying or assuming on their good looks or popularity ranks to win Toh and Jao over. Nuea and Sky were very much in love with these two men, and both wanted to have holistically complete and committed relationships with their boyfriends. And Nuea and Sky WORKED for these relationships, and feared the worst, often, if an internal obstacle (like Jao's insecurity) or external obstacle (like the girls in pursuit of Nuea) got in their way.

@bengiyo, in reference to my conversation with him earlier, mentioned a social shade to all of this that I found fascinating. He noted that this show did NOT interrogate the "weirdness" of Toh and his friend group. I'm actually going to criticize that just a touch in a bit, because I would have liked more background context into Toh, myself. However, Ben makes an important point about this, because he noted to me that majority society WOULD interrogate the origins of Toh's "weirdness" -- and would NOT interrogate the popularity, good looks, and success of Nuea and his group, because majority society would well assume that Nuea and his group are... "normal."

I find these instinctual inclinations to be FASCINATING to ponder, and I really think SCOY did a wonderful job in allowing us as viewers an "in" to a loving alternate reality that those who are considered "weird" in this world deserve a fair and equitable shot at love and acceptance from all corners. Ben noted for me that MUCH more often in majority society, that being queer makes someone vastly unpopular. (Ben also noted for me that what SCOY posits for Nuea and Sky by way of their queer presentations against their popular standings would likely have led to them being ostracized in real life.)

I want to note that this loving alternate reality for the unpopular is almost exactly similar to another fictional environment created by Cheewin in Make It Right -- which prompted an early and memorable conversation between Ben and me early in this project. (Thank you so much to @bengiyo for giving me time and space to read and comment on this SCOY piece.)

I want to posit -- again, without having seen War of Y -- that all of this is fascinating territory for Idol Factory, in its first show, to tread by way of humanizing IF's gloriously good-looking talent in Billy, Heng, and others. I'll know more by way of comparison when I actually watch War of Y -- but I think SCOY does a FABULOUS job in slowly leading viewers to contemplate our assumptions about how "easy" it might be to be a good-looking and/or athletic person in society. Insecurity and instability are common characteristics among all of us. SCOY very decidedly skewers any assumptions that viewers, and society, may have about the "transcendent" nature of the show's fictional "celebrities" to bring all of its characters down to a more common and equitable human level.

By a long shot, these themes are the ones that I loved absolutely the most about SCOY. I have a few personal takes on the show that I'll share in just a moment, but one more shout of celebration that I'd like to offer to SCOY is the following:

Of all the excellent acting in this show -- from Billy, to Heng, to the utterly DELIGHTFUL Looknam Orntara as Som, to the fabulous Surprise Pittikorn as a conflicted and insecure Jao -- let me offer all the flowers to

Seng Wichai, who had me CRINGING, OMG, *CRINGING*, throughout most of SCOY.

I hope this man won AWARDS for this role. All of my feelings towards the character of Toh aside -- Seng Wichai absolutely BODIED this role. I was SQUIRMING during the first three quarters of this series. God, he NAILED every last characteristic that would make a person like Toh so interpretively painful and pitiful. That Seng left Idol Factory last year, before his relationship with Freen was exposed, is, I think, a huge loss for IF. I know War of Y is chaotic, but I actually can't wait to watch it simply to see another side of Seng's acting.

For Seng's Toh to be pursued so intensely by Nuea -- and for Toh to be so Toh throughout that pursuit -- I truly can't think of a past BL actor from the past OGMMTVC dramas that could have done a better and more nuanced job than Seng Wichai to just remain so COMMITTED to Toh's modus operandi of stalking and collecting, especially so DEEP into the 14-episode run.

I will admire Seng's performance endlessly. My very own personal take on SCOY -- which I do not want to detract from its importance in the BL genre annals -- was that I think some of Cheewin's typical chaotic flourishes did not quite comport with the complicated emotionality that SCOY otherwise served.

At the end of the series, we meet Toh's parents in rural Suphanburi -- but we don't get a sense throughout the series of why Toh decides to pursue Nuea only from afar, in stalker-like actions, for so very long. Again, this stalker behavior is only presented as an MO -- and as @bengiyo noted to me, that was likely on purpose, as a means of showing that Toh's friend group would be accepting of each other NO MATTER their unique characteristics.

We also have to wait a VERY long time in the series for Toh to be held accountable for his stalking actions, as he even continues to collect items well into his relationship with Nuea. The flip side of this is an empathic one -- he's collecting the items out of an assumption, on his end, that his relationship with Nuea WILL end. However, it's made clear that Toh had no intention to ever tell Nuea of this side of Toh's behavior.

There were other moments in the show that tonally confused me, particularly in episode 5, the first time that the group goes to the beach, where Toh is in the hotel room with Nuea for the first time, and is both overtly confident that he might get it on with Nuea, but also seems reluctant to actually pursue it once Nuea starts offering hints. I worked this out with @lurkingshan (thank you, friend!) that Toh was demonstrating a brave face and fantasy to start, but was surprised when Nuea actually reciprocated the consideration. This happened a couple of times throughout the show, and Shan's assessment makes absolute sense -- I think I could have used some language clarity around those scenes myself, particularly when Toh was talking postgame with his friends after those moments, that he was surprised by Nuea's acceptance. But, @lurkingshan -- your assessment of the pattern holds, and I understand it.

Once I finished the series, I read @absolutebl's 2022 review of SCOY, and ABL -- I totally understand your perspective. I get the pull between adoration and cringe for this show. A stalker premise is HEAVY. It didn't help, in that heaviness, to have no past context to Toh's behavior, coupled with Seng's incredible cringy performance.

If another director without as many chaotic tendencies could have directed this show -- I think we would have gotten a more complete and contextual emotionality to the show that would have helped Toh's and Nuea's relationship be portrayed as fully full-circle.

I think this is enough of a quibble that'll keep me from easily rewatching SCOY. But, towards the end of the series (@twig-tea, YOU WERE RIGHT!) -- especially from episode 9 onwards -- I felt that I finally and truly understood where this show was going, and what it was about, and I felt endeared to it.

I think many in the fandom will agree that SkyJao was actually the couple that interpreted, much more clearly, the impact of social pressures and insecurities on a relationship, and for that, I will forever shout

SKYJAO! SKYJAO! SKYJAO!

as one of my absolute favorite side pairings of all time.

SCOY was a hard watch for me because of the interruptions of the holidays, of life, and because I've gotten a little less patient with Cheewin's chaos (...I dropped Playboyy, omg, I have to admit), despite my utter admiration for his work on Make It Right and Bed Friend.

