#Mr Gay World 2021

[techniccolor]

god im still thinking about the brbavrai stream

[r3dblccd]

9 shows I could watch 500 times

tagged by: @irrwicht

tagging: @caelcstis, @sourspices, @frxgmcnts, @finalsurvivorgrp, @dozenrozez, @moonfl0wxr, anyone else who wants to share

Serial Experiments Lain (need to rewatch it soon honestly)

Another

Death Parade

Semantic Error (love me some enemies to lovers trope. That 'Warning, I will kiss you in a minute' scene - spectacular, amazing, groundbreaking, never been done before---)

The 8 Show (I know I only finished it recently, but I'm pretty confident that this show is gonna be one of my favourite ones this year)

Yellowjackets (Juliette Lewis can step on me)

What We Do In The Shadows (gay vampires and a fancy witch hat (iykyk), what else can I say; finally a documentary done right)

Our Flag Means Death (gay pirates, what else can I say)

Good Omens (gay demon and angel against Heaven and Hell in the middle of the end of the world, what else can I say; you get the drill. All I needed was David Tenant to say "My point is *burp*, my point is... Dophins, that's my point" and I was completely sold, yes, indeed, the point is, dolphins. Highly recommend the book too, and I'm so looking forward to the upcoming graphic novel.)

Special shoutouts bc I can and will do whatever I want (this is for series I quite enjoyed, and may watch again, but I'm not that obsessed with them):

Wellington Paranormal (2018-2022)

BEEF (2023)

Mr. & Mrs. Smith (2024)

Theatre of Darkness: Yamishibai (2013--) - It's kind of giving "Are you afraid of the dark?", but like with Japanese urban legends, or is it just me? Maybe it's just the story within a story kind of format that makes me think of that.

Bonding (2019-2021) - I'm giving them some extra points because at least they tried a little harder in season 2, plus I just view it as a silly little show to put on that you don't have to think too much about rather than a serious show trying to do very accurate representation. (and at least is much better than the trash fire 50 Shades of Grey is)

[ramennoodlezzzao3]

YOU GUYS, I COMPLETELY FORGIT ABT THIS AU, SHOULD I WRITE IT? (It’s a Harry Potter AU and I found some notes that I wrote down. I’m gonna change some of it but STILL)

Something I wanted to make clear, Miss Kathy, the librarian, is a character I added in memory of my grandmother. My grandmother loved Harry Potter with all of her heart as it was something her and my grandfather used to read together. Her name was Kathy with a K and I thought that if I was going to add a librarian, it has to be her! So I get to share a little bit of my grandmother with you guys as the characters attitude, humor, personality, and description is exactly like my grandmother (or as close as I could get) 

Kathy J. 1952 - 2021 (She would have been 73 this year)

Overview/information

Ponyboy lives in Tulsa, Oklahoma, but he lives on a street called privet drive.

He’s not being abused by anyone, and everyone in the gang is aged up. Not only that, this is set in 1991 so Ponyboy was born in 1980, let me put the gangs ages and birthdays rq

Darry - 28, January 21st, 1963

Two-bit - 27, April 1st 1964

Dallas - 26, November 4th, 1965

Steve - 25, December 6th, 1966

Sodapop - 25, October 8th, 1966

Johnny - 24, March 1st, 1967

Pony - 11, July 22nd, 1980

The reason for the age gap between Ponyboy and his brothers is because after Sodapop, the Curtis parents were told they couldn’t have anymore children. Sodapop and Darry always wanted another little brother but were told by their parents they just couldn’t have one.

So when Mrs. Curtis got pregnant a few months before Darry’s 17th birthday, Everyone, including the gang, were very excited, especially Sodapop.

One day, Ponyboy and his parents went to the grocery store, but in their way back got in a car accident and died…well, that’s what it looked like, at least. Voldemort actually tried to kill Ponyboy but ended up failing. (Que the boy who lived!)

Ponyboys parents did know about the wizarding world, their great grandparents were very rich witches and wizards. But after an incident, a curse was put on the family so no Wizard could be born into the family again, until Ponyboy came along.

No, Sodapop and Darry aren’t wizards, they didn’t even know about the wizarding world until now. 

Darry was able to get custody of both Ponyboy and Sodapop (Sodapop would have been 15 and Ponyboy would have been 1) 

And just so you don’t have to do the math, Darry was 17, Two-bit was 16, Dallas was 15, Steve was 14, Sodapop was 14, and Johnny was 13 when Ponyboy was born.

Yes, Ponyboy has the scar and glasses.

Now, this is my AU so I’m making Ron the youngest because I wholeheartedly hate Ginny with all of my being.

Now, Ron is still gonna end up with Hermione, Neville with Luna, Draco with Pansy, but I want Ponyboy to end up with a boy. Like, he will still kiss Cho, but that’s like, his gay awakening, you catch my drift

(I, personally, am Bi, so I wanna add some LGBTQ element in the story, so why not make it the main love focus?)

I was thinking he could end up with Dean Thomas or Seamus Finigin, maybe even Cormac Laggin or Collin Creevy. Or I could make up a character but I prefer not to add Ocs, so if you guys have any ideas on who he should end up with, let me know.

It needs to be someone that can replace Ginny, but not be apart of the Weasley family.

I’m not gonna give Darry or anyone in the gang a serious girlfriend or wife because I want the ENTIRE FOCUS on pony. I might keep Evie and Silvia, maybe even Cathy (M&Ms older sister from that was then this is now) as two’s girlfriend. But Sandy is gone and Johnny and Darry are single Pringles. 

I figured out the statistics for ponyboy and here they are

Patronus (won’t be important till later) - Pieball Mare (a horse lol)Companion - black and white spotted cat with black socks and a mustache (Green eyes) named Oreo (do you guys have a better name idea?)Wand - See chapter 2

Serious black is his Godfather, Lily Curtis and Darrel Curtis made sure of that 

[pepbuttz]

EDIT: ALL CHARACTERS HAVE BEEN CLAIMED!!! THANK YOU SO MUCH! I will update when any spots open back up!

Happy Pride Month, and welcome to the 3rd annual Total Drama Pride Collab! Ever since 2021, I’ve continued this project with the goal in mind of one day being able to include a new cast of characters. So, with the release of the reboot, this year will be a very special way to commemorate Total Drama’s first gay couple!

Please read the photos all the way through, this format is more convenient so I can reserve space for character claims in the caption!

As always, if you’re new here, welcome! I host this collab as a way to celebrate something that has been prominent in the Total Drama fanbase for many years. Choose a character to draw donning pride gear of the sexuality and/or identity you associate them with, and I’ll edit them onto Wawanakwa shore alongside Scary Girl! And remember, the deadline is June 26th!

SORTED BY CAST + ALPHABETICAL:

Hosts, etc. (FULL)

•Blaineley: ❌

•Chef: ❌

•Chris: ❌

•Don: ❌

•Josh: ❌

•Mr. Coconut: ❌

Island 2023 (FULL)

•Axel: ❌

•Bowie: ❌

•Caleb: ❌

•Chase: ❌

•Damien: ❌

•Emma: ❌

•Julia: ❌

•Millie: ❌

•MK: ❌

•Nichelle: ❌

•Priya: ❌

•Raj: ❌

•Ripper: ❌

•Scary Girl: ❌

•Wayne: ❌

•Zee: ❌

Island/World Tour (FULL)

•Alejandro: ❌

•Beth: ❌

•Bridgette: ❌

•Cody: ❌

•Courtney: ❌

•DJ: ❌

•Duncan: ❌

•Eva: ❌

•Ezekiel: ❌

•Geoff: ❌

•Gwen: ❌

•Harold: ❌

•Heather: ❌

•Izzy: ❌

•Justin: ❌

•Katie: ❌

•Leshawna: ❌

•Lindsay: ❌

•Noah: ❌

•Owen: ❌

•Sadie: ❌

•Sierra: ❌

•Trent: ❌

•Tyler: ❌

Revenge of the Island (FULL)

•Anne Maria: ❌

•B: ❌

•Brick: ❌

•Cameron: ❌

•Dakota/(zoid): ❌

•Dawn: ❌

•Jo: ❌

•Lightning: ❌

•Mike: ❌

•Chester: ❌

•Mal: ❌

•Manitoba: ❌

•Svetlana: ❌

•Vito: ❌

•Sam: ❌

•Scott: ❌

•Staci: ❌

•Zoey: ❌

Pahkitew Island (FULL)

