#this is easily my favorite promo yet

[spirkme915]

spirk fics i've read in the last two-ish months and loved

I will have you (if you let me) by ros3bud009 @roseymoseyberry (TOS) - starting out this list with a ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ fic. i loved everything about this fic - the premise (k&s know they're t'hy'la from the second they meet), the yearning, the journey, the love. i could live in this fic

Spock 🖖 by vaksur, WerewolvesAreReal (TOS) - need a laugh? this one is it. spock decides to use emojis in his comms. shenanigans ensue

A Friend Like You by kierawrites (TAS, yes you read that right an animated series fic!) - pre-slash, a glimpse into their lives after the episode "mudd's passion." this one is short and yet is packed with *them*

A Different Perspective by Maeko (AOS, SNW) - transporter malfunction fic, and this time it brings AOS Spirk to SNW verse. loved this one for the AOS Spirk dynamics, but mostly the SNW Spock and AOS Spock interactions and Maeko's perspective of Vulcan telepathy. it's a fascinating character study!

in the dying of the light by scar_a_mouche (zanni_scaramouche) @zanniscaramouche (AOS) - i'm not sure how to categorize this one, other than to say that i had this *ache* in my chest through every sentence and it just felt so AOS Spirk that i wanted to drown in it. one of my faves over the last few months

Personal Personnel Protocol by dothedeux (TOS) - another comedy entry for the list. this time it's not just the bridge crew that knows what's up, it's the computer. such a fun read and so sweet too

Professor Kirk by TonightNoPoetryWillServe (AOS) - cadet spock, professor kirk, and all kinds of fluff with only a touch of angst. perfect bedtime reading

Let Forever Be by gunstreet @gunstreet (TOS) - listen. i need everyone to drop what they're doing and read this fic. it's a city on the edge of forever fic that is mostly a jim character study but pulls in queer history. it breathes compassion and humanity, and is stocked with OCs you'll fall in love with. another ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ read

Shall We? by Jenna Hilary Sinclair (JennaHilary) (TOS) - yet another comedy entry? what has the world come to? i love my angst just as much as the next spirk truther, but when comedic spirk is done right it hits perfectly and this one is definitely done right

And When the Bond Breaks by LadyRa (TOS) - finishing this spirk list with a final ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ read. this became easily one of my favorite TOS fics of all time. it's from 2003 and deserves WAY MORE hits, kudos, and comments than it has!

for the non-spirk entries this time around:

StarDate.org by Exxact (TOS/AOS fusion) - christine/t'pring and online dating. fluff and friendship. perfect

The Time of Neither by gunstreet (SNW) - spoimler nation rise! your definitive fic has arrived!

My World Is No Longer Hollow by existentialcrisistime @existentialcrisistime (TOS) - a mcspirk fic about finding where you belong. so beautiful

and two recs for WIPs for you to read and subscribe to:

Place Your Hand In Mine by remylebae @twinkboimler (AOS) - a super sweet mckirk fic about leonard having a secret admirer (who could it possibly be??)

It's Not An Illusion by Borealisblue @thetimetostrikeislater (AOS) - gorgeous story about healing and gorgeous artwork? i'm sold!

please do send me recs, and don't be afraid to self-promo! you can find all my recs here

[respectthepetty]

Hi Petty! Totally random question that came to me...do you have any favorite series with obvious character color coding? And by obvious I mean like...Power Ranger color coding obvious.

TLWR: I can't answer this.

@negrowhat, This isn't random because you were just reblogging Y Destiny posts, and that show was Power Rangers color coded!

So it shouldn't be surprising that Y Destiny's director is Cheewin since most of Director Cheewin's shows are extremely color coded like Middleman's Love, You'll Never Eat Alone, and Bed Friend.

And although Playboyy isn't unmistakably color coded, it still has color coding, and Cheewin won't let us forget that.

Hell, look at the description of his upcoming series Deep Night which states that "[The characters] aren't the only ones bringing colour to the club" so I'm guessing it, too, will be color coded.

I think Cheewin really enjoys color coding, which is why Domundi continues to hire him since Domundi wants color coding in its shows like Cutie Pie and Naughty Babe! And it's probably why Cheewin gave me one of my favorite noticeably color-coded shows, Secret Crush on You, where Phaya and Dr. Cocomelon (as you call him) were the bestest color-coded friends ever.

Everyone was color coded in that show, even the fairy godmothers.

But outside of Cheewin, I LOVED Destiny Seeker!

Which is why it won a Colors Award for Best Group Effort since it played into the traditional way of color coding with the main characters, but gave the side couple an interesting color dynamic, then had the younger third couple color coordinate.

It was fascinating, and I wish it was more easily available internationally, so others could enjoy it!

Japan leaned into obvious color coding with I Became a Lead in a BL Drama

And I loved it!

However, I also feel like another one of my favorite shows from Japan, My Love Mix-Up, was obviously color coded.

While others seemed shocked by me stating that even though the promo material was color coded, which is something I found out after watching the entire series.

So although I know what you're asking, it's slightly difficult for me to answer because (and this isn't me bragging), I find most color coding obvious, like in another color-coded favorite from Korea, Love Tractor, I understood it was color coded from the trailer, as I do many shows.