But the difficulties I had in watching it should not take away from honoring this show as a hell of an important one. It makes me admire Saint Suppapong to no end for spending his own damn money towards the pursuit of better BLs. And the acting in SCOY was truly FANTASTIC. Despite my own personal reservations, I cannot recommend SCOY highly enough -- because watching it, and enjoying it, is truly a perfect demarcation to understand how far Thai BLs had gotten to its airing moment in 2022.

[OKAY! As I mentioned above, this project has gotten even richer with the addition of my current reading of Dr. Thomas Baudinette's Boys Love Media in Thailand -- I look forward to offering my thoughts on that book after my watch project is over.

I have added a few shows to the watchlist! The recently-aired Last Twilight makes it on as a show that centered disability vis à vis BL for the first time, and Cherry Magic Thailand makes it on as Thailand's first major adaptation of a Japanese manga and dorama. I've also added 23.5, GMMTV's first GL, to the list, although the premiere date continues to be up in the air for that show.

AS WELL! An actual Japanese BL makes it on the list, ha ha! I'm obsessed with this because I'm learning from Baudinette about the Japanese roots of Thai BL. I am in LOVE with Ossan's Love Returns, and it happily features a cameo by none other than Loong Jim and Wen, who hilariously (AND SMARTLY, go get yer money, guys) franchised Moonlight Chicken to Japan. Earth Pirapat and Mix Sahaphap make the most adorable cameo, and they will be inhabiting Haruta's and Maki's roles when the Thai version of Ossan's Love starts filming later this year.

FINALLY! My own personally long-awaited KinnPorsche (OOOO-WEEEEE!) rewatch is up next, but I'm taking a beat to catch up on Cooking Crush. I can't wait for my late-night liveblogs on KP, though -- they're coming soon!

Here's the status of the list -- as always, Tumblr's web editor is NOT nice to this list, so please mosey over to this link for your very latest updates on the project!

1) The Love of Siam (2007) (movie) (review here) 2) My Bromance (2014) (movie) (review here) 3) Love Sick and Love Sick 2 (2014 and 2015) (review here) 4) Gay OK Bangkok Season 1 (2016) (a non-BL queer series directed by Jojo Tichakorn and written by Aof Noppharnach) (review here) 5) Make It Right (2016) (review here) 6) SOTUS (2016-2017) (review here) 7) Gay OK Bangkok Season 2 (2017) (a non-BL queer series directed by Jojo Tichakorn and written by Aof Noppharnach) (review here) 8) Make It Right 2 (2017) (review here) 9) Together With Me (2017) (review here) 10) SOTUS S/Our Skyy x SOTUS (2017-2018) (review here) 11) Love By Chance (2018) (review here) 12) Kiss Me Again: PeteKao cuts (2018) (no review) 13) He’s Coming To Me (2019) (review here) 14) Dark Blue Kiss (2019) and Our Skyy x Kiss Me Again (2018) (review here) 15) TharnType (2019-2020) (review here) 16) Senior Secret Love: Puppy Honey (OffGun BL cuts) (2016 and 2017) (no review) 17) Theory of Love (2019) (review here) 18) 3 Will Be Free (2019) (a non-BL and an important harbinger of things to come in 2019 and beyond re: Jojo Tichakorn pushing queer content in non-BLs) (review here) 19) Dew the Movie (2019) (review here) 20) Until We Meet Again (2019-2020) (review here) (and notes on my UWMA rewatch here) 21) 2gether (2020) and Still 2gether (2020) (review here) 22) I Told Sunset About You (2020) (review here) 23) YYY (2020, out of chronological order) (review here) 24) Manner of Death (2020-2021) (not a true BL, but a MaxTul queer/gay romance set within a genre-based show that likely influenced Not Me and KinnPorsche) (review here) 25) A Tale of Thousand Stars (2021) (review here) 26) A Tale of Thousand Stars (2021) OGMMTVC Fastest Rewatch Known To Humankind For The Sake Of Rewatching Our Skyy 2 x BBS x ATOTS (re-review here) 27) Lovely Writer (2021) (review here) 28) Last Twilight in Phuket (2021) (the mini-special before IPYTM) (review here) 29) I Promised You the Moon (2021) (review here) 30) Not Me (2021-2022) (review here) 31) Bad Buddy (2021-2022) (thesis here) 32) 55:15 Never Too Late (2021-2022) (not a BL, but a GMMTV drama that features a macro BL storyline about shipper culture and the BL industry) (review here) 33) Bad Buddy (2021-2022) and Our Skyy 2 x BBS x ATOTS (2023) OGMMTVC Rewatch (Links to the BBS OGMMTVC Meta Series are here: preamble here, part 1, part 2, part 3a, part 3b, and part 4) 34) Secret Crush On You (2022) 35) KinnPorsche (2022) (tag here)  36) KinnPorsche (2022) OGMMTVC Fastest Rewatch Known To Humankind For the Sake of Re-Analyzing the KP Cultural Zeitgeist (watching)

...interrupting the OGMMTVC list here to watch War of Y (2022) in chronology and to decide if it gets listed...

37) The Eclipse (2022) (tag here) 38) The Eclipse OGMMTVC Rewatch to Reexamine the Start of “Genre BLs” and Internalized/Externalized Homophobia in GMMTV Shows  39) GAP (2022-2023) (Thailand’s first GL) 40) My School President (2022-2023) and Our Skyy 2 x My School President (2023) 41) Moonlight Chicken (2023) (tag here) 42) Bed Friend (2023) (tag here) 43 La Pluie (2023) (review coming) 44) Be My Favorite (2023) (tag here) (I’m including this for BMF’s sophisticated commentary on Krist’s career past as a BL icon) 45) Wedding Plan (2023) (Recommended as an important trajectory in the course of MAME’s work and influence from TharnType) 46) Only Friends (2023) (tag here) (not technically a BL, but it certainly became one in the end) 47) Last Twilight (2023-24) (tag here) (on the list as Thailand’s first major BL to center disability, successfully or otherwise) 48) Cherry Magic Thailand (2023-24) (tag here) (on the list as the first major Japanese-to-Thai drama adaptation, featuring the comeback of TayNew) 49) Ossan’s Love Returns (2024) (adding for the EarthMix cameo and the eventual Thai remake) 50) 23.5 (2024)]

[thegayhimbo]

Stranger Things x Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Crossover Review

If you haven't yet, be sure to check out my other Stranger Things Reviews. Like, Reblog, and let me know what your thoughts are about the show or the upcoming final season! :)

Stranger Things Reviews/Theories

Stranger Things Comics/Graphic Novels:

