#A whole section dedicated to them. It's awesome

[donuts4evry1]

I have a confession to make:

So I like to read books for my cousin. Reading is fun.

At the library, this bok caught her attention(because it was a cut glittery pink kitten haha) and I thought "oh, this will be a cute book"

NO.

IT ABSOLUTELY RIPPED MY HEART TO SHREDS I ALMOST BROKE DOWN SOBBING OVER THE DINNER TABLE OH. MY GOD.

Funny enough I don't want to spoil anything about the book so I'll just leave my commentary under the cut. It's a genuinely good read and I recommend it to everyone

This book follows a little kitten trying her very hardest to be a unicorn. Every time she makes a change to be more like a unicorn she is satisfied with herself, but her friends(?) Parakeet and Gecko keep telling her that she's too feline to be a unicorn.

And she tries to be confident but it's all shattered when an actual unicorn comes by in all of his unicorn-y glory. And she is heartbroken, because she could never compare to the magestic unicorn.

but there's a twist.

The unicorn explains to kitty that he isn't actually a unicorn- but a Kittycorn.

And Kitty brightens up immediately.

They end up bonding over their shared characteristics and it's all in all amazing and wholesome and at the end they cuddle and their shadows merge into a heart because they are not dissimilar anymore.

Anyways I think this story just. Resonated with me. As an allegorical children's picture book, it's intentionally vague and up to interpretation, but here's how it Resonated with me:

A lot of times, I'm comfortable in my birth gender. It was what I was born with, and I know it well.

Other times I don't feel anything towards it.

And during those times, I feel like I don't fit into anything at all. I can pass as masculine granted I wear clothes that aren't mine, but my mannerisms and voice are too feminine to truly pass. I'm stuck in between identities.

Every now and then I'll look into the mirror and feel. Disappointed. The person in the mirror isn't... good enough.

This subsided when I cut my hair but it's growing long again, and the feeling is starting to creep back.

I think the story showing an individual coming to terms with and celebrating the the "in between" is something I really wanted to see. Kitty isn't entirely a cat, nor is she entirely a unicorn. And it's shown not just to be ok- but to be wonderful. Unicorn, her original "goal", also having a journey similar to Kitty's is insanely heartwarming too and what really started tugging at the tear ducts.

Am I a girl? Am I a boy? Am I gender fluid? Am I a genderqueer? I'm a cis girl who wants to present masculine, or am I androgynous? Am I something not even on this list?

I have a lot of experimenting to do if I want to go to the bottom of this, but the bottom line is that I feel a little off inside of my own body, and seeing a cat go through a journey somewhat similar to mine makes me kind of. Emotional.

[muffingnf]

i’m too impatient and terrible at committing to things to make edits but just know the george edits that exist in my head only are soooo freaking good

[queer-overwatch]

Hi!! Could I request maybe a Venture x Reader (Any pronouns will do) on like a museum date? I want Venture to yap.Please and Thank you. ( Also bless the both of you I needed more Venture content I was tweaking without them)

Venture at a Museum!

Aaa ty sm for the request!!! I love that idea so much- they are such a yapper I love them <3 also your welcome hehe, had to take thing into our own hands >:3 (also bc u didn't request a specific format (like hcs or oneshot) i just did a short lil oneshot, hope thats okay!) -Frisk

══════ஜ▲ஜ══════

"Look, look- they have a whole section on rocks! Kinda basic selection but it's still rocks!"

You never thought you'd be able to learn so much about rocks in one day, but it seemed like Venture had made it their personal mission to force as much information into your brain as possible. You didn't mind, really! It was always nice listening to them rant about all the cool stuff they found while walking around the museum you'd planned to bring them to, but it was a lot to take in at once.

"Augh, I love sedimentary rocks- they're my favorite! 'cuz sometimes they have like, little fossils in them and I'm like, "Woah! A cool thing in another cool thing!" and it's awesome! One time I found a trilobite fossil in a rock, it was so cool! I wonder if they have any here- that'd be so amazing! I wonder what they taste like-"

After spilling every single fact they could think of about the rocks on display, Venture drags you to a section of the museum dedicated to Egyptian history, though they mostly just seemed interested in the architecture of the pyramids. You really did try to listen, but you mostly just caught the gist of their long, long, long explanations- something about a Mastaba being like a sort of prototype to pyramids? You were just happy to see them so excited, even if you didn't quite understand what they were so hyped about.

"Oh, if only that British lady could go back to ancient Egypt and get the architects of their time to answer my questions! I'd give anything to be able to do that!" Sensing the slight disappointment creeping up on them, you decide to try and bring Venture elsewhere, not wanting them to spend any energy on being upset by what they can't do.

"Why don't we go look at the dinosaur fossils? I'm sure there's some mistakes in the descriptions that you can correct!" You take their hand, gently pulling them away from the long essay-like description of images of the pyramids that they were reading. Incising them with promises of being able to show off their intensive knowledge of dinosaur fossils, or fossils in general.

Venture perked up almost immediately, following behind you as they ready themselves to go on and on about their favorite dinosaur ever, the Deinocheirus! You tried to ask why it was their favorite ones, and all they said was something about it being "them fr fr" and having rocks in its stomach. You weren't too keen on questioning that one.

They take a large step so they're walking next to you, swinging your arms as you walk, "It's always been one of my biggest goals to find a dinosaur fossil! I really hope I do one day, if I did I could die happy!"

"Please don't die- I would be so sad if you died." You squeeze their hand, voice light as you joke with them.

