#2016 favourite lists

[darcyolsson]

in loving memory of tumblr's april fools' pranks 💐 2014 - 2024

icymi, tumblr used to do an elaborate april fool's prank every year, but this year they suddenly stopped. here's a somewhat detailed recap of everything they did over the decade:

2013 - mishapocalypse (honourable mention): tumblr staff didn’t start doing april fools until 2014, but the mishapocalypse happened on tumblr in 2013 and i feel like this list would be incomplete without it

2014 - tumblrpro: upon opening your dash you were greeted by an “inspirational” video, that ended with the option to get “tumblrpro (for free)”. all it did was put a top hat on your icon.

2015 - tumblr executivesuite/coppy: a copying machine appeared in the corner of your dash. it would offer tips on how to use tumblr, like clippy the paperclip used to do in microsoft word. as the day went on, it slowly broke down and died right in front of your eyes. many people hated him (but not me). you could also make a (small) spreadsheet. @executivesuite2016 is the official blog.

2016 - this is decision/lizard election/tumblrdecides: a parody of the 2016 US elections. there were 4 lizards (well, one of them turned out to be a salamander in a scandal) to vote for. the dash looked different and there was a live news report with election updates, as well as an election blog for each lizard. they all had their own slogans and you would get an "i voted" button after you voted that would get slapped next to your icon. there were built-in functions to make an election poster for your favourite lizard and to create a text post that supported your lizard of choice that autogenerated a statement for all your followers to read. imo tumblr’s april fools peak. @thisisdecision2016-blog is the official blog, @mop-2016-blog @wretchedtooth @timefordeborah-blog were candidates. rick also had a blog (rick-official) but that now seems to have vanished because he ended up dropping out of the election. mop won, if you're curious. by far the most elaborate prank tumblr ever did.

2017 - horse friend: a tamagotchi-inspired game where you had to take care of a little horse in the corner of your screen. it came with a randomly generated name, and you had to feed and clean up after it. if you didnt take good care of it, it died. you could then hatch (yes, hatch) a new one. there was also an option to look at the names of all your dead horses. this is now available to buy in the tumblr shop. @horse-friends is the official blog.

2018 - tumblcoin: a parody of cryptocurrency (this was the year bitcoin took off). you could ‘invest’ in tumblcoin, with which you could in turn buy things with to spice up your dash, including last year’s horse friend, coppy from 2015, and a frame for around your icon. you could share the amount of tumblcoin you owned in an automatically generated gif post which would be tagged #tbc2018 and #tumblcoin. @tumblcoin is the official blog.

2019 - @memories: this blog still functions the way it did on april fools itself! it's like mad libs, where it takes post templates and then adds in tags you use a lot and users you frequently interact with on your main blog. like a personalized shitpost bot.

2020 - group chat prank/@storybot: it was so hard to find info on this because it was contained entirely in the now-defunct group chat function, which no one used. i had to go through the notes of this post for information because no one cared enough to actually write anything explaining it. turns out, you could write a story with your mutuals by adding storybot to your group chat. it also kept working after april fools (well, up until the group chats were deleted) just like memories. many people missed out on it entirely because they did not use the group chat function.

2021 - tumblcryptids: tumblr allowed you to adopt “non-fungible tumblcryptids”, a parody of NFTs. clicking a button that said "Summon thy Tumblrcryptid" would spawn an image of a little blob-shaped creature with a short description, which would always read "Hi! My name is [randomly generated name]. I love [thing most people like]. I hate [thing most people dislike]. Like my parent, I can't get enough of #[tag from your main blog]." you could share them in a post, which would automatically add the tag #NFTumblcryptids to your post. and yes, people on the piss on the poor website freaked out about it because they thought they were real NFTs harming the environment. @tumblcryptidadoptioncenter is the official blog.

2022 - click-a-thon: when you clicked a light switch on your dashboard, a bunch of colourful things showed up, like a sponge you could move around, an "engagament meter", clickable buttons, and a “Summon Crab!” button, which would summon a crab when you clicked it. you could. the crabs, like horse friend, are still available in the tumblr store as of 2025. here's some screenshots. there were various ways to share your crab activities, which would all get tagged #april fools 2022. the prank was presented as a marketing technique created by Brick Whartley, a fictional businessman character created by tumblr, who (afaik) originated in a post on the official blog of the 2018 april fools prank, albeit originally in a different role. around this time he also started functioning as the mascot for tumblr's shop ( @emporium )

2023 - abstract reactions (emoji reacts): buttons were added to every post that allowed you to add emoji reactions, many of them based on tumblr inside jokes (horse as a reference to horse plinko/horse friend, vanilla for the vanilla extract meme, pikaman, bug for bug race, and brick whartley, who wasn't a meme but staff really wanted him to be). if one specific emoji was used a certain amount of times it would add an effect to the post, eg many cheese emoji reacts would cover the post in cheese. this was also attributed to Brick Whartley ("his" blog @brickwhartley also documented the day)

2024 - boop-o-meter: allowed you to “boop” other users who had opted in to the booping, like facebook’s poke feature back in the day. depending on how long you held the button, you would either boop, super boop, or evil boop. on the dashboard there was a counter for both how many times you had booped others and how many times others had booped you, as well as how many boops were given side-wide. when booping someone, an image of a cat paw appeared. you would get badges (which can still be used) for booping 1, 100 and 1000 times. if you gave/received more than 999 boops, the counter would switch to showing a three-letter word (see this post for specifics). this was brought back for halloween 2024 (as BOOp-o-meter. get it), with a ghost, skeleton and mummy paw. no official blog, but here's an official recap for april first from staff. i believe this was the only april fools prank that was mobile user friendly.

2025 - @fandom is running some polls, i guess

[haveyouseenthisseries-poll]

The full top 100 list can be found here, and this post was inpired by this poll!

[lady-corrine]

Friendly reminder that Starfire's solo comic from 2015-2016, which had mediocre to straight up bad writing, did not end because of poor sales, unlike so many other comics which actually ended because of how weak they sold. Starfire actually sold well and DC wanted more issues, but the writers had another project and did not have any ideas so they decided to walk off:

Starfire sells very well. Her most recent graphic novel from last year sold incredibly well, surpassed Batman comics in print and made it to the New York Times bestsellers list:

Starfire is a fan favourite that can very easily hold her own solo comic. It's the lack of interest in her character at DC that keeps her down, not the fans or the sells, which were never the issue.

[lets-steal-an-archive]

The screenplays (so far):

Frankenstein (1931)

The Invisible Man (1933)

Bride of Frankenstein (1935)

Dracula's Daughter (1936)

Bringing Up Baby (1938)

The Wizard of Oz (1939)

Rebecca (1940)

The Maltese Falcon (1940)

Laura (1944)

Mildred Pierce (1945)

Rope (1948)

All About Eve (1950)

Sunset Boulevard (1950)

Strangers on a Train (1951)

A Streetcar Named Desire (1951)

Calamity Jane (1953)

Johnny Guitar (1954)

Rebel Without a Cause (1955)

North by Northwest (1959)

Some Like it Hot (1959)

The Haunting (1963)

Midnight Cowboy (1969)

The Boys in the Band (1970)

The Vampire Lovers (1970)

Harold and Maude (1971)

Sunday Bloody Sunday (1971)

Cabaret (1972)

Pink Flamingos (1972)

Phantom of the Paradise (1974)

Dog Day Afternoon (1975)

The Rocky Horror Picture Show (1975)

American Gigolo (1980)

Cruising (1980)

Personal Best (1982)

The Hunger (1983)

Silkwood (1983)

The Color Purple (1983)

Lianna (1983)

A Chorus Line (1985)

Desert Hearts (1985)

Kiss of the Spider Woman (1985)

My Beautiful Laundrette (1985)

A Nightmare on Elm Street 2: Freddy's Revenge (1985)

The Fly (1986)

Mala Noche (1986)

Hairspray (1988)

Fried Green Tomatoes (1991)

My Own Private Idaho (1991)

Thelma and Louise (1991)

A League of Their Own (1992)

The Living End (1992)

M. Butterfly (1993)

Go Fish (1994)

Boys on the Side (1995)

Heavenly Creatures (1995)

The Doom Generation (1995)

Safe (1995)

Showgirls (1995)

To Wong Foo, Thanks for Everything, Julie Newmar (1995)

The Birdcage (1996)

Bound (1996)

Crash (1996)

Set it Off (1996)

The Watermelon Woman (1996)

In & Out (1997)

Nowhere (1997)

Gia (1998)

Gods and Monsters (1998)

Wild Things (1998)

Being John Malkovich (1999)

But I'm a Cheerleader (1999)

The Matrix (1999)

The Talented Mr. Ripley (1999)

Billy Elliot (2000)

Hedwig and the Angry Inch (2001)

Mulholland Drive (2001)

Y tu Mamá También (2001)

Far From Heaven (2002)