Stranger Things Six

Stranger Things Halloween Special

Stranger Things The Other Side

Stranger Things Zombie Boys

Stranger Things The Bully

Stranger Things Winter Special

Stranger Things Tomb of Ybwen

Stranger Things Into The Fire

Stranger Things Science Camp

Stranger Things “The Game Master” and “Erica’s Quest”

Stranger Things and Dungeons and Dragons

Stranger Things Kamchatka

Stranger Things Erica The Great

Stranger Things “Creature Feature” and “Summer Special”

Stranger Things Tales From Hawkins

Stranger Things Tie-In Books:

Stranger Things Suspicious Minds

Stranger Things Runaway Max (Part 1 of 3)

Stranger Things Runaway Max (Part 2 of 3)

Stranger Things Runaway Max (Part 3 of 3)

Stranger Things Darkness On The Edge Of Town (Part 1 of 3)

Stranger Things Darkness On The Edge Of Town (Part 2 of 3)

Stranger Things Darkness On The Edge Of Town (Part 3 of 3)

Stranger Things Rebel Robin Book and Podcast (Part 1 of 2)

Stranger Things Rebel Robin Book and Podcast (Part 2 of 2)

Stranger Things Hawkins Horrors Review

Stranger Things Flight Of Icarus

Stranger Things Lucas On The Line

Stranger Things Episode Reviews:

The Vanishing of Will Byers (Season 1, Episode 1)

Synopsis: Set before the events of Season 3, Mike, Will, Lucas, Dustin, and Max take a field trip with Mr. Clarke's class to New York City (with El secretly tagging along) to explore all the sights in the Big Apple. However, when the group gets separated from the class and encounters an old enemy, they're forced to join with some unexpected allies as they attempt to stop a world-ending threat........

Observations:

This is one of those comics where I wish I had been in the writers room so I could understand what their thought-process was.

The premise: Sometime in 1985, the Party is in New York City on a field-trip with Scott Clarke's class (why and how they get this trip arranged is never explained). Along the way, they split from the main group and end up lost in the underground subway. As they try to come up with a plan, they hear sounds coming from the tunnels and go to investigate. Guess who they end up running into?

DEMODOGS...........except with robotic parts attached to them?!

To make this more surreal, the Party gets saved by (you guessed it) the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (TMMTs for short):

Later on, after introductions are made and explanations given, the kids and TMNTs (with encouragement from their sensei Splinter) discover that:

a.) The robotic demodogs (referred to as Demomousers by Dustin) are being controlled by Baxter Stockman, a mad scientist who's one of the Turtles adversaries.

And b.) There's a gate in NYC allowing demodogs and demogorgons to come through, and the Mind Flayer is preparing to invade.

Realizing they need to join forces, the Party and TMNTs attempt to take down Baxter and the Mind Flayer before they bring ruin to the city.

If all of this sounds weird, you now know how I felt reading it.

I'll admit when it comes to the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, I'm not an expert. I have some knowledge of the franchise from when I was growing up, mainly from the 1987 cartoon and the first two live-action TMNT movies (no, NOT the Michael Bay produced ones), but as far as the comics go, I've never read the original ones. In terms of my knowledge:

I know the 4 turtles are named after famous Italian Renaissance artists: Leonardo, Donatello, Raphael, and Michelangelo.

I know they have a sensei named Splinter, a former human martial arts instructor from Japan named Hamato Yoshi who was transformed into a rat via a chemical mutagen (since the chemical mixes the DNA of living beings who've been in contact with one another, and Splinter had constantly been in contact with rats while living in the sewers).

I know that the turtles were originally ordinary turtles that Splinter adopted in the sewers before they also got infected with the chemical and (because they were in contact with Splinter when he was human) became humanoid turtles.

I know Splinter named and trained the turtles in ninjutsu, adopting them as his students/children.

I know Splinter and the Turtles arch-enemy is Oroku Saki, aka The Shredder. He was responsible for dumping the chemical that transformed them, he runs a criminal ninja organization called "The Foot Clan," and (in the 1987 TV show at least), he has two animal/human hybrid henchmen named Rocksteady and Bebop. Also, Shredder aims for world-domination.

I know Shredder was allied with an alien brain named Krang from Dimension X, and they operated from a station called the Technodrome.

I know there was a scientist named Baxter Stockmam (who's one of the main antagonists in this comic) who created MOUSERS (also present here) that did his bidding and reeked havoc.

I know about April O'Neil, the news reporter who is an ally to the turtles, and Casey Jones, a violent vigilante who wears an ice hokey mask and has a bag of weapons, who is also an ally to the turtles. They make a brief appearance in this comic towards the end:

Finally, I know about this earworm of a song:

Like I said, my knowledge primarily comes from the 1987 show and the first two movies. What little I'm aware of about the original comics is that the turtles all wore the same red-eye masks before later media would color-code each turtle (likely so audiences could tell them apart). In typical 80s fashion, the comics were dark and gritty. Judging by how the Turtles are depicted here in this crossover, it appears they based the Turtles characterizations off their original comic book iterations:

This brings me to one of my problems with the crossover: Because it's dead-set on portraying the characters in a grim fashion, it doesn't leave much room for humorous interactions between the turtles and the kids. What little humor is present is either forced, or just recycled jokes from the show. Stranger Things is rooted in the science-fiction/horror genre, but it balances it out by having funny moments between the characters to level out the tension. Same thing can be said for the 1987 TMNT cartoon: Part of what made that work is the creators realized how absurd the premise was, and embraced the weirdness while having fun with it. This comic expects the reader to take the story solemnly, and all it does is highlight the ridiculousness of its premise.

Another issue I have is the whole crossover aspect. I know this isn't unique to TMNT and characters from this franchise have done crossovers with Batman, Power Rangers, Street Fighter, Transformers, Archie Comics, etc. The difference though is that 1.) These were usually done with other superhero or cartoon characters franchises, and 2.) To my understanding, most of those crossovers weren't usually considered canon in either universe.

This comic on the other hand tries REALLY HARD to make itself canon in the Stranger Things universe by setting it between seasons 2 and 3, before The Battle of Starcourt:

On top of that, when the kids and the Turtles finally confront Baxter at his lab about his motivations, he reveals he was a colleague of Dr. Brenner, which is how he knew about El:

This ends up creating several plot-holes:

1.) You'd think that if the events in this comic took place in the show's continuity, the kids would have talked about it at least once during seasons 3-4. I have a hard time imagining, for instance, that Dustin wouldn't have been chatting Steve's ear off about encountering a bunch of humanoid turtles living in NYC sewers, or the Demomousers they had to fight off.

2.) Same problem with Baxter Stockman and Dr. Brenner's relationship: No mention of it on the show? That's not even including how this relationship is at odds with Brenner's character since he considered other people (even fellow scientists) to be beneath him in terms of intellect. Brenner was NOT a man who saw others as his equal.