"Aw but I wanna! I wanna be a fossil for future people like me to discover! When I do die I wanna be buried with a bunch of cool stuff! Maybe mess around with my bones a little, just to throw 'em off!" As you finally reach the fossil exhibits, they abandon you to run off and check over every. single. fossil. which while endearing, gave you a lot of running to do in an attempt to catch up.

"Finally! For once a museum that gets everything right! Well, everything as far as we know-" They stand next to one of the larger fossils, not anything you recognized as you take your place next to them, catching your breath.

"Wow, how impressive-" you wheeze, standing up straight and stretching out your legs as you link arms with Venture, trying to stop them from running off on you again.

They laugh, grabbing you by the shoulder and dragging you in the tightest hug you've ever received.

"Thank you, so, so, so much for planning this. And for listening to me talk about rocks so much, and for caring about me- and a million other things! I can't even remember everything you've done for me, but I know its a lot!" They let you go, still holding you by the shoulders, the biggest smile you've ever seen on a person splayed across their face.

"Of course-! I love spending time with you, you're well aware of that, silly." You laugh, grabbing their wrists and taking their hands off your shoulders, holding their hands as you admire the glow of excitement on their face.

"Welllll since you clearly don't mind, can we go to this other museum I found online next week?! I heard they have an area where you get to watch an hour long video on the story of Julius Caesar!"

[feste-de-jester]

Fundraiser Pins | 🇵🇸🇨🇩🇸🇩🇾🇪🇲🇲🇺🇦

A little something different from what I usually post on here, but thought I should share so it can reach people across other corners of the Internet :)

I co-run an Etsy shop with my sister, and we have a whole section dedicated to Fundraiser pin badges - where all profits made (minus a tiny manufacturing fee) go towards a charity. So far, we have managed to raise small amounts over the last few months, which have contributed to several different causes. See below:

Here is the link to the Fundraisers section on our Etsy shop!

Thanks so much for reading, I really appreciate it! :) It would be super awesome if you could do the cool tumblr thing and reblog this so that it can reach as many people as possible, so that together we can raise funds to support those who need them! ✨

🃏 ⤷ Maya (they/he)

[oftlunarialmoon]

How Can a Sticker Chart Affect Your Mental Health?

Originally posted to www.onlyfunthings.org on August 06, 2018

Ciao lovelies! Today’s post is for those of you who may be having some mental health difficulties lately, like maybe you have a lack of motivation, or can’t be bothered to clean because you’re sad, or maybe you’re forgetful so you can’t recall whether you’ve eaten today. If any of these sound like you, this post may help out a lot!

Today, I’m talking about a technique that I use when things get hard- Sticker Charts.

I know what you may be thinking “no way would I ever use that, sticker charts are for kids!”

And if this is your mindset, I will refer you back to THIS post, where we established that there really aren’t “maximum age allowed limits” on fun things, and I will also remind you that sometimes harkening back to your childhood can be good for your mental state. (For more information on that see THIS post).

In truth, while the practice of making sticker charts was designed for kids, there’s really no difference between a sticker chart and those “habit trackers” you see in planners now.

Both are designed to ensure that the user follows certain habits, or does certain chores. Both provide a moment of satisfaction when you complete a task and can fill in a square of your habit tracker or add a sticker to your chart. Both are ways to develop good habits and help you when motivation is low.

Why do I prefer sticker charts to habit trackers?

Well for one if we’re being totally honest, I have a boatload of stickers, and they have to go somewhere, right? Why not use them on a chart designed to help me?

And for two, I enjoy the whimsy of a sticker chart, while I can’t remember if I ever had one as a kid, there’s just something about it that makes me happy.

And lastly, while I do journal, I find that having the chart on my wall where I can see it everyday; I am reminded to update it, and follow the “chores” listed.

So how can a Sticker Chart help your mental health?

Sticker charts have many uses for mental health. 

For those who have depression: Sticker charts can provide much needed motivation when times get hard and motivation gets low. Just the simple act of placing a sticker on the chart can help you feel accomplished and can sometimes help get you out of bed.

For those who have anxiety: I find that a sticker chart helps my anxiety because it gives me a small semblance of control over my life. I feel like I have some kind of control over what I do. 

For those who are forgetful: I find that having a sticker chart really helps me remember the little things, like “Did I eat today? When did I last clean my room? Have I taken my meds?” Because you can look at your chart, see the sticker, and know that you did it. You can also write dates under the stickers to help with this even more.

For those who take medication (for any reason): You can use the sticker chart to track and remember to take your meds. 

For those with low self-esteem: I found that including a section of my sticker chart dedicated to doing “one self-love journaling exercise daily” helped improve my self-esteem! Maybe you could include a section like this too?

To conclude, sticker charts are simply a fun, whimsical way to help out with your mental state a little bit. Much like a habit tracker in a journal, these charts can help you develop new healthy habits and make the whole process more fun.

Remember to Stay Awesome and Love Yourself!

[kimberlyannharts]

LAST TIME ON POWER RANGERS: Ranger Slayer got herself captured by Dark Specter's forces while saving Drakkon's ass. BUT Drakkon makes up for it by saving HER ass from Dark Specter's corruption. BUT, he died in the process. So that means Slayer now has to save everyone's ass. Again. Seriously, this is like the third event where Slayer has to save everyone.

it's Power Rangers Unlimited: The Morphin Masters!

= so Drakkon and Slayer training together is canon, okay cool, book over, I got what I need

= But moving on from that these panels specifically make me crazyyyyy because what do you mean Tommy and Kim together means "happy ending"? What do you mean referring to Kim as Tommy's guardian angel? What do you MEAN redrawing Drakkon's death scene as more intimate than it was in 116????????