•Amy: ❌

•Beardo: ❌

•Dave: ❌

•Ella: ❌

•Jasmine: ❌

•Leonard: ❌

•Max: ❌

•Rodney: ❌

•Sammy: ❌

•Scarlett: ❌

•Shawn: ❌

•Sky: ❌

•Sugar: ❌

•Topher: ❌

Ridonculous Race

•Brody: ❌

•Carrie: ❌

•Chet: ❌

•Crimson: ❌

•Devin: ❌

•Dwayne: ❌

•Ellody: ❌

•Emma: ❌

•Ennui: ❌

•Gerry: ❌

•Jacques: ❌

•Jay: ❌

•Jen: ❌

•Josee: ❌

•Junior: ❌

•Kelly: ❌

•Kitty: ❌

•Laurie: ❌

•Lorenzo: ❌

•MacArthur: ❌

•Mary: ❌

•Mickey: ❌

•Miles: ❌

•Pete: ❌

•Rock: ❌

•Ryan: ❌

•Sanders: ❌

•Spud: ❌

•Stephanie: ❌

•Taylor: ❌

•Tammy: ❌

•Tom: ❌

[h-doodles]

hi, can I ask for your top ten favorite fics ? :)

Hi anon hiiiiiiii welcome!!! u caught me at a good time, ur soooo lucky bc i just glanced at my notifs and saw this ask get sent <3 KDBDKDKK its been literal years since i checked my ask box 👉🏻👈🏻

BUT ANYWAY! top 10 of all time???? be warned that while i am currently enchanted with ONE (1) 6 ft 3 in actress, I still do consider myself a girlie with varied tastes so. my old & other fandoms are mixed in my current list!

without further ado:

#10: knowledge for knowledge's sake by tigriswolf (ao3) || quite an old piece detailing how a change in the personality of one Hermione Granger could have had a massive impact to the story— and while I don't fuck with JKTerfling, the fics I've read from the old fans in the HP fandom are still honestly, some of the BEST I have EVER read. This one in particular irrevocably changed me as a teen, and is one story that I continue to draw inspiration upon when I create dark!AUs for my SI/OCs.

#9: Zutopia by itslivybear (ao3) || the fluff, the worldbuilding, an AU where Izuku is mentored by our beloved Rat God & together, they fix the world problems? GIRLIES catch me forever LOVING this concept like you could NEVER believe <3

#8: (not so) Bad Idea by @sarahpaulsonsoftie (tumblr post) || HEE HEE ITS LIVING IN MY MIND RENT FREE LIKE HELP THESE BITCHES GAY!!!!!! GOOD FOR THEM!!!!!!! ft a meddling plantita who really mothered; Marilyn Thornhill <3

#7: Hold my Soul by connyhascontrol (ao3) || I got into Trixie/Katya completely by one @montaguehphm introducing me to UNHhhh (HIIIIIII bestie I hope everything is going good and that ur gay keeps slay <3) and I haven't recovered ever since— reading the fics by writers on AO3 was a happy little accident, but one i will FOREVER love, nonetheless. Anyway, this particular fic was SO brilliantly original and YET so entrenched in the personalities between T&K that it ABSOLUTELY just wrecks me everytime I reread it. anyways hi @connyhascontrol pls know ur brilliant <3

#6: I think I'm gonna call him out by hellelf (ao3, users only) || again, another AU for Hermione fic, that's chockfull of world building and interesting relationships! It's been unupdated from its 5 chapters since 2021, but I still LOVE to look back at it from time to time 💖

#5: The Confectionary Chronicles series by cheshire_caroll (ao3); Into the Black series by angelholme (ao3); Hermione Granger & the Serpent's Renaissance series by epsi1on (ao3) AND New Blood by artemisgirl (ff.net) || if it's not evident, i am an absolute slut for fics ft. Hermione being badass & put into a v cool plot w/ insane amounts of world building, so yeah, def a top 5 most contender <3

#4: The Infinitely Curious Woman by chararii (ao3) || literally ALL of their fics are absolute bangers, and while I forever mourn their decision to stop all Naruto fics thanks to the great harddrive incident of 2022, I have nonetheless the GREATEST respect to their skill & talent to bring SUCH LIFE to their stories. In particular, I chose this particular fic of theirs because the premise of Sakura making her own way by shedding off her morality the more she learned & got influenced by her 2 greatest teachers was absolutely nothing short of DIVINE. It was and IS such an inspiration to read, reread & explore, and I will forever love @chararii for this brilliant piece of a fic

#3: The Endgame that never was series by @heleneplays aka me (tumblr masterlist) || ok I know this seems self-absorbed but DEAR MOTHER OF CHRISTIE i literally WENT OFF for a whole ass day and a half going feral for the Relics of the Lost Age series book 3 finale (hi @jamesshawgames pls know im still here and STILL simping even tho i am currently having a brainrot for a different thing on main sjdhdkdk i hope ur doing well dearest mr. chief author sir!!!!) and created this series from my dreams + nonstop ben&ben playlist— and honestly, I think it's VERY sexy of me <3 bc I rarely like things that I do after a while, but THIS— alongside Universal Constant (ao3) are truly my BEST work <3

#2: Across the Stars by nomisunrider (ao3) || I CAN NEVER STRESS THIS ENOUGH, HOW MUCH THIS FIC ALTERED MY BRAIN CHEMISTRY LIKE. its been 4 YEARS since it was completed but HOLY. MOTHERFUCKING. GOD. The story between Michael & Philippa persisting beyond the odds, in a twist of the canon happenings in Star Trek: Discovery is FOREVER ingrained in my heart and soul and honestly once again THANK YOU @nomi--sunrider for SUCH a beautiful story 🥺🥺🥺

and drum roll please!!!

#1 (current): I literally cannot pick between Better than Gold + Little Cat by @lady-dimimi / @azu-zu (tumblr post for BtG | LC ao3); How to woo a Hot Principal by @softshrimpy (ao3); and Lipstick Stains by @weemssapphic (ao3) || LIKE HOLY SHIT THE FUCKING AMOUNT OF TALENT, PLOT, FLUFF, DRAMA AND UTTER GAYNESS THESE FICS BRING ME— its SOOOOO insanity inducing in the best of ways <3 also, i really count myself lucky to get into a very active (x reader) sphere LIKE ITS SOOOOO INSANE i get to consume CONTENT daily for such wonderful characters and these special morsels be like. authors, I am sending you all a MWAH from me

[strawberrycola]

hello. i made a very long, very indulgent addition to the sam and max subreddit post earlier, and decided to make it its own post because i had way too many thoughts for a reblog. and the idea of clogging notes was eating away at my brain like mice eat a cheese. this is mostly just train of thought, so i apologise if it's complete nonsense. i've just thought a lot about sam and max's relationship, and the connection lgbt (and neurodivergent, for that matter) fans have had to the series, from my perspective since i was like 8. obviously that's gonna be tinted thru a tumblr lens, because ftmp that's where i see The Good Stuff. and i'm gay as hell, so there's bias. ok read more time kiss kiss.

anyhoozles, coincidentally i've been back on my sam and max bullshit recently, as i finally got a chance to play "this time it's virtual". and discovered vr is not my thing.

so to start, listen...i don't think sam and max's relationship is quite as cut and dry as i believe myself and perhaps many others would imagine/hope. i'm eyeing the "susan" gag from the aformentioned ttiv, in particular. but as your resident specialist in "complex and obscure knowledge of three series total or so", the question of sam and max's relationship has been here since the very beginning of the official comics. like. this has been a thing. pretending it's new is foolhardy. and wrong. obviously there's "like butch and sundance", the wedding toppers, hell, the devs of the telltale game trilogy lampshade their relationship a very decent amount, both in the game itself and in the commentary. at the end of 209, "chariot of the dogs", they directly bring it up during the final cutscene tie straightening maneuver max does. one of the devs literally gets excited about it, iirc. and one of my personal favourite examples is "do you find my warmth...alarming, sam?" from 305, "the city that dares not sleep."

that, in particular, is one of several lines directly from MR. PURCELL HIMSELF, that he gave to the devs each game as lines that must be in the game.

and speaking of season 3, i'd like to mention 305, "they stole max's brain".