3.) Since Stranger Things is a show set on referencing 80s media and paying homages to it, and since the TMNTs were a big franchise in the 80s, does that mean the first volumes of the TMNT comics that came out in 1984 don't exist in this universe? Especially when the kids reactions to first encountering the TMNTs is not knowing who they are:

I get that Stranger Things is a fictional show that requires suspension of disbelief when it comes to its science-fiction elements (i.e. The Upside Down, El's powers, etc), but for the most part, it was grounded in a believable way. By that, I mean its universe was set up to be one that could conceivably take place in this reality. From its references to historical moments that occurred in real life, to its disturbingly realistic portrayals of bullying, bigotry, Cold War paranoia, homophobia, racism, government corruption, abuse, forced conformity, trauma and grief, and other social issues, to the whole dynamic of the Party being outcasts trying to survive middle school and high school. It's a coming-of-age story that also acts as a deconstruction of the 80s, and uses science-fiction elements in service of that goal. I've talked before about the Upside Down being a not-so-subtle metaphor for Hawkins and the 80s as a whole: Things look shiny, bright, and appealing on the surface (especially since the 80s continues to be a decade our current culture is obsessed with romanticizing), but when you actually dig deeper, there is rot underneath.

By setting the Stranger Things universe in the TMNT universe, it breaks that illusion in favor of turning it into popcorn entertainment. Some would argue Stranger Things was already this to begin with, but considering how the Duffer Brothers incorporated the themes I've just described into their work when they could have ignored them altogether, and considering how Stranger Things has a passionate fanbase dedicated to analyzing the show, its characters, and how it acts as a commentary for events and situations in the present, I would argue the show transcends that in a way TMNT never could. This comic tries to achieve this, with the Turtles (and Splinter) preaching about the importance of friendship, how everyone has challenges, not being defined by where you come from, etc, but all of these themes were already examined on the show way before this comic ever came out (and in a much more satisfying manner). Here, it comes off as repetitive without offering anything new to the table.

This isn't to say that the comic itself is bad. It still has cool moments and impressive visuals, and the fights between the heroes and the monsters of the Upside Down are a treat to behold:

The levels of detail put into these images is impressive, and it's neat seeing each member of the Party take up weapons to deliver damage to the Mind Flayer and his monsters.

On top of that, there were elements in the comic that (whether intentional or not) tie into the show and leave a lot to chew on.

For example, the whole fight against Baxter Stockman's forces and the Mind Flayer gives an idea of what we might see in Season 5. Whether it's the main characters dealing with Colonel Sullivan (who's still set on capturing El) or Vecna's impending invasion.

Even Baxter Stockman and his ambush of the heroes reminds me of Colonel Sullivan and the soldiers under his command from S4:

There's also Will's description of the Upside Down being worldwide and how the dimension isn't just limited to Hawkins (which is something S4 also confirmed):

There's also the Turtles speculating that El's powers are tied to the Upside Down, which is something I've discussed in my reviews (specifically Six and Suspicious Minds):

Additionally, the comic introduces the idea that there are other dimensions out there besides the Upside Down that can be traveled to.

While I doubt the Utroms (i.e. the alien brains) that the Mind Flayer possesses will be making an appearance in season 5 (or the TMNTs for that matter), the idea of multiple dimensions is something the Duffer Brothers could explore in the final season. It could also give more detail about what the Upside Down is, and whether the Mind Flayer really was just black particles with no conscious that Vecna formed into his avatar, or it was a multi-dimensional conqueror (as I've seen speculated by parts of this fandom) and it was simply dormant until Vecna woke it up and started collaborating with it:

But like I said, this is all speculation.

Overall, my feelings about this comic are mixed: On its own, it's a decent read and has plenty of cool moments and creative imagery. However, when you look closely at the story and how it's supposed to tie into the Stranger Things universe.........it starts falling apart. I think fans will enjoy this crossover for the sheer entertainment of it, but I seriously doubt this is going to be counted as canon.

[raayllum]

I know you like to analyze thematically in TDP a lot and you write top down the same way, so I’m curious, what are some of the themes/motifs in your upcoming novels? and do any of them coincide with TDP?

(GASP you get a gold star oh my god thank you!! and i will try to not make this too Long but i'm very excited!!)

Basic premise for ppl who have never heard of my novels before:

Latest generation of a reincarnated group of chosen ones have to grow up in a world of increasing violence and political instability that they're supposed to fix while also facing their own choices and demons. The main character, Ally, starts off as an 'unchosen one' — she lost her powers as a young child and has been trying to get them back, which kinda makes her resent her chosen one friends just as much as she loves them. The other two co-leads are her twin sister, a former child soldier with death powers she doesn't want, and her friend / one sided rival, a draconic-powered prodigy looking for redemption and to escape her past.

The funny thing is that when I was writing out my series (2014-2017 has all the pieces we currently have, though things have ofc been finessed since then) only ATLA existed as an inspiration point, which was, "How do you always know the Avatar is going to be a good person (and what if you didn't? What if they weren't)?" + "what if there was more than one running around?"

The rest was all from my head. There's a mystical magical heart broken into pieces. A continent divided in two with a long history of war. Characters anchored to the idea of Autonomy who then go through a loss of powers arc (hi Callum s2) and then brainwashing/possession arc (hi arc 2 Callum) that was probably by far the funniest coincidence. Circles and cycles and children and choices. The fact that these all just also found their way into TDP shows just how much it feels like the show was Made For Me in the best way creatively, and one of the reasons I think I've found TDP so personally rewarding to analyze—happy coincidences all around.

There's other coming-of-age themes of course that are shared between the two—grief, identity, friendship—but being prose I get to lean more into religious and political worldbuilding in much more detail.

I think my novel(s) are also more grey and angsty (especially later on) than TDP was at the start, too. A good chunk of my protagonists don't have any moral reservations about assassinations or killing/torturing people push come to shove while also still wanting and trying to be Good People, but that just makes the ethical dilemmas more interesting to explore. That said, everything is ultimately more Hopepunk, I just prefer to never pull punches on the way there

Motifs I like to use:

a tarot inspired in-universe version of chess for foreshadowing purposes

stage motif (who are you when you're performing for everyone around you / constantly fronting?)

birds / ravens

wolves

knives

eyes / the ouroboros (snake eating its own tail)

Themes: gods vs monsters (vs humanity), complex family and friend dynamics, living vs survival, grief and cycles, loss of sense of self, idolization and scapegoating as two sides of dehumanization, etc.