= MY STUPID EX-HUSBAND DIED ON ME SO I HAVE TO GO ON THIS STUPID QUEST

= So something cool about these energy beasts - they're all tied to ranger powers! A yellow bear, a red lion and ape, a gold praying mantis, a white rhino, and an orange scorpion. Sure, the latter wasn't TECHNICALLY a ranger power, just a zord, but there's a point to the "the PR universe did have Kyurangers at some point" theorists

= I just like this panel because it's silly. she's got the zoomies

= Slayer continuing to win the idgaf war against literal deities

= and then they founded an animation studio that gave us the Minions. so unfortunately they gotta go

= but in seriousness, I guess this is how we're going to rationalize how the MMs were portrayed in Beyond the Grid versus how they were portrayed in Power Rangers Universe - the BtG guys were a couple specific higher-power ones. It's fine, I guess. I'm still not a fan of the idea of an entire civilization just calling themselves Morphin Masters, though. Just make.....THESE GUYS the Morphin Masters. Why are they ALL the Morphin Masters??????? Now we have to establish a SUB-SECTION of the Morphin Masters!!!!!!!!!

= Slayer holding Drakkon and his death in high regard like this.......god. god.

= oh hi Blue really cool to see you again hope you don't die in the next few pages

= oh well never mind. Guess we're never going to find out why they came back to life, which was their reason for going into the Grid in the first place, huh

= I do like how we're going back to referring to Blue with they/them pronouns. I guess in hindsight we really were just misgendering them for years. awesome

= I'm glad we're fully acknowledging all the shit Slayer has gone through but I will admit my immediate reaction to the "it was fire" line was "she would not fucking say that". Maybe as a teen, sure. But NOW?

Pink: follow me to the orifice

Slayer: .....the ORIFICE?

= oh hey guys, how have you been since you got retconned into existence and therefore have accomplished nothing in the main series

= I know this is supposed to be a whole thing of "ohhhh these guys think they're free but they're still being controlled yada yada" but at the same time as someone who hated the Emissary retcon and wishes that we could have gotten more from the characters as they were before........them being angry over losing what they had is very very good and I wish it wasn't done through "evil corruption magic." It was good with corrupted Slayer because they dedicated an entire issue to it and FREED HER at the end, allowing more time and space for development; here it's just a quick fight scene and in the case of Blue, followed up with death. And slight spoilers here, even if they don't die here, the way the Emissaries have been dropping like flies doesn't give me much hope for their survival if they show up in the main series

= I wonder if this is a reference to how in an early draft for the Ranger Slayer one-shot, the Bow of Darkness was going to be broken in half by Zombie Rita and Slayer would have used it as dual swords. Either way it's fucking cool

= also while the inclusion of Dino Thunder as one of Pink's forms is a simple mistake, it takes me back to those old DT AU fics where Kim became DT Pink. They're canon now guys, no takebacks!

= So turns out the "Illumination" are just a bunch of senile grandpas. Yeah, that's.............the big revelation for where the Morphin Masters have been. ok

= Now let me just say for this story, the Morphin Masters being useless is a fine decision, for the same reason why the Morphin Masters were useless in Dino/Cosmic Fury - you can't have these overpowered god figures show up and fix everything with a wave of their hand. This applies to every story ever - the god-like figure is captured, or dead, or simply doesn't care enough to interfere. It's a very basic and logical choice for a narrative in order for our actual grounded protagonists to be the heroes.

HOWEVER. It's another instance of Boom hyping up these kinds of storylines as groundbreaking revelations of PR's mythos for years just for the actual reveal to be kind of a letdown. Phantom Ranger's identity. Dark Specter being a major villain. The Squadron Rangers. And now the Morphin Masters' current status. All hyped-up concepts that either get rushed or end up secondary to other concepts, and in the end, don't feel like they matter. It's getting to be a bit tiresome, and I'm saying that as someone who doesn't hold PR lore high on her list of reasons I enjoy the franchise in the first place. And it doesn't help here that, as I've said before, it just feels more like a way to stretch out this event to fill its year-long timeframe. By the end of this book, nothing was accomplished except two more Emissaries are dead (not that they did anything before this) and I guess Green and Black will eventually join the fight, so what was the point of it all. Slayer never really believed the Morphin Masters would help them anyway, so it's not like she changed by the end either - Pink was the only one who really developed as a character, and, well......

= Pink quick eat an imaginary Snickers you're not you when you're hungry

= this is the third person Slayer has killed in two books. she's so good at her job

= also you may have noticed that we've killed two Emissaries and they're not turning to stone nor having a giant spider boi burst out of their bodies. It's soooooooooooo cool how that entire story arc meant nothing in the long run

= ugh yes queen swear off religion just like that

= also at this point Drakkon has wielded the power of a Morphin Master and Slayer was offered the position of one. What I'm getting at here is Tomberly are indeed divine figures

[notebooks-and-laptops]

Honestly my edits to change Val Royeaux to feel bigger if they didn't have the capacity to make a whole ass city type thing would be pretty simple:

- make the executioner/law enforcement place a different map, and a pretty small one, that we only see when Blackwalls plot is happening

- instead of having the upstairs bits and dedicating time to those, dedicate time to a space outside of the grand cathedral? You'd just need to make the outside, and that could be where you confront the chantry sisters/templars at the beginning of the story.