The Hours (2002)

Brother to Brother (2004)

D.E.B.S. (2004)

Mysterious Skin (2004)

Rent (2005)

V for Vendetta (2005)

Across the Universe (2007)

Milk (2008)

I Love You Phillip Morris (2009)

Jennifer's Body (2009)

A Single Man (2009)

Beginners (2010)

Black Swan (2010)

The Kids are All Right (2010)

The Runaways (2010)

Pariah (2011)

Under the Skin (2013)

Pride (2014)

Bessie (2015)

Carol (2015)

Dope (2015)

Grandma (2015)

Tangerine (2015)

Moonlight (2016)

A Fantastic Woman [Una Mujer Fantástica] (2017)

Blockers (2018)

Disobedience (2018)

The Favourite (2018)

Love, Simon (2018)

The Miseducation of Cameron Post (2018)

A Simple Favor (2018)

Booksmart (2019)

Happiest Season (2020)

The Half of It (2020)

Kajillionaire (2020)

I Carry You With Me [Te Llevo Conmigo] (2020)

Ma Rainey's Black Bottom (2020)

The Old Guard (2020)

The Prom (2020)

Zola (2020)

The Mitchells vs. the Machines (2021)

Parallel Mothers (2021)

Passing (2021)

The Power of the Dog (2021)

Aftersun (2022)

Anything's Possible (2022)

Blue Jean (2022)

Bodies Bodies Bodies (2022)

Bros (2022)

Everything Everywhere All at Once (2022)

Nope (2022)

Rustin (2022)

TÁR (2022)

All of Us Strangers (2023)

Bottoms (2023)

The Color Purple (2023)

Nimona (2023)

Red, White, & Royal Blue (2023)

Challengers (2024)

Drive Away Dolls (2024)

I Saw the TV Glow (2024)

My Old Ass (2024)

Queer (2024)

[russellsppttemplates]

Love notes (Charles Leclerc)

A look into Charles' notebook allows words and feelings to be exposed

Note: english is not my first language. The request didn't specify this, but friends to lovers was the first thing that popped into my mind and I know I'm not the only one whose favourite trope is that one so I did it ✨️

Thank you so much to everyone who likes and reblogs, your feedback is appreciated 🤍 and I'm taking requests so if you have any ideas or concepts you want to share, feel free to do so as I'll try to get to them the best I can!

my masterlist

Cw: mentions Charles' father and his passing and implications of the loss of someone close to the reader

Tag list: @myloverjk-blog @hiireadstuff @c-losur3

"And you want me to tell you that code?", you asked Charles over the phone.

Your boyfriend needed to go to the bank to sort a few errands out, and since you had finished moving the last boxes of your belongings to his apartment, you stayed back to tidy them and organise them within the apartment. As it turns out, he forgot to take the documents with the codes.

"Yes, please amour - it's in my notebook on my desk on the office", Charles asked, "I think I went as far as taking the paper out a little so it peeks out but I forgot to take it with me", you could hear the smile and blush on his face.

"Let me go there - don't you mind me looking on your notebook though?", you said as you moved through the apartment, "by the way, I have already found some space in the kitchen for mug collection - yay! Okay, found the notebook - is it the document with your signature or the one that has the details?", you questioned.

"The one with the signature, at the end, left side", Charles repeated what the bank assistant was telling him so he could help you find what he wanted, "and it's the third and fifth number on the Mobile Key".

"Okay, I have it - it's 4 and 1", you informed him, "those are the third and fifth numbers".

"Merci amour, I don't think I need anything else! Once I finish up here, I'll head home to you, I love you! And Y/N, I trust you with everything I have - I have nothing to hide", he offered, making you bid him goodbye before ending the call.

His words ressonated with you as you flickered through the pages, noticing some doddles and racing notes before you decided to look at it from the beggining.

The first page had what looked like a poem and it dated back to the end of 2016.

My father told me to be careful

- Try to slow down a little

You don't ponder nor stay still

You don't belong or give yourself to anywhere

He said - my boy, you know what you're capable of

The world awaits you, go ahead and smile

You don't want to be left behind

It's not been easy dealing with everything. There's hope and there's the want to do more to prove everyone that I belong in Formula One. Still, I'm happy that Prema decided to have me race for them next year in Formula Two and things should go up from there. Time and patience, work and rest. Spending time with the people I love most and care about me the most.

Y/N also progressed on her studies and she's doing really well - she makes our friend group very proud! The guys are investing on their careers too and it's nice to see that, in a way, we're all growing up.

The page went on about all the whereabouts of the group, who had gotten together with someone, who had moved out of their parents' house and the ones who got work offers. There were jotted up plans for the summer holidays that, in hindsight, were mostly realized.

When you turned it to the next one, the poem continued with the same tone.

My mother said to me

- You have to see what's happening

That girl is much more than a friend

And you don't want to lose her

She reads it in my eyes

Or in my open soul

I don't know how she does it

But no matter how much I deny it

My mother is always right

I really like Y/N. Not just as a friend, but also as someone who I want to share my life with.

Whenever someone wonders how I think my life will be like in five, ten, fifteen years, she's always there. There's racing - me climbing up the ladder to points, podiums, wins and championships -, and there is my family.

Y/N and our own family.

Mum claims she noticed it since we were kids and that right now is the right time. Y/N is single again and I can't afford to lose her. Lose her as a friend or lose the opportunity to confess my feelings, or the worst one: lose her because she doesn't feel the same or feel like being in a relationship right now?

It's funny how this works, how much I care about her and how it hurts me when she isn't feeling well. Or how bad I feel because I keep missing some of her university milestones because I'm racing somewhere in the world but she always call me and I'm right in her hand while her family and our friends are in the stands or waiting area.

Even though I'm the one that's furthest away, she keeps me close.

Charles had notes about you? He always carried the little notebook around but you assumed it was because of important information he wrote there. You didn't expect this.

His words rang in your ears as, while your boyfriend had told you he had been crushing on you for a while, he had never admitted feeling this doubt. Not to this extent.

Suddenly, it felt like you were taking a look from a different angle at Charles' soul. The intimacy and vulnerability wasn't foreign and you fell in love with him a little bit more.

Today is the day to get closer

To face her and see what she says

And if luck follows me

As I'm writing this, I hope Y/N is getting ready to meet me in the park. She looks beautiful in anything, but I'm hoping she wears one of her dresses that make her look like a real life princess.

Maybe we will be happy

What I have planned isn't elaborate, because I don't think she would like a big production, and I hope it's enough to show her where I stand.

I asked maman for some help with the cakes and cookies and got the rest from the shop, we're going to have a picnic and I've decided today is the day where I tell her how I fell about her.

There is no point in hiding it, and Joris and Riccardo seem so sure that she shares the same affection.

Today is the day to grab her

I hope she does.

To be with the one I always wanted

And if the nervous voice doesn't fail

Y/N said yes to being my girlfriend!!! As it turns out, she does feel the same and we both agree that it was a mixture of stubbornness and bad timing for eachother. Now, it's the right place and the right time.

I hope we will be happy

The memory is clear as day on your mind.

I confessed how much I love her and she reciprocated it.

Charles asked you to meet up with him at the park because he wanted to talk to you. The seriousness of the text was confirmed when you arrived, Charles pacing around the picnic blanket until his eyes found yours.

"I can't pretend anymore", he said, "you're the first person I look for when I get somewhere I know you will be too, I can't stand to see you hurt or upset and I will kick myself every day if I'm ever the reason you hurt, which I hope I'll never be. You deserve the world, Y/N, the moon and the stars, and I'm going to get them for you because I love you", he offered.

You had been so dumbfounded that you could only approach him and kiss his lips, cupping his face closer to yours, "I've been in love with you for so long, Charles", you whispered back.

It was the day where your love story truly began despite having existed for all of your childhood. You were his and he was yours.

Come with me, love is not time

Continuing to look through the notebook, you spotted some racing notes with numbers and acronyms you weren't sure that they meant, taking a while to find another page that had similar writing.

It's not even time that does it

Come with me, love is the moment

In which I give myself

Y/N is asleep right now as we fly back home after the race. She hasn't left my side and I think this is the first time she's sleeping since we got the news. We knew it was coming, but it doesn't mean that it hurts any less.

In which you give yourself

The feeling is unbearable. Someone who gives you so much also takes so much away from you when they go away. There's so much to go through, and all of the feelings haven't come up yet.

Maman is waiting for us with Lorenzo and Arthur, and I hope we will all find peace with this heavy feeling together.

Y/N told me the feeling may never leave, it creeps up when you least expect it and there are no rules to it.

Time is precious and I want to spend as much time as I can with the ones I love. God knows I did that with papa and it still feels like it wasn't enough.

The creak of the floorboards alerted you that someone else was inside the apartment before Charles' head peeked, "Hello, mon ange", he smiled, coming up to kiss your forehead.