I also wanted to have unique power sets (Moon is one of my favourites with leaning into shadow magic and being able to make things temporarily out of moonlight, or Life not just being all fuzzy plants and animals and showing more of the well, brutality of being alive).

People have said my main protag is basically if Claudia and Rayla were the same person and yeah that's a fair assessment, Unfortunately for her.

I feel like I blabbed enough here but if you want more info on writing things from a top-down approach / what it's like to build from theme first I'd love to talk about it more in relation to TDP (and also my books, mayhaps!)

[daradiostarzz]

I've seen you answering about what your AU of Delroy and Ted are like so I wanna ask about your AU Enzo. He is my favourite character so I want to know more about him!

Again sadly I wish I knew which one ur talking about (maybe I should specify w emojis idk)

But yeah Enzo,,, I have a love-hate relationship but I want to dropkick that gringo version of him to the face of the earth I don't want to see that Harry Potter mother fucker.

🔪Okay for 86' Enzo📼: we got a whole lot to talk mostly that I based him off my love for Heather specifically Veronica Sawyer

So for his two "other" friends in the book (Seth and Ruben), you can take a fat guess who they're based on,,, Enzo is an upcoming track and field star (could possibly be captain by senior year-)

He's still very catty and even more vindictive in than the book (I'm writing him like a jock archetype) usually tries to maintain his status quo feeling like it's the only thing that matters so "You might as well make the best of it" he has a deep hatred for the quo due to his queerness feeling trap but is trappd into it because of Ruben who is basically head honcho of the group thus the need to stay with him. Even if Ruben himself is toxic, mean-spirited, and borderline abusive.

He feels already far deep into it thus neglecting basically everyone and everything and refusing to acknowledge his troubles so imagine now the one thing holding you down just... Dies... Now how would you and your friends cope with it? I always wanted to explore that with 86' Enzo and I understand he's a much more darker take on the character in the books so it might be more uncomfortable for some (I based him and alot of the main four on my own troubles as a teenager)

He's still super fun but will have more of a slow turnaround compared to having sorta 1 book showing that.

Okay time for the 👾unnamed AU💿: Aka This Enzo the more biblically accurate Enzo

I wouldn't say I have ideas but he's still kinda his diva self in the books, still passive-aggressive (platonically) with Nick (but this time Nick like sasses back actually to his face)

Bullies Neil (He deserves it) and has more of a strained relationship with Trinity as this story goes on, I wanna base it on a line Enzo says in book 2 but now Trinity's in his face and is uh not enjoying basically being babied by Enzo thus the two tend to talk over each other and argue while Maritza & Neil sit there like children with divorce parents and it's more like Enzo isn't right but nor is Trinity with some of the plans she has

You're just kinda slowly watching a friend group get doomed cause Nick just opped out and vanished into thin air

[ur-mousey]

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Collar x Malice Y'all Don't Understand

Plot Summary: Ichika Hoshino is a rookie cop in the Shinjuku, Tokyo precinct. While on her way home one day, she is attacked and collard by Adonis. They're a terrorist group responsible for 'X-Day', a string of unsolved murders. Can she figure out the truth or die trying? It's up to you.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Thoughts on Hoshino Ichika:

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

My opinion on this character comes from the two routes I've played = Okazaki Kei and Shiraishi Kageyuki. Spoilers ahead!

Collar x Malice starts with a great premise. Shinjuku is in a state of panic due to the terrorist attacks brought on by the group Adonis. X-Day is their countdown to a rebirth of Japan, starting with the Roman numeral IX in April to the upcoming 0 in January. Adonis takes out the majority of their crimes against the police (despite first glance) due to a weak sense of justice. They commit crimes in retribution for individuals who were failed by the police's negligence. Adonis' main motive is to rid the world of malice.

Depending on whose affection you cultivate during the prologue will determine which X-Day case you follow. Okazaki Kei focused on the stalker case in July, while Shiraishi Kageyuki followed the disguised homicide that haunted September and October.

Frankly, I'm concerned about June's case. A bomb took out a class of pre-teens. What's that about? Do we have another case of the Glory?

Hoshino Ichika should be the definition of what Adonis loathes. She's a police officer of the 'corrupted' organization set on demolishing the X-Day murders. She is a part of a system that demonizes their cause. However, their intentions speak a different tune. The terrorist group intends to scout her for their cause because of her strong sense of ideals mirroring their own.

I give compliments to her because it's true. While you play the game, no matter which option you choose for her, her resolve leaks through. She's best played by being as authentically honest as possible.

If you fail to get a single affection point with any of the love targets, you'll follow Hoshino Ichika into a bad end where she tries investing Adonis with her innate strengths. And she fails because she doesn't have the investigation skills that the love targets have.

For example, Sasazuka Takeru is a hacker who has great benefits. I wouldn't know. I haven't played his route. But I can assume.

Most of the bad endings in Collar x Malice consist of Hoshino Ichika following her ideals into dangerous situations. Whether it be chasing after a criminal or sacrificing herself to protect others. The game set her up to be compassionate to a fault. While talking to her coworker, Saeki Yuzuru, at the bar, she displays her desire to become a cop in a childlike wonder. She simply wishes to help others. This trait of hers is seen in all the routes you take.

Hoshino Ichika is incredibly honest as well. She finds it hard to lie to others to gain knowledge or the upper hand. As Otome game MCs come, she is by far 'by the book' as you could get. As a player, you understand her fears and motivation for working with Yanagi Aiji and friends, which supersedes romance. I find her to be refreshing.

I believe there's solid groundwork to flesh out her character more if an anime adaptation were to come. It would be interesting to delve more into her inner conflict/connections with Adonis, and how they stifle her ability to do her job. She is a mole of the police and of the detective agency whether she likes it or not. Therefore, it would have been incredible to see how the information she learns affects Adonis' actions.

Plus, one slip of her shirt could poison her and affect the livelihood of the people she loves. Having more scenes of her anxiety mounting at the police station would give her the needed character to flush out.

Side note - I got spoiled about Zero's identity.

This makes me wonder more why he didn't get a route. Based on his design, I immediately thought he was cute, and I wish I could learn more in a dedicated route.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Thoughts on Kazuki:

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Speaking of "flushing" things out...

There needs to be something done with Kazuki as a character. As of now he is the worst character in the game. I don't know what his deal is. Fuck angsty teen boys. If I had to give a negative to the Hoshino household, it would be these two interacting with each other. I have younger siblings. My brother sometimes acts similar to Kazuki, but goddamn! This character irks me. I felt sympathy for him twice! Both when he expressed fear of Ichika dying in the final chapter.