Yet I got a few questions about it because others did NOT easily see that Yechan was a Green Guy and Yul was a Blue Boy even though I believed it was blatant color coding with no room for confusion.

Much like how I picked up from the trailer of another favorite Korean series, The Eighth Sense, that Ji Hyun was light coded and Jae Won was dark coded. This shot was in the trailer with several others similar to this color scheme, yet it was just me out here seeing what I believed to be very recognizable color coding.

So, to me, most color coding is Power-Rangers-level obvious. And I love seeing people slowly figure that out nine episodes in, when I had it pinned down before the first episode even began.

Or in some cases, by the second episode because the first episode only showed the characters in uniforms or only had one scene with them.

Which is why people are still flabbergasted that I knew Way and Charlie were lying without the subtitles even though Way, a blue teammate, looked like this in episode three of Pit Babe, and Charlie who supposed to a Blue Boy was red in the first episode.

So to answer your question in the longest way possible, if a show has color coding, for the most part, it's obvious to me. I struggle sometimes figuring out what the colors mean like with The Sign and Last Twilight, but I still notice the colors, and it's funny since both shows use blue, green, and orange, which were the same colors I struggled with in Our Dating Sim since the orange threw me off (it represented uncertainty).

I like writing about colors so much because what I think is Power-Rangers-level obvious is not obvious to others, and what I struggle with, some of you see clearly.

And I love when people tag me and say they noticed colors but "they were so obvious it was impossible to miss them" because it proves this point! Colors aren't obvious until we are actually paying attention to them. I'm positive someone watched Y Destiny and didn't even notice the colors. I'm just as confident people watched I Became a Lead in a BL Drama and didn't realize it was color coded.

And I hope you nor anyone else who reads this takes this is a mean-spirited dig about not noticing color coding. It's not much like my post about some folks not being able to tell the difference between Sprite and Zee in Twins. We don't notice the obvious when we aren't looking for it. You notice people's hands on others' throats. @colourme-feral notices locations. @dribs-and-drabbles notices clothing. Yet none of those things are obvious to me.

And that's why I can't really answer this question because the colors are obvious to me.

. . .

But Live in Love, if it gets made, will be Power Rangers color coded.

That's obvious.

[the-sun-and-the-sea]

hi!!! I've been going through your fics recs lists and I gotta say THANK YOU so much for having them sorted out so thoroughly and specifically!! I've only recently started to read Finnick / odesta fics and I can't wait to start new ones from the lists. I was wondering though, if you could rec (it can be from those lists already as I haven't read most of those yet) some fics that focus at least partly on Finnick's relationship with his family? reading BeesKnees' fics (his sisters there and the estranged bond with his father) and Playing the Game on ao3 (my favorite I've read yet! love the relationship with his father there too) I'm left aching for more of that, especially when so many other fics focus only on the capitol side of it all or just odesta (which ofc I still love both too, and I wouldn't mind at all fics including all these things too). but yes, I love the tension of his family knowing or not knowing about what truly goes on in the capitol vs Finnick handling that. anyway, sorry if this is too much a specific thing, but there's so many fics out there I just don't always know where to start! and tragically it seems there are no "Finnick's Father" or "Finnick's Sisters" tags to filter through on ao3 lol. thank you lots again!!!

Hi! I'm glad you've found the lists helpful, that's been my goal with those and I'm so happy you're finding odesta fic! So I also really like exploring Finnick's family and that tension, but unfortunately there's not a lot about his family because we know so little from canon. And most of his familial bonds come from people like Mags or Annie, who of course already know a lot about him. But I will see what I can find!

Scylla and Charybdis / A View From the Lists by Mithrigil, puella_nerdii - I can't recommend these two enough. I know I've mentioned them several times and I'll keep mentioning them forever because they're some of my favorite THG fics of all time. While there's definitely a lot of Capitol stuff, Finnick has a big family and they're quite a fixture of his time in D4.

Treading Water by sabaceanbabe - This one also has some great stuff with Finnick's family. The beginning takes place at the 3rd Quarter Quell announcement so as you can imagine, Finnick wants to clear the air on some things with his family. There are some great moments in here and it's definitely worth a read!

Feverish Misconceptions by Phoenixrising003 - I think this will really fit your request because it has a lot of outsider pov elements regarding Finnick's family. The chapters are titled based on the pov character, so you can easily look for Finnick's family interactions if that's what you're interested in.

The Letter by TheWalkingGrimes - This is more of a hypothetical take on your request but I still think it's such a poignant concept. I love the relationships Finnick has with others in this one and the way they have to work to rebuild.

Second Intermission: Lotan by Shaylinne - This work is part of a longer series but you don't have to read that series to understand this. It's from the point of view of Finnick's brother and it's such a great look at their relationship, so definitely check it out!

I think that's about all I know with Finnick's family. But I'd love to hear other suggestions because I also love this trope, so feel free to reblog with self promo or other recs!