- make there be the ornate area currently where the market is, but have a sort of grubbier "black market" area instead of having that garden bit down in the southern corner of the map. That way there would feel like there were different vibes to different parts of the city, so that it feels bigger even if it's the same amount of space we run around in. Also Sera's intro could happen in one of these two redefined areas at night so that you don't gotta make the whole extra section for that interaction that's never used again

- two cafes rather than so many shops to feel like there's multiple places. One more fancy than the other, again to establish different feels to different areas of the city.

- gates to the alienage. Not the alienage itself neccessarily (altho wouldn't that be awesome) but gates with guards by them and maybe a few elves you could talk to returning from work in the city proper.

Would keep the big lake tho. That's rad.

[yumedoca]

Yuca reads 'The Rumic Theatre!!': Those Selfish Aliens

First up, Those Selfish Aliens (Kattena Yatsura)!! Oh my god, I love this one. Like, I love all of the Rumic World One-Shots but I have a special soft spot for this one because it really shows Rumiko's skill and potential. This work was judged by a couple of mangaka since it was an entry to Shonen Sunday's "newcomer contest", in quotes because I forgot the actual name of the contest and I'm too lazy to google it but it's basically what it says, and the judges comments were more or less like "art could improve a lot but it is a very fun and creative story". And yeah, they're right. The artstyle is cute and nostalgic but some drawings, expressions and stuff feel a bit weak. I've noticed this in early UY too btw, there's this one panel where Lum is sitting on branch in a tree and the size difference and proportion between Lum and the tree felt really off. Of course, these are all things Rumiko improves at while making UY, Her drawings and expressions looks a lot more alive and wonderful since then, her size and proportion game is incredible and her artstyle is literally iconic and it's really satisfying to see how much someone like Rumiko has improved and it's really inspirational too. The story also showed off Rumiko's potential perfectly when it comes to storytelling, it's so wonderfully wacky and creative, a literal example of thinking outside the box. Like, the whole concept of 'a newspaper delivery guy gets abducted by aliens and then fishmen and then humans, who all place bombs inside of him, while he wants to deliver the goddamned papers and also meets this cute, awesome girl who was the fishmen's pet, but then the universe is in peril because of the bomb planters stupidity and selfishness (thus the title) and they form a truce and make sure the guy delivers his papers as safely as possible while the guy doesn't know that he's a literal fucking explosive and the girl hangs out with him even though she knows' is absolutely insane, like oh my god (I had so much fun typing everything in the single quoted section lol). It's so entertaining and it shows that Rumiko Takahashi has a bunch of great ideas with this being one of them. It's charming, funny, the characters are likeable and it just such a fun and cozy read. Also, I hear many say that this is the blueprint to Urusei Yatsura but asides from the Sci-fi themes, dappyamen, the title, Akane's flirtatious behavior being a bit similar to Lum's; it's not really all that similar to UY lol. Anyways, Kei is a funny protagonist and the gag of him being dedicated to his newspaper deliveries is so damn funny (on a related note: He's dedicated to his job, and he respects women, 10/10 man) and Akane (Rumiko's first ever Akane) is a lovable, strong and supportive female lead.

They are both also really cute together btw, made for each other.

Anyway, really enjoyed this one: 8/10.

[animehouse-moe]

The Saga of Tanya The Evil: Complete Setting Material

Note: For Those That Want To Check Out The Art Book But Can't Afford It, Click Here For A Free Online Version

So this is a very cool art book, for a very cool series, from a very cool studio. I sorta wish there was a key animation or storyboard collection for the anime because it's so interesting and intense, but beggars can't really be choosers. Regardless, some initial history of the series might be cool for some, and provides even more reason to be impressed.

I think the most interesting thing is that the light novel for Tanya The Evil is completely different. It's not a super strong toddler out on the battlefield, but a child fighting for the ability to not have to put their life on the line every single day. It's far more tactical, far less showy, and incredible technical by comparison. Which is awesome. Two almost entirely different products, and both are amazing in their own right.

What's also amazing is the studio behind the anime, Nut (yes, that's their name). The Saga of Tanya The Evil was their first anime (not counting a FLCL movie they worked on with 2 other studios). It was the first series, all the way back in 2017 and they killed it. Not many studios can say that they nailed their first project as well as Nut did.

So at the end of the day, The Saga of Tanya The Evil is a crazy bold and brash anime adaptation that put Nut on the map, and gave us super cool art books like this Tanya The Evil setting material one, which has some really beautiful art underneath the dust jacket.

There's loads of extra details alongside the art in this book as well, just little extra pieces and drawings to help spice it up. Like this cover page for the character design section of the book, or the little Tanya illustration that acts as a cover page to the whole book.

Overall in the book, there's 6 "chapters", though effectively 4 or even 3. Character Design, Prop Design, Environment Line Art, Staff Interview, Environment Art, and Light Novel Illustrations. Other than the Staff Interview and LN Illustrations, the chapters of the book are pretty beefy and cover a really solid amount of information and insight. I mean, just look at the character design stuff for Tanya.

Tanya alone has 8 pages dedicated to her in the Character Design chapter, eight. Most will only have 2 or maybe 3, but because of that it covers a really nice breadth of characters that take you all over the place. It's really interesting to see just how much detail and effort is placed into how so many of these characters look, as they end up feeling somewhat simplified when in color and in motion.

Next up is the Prop Design chapter, and I found this section to be the most interesting of the batch. The detail and research put into a lot of the historical weapons and utilities of the era was really impressive, and the detail and thought process for some of the fictional pieces of equipment was super interesting to follow. In contrast to the Character Design chapter though, this one features a lot more full color and even CG work.