I am positive that there is a route that will cover Kazuki's actions. My theory is that he is a part of Adonis. He said some sympathizer shit, his friends are shady, and he is constantly out and about without our knowledge. There's an ending where Ichika can get SHANKED if she follows one of his friends to a venue. Shady as fuck! 

Kazuki, in this present moment, is a sideline character who would've been better written out entirely. I expected him to show more face in Ichika's daily life because they live together whereas other characters can be excluded based on which route you play. For example:

Mukai Eriko is the founder of the SBC (Shiraishi Bashing Coalition). If you do not interact with Shiraishi Kageyuki, then she has no business approaching you to join the club.

On the other hand, Kazuki and Ichika are related. And I struggle to see how the two care for each other. Ichika is a damn policewoman who go mixed into the X-day events. We do not see how this affects her relationship with her brother. All we can assume is that they get more distant. However, that is a state that has been developing amongst each other before the collar incident.

If I were in her shoes, I would become more protective of my younger siblings.

Ichika solemnly thinks about how allowing Kazuki to roam wherever he wants could harm him AND her. He's defenseless. He can't own a gun because he's a minor. If Adonis wanted her desperately enough, they could easily kidnap or harm Kazuki to get to her. There's also the fact that she could die at any moment.

It makes you think that she would get to know Kazuki more. Which briefly happens at the end of Okazaki Kei's route. Or you would think that Ichika would consider alternative housing or anything to ensure Kazuki's future in the case of a bad ending.

The point = these siblings need more time together. They don't feel like siblings to an extent. I can see how a relationship can delve into what they have. However, nothing changes about the two based on the circumstances that Ichika found herself in. Which I believe would be realistic in light of their circumstances.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Overall Thoughts:

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

I'm obsessed with this game. I spent the last week delving into the world and uncovering the mysteries of the X-Day cases. I'm excited to finish all the routes and to get Collar x Malice Unlimited.

My brain has been in overdrive since I saw a photo of Okazaki Kei and Shiraishi Kageyuki interacting with one another. They are messy! But that will be revealed in the next post. I have plenty to say about both these characters and their route.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Thank you for reading! Request rules are here! Follow my ig = lil.thoughts.xo! Do you agree or disagree? Comment down below! I was going to include the two routes I've played in this review but I had so much to say about Hoshino. Stay tuned for these hoes below 🥳

[enortonauthor]

A new home & a new blog feature

Welcome to my new little corner of the internet where hashtags make the content discoverable by more people!

The old blog is still around (link here) so you can read old posts and enjoy all the poetic goodness there, but henceforth, this will be my home for Poetry Friday and publishing news.

Along with a new blogging home, I’m introducing a new feature on the blog: Creator’s Corner!

Every month or so I’ll be featuring another creator who will tell us about the stories they create and their creative process and I'm excited to launch this series featuring author Diana Renn. You might remember the first book in Diana's Backyard Rangers series The Trouble at Turtle Pond, which featured a group of middle school kids working to save endangered turtles in their neighborhood. This time it's owls that need help from Miles and the Backyard Rangers in The Owl Prowl Mystery. I'm excited to introduce you to this new instalment in the Backyard Rangers series, and to feature Diana in the Creator's Corner!

Diana, what do you create?

I'm mostly a mystery writer. I started out writing international mysteries featuring globetrotting teen sleuth, and now I'm writing a series of four eco-mysteries for middle grade readers, featuring an intrepid team of self-appointed young wildlife rangers called the "Backyard Rangers." TROUBLE AT TURTLE POND (book 1) focused on wildlife crimes impacting endangered freshwater turtles in Massachusetts. THE OWL PROWL MYSTERY (book 2) is about some unethical birdwatchers, a celebrity owl, and some wildlife photographers who might do anything to get the perfect shot. (Up next: foxes, frogs and salamanders!) I love writing about nature and about neurodiverse kids. I also write and publish creative nonfiction essays for adults, mostly on issues related to the natural world and conservation. I enjoy verse as well and have a couple of novel in verse manuscripts in various stages.

What inspires you to create?

Travel and close-to-home adventures on unfamiliar routes. Moving. Anytime I can explore a new environment, or take a new route somewhere, I find myself thinking about "home" with fresh perspective. New ideas bubble up. Story problems I've wrestled with start to resolve. New connections between ideas appear. Just being out in the world and paying attention to people, places, nature, animals feels like dipping my paintbrush into paint. I quickly zero in on things that interest me. I rarely get fresh inspiration just sitting at my desk.

What is your creative process?

I spend a while gathering ideas and resources if I'm writing a book. This process might take months. I jot down ideas - maybe first by dictation on my phone, on walks - and if they start to accumulate and I see the shape of a book, I shift to a notebook. Often I go back and forth between phone dictation to capture ideas and then exploring those ideas more fully in the notebook. When I know the premise, the main characters, the crime basics (if it's a mystery) and can envision the opening scenes, I open up a Word doc (old school!) and start writing. I outline a bit, but leave myself room to discover. I take stock every 30-40 pages and let myself revise a little and chart out the next few chapters. I am not a rigid outliner, but I need a sense of direction and upcoming scenes. I share early drafts with trusted critique partners and revise a little as I go. When I reach the end of a draft, I do two or three big revisions, and subsequent editorial passes. My trusted critique partners help me from going off the rails and generally don't let me give up. It's a long process, which is why I like taking breaks to write essays; essays come to me very quickly, sometimes in just one sitting, with very little planning and minimal revising.

Tell us about one of your creations.

I feel especially proud of THE OWL PROWL MYSTERY not only because I've always loved owls and care deeply about them, but because this book comes out of a lot of community connections I have made, from birders in my neighborhood, to bird photographers and rehabbers who corrected my errors and gave me ideas, to wildlife biologists who let me shadow them out in the field. I'm proud of the real science and the real conservation issues underlying what I hope is a fun, page-turning mystery. I learned how to be a neighbor to birds in the process of researching and writing this book, and I hope readers will pick up a few tips as well. But as I wrote the acknowledgments section of this novel, I had the opportunity to reflect, in awe, how many people impacted the writing of that book, and how writing science-based novels involves so much creative collaboration. I could never have written it all on my own; consulting experts and sharing my work at earlier stages in the process than I ever did before is now integral to my creative process.

Where do you create?

I am very lucky to have a home office space, which is where I do a lot of my revising and editing. It's also where I do my day job work, so I like to change scenes when I'm in early planning and drafting stages of a project. Sometimes I write outside, in my son's old treehouse or in a folding chair in the driveway. Often I write on the go, walking my dog and talking into my phone. I'm protective of my ideas and strive to capture them as soon as they come. That said, writing outdoors -- even though it's a source of inspiration for me --- is sometimes overrated. Lots of distractions can interfere. (Weather! Bugs!)