[stqrrynightss]

the new decemberists album is out. how are we feeling besties

my first listen thoughts under the cut :-)

* - released prior to the full album

Burial Ground* - really love this one. of course this was the first song ever released for the album, so its had a lot of time to marinate with me. curious why the mic quality is so different in this one compared to the others tho? assuming its a stylistic choice, but still

Oh No!* - this song goes so hard, oh man. i need a billion more decemberists pieces with sax and brass.

The Reapers - I really dig this one, even though I'm not quite sure what its about yet. feels very early decemberists to me. also how often do you hear flute in their music?? love love love

Long White Veil - DEF one of my top songs on the album. they played it at the concert I was at a few weeks ago and I have been WAITING for it to officially release. "I married her, I carried her, on the very same day I buried her" has been in my mind RENT FREE for WEEKS

William Fitzwilliam - I believe I first heard this on their 2022 tour, weirdly enough!! they played a piece at that concert that was "about henry the 8th" and I've pretty sure this was it. love how it reads like a lullaby or child's story ("and england's fair princes were snug in their beds"). the simple acoustics of this tho def make it overshadowed by just about every other song on the album T_T

Don't Go to the Woods - YESSSSS SO EERIE. they opened the milwaukee show with this and I was instantly obsessed.

The Black Maria - the pronunciation of "maria" merits jail for one thousand years. (EDIT: it’s reference to old slang for cop cars! still don’t like how they pronounce it but it IS correct) after two acoustic pieces I kinda stopped paying attention to this one, I'll be real. needs a relisten

All I Want is You* - i found this to be the least interesting of the 4 songs released before the full album, but I think All I Want holds up. very cute :-)

Born to the Morning - audibly went "oh what the fuck" when this one started. not in a bad way. def need to re-listen to it

America Made Me - this song played on a promo for the vinyl and its pretty damn good. i think im beginning to discover that I just love a good brass section.

Tell Me What's on Your Mind - very "ill be your girl". pretty neutral on this one at the moment.

Never Satisfied - I dig this one but parts of the melody sounded very similar to long white veil to me, which threw me off. a very sweet song tho!!

Joan in the Garden* - LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE. when it first came out I was a bit "eh" towards it, but working on my Joan piece with it on repeat has easily made it my favorite on the album and one of my favorites of all time. joan in the garden they could never make me hate you

The (musical) strength of the album certainly is in the first few songs and the closer. I'll def need to spend more time with this album but!!!! im so happy to see them release new music. MANIFESTING more story songs from them in the future, Colin PLEASE

[doctoratecuddles]

THANK YOU for saying that doom x Carrie feels like Stockholm syndrome. personally i don’t hate on anyone who ships something i don’t but the idea of shipping doom with any of the patients makes me uncomfortable— even if he hasn’t hurt them personally, he’s definitely hurt other people, and honest to god i don’t think anyone in the right mindset would be okay with being in a relationship with a legit murderer/abuser (even if they’ve “reformed”)

If doom were to be with anyone, I’d hope it’d be after extensive therapy and even after dealing with some repercussions for their actions (obviously.) I’d also hope it’d be with someone outside of the hospital just to distance themselves from everything he experienced in that hospital, because yeah shared trauma is a thing but sticking in the same small group doesn’t seem very healthy to me personally

i enjoy doom as a character; they’re definitely not my favorite, but i do see the appeal. i only wish he was given depth and personality besides “pathetic sad easily flustered traumatized murderer who hates what he’s done.” show me apathetic doom. show me doom that hates what he’s done but also deals with that he does in a way that shows he doesn’t have remorse for certain people. show me they’re so fed up with their job they just hurt people and are numb to it all.

i don’t know just show me that doom isn’t a “good” character all around, which leads me back to why i don’t think he should be shipped with any of the patients

thank you for coming to my ted talk —🏴‍☠️ (call me piratenon)

Wow, this is honestly a very interesting way of seeing this piratenon, as well as a very valid way of seeing Doom and his character, as well as his relationships. I personally don't have a problem with shipping Doom with patients as long as he hadn't harmed them and it's after the fact (such as Barry / Uni), but I do understand why exactly you see this as a problem! Doom is a very interesting character to me. He's shown to hate his job but the fact that his original reasoning wasn't from feeling empathy. I wish KC had stuck with that instead of suddenly making him redeemable. He's a serial killer, he sides with the villain, and yet we're supposed to root for him as if he were a protagonist? Personally, I'm not a fan of that. Doom should have continued to be a morally grey asshole and unhelpful nurse that put his morals aside in favor of work. Morals do not get the job done. Shipping a protagonist with an antagonist, especially if it's during the main story, only really works in certain cases. In some cases, they don't physically harm each other and are just opposing one another, and in other cases, they're simply rivals. But Carroom, nor any Doom ship that takes place *while* they're in the hospital, isn't that. Aside from the obvious fact that Doom is basically helping hold them captive and torture them, Carrie physically hurts Doom in many ways both in the comic, promo art, and official art (chasing him with a hammer, throwing them down the stairs, dumping vomit on them, shoving them, grabbing them, etc), and even after all of that, even if they both had extensive therapy, I think it'd be inappropriate to ship them considering that. Even with the Kissmas comic, where Carrie had claimed to love him since the start, felt like a lie. After all, no person who claims to be in love verbally and physically assaults their crush. It's wrong. It's not "romantic" to make your ocs harm each other Kittycorn, it's called abuse.