It's these moments where we're not doing anything particular or special that mean the most. Y/N has given me all she's got and I've given her all of me, at the end it's the most human thing to do. Be there. Be present. Allow the other to feel everything they need to feel and protect them. Y/N has protected me and she's never let me doubt that we are for each other.

"I looked through these - I didn't mean to invade your privacy but I got curious", you admitted. It would be no use to lie about it or try to hide it away.

Time will wait, stop there

"Did you like what you found?", Charles asked, pulling the other office chair to sit at the table with you, "I have this one here that I really like actually", he flickered through the pages.

So I can stay like this looking at you

Time knows well, even time understands

That someone doesn't rush

"I wrote this one when we were on holiday, it the boat", Charles tapped the page, "you looked so beautiful that day and I felt like I was running out of time to appreciate you. Then I spent the whole afternoon watching you and I felt like time slowed down a little bit because it knew I was appreciating you", he charmed.

That looks at you like I do

"These are very beautiful, Charles - this one is so beautiful", you smiled, kissing his cheek and cuddling up to his arm as he continued to leaf through the notebook.

Call me an adventure and come and have an adventure

There were also drawings and loose poems along with some photos he kept of you two. One of the hike you had done in Ibiza last year caught your eye. You stood on top of the rock and by the way your arms were positioned, you were calling Charles to join you in there while he snapped the picture.

Change my plans and I promise I'll believe

That I'm the only one you want to see when you wake up

Your haven if the world collapses

Come and deceive me with that look of yours

The sweet way that trips me and without counting

Quench my thirst with a kiss to shut me up

Make me a poem and let me stay

I do not forget

But I want to hear from your mouth all the words that make me blush

Speak softly in my ear

And grab my hand

"This was last year, one of the seasons where I had to deal with so much disappointment in racing, and you never let go. You were there to hold me everytime things didn't go well, to celebrate my achievements and my podiums, and you still make it feel like an adventure every single day", Charles mused, "being loved by you is assuring, comforting, liberating, soothing, amazing, incredible and the best feeling I have on the world! Loving you? It's as incredible as it is a big responsibility because I have to make sure the adventure is still there and that we're both in it", Charles admitted.

Before the night is over

"Being loved by you makes me feel like the only other person in the world", you looked up at him.

"Loving you is making sure the time stops when you're with me so I can tell you all the silly stories I know just to make you smile, all of this to make sure you know you're the reason behind my happiness and the one behind the longing that never lies when you're not there. It's hugging you back tight and have my heart wide open because it's yours to take", he sighed with a smile on his face.

"I love you, Charles - being loved by you is the best thing I get to experience in this life", you smiled before kissing his lips.

"This helps me a lot when you're not with me, it's like I can talk to you", Charles muttered, "and I get to have the memories written out too, you never know when this can come in handy".

"You have no excuse if your speech in our wedding feels impersonal or doesn't have any memories then", you joked as Charles' finger lightly pressed down on the remaining pages of the notebook, making sure you don't get the idea to flicker through the random pages he has used to doodle the perfect engagement ring for you, smiling at the thought of having you be his forever.

"I definitely don't, amour - I'll make sure it's a good one when the time comes", he smiled.

[mariamariquinha]

I saw a post on Instagram, well before the Superbowl, that involved Beyoncé and Kendrick Lamar's positions in the music industry. Furthermore, it was said that their activism was biased, since they profited a lot from these statements (or manifestos).

I'm a big fan of Beyoncé; even though I'm not 100% into the world of rap, Kendrick is one of my favourites. Maybe what I reflect here comes a little from an opinion built based on my personal taste, but I understand that beyond whether we like their music or not, they have an impact, and that's what I wanted to say.

Two things happened in these two weeks: Beyoncé won the first AOTY of her career with Cowboy Carter and Kendrick Lamar performed at the Superbowl. Let's start with Beyoncé.

Beyoncé has had COUNTLESS valid AOTY albums (ESPECIALLY Lemonade, sorry Adele), and she is the BIGGEST Grammy WINNER IN HISTORY. Like it or hate it, she is THE INDUSTRY. She made it. And she deserves it.

I saw people saying that she didn't deserve it because Billie Eilish deserved more. This always happens, but when people justify this discontent, you hear things like 'lyricism' or 'impact on the charts', which are valid arguments, but when we're talking about Album of the Year, shouldn't we also think about the social impact that this work has? Guys, I loved Billie's album, but it wasn't AOTY material with Cowboy Carter on the way.

CMAs

In 2016, in the midst of promoting Lemonade, she performed with the Dixies at the CMAs. Do you know what happened? In addition to her being boycotted (with her performance excluded from the awards platforms), SEVERAL country artists were visibly uncomfortable with her presence there, singing an AUTHORAL country song, with the, so to speak, 'personas non gratas' of the country industry.

This influenced the acts she is currently doing. Beyoncé, with all the influence she has, could come with the speech of white people who deny the existence of racism or opine on how black people should react to racism with indifference, but she decided to show how people of color have been carrying entertainment and art on their shoulders, and how the boycott at the CMAs only reinforced that 'veiled' r*cist artists were bothered by people of color who claim authorship of their own culture; then, they are a threat.

She made a country album. In references, Linda Martell, Chuck Berry, Willie Nelson, Dolly Parton, Sister Rosetta Tharpe and, among other people, black country artists who are new to the scene. Do you know the social impact of this? Do you understand that, no matter how many years pass, Beyoncé will also be remembered for using her influence to raise an issue that she might otherwise have been indifferent about (because she has money, success and people love her), and winning a Grammy for a mostly white and biased genre?

I think my point is clear. I love Billie and I think she's a great artist, but in the current context, in the middle of 2025, there was someone putting uncomfortable things in the light, and that person was Beyoncé.

Now, let's go over Kendrick.

2024 was a year in which he was on the top, among other things, for his beef with Drake. Look, I'm not even going to get into the merits of the diss, I never liked Drake (Brazilians in particular have some problems with him) and I've always really admired Kendrick as an artist, so I don't especially want to talk about how he just massacred Drake's reputation and career: everyone knows that.

Again, he could focus the entire intention of that Superbowl on the fight, and gain more prominence beyond the Grammys he won in relation to it. He did that too. Heavens, it was divine. But he (and his team) looked at the guest list in the VIP area, and focused on the type of person on one of the teams competing in that championship (I don't know a thing about that sport, but imagine my lack of surprise when I discovered the character of certain… names from that institution), and said "we should address that".

Some of the biggest, most talented and successful black artists in the US was there. With what justification, full of discrimination, can people on the other side turn around and say that Kendrick is irrelevant? Or that Samuel L. Jackson isn't important? Or that, fuck, Serena Williams isn't just badass? Of course her presence at the performance had more to do with Drake, but she was there, and she embraced the message.

Kendrick looked at the face of the country, at the largest audience in America, and said: why don't you all go fuck yourselves while I rub it in your face that we made this happen? I don't use middle ground when it comes to this, and we know that fire is met with fire.

What do I mean by all this?

Distractions from our culture are welcome and help us keep going, but this is a time of revolution, and this time the right people have the right platforms. At a time of uncertainty, explicit discrimination and the rebirth of a very specific movement, having powerful voices that enhance the people's speeches is more than a nod to the struggles of the lower classes, but a poke at the higher classes.

It's about shouting out what's wrong. It's about saying 'you're an idiot who thinks you're going to win'. It's about saying that you don't hit someone thinking that they won't hit you back. It's about reinforcing how dumb, insignificant and politically limited they are, who rely on conspiracy theories versus a community that has facts and history on its side.

But more than that, we are clearly reinforced that, regardless of anything, they cannot win.

And if you still have any doubts:

[pompadourpink]

A list of questions

À quelle heure tu arrives ? What time are you arriving ?

Avec qui tu parlais ? Who were you talking to ?

Bien ou quoi ? You alright ? (very casual)

Ça va ? Are you alright ? (normal)

Ça va pas non ? Are you crazy ?

C'est moi ou il est fou ? Is it me or is he insane ?

De quoi parle ton livre ? What is your book about ?

De quoi tu parles ? What are you talking about ?

De quoi tu te mêles ? How about you mind your business ?

D'où tu tiens ça ? Where did you hear that ?

D'où tu viens ? Where are you coming from ?

En quoi ça me regarde ? What does that have to do with me ?

Est-ce que tu crois que tu es drôle ? Do you think you're funny ?

Est-ce que tu te sens bien ? Are you feeling alright ?

Est-ce que tu t'es fait mal ? Did you get hurt ?

Est-ce que tu vas bien ? Are you alright ? (slightly elevated)

Faut peut-être se calmer non ? You better calm down (annoyed)

Il faut y aller non ? Shouldn't we go ?

Il fout quoi ? What the hell is he doing ?

Il se passe quoi là-dedans ? What's happening in there ?

Il te faut quoi ? What do you need ?