If you could have a beverage of your choice with another creator, who would you choose, what would you drink, and what would you like to talk about with them?

I always love talking shop with other writers. If time travel is an option, I would go back to the late 1920s or early 1930s, to the Pera Palace Hotel in Istanbul, Room 411, and have a very rich cup of espresso with Agatha Christie. I would, of course, choose a time after which she had finished writing Murder on the Orient Express, so as not to be a distraction. I'd be tempted to ask her about her mysterious 11-day disappearance, but maybe instead we'd just talk shop, over our coffee. I'd like to know all about her process, and where she found all her ideas, and how she worked out her plots.

Thank you Diana for giving us a glimpse into your creative life!

Diana Renn is the author of the middle grade eco-mysteries TROUBLE AT TURTLE POND (Fitzroy Books / Regal House 2022) and its sequel, THE OWL PROWL MYSTERY (out August 13, 2024). TROUBLE AT TURTLE POND was named a 2023 Green Earth Book Awards Honor Book and a Massachusetts Book Award "Must Read." Diana has also written three YA mysteries: TOKYO HEIST, LATITUDE ZERO, and BLUE VOYAGE (all published by Viking / Penguin Random House). She has also worked in educational publishing and taught ESOL, writing, and literature; she now works as a freelance editor and a book coach specializing in mystery. Originally from Seattle, Washington, she now lives in Concord, Massachusetts in a neighborhood she shares with turtles and owls, some of whom have inspired her books. Visit her online at http://dianarennbooks.com and on Instagram at @dianarennbooks; you can also read and subscribe to her free newsletter, Mysteries That Matter, at https://dianarenn.substack.com.

Poetry Friday

This second instalment of the Backyard Rangers series, like the first, has many of my favorite themes: nature, mysteries, and authentic, inclusive portrayals of neurodiverse characters (in this case, ADHD). This is a great series for the middle grader in your life who identifies with any (or all!) of those things! On this Poetry Friday, after hearing about Diana's new book, it's the perfect time to revisit this poem from my Spooktober series of poems in 2021.

Our Poetry Friday host this week is Janice Scully at Salt City Verse. Fly on over to her corner of the internet to find links to much more poetic goodness!

[shadowqueen402]

Knowledge Is Power

(Here is the next fic for @kayssweetdreams upcoming fic, The Colors of Reala, in order to give her some inspiration. I hope you all like this fic. Let me know in the comments/reblogs what you think.)

When Balan, Lance, Aria, NiGHTS, and Kaylo stepped through the doors of the next domain, they were unsurprised to see that it was a gigantic endless library. "Okay, so how we going to find the next Emoti-Clone?" Kaylo asked. "The blue one, to be exact?"

"Considering that this is Intelligent Reala that we are looking for, we are in the right place at least," Aria said. "But where, in his domain, could he be is the question."

"No need to worry about that, Aria." Intelligent Reala's monotonous voice was heard. "I'm already here, so there's no need to find me." The group turned around to see the royal blue Emoti-Clone floating behind them with a couple of books in his arms.

"Reala, what…have you been doing here?" NiGHTS asked.

"I'd recalled Balan and Lance revealing to you that the rest of the Emoti-Clones and I came out of a certain crystal that your Reala had found in the basement earlier," Intelligent Reala explained to the group. "And when the crystal sucked in him, it shattered into eight different colored fragments, allowing me and the others to come to life. In short, I'm trying to help our cousins find a way to fix the crystal."

"You actually plan to help us out?" Lance couldn't believe what he was hearing. "After what Reala had done prior to these events, I do have some doubt." He crossed his arms, frowning at the Emoti-Clone.

"That is rather understandable." Intelligent Reala placed the books onto a nearby pillar and opened up the book that was about artifacts. "I spent some time researching on the crystal that I came out of along with the rest of the Emoti-Clones. It took some time while reading, but I was able to discover the solution on how you can get your Reala back."

"You did?" Kaylo asked, completely unsure if she could trust his words.

"Since the crystal has been separated into eight fragments, we will all need to find those fragments and put the crystal back together. This, in turn, will bring me and the other Emoti-Clones back inside the crystal, but in turn, it will bring your Reala back."

"So where can we find these fragments?" Aria asked.

"Each of the Emoti-Clones have a certain domain that corresponds to the emotion of Reala that they represent," Intelligent Reala responded. "In the center of their domains lies the fragments of the crystal. Our main goal is to retrieve them. Since you are all here, it's best that you start with mine first. But be warned, you all; some of the Emoti-Clones' domains aren't going to be as easy as the others' when travelling inside. So it is very important that you stick together and be very careful."

Kaylo looked at Balan and Lance with curiosity. "What do you two think?" She asked. "Should we trust his word and go with his plan?"

"This is Reala's intelligent side," Aria pointed out. "Ever since he first emerged from the crystal, he hasn't caused any trouble to any of us. Rather, he's been keeping to himself. So does his timid side and his jealous side."

Balan placed a finger onto his chin, pondering over this. "As much as I detest saying this, I agree to this plan. It's the only logical way to bring Reala back to normal as fast as we can."

Aria, Kaylo, and Lance looked at each other. Then their gazes went back to Intelligent Reala. "We made up our minds then," Lance said. "We are ready to go along with your plan; just tell us when."

Intelligent Reala nodded. "We shall start by looking for the fragment of the crystal here. Once we find it, we must gather the others around and tell them what must be done. Follow me. Let's get to the center of my domain." He flew past everyone and made his way down the long corridor.

Everyone exchanged one more glance at each other before they shrugged and followed Intelligent Reala down the long corridor without another word.

Kaylo belongs to @kayssweetdreams

Aria belongs to me.

[greatqueenanna]

3/1/22

I'm Back!

After a ridiculously long Hiatus since November, I am finally back and ready to talk more Frozen! So, let's get this started and clean off all the dust and cobwebs haha. There's a lot to talk about!

-----

Yes, I know - FROZEN 3!

First things first, the elephant in the room and the thing that people kept sending me messages about - last month Frozen 3 was officially announced! The fandom is happy, concerned, anxious, and excited all at once. I'm personally very happy that we'll finally be getting some new content. You can definitely expect that I will be covering Frozen 3 news and speculation, as well as throwing in my own thoughts here and there over the coming years.

Also, don't hesitate to let me know your thoughts and fears about the new sequel - I'd love to hear them.

-----

Upcoming Analyses

Over my hiatus, I was able to complete two of my promised analyses. Fatherly Burdens - Is Agnarr Portrayed Negatively? Will be released tomorrow, 3/2/23. It's a bit of a controversial one, so be prepared! Polar Opposites - Comparing the Sister’s Personalities is coming the day after, 3/3/23. It's a tame one, so it should be a nice little read.