[tiffyfoundsomething]

We all know I’m a sucker for a blind box.

Folks here may or may not know I collect resin ball jointed dolls. I also like vinyl/abs HJD.

There are blind box BJD.

I ordered a Simon’s Club Toy Campus Series doll on Amazon:  https://amzn.to/3JT66Qy and she was delivered today.

When I first looked through them I chose my favorites knowing FULL well that I would get the one I wanted the least. That’s how it works.

I have a reputation for weirdly good blind bag luck, but that only applies if I’m the one that chooses the box (or if my Son does, then it’s even better luck, which is weird).

It doesn’t work if someone else chooses the package for me.

I wanted basically anyone other than Apple because red and black don’t appeal to me.

I wanted Blueberry most.

I got Apple.

She’s very cute. I am not unhappy about this. I wouldn’t have bought it at all if I actively disliked any of them.

She came with a packet of extra hands, a little dress up card, a sticker sheet with her outfit pieces, a promo card with a QR code, instructions, her outfit, and herself.

The box says they’re hand painted, but that’s certainly at least a stencil. Maybe airbrushed by hand with masks.

She is strung with narrow elastic and has tiny little S hooks in her wrists and ankles.

The instructions say their hats come off but either Apple’s doesn’t or I just haven’t figured it out,  yet.

She is TOP HEAVY and her head flops around a bit. To dress her I had to take her whole head and face off.

She has standard BJD articulation plus a torso joint and double joint peanuts in her knees and elbows.

Her head is 3 parts. 2 hair parts and a face plate, which slides on and off easily from a small retaining plate. Because of the positions of the retaining plate in relation to her eyes, it would be a bit of a pain to modify her to take inset eyes.

I did have to take her head off to dress her. There are instructions on how to take out the face plate retaining.... thing... to facilitate dressing, but I didn’t bother.

The clothes are all hemmed, but not serged and close with Velcro-like tape closures.

She comes with 6 alternate right hands and 2 alternate left hands. I have no idea if they all come with the same hand pack or not.

Swapping the hands isn’t too difficult if you have a tool to help, though it does require a firm pinch-grip so if you have issues with pinch-grip, you may need assistance.

The alternate hands do all seem to be a little bit smaller than the default.

She looks concerned...

Now, a warning.

I’ve been seeing quite a few reports of doll and toy shipments coming by boat from China arriving with visible mold in the packaging (Rainbow High dolls, specifically) with people suspecting they’re getting wet in transit or the cargo containers/ships are infested, and this package absolutely REEKED of mold when it arrived.

There was outer plastic, an outer cardboard box, and then the product’s outer box and the stink made it all the way to the product box.

The box is pretty cute, though, and has a picture of my favorite of the dolls on it, so I’ve put it down in the basement bathroom with my Ozone destinker device to see if I can get rid of that bad smell so that I can keep the box to keep all of her things in together.

We’ll see how that goes.

[iantheartandtapecollector]

Hey guys, I decided to try another top 10, and this time I'll be talking about my top 10 unpopular opinions. Now keep in mind, these are my unpopular opinions, so if you disagree with me, that's completely fine. Now without further ado, let's get to the list.

10. I hate Gacha Life

Yeah, I know I'm gonna get shot for saying this but I hate Gacha Life, In my opinion, it's overrated in a bad way, overused, and it really gets on my nerves. @asherbuddy uses this from what I've heard. Anyways, you won't be seeing me use Gacha Life AT ALL!

9. I find VHS better than DVD

As a kid, I always had a fondness for VHS, I especially loved seeing the nostalgic previews, the different promo material that can be included inside the VHS along with the tape, and the different colors that the actual tape can be. DVD on the other hand, I hate it. Discs get scratched easily, some previews can't be seen on DVDs. But yeah, VHS is my preferred format.

8. I like cartoony games better than games that are real

You know how I prefer animation over live action? Well the same could be said with video games. When it comes to video games, I prefer a cartoony and distinct style better than games that look real and boring. Games like any FPS game, feel like they look the same, and I find it overrated in a bad way. But when it comes to cartoony games like Spyro the Dragon or Crash Bandicoot, they have very unique styles for their games. So yeah, I would rather play games that are cartoony rather than games that look real, boring, and cheap for a quick paycheck.

7. I prefer Nintendo consoles

I'm a huge Nintendo fan, especially with their consoles. I always played them a lot even as a kid. As for the PlayStation consoles, I have played those consoles a few times, but as for Xbox consoles, I hate Xbox mainly because they have so many FPS's and I hate them. Nintendo's got a lot of distinct games which is why I've been on the Nintendo bandwagon for so long.

6. I prefer cartoons with anthropomorphic animals, food, or vehicles

When it comes to cartoons, one thing that I like seeing the most, is seeing different cartoon characters that are either animals, food, or vehicles. Shows like Elinor Wonders Why, Work it Out Wombats, or VeggieTales, make it different because they decided to try something different character-wise. But cartoons where it's nothing but humans, I get bored of it real fast. Although there are a few exceptions like The Loud House, Peanuts, or The Powerpuff Girls for example.