(i am now holding "noir sam" so close to my chest, jsyk. that trope means the world to me. it has influenced SO much of my work, and i still use napalm's playthrough on youtube as a sleep aid. REMASTER WHEN.)

of course i and many others latched onto that shit, are you kidding me???? that whole episode was RIPE for hurt/comfort. minor spoiler warning for those that would mind, it's a roaring rampage of revenge plot. at least for the first 30 minutes or so. it's part of a long history between the two of freaking the hell out the second they're separated from each other in a way that doesn't end in like, five minutes. (305. if you know, you know. fkin brutal, man.) sam, in the second act of the game, has been affected by an alternate reality plot, and fully believes he has carried max's brain in a jar his whole LIFE and seemingly has no plans to stop doing so!! it's part of a season where the WHOLE PLOT revolves around the nature of their relationship and how it could change. you don't have to be a shipper yourself to understand how that could be incredibly compelling to the people that fancy them as a couple.

and it's a fandom that i give a lot of credit to lgbt people for revitalising in the mid 2010s~ (i was already a fan by then, and i'm still really curious as to why it blew up so much, but hey, who's complaining?), as well as in 2021~ in response to skunkape's remaster of telltale's season one "save the world" installment, and the release of ttiv. (obviously the actual demographic spread across platform to platform is a varied thing, etc. etc. i'd like to stay firmly in my lane, and i don't wanna overstate any particular demos in my discussion here, or hyperbolise too much.)

Obviously, you don't have. to be a shipper. completely fine. pretty common. Who Give A Care. and we're not even gonna get into the "not suitable" content. i can't fault anyone for not being cool with the actual sexualisation of childhood stuff they like. that's something i'm pretty "ambivalent with a leaning towards discomfort" about for quite a few things myself. and it turns out there wasn't even any "unmentionable graphic imagery" to begin with. shocking. HOWEVER. i'm fascinated but not completely surprised by the blatant homophobia and disgust towards the fanart of the ship.

like, to be nuanced about things, and it's not like the admin is extending the same courtesy here, this is clearly an older fan. like i think from around the same timeframe i was first introduced to it, give or take. maybe they missed a lot of the tumblr mid-2010s activity, or maybe that's going in to their Burning Disgust towards Yaoi Sam and Max Kissing Not Clickbait. i know the fanart had some level of cross-posting, at least on youtube as dubs iirc. OR maybe i'm a fool who is actively tricking you with my words and none of the above is true at all. however...pal. again, in my opinion, we owe those lgbt and neurodivergent kids and adults our whole rights as a fan community. you don't have to like it, but you do have to be respectful, jerkbag.

i can't be the only one who was devastated by the drought of content post "the devil's playhouse". we had a [1] singular whole webcomic to tide us over, with the occasional sketch on purcell's social medias. of course, there was a small community of fans, and some incredible stuff they made, looking at you Sam Dies At The End. i weeped. but it was slow and steady. and then, out of seemingly nowhere, people en masse suddenly REALLY CARED ABOUT THE THING THAT BROUGHT ME SO MUCH JOY AS A LITTLE GUY. like, fuck man...i first found out what autism was when i was real young because max's character description on wikipedia contained speculation as to whether or not he has it. (jury's still out, ...but we all have our little comforts. okay? also speaking of, "is max gay?" is like. one of the longest ongoing bits. like cmon dude.) now granted, by 2021 i was a little old for the new wave of shipping that sprouted up. tiktok edits are Not Always My Thing. but that's okay!!!! it doesn't need to be my thing. i'm really glad they're having fun. :] and i don't want to come across as like. infantilising in my discussion of the younger fanbase, so i apologise if my tone has come across that way. it really is simply the comforting thought that kids like me can experience what i had.

i remember how much fun my friends and i used to have when we were 16! (hi xavier, if ur reading this. miss you, buddy. :]) we got silly with it! we got angsty about season 3!! we wrote fanfiction, hell, an amazing fic my friend wrote that i beta'd is still the most kudos'd shipping fic on ao3!! the fanartists i liked had such an INCREDIBLE grasp on how to write sam and max's banter. it was a good time! and knowing these characters are giving joy to a new generation makes me giddy, dude. hell yeah! get "feral" or whatever the hell it is these days. find comfort in characters that don't really care about anyone's opinion except each other's, who get to be as weird and annoying and gross as they want all the time. that tend to punch up. that show love differently than what's seen as conventional. that end up saving the day, not even because they have to, so much as they genuinely enjoy each adventure together. max was my personal opportunity to feel comfort in all my weird freaky mannerisms i kept safe behind the polished exterior i had to wear as a kid. i found solace in the thought that those two were practically made for each other, as i stumbled through my own gender and sexuality crises. i loved how dry and dark sam was allowed to be. the banjo bits, the phone jokes, the repartee. so much of this series has influenced me, and helped me become who i am, as a creator and as a functional guy who Does Things.

so that's a small bit of why i think sam and max had, and still has, a lot of appeal to people that grew up like me. there's a lot of rough stuff i went through that made the idea of a couple of anarchist detectives completely devoted to one another that go around the seedy underbelly of america saving the day ("almost on purpose!") really, really interesting. steve purcell is unapologetic about how gross america can be, especially in the comics. at the heart of it, sam and max do what they do both because they enjoy it, and they enjoy each other. and i think, to overlook that, is to miss some of the whole point of the franchise. oh, i'm sorry, giant cockroaches literally everywhere is fine, streets crusted in various goos, totally chill, but gay kissing is the thing that Absolutely Nauseates you? plugging your ears and screaming gross seems like...kind of a weak move here, ngl. a work that doesn't shy away from how confusing and wild life can be has a decent chance to be compelling to marginalised groups, who often have to put up with the more disgusting aspects of reality anyways. at least these two odd guys are having fun with it. sam and max understand each other, each of their strengths and flaws, and choose to be with each other every day because of and in spite of them. they choose to love where they are, because of and in spite of its many, many, many flaws. they choose to be who they are because they love what they do. there's something touching there, if you like to think about such things. there are some occasions i find myself wishing sam and max's relationship was more...concrete. i wish we had an answer to Does Sam And Max Is Gay? but at the same time, being vague and obtuse is like. their whole shtick. so maybe it's just right how it is. and uh. obviously this is a fictional series. in the end, it's all how we enjoy it that matters, and it's not the end of the world. and as a final cherry on top, nothing beats turning to my husband and asking, "is sam and max queerbait", before delighting in the 3 hr conversation that follows.

and to get to the point. as the old adage unfortunately goes, it's...okay. to not like...ships. and i can even somewhat understand being frustrated by a subreddit you created being "flooded" by a thing you're not into. only somewhat, because a: we've always been here, and b: because you can. just not look at it? idk if reddit has a filtering system, but. the scroll wheel is free. to throw a tantrum and ban topics because you're personally offended people think they're gay? you might be missing out on some of the most fun you can have outside the series, and you're spitting in the face of the people who held this fandom up on their shoulders like atlas.

and you're being a dick about it.

TO CONCLUDE:

wah wah they're gay gay homosexual gay and they don't pay taxes. deal or die, fake fan.

[ao3feed-piltovers-finest]

Pillars of Fallen Grace

by loveshazel

- January, 1932 -

"Will your husband be joining us soon?” Violet asked the tall, stunning hostess in the doorway.

The woman's lips curled up to a pleased grin before she answered. "I'm afraid you won't make his acquaintance during your stay"

Violet frowned. “But- I’ve come all this way to write a story about your husband”

“I thought you traveled overseas to write a story about the painter of Mr. Edwards' famous works?” Caitlyn - Mrs. Edwards - mentioned rather casually.

Violet frowned. “I have”

“And so you shall” Caitlyn promised sweetly as she lingered in the doorway. “But you won’t need my husband for that”

--- A very sapphic historical au. Desperate to make it as a published author, Violet Lanes accepts the odd request of spending three weeks in the home of a world-famous hermit painter - who wants the world to know his story. His one condition? The writer must be a woman.

Odd.

Until Violet arrives at the scene, only to find out that it'll merely be her, the staff... and the painter's breathtaking wife.