J'en étais où ? Where was I ?

Je t'ai demandé quelque chose à toi ? Did I ask for your opinion ?

Je te ramène quelque chose/un truc ? Do you need anything (from the store/downstairs, etc.) ?

Le mec en pull rouge, c'est qui ? Who is the dude in the red jumper ?

Les deux ? Both ?

On se calme ? Are you going to calm down ? (appeasing or angry)

On y va ? Shall we ?

Pourquoi tu continues à répondre ? Why do you keep talking back ?

Pourquoi tu ne lui demandes pas ? Why don't you ask him ?

Pourquoi tu t'en vas ? Why are you leaving ?

Quel est ton film préféré ? What's your favourite movie ?

Quelle heure il est ? What time is it ?

Qu'est-ce que ça change ? What does that change ?

Qu'est-ce que ça fait ? What does that do ?

Qu'est-ce que tu as à manger ? What do you have to eat ?

Qu'est-ce que tu branles/fiches/fous ? Wtf are you doing ?

Qu'est-ce que tu racontes ? What are you on about ?

Qu'est-ce qu'il y a encore ? What now ?

Qu'est-ce qui ne va pas ? What's wrong ?

Qu'est-ce qui se passe ? What's happening ?

Sur place ou à emporter ? In or take away ?

Tout est réglé ? Is everything fixed/good now ?

Tout va bien ? Everything alright ?

Tu fais quoi ? What are you doing ?

Tu m'as pris pour qui ? Who do you think I am ?

Tu m'entends bien ? Can you hear me well ?

Tu pars quand ? When are you leaving ?

Tu plaisantes/te moques de moi ? Are you joking me ?

Tu t'es cru chez ta mère ? Did you think you were at your mother's house ? (angry)

Tu te sens mal ? Are you feeling ill ?

Tu vas te taire, oui ? Will you shut up ?

Fanmail - masterlist (2016-) - archives - hire me - reviews (2020-) - Drive

[therealbabycher]

⋆.˚ ✦ Being hot is just a mindset ... ♱

A short look into a self-concept

   ── .✦  ┆  𖤐  ┆  ␥ 

જ⁀➴. What is your self-concept?໒꒱

꒰ఎ 💸 ໒꒱ ⋅ Your self-concept is the story you keep telling yourself. It's everything you believe to be true about yourself; positive and negative. It's all of those affirmations you've unintentionally created and repeated to yourself throughout your life, making them your dominant beliefs. And that entire story of affirmations (beliefs) you've subconsciously created for yourself is projected out into the physical world (3d).

꒰ఎ 💸 ໒꒱ ⋅ This means however you experience life in the physical world, is only determind by what you repeat to yourself in your mind, so you will notice that the outer world will only treat you by that story of affirmations you keep telling yourself.

꒰ఎ 💸 ໒꒱ ⋅ So.. what does this mean? This means YOU can make this world your oyster and experience your heaven on Earth. YOU can experience the highest forms of pretty privilege and be treated like royalty just because YOU BELIEVE your right. YOU can have people recite your affirmations about your worth, your looks, your beliefs right back to you, and all you have to do is change that old story of beliefs into a new story that benefits and favours you and PERSIST in it. CHANGE SELF AND PERSIST IN IT.

જ⁀➴. How I changed my self-concept.໒꒱

꒰ఎ 💸 ໒꒱ ⋅ Make a new story in the 4D! Remember guys, your story is just a collage of beliefs you have about yourself. And you can have more than 1 story too! You can have a story about your appearance; what you look like, what kind of beauty you have, how people treat you.. You can have a story about your lifestyle; how exciting and rewarding life is, how much money your dream job brings you, how lavish and luxious life is..

So in order to change a story, you must change your affirmations. You can also make vaults! I love making dramatic affirmations and vaults to change my story because I love the way they manifest into my outer world, just as dramatically as my affirmations and vaults are .… ⌵

∘₊ ✦───Example!───✦₊∘

─⋅ ♱ ⋅ "Pressure? What pressure" and "A day in the life of an art student" are story changes I made for how I see myself as an (art) student. I made a list of characteristics about myself as an artist as my affirmations and made short vaults explaining my life as an artist too. ⋅ ♱ ⋅─

∘₊ ✦───Example!───✦₊∘

꒰ఎ 💸 ໒꒱ ⋅ Make a collection of adjectives describing yourself in the 4D! You can make them as simple or as dramatic as you like. I also absolutely love describing myself/my life using random things like certain feelings, my favourite songs, movies, video games, eras, aesthetics, specific celebrities and K-idols like 2016-2019 Ariana grande, TWICE's Nayeon Sana and Dahyun, Victoria secrets' Miranda Kerr to add emphasis

꒰ఎ 💸 ໒꒱ ⋅ Subliminals! Choose subs that are specific to the type of person you want to believe you are. This can be your personality and how people perceive you, your appearance, aesthetics, aura and your effect on people, your type of mentality (ex. Humble, carefree, extremely confident in self). I use subliminals all the time and I'm planning on making a post about whay my self concept looks like featuring my subliminals.

[ukulelette]

Endless list of my favourite live moments:

↳ Florence + the Machine at Open'er Festival 2016, Poland

[saintvainglorious]

Fics I Enjoyed in January - DC Comics Fic Rec List Part 2

I am still neck-deep in DC fandom this month and the fics have been so so good. Unlike last time, I am too tired to write mini summaries/reviews, so I'm going to feature my favorite quote from each fic instead.

My first DC Comics fic rec list is here!

Floor Plans by @oh-mother-of-darkness (Teen & Up, 1k, 2016) “I really didn’t want to die,” he finished. “I was kind of hoping if I laid here long enough, I would remember what that felt like.”

Losing two brothers in six months takes an emotional toll.

almost right by @bitimdrake (Teen & Up, 3k, 2020) He desperately wishes that he didn’t know what Dick’s cheekbone feels like under a gauntleted fist.

Bruce sucks in a breath, hand raising to fix the cowl. Dick flinches back.

but more with love by @danishsweethearts (Teen & Up, 3k, 2022) Dick wakes up one morning, groggy from a dream that he thinks might’ve been about the circus and also about his favourite car and also about how lonely he is, and realizes that he can’t remember what his mother’s voice sounds like anymore.

O Robin, Robin, wherefore art thou Robin?

The Mechanics of a Hug by @sohotthateveryonedied (General Audiences, 4k, 2017) “You know… that crushing sense of depression? Like,” Dick chews his lip. “It’s. A physical weight. Makes it hard to breathe?” “Yeah,” Tim says, soft. He smiles, wryly. “I sort of hoped you didn’t, though.”

“So,” Tim ventures. “It's… what, a cuddle pollen?” Bruce just shrugs. “Something like that.”

No Pain, All Gain by @sohotthateveryonedied (General Audiences, 1k, 2020) Tim’s eyes go even wider. “You stole my organs?” “Technically,” Jason chimes in, “the doctors stole your organs. We just gave them permission.”

Bruce checks Tim’s IV. “Are you in any pain? Do you need more morphine?” Tim’s pupils are so wide that only the faintest ring of blue can be seen. He watches Bruce the way a five-year-old watches cartoons. “I’m all good, B-dog. All Gucci, like we cool teens say." His words are slurred almost beyond recognition, but Tim doesn’t seem to notice or care. "I could fight Superman right now.”

The Wind Sits in the Shoulder of Your Sail by @birdchildsnest (Teen & Up, 7k, 2020) “Oh my god. Bruce. I can’t even tell if you’re serious. When everybody finally eats the rich—they’re going to eat you first.”

At least, back then, Tim had barely been a teenager. He could almost forgive his own volatility. And he’d been smart enough (scared enough?) not to tell Jack that he didn’t need him. What was his excuse now? Bruce was his dad (at least, in the legal sense), but (surprise, surprise) it turned out that Tim wasn’t any better at being a son. Or Tim and Bruce still have some things to sort through after the adoption.

I Left My Conscience On Your Front Doorstep by @dustorange (Teen & Up, 21k, 2022) He doesn’t want to be loved if being loved is like this.

"I think I'm leaving," Dick whispers. "I think I'm not coming back."

bad boys bad boys (whatcha gonna do) ♫ by @drakefeathers (Teen & Up, 20k, 2014) "They live their lives thinking they can charge through the city with the right to hurt and kill and destroy as many lives as they want. And they do it all without a shred of remorse." “But—” Damian begins, brow furrowed in confusion. “Isn’t that like you?”

a Jason and Damian as Batman and Robin AU!! featuring a bunch of graffiti, a rival dynamic duo, and Cat Jason (a cat named Jason).

The Biggest Mistake by @oh-mother-of-darkness (General Audiences, 1k, 2016) “I could ground him anyway, if it would make you feel better.” “He only said it because I called him ‘a garbage can so ineffective it actually became garbage.’”