5. I prefer the original version of Super Mario 64 over the Nintendo DS remake

For those who've been following me for a while now, you'll know that Super Mario 64 is one of my favorite games of all time. Heck, it was thanks to Super Mario 64 that it introduced me to video games in general and I've played it countless times. In 2004, came the release of the Nintendo DS, and the launch title, Super Mario 64 DS, which is a remake of the original. But in my opinion, I prefer the Nintendo 64 original over the DS remake. The Nintendo 64 original is simple yet charming, but the DS remake in my opinion, there's been stuff that's either added or changed, and I'm not one for changes like this.

4. I hate RPG's as a whole

If there's a genre for video games that I hate, it's RPG's. I just find RPG's to be boring, repetitive, and overrated. Games like Final Fantasy, Paper Mario, and some others, are not really for me. I'm more of a platformer kind of person in my opinion. When it comes to video games, you won't see me playing any RPG's any time soon.

3. Thomas and Friends Season 6 doesn't look that bad

I know you guys are gonna kill me for this but I don't think Season 6 of Thomas and Friends is that bad. A majority of the fans say that the writing in some episodes is sloppy, the narration is flat, or the visuals are dull. But me on the other hand, I don't think it's not so bad. I think Season 6 has a majority of good or okay stories (except for Middle Engine. That story was shit).

2. Wilbur is underrated

Who remembers Discovery Kids? I know I do. One thing that Discovery Kids did on their channel was a special block called "Ready, Set, Learn" and there was two shows I enjoyed from the block, which were Peep and the Big Wide World, and of course Wilbur. When it comes to Wilbur, I feel like it's just underrated. The characters are quite cute, especially since Dasha's my favorite character, and the stories they tell have a good moral too. It just saddens me that this series doesn't get talked about as much as it used to back when it first aired.

1. I prefer the Lyrick Studios releases of VeggieTales episodes more than the Word Entertainment releases

When I was a kid, I had an unhealthy obsession with VeggieTales, especially when I first owned the episodes on VHS, specifically the Lyrick Studios releases. And as a kid, these were the best releases compared to the Word Entertainment releases. These Word Entertainment releases just don't do it for me. I honestly thought they lacked something, but when it comes to the Lyrick releases, they're amazing. Especially with the cover art for the different releases they had.

And those are my top 10 unpopular opinions. If you disagree with me, that's completely fine.

[smilingformoney]

intro post/shameless self promo

is it me or have there been a bunch of new Snape blogs lately?

I’ve certainly had a lot of interaction from blogs I haven’t seen before thanks to my gifsets, so hello new friends 👋🏻

I wanted to do a quick promo post as it’s a little harder to get new readers when I’m not posting new chapters anymore

so! if you haven’t yet come across my lil (not so lil, it’s pretty long) pet project, may I interest you in my fic, Soul of Ice?

specs:

completed (but I am still writing one shots a plenty, so there’s still new content!)

46 chapters

317k words

available on Ao3 or WattPad

here’s what you should know:

Dad Snape. It is so Dad Snape. I’m not trying to say I inspired a new wave of Dad Snape in the fandom, but part of the reason I started writing it was the lack of Dad Snape, and now there’s plenty of Dad Snape, so take of that what you will 😌

The main love story is not romantic, but platonic - it’s the father/daughter relationship that’s the love story here

That said, the romance is a key part of the story!

Snape’s love interest is not a student or a professor. She is one year older than him and their relationship developed while he was a Death Eater. (She is not a Death Eater though!) I find this is a fairly rare dynamic to find with Snape ships so hopefully it’s of interest for people looking for something a little different!

There is frequent spicy smut 🌶️

The daughter character is gay and her sexuality is a key part of the storyline

There are also two canon characters I wrote to be gay

🚨 BEGIN SPOILER ALERT 🚨 Snape lives and has a happy ending 🚨 END SPOILER ALERT 🚨

And don’t just take my word for it…

“I did not think it would be here for the daddy/daughter mutual longing, but I am HERE FOR IT.” - @missmeasured

“I adore the relationship between Snape and Abbie and I love the interactions between them 😭💕” - @waddyaknow

“I'm a very picky reader because I easily stop reading when writers make Snape too much out of character, like him being too affectionate or showing too much emotions in public especially in front of his students or colleagues. But I have to say, this is so far one my favorite stories to read about Snape having a daughter and a partner.” - a_pink_sheep on Ao3

“I love love LOVE Abbey and Sev's banter. I've been reading this whenever I can since yesterday. I can't put it down!” - Ninafia on Ao3

“I love the way you write the Malfoys. I love your Lucius so so SO much. I love the way you write them all as much as I love *them*.” - @sevsnapes (aka queen of Snucius so this is incredible praise tbh)

“I loved your Snape, he is wholly in character while loving both Sephy and Abbie. Abbie feels like a young Severus Snape who got love of his parents and overall happier for it. Persephone has similarities with Snape and they complement each other. You really write well and I liked your OCs and their relationship with Snape.” - Naaga on Ao3

If I have your interest, head to my pinned post for reading links for both Ao3 and WattPad! 💚🦇🐍

[nicoappreciation]

Hi 🖤 this maybe a weird question but I just got into the fandom and I’ve been catching up on the Solangelo discourse and I haven’t read the newest book yet but I was wondering if you think it’s better on the ableism front or at least negated/addressed some of the concern from the ship antis?