Following Prop Design is the Environment Line Art chapter, and man, line art just really gets me. It's something you really take for granted in a lot of shows and you don't really realize how much detail and design work is placed into stuff. Just page upon page upon page of sprawling environments, massive castles or buildings, and all manner of other thing.

Skipping over the Staff Interview (because it's in Japanese) we come to the fully completed environment work. Devoid of characters, motion, and misdirection, the scenery and detail absolutely sucks you in. It's crazy how detailed some of the art ends up.

And last but not least is the Light Novel Cover Illustrations. It's rather small detail overall, but I really appreciate that they went through the trouble of including them because they're so good, and basically the only way outside of the LNs to have Shinobu Shinotsuki's illustrations. Of course, I had to go with my favorite cover illustration, Volume 7, though 6 is a close second.

At the end of the day, for any Tanya The Evil fans, I'd say this art book is highly, highly recommended. I know there's a bit of an impediment due to the price of it, but overall you can grab it for a somewhat reasonable price. eBay has listings that are pretty pricy, but buying in Japan through a proxy service you can get much more reasonable prices and even deals on shipping.

[dancerinthestorm]

Fic Recs: Awesome OFCs edition

For some reason OCs tend to draw a lot of fire in certain fandom circles but I love them unapologetically. For me they are a brilliant way to add something new, something unexpected to a well known and well loved story. So, here‘s my utterly incomplete list of „fics that should be read for their awesome OFCs alone“.

Make way Lizzie Bennett, Sophie Hatter and Tiffany Aching, there are a some new girls in town! 😁

Theodora Byrne in @esta-elavaris epic "Catch the Wind" (AO3).

Oh dear, where to start. I am forever in love with Theo. I'd kill for her, I'd die for her. Her sass, her indomitable spirit, her way of throwing poor James Norrington off kilter. The whole story is just shy of 418k words and a beautiful, terrifying beast to behold. I unwisely started it on a Friday night shortly before going to bed and simply could not stop until my darling, long-suffering husband put his foot down on Sunday and made me eat, drink, shower, sleep and (most cruelly) sent me off on Monday morning to resume adulting.

I'm not sure if I should own up to it in public but to tell you the truth: I have not been able to pick it up since that day. Not because I do not want to (oh how I want to!) but because I am afraid. Afraid that the story will end and I am not ready for it. Afraid for what might happen to Theo and James. When I left them in chapter 63/101 they were happy, comfortable and (relatively) save but with the whole ordeal of "At World's End" still ahead of them.

Should you still put down everything else to read it? Yes! Absolutely! Go! Now! Shoo! And don't be a wuss like me, the story deserves so much more!

Pirates of the Carribeans. James Norrington x OFC. Rated E.

***

Nika in "This Destiny is Mine" (AO3) by @messy-insomniac-bookgirl

I knew I was done for when one of my favourite authors decided to let one of her gorgeous female leads tackle one of literature’s most heinous crimes: The fate of Boromir. No way I would not root for her, rage with her, fear for her, laugh with her. A beautifully nuanced and overall kick-ass female lead that I cannot get enough of.

The story itself is not too long yet and is intriguingly hard to place. The author calls it a fix-it. And it is... but also not... not really... It gives us an OFC but she's no 10th walker. It has already made me feel everything it is humanly possible to feel, sometimes within the span of one short chapter alone.

Amazing storytelling and I cannot wait to find out where this journey will take Nika.

Lord of the Rings. Boromir x OFC. Rated E.

***

Jenya in Bramandian0336's "Black Honey" (AO3)

Having to deal with the emotional hot house that is Kylo Ren/Ben Solo is nothing for the faint-hearted and calls for especially intrepid female leads. So, this list would be utterly incomplete without her.

Meet, Jeyna: historian, archeologist and - suddenly and unnervingly - subject of Kylo Ren's scrutiny. I absolutely devoured her stroy with all it's amazing world building, obscure Star Wars lore and action.

Star Wars. Kylo Ren/Ben Solo x OFC. Rated E.

***

Asta in "Where I am needed most" (AO3) by @scyllas-revenge

Unable or unwilling to commit to any of the literary behemoths above? Then I have just the thing for you! A beautiful one-shot set in the chaos of the Battle of Helm's Deep. Wonderfully dense story telling garnished with spot on characterizations. Headstrong, brave, resourceful, sharp-tongued Asta is a sight to behold and I could not get enough of her clashing with Eomer.

Eomer/OFC. Idiots in love, shouting matches and kisses. Rated T.

****

As mentioned: this list is totally incomplete. Please feel free to yell your own favourites at me in the comment section, regardless of fandom! 😁

And as always: a huge shout out to all the authors for your time, your talent and your dedication! You guys are absolute rock stars!

[ruvelli]

I’m rereading/replaying The Arcana (won’t be the last time so long as it exists) and per usual they’ve got some fun, new stuff going on the side…

And apparently JulianAsra is now canon, like PortiaNadia is if you don’t date one of them.

Um?

First of all, ship who you want—more power to you. But it seems weird to make it… “canon”?Maybe it isn’t? Maybe it’s just in Muriel’s? It seems like they’re leaning into it, though?

Yes, they’re exes and that makes sense, BUT—

SPOILERS:

I’m not sure how to feel about that because their thing was… kind of toxic.

Julian isn’t very mature and didn’t treat Asra with a whole lot of respect (almost more like Asra was a damsel in constant distress or a child) and Asra admitted even when they were together he didn’t love him/barely liked him.