"You know what really needs to be addressed? Bruce's truly terrible treatment of Damian." -Me, on a daily basis

been a number and a name by @wynterstars (Teen & Up, 35k, 2023) “Turns out if you just say ‘spacetime’ until people’s eyes glaze over they don’t really question anything you say. Also, somehow nobody expects me to be able to actually do enough math to explain it.”

On a field trip, Robin has a close encounter with the newest super in Metropolis, only to discover the hard way that Superboy secretly works for Lex Luthor. They agree to work together on a plan to free Superboy from Luthor’s hold, but Robin isn’t sure how far he can trust him—and his developing feelings only make things more complicated.

clean it like you mean it by @wynterstars (Teen & Up, 70k, 2024) "Wait, ugh, you're not my dead dad, right? If I'm getting a dying vision of my dead dad I want a do-over because he suuuuucked."

When Gotham's crooks have to scrub down their lairs, who do they call? Jason Todd, Gotham's first and only underworld crime scene cleaning specialist. He's spent his life dodging the Bat, but after a chance encounter he saves Robin's life. Tim Drake finds himself drawn to the conflicted rogue, and soon Jason becomes Robin's street informant. But they can only stay on opposite sides of the law for so long before something breaks.

3:16 by @wufflesvetinari (Teen & Up, 70k (WIP), 2023) “Try to decouple one thing from the other. I’m proud of you, but ice cream isn’t my grand statement about whether you’ve been good or bad today. Good things are good. Happiness is precious. Sometimes you just want caramel chocolate chip.”

The knife pushes thin along Dick’s carotid artery, cupping the indent between neck and jawline—forcing him to angle his chin. The metal is warm, pulled with execution speed from under Damian’s pillow. “Okay,” Dick says quietly, tracking the intricacies of his own heartbeat—counting the space between breaths. “Guess I did need a shave.” (With faltering steps, Dick and Damian become Batman and Robin.)

wolf-king of rome by @mysterycitrus (Not Rated, 25k, 2024) “You go after Joker, but you don’t kill him, because it’s not about the Joker dying, it’s about Bruce breaking his code for you. It’s about Bruce loving you enough to change himself for the worse. It’s about your idea of grieving.”

Jason doesn’t fear Dick Grayson. Fear itself has changed shape for him, since his return from the Pit - it tastes of dirt in his mouth, of drowning, of fire and blood and laughter, more than a tangible face. Still, he’d be stupid not to be cautious. Dick liked playing on an uneven field, and would do anything to keep him off balance, so he just had to stay focused. That’s the nature of the armistice, both waiting for the other to make a move. It’s like balancing on the head of a pin.

Declensions by @dustorange (Teen & Up, 13k, 2018) “Do not tell them your name. Do as I did to survive. I lied. I have always lied. Make one up. Do not let them have you. Say your name is…is…is…Richard Grayson. Or something. They are going to steal you; do not give them anything to steal.”

“My father,” Dick says, “worked the rope. It cut him. His hands were never clean.”

Passiontide by @bigdvmnhero (Teen & Up, 5k, 2025) Despite its faults, the day had tried to be good. He felt young, like someone's son.

On the 96th day Bruce didn't call, Dick remembered their old game. Three things he knew: 1) In three months, it would be Dick's death anniversary; 2) Bruce was still missing his check-ins; 3) Here Dick was, persisting. Imagine the things I'd survive, Dick thought distantly, if I loved Bruce less. Or: Agent 37 and his various crises of faith, on Day 277 at Spyral, Day 150, and Day -0.

the time you won your town the race by @silverwhittlingknife (Teen & Up, 4k (WIP), 2022) Tim. Tim is Dick’s. Death sharpens, clarifies these things. Who will receive the body, decide on the funeral, receive condolences, make all the decisions that matter. No one has questioned it, not even Tim’s friends. There’s a terrible clarity about death. If Dick said, let’s burn everything he owned, Alfred would do it.

He doesn’t know exactly what Tim would say. But he knows what Tim would do. Tim dies. Dick doesn’t take death for an answer. A Red Robin 12 AU.

door, opening by @cowboysorceror (Mature, 70k (WIP), 2024) Dick, with the keys to every locked door Jason has ever tried to open, tucked inside the cradle of his skull; all of that, snuffed out like a candle.

It’s barely audible, but he knows what he heard. A short, four-note whistle, chirping down – E, C#, then jumping up to A, F#, a little trill on the finish. He waits a moment, head turned slightly towards the dim shapes of storage containers between him and the ramp, eyes straining against the blackness. Long, stretching seconds. There it is again. His gloved hand, prickling with cold, closes into a fist. It’s a wood thrush. A small North American songbird that doesn’t sing at night, doesn’t live in the city. He knows what it means. It means hold, steady, not yet. It means wait for me, I’m behind you.

[ranchthoughts]

Happy marriage equality Thailand! 🌈

A few months ago, @colourme-feral came to me with the idea of cataloguing as many same-sex Thai QL proposals and weddings as we could. And today, to celebrate the bill passing the Senate (and the first post-bill-passing proposal and wedding), I'd like to share with you all our findings! Even though same-sex marriage has not been legal in Thailand until this year (hopefully things will be official in the fall), there have been quite a few same-sex proposals and weddings in Thai QLs throughout the years.

Big thank you to everyone who assisted on this project in some capacity (@airenyah, @bengiyo, @blmpff, @chickenstrangers, @dribs-and-drabbles, @nieves-de-sugui, @twig-tea, @waitmyturtles, @williamrikers) plus all the gif and fanvid makers whose work was instrumental in helping us double check everything (particular shout out to these gifsets by @apathetic-tortoise (1, 2) and this one by @gunsatthaphan).

🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍🌈

We found 28 Thai QL shows which featured at least one same-sex proposal (the blue list below) and 15 Thai QL shows which featured at least one same-sex wedding (the green list below).

I was pretty strict with what counted as a proposal or a wedding for the purposes of this project. For example, characters who we know are married but whose wedding we don’t see aren’t counted (like Laws of Attraction’s Maya and Rose, or the unnamed Force and Book characters shown in a “Just Married” car in Vice Versa). There are many shows where there is a ring or someone gets down on one knee but the question is not exactly “popped” (Khun Chai, Star In My Mind Our Skyy 2, etc.), and there are even more shows characters talk at length about commitment and being together forever but there were no mentions of marriage or other details (like rings, etc.) that would specifically suggest it was a proposal (A Boss and a Babe, Ai Long Nhai, Be My Favourite, Cupid's Last Wish, Dark Blue Kiss, Something In My Room, Star in My Mind, Still 2gether, Until We Meet Again, 3 Will Be Free, etc.). Some of these moments might have been intended as a declaration of intent to marry by the characters and the show runners, but they weren’t conclusive enough to be included on this list. Furthermore, I think it’s interesting to see how many shows were, for lack of a better word, explicit in their discussion or portrayal of same-sex marriage (having the characters use the word marriage, showing weddings, etc.), despite being from a time before such a thing was legally possible. 

Note: I've listed the shows with the year they started airing for ease, even though some of them did finish airing in another year.

(see alt text for the full lists)

The Quick Facts

The first proposal and the first wedding in our data set both happened in Grey Rainbow episode 4, which aired on May 7, 2016. (though this is not exactly an auspicious wedding to start with, as those who know know)

12 shows featured at least one proposal and one wedding (Cherry Magic, GAP the Series, Grey Rainbow, Laws of Attraction, Love Syndrome 3, My Secret Love, Naughty Babe, Never Let Me Go, Tharntype Special: The Wedding Day, Two Worlds, Wedding Plan, and the Wedding Plan Special). 

4 shows feature two same-sex proposals (Cherry Magic, Love Syndrome 3, My Secret Love, and Two Worlds). All these shows also feature a same-sex wedding.

None of the shows in our sample had two same-sex weddings.

The Data Over Time

As you can see, generally same-sex proposals and weddings have become more common in Thai QLs over time, though of course there are more Thai Qls being produced now than in the earlier days.

Note: I'm only looking at shows which aired before the marriage equality bill passed the Senate, so the 2024 data does not include Wandee Goodday or OMG! Vampire. It will be interesting to see if and how the number of same-sex proposals and weddings in Thai QLs increases through 2024 and beyond now that it will become a legal reality.

It is also interesting to consider the production companies behind the shows in our sample. This sample includes 7 GMM shows and 5 Mandee/Domundi shows, plus 1-3 series each from other production companies like Idol Factory, MeMindY, Studio Wabi Sabi, Copy A Bangkok, Jinloe Media Work, TV Thunder, and M Flow Entertainment. In other words, GMM shows make up roughly 23% of the sample, Mandee/Domundi shows are another 16%, and other production companies comprise about 61% of the sample.

Main Couples vs Side Couples

There are 28 shows with proposals in the sample but 32 proposals, because four shows have two proposals each. 26 of these 32 proposals (81%) are between the main characters and 6 of them (19%) are between side characters.