Words: 6763, Chapters: 1/10, Language: English

Series: Part 4 of Historical CaitVi

Fandoms: Arcane: League of Legends (Cartoon 2021)

Rating: Explicit

Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings

Categories: F/F

Characters: Vi (League of Legends), Caitlyn (League of Legends), Vander (League of Legends), Jinx (League of Legends), Jayce (League of Legends), Mel Medarda, Tobias Kiramman, Cassandra Kiramman, Original Characters

Relationships: Caitlyn/Vi (League of Legends)

Additional Tags: Alternate Universe - 1930s, Alternate Universe - Historical, writer vi, Painter Caitlyn, Mutual Pining, Caitlyn is married for legal reasons but very gay, Internalized Homophobia, Period-Typical Homophobia, Useless Lesbians, Eventual Smut, Drama & Romance, Slow Burn, American Vi, British Aristocrat Caitlyn, Angst and Feels, Angst and Romance, Arists to lovers to muses, they're each other's muses and it is the gayest thing on planet earth

Read on A03.

from AO3 works tagged ‘Caitlyn/Vi (League of Legends)’

[absolutebl]

Hi! Sorry in advance for how long this post is going to be. I have so many things to ask.

I'm mostly obsessed with Thai BLs at the moment, but I do want to diversify, so what are the top recommendations for Korean, Japanese and Taiwanese? I don't like too much angst or conflict. As in, I could barely get through series like Theory of Love and Never Let Me Go.

Your BL linguistics and honourifics posts helped me a lot when I was but a newbie in this world. Ah, good times. Anyways. What I wanted to ask is, taking inspiration from, and with (credited) reference to your posts, can i make a post of my own? It will only be on Thai. I just want to compile all the things I've learnt so far.

I was sniffing around MyDramaList (for reasons) and found Water Boyy. Is it worth watching? Also, Boys over Flowers (F4 version). I really don't want to watch het romance unless it's really, really good.

You don't have to answer this, it's just for my own curiosity. I'm thinking of making a EarthMix TharnType AU with role reversal. So far I have Mix as Tharn, Earth as Type (yes, i got the idea from Love by Chance), Tay or New as Thorn (Tong is so much better as Tankhun. Also, in this, Thorn is also ver gay, hence TayNew), Love or Film as Thanya, and of course, the crowning gem, Neo Trai as Techno. Question is, who should I cast as Lhong (better if its GMMTV since i know them best, but other agencies are also good.)

Last but definitely not least, I respect you a lot. And i love your blog. Irrelevant, but I wanted to ask, how was today's Boss and Babe (ep. 4)?

Moving on from Thai BL

1a. I'm mostly obsessed with Thai BLs at the moment, but I do want to diversify, so what are the top recommendations for Korean, Japanese and Taiwanese?

Sure thing. Read the descriptions of my top 10, they will let you know how soft the different dramas are. (I like soft and sweet a lot myself, so there are always many in there).

This one needs to be updated, I added quite a few more to my 9/10 list for Korea since then. But with Our Dating Sim and The New Employee this year is going to require it to be updated AGAIN. (Both highly recommended for your needs)

This one is mostly up to date.

This one is totally up to date.

Low Angst, Low Conflict, Soft BL

1b. I don't like too much angst or conflict. As in, I could barely get through series like Theory of Love and Never Let Me Go.

Here are some lists for ya:

Don't watch Waterboyy.

3a. I was sniffing around MyDramaList (for reasons) and found Water Boyy. Is it worth watching?

NO. Avoid all versions. It's terrible. I mean, if you are completest you have to but otherwise... NO.

Boys over Flowers is gross

3b. watch F4?

I am sorry to all the stans out there, but I LOATHE this franchise. I've watch a number of them, always hoping a new remake will make it palatable. NO. I hate all of them. All the worst tropes of a reverse harem. I am intersted (like Twilight) in understanding WHY it's so popular but personally, it gives me the disgust willies. Yech.

This is why I want it gay. Would that make it palatable?

I suppose the one form Laos is the only one I even kinda enjoyed and it is by far the worst production values. I gave it up 1/2 way through. I think I watched 3 eps of F4. No thank you.

Honestly if you want this kind of het toxicity, I think Heirs is a better version of these tropes. Also it's legacy Kdrama so will tell you a lot abouy that industry and what toxic tropes they love (and still employ) even in their BL.

4. who should I cast as Lhong?

Khaotung? First? 5. Last but definitely not least, I respect you a lot. And i love your blog. Irrelevant, but I wanted to ask, how was today's Boss and Babe (ep. 4)?

Aw, thank you so much!

I haven't watched it yet. Tonight!

Lunch, regression analysis all afternoon, dinner with one of my adorable exes, then Jack o'Frost, B&B, and Boys' Planet... in that order.

[seerofmike]

something im starting this year is a very self-indulgent, "my year in review" thing where i list 7 video games i enjoyed this year + 7 movies from this year that i liked because as time goes on i feel like i'm getting worse and worse at determining what i did and when i did them so this is basically just a place for me to journal the things i enjoyed this year for future reference.

all the movies are 2022 releases but since i'm hardly ever on top of current video game releases. my games list is gonna be all over the place. im mixing them up. feel free to read if you want yippee it's meant for me but since its being posted publicly ill write em all up as little recommendations. going in no particular order other than alphabetical and alternating between a movie and a video game i liked this year. also why 7 of each ? because 7 is my favorite number fuck you

The Batman

-hmmm. thoughts. congratulations to our second gay batman, robert pattinson. ok this is only half a joke. i love the riddler being a twitch streamer terrorist i like when media modernizes older characters it's funny. gotham truly felt like a shithole in this movie. soundtrack fucked. can't fight city halloween was on my spotify 100 wrapped

Inscryption (2021)

-i fucking suck at this game, i still have not beaten the trapper and as i understand theres like 2 whole other parts of the game to go or something??? so no i have not beaten it yet. but i have also sunk an unholy amount of time TRYING to beat it and i didn't get sick of it. it's a very dark but very entertaining card game and it has a free demo. even if you don't like card builder games i think you should try. it has a very unique atmosphere and premise

Bullet Train

-yes i liked the cringe brad pitt action movie. fun fact this was actually specifically tailor-made for me in a factory! it has a large cast of assholes trying to kill each other and it's funny and wacky and i love the directing. that sounds so fucking nerdy to say but i want to be a film director so im gonna say it. the directing of the action sequences especially was really impressive to me because there's only so much space/movement your camera can (believably) achieve when filming in a small, rectangular, ever-moving box like a train and i think mr david leitch did it very well. also tangerine and lemon funniest characters in an action comedy ever

Milk Inside a Bag of Milk Inside a Bag of Milk (2020)

-i kind of don't want to say much about this on the off chance someone reads this and also decides to play a game on this list but. listen. play it. it's like a dollar. it's very short, it's about a girl dealing with mental illness, and that's all i'll say about it.

Glass Onion

-mr benoit blanc u are so fruity. but ohg this was fun. it was fun! and it was especially more fun to rewatch it and see all that i missed and the small moments that they weren't really trying to hide from you. i enjoy the concept of being gaslit by a movie. also janelle monae is always so fun to see act

Paradise Killer (2020)

-honestly, there is so much i hate about this game. the sprites are awkward. the voice acting is bad. the platforming is abysmal. yet it's still here because i think its world is genuinely insane and unique and it knows the exact type of vibe its going for with all these terrible people in a vaporwave reality and it achieves it and also its a murder mystery and i like those. give it a try

Everything, Everywhere, All At Once

-yeah we all know her pussy slaps. there really isn't anything new for me to add. it's funny. it's got good action. michelle yeoh best actress award NOW!!!!!