Side note but as someone new to the (tumblr) fandom are there any blog/post/thinkpiece recommendations? I’m just starting to understand some of the discourse and discussions and I don’t want to miss any important stuff in fan discussions. Or anything you’d personally add?

honestly as an able-bodied person i wouldn’t say i’m the best person to judge whether or not the ableist undertones in the ship were properly addressed. i will say that a significant part of will’s arc in the book is about learning to put in more effort to understand nico and that the darker sides of him aren’t meant to be conquered or fixed, just lived with. however, that’s more about his underworld heritage than anything else. but it can also be applied to his ptsd, and you could easily see how it can also be made to be about physical disability. most of the complaints about the book that i’ve seen were about the plot or the continuity errors or the characterization, not ableism in particular. so based on what i’ve seen in the book and the reactions from my mutuals i at least believe the ableism isn’t any worse than before. nevertheless, take my perspective with a grain of salt.

as for blog recommendations, most of the people i reblog from regularly are good places to start (i don’t want to try tagging everybody because if i forget someone i’ll feel bad so mutuals feel free to promo yourselves lmao).

if you’re interested in analysis on the ableist undertones of early solangelo and the blatant ableism of solangelo shippers from an actual disabled person, @ursie is a great place to go. xe makes very good posts that actually opened my eyes to a lot of this stuff.

as for fan discussion posts there’s a really good post somewhere that covers nearly all of the problematic elements of rick’s writing when it comes to his minority characters, i’ll try my best to find it. if anybody has any good posts they’d like to share, feel free to leave them here.

as for what i’d add, all i will say is just do your best to listen. it can be hard to hear criticism of something you love, but don’t take it as a personal attack. actually take your time to process the information, and then think about what you can do to make this fandom a more safe and accepting space for disabled people, poc, and more. we’re all here because we love this world and these characters, but those things are far from perfect.

and have fun!! find people who have the same favorite characters as you and spend hours brainrotting about them and ignoring half of canon. it’s therapeutic

[tinygumdrops]

who's your favorite hq character and why?

None I despise all of them

Hi, anon! I don't think there's any surprise but my runaway favorite character in Haikyuu!! is--

I started my journey with this show in 2014 without knowing it was a sports anime and I hadn't seen the posters/promo materials yet. I just saw it was a new shounen release on Reddit so I gave it a go. When I first saw Hinata it was such a surprise. "This kiddo has orange hair omg?" And that was it. He became my favorite. I'm a simple person.

But in all seriousness, I tend to fixate on characters that have widely different personalities from mine and who can offer new perspectives, and Hinata is definitely someone I share almost zero traits with. Even though that's the case, he does stand for things I value and admire in a person: optimism, grit, emotional intelligence, the desire for strength (freedom), the need to be recognized, and that awesome ability to perform even better when the stakes are high. I look up to him a lot that one of the reasons why I started writing fics for hq!! was so I can "get in his head". I waited until he was in his twenties in the manga before I started writing fics for him, but even way before I was already itching to write something with him front and center. Like Aang in ATLA (my ultimate childhood fave and bible), I kind of grew up with Hinata, and I hope a lot of his positive traits rubbed off on me.

Other Haikyuu!! characters I definitely see some of myself in are Yachi (easily flustered with a hyperactive imagination), Yamaguchi (shy and a follower by default), Osamu (LOVE OF FOOD), and Tsukishima (fear of having an immense falling out with something you're passionate about so you end up not loving anything too much just to keep yourself safe).

[thesocialchronicles]

Our writers and editors independently determine what we cover and recommend. When you buy through our links, E! may earn a commission. Learn more. Now that the holidays are over, the real fun can start. And by fun, I mean the sales. And by the sales, I mean Madewell's End of Season Sale -- the best sale, IMO. That's because you can save up to 60% (use promo code LASTCHANCE) on the chicest cashmere sweaters, stylish jeans, versatile accessories, and more. My favorite part about Madewell is that their clothes are always classic yet on-trend and can easily pair with each other across seasons. Essentially, they're wardrobe staples. What’s on Sale at Madewell? Madewell only has a few epic sales a year, and this End of Season Sale is one of them. From now until January 8, you can save up to 60% off on the styles you've been keeping tabs on all year. Clothes, accessories, jackets, jeans, and more – use promo code LASTCHANCE at checkout (I've already calculated the deals below).  You won't see prices this low for a while, so don’t wait. Check out our curated picks and head over to Madewell’s End of Season Sale -- before I've added everything to my cart. https://akns-images.eonline.com/eol_images/Entire_Site/20241126/rs_1200x1200-241226070628-Copy_of_Blank_1024x759_1200_x_1200_px_-_2024-12-26T100429.451.png?fit=around%7C1080:1080&output-quality=90&crop=1080:1080;center,top 2024-12-26 16:57:14

[nklsdttr]

you are a MIKAELSON WITCH with a WEREWOLF MOTHER and an ORIGINAL FATHER , you are the one that could FINALLY UNITE all the factions ... and that goes against everything they believe in . they THRIVE ON HATRED and you , my sweet girl , are their worst fear !