Of the 15 weddings in the sample, 12 (80%) are between main couples and 3 (20%) are between side couples.

For interest's sake, I also broke this down for GMM and Mandee/Domundi. GMM has 7 proposals in 6 shows, with 5 main couples and 2 side couples popping the question; and 3 weddings (across 3 shows), in which 2 side couples and 1 main couple got married. Mandee/Domundi has 5 proposals in 4 shows, all between main couples, and 3 weddings (across 3 shows), also all featuring main couples.

🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍🌈

And now here we are, after the bill has passed the Senate. Congratulations to the Thai queer community, and the happy couples Oyei and Cher from Wandee Goodday and Sen and Run from OMG! Vampire who are the first Thai QL couples to propose and to have a wedding (respectively) after Thailand's marriage equality bill passed the Senate! (The bill passed the Senate on June 18, 2024, and episode 8 of Wandee Goodday aired 4 days later on June 22, followed by episode 6 of OMG! Vampire on June 23.)

I can’t wait to see more same-sex engagements and weddings in Thai shows as we move forward.

[bartsugsy]

You've probably answered an ask like this before because you've been watching robron from the beginning but what are your favourite storylines or scenes from them? (I'm very new to emmerdale, i found it last week when robert came back and I saw people on twitter talking about it and ive been binging their storyline on youtube i just got passed the lodge)

oh my god WELCOME ANON i’m desperate to know how you felt about the lodge (i’m a certified Lodge Stan but that’s not a prerequisite here, everyone was going the hell through it when it originally aired fjfjfjf)

with the caveat of, given just how many storylines they’ve had, this is not comprehensive and i will forget things - and also not being too spoilery for you, here’s some faves:

in terms of storylines:

the storyline you are very fast approaching right now in your watchthrough, that takes place at the end of 2015, was fantastically done imo - the build up, specifically. it’s not really a robron storyline (at all) so much as it is a comeuppance and ultimately redemption for robert storyline, but the show spends essentially the entire year building up to this point and it’s fantastic

i did also absolutely love the entire affair storyline - and i enjoy (and appreciate more in retrospect, because it was a little agonising watching in real time) how long it takes the show to bring that to a head and reveal everything. the aftermath of robert being outed and how that leads into robert eventually discussing his sexuality with people is really good. also full disclosure i just simply love chrissie white.

aaron’s abuse storyline i do find very very difficult to rewatch and so i don’t usually, but i still have to mention it, because i thought it was incredible, and wonderful, and there’s a period of time where aaron goes away and robert enters every single scene by bursting into a room and demanding to see aaron and it’s sooo… like oh the writing for how batshit insane this man would be about his husband was right there on the wall

super soap week 2016 - i’ve never experienced anything like it in my life and i genuinely don’t think i ever will again and honestly maybe that’s for the best because there were several days where i simply forgot to do basic things like eat and move and shower because i was so fucking locked in but oh my god

2017 as a whole is at times infuriating but i genuinely deeply enjoyed myself 98% of the time. robron fight, they get married, they break up, the crash outs are legendary, the scenes are immense, the emotions are soaring. i’m an angst goblin though so honestly, take that as you will

the entire reunion story arc is perfect to me

there is a period of time where they are married and both genuinely happy in their relationship (but not in life because it’s a soap and shit is simply always occurring) and they have the most insane and hilarious run of stories where it’s honestly just robron against the world (there’s a kidnap, there’s blackmail, there’s a pig, there’s money being burned in a bin, there’s so much crime) and whilst i do tend to have more fun watching in real time when the angst is happening, mostly because that means they’re on our screens more and doing meaningful things that are building towards a longer term purpose, that period of time is very very fun to rewatch

one time they do a christmas carol episode with robert as scrooge and it’s absolutely baller

in terms of SCENES (and i don’t wanna get too deep into this or we will absolutely be here all day because the list of robron scenes that will take your whole breath away is so endless):

there’s this one scene where robert is in his scrooge era, having a christmas carol dream, and aaron walks down the stairs and robert stares at him like he’s the most beautiful man to ever grace the planet and that really really spoke to me. gayest he’s ever been.

all of super soap week 2016 i’m deadly serious you’re absolutely not ready

all of the first wedding

all of the second wedding

all of the proposals

all of the BREAK UPS

absolutely every single utterly demented thing robert has ever said about aaron ever bc jesus he has no shame imagine living in the same village as someone who swans around saying things like “my beautiful husband who i love” with his whole chest

there’s one ep at the beginning of 2017 where they’re furiously arguing because aaron has done something terminally stupid and they’re like. teetering on the edge of a break up. and it’s so so so good. it’s SO SO GOOD.

that one time post-affair era where robert offers to help andy set up the barton’s new grain pit and aaron is there and even though they’ve lowkey broken up, they start flirting again and then end up banging in the scrapyard portacabin because they’re absolutely incapable of staying away from each other for too long

the entire experience of aaron getting kidnapped is Peak Entertainment to me and one of my favourite robron stories ever and the scenes in those eps are everything to me

aaron’s reunion speech. every single second of it.

that moment in the lodge where robert tells aaron he’s the worst mistake robert ever made, because falling in love with aaron was so deeply violently not a part of rob’s evil plans and oh boy, maybe he could have done so much worse without all these annoying unwanted feelings for aaron, maybe he could have protected himself so much better if he didn’t have to worry about protecting aaron as well, and also maybe he should shoot aaron because that seems like a good way to be free of this unwanted responsibility because honestly i think robert really did, back in 2015, on occasion believe that he would be so much more successful in life if he could just stop experiencing pesky emotions like ‘guilt’ and ‘love’. like if he could just stop caring about people, he’d be able to follow through with all his ridiculous, horribly evil plans entirely unhindered. sometimes your villain simply isn’t cut out for straight up murder 🤟😔

aaron’s hair during christmas 2016

[casscainmainly]

Hi! I recently stumbled on your blog and immediately had to follow because Cass Cain centered blogs are so rare and this is like finding a hidden gem.

I noticed that you're a comic book reader and I was wondering if you could recommend some comics that explore Cass as a character? Or stories centering her that you particularly like?

Thank you either way and I hope you're doing well 💜

Hi!! I can ABSOLUTELY recommend some Cass comics, it might be my favourite thing in the world to do. If you want to dive into her entire history, check out this reading list from @dailycass-cain (they're a great Cass-centric blog too!).

Here are some of my fav Cass Cain stories:

Batgirl (2000) - the ultimate Cass comic and an excellent starting point. This gives you pretty much everything you need to know about her, and lays the groundwork for all future stories. You could literally read nothing else and still get an excellent Cass experience with these 70+ issues.

Gotham Knights #2 - Gotham Knights is a fun series featuring many of the Bat-cast, and #2 is a Bruce and Cass story set on a sinking ship. This is an incredible one-shot that explores a big aspect of Cass' character, with some excellent Bruce-Cass moments along the way.

Gates of Gotham - set during DickBats time, this is a gem in an era that wasn't kind to Cass. A great Batfam story, this is still the only significant Damian-Cass development we've ever gotten, and the Tim, Dick, and Cass interactions are all so good. This doesn't get talked about nearly enough, please read it!

Tynion's Detective Comics (2016) - this Cass isn't exactly the same as previous runs (she was erased and brought back with a different backstory). However, this run restores a lot of Cass' traits, and has some truly excellent Cass moments throughout. It's also a great run for Batwoman and Tim! I would recommend knowing the history behind New 52/Rebirth, as well as Batman & Robin: Eternal, before reading this.

Shadow of the Batgirl - out of continuity, but this YA graphic novel is actually a great starting point, or a supplementary to everything else. Though events are different, this story really gets Cass; her relationship to Babs, to Batgirl, to language and to culture are really highlighted here. I see this one a lot at libraries, so it might be more accessible than some of the other comics here!

Other comics you can check out are Batgirl (2024) and Birds of Prey (2023). These are ongoing and amazing so definitely check them out (they're not great entry points for Cass, so I would read the above list first). Also, Ram V's Detective Comics is not Cass-centric but has amazing Cass moments, and Spirit World (2023) is a fun Cass adventure that is tied to her Chinese heritage. Finally, DCeased: Unkillables is a really fun Elseworlds story featuring Cass and Jason against zombies. Lowkey the only universe I accept Cass and Jason getting along, so check it out!

[rcbertsugden]

Since there's an anon going round asking people for their top 10 episodes by year, I thought I'd do mine, in chronological order.

2015

- 12th February: the scene between Robert and chaddy is one of my favourite scenes ever. The early show of honesty vulnerability amongst the bravado... yum.

- 8th April: so cute. Robert worried about Aaron being out all night, putting his lil jacket over Aaron like a blanket, care about him I don't just! Stupid interfering bitch. Pebble rock. It's just so good.