Pathologic Classic HD (2015)

-yea this one is kinda cheating. i started it last year and got like 2 hours into it and gave up and then did a bunch of other things but i finally figured out how to get my controller hooked up to my laptop this year and i played it. 100%'d it. its proudly displayed on my steam profile.

look at that. awful. horrible terrible plague walking simulator 0/10 am playing again

Nope

-i love jordan peele. i love keke palmer. i love daniel kaluuya. this movie was made FOR MEEEEEEE it was very slow and tense and i know a lot of people complained about the slow pace of it but the build-up made (SPOILER) reveal all the more terrifying. speaking of terrifying, the scene where everyone (SPOILER) is the scariest thing ive seen in years and i think i have claustrophobia now :) also akira homage <3

A Short Hike (2019)

-this one was soso cute and relaxing :) it was very funny and had a cute artstyle and i beat it in like 1 hour. not a very big commitment but its charming enough to want to come back to

Puss In Boots: The Last Wish

-ummm. so. puss in boots??? that shit slapped????????? it had NO reason to be that good. like obviously the animation has been spiderverse'd which SLAPS but the they put their whole puss(y) into this movie and they didn't have to. it's good. all the characters were SO fun, literally all of them. i love the stupid little dog. he is my scrimblo. go check it out if you haven't it is NOT the soulless cash grab i thought it would be

Slime Rancher (2017)

-so like, conceptually, this game is weird as fuck. a first person shooter where you suck up little jellies and feed them and harvest their poop. its insane. its also very relaxing but also very ...management-y, like the way stardew valley is where its technically very relaxing but you are doing SO much to maximize ur profit for the day. i love that shit. look at those things. theyre adorable

Sonic the Hedgehog 2

-ohg. knumckles

SOMA (2015)

-ok so i don't actually get scared that often BUT here is a mike secret. ocean shit SCARES me i do not like anything set under the ocean and the fact that this game takes place underwater freaks me the fuck out. i dropped my 3 hour save file to switch to little baby for bitches mode after 3 hours not because the monsters themselves are scary but because emotionally i cannot handle monsters on top of a deep sea setting. also the story was really good you should play it

[denimbex1986]

'Move over Matt Damon, Andrew Scott is stepping in as Tom Ripley in a new eight-episode TV adaptation of The Talented Mr Ripley. Now, we know reboots are everywhere but, come on, it's Andrew Scott! Anthony Minghella helmed the sublime 1999 adaptation to sun-dappled perfection, but who's to say another version on the small screen can't be just as seductive?

Here's everything we know about Ripley so far.

Is there a trailer for Ripley?

Ripley? Ripley.

Netflix's first official teaser for Ripley doesn't give a whole lot away, but then again, neither does its titular character. The moody and monochromatic series is fittingly ominous in its first look, as we see Scott's Tom Ripley seemingly evade justice for his many, many schemes. The trailer also gives us glimpses of some of the show's co-stars, including Dakota Fanning, Johnny Flynn and John Malkovich. Beyond knowing the story from the book and the 90s film starring Jude Law and Matt Damon, the trailer keeps much of Ripley's plot close to the chest. But, again, that seems quite fitting.

Ahead of the trailer release, Netflix also dropped some new images of Andrew Scott looking suitably pensive and mysterious as the enigmatic Ripley as he broods in black and white across Italy.

When is Ripley coming out?

It's been a long and winding road to get the story of Tom Ripley to the small screen. Having first been announced in 2021 and filming in Italy that same year, it's since bounced around from Showtime to Netflix. At a certain point, Andrew Scott didn't even know when it would come out.

But now, along with its first teaser trailer, Netflix has announced that Ripley will hit screens on 4 April. Springtime is for scamming, after all.

What’s Ripley about?

Based on Patricia Highsmith's novel, The Talented Mr Ripley, the series follows “Tom Ripley, a grifter scraping by in early 1960s New York” who “is hired by a wealthy man to travel to Italy to try to convince his vagabond son to return home.” That son is Dickie Greenleaf, and their odd friendship spirals into, among other things, incidents of deceit and murder. All set against the stunning backdrop of the Italian Riviera, of course. No wonder the book has been adapted so many times.

Scott has also hinted that the series will cover some of the subtextual queer themes of Highsmith's text. In a conversation with Ben Whishaw, he said:

“If Tom Ripley was in a gay bar, I’m not sure that he would fit in there. Nor do I think he’s a straight character. I think he’s a queer character, in the sense that he’s very ‘other.’ What’s his relationship with sex, or death, or with family or friends? It’s interesting that a character is the sum of the parts that you don’t have to play.”

Should this show get greenlit for more seasons though, we could potentially see adaptations of the other novels in the Ripley series. The second book, Ripley Under Ground had a film version with Willem Dafoe and Alan Cumming that, apparently, no one saw. And Dennis Hopper and John Malkovich played Tom Ripley in two film adaptations of the third novel, Ripley's Game.

Who stars in Ripley?

First, of course, we have Andrew Scott as Tom Ripley. Considering his past roles in Fleabag and the Oscar-buzzy All of Us Strangers, the actor certainly has the charisma for the part.

He’ll be joined by Johnny Flynn as Dickie Greenleaf (the playboy heir Ripley swindles) and Dakota Fanning as Dickie’s girlfriend, Marge Sherwood. And now, thanks to the trailer, we know that John Malkovich – a former Ripley, from 2002's Ripley's Game – will also be joining the monochrome world of the Netflix series.'

[someplace-that-is-else]

'Traces of You: Part the First'

‘So how’s the passion project?’

I liked Matt. I had liked him from the moment I had seen him at my local bar. I always used to get him mixed up with one of my old party friends. Same curly hair. Same Roman nose. Same quirky demeanor. It was years before I realized he was not my old party friend. Moreso because my party friend had a cool and FEMALE best friend versus his best friend who I could not stand.

Then Matt started to work at the local bar. So I was him more often. And we would talk books, tv shows, and movies. Of course I had mentioned that I was a self-published author. And while he had been fascinated at first, he appeared to be a different beast after the pandemic. At least…he was with me.

Outside of the anthology SHATTERED ILLUSIONS that I had done with my writer’s group, I had not published a book since DARKENED TABULA (Book 3 in the Darkened series) in 2020. That was a looong time for a writer to not have written anything. So perhaps it was Matt ribbing me with that fact.

But that did not make it hurt any less.

Passion project? Really? All the years we have sat at the bar counter and discussed my books, Pierce Brown, and the upcoming Dune, Matt thought that all I was doing was a passion project? Moreso since that was his greeting to me?

Moreso because…I WAS working on something.

But Are You Happy Then?

Well one cannot hate on Ryan Reynolds.

I remember when he was a boy named Billy on the Nickelodeon show Fifteen. But look at him now!! Married to the beautiful Blake Lively. Starred in the old Blade movie series. And of course, became the living embodiment of Deadpool in the X-men Universe.

Speaking of the Blade series, he once did an article in Best Life. And the main topic…happiness. He was just starting Blade: Trinity and thanks to the movie Van Wilder and his gift for comedy…he was slowly on the rise. So naturally a magazine asked his thoughts on happiness.

I remembered that article really resonating with me. So much so that I made a copy of the article (and a colored copy of the cover hehe). And I carried it with me. From Harlem to Little Rock to back to its ‘origin’ in San Diego. I still have the article…old pages and all!! That was how much it had touched me.

Sometimes when I was in between projects, I thought about that article. I took stock. How was I feeling? It was not too long ago (or was it?) that I had written a blog about expand, expand, expand in all ways. (Someplace That is... Else — New Dawn Rising: 3 Lessons to Take into 2021 from... (tumblr.com) ) But just thinking about it…was I?

The world had adjusted to the pandemic a while ago. Corona was still running around. However, it was still possible to have a life. And I could have gotten back in the swing of things myself. Not only did I have research to do for my forthcoming novel DARKENED SOUL: THE BREAKING OF CIRCLES, but I had most of a YA sci-fi novel written. And did I even have to mention Book 4 in my Darkened series. And yet…I had no focus.

Not true. I had focus. It was all on my jobs though. To that, I had to shake my head. I had worked hard to make room for my growing writing dreams and goals. Now I was back to That Guy. That Guy whom mind stayed on work, work, and more work rather than focus on his dreams or even living. That Guy who I thought I had grown out of during the pandemic. Guess not.

Perhaps that was why Matt made fun of me. Passion project? Hobby? Not when was my next book coming out. Just not treating what I hoped to be a growing career as just that…a career.

Was he right?

THE CASE FOR HOW THE OTHER HALF LIVES…NEW BOOK, NEW DIRECTION…?

My friend Mr. Moore had always wanted me to write.