[toxicpsychox]

@pyroclastic727 ‘s “Infinity With You” chapter 9, THE MAZE CAR, is out now!!

[skittidyne]

It's been two months!! How are you feeling? How are sales going? Have you found a name for a sequel? What can we do to help?

you're very sweet anon!

i just checked the sales (that i can easily access) because i haven't for awhile, and not after that book blog tour i tried, and it only serves to remind me that ingramspark is very confusing with their sales reports.

BUT. if i'm doing my math correctly and ingramspark isn't doing something really stupid, then i've very much broken triple digits on my sales!

not only that, but WOAH NELLY WHAT IS THIS

i... actually don't know what that is. it can't be just my books, because i only have one available through them. but it seems hard to believe that it's #2 overall?? i'm not selling that much. (yet!!) but it makes for a really neat screenshot to take! it also gave me a little gold ribbon on my book thumbnail :'3

i have NOT found a title, and i hate that Very Much, but that's also something i can't ask for outside advice on because holy legality batman.

THAT SAID. here is a list of ways to help your local skitty author with her local guides to the supernatural:

REVIEW. review my books on amazon and goodreads and wherever else you want!

TELL PEOPLE TO BUY MY BOOK! friends, family, libraries, your boss who is cool with queer content and swearing, and maybe your influencer cat who makes more money than you or i will ever dream of!

send asks! i love asks! and again: you're very sweet, anon :> these fill me with warm fuzzies and the support needed to scowl my way through editing for preptober

make fanart! make fanfic! make SOMETHING. i know a lot of people are like "i can't make anything ;O;" but trust me. y'all can. go make natalie's mashed potatoes! make a playlist! make the vorpal sword! crochet a unicorn! hunt an afanc! find a taxidermied jackalope to take promo pics with! talk about it on social media (and tag me; i'll talk back)! everything that fandom does generates hype for a series, and weird things are great.

i'll be looking for beta readers and ARC reviewer/readers in coming months, so do one of those! or both! (i think you can be both? i don't see why not?)

help me figure out a way to get the cool promo pictures i took on my fancy camera onto my laptop because i only just have realized that my stupid laptop doesn't even have a normal-sized SD card port

seriously tho, keep sending asks. questions, comments, liveblogs, predictions, anything! (except title name ideas, because if you come up with a really cool one, i can't use it, and then i'll be peeved i can't use it.)

stream distractible & go my favorite sports team on podcast sites so i can partake of markiplier's onlyfans. that will support me A Lot.

[symphonyofsilence]

Ok so...

Judging by how in recent years, the majority of adaptations and spin-offs of my favorite franchises had been, let's say, less than satisfactory, and by the news that I occasionally heard from Lotr On prime, I don't really have high hopes about it.

Obviously, with that budget, I expected it to have great visuals. And the props and the sets all do look great. Even though, I really dislike short-haired elves, and beardless dwarf ladies and blonde Elrond (and not being loyal to these book descriptions feels...not very promising.), and how elves look like normal people. (in the trilogy, you could tell an elf was an elf by the hair and make-up and lightening even without the pointy ears or the costumes.)

I'm glad that they chose to do practical effects. I'm glad that Veta and apparently Howard Shore are on board.

However, the story is the most important aspect.

And even though I think there's been an overreaction to the promo shots and we don't know anything about anything yet and we should wait until the show airs and there's a lot of toxicity in the fandom now

allow me to voice my concerns :

1. Politically ambitious Elrond trying to mend the relationship between his people and the dwarves of Khazad-dum :

No. Just no.

First of all: Elrond was the heir to all of the kingdoms of the first age, Edain, and Eldar. And he settled for just being Gil-galad's minstrel and herald. And at most, his vice-regent in Eriador. After Gil-galad's death, he could easily name himself the high king. But he didn't. He had chosen to become a healer, loremaster, linguist and establish a haven for the weary and the oppressed. And be "as kind as summer". These (not mentioned in the article btw) were important aspects of his character.

'Well going from "politically ambitious" to "humble" could be his character arc' I hear you say.

Well, you see?

We already have a character that came to middle earth seeking power, was politically ambitious, got the kingdom she wanted but at great cost, and eventually when infinite power was offered to her, she declined it. She "diminished" and went into the west. And remained...you guessed it! Galadriel!

Why would they give Galadriel's arc to Elrond?

It's super ooc for Elrond!

And there are lots of arcs you can write for Elrond he's full of potential!

The glaringly obvious one: overcoming abandonment issues.

He heals the healer inside and by the third age, he's the greatest healer in Middle-earth.

Or "belonging". As the only half-elf in Middle-earth after Elros' death. Who eventually establishes Rivendell for all the misfits!

Or both.

WHY WOULD YOU GO WITH GALADRIEL'S ARC!

And by him "mending the relationship between his people and the dwarves of Khazad-dum" do they mean the Sindar? (but weren't they Oropher's and Galadriel's and king Amroth's people?) 'Cause the Noldor didn't have any problems with the dwarves. Celebrimbor was on great terms with them.