- 22nd June: this may be violating the rules because it has nothing to do with robron but I stan the dinner party from hell with coira and chrobert.

- 8th July: for obvious reasons. But also it was my first ever live episode so it holds a massive place in my heart.

- 20th July: the heart eyes, the suits, the sneaking around home farm. Absolute gold.

- 23rd July: just vote for all of July at this rate, I hear you. I would love to. But of course I had to do the insanity of the lodge. The affair reveal is fab but this is included for "falling in love with you ruined everything" and "you said you loved me too remember" and Robert crying on the floor like a lost child.

- 24th September: it's hard to pick between the episodes this week because they're firing on absolutely every cylinder. But from a robron perspective, it has to be this one, as a noted scrapyard scene apologist. Ryan is at his very best here.

- 22nd October: we have the who shot robert flashbacks, "I can't stop loving someone like him", Aaron going to whack him with a wrench, the hurt Robert feels when he finds out Aaron's been arrested and the iconic list of suspects he reels off.

- 2nd December: I'm your man! You're never gonna be that again! My fave robron scene of all time tbh.

- 18th December: I tried to resist but this couple of months is where I live. The flirting in this one! Us living under the same roof wouldn't that be cosy! Robert was so determined to get Aaron back he was willing to inherit a pub. Icon.

2016

- 21st January: my favourite scene of all time may be I'm your man, but this has my favourite line of all time. Being in fandom then was such a good time despite how difficult the storyline was. I just remember reading an article about the episode and it said something along the lines of Robert maybe having a revelation of his own, but I don't think anyone expected an ily??? I had to grip my chair to keep from falling off it. Iconic. The whole episode was so amazingly acted and the centrepiece of one of the best weeks emmerdale ever had.

25th February: the spoiler drop for this one was iconic. We met beloved Liv for the first time, Robert got kneed, we got the entirely ridiculous "of course I still want this" as if Aaron had ever done anything but resist Robert's attempts to get back together, an icon! And of course the first fairly pathetic attempt at a near kiss, love it though. A note for Robert's hair as well.

2nd March: Robert in a maroon suit! The absolutely insane flirting. You lost your touch?!? AS IF?!? Chrissie's "it's good to know who you are". Their faces when Vic says its a date??? Smitten kitten??!?!?!?! I live here x

15th April: we finally get justice for Aaron. We also get the insane Adam realising they're together from one touch, and the absolutely stunning scene outside the woolpack. Probably controversial, but better than the reunion itself for me.

14th July: Yes, Charity catching them in the shower is gold as is Robert's insane lust. The real star of the show is the two boyfriend drops and the hilarious "not that you're not lovely" "or your daughter in law" and "the man went to prison for being gay, guess what in other news he's still gay". I loved Lawrence and Ronnie's relationship so that was also a highlight.

16th August: the handbag line is great but this isn't robron's episode, this is robert and andy's episode. Bernice also deserves a mention. Funny, heartbreaking, poignant. The perfect send off, really.

17th October: I don't even need to explain this one.

24th October: another one I tried to resist but it's just perfect oh my god it's so cute.

16th December: the pub quiz!!!!!

25th December: their first Christmas together ❤️ I still have Aaron's jumper.

2017 (this is so difficult bc I've never really rewatched it outside of the fandom rewatches)

- 5th January: I don't like this as much as I should, but there's no denying the suits and the Vegas stuff is brilliant. And I love the rolo joke.

- 23rd January: the pub scene is so damn sweet. Robert sitting in the dark worrying about Aaron. Got too much keeping me here these days! You're not on your own you're with me remember! I wouldn't wanna be anywhere else! The casual touches. Just lovely.

- 20th February: DIRTY LITTLE GREASE MONKEY okay the whole thing is perfect but that one line is enough. And also big gay wedding in the morning... queen.

- 21st February: I wouldn't normally do 2 in a row but. The garage scene, the callbacks, the first dance that wasn't a first dance, wouldn't kick blondie out of bed for leaving crumbs.

- 23rd February: 3 in a row is bad I know but it has my favourite moment of theirs (which is different to line and scene tyvm). The fucking forehead heart kiss hug thing it's perfect and nobody will ever beat that level of romance ever. The teasing about Robert's shower gel is also adorable.

- 10th April: partly heinous but then most of 2017 is. It still gave us the glorious picnic and clothes swap so. I've had better, well I haven't! Is that something else you don't do outdoors?! I'm Aaron Dingle I don't eat salmon and I don't have sex outdoors!

- 25th May: my beautiful husband who I love!!! People don't stay with me!! People don't forgive me!!! I love you, still, yeah, I love you more!! Such a tough watch but also all time epic romance moments.

- 19th June: I love them teaming up to fuck over Ross, and the weed plot was iconic. A rare moment of levity in that time.

- 29th November: our robbo back in the mill where he belongs! The chemistry... phew!!

- 25th December: again, one I don't love as much as I should, but their insane love for each other and the fashion in this episode makes it worth it. Robert becoming a real boy is so important to me.

*shudders*

2018

- 11th January: nothing to do with robron, again, but I know in my heart as a chrobert stan I must include their final parting. Also, Larry's death is hilarious.

- 14th February: what did we do for Valentine's last year? Oh I won't even quote anymore, this is on the list for one scene and one scene only: POCKET DIAL. invented romance.

- 15th February: SO underrated. Obviously we have the adorable "I think he wanted me" but also the stuff about it actually was what it looked like and Aaron being so close to choosing Robert and then.

- 22nd February: reuniting with Aaron is part of the bisexual contract <3 bonus points for the delivery of "oh my god we forgot the baby" and the vanity scenes.

- 5th April: the kidnap plot was nonsense but I had to include some of the jobert feud and Robert's worry over Aaron was gorgeous.

- 26th July: the proposal is wonderful but honestly this was even better. Both of them coming up with their proposals, the reactions from Chas and Liv, the fucking Robron and Seb scene oh my god it's too cute.

- 30th July: fiiine I'll include the proposal too. You made it okay to be me! Jinx! Except it's not some random layby! Chas and Liv plotting. The plans to adopt Seb. It's not Lachlan is it! Yeah, just a wonderful episode. Most couples would dream of such a good proposal and we got two separate iconic proposals. Here's hoping the third will be as good!

- 28th September: Robert calling them bachelors lmaooooo. The vadam sideplot was good and of course the stag do and karaoke was EVERYTHING.

- 5th October: obviously. The watch!! Their suits!! The Love We Stole!!! Their heart eyes!!! The speeches!!! Wedding 1.0 is better, but honestly, they really ate this one, too.

- 20th November: Robert hanging out with children and getting his pretty shirts ruined. I stan. This being the thing that makes him realise he wants more kids, very cute. I'm not a parent robron fan really but I was almost cheering here. Shout out to it being the beginning of Robert and Nicola being awful to Graham (affectionate).

2019

- 22nd January: my favourite version of this episode is the secret one that only existed in spoilers but what we did get was great too! Shenanigans with Seb and Spamela and that wonderful chat with Aaron and Moira about their partners being nightmares. All capped off with the cutest lil nap.

- 26th March: the weirdest, most fun wlw mlm solidarity double date dinner. I live for Robert and Charity being the same person being called out.

- 11th April: this gave us so much! Smiling at each other talking about having a family together, Liv standing up to Maya, the absolutely GORGEOUS conversation between Robert and Liv about not having to change for anyone (that convo hit 20 year old me Hard), the ridiculous face Aaron pulls when Robert suggests hot chocolate, if the next one gets your eyes everyone's in trouble, Liv blackmailing Maya so robron can afford a kid, and that damn snuggle on the couch.

- 22nd April: Robert finally gets a birthday!!!

- 7th May: the big night out flashback, which was super well done on the whole. Robron were flirting so badly, I'm married and rusty!! If I met you in a bar, I still would!! The Victoria story was heartbreaking and really well acted. The directing and lighting was so atmospheric as well.

- 25th July: the football team storyline was useless nonsense in the best way. This particular instance featured Robert and Victoria being adorable and goofy and I live forever on the crumbs of a friendship group it gave us.

- 6th August: Robert shamelessly lures his husband away from important accounts work with sex and surrogacy (not clickbait!). Robert and Aaron looking peak in grey and black, and getting lightly slut shamed by Diane. Beautiful stuff. Victoria gets all angsty as is her right and it ends in a lovely conversation where Robert gets really vulnerable about going to prison and giving Aaron something to look forward to.

- 10th October: mention of a classy anniversary trip! The clock ticking so loudly in their ears that they're doing everything possible before their time runs out. Most importantly, the family unit of Liv, Aaron, Robert, Victoria and Seb together properly for the last time. Robert really came so close to having it all.

- 17th October: what is it with the boys and that date in the woods? Though the runaway era was frustrating at times, there's no doubt that their chemistry was on full front here, and their reckless devotion was never more present. From their desperate last kiss to them imagining their dream life in France, it was magical. The perfect way to end their time pre-prison.