He always loved my novels. He also supported me as I worked hard to keep my focus on writing. And while he loved all my books, Mr. Moore always felt like I was just scratching the surface of what I could be writing.

He always felt that as a gay black author from the South, I had a unique perspective that I hardly ever used in my writing. It made me think of so many of my English teachers in school. They all felt that I had the talent. That I had the potential. However, they all gave me a look or a frown when I said I wanted to write horror. One even wrote on one of my short stories. He loved the writing, but felt the story was trite. WOW.

Besides E. Lynn Harris…another author of Arkansas…held the market in that particular arena. And I didn’t think anything else about it.

Then…Mr. Moore succumbed to cancer.

For him, it was January 2020. For me, it was March 2020. As the world dealt with the pandemic. As San Diego went into lockdown, I found out that my closest friend had passed. Not only that, the funeral had come and gone. I could only imagine how his boyfriend felt.

The world got back to normal. It went back. And I…found my mind going back to HOW THE OTHER HALF LIVES. I had tried various times to work on it throughout the years. And I would get writer’s block in the exact same spot.

I missed my friend. I never truly got to mourn my friend. He never got to see how successful I could be as an author. I never got to show him how I could write something different. So it was that I started to work on HOW THE OTHER HALF LIVES again. Anxiety slowly cropped up as I neared the same spot that I always got to where the writer’s block hit.

Perhaps it was the process of coping with my friend’s death that got the words to flow. Perhaps it was Matt’s voice in my head about my ‘Passion Project.’ Perhaps it was just feeling my emotions close to the surface. Whatever the reason, I arrived at the moment where main character Shaun told the truth. The moment that everything went into writer’s block mode.

And…I kept going past it.

I was shocked the next day when it happened. The way the words kept going as my pencil crafted them out on paper. After all this time, I was going to see what happened next.

Finally.

After writing nothing but supernatural cross-genre stories, I embraced writing something different…the quirky gay novel.

HELLO, I’M MIRROR.

I guess I shouldn’t have been surprised.

After all, it was not the first time my characters had done it to me.

As I mentioned, I had tried various times to write HOW THE OTHER HALF LIVES. And when I’ve been working on it, I had thought about other storylines and subplots to bring into the story. There was one plot device that I had wanted to throw in in a few versions that I’ve written. It involved Shaun making a potential mistake with his close friend Trey. A simple plot twist to up the emotional stakes.

It felt like a great idea to use in this novel. And the steering toward that plot twist gave my novel a firm direction after the initial reveal of Shaun’s confession to potential love interest Eric. Meanwhile, his friend Trey had a subplot involving a closeted up-and-coming rapper. So it was a matter of growing their friendship and exploring it. And then having their lives fall apart at the same time. And then plot twist. Followed by aftermath as well as new building tension.

What I did not expect was how much the aftermath of said plot twist reflected a dilemma in my own personal life. Once my characters started to voice familiar words that I wrote, I found myself pausing. It felt like being slapped in the face, shock striking my body.

I had similar experiences with DARKCHILDE, the second book in my DARKENED series. I also had a lot of moments like this in my novel DARKENED SOUL: JONATHAN’S TALE. And now here I was with HOW THE OTHER HALF LIVES.

Mirroring.

Meh. I disliked when my characters’ lives seem to mirror or mimic what was going on in my own personal life. I did not intend for that to occur. And I definitely did not go searching for that to happen. And yet, there it was on the page in front of me.

I put my pencil down. That was not what I was expecting. I wanted my characters to act the way they were supposed to. And I also had my ending planned out.

But this curveball…was not expected. My characters mirroring my life.

And I…didn’t like what I saw.

TO BE CONTINUED…

[directlyat-thesun-moved]

I posted 14,154 times in 2022

That's 14,154 more posts than 2021!

788 posts created (6%)

13,366 posts reblogged (94%)

Blogs I reblogged the most:

@on-the-outside

@chaotic-lesbian-but-also-a-tree

@geeky-gay-greek

@sparkycinnamon

@i-dont-know-nor-care-go-away

I tagged 2,290 of my posts in 2022

#asks - 228 posts

#ask game - 113 posts

#important - 65 posts

#rae's random rants - 64 posts

#marvel - 62 posts

#mcu - 60 posts

#anon - 57 posts

#aos - 55 posts

#siya - 53 posts

#agents of shield - 49 posts

Longest Tag: 131 characters

#probably some cliche breakup song like abcdefu or that one that’s like ‘10 you’re selfish 9 you’re jaded 8 the dumbest guy i dated’

My Top Posts in 2022:

#5

you know a show is good when every single character gives you extreme gender envy

200 notes - Posted July 30, 2022

#4

Picrew tag game thing cause I love this picrew!!! (yes this is my pfp) here it is

tagging:

@/starsarovndscars, @/homoromoacecase, @/on-the-outside, @/erica-writes-things, @/hmmyescrimejuice, @/princesscat01, @/wholesome-dragon-lady, @/chaotic-lesbian-but-also-a-treeic-lesbian-but-also-a-tree, @/cheeselovinpuffin, and @/bigbendyhorns and anyone else who wants to do it!

again, the link is right here

218 notes - Posted April 1, 2022

#3

This quote thread was a collaboration with @bitrashteddy (we each wrote about half). The first three lines were from @incorectmarvelquotes. (oh and I don't know what happened on April Fools, Valentines Day or the Kitchen Incident unfortunately. that's still under investigation.)

Wade: I wish i had acid

Peter: Wade you shouldn't do drugs :(

Wade: not that kind of acid, i really need to get rid of a body

Peter: oh well in that case, I know where to get some

Natasha: if you raid Tony's stash again I'm telling him.

Peter: again? What do you-

Natasha: Don't think i've forgotten about April Fools'.

Wade, Peter’s #1 fan: What happened april fools?

Peter: I vowed to never speak of it

Wade: wait... how many of the pranks that were blamed on me were actually you?

Peter: 😈

Natasha: I personally lost count after 20... last year

Morgan: fifty thwee.

Peter: where did you come from?

Peter: firstly: traitor, secondly: very bold coming from someone who blamed Wade for the kitchen incident

Natasha: the kitchen- wait. Peter, that was YOU?

Peter: Hey- I was simply an accomplice, it was all Morgans idea

Morgan, putting on her I'm an innocent five year old face: auntie Nat, do you weally think I'd be smart enough to pull something that genius off?

Natasha: At this point I'm ready to believe anything.

Wade, losing his mind: Can we go back to the part where you framed me for the incident AND stole acid?

Peter: Morgan is the one who showed me where the acid was!

Wade: so you're blaming everything on Morgan now?

Peter: ...yes. yes, I am.

Morgan: B- but I didn't do anything!

Peter: Morgan we all know you're not as innocent as you claim to be

Morgan: But- in my defense he asked weally nicely

Natasha: *sighs* Morgan do you want me to teach you karate?

Tony: Nat, I have no context at all for this but you're not teaching my daughter martial arts.

Peter: Is now a good time to confess Wade and I have been teaching her Kickboxing?

See the full post

218 notes - Posted April 18, 2022

#2

Luther, Diego, Allison, Klaus, Five, Ben, Marcus, Fei, Jayme, Alphonso, Sloane, and Christopher: Fuck you, Vanya, you destroyed the world twice and nobody loves you. Viktor: :( Viktor: oh also my name’s Viktor. Everybody: Well. Fuck you Viktor.

281 notes - Posted October 3, 2022

My #1 post of 2022

Yelena: Hey Kate, are you there?

Clint, Mr. Hearing Problems: Did you just say 'are you gay?'

Yelena: I said are you there

Kate, emerging from the shadows: Well, I am gay...

based on a real conversation

344 notes - Posted March 21, 2022

Get your Tumblr 2022 Year in Review →

[queenoftheimps]

I posted 873 times in 2022

That's 741 more posts than 2021!

141 posts created (16%)

732 posts reblogged (84%)

Blogs I reblogged the most:

@damn-funny

@draculadailytracker

@talesfromthecrypts

@omgimsuchadork

@citizen-zero

I tagged 871 of my posts in 2022

#interview with the vampire - 216 posts

#dracula daily - 163 posts

#dracula - 144 posts

#iwtv - 104 posts

#interview with the vampire spoilers - 89 posts

#tumblr - 46 posts

#the sandman - 44 posts

#lestat de lioncourt - 41 posts

#random funny stuff - 41 posts

#louis de pointe du lac - 36 posts

Longest Tag: 121 characters

#just a nice lil song about your bike breaking down and a hot older man picks you up in his car and you realize you're gay

My Top Posts in 2022:

#5

Wait wait wait did Dream wear DOC MARTENS to visit Hell???

1,761 notes - Posted August 7, 2022

#4

The sad part of the poor captain’s determination to make it to England is that, in a way, it would be better if he didn’t.  Because he’s bringing a vampire to a place with a lot more prey than one ship can provide.

And he doesn’t know that!  He has no idea what’s killing his men, or that it would be a bad idea to let it get on shore.  The captain is doing his very best to be brave and honorable in a terrifying situation, and that’s part of why it’s so tragic.

Anyway, in an AU version of this story, this would be Dracula:

2,044 notes - Posted August 4, 2022

#3

So after someone found the original recipe for the paprika dish that blew Jonathan Harker’s bb lawyer mind, I thought “That sounds like an experience I should totally emulate” and attempted to make it because I too wish to have paprika rock my tiny world

See the full post

2,280 notes - Posted May 9, 2022

#2

Mina: Oh, hello Mr. Swales.

Old Man: Listen, Mina, I'm sorry I upset you by talking about death before. It's just that death comes for us all, we can't escape it, we are all doomed forever, and I'm probably going to die right in front of you right now

Mina: -now openly weeping-

Old Man: no no no listen see it's fine, because everyone on earth could die at any second, really, even young lawyers who have fiancees waiting at home who really love them, so don't be upset

Old Man: because Death is always coming towards us on the horizon, like that ship over there in the storm

Dracula, presumably steering the Demeter: I DON'T KNOW HOW BOATS WORK

5,150 notes - Posted August 6, 2022

My #1 post of 2022

Gotta give Tom Sturridge credit for doing a hell of an acting job in the premiere when his job is to give a convincing hour-long performance while 1) mute, 2) naked, 3) in a fishbowl 

20,660 notes - Posted August 6, 2022

Get your Tumblr 2022 Year in Review →

[lucky-clover-gazette]

12 and 20 for the book ask meme?

long answers ahead because books

12. any books that disappointed you?

yeah, but that's okay! i'm sure some people loved each of these, and others hate my faves. here are a few i read during my bookseller era, fall 2021-spring 2022, from my storygraph log:

the death of mrs. westaway by ruth ware (1.5 stars) - i love ruth ware's mysteries and thrillers so much, but this one just didn't go anywhere interesting or surprising. disappointing because it's ruth ware, and her debut in a dark, dark wood is a 5-star novel for me

my sister, the serial killer by oyinkan braithwaite (2 stars) - literally just my storygraph review: "I opened this book expecting a domestic thriller and got literary fiction. That's on me!" it's not a bad book by any means, just not what i was looking for. many many people appreciate this book for what it is, a darkly humorous lit fic about sibling relationships, and i'm genuinely glad it exists. my low star rating is not reflective of the book's quality, but my misinformed and therefore disappointing experience with it

nine perfect strangers by liane moriarty (3 stars) - the premise was so up my alley, because i love "things go terribly wrong in vacation or retreat-adjacent situations" stories, but hm. too many things bothered me here. the stakes were confused and the tone couldn't figure out out where it wanted to be, and a subplot involving teenage suicide (something i am admittedly very sensitive about) felt underdeveloped. this was my first liane moriarty and it didn't leave me itching to read more

i kissed a girl by jennet alexander (1 star) - this was my first attempt at reading a contemporary romance, because my coworkers at former bookstore job were/are avid fans of the genre and i wanted to understand their enthusiasm. and man... this is just not the genre for me. yeah i had some problems with this book specifically, but tbh i don't think it ever had a fair chance just being what it is. and being what it is, i'm sure many others absolutely adore it. i don't dislike the entire romance genre, though--biiiig fan of small-press lesbian pirate adventure-romance novels from the 2000s

i could list like a dozen generic domestic thrillers that just didn't pick up any speed, but i don't want to hurt any authors' feelings if they're looking for reviews that mention their names. point is, books are hit or miss, and i think it's interesting to analyze why something is disappointing with the same thoroughness i'd use for a book i love

20. What was your most anticipated release? Did it meet your expectations?

still counting my bookseller era as the "past year," as i took a break from reading novels after leaving the job and have only gotten back into it in the past few months.

insomnia by sarah pinborough - i already LOVED this author's work (especially fond of her trophy wives murdering rich men and being gay thriller dead to her) and i got an advanced copy of her latest release because bookseller. so it was special and anticipated both because i adore her writing, and i got it early!! the book actually surpassed my expectations by taking a lot of the themes of her previous works and, like, really nailing them. here's a snippet of my review, written right after reading it:

"I'm definitely sensing a pattern in [Pinborough's] thrillers: a very strong foundation in the real world, dealing with tangible traumatic events, but with the slightest hint of the mystical and spiritual. There's always a little bit of the unknown at the end of each book, but it's not unsatisfying in the way other twist endings tend to be. Her novels, at the end of the day, feel like they all take place in the same twisted world, where magic is just a little more possible than it is in ours."

[canonicallyanxious]

Got a lot of free time on my hands rn [who could say why...] so i put a bit of effort into this year's top 10 lists by which i mean i stole canva's assets for myself and rubbed my gay little hands all over them pls enjoy

absolutely did not have braincells for a proper movies/shows list this year but i will have a special shows-adjacent list out at... some point idk

Full lists along with notes/ramblings under the cut:

Favorite 2023 Album Drops

10. Cherish - Vacationer

9. Phone Orphans - Laura Veirs

8. Praise a Lord Who Chews but Which Does Not Consume; (Or Simply, Hot Between Worlds) - Yves Tumor / this album is gender and no i will not be offering further explanations at this time

7. Red Moon in Venus - Kali Uchis

6. My Big Day - Bombay Bicycle Club

5. Metro Boomin Presents Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse - Metro Boomin, various artists / specifically the deluxe version which has some personal faves the og doesn't, like take it to the top and infamous

4. Unreal Unearth - Hozier

3. The Age of Pleasure - Janelle Monae / full disclosure this one is so high on this year's list because watching them perform this live did rewire my entire brain

2. The Land Is Inhospitable and So Are We - Mitski

1. Javelin - Sufjan Stevens / the vinyl for this album comes with an art booklet made by Sufjan that includes 10 mini-essays about love, and reading them for the first time felt like putting my heart in a fucking blender. [you can also read them all here for free if you feel like doing that to yourself tonight]

HONORABLE MENTIONS:

SOS - SZA / the greatest mistake of my life was leaving SOS off my 2022 album list and it will forever haunt me. unfortunately it was also a big grower for me and was released too late in the year for me to realize its genius in time. can't put it on my 2023 list either but pls know it is number one album of the year. in my heart

Soft Machine - Arlo Parks / i think this could have ranked higher had i managed to get around to checking it out when it actually dropped but unfortunately my dumb ass didn't catch it until v late in the year so there you go

House of Groove - Roche Musique / compilation so technically there's a bunch of artists on this record, found this one a little late in the year but wanted to shout it out bc i really enjoyed every track i heard off of it, no small feat

Sorry I Haven't Called - Vagabon / i have no excuse or explanation for this exclusion, there were simply too many records i loved this year

Favorite 2023 Song Finds

(note: per tradition, not confined to 2023 releases, just bops i listened to for the first time this year)

10. So I Danced - DPR IAN (2023) / i forgot to include the year in the graphic and i am too lazy to change it soz

9. Angelina - Milo Korbenski (2021)

8. No Good - Young & Sick (2019)

7. Better Now - SebastiAn, Mayer Hawthorne (2019)

6. Liquid Love (Mr Jukes Remix) - Billie Marten (2021) / one of those remixes i like better than the og, and to be clear i like the og quite a lot. also as i was putting together this list i learned that Mr Jukes is actually the name of the solo project of Bombay Bicycle Club's lead singer so like the more you know!

5. Hair Receding - Xenia Rubinos (2013) / i heard this song for the first time in December which usually would put it at an unfair disadvantage compared to songs that i've had the full year to get attached to but listening to it shook my molecules so vigorously i had no choice but to put it on this list

4. Zero (JID Remix) - Newjeans (2023) / look i am fully aware this song is a blatant kpop ad for coke zero and the chorus literally translates to "coca-cola is tasty / coca-cola is tasty" but that doesn't mean it isn't a BOP. another remix i prefer to the og, i think jid's verse and subtle production tweaks really elevate it to something i never want to stop playing when it comes on

3. Been Thinkin' - Hikes (2019) / or: my most played song of the year! don't examine what this probably reveals about the state of my psyche too closely!

2. I'm Your Man - Mitski (2023)

1. Bruises - Angel Haze (2015) / though i was genuinely v surprised this one did not make it onto my spotify top 5, considering every time it came on this year a fugue state did overtake my whole body and did not dissipate until i had played it at least another four or five times

[brookston]

Holidays 10.19

Holidays

Change Your Life Day

Constitution Day (New Zealand, Niue)

Dress Like a Dork Day

Durin’s Day (The Hobbit) [Original Date]

Evaluate Your Life Day

Feast of the Wicked Scam

Global Niemann-Pick Disease Awareness Day

Imagine a Day Without Water

International Day of Service for Kappa Alpha Theta

International Freelancer Day

International Human Rights Day (Turks and Caicos Islands)

LGBT Center Awareness Day

Make A Scarecrow Day

Maurice Bishop Day (Grenada)

Mother Theresa Day (Albania)

National Clean Your Virtual Desktop Day

National Friendzone Day

National Jared Day

National Kentucky Day

National Kiss Your Crush Day

National Payton Summons Day

National Psoriatic Arthritis Awareness Day (Canada)

National Thalassemia Day (UK)

New Friends Day [also 1.19; 7.19]

Oxfordshire Day (UK)

Rainforest Day

Samora Machel Day (Mozambique)

Tomato Day (French Republic)

World Bioethics Day

World Breast Cancer Day (Colombia, Mexico, Peru, Spain)

World Humanitarian Action Day

World Pediatric Bone and Joint Day

World Slotting Day

World Vagina Day

Yabusame Festival (Koyama, Japan)

Yorktown Day

Food & Drink Celebrations

Greasy Spoon Day

International Gin and Tonic Day

National Seafood Bisque Day

3rd Thursday in October

Alternative Fuel Day [3rd Thursday]

Conflict Resolution Day [3rd Thursday]

Get Smart About Credit Day [3rd Thursday]

Get To Know Your Customers Day [3rd Thursday of each Quarter]

Global Peer Support Celebration Day [3rd Thursday]

International Credit Union Day [3rd Thursday]

International ShakeOut Day [3rd Thursday]

National NJCAA Day [3rd Thursday]

Plastics Thursday (Canada) [3rd Thursday]

Purple Thursday (a.k.a. Wear Purple for Domestic Violence Awareness Day) [Thursday of 3rd Full Week]

Spirit Day [3rd Thursday]

Wear Purple to Stop Bullying Day [Thursday of 3rd Full Week]

Independence Days

Ikonia (Declared; 2018) [unrecognized]

Niue (1974)

Feast Days

Aaron (Coptic Orthodox Church of Alexandria)

Aquilinus of Évreux (Christian; Saint)

Armilustrium (Ancient Roman Festival of Mars)

Barbarella Day (Church of the SubGenius; Saint)

Bettara Ichi (Pickle Market a.k.a. Sticky-Sticky Fair; Ebisu Shrine, Tokyo, Japan)

Carista: Day of Peace in the Family (Pagan)

Desiderius (Didier) of Auxerre (Christian; Saint)

Diderot (Positivist; Saint)

Ethbin (a.k.a. Egbin; Christian; Saint)

Frideswide (Christian; Saint)

Henry Martyn (Anglican Communion)

Isaac Jogues, Jean de Brébeuf, and Companions (Christian; Saints)

Jerzy Popiełuszko (Christian; Blessed)

Paul of the Cross (Christian; Saint)

Peter Max (Artology)

Peter of Alcantara (Christian; Saint)

Prides (Christian; Saint)

Ptolemaeus and Lucius (Christian; Saint)

Rene Goupil (Christian; Saint)

Travel Poobah (Muppetism)

Try Not To Die Day (Pastafarian)

Umberto Boccioni (Artology)

Varus (Christian; Saint)

Veranus of Cavaillon (Christian; Saint)

William Carey (Episcopal Church)

Lucky & Unlucky Days

Sensho (先勝 Japan) [Good luck in the morning, bad luck in the afternoon.]

Umu Limnu (Evil Day; Babylonian Calendar; 48 of 60)

Premieres

Angels in the Outfield (Film; 1951)

Antipop, by Primus (Album; 1999)

The boys Bounce Back or Springtime in the Rocky (Rocky & Bullwinkle Cartoon, S6, Ep. 312; 1964)

A Chorus Line (Broadway Musical; 1975)

Clerks (Film; 1994)

Counterparts, by Rush (Album; 1993)

Damn the Torpedoes, by Tom Petty (Album; 1979)

The Enchanter, by Vladimir Nabokov (Short Story; 1986) [published posthumously]

I Second That Emotion, by Smokey Robinson and the Miracles (Song; 1967)

Le Belle Sauvage, by Philip Pullman (Novel; 2017) [The Book of Dust Trilogy #1]

Fahrenheit 451, by Ray Bradbury (Novel; 1953)

The Gay Divorcee (Film; 1934)

Injustice (Animated Film; 2021)

Looking for Mr. Goodbar (Film; 1977)

Mr. Smith Goes to Washington (Film; 1939)

Mucho Loma, Part 1 (Rocky & Bullwinkle Cartoon, S6, Ep. 311; 1964)

Mulholland Drive (Film; 2001)

Mylo Xyloto, by Coldplay (Album; 2011)

Pin Ups, by David Bowie (Album; 1973)

Prince, by Prince (Album; 1979)

The Razor’s Edge (Film; 1984)

Riding in Cars with Boys (Film; 2001)

Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree, recorded by Brenda Lee (Song; 1958)

Stop Making Sense, by Talking Heads (Film; 1984)

Take On Me, by A-ha (Song; 1985)

Tannhäuser, by Richard Wagner (Opera; 1845)

Vs., by Pearl Jam (Album; 1993)

Waking Life (Animated Film; 2001)

Wednesday Morning, 3 A.M., by Simon & Garfunkel (Album; 1963)

Today’s Name Days

Frieda, Isaak, Johannes, Paul, Peter, Petrus (Austria)

Ivan, Izak, Joel, Pavao (Croatia)

Michaela (Czech Republic)

Balthasar (Denmark)

Stella, Tähte, Tähti (Estonia)

Uljas (Finland)

Cléo, René (France)

Frieda, Frida, Isaak, Paul (Germany)

Cleopatra, Felix (Greece)

Nándor (Hungary)

Isaac, Laura (Italy)

Drosma, Drosme, Drosmis, Elīna, Valts (Latvia)

Geisvilas, Kantrimė, Kleopatra, Laura (Lithuania)

Tora, Tore (Norway)

Ferdynand, Fryda, Pelagia, Pelagiusz, Piotr, Siemowit, Skarbimir, Toma, Ziemowit (Poland)

Ioil (Romania)

Kristián (Slovakia)

Laura, Pablo, Pedro (Spain)

Tor, Tore (Sweden)

Cleo, Cleon, Cleopatra, Howard, Howie (USA)

Today is Also…

Day of Year: Day 292 of 2024; 73 days remaining in the year

ISO: Day 4 of week 42 of 2023

Celtic Tree Calendar: Gort (Ivy) [Day 17 of 28]

Chinese: Month 9 (Ten-Xu), Day 5 (Geng-Xu)

Chinese Year of the: Rabbit 4721 (until February 10, 2024)

Hebrew: 4 Heshvan 5784

Islamic: 4 Rabi II 1445

J Cal: 22 Shù; Oneday [22 of 30]

Julian: 6 October 2023

Moon: 24%: Waxing Crescent

Positivist: 12 Descartes (11th Month) [Diderot]

Runic Half Month: Wyn (Joy) [Day 8 of 15]

Season: Autumn (Day 26 of 89)

Zodiac: Libra (Day 26 of 30)