Idk maybe I'm judging too harshly and too quickly and Elrond's political ambition is making and maintaining peace and the show creates some problem between the dwarves and the elves for him to solve but anyway talking about Celebrimbor, we arrive at my second problem.

2.Celebrimbor

Of course, we don't know anything about Helbrand yet but him "escaping from his past and bonding with Galadriel" sounds suspiciously like Celebrimbor's story. How many friends can Galadriel have who are running from the past?

This combined with giving "forming a positive relationship with the dwarves of Khazad-dum" to Elrond doesn't look good for Celebrimbor. I'm worried if Celebrimbor will be set aside in favor of the more familiar (for movie-goers) and original characters.

But again, we don't know anything about Helbrand. Maybe his story is quite different. ( I hope it's not like Aragorn's.) maybe he has a cool redemption arc. I love me some redemption arc.

3. The elf/human love story

...idk...is it going to be another Kili/Tauriel?

Plz...no.

We still don't know anything tho I think it's going to be like Aegnor/Andreth.

4. Promoting Galadriel as an action girl

First of all, anyone saying Galadriel didn't fight, end this once and for all. She did. It's canon.

"Celeborn then led an attack on Dol Guldur itself. Once the dark fortress was in the hands of the Galadhrim, Galadriel came, threw down its walls, and purified it of its evil."

"The White Council began to notice a dark shadow arising in Mirkwood. When Gandalf later discovered it to be Sauron, he urged the council to drive him out. After deliberating, the council acted and Galadriel assisted them in driving Sauron out of Dol Guldur in 2941."

Also, according to an early version of the story of her delarturd from Aman in the unfinished tales:

"Fëanor's revolt that followed the Darkening of Valinor Galadriel had no part: indeeed she with Celeborn fought heroically in defence of Alqualondë against the assault of the Noldor, "

What really is concerning is the emphasis on her character being an action girl. And her being promoted like that.

Reading her story in the second age, my impression was that she was more of a diplomat. And her power was a great, magical, innate power that she didn't lightly let loose. But everyone knew they wouldn't want her to.

Her character had gravitas. She was not some edgy, angry young warrior. (not that there is anything wrong with this sort of character. It's just not Galadriel. And It seems to be the only kind of "strong female character"™️ that you'll see these days.)

Now seeing her fighting in battles will in no way go against it, I'd actually like that if it's done right. But I'm worried about how they will handle her character. Will she be a girlboss Mary Sue? (especially since her arc might have been given to Elrond now.)

I'm worried that they might not have understanding of and appreciation for the characters.

Again, we don't know anything about the show yet. I may be wrong. Maybe the show will be great. But these were my concerns.

[absolutebl]

Hello again! Sorry if I'm being a bother; just ignore if so! I was wonder if you have any insight to Lay Talay's character in War of Y? Lay Talay is easily one of my favorite bl actors so I always want more of him, but I'm very confused about his role in WoY as he is said to be the main character on MyDramaList yet he's barely in the trailer (?)...

No bother, this is my favorite game. 

Remember the golden rules of BL?  (say it with me everyone) 

Never trust a Thai trailer, a Viki category, a Taiwanese title, or a MDL description.

I might put MDL cast lists in with their descriptions. 

Also MDL isn’t really formatted (as a database) to encompass this kind of BL. (To be fair neither is my magic spreadsheet of doom.) 

War of Y is another one of those sampler box BLs, like Y-Destiny, Close Friends 1, or En of Love (the original as aired). Like Y-D, WoY is a shared universe with cross-over characters. (I don’t know if it’s 4 couples of 5 eps each or some other division of labor.)  

As opposed to "standard" Thai BL where there is a primary couple plus secondary pair(s) (side dishes) of decreasing importance and screen time (technique piloted by Make it Right, and somewhat owned by the pulps). Cheewin's most recent example of this would be SCOY. The third kind of Thai BL we get it the rare co-lead couples, BLs like Why R U? or Star & Sky)

Back to War of Y....

I have only seen the first ep and Lay seems to be playing the "big guns" most famous BL actor in that universe (define irony for the class, please, Cheewin). The one everyone is jelly of. He didn’t have much screen time in this first ep. 

This ep (first installment, min series, I don’t know what to call it) is focused on Billy & Seng’s characters (SCOY) who play BL lead actors in a mafia drama, who are also actually having an affaire (with each other). And also dealing with casting couch, cheating (maybe), and other issues. 

I think Lay is being used the way SCOY used Saint, which is (in our universe) mainly for promo. 

Lay's main ships are off sailing with others (Yoon) or the crimson KP wave (Perth) - HA, I KILL ME. So they have him paired as the seme with a new cutie (Muse). Will they get their own ep, or series of eps, maybe?

It's a holding pattern, I think. Lay doesn't seem to be intend to anchor any of the installments. Unless they are keeping his arc (and trailer) in reserve for the back end (pun intended). Which is not a dumb idea. He is by far their biggest name. And that's what Cheewin did in Y-Destiny.

But MDL could have him listed as Main just because the upload form for their system requires someone to be chosen as the lead, and whoever uploaded originally... chose Lay. 

I’m 90% sure ToruFirst get their own arc and they are WAY down the list.