Their interactions as friends even said “barely friends”.

Asra got annoyed at Julian at the drop of a hat because, again, they barely like him. Also tended to lean toward subtle insults a lot.

They only started to get along cuz of the MC and even then only if the MC was dating one of them, in particular if the MC was with Julian who apologized in his thing

Oh, and I need to reread Muriel’s for context again (because I only read it once; I know, shame on me 😭) because I do recall an indication they’re back together… but why? They’re not terribly compatible and I’m scared to play the Memories bit because I’m worried their chemistry is forced in it.

Even the extra stuff doesn’t indicate Asra more than barely likes him. And now there’s a whole section dedicated to their romantic relationship, which is awesome for the shippers. You get coins if you play it, so that’s cool, too.

So, we got concentration on that and it feels like just fluff for that ship lovers… and that cute date episode with one of Nadia’s sisters. Neither of which feels terribly necessary and is clearly just to add content somehow.

But you know what I really, really, REALLY would love to see???

The MC’s life before Asra showed up, how they originally learned magic, the aunt (who doesn’t have to be a real relative) they lived with maybe, when they met Asra, their life together including how it affected Muriel, seeing Nadia for the first time, and then MC’s time with Julian helping at the clinic after their big fight, etc. All the stuff that was mentioned but never got to be explored.

I even want to see their final days beyond a glimpse as they die cuz fuck my mental health

Can we get a prequel?????

[shootingthe-stars]

Its officially been a hour, Im on chapter nine, and i have a whole section in my notes app dedicated to quotes

The letter from Walburga and Sirius thinking that remus being abused like him all in one chapter just was cruel of you :(

Then the letter from Petunia and Regulus 😭 (They are both something i quoted in my notes.)

ALSO THIS

"Don’t settle for bitterness because you’re afraid of getting something you’ll like.”

It stuck out to me SO much, Like yeah they were talking about tea but it felt like so much more.

'Peter always knows what to say to make people feel better, even if it’s just a small comment. It’s something James really likes about him. '

I can't even deal with them bonding knowing the end and at the same time i love knowing they all end up in disaster but at one point they all were loved by each other.

AND LASTLY

'His lovely stupid brother, defying Walburga to wish him a happy birthday, something he’s never even done before. Happy birthday, who is he? Sirius bites back another grin just thinking about it.'

Specifically the beginning 'His lovely stupid brother, defying Walburga' That small snippet specifically, Reminded me of older sirius telling harry about regulus and calling him stupid or idiotic, whatever he said, But it just reminded me of that and it made me sad.

okay i am going to reply to this in order because this is a lot but in a really awesome way!

1. ugh yeah chapter 5 is such a big chapter for sirius cause he has to come to terms with a lot as well as wolfstar finally becoming friends which is prolly the only nice thing about it. the tea conversation was 100% on point with what you said, it was sort of one big metaphor.

2. to me peter’s closest friendship with any of the marauders is with james and that makes it SO much worse. but sweet while it’s there!

3. and omg you caught another thing with the lovely stupid brother line that’s awesome, cause that was totally intentional. i love when ppl notice things

thanks for all this it’s really cool i love how much u enjoy it!!

[risingsunresistance]

ok ok i've been inspired here is a big ramble about worldbuilding stuff that i think makes the resistance fight more interesting

under a read more bc 1) i need this to be sectioned into paragraphs and 2) i imagine this is gonna be WAY LONGER on a phone than it is on my laptop screen rn

okay so first of all. SCREW YOU SKYBLOCK TIME THAT'S REALLY BORING!! so skyblock goes through a year in about 5 days in our time. one day/night cycle is 20 real minutes. cool right? dante's reign lasted a little over 2 years! WRONG. admins are lame and decided that it's not an Actual year, it's literally a period of 5 days. one of the hub NPCs explains that the nights just go by REALLY fast here. BUT WHY WOULD A DICTATOR ONLY BE ELECTED FOR LIKE 12 DAYS THAT'S SO LAME, A 2YR PERIOD GIVES THE SITUATION SO MUCH MORE URGENCY... i think it's more fun to imagine being "logged in" puts you in an odd state of time where you experience more time than what passes. players stuck in the server were only gone for ~12 days but they Felt over 2 years go by. like that one training chamber in dbz or whatever

ALSO IMPORTANT. travel was banned by dante after a while. this meant that you were stuck wherever you were. 2 things of note here tho. 1) it's implied that all the islands including the player homes are connected physically, so theoretically you could fly to someone else's island, maybe even to the hub and back, if you were someone who could fly (maybe you have wings?) or if you have enough mana and dedication lol... but also point number 2. you could still log out, technically that's travel when you think of the servers/smps/etc as all being connected in some way. well that's no fun. imagine instead being fully cut off from the outside world. no chat to friends who arent logged in, no escape, nothing. there were probably poor outsiders who saw their friend suddenly disappear without a trace for a while. skyblock players are prone to do that, but they arent even available in chat?? that's not like them :/ augh i love it i love thinking abt ppl wondering where their friend went and they're like "lol sorry we had to kill some dictator. yea it was this whole thing. the admins all trapped us on the server too. no they were on his side. yea :/"

so anyways with that out of the way, think of how much more serious the resistance becomes with just those two changes. TWO YEARS dante spends making the place unlivable, slowly taking everything from you. money, pets, access to buildings (unless you pledge your allegiance to him of course), travel... but eventually you find out there's ppl who are planning on rising up against him. well why rise up, cant we just contact the admins? nope, no contact with the outside, we're trapped here. also, they're on his side anyways. yes, even simon. this resistance is gonna secretly make and distribute armor with the power to fight off dante. apparently he gets his energy from the moon or something. also dante banned the sun. dont ask how. either simon did that for him or dante has some very concerning powers. they have to get people with their cause without getting caught, but dante eventually puts out a notice that he caught word of a resistance brewing... so we got caught somehow. are there other people are on his side? one of our own reported us? well that might be a MASSIVE problem one day. could have also been an admin, since two of the generals live with one (aaaaand one of them would eventually become an admin. he also didnt lay a hand on dante during the fight despite being a general. hmmmmmmm)

it's all done and settled and things need to be rebuilt. everything is okay. someone put up a grave for dante, saying dante best of course. so his supporters live on. great, awesome, love that. but much worse than that. a goon was spotted in the main hub. no not the skyblock hub. the MAIN hub. outside of the skyblock realm. they escaped........

[og-reesetti]

Been rewatching the Dragon Ball series, so now I'm going to ramble about it for a while

Had a lot of fun with DB, it's a classic that has tons of fun moments and cool fights. I do miss the perpetual threat of the saiyans turning into apes that sorta went away after the early Z arc, but what can you do. Piccolo's theme has aged delightfully through the years, partially thanks to the memes but also the different renditions are so good. A genuine classic. I also miss that there were just... talking animals and dinosaurs. Like yeah that's how the world be. Bring that shit back!

On to Z! The saiyan trio are all terrible, just some of the worst individuals you could ever encounter. I love them. I'm somewhat partial to Raditz because I'm a sucker for massive heavy hitters, and a lot of his attacks looked so goddamn painful. Obviously there's a reason that Vegeta went on to be such a staple favorite for folks, he's such an ambitious warrior that does his best to be the nastiest, most antagonistic cunt in the universe. But despite that, even through the Frieza arc you see him have moments of protecting people, sometimes for unselfish reasons, but he's so quick to say it was for some prideful reason and do something awful right after. Piece of shit, I enjoy him so much.

On Namek you have Frieza and the Ginyu Force, both delightful for very different reasons. Frieza is so cartoonishly villainous. He couldn't be more evil and heartless, and he's so up his own ass about it that mf doesn't even bother walking around for the first section of the arc. I don't think he's my favorite villain in the series, but he's so iconic and shitty and that final form design is so sleek and cool, you gotta appreciate him. Meanwhile you have the Ginyu Force, the silliest Power Ranger team. The crew is mostly just clownery given form and aside from Recoome, they all go down pretty fuckin quick. But Ginyu the man himself is so charismatic and zany, and pretty competent as an officer and leader. But every time he's on screen he's being either outlandish or crafty. He's the perfect subordinate and hype man.

The final fight between Goku and Frieza is pretty long in the tooth near the end for a "five minute clash" but honestly, yeah that's what happens when you have entire halves of an episode dedicated to standing around powering up and yelling. That's DBZ baby. The clashes are damn good but they're so far between sometimes I spent too much of the yelling time looking at my phone instead.

ANDROIDS! I really like the Android arc. You have the mystery of who Trunks is leading into the wackiness of time travel, and the lead into "oh these androids aren't the right ones wait why aren't they the right ones oh THESE NEW ONES ARE MUCH WORSE WHAT WHO'S THAT BIG GUY" and it just escalates leading into Cell. But the drama and intensity of the whole thing is peak shit. 16, 17 and 18 are such a fun trio that interact so well together and their personalities and abilities are a delight. I'm glad down the road we at least get to keep 17 and 18 around but outside of DBFZ I'd love to see 16 return to the story, even in a supportive role akin to 17 and his ranger bit. Also yes 18 and Krillin are goals.

And now we're up to where I'm currently watching, the Cell Games. Cell as his himself is probably up there for visually fantastic designs. His first appearance as the massive cicada-like husk to his first form being so genuinely alien and slimy is such a great shift from Frieza's personality and intro. The genuine "bro what" moment of him using the Z Fighters' abilities was awesome, and connected super well with the time travel story. How he absorbs people's bodies and the fuckin inhalation of the Androids is so fuckin creepy and gross (and depending on the audience, desirable and appealing) and changes forms leads so well into the bio-terror vibe he has. But also just like Frieza his cockiness leads to him actually giving the Fighters time to become strong enough to put up a fight and eventually flatten him. Bad guys need to stop wanting even fights lol.

----

And that's where I'm at for now. I'm jazzed to revisit more of these characters and stories I like so much and will eventually return to yammer about them yet again.

[arknights-imagines]

Exe is Back 🥳💕!!!

(Most important parts are in bold!)

Hiya everyone svshs 💕👉👈!!! I know it's been a little while, however I'm v v happy to say that I'm back now aaa 😭💞! I hope you've all been well~

Anywho, this'll be an update post explaining why I've been gone and what I have upcoming for the blog 👍!! So if you're interested please take some time to read this whole post, tysm 💕!

Firstly, I'd like to apologize for leaving suddenly and without notice 😭😔 I had an urgent irl emergency happen (I'd prefer not to go into any details!) and so I had to go on a complete hiatus for a few weeks svshsh, I had to put all my writing and activity on the blog on a pause 😭😭

However, everything is okay now and I'm super happy to be back to the blog now aaa 👍!!!

As an apology for my sudden hiatus, 'Rico and I would like to offer you guys flowers and cake sgshs 💞👉👈...!!! Please take them and again I hope you can excuse me, ty v v much for your patience as always 🥺

(Art is a commission by @aruaruarisa on Twitter!!)