- 1st November: the best goodbye I could ever have hoped for, honestly. The details, from the pictures in Robert's prison cell to TWO plays of The Love We Stole. The banter about Aaron knowing the prison cook, the worry, the wedding rings, the moment Robert decides not to tell Aaron and to let him go. You're the best thing that ever happened to me, promise me you'll never forget. All the little touches and the hug that still has me in tears. Aaron being in the background as Robert leaves. The montage. It's so respectful and so important to their legacy. For 6 long years, I was ecstatic that this was the end. They did it right.

[shutuperce]

your fall 2023 byler reading list 🍂🍂

BIG BYLER FIC REC DUMP cause i haven't been writing a lot but i HAVE been reading and y'all need to read these! hope u enjoy as much as i did <3

got your spell on me, baby - @astrobei -Stranger Things (TV 2016) [Archive of Our Own]

Words: 7,919

TW: none

'To be fair, Will’s costume is great, now that Mike knows what it is. And, okay, wait-

“Oh, this is so good. This is so good.” Max points at Mike, wheezing. “Because you’re dressed as-”

Will’s still looking straight up at the sky. The length of his neck is very, very flushed. Mike can feel his entire face going redder than Vader’s lightsaber. He clenches his hands into tiny little fists, and says, around a groan: “I’m not Han Solo, guys.”'

THE halloween byler fic. the party at college, bi lucas sinclair content, halloween party shenanigans.

these nerds, using star wars to flirt 🙄

background lumax & their amazing couples costume, el & will power sibling duo!!!

bowie references to heal the soul

all in all one of my favourite getting-together fics for this time of year :)

what a match: i'm half-doomed and you're semi-sweet - @perexcri - Stranger Things (TV 2016) [Archive of Our Own]

Words: 28,150

TW: guns, blood, gore (just demodogs though no human gore)

'One month ago, if you had asked Will Byers what he’d do if Mike Wheeler threaded his fingers through his hair, looked him dead in the eyes, and started leaning in for a kiss, he wouldn’t have said this.

He wouldn’t have said he’d be staring right back into those yawning dark eyes, one hand on Mike’s waist, the other against his cheek. There wouldn’t have been any lightning in his veins or blood rushing in his ears.

He wouldn’t have said that Mike Wheeler would be tilting his head in the opposite direction, eyes widening just the slightest as if asking permission, his mouth slightly parted.

He wouldn’t have imagined it at all.'

SO SO GOOD. apocalypse post s4, background jancy and platonic stobin, interruption trope x10000 so it's SO SATISFYING at the end.

WILL WITH A GUN.

jonathan & mike solidarity <3

all in all amazingly well written mike and will being blushing messes. love them. fluff in the apocalypse.

take my hand, wreck my plans - @parkitaco - Stranger Things (TV 2016) [Archive of Our Own]

Words: 6,297

TW: discussion of past trauma

'"I am not taken," he says out of habit, even though he kind of is. He and Will aren't together - he blushes at the thought - but they do spend an awful lot of time together, and Mike doesn't ever find himself wishing he was anywhere else. "Will and I are-"

"Ooh, I didn't even say anything about Will!" Max crows. "Oh, this is excellent."

Mike hides his face in his hands even though she can't see him. "Oh my God. Can you put Lucas back on, please?"

Max cackles in to the receiver, the sound fading as Lucas presumably wrenches the phone out of her grip. "We gotta go, Mike," he says, laughing a little. "Max has class and I'm driving her."

"Tell her she's the worst," Mike grumbles, fiddling with the phone cord.

"Say hi to Will for me!" Lucas sings, and hangs up before Mike can protest.

Mike groans and flops back on his mattress. It's going to be a long year.'

part of a series!! byler college au, friends-to-lovers, background party friendship, AND THEY WERE ROOMMATES. OH MY GOD, THEY WERE ROOMMATES??

taylor swift title... do u really need any other persuasion

the whole series is just AMAZING. mike & will getting a break, living together at college and figuring shit out <3

i might be hoping about this - @astrobei - Stranger Things (TV 2016) [Archive of Our Own]

Words: 15,321

TW: none

'Will lets out a small squawk as Mike’s hand— his very cold, very freezing hand— finds its way around the blankets and under his sweater. “I’m sick, you weirdo,” he says, half-laughing into the side of Mike’s head, “I have a fever.” 

“I don’t care,” Mike mumbles, “you’re warm and I’m cold. This is nice.”

“You’re going to get sick,” Will tries, for the umpteenth time, but it’s pointless. Mike Wheeler is stubborn and hardheaded and he never does anything halfway— not even this.'

established byler at college!! so yeah i have a love of college byler and this is one of my top fics for sure. 2nd astrobi fic on this list because i love their writing <3

will gets sick, mike takes care of him. need i say more?

silly goofy guys living together & doing silly goofy domestic shit

this fic makes me SOFT.

accidentally on purpose - @itsromeowrites - Stranger Things (TV 2016) [Archive of Our Own]

Words: 5,019

TW: none

'It starts out with a kiss. An accidental kiss. Because Mike is sleepy and Will is pretty, and who can really blame him? And then there's another one, just as accidental. But the third? Well, that may be a little more on purpose.'

literally smiling so hard at this fic. like hello. soft secret boyfriends and loads of party content, all the kids are okay <3

established byler, how the party finds out. all fluff all the time. jonathan attempts the Talk. mike has no idea what's going on. et cetera.

background lumax, lucas & dustin being lil shits together, and el using her powers to cheat at splashing games. all in all a good time!

and if I get burned, at least we were electrified - anonymous - Stranger Things (TV 2016) [Archive of Our Own]

Words: 14,958

TW: none

'“I’ll leave you be until lunch,” Max starts negotiating, nodding at him as if that’s a good deal. Which—considering it's Max, it is, but Mike doesn’t want to give in just yet. She sighs. “I won’t laugh about the sweater anymore. Or the weak disposition that gives you stupid allergies all the time.”

Mike’s frown deepens, but she wasn’t as mean as she could have been, so he’s gonna take it. He needs to get this out anyways, or he’s going to keep running in circles as if stuck in a hamster wheeler—an accurate representation of his brain when it comes to Will, really. He presses his lips together and tries to figure out a subtle, non-funny way to say it, but he comes up blank.

Fuck, whatever: “I almost kissed Will. Again.”

Max actually has to cover her mouth with her hand, disguising a worryingly loud snort with a cough. The teacher turns their way and stares, then goes back to explaining the exercise on the board. Mike scribbles it down while Max gets herself under control.

Screw his life.'

senior year, post-vecna. the party being friends but also little shits to each other.

madwheeler bandmates!!!

will steals mike's entire closet

they are Dumb Idiots who are mutually pining from afar

and other lovable tropes. takes place in november so good fall vibes :)

[yakichoufd]

The show scott is also my favourite so what comics would you recommend that fit that archetype?

I will recommend the comics I really enjoyed and I think they still fit his archetype (warning: I barely read comics were Scott is an adult haha! So it is mostly about teen Scott or young adult Scott): Classic x-men #41-#42 in these two issues he doesn't have his power yet but you can already he has a strong sense of justice. He is also a sweet bean there who deserves a lot of hugs (which he kind of get...i guess...but at what cost Y-Y) Marvel snapshot X-men a really interesting take on how he get his powers and how he tries to fit in the world (which is already hard when you are a normal teenager) X-Men: Children of the Atom a 6 issues story where you see how the original 5 joined the team. He is not a leader yet but he takes few directive that are interesting and he can make some good speech if needed (but these comics are more interesting about how he lived with Jack Winter and how he got saved from him) Cyclops (2014) a serie of young Cyclops living his best life with his space pirate dad. He is very much a sweetheart and has quite some clever moments when he needs to save his dear papa. Cyclops (2010) it is an oneshot crack story but Scott is well portrayed even if it is to make jokes. It is a fun solo comic! The adventures of Cyclops and Phoenix a 4 issues story with little Nathan. It is quite intense to read, and if you do not know who Nathan and Rachel is, or who Apocalypse is, it can be super confusing (and even with some understanding, there are some parts I could not completely follow) but Scott can be a papa and it is very sweet. X-men first class Road trips it is more focus on the original 5 and I did not enjoy everything about that serie, I didn't really enjoy the art style (but I think many will find it pretty) or the writing , but there is one scene I enjoyed dearly! It is when they are all powerless and Scott still shows his quick way of thinking and how he can save the day without powers. But I find most of the writing very clumsy. Champions (2016 + #5 from 2019) teen Scott joins the Champions and finally experience some fun times. His friendship with Miss Marvel is cute. And that's about it for now! I might add more to that list after I finished reading more comics (I've quite a big pile waiting to be read haha)! Hopefully you'll enjoy some of my recommendation! And if anyone wants to share theirs, I'd love to read about it!