As for the others, I'm going to label below their release dates and if everything goes well, they should release on those dates with no problems.

Irredeemable Monster - Should Hans Make a Return 3/9/23

Stoic and Strong - Talking about HoneyMaren and Her Importance 3/23/23

I will also be reblogging old analyses that I think are some of my best. So be prepared for some oldies coming back into the spotlight over the next couple of months!

-----

That Dang Frozen Canon Talk!

Now for Frozen Canon Talk! 4th Edition - I promised it, I pushed it back, and now I finally have a date for it - 4/20/23.

I will be talking about Canon again, but many of my initial thoughts have changed over the course of doing more research and having more discussions. This is why I have removed all earlier versions of the post, so people wouldn't get confused.

-----

Arendelle Archives

As some of you probably have noticed, I have joined The Arendelle Archives - a fan group that is dedicated to writing about and chronicling important Frozen Franchise Information.

I want to give a shout-out to these great documents below, written by @saiten-gefroren and Winter Loves Summer. The first is the Annals of Frozen which summarizes what we know about both Arendelle and Northuldra. The second is The Frozenverse which contains all the published titles so far in the Frozen franchise, like media, books, comics, and spin-offs.

These are amazing reads, and the work and dedication here deserve more attention and credit.

Annals of Frozen by saiten-gefroren

The Frozenverse by Winter Loves Summer

-----

GQA-Lite Redone

I'm re-creating my side blog to be Frozen-centric fandom side topics. I want this main blog to focus more on the analysis of the franchise itself, rather than on the fandom drama. Thus, the purpose of GQA-Lite is to cover more fandom-related topics. In my bio, you will see where my opinions are aligned, so from that, you should get an idea of what GQA-Lite will cover.

It will no longer delve into non-Frozen topics, but I will be creating a whole new blog later on where I don't talk about Frozen. Stay tuned if you're interested in that.

GQA-Lite link here and in Bio.

-----

What's Next?

Now for the final update - a poll! As said, I am definitely taking advantage of this haha.

[haru-kuneko]

オススメの本 (初夏のスペシャル🌟) BOOK RECS EARLY SUMMER SPECIAL 🌟

Here’s a short quick version of my previous “BOOK PROMOS 2024” if you don’t wish to scroll all the way through it (^_−)−☆

She is actually the main character to my ongoing graphic novel called SYNTHETIC BLUE. You can either check it out on Wattpad or Webtoon.

If you’re curious what SB is about, it’s basically "Tumblr City" (err, Blue City in the story) through a futuristic sci-fi lens where furries, robots, aliens and the so-called "weirdos" get to live normal lives. They get to hold jobs, achieve higher education, own businesses and even start a family.

Of course, there’s a dark mystery looming underneath this wonderful city so it’s up to twelve-year-old Jane Sandberg and her friends -- Carlos "Oz" Carino and nineteen-year-old retired daredevil Lukas Olafsson -- to crack the case.

I was inspired by the idea of “What if the main villain from ‘BNA (Brand New Animal)’ was an AI?”

The following two images come from TCOTRB (The Case of The Red) and its upcoming sequel “AMANDI: The Secret Messenger” as shown from left to right. Both are available on Wattpad.

It’s about a group of middle school kids -- fourteen-year-old Milo Sidaris, Kaira Faez, Irene Ferrari, Leo Juegos and Jin Inoue -- uncovering one of the country’s deadliest mysteries following a massive disaster. Five years later into the sequel, they come face to face with a mysterious podcast host name Amandi who has ties to the world's most powerful families and conspiracies.

By the time they found out who it was, their friendship was never the same again.

Both of these books are inspired by my own personal experiences growing up and current events happening in the Philippines. It also tackles the challenges of growing up, friends, family, politics and inequality (especially between the rich and poor).

Now, let me remind you that despite having so many chapters, they’re actually short quick reads (usually less than a thousand words to be exact). It is also my first attempt at writing longer compelling stories with deep lore and mysteries.

[alexoodles]

individual Renders of all my upcoming Saga "The Runaways of Riverbend and Other Strange Beasts" with some simple info (going in order of the images) Grimworm: The main villian, a rare subspecies of the main Alien Species in the book- The Otherkind- known as an Enderkind. These creatures feel no emotions other than Apathy- born after their eggs incubate to close to a Red Dwarf Star. Omni & Melissa: The Queer-platonic Aroace friendship of the book. Omni is an Enderkind who didn't stay beside a Red Dwarf long enough to be 100% Apathetic. Melissa is a Nurse and was born in Puerto Rico with her twin brother Alix Alix & Calista: Calista is the cousin of Aqua Fizz, another Otherkind in the group. He disguised himself as one of Alix's pet snakes to observe the Runaway Kids: finding humans intriguing as his cousin loves to have his flings with them. Alix owned a tattoo parlor he took over from his abusive father. He ranaway with the group because of his father with Melissa and the rest of the group. Atlas & Orion: An unlikely Couple: Rich Aristocratic Vampire and wannabe Rockstar from Eastport, Maine: Atlas and Orion are the starcrossed lovers who were the brains behind the Runaway. Orion leaving as he was involved in an Arranged Marriage. Atlas and Orion left their home for Love. Melody and Loretta: Melody is Atlas's cousin- the Child of a Failing marriage to deceased and forgotten mother: she was unfortunately sidelined by her Half-Sister Chrystal after her father married Chrystal's mother not even a month after Melody's mother died from cancer. Loretta is Orion's best friend and another mythical Beast, being a Half-Giantess. She couldn't stand the idea of her beautiful Barista dreamgirl and best friend fleeing the country without her. Loretta keeps a human form with her necklace. Sage & Picasso: Occultism, Empathic Psychokinesis, and Interdimensional alter versions. What's not the love for this Artsy couple? Both like to paint, and Both are hemmed up in their own issues to realize the borderline love the two share. The plotted slowburn for these two is slow, deep and utterly heartwrenching. (Perfection for those Angst Lovers!) Chrystal & Aqua Fizz: What happens when you take the youngest cousin (youngest being 22 respectfully) between Sage, Melody and Atlas and an alien who uses flirtation, one night stands and ust to compensate for not having special Powers like his fellow Otherkind Brethren? A relationship taking baby steps to finally find someone who fully understands one another. A Perfect blend of Fluff, Spice and Angst! (OCs Omni, Fizz, Picasso, Orion and Loretta are credited to my best friend in the whole world, as well as the concept of Otherkind as a whole.- All rights and Credits deserved to Shin <3)