Secondly, I'd like to talk about what's next for the blog!!!

The headcanons for all the members of Lee's Detective Agency are still in the works ✨! I'm still trying to get myself better acquainted with the characters of each member so that's why this piece is taking some time 👉👈 I want to make sure I do the members justice svshs!!

Here's a small sneak peek from Hung's section of the piece for you guys!:

"･ The Perro will ensure - in every way he can, whilst still staying behind that line he couldn't yet bring himself to step over - that you know he was entirely dedicated to you.

･ “Hey, if you ever need something, just give me a holler!”

“Thank you…you don’t have to worry about me, Hung! But, ‘something’, like what exactly?”

“You know, anything at all! I mean it, when it’s for you, I’ll always be giving two-hundred-percent!”

･ After Hung said anything like that to you, you’d grin sincerely with eyes warmed by gratitude; he’d always have a hue of pink rise to his cheeks and a gleefully wagging tail as he parted from you."

Thirdly, what I have planned for the blog in the near-future 🥳!!!

Unfortunately svshs, the Guide Ahead event I was v v hyped for (as close followers of the blog will most likely know svshs) happened while I was away aaa... 😭 Thankfully I was able to participate in the event enough to complete some of the event stages and read the entire event story 👉👈!!! I'll be eagerly awaiting its rerun so I can complete it 100% 🥺

Anywho, I v much wanted to have an event on the blog to celebrate the Guide Ahead event being released to the EN server 👉👈 Though the event in-game is closed now, I'd still like to have an event here on the blog svshs because the event meant lots to me 🥺!!!

So I'm definitely still going to be having a special event on the blog dedicated to Laterano and the Sanktas once I'm done with my current wip 🥳 I hope you'll all look forward to it aaa~

(And in the meantime, my inbox is open for any asks regarding the Guide Ahead event 💕!!! You can tell me about your pulls or ask me about mine, or come chat with me about the story, or the in-game mechanics!

Like I said before this event is particularly special for me so I'm v glad to chat about it with you guys aaa 🥺👉👈!!!)

That's all sbshs 💕!!! I'll be organizing my inbox and replying to any miscellaneous asks/DMs from you guys over the next few days, and I'll be working on my current wip as well of course 🥰~

Again please excuse my sudden hiatus aaa 😔 I hope you guys can understand 😭!

I'd also like to say to all of you: even when I have to be away from the blog for some time, please know that I'm never leaving the blog anytime soon 🥺💕 Me (and 'Rico also!) love Arknights and all of you lots and lots~

I'm beyond happy to be back, I missed you guys and the blog v v much 🥺😭💕!!!

Okay, I'll get to work now 👍!! Tysm for your time and please have an awesome day 🌸!!

Yours truly,

- An Exe who's ready to get back to work 🥳!!!

--------------------

Taglist for News 📰!:

@zone10-8

@lucifernn

@tiredstudents

@yoonielien

@marahuyos

[time-is-restored]

hello, mechanisms enjoyer. who is your favourite mechanism. what is your favourite album. what is your favourite song. what is your favourite photo. do you have a favourite live recording/have you been to a live show.

HI FELLOW MECHANISMS ENJOYER :DD

okay so my favourite mechanism is by FAR raphaella, her derth of backstory and absolutely nuts vocal range has utterly bewitched me. im also SO in love with her aesthetic, and any + all portrayals of her wings kick ASS

FAVOURITE SONG IS HARD... rn it is a very close tie between pieces and hellfire -- but atm hellfire wins out! i fucking LOVE the ominous sermon vibes it has; the organ in the beginning? the way the humming progresses into wailing in the harmonies? the fucking TRUMPET in the chorus*???????? the hair-raising whispered poem ABT arthurian legend in the second spoken section? jonny's Deranged Preacher Cackle??????? THE DTTM RECORDING WHERE YOU CAN HEAR THE WHOLE CROWD SCREAM 'BUT YOU'RE A LIAR'????????????? showstopping. breathtaking. absolutely no notes.

anyway if you couldn't tell my favourite album atm is high noon over camelot LMAO. i think the soundscape it creates is like. the most impressive + immersive out of all of mechs recordings -- the way they use the synth throughout is fucking MASTERFUL, and its such a PERFECT way to blend the genres of scifi + western, considering the mechs usual timbre lends itself extremely well to folky and old-fashioned. like, the absolutely BONE chilling reprise of hellfire during the heirophant goes CRAZY hard and ive never seen ANYONE mention it! and the whole album is full of moments like that! like each song transitions perfectly into a background hum for the narration and then back again, and its always so well balanced and !!!!!!!

favourite photo............. god there are some really fucking good ones out there but its Gotta be this raphaella shot:

its just. So fucking ethereal. she <333333333333333

i have regrettably never been to a liveshow </3 i don't actually have a lot of knowledge of all the different recordings - i have a bunch of masterposts saved, but im super slow to work through them.

so i think ive gotta go with death to the mechanisms! while i do sometimes wish it captured the details a little better, its so awesome being able to see the majority of the band during each song :) in paticular, i LOVE getting to see kofi's acting, they're SO fucking expressive and they get so excited in the leadup to both thor and expert testimony and i just :D

thanks so much for the ask! i love talking abt the mechs and am stoked to do so at literally any and all times, LMAOOO

*side note: if you've never done a dedicated listen of hellfire where ur completely focused on the trump part, i am begging you to do so. holy shit. it adds So Much. ivy my BELOVEDDDD