#aes and vibes - 10/10

[01libra]

barefoot bakery, oxford

[kdrama-movies-more]

[highladyluck]

For the fan theories ask, can you go down the list of Nakomi theories on the wiki? (Or, if that’s too much, just Nakomi is the Creator (or an agent of the Creator))

Ok, before we get into detail on this, if any of you tell me who Brandon Sanderson says Nakomi is, I will be genuinely annoyed. I don't want to know and I hope to go to my grave blissfully unaware of the actual truth. I engage in this for the pure love of unhinged speculation and bitchy judgement. I'm including the 7 theories that @anyboli tells me are on the wiki, and then 3 bonus ones.

1) Aes Sedai From Age of Legends - this is just silly, and frankly after [specific chapter in AMOL when a long-debated fandom question was finally answered] the fandom as a whole should have stopped making theories like this. THERE IS NO PURPLE AJAH!!! I debated shoving it further into 'worst idea' territory but unfortunately it is an undeniably fun premise, and we do canonically have Aes Sedai from the Age of Legends hanging about (they're just evil) which is why everyone keeps trying to make it happen. The placement just into worst idea territory is a compromise.

2) Agent of the Creator/Pattern - this is deeply unlikely- the Pattern doesn't care and the Creator's only agent is Rand- but I like it a little better than the previous option. I also think this is the Bela option, which also nudges it slightly more into 'extremely compelling'.

3) Bubble of Good - I don't think this is the author intent, but on the other hand, it's a random positive encounter that moves the action along, and a Bubble of Evil is a random negative encounter that moves the action along. Functionally, Nakomi ACTS like a Bubble of Good, so I think this sits squarely on the border between likely author intent and definitely not author intent. I enjoy the lampshading of Nakomi as Plot Device so this is somewhat compelling to me.

4) A Hero of the Horn, or Amaresu - Ok, this actually strikes me as somewhat likely and I think if it were an RJ thing this is almost the likeliest option. As a Sanderson thing it seems a little less likely but still pretty plausible. I enjoy the specificity of it and the Heroes do seem to break their own rules about meddling a lot. Maybe Amaresu is vibing with Aviendha because Avi's going to give birth to her reincarnation or something; that's not particularly plausible but I like the emotional implications.

5) A Jenn Aiel - This seems like the most likely of the wiki options. I think the Jenn Aiel still exist, canonically, and probably they'd be in the area and have opinions. It's not the most interesting theory to me because I don't get the mystery aspect at all in this case. I'd rather just know up front that Nakomi was Jenn, then I could get a reaction from Aviendha, which would have been super interesting. It's still pretty neat but the execution could have been improved if this is really the answer. (I actually think this would be AWESOME as part of #10, but without either the use of a specific known character or a reason for the obfuscation, this is not peak cool to me.)

6) Verin - No. I don't even get why people are saying this and I don't care to be informed, either. Verin's great but we don't have to make everything about her.

7) A Wise One - Sure, maybe? But this premise is so deeply uninteresting without specifics. This is the Wheel of Time. I need any random character that shows up once and has a speaking part to have a backstory three pages deep. It doesn't all have to be on the page, but you better convince me that it exists.

8) any Cosmere character - This is my worst fear because it seems so horribly plausible. I know it has been officially denied, but like Taimaindred, it makes too much sense and you can't convince me this wasn't the original intent.

9) Lanfear - This is my personal theory and it sparks joy. Nakomi is a moon-related name like Lanfear's "Selene" moniker, Lanfear constantly goes around in disguise helping protagonists even though it makes no fucking sense, AND Lanfear is apparently still at large even after she appeared to have died? At this point, Lanfear could be doing anything for any reason, we just can't know. The only way we can truly know Lanfear is her vibes--that's why her punishment from the Dark One was to be put into a body that was perfectly good but not her aesthetic--and this whole business has Lanfear Vibes so strong they can be seen from the Age of Legends moonbase.

10) Tigraine - This is @asha-mage's theory and it's the best one I've ever heard. The only reason it's not higher on author intent is because I'm going by Sanderson intent and I don't think this was on his radar, but it absolutely seems like something RJ would have done, so I split the difference. It fits the hints I vaguely remember- someone we haven't met directly in the books but not a totally unknown character either- and it's just so cool, the idea of Tigraine surviving after all, maybe throwing in with the Jenn, and giving advice to her son's lover/a future leader of her adopted people. I want to write a series of 3 vignettes about Tigraine and the concept of legacy: Tigraine at the Tower, dealing with being the legacy kid with no magical skills. Tigraine abandoning Galad and contributing to his complex about his family legacy. Tigraine (as Nakomi) after talking to Aviendha about the legacy of the Aiel as complicated by her son. It would be so satisfying!!! This should be the answer!!!

Again, DO NOT SPOIL THIS FOR ME. I DO NOT WANT TO KNOW THE CANONICAL ANSWER.

[demonicaldamage]

Did a little sketch of Xie Lian from @mrcformoso fic “paper flowers for the god of gods” with his lil pink carnations 🥺.

A highly recommended read!

The most recent chapter makes me wanna stab Jun wu and hug Xie Lian.

<a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/51515710"><strong>Paper Flowers for the God of Gods</strong></a> (26111 words) by <a href="https://archiveofourown.org/users/mrcformoso"><strong>mrcformoso</strong></a><br />Chapters: 6/10<br />Fandom: <a href="https://archiveofourown.org/tags/%E5%A4%A9%E5%AE%98%E8%B5%90%E7%A6%8F%20-%20%E5%A2%A8%E9%A6%99%E9%93%9C%E8%87%AD%20%7C%20Ti%C4%81n%20Gu%C4%81n%20C%C3%AC%20F%C3%BA%20-%20M%C3%B2xi%C4%81ng%20T%C3%B3ngxi%C3%B9">天官赐福 - 墨香铜臭 | Tiān Guān Cì Fú - Mòxiāng Tóngxiù</a>, <a href="https://archiveofourown.org/tags/%E5%A4%A9%E5%AE%98%E8%B5%90%E7%A6%8F%20%7C%20Heaven%20Official&#39;s%20Blessing%20(Cartoon)">天官赐福 | Heaven Official&#39;s Blessing (Cartoon)</a>, <a href="https://archiveofourown.org/tags/%E5%A4%A9%E5%AE%98%E8%B5%90%E7%A6%8F%20%7C%20Heaven%20Official&#39;s%20Blessing%20(Webcomic)">天官赐福 | Heaven Official&#39;s Blessing (Webcomic)</a><br />Rating: Teen And Up Audiences<br />Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply<br />Relationships: Huā Chéng/Xiè Lián (Tiān Guān Cì Fú), Huā Chéng & Xiè Lián (Tiān Guān Cì Fú)<br />Characters: Huā Chéng (Tiān Guān Cì Fú), Xiè Lián (Tiān Guān Cì Fú), Jūn Wú (Tiān Guān Cì Fú), È-Mìng (Tiān Guān Cì Fú), Hè Xuán (Tiān Guān Cì Fú), Shī Qīngxuán, Yǐn Yù (Tiān Guān Cì Fú), Shī Wúdù<br />Additional Tags: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Different First Meeting, Rapunzel Elements, Inspired by Hades and Persephone (Ancient Greek Religion & Lore), Flower God Xie Lian, canonverse, Flower Language, Minor God Xie Lian, Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Xie Lian has flowers in his hair, Origami, Falling In Love, Hurt/Comfort, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, POV Xiè Lián (Tiān Guān Cì Fú), POV Huā Chéng (Tiān Guān Cì Fú), Flashbacks, Love at First Sight, Parallels, Jūn Wú Being an Asshole (Tiān Guān Cì Fú), Gaslighting, Developing Relationship, Height Differences, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Heavy Angst, Panic Attacks, suicide ideation<br />Summary: <p>In another universe, The Crown Prince of Xian Le, Xie Lian, did not ascend as a martial god, but as a god of flowers, a minor god.</p><p>A minor god who made a mistake, and was punished, sealed in his own little portion of heaven with barely any power, indebted to the Heavenly Officials for their mercy and kindness. He spends his days in isolation, occasionally visited by gods when they want him for their festivals. He cannot refuse.</p><p>All days were nice. All days were the same.</p><p>Until a new 'god' visited, one draped in red with a large, red butterfly perched on his shoulder.</p><p>“Hello, Gege. You can call me San Lang.”</p><p> </p><p>Or: FlowerGod!XieLian x GhostKing!HuaCheng AU with Rapunzel and Hades &amp; Persephone vibes</p>

[respectthepetty]

Step by Step Finale

Because I have no morals and no patience, I watched Step by Step's finale.

Find out below if I'm seeing red.

SPOILERS! and cursing

Let's get this out of the way -

Y'ALL ARE GOING TO HATE THE FINALE!

And here's why:

It's one hour and forty-five minutes long. That's the runtime of an entire Korean BLs.

Two years have passed, and Jeng still works for his father. 12/10 Alans.

Which means Jeng was still trapped in those fucking boxes for a good portion of this long-ass episode.

Jaab was in it for maybe two minutes, and Jen and Khanun were only mentioned and shown in a single photo.

I don't know if Jaab and Jen were together and Jaab was going to Japan to help Jen move his stuff back to Thailand, or if Jaab and Jen were dating, broke up, and Jaab was going to Japan to get some stuff back. I have no idea. It was lost in translation, literally.

Put was essentially the one who got Jeng and Pat back together.

It took one hour and six minutes for the guys to make up.

Singing was a key element to getting Jeng and Pat to speak to each other. 20/10 Alans.

Now for the good

Chot is the best damn character EVER! I need a spinoff with him IMMEDIATELY! He was not here for Pat's (or Jeng's) bullshit, and said several times very nicely, "don't fuck with my money" yet was still on his blue boy's side. Bless.

Chot, Ae, and Pat now have their own company, Broccoli House, and it had to compete with Jian for Forjd's (or however we spell that company's name) business, so we got to see Nan, and Pat's blue morphed into his uncomfortable brown since he was forced to see Jeng.

Jeng and Jaab did wear red, but like . . . thank goodness Jaab was very vocal about Jeng needing to resign YEARS ago because I don't know about their colors, fam. I'll have to circle back on Tuesday.

There were callbacks to shrimp nuggets, glass jelly, birthday cakes, and many more pivotal Jeng x Pat moments.

They got back together with Jeng saying they would take it "step by step"

Jeng did resign and did it in Pat's blue! Thank fucking Jesus!

They weren't social media out, so the frame was still there, but they were both in the blue and their parents and friends are aware of their relationship, so I'll take my wins where I can get them.

There will be plenty of GIF sets of Jeng and Pat's honeymoon phase, and I will gladly reblog each and every one of them.

And it ends happily with them talking about their future as they walk under a "BE BOLD" poster

Vibe Check

I'll come back around to my feelings about the show once I can watch it with better quality Tuesday, but for now, I'll split the difference.

The last quarter of the show was chaotic, it had a lot to say, but much of it got lost in the sauce, and the second pairing never blossomed, but Jeng did what most of these BL boys refuse to do and went against his father to quit his job, Pat and Jeng both apologized for their behavior and are trying to change, and what the show was trying to say was a good message - Be Bold, and

FUCK YOUR SHITTY FATHER!

[markantonys]

okay quick 2x04 thoughts before i go off to make some gifs!

moiraine in cairhien was so fun!! loved getting a peek at her childhood and family

i gasped when it was revealed that moiraine (and presumably siuan) deliberately planted logain in cairhien to lure rand, even though i should've seen it coming! i should've known moiraine's always playing 4D chess!

WE STAN ANVAERE, absolute queen shit. she out-moiraine'd moiraine! also, as a younger sister who spent my whole childhood craving my older sister's approval, Felt

i'll admit i'm not jazzed about lan's storyline this episode. it was a little interesting and i liked getting a look at what alanna is like "outside of work", and she and maksim and ihvon continue to be top-tier secondary characters, but it felt like too much time and i wish some of this screentime had gone to mat or egwene instead. though i'm guessing we'll be getting much less of lan and more of others (especially egwene, for obvious reasons) next week!

but i AM intrigued by the direction they're going with lan's bond. everyone had speculated alanna's absorbing myrelle, but given that lan's getting on pretty well with them all and alanna seems to be leaving the decision in his hands and even suggests he could soon bond with nynaeve, i really do wonder if they might just have lan's bond go straight to nynaeve post-moiraine's-"death" and keep alanna & rand as the only non-consensual bonding in the show. it's a bit of a repetitive plot beat and i don't think anything would break if lan's version of it was skipped.

egwene referencing rand to elayne but without mentioning his name or any distinguishing info about him!!!!! this definitely gives me hope for a cute little scene of rand and elayne encountering each other in falme without realizing they have mutual friends.

i was SO confident that blonde warder trainee in the trailer was gawyn, but it turns out he was just a random background guy! i have been catfished! but maaaaaaybe it really was him but he just wasn't credited because he's not being officially introduced until a later episode? please???

LEANE'S OUTFIT!!! and ooooh great setup for the falme trip AND the coup next season (i'm sure some people will be more convinced by liandrin/elaida merger after this scene, but i truly don't think that'll happen bc a) it wouldn't work storywise for a number of reasons, b) if they were merging them they would've named the character elaida instead of liandrin)

i LOVED perrin's scenes with elyas!!! and this is coming from someone who was always bored to tears by perrin povs in the books! elyas delivering exposition like it was the most obvious thing in the world and perrin's an idiot for not knowing was a GREAT vibe haha and we have confirmation that perrin's visions aren't a visual representation of his smelling abilities, but rather sendings from the wolves! and we got hopper!!!!!

liandrin's convo with nynaeve was SO GOOD. i was going "awww this is so sweet, i love this" "oh wait, betrayal incoming, shit" djkjfg they did a great job of making it believable that nynaeve (and the audience) would trust liandrin's word about going to falme. also, the show's focus on the tragedy of aes sedai longevitiy is excellent, 10/10

elayne my beloved!!!!! "yes i'm following you obviously" i love her your honor!!!! and the earlier moment where she admits being curious about what it's like not to have your whole life mapped out, but then says she wouldn't trade places with egwene. baby! can't wait to get to her queen arc eventually!

FASCINATED by the reveal that min is working with liandrin because liandrin had promised to take her powers away from her. what an amazing story choice!!! it lends min some much-needed narrative meat, it makes SO much sense that she would find uncontrollable foresight to be a burden and a curse, and it sets up a potential arc of her learning more about/coming to terms with her powers. in the books she never has many thoughts on what it's like to have these powers, so i LOVE that the show is going to explore that more.

overall i'm quite surprised by the relative lack of mat in the season so far! i'd assumed they'd want a lot of time with him early since he was out of the final 2 eps of s1. but i'm sure he'll get a more focal episode later! on that note, i'm a bit worried because imdb doesn't have min in episode 5, and they do have mat, but it could just be because donal is a regular so gets billed for every episode even if he doesn't appear. because i'm not sure it'd make sense for mat to appear but not min next episode? but it's possible, and it's also possible that min will appear and imdb isn't accurate. still, i'm bracing myself for no mat storyline next week.

at least we got confirmation on the where & why of their trip: cairhien because ishamael wants to get mat and rand back together!! highly relatable of him, i must say

i don't even know what to say about the rand & lanfear stuff, it was SO good i'm shaking!!!!! but poor rand has probably been put off bondage forever now which is absolutely tragic djkfjgh

update to add: i can't believe moiraine walked in on rand mid-sex (with a forsaken) i hope they have the world's awkwardest conversation about it once they've stopped fleeing for their lives. there is a spectrum and This & mean girls "do you need anything? snacks? a condom?" are on opposite ends of it

[butterflydm]

wot deeper dive 2x1: a taste of solitude

Today is all about 2x1 for me! I am going to go scene by scene, talk up some thoughts about where we're starting with all our lovely characters in this first episode of season 2.

This specific post I am going to avoid any spoilers from the books! I will be doing another post later today that includes those spoilers and related thoughts.

Our first scene is the meeting that Our Friend From the Eye is having with his buddies, which I've talked about before since it was one of the released teasers but I really do love how it sets up some themes that I'm sure we'll follow over the course of the season -- what is evil? How can you tell if something or someone is evil? I really get the vibe that we're going to do a deep interrogation of Why People Become Darkfriends and I am here for it. I love him setting up his own philosophical view on the world here.

What the Man is arguing here is essentially that the Trollocs (and, by extension, the Shadow) aren't immoral but are amoral instead. "Hungry" rather than "malicious".

2. I do mourn the loss of our lovely little title sequence. I guess they wanted to squeeze every last possible second that they could for content!

3. I love the sort of bait-and-switch here where Moiraine is working her ass off... in order to fill a bath for herself. But this whole sequence is so touching and heartbreaking. When she tries to heat the water but fails to reach the Source. Heartbreaking! And when she's all alone, you can really see how she's despairing over her situation and her helplessness. She can't hold in her tears when she's alone.

4. And Lan is feeling his own sense of despair here. Equally heartbreaking. Going from a feeling so deeply connected to someone to them just being gone, and not as a temporary thing but, as far as you know, a forever thing.

5. Verin and Adeleas (and Tomas) are a fun set of characters. I just found their entire setup very charming and I enjoyed everything with them. Poor Adeleas is so thirsty though, lol.

6. It really is hard to see Moiraine staying at such an emotional distance from Lan! She didn't even look at him.

7. Egwene's Journey Through The White Tower did a good job setting the new expectations for her current situation and her role here as a novice -- cleaning the Amrylin's room, enjoying the view, the little bow she gives Leane, trying not to watch Alanna having fun with Maksim and Ihvon, passing by the Warder sparring area, and ending in the kitchens. We learn here that the Amrylin is off traveling. Hmm. I wonder where she went (I mean, it's likely an excuse to not have the actress for this set of episode -- I'm guessing we'll only get Sophie for one episode, maybe two, for this season).

8. Nynaeve telling Egwene to stop smiling over doing her chores, lol. I don't think we get a 'time-stamp' yet in this part -- I think it's Perrin who first lets us know how long it's been since they parted at Fal Dara. I'm guessing that they didn't leave Fal Dara right away and needed to take time to recover before heading to Tar Valon -- I even wonder if maybe Perrin & co actually traveled with Nynaeve and Egwene to Tar Valon as an escort? Because they all celebrate Bel Tine later in this episode, so it's been one year since 1x1, but Perrin notes that he's been hunting the Horn with the boys for "five months". This would also mean that Loial could have gotten some Aes Sedai healing at the Tower. I don't think that the show will go back and address it because we are barreling forward but... things that make me go 'hmm'.

9. Nynaeve is SO ANNOYED and feels so bait-and-switched by Siuan's promises, lol. "I have enough character". Amazing, perfect, no notes.

10. I love so much how Alanna's lesson is folded into the chores! She's teaching them but also showing them useful things (purifying water is a VERY useful skill!) while also giving them an incentive to get better as quickly as possible lol. Alanna as the Charming Green is such an interesting contrast to Liandrin the Bitter Red, especially since they're both getting explored as full, rich characters.

11. Egwene takes lessons wherever she can find them -- here, we see her avoiding using her hands because she doesn't want to be helpless if someone ties her hands up again, like Valda did. Ah, we do get the "five months" timestamp here too -- five months "in this Tower", so that's not including the travel time it took to get there. That matches what Perrin is saying, so I feel like there is an implication there that Perrin & co escorted Egwene & Nynaeve to the Tower. Five months is a long time for Nynaeve to have completely failed to channel again despite being surrounded by teachers, so I understand why she's so frustrated.

12. Nynaeve drinking the glass of filthy water is just so disgusting but also perfect. And Alanna just going ??? what is wrong with that girl???

13. So... holy shit, a novice died under Liandrin's teachings. Wild that she was given permission to 'talk' to Nynaeve. I'm with Alanna on that, 100%. Liandrin should not have been allowed anywhere near Nynaeve.

14. Liandrin gives us some world updates: Hunt for the Horn declared in Illian; Trollocs raiding Arafel; and a new false Dragon is Saldaea. Thank you for the world info update, Liandrin! I appreciate it!

15. Perrin writing letters to his friends really gets to me. It makes me very emotional. I love that sense of connection getting to still be present. And Perrin has been writing them regular letters!! And Perrin is also writing letters home and asking if Mat has found his way back!!

16. Oh, hello, Mysterious Golden-eyed Tracker. Nice to meet you, Elyas.

And the way they're doing everything with Perrin is interesting. I feel like given the audience something to experience is important, rather than it being Perrin narrating what he sees/smells, especially since he hasn't talked about any of what he's been going through with anyone on-screen, really.

17. Padan Fain killing a young woman and helping slaughter an entire caravan of people who follow the path of non-violence. What was that about not being able to tell if someone's actions are evil or not, Man from The Eye of the World?

18. One of the children escaped, and one of the Tuatha'an dogs killed one of the Darkfriend soldiers protecting the young girl's escape but died protecting her.

19. Moiraine is very successfully sneaky here with Doman, making him believe she's after one thing but getting him to haggle down on the thing that she's truly interested in. And I think she realizes that Doman has something real because of his mention that he's being followed and then the whole, you know, "Old Tongue written in blood" thing. She plays him good. But then when she realizes how much danger he might be in, she gives him another ten marks to help him out.

Lan's thoughts on the bond are very poetic. I love him getting to talk these things over with another Warder. And Lan is very aware that Moiraine is trying to push him away and is determined not to let her freeze him out, but it's hard!

20. Nynaeve finding so much more comradery with the Warders than with the Aes Sedai (but then also that moment when she insults Alanna and they make it clear that she's gone too far). We also get a bit of a look into the Alanna-Maksim-Ihvon poly dynamics. Nynaeve does try to reach out to Egwene but Egwene is never in her room!

21. It is so funny that Alanna thought that Egwene came to her for advice on poly relationships. Egwene trying to mirror Alanna with how she leans against the cushions: also hilarious. (who does Alanna think that Egwene is having sex with, I gotta wonder, lol) Poor Egwene. Once Alanna realizes what Egwene is actually asking, though, she gives her some solid advice.

22. Nynaeve practicing Alanna's lesson on her own because she DOES want to learn but she doesn't want to fail in front of other people. And Liandrin's entire scene with her was so well done but also: wow, yikes ouch. Nynaeve's reaction to being shielded by Liandrin (getting teary; looking at her hands afterwards) reminds me of Moiraine's reaction to what happened to her at the Eye. Liandrin is also really good at getting under people's skins. Hearing the official Red policy on Warders is really a sad way to look at things, but does explain a lot (but she's also trying to get Nynaeve to react). "You saw that weave only once but you were able to copy it" - Nynaeve's a quick learner, when she can touch the Power. Such an intense scene!

23. Really liked the funeral scene. Elyas buries the brave dog who protected the little girl. Ingtar and Perrin talk about Darkfriends and revenge and grace. "All men deserve a proper burial". Perrin talking about being worried that the rage will overwhelm him (which is directly what led to him accidentally killing his wife in the premiere). "Anger won't bring my men back." But Perrin can't stop thinking about how open and warm his people were to Fain, and then Fain betrayed them all (with a smile!).

24. Lan telling Moiraine not to smile at him while they're in a terrible situation like this, and she's pushing him away. Getting two flashbacks from that -- a. Nynaeve telling Egwene not to smile about doing her chores earlier in this episode and b. Siuan telling Moiraine not to smile back in episode 1x6. This does hurt and I think it hurts Lan that he knows what she's doing, trying to drive him away, and it's still working anyway because he doesn't feel that intimate connection that they've shared for the last twenty years.

25. Us getting that lovely moment of Perrin writing the letter, and Egwene and Nynaeve receiving it, and Rand all on his own, thinking of his friends, and then poor Mat, getting tormented by Liandrin by her only reading part of the letter, making him believe that his friends don't care about him anymore. The way Egwene and Nynaeve are able to connect for a moment, and how all five of them are thinking about each other on Bel Tine (which tells us that it's officially been a year since 1x1). Perrin is a wonderful correspondent, with a very nice way with words.

26. "A dozen letters now, and not a single mention of Mat Cauthon." Liandrin is very very good at knife-twisting. Also, Perrin has sent them a dozen letters in only five months. He is a very faithful correspondent. Ugh, I was immediately gutted by the look on Mat's face. And this is confirmation that Mat has heard that Rand is dead (and from Liandrin, probably the worst person to hear it from!). Ah, we have a "six months" timestamp from Mat here, so it took Egwene & Nynaeve roughly a month or so to get to Tar Valon from Fal Dara, since they've been in the Tower for five months. Ugh, Liandrin has been picking and picking at him for six months. My poor darling. And I bet he's especially emotional over it right now because it's Bel Tine.

27. Mat can't afford a lantern this year either, and he doesn't have any other ways of getting one. Perrin almost says goodbye to Laila here but can't quite do it (that's how I'm interpreting the moment with the ring), which means that this lantern is only for Rand. And Nynaeve and Egwene also put out a lantern for Rand, to say goodbye. Then we see Rand with a lantern, all by himself in a city. We only get this one glimpse of Rand in the whole episode but it's still very emotional.

28. Love the reveal that Mat is secretly trying to work on an escape plan. Great moment to end his little scene here on.

29. Also love Lan getting some Warder therapy from Adeleas, Verin, and Tomas. Also, lol, Adeleas just wants to eat her meal. I love Verin and Adeleas's relationship. This is such a good scene.

30. Apologies to my dearest Moiraine & Lan, but I never have much to say about fight scenes. That scene sure did... fight. Good fighting in that scene. Their hands touching at the end got to me though. I liked getting to see Verin channel Tomas's sword to be on fire. That was pretty cool.

[lurkingshan]

The Eighth Sense 9&10

Gosh Jae Won looks so sad

Yesssss therapist call him out. Avoiding Ji Hyun is not helping anyone. Hurting and confusing someone because you want to avoid hurting and confusing them - this logic never holds up.

Joon Pyo calling him narcissistic 🤣 You’re right though, Ji Hyun

Ae Ri giving such good advice you truly are a queen👑

Ji Hyun has the best friends. They’re kind, empathetic, supportive. He’s lucky to have found them so quickly.

No Ji Hyun don’t let Eun Ji get into your head!

The hands!!! I am screaming

Yoon Won really feels clueless sometimes, geez. Can she not see that her friend is traumatized? Why is she making him relive the trip? And yeah clearly she is going through her own stuff but ma’am look outside yourself. Even in the state he’s in, Jae Won sees her pain and responds and I wish she could do the same for him.

Jae Won please stop letting this girl hang all over you, she is so manipulative and you must know exactly what she’s doing. Also pretty disgusted with her trying to get him into bed when he’s in this state. She’s despicable.

Oh poor Ji Hyun, that was awful

Yes Jae Won you are being cruel to Ji Hyun at this point. Sit with it, process it, do something about it. That little smile when he stops in front of Ji Hyun’s restaurant - that felt like him making a decision.

Detective Joon Pyo!

Ji Hyun giving him a camera and a sketch 😭

Time to dump her, Jae Won! Yesssss I knew it

She really was a cheater, huh? I’m not surprised.

I like that Jae Won has snapped out of it and now recognizes that allowing himself to slide back into things with Eun Ji was him actually being out of his mind, whereas being with Ji Hyun was real.

LOVE Jae Won going to boss lady for advice. He seems so much lighter just having ended it with Eun Ji.

Not Ji Hyun flashbacks my heart can’t take it

IS THAT CONAN GRAY OMG THIS SHOW IS TRYING TO KILL ME

Omg I’m crying he went to him!!!

THAT WAS SO BEAUTIFUL

This bed montage… how am I supposed to recover

Aww Ji Hyun is still scared

Jae Won reassuring him so clearly, these boys have communicated

Joon Pyo gave them the room for the night, what a great pal

They’re so cute how do I live how do I function

Jae Won looking at Ji Hyun with naked adoration, teasing him about using banmal, putting his jacket on him… I may never recover

I love Ji Hyun asking for clarity, and them talking so openly about why they’re happy. Healthy kings!

Aww yay, glad something good happened for Yoon Won.

Not Ji Hyun admitting he doesn’t actually care about surfing 🤣 and calling Jae Won out on pretending to need a lighter 🤣🤣

Ji Hyun is low key a little scared to part from Jae Won and I get it

Yes Ae Ri put it together!!! I love her, she is officially my favorite woman character in a bl

Jae Won looks so much better. Just putting an end to denying himself Ji Hyun has done wonders for his mood.

This asshole is actually asking for an apology from Jae Won? Get fucked, Tae Hyung

Ahh Jae Won you need to cut this toxic friend out of your life. But we can’t expect him to change his entire personality in a day. And I do like this explanation for why Jae Won keeps him around - he is comforted by his lack of filter and mask. He always knows where he stands with him, and maybe admires a little that he’s so open.

Jae Won openly smiling at Ji Hyun in front of everyone, we love to see it

They gotta figure out when their day one is, this is very important in dramas!

Yesss Bit Na drag him!!!!

Jae Won if you did not actually mean to come out to Yoon Won you need to be more subtle than that 🤣

Yoon Won and Joon Pyo… I’m picking up a vibe

Jae Won is so much kinder to Eun Ji than she deserves

“I want to be alone with you” 👀

Ji Hyun’s endless list of cheesy couple stuff he wants to do is honestly so cute

Hahaha I knew it

“I have no time to think about anything but you”

Ji Hyun, gracious in victory. Not totally buying Eun Ji suddenly being this chill in defeat, though.

T8S is unfortunately doing the very common kdrama thing of giving shitty characters unearned redemption at the end. Tae Hyung and Eun Ji deserved to be cut off, not receive forgiveness they absolutely did not earn.

Ahh that ending was nice. Ji Hyun coming into his confidence - emotional and physical - is such such a great place to leave that character.

I absolutely loved this show. Episode 9 was the peak for me - that was such excellent emotional catharsis and every moment of it felt earned. The final episode was not perfect - some annoying kdrama tropes reared their heads and I thought tonally it was a little too celebratory - but overall I am ending this series feeling fantastic. What a great ride.

[jisungshotfirst]

top 10 title tracks of 2023

in which i am a nerd and rant about music<3

10. BYOB - Billlie

this is just the cutest little city pop song! it's simple and catchy and it was a real change to hear such soft voices from billlie! softer title tracks always stand out to me because they are often so so pretty and delicate and byob is so so pretty and delicate! and the lyrics... i have claimed this as an aromantic anthem, it's ours. not relating to your friends having crushes .... billlie i see u

9. Break the Brake - Xdinary Heroes

this song is just straight vibes... the loudest rock we've gotten from xdinary and I appreciate it SO much. the verses r so clean and the falsetto.. its harmonically so interesting so the noise of the chorus feels properly cathartic and doesn't feel like a loss which can sometimes happen in scream-esc choruses. It's arranged SO well to balance all these things and be stimulating while also being so emotive. AND JUNHAN WITH THOSE CRUNCHY NOTES IN HIS SOLO. the dissonance.. its so brain-sratchy

8. In Bloom - Zerobaseone

zebi brainrot is so real friends.. be careful. this song is so beautiful! i think its a perfect example of the song marrying the concept and mv and members tones so well. from literally the first minute of zb1 i was so excited about their concept of mixing natural imagery like flowers with glitchy technology imagery and i hoped the music would match... AND IT DID! its so lyrical while being crunchy and energetic. SUCH a slayful debut

7. #menow - Fromis_9

this song is sooooo pretty. epitome of a soft bop. it's a classic fromis sound but with this sense of maturity and humility that makes it so engaging and emotional. it demands to be taken seriously but still is so fun! the vocal production is next level.. the effect on their voices in the chorus so they're used like instruments... one of favourite techniques ever. i LOVE when the vocals truly feel like part of the arrangement and not just sitting on top and this song truly does that

6. Spicy - Aespa

the absolute cunt aespa serve in this song... who let them. anyone who knows me knows i'm obsessed with everything moonshine has ever made.. and so when i heard they were doing an aespa title... i went crazy. and i am so right for it. THE BASS IS INSANE?? it puts all other synth basses to shame with how in your face it is. and the crispy snare? idk how to describe this song other than cunty because she genuinely does not care about being clean or palatable... like she is In Your Face with sound. and aespa literally ate that up... they are so fun and cheeky and confident! i'm sorry this is the kind of song that only a group of baddies could handle and aespa stepped up

5. Sugar Rush Ride - TXT

txt doing disco... like you already have me at that. it's sooooo groovy and although the anti-chorus was surprising.. i'm not mad at it! I'm so happy they went into it full force with the whisper vocals and the choreo switching mood, it rly helped the genre change make sense. and the DISCOOO at the end.. bop central. the lyrics and choreo and vibes overall r just so beautiful.. what can i say i love songs about gay sex i mean forbidden love...

4. Groovy - Cravity

the funky bop of all funky bops... literally funk pop goodness! there is so much movement in this track theres so many different rhythms happening and the blend together sooo well. the dance break is perfect.. literally everything you want from a dance break with the continuation of the same sounds but a new tone to it and new rhythmic focuses. and the choreo for it literally hits ever beat you want it to and stretches out the time between them perfectlyyyy. but ultimately it is on here because is it a feel-good happy fun bop.. and she excels at it! vity makes me so happy and they are so good at making songs that make you happy

3. Galileo - Kep1er

cutest song of the year! it is so groovy and fun and danceable. it is sooo feel-good it literally makes me smile every time. thank you hiyyih for putting aegyo in a song<3 where is her nobel peace prize. this is the kind of song where you truly can't hear the music theory going on because it just does exactly what you want it to do! any tension chords are resolved perfectly where you want them to. it's the perfect example of chords from minor keys borrowed to make a song that sounds so major and happy. there is absolutely nothing i would change about this song it is sooo perfect. absolutely filled to the brim with joy

2. ROAR - The Boyz

...like literally hello? this song came out of nowhere for me i did NOT expect to be as impressed as i was like my life changed after this song. firstly the whistle.. hot and sexy and catchy. carrying it through as a motif, chopping it up, creating variations, translating it to a singable vocal line... all of that is SO impressive to be able to pull off. crunchy track underneath.. beautiful. but what is most impressive to me about this song is the topline. the vocals are literally insane.. chanhee and hyunjae have my favourite tbz voices and u are crazy if u don't agree that they r the main characters of this song. some of those chorus lines are So high and they can sing them in a way that sounds so effortless. and the backing vocals... the Incredibly high harmony in the choruses makes me want to scream (it's jacob i think.. jail). and there is just voices Everywhere.. everywhere theres little 'ahs' hidden around and it not only fits the songs sexy concept in such a natural way but it just fills up every bit of space in the song. and the lyrics... once again i love a song about ..*checks notes* forbidden love.. that is damned by heaven... definitely not about gay sex tho .. definitely not..

1. Chill Kill - Red Velvet

second moonshine on the list .. no one is suprised. i think this song has complimented red velvet's two sides of creepy and feel-good the most successfully. the tone shift from the verses to the chorus is so obvious... but seamless. and what does it is the harmony! the chords are perfect... it seems redundant to talk about rv vocals but they rly just make the song. and the outro... blending both vocal parts of the chorus together.. it sounds epic. it adds to both the happy and creepy by sounding like a group of friends together.. but also cult-y with all that creepiness still lingering. singing 'forget about your sorrow' with the happiest voices like the verses weren't filled with creepy minor sounds... literally gaslighting queens. this song is terrifying and also the most joyful (hi sooyoung 😘) experience to listen to.... only the dream team of moonshine cazziopeia and red velvet can manage that. and it's no surprise this dream team gets my no.1 spot!

thank you for reading if you got this far ! pls share your favs with me and if we share any i'd love to hear what you think! happy new year everyone I truly hope it treats you well<3 and here's to more bops in the new year!!!

[seitosokusha]

Writing Patterns Meme

Tagged by @saunne

Rules: List the first line of your last 10 (posted) fics and see if there's a pattern!

Wait... last 10 updated fics (and then take chapter one?) or last 10 fics based on chapter 1 post date? :think: uhhh I guess probably... chapter 1 post date. That's what I'm going with HAHA

This just goes to show that there truly is never a dull day on the Astral Express. Phosphorus HSR, Lord Ravager!JY au

“Here you go, Bladie. I got you a picture of your cute boy toy while I was visiting,” Kafka says, leaning over the Blade’s shoulder to hand him the picture. flirting is dead, kafblade, "this is not a renheng fic"

The seat of Divine Foresight is destroyed, pillar crumbling, the tatter red material of banners fluttering down the ground. Before Dawn, hsr/khr fusion. "What does it take to break a Sky?"

You're not supposed to be able to betray your Sky. set if free, hsr/khr fusion, Sky!JY

No one on the Luofu will tell you this story. who decides what's right and what's wrong? omegaverse Dan Feng/Jing Yuan

Himeko’s day was off to a horrible start. the stars don't shine, they burn. omegaverse Dan Heng/Jing Yuan/Marshal Hua

“General Blade, thank you for allowing us to come along,” Welt says. Cold Burning, Blade/Jing Yuan, roleswap au

Today is the day. Luofu's Most Eligible Bachelor, Dan Heng/Jing Yuan

Bailu is beside herself. let there be light, let there be light, let me be alright, Dan Heng/Jing Yuan. Heliobi au

Stelle was a blank slate, still is. Imprints on the Soul, character study

BONUS Living on board the Astral Express is nothing like Jing Yuan expects. using legends to reshape me, using agony to reforge me, Dan Heng/Jing Yuan/Blade

What have we learned?

Hmmm so I favor with prose over dialogue for my first sentence. Typically I lean towards (hopefully) strong line to set the vibe/theme. Especially when it's to show what's different than other fics (i.e. using legends' first line tells you that JY is now living on AE or Cold Burning's first line tells you Blade is a General in this AU not a Stellaron Hunter.) Or sometimes a running joke. (i.e. Himeko is never having a good time in the stars don't shine, they burn.)

It's usually not a description of the scenery unless it's unusual scenery (i.e. Before Dawn)

Tagging: @adelmortescryche and @onceabluemoonwrites

[gizkasparadise]

List of dramas where the large age gaps (regardless of gender) didn’t deter the chemistry or ruin the drama for you, including noona romances where the age gap IS the plot

And dramas where they didn’t. I ask because I have been recommended the Turkish drama Aziz and I’m hesitant because the age gap between the two bothers me too much. Of course it is just my opinion and no one else’s and I could be wrong about it but it posed a major hindrance to me

sure! here's some that come to mind--not taking into account actual actor ages because i am too lazy to look them up :'D

Female Lead is the Older One aka Noona Romances

empress ki. QUEEN SHIT. she's older & more experienced in life than her ultimate love interest (#spoilers) and the chemistry is A++++

find yourself was a fun if average drama, but the chemistry between the leads was A+

the glory okay there's not a ton of shippiness yet, but i'm 100% sold on the potential of them in the first half

someday or one day is kind of screwy, since it's about time travelers, so who's the oldest switches around quite a bit. alice ke i think is more than 5 years older than her love interest though

eternal love: ten miles of peach blossoms. the female lead i think is like. 10s of thousands of years older than her final love interest; visually they look around the same age though #immortals

my fated boy bored me and i ended up dropping it, but the chemistry iirc was fine and the show operates on the noona romance trope

--

Male Lead is the Older One

the rise of phoenixes im actually not sure how old the characters are supposed to be, but there's a sizable age gap IRL between them. the chemistry is RIDICULOUS

love between fairy and devil sort of counts? visually, they're around the same age, but the male lead has 1000s of years on the female lead in-story #immortals

because this is my first life has two couples where there's an age gap and they're both pretty great

moon lovers: scarlet heart ryeo is an entertaining rollercoaster mess of a drama, and the leads have great chemistry

my liberation notes this one isn't as straight up romantic as the other dramas listed, but there's about a 10 year gap between the leads and they work really well together

when a man falls in love. this drama is not universally liked (in fact, most people hate it but THEYRE WRONG), but it basically operates on the age gap/power gap trope and is a dysfunctional ride full of morally grey characters. i loved it, but i love mess so take that as you will

--

edit: OOPS, sorry, missed the second part of the ask. dramas where the chemistry/age gap didnt work for me:

romance is a bonus book. i didnt vibe with the main couple and i think the ML had some big maturity problems as of where i left off. also i never mentally got over the fact that she was divorced A FULL ASS YEAR and he didnt know????

cheese in the trap. i liked this drama but the ML just felt way, way older than everyone around him so it’d be a little off when he’d get involved in the petty campus antics

mr sunshine. i didnt feel it between eugene and ae sin. at all. literally any of her other love interests would have been preferred

[that-bl-bitch]

9 fandom friends to get to know better

I was tagged by @clowncroccharms thanks!

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

3 ships I love

Obviously my favorite ships are forever rotating and I’m only gonna stick to bl land if that’s cool so this is who I’m liking currently 

1- kor and namsom (city of stars) second lead syndrome always and forever😘✌🏽 (I just love how much he loves her he will do anything to be with her again)

2- miyata and iwanaga (koi wo suru nara) need I elaborate 

3- Achi and Ji (to be continued)

First ship ever

Gun to my head I couldn’t tell you who my first ever ship was but since we’re sticking to bl land anyways I’ll do the first ship that got me into BLs in the first place which is tin and can from love by chance, like I said forever and always a second lead syndrome having bitch and I meant it when I said it like forreal I didnt even know that Pete and Ae were the main characters going in, anyways i saw them on tumblr and said who and what is that and started watching lbc a couple weeks later 

Last song I listened to

-Overdrive by Conan gray 

Favorite childhood book

-I would have to say Diary of wimpy kid probably 

Currently reading

Nothing right now but I am about to start "Solomon’s Crown" By Natasha Siegel a gay period book which is not my vibe usually, I don’t like non modern set books usually but then I read Breeze Spells and Bridegrooms By Sarah Wallace & S.O Callahan and fell in love, This book is really good if you like fairy’s, magic, gay romance, and (I believe) regency  era this is the book for you this is not my usual genre very far from it and I truly loved it enough to read it again and don’t really reread books it’s also set in a queer normative world which is like why I don’t read period cause I don’t want to read and about period specific homophobia and secret sneak around relationships so without that I was really super optimistic going in and truly 10/10 I’m not gonna go into to details but it did make me cry and feel so much love in my heart but go read the blurb and if you are even slightly interested in it from that I think you should give it go, so after finishing that now I’m trying to chase that high so I hope Solomon’s Crown is also really good, I have a bunch lined up in similar worlds so wish me luck

Currently watching

Next level chef UK cause I love next level chef and I’ve already ran through the American seasons and now I’m working on the UK

edit: I rough draft this last night when I was watching NLC: UK but right right now I'm watching station 19

Currently consuming

Nada, I’m in bed chilling I did just have brekkie, cherrios

Currently craving

I could really go for some cotten candy ice cream

I'm tagging: @monroeurfnboat @hautegirl07 @good-night-space-kid

Yall have been in my notifs lately so do it if you wanna :)

[scibot9000]

top discovered albums this year. as in, top albums from not-2023 but that I found in 2023. i dont have spotify so i gotta do this manually.

rankings approximate. links and thoughts under the cut

hizmi - Soak (2021)

sometimes it's the technicalities that blow my mind. this is…… unmodified X68000 music????

Yeah listening to this has expanded my mind on what's possible with old FM chips. None of this sounds like the artist found any restriction with any aspect of the system.

"Rivulet" blows my mind every time. It's just an ilkae song. Like cmon.

---

SDEM - ZNS (2020)

After AE_LIVE 2022, I went on a little bender, looking for anything else ae-esque.

I pretty much immediately struck gold. I had been digging through SDEM stuff anyway but man this is another level.

"dysp 0m" in particular is one of the tracks of all time. I keep coming back to it. it's HEAVY on headphones.

---

Ssaladd - Ssaladd (2020)

This is a funny selection to land on a TOP8 because it's so understated. It even kinda feels distant.

But damnit that's why it stuck with me.

The use of wow and flutter is crazy good here!

It feels like carefully applied vibrato, an application of the expression MIDI CC. But completely unlike any other vibrato I've heard.

It feels like a pioneering mix of techniques. And I can't stop thinking about it.

---

Cryptovolans - Passenger (2022)

Is it possible to have a wall of sound in MIDI?

No, not Black MIDI. Something prog.

I keep coming back to "Board Room" in particular because it's so... weird? Slightly beyond just SC, but not by much. Heavyweight album.

---

Kid606 - GQ on the EQ++ (2000)

The textures on this absolutely blew me away.

"My Kitten Went To London" sounds insanely fresh. I can't believe it's pushing 23 years old!

That and "Dandy" really stuck wth me. The latter sounds a bit more era-appropriate somehow (maybe because of oval?), but still vibes really good.

This was actually me revisiting the album. I initially listened to it about a decade ago and didn't like it. Crazy to think I turned away from such gold back then.

---

nagz - Good (2020)

nagz has been a longtime favorite and inspiration of mine. He's been making music from the future for years and years. Blowing my mind since 2006 or so.

One of his earlier releases, hringur, stuck with me for years. It had an atmosphere that I had never heard before or since.

…until now.

It's not actually a sequel, but it's got a flavor that I just. Don't know where else you can find.

If I were to highlight a single track: "I Like You But Not Too Much" hits astoundingly hard. It's what I imagine Earthbound music might be like if it were made today.

---

DJ Technorch & 九十九音夢 – Strong Anthropic Principle (2016)

An absolutely mind melting early (found in January) favorite. Hard, hardcore, and psychedelic. And a bit silly.

"猫の気持ち 〜Cat's Mind〜 (Masayoshi Iimori Remix)" and "解熱鎮痛一撃必殺 〜Critical Arts〜" in particular stuck with me as great experiences.

I really really like the preview video, too. (nsfw warning?) (flashing lights warning?). It truly captures the vibe.

---

AE_LIVE / elseq 6-10 / onesix

I had already listened to some of these, but around march, I found fanmade CUE sheets, and that brought a whole new level of love for this release.

And then I found fan edits with another set of fan titles. Two names for all of my favorite bits? Sure!

"ceramic / clipcon" i love that percussion! the ringmod in "(drunk) / probat emp2" is some of my fav ae work ever. having splits made me fall in love with the density of "sentinel / sinistrail casual"

and then I discovered the onesix sets and fan-cuts, giving a more ambient dive which I'll only mention briefly here. But man, "reflected / seven of twelve" is one I revisit OFTEN.

[cryptid-s-wips]

Happy STS (or answer whenever if ya want), Quentin! For any WIP, if it was a house, how would you describe it. And what rooms would it have? Sending good ☆☆ vibes ☆☆ and good luck to you. - ✨️ (@enchanted-lightning-aes)

Hi Enchant! Thank you for the ask! Sending ~*good vibes*~ right back

If Where the Redwood Lies were a house, it would be a little hunting cabin in the middle of the woods sitting on a pond. A rusty old pickup truck sits outside on the gravel driveway, a clearly handmade dock stretches out past a small shoreline into the cool water, and besides the pond, the cabin, and the truck, there's nothing but trees for miles around.

It's heated with a wood stove, and only has three rooms (a common room with a kitchen, living space, and dining area plus two bedrooms) with an outhouse and shed outside. It's rustic and probably hasn't been updated since the 70s. There are shag area rugs in the bedrooms, under the bunk beds. Most of the decorations are fishing and hunting memorabilia. Old hunting rifles, snowshoes, and fishing poles line the walls and you can't tell if they're still in use. A 10-point buck's taxidermied head sits over the fireplace, its impressive rack of antlers casting shadows on the ceiling.

If you go out into the shed, though, and move around a few of the old tackle boxes, shelves with canned food and preserves, and moth-eaten blankets, you'll find a little hatch that leads to a ladder descending into darkness. Once you flip a switch, turn on the fluorescent lights, and make your way down, you find a bunker filled with scientific laboratories and computers that take up whole rooms. Petri dishes are scattered throughout, labeled with ominous signs, and one room is completely blocked off, sealed with caution tape and the biohazard symbol. You don't know what's in that room, but you think you'd rather it stay that way.

Ok, this was actually so fun to do. It may or may not be based on the setting at the beginning of the novel itself, but it was fun to explore it more. I've been getting way more into writing it too lately, so I'm glad I actually have more to say about it here!

[cori-randomstuff]

Honkai manga quick review

Escape from Nagozora & St Freya high: So much homoeroticism. Gay gay homosexual gay. The story isn't anything special, it's alright. I feel like Theresa's personality doesn't line up with later mangas or the actual game. 6/10

Gratitude arc: Same as the previous one, though I find the story to be a bit better. 6.5/10

AE invasion: Lots of character backstory and development, the fight scenes are cool and I enjoy Kiana's character much more than I thought I would. 7.5/10

Moon shadow: I like Fu hua, I like how she handles the situation. And Kiana is just vibing in the background. 7/10

Second eruption: The best honkai manga. It's really good. The fight scenes are hype as hell, you can just feel humanity's desperation and will to survive. Sirin is an amazing antagonist. This is probably better than most action movies. 9/10

Elan Palatinus: Good character expansion for both Kallen and Otto. 7.5/10

Azure waters: This might get me lynch, but I didn't enjoy this manga. I like Bronya and in game chapters focusing on her and the orphanage crew were great. And I think the concept for the plot is good but the execution is too edgy for me to like it. 5/10

World serpent: It's too short, I have nothing to say about it.

Second key: Good characterization for Su and Kelvin. 7/10

London holiday: Nothing noteworthy about this besides Durandal/Rita content. 6/10

[guinevere01]

Wheel of Time and Cosmere fanworks auctions in Fandom Trumps Hate

Here’s an overview of the offerings in the Wheel of Time (both books an tv show) and Cosmere fandoms for @fandomtrumpshate this year. Not familiar with Fandom Trumps Hate? In short it’s a yearly fanworks auction of which the proceeds go to charities supporting progressive causes. For the long version click below

Link to Fandom Trumps Hate - FAQ

Bidding is open and runs till March 5th at 8PM EST!

Wheel of Time - Fanfic

WoT Fanfic #1

Name auctioneer: Emjen Enla (link to auction), tumblr: @emjenwrites

Highest rating: M (Mature)

Length/scope: Less than 5k words

Minimum bid: $10

Current high bid: $20

Books or show: Book canon only

Especially interested in:

Characters: Moiraine, Galad, Egwene, Cadsuane, Aes Sedai in general, Logain, Lan, Rand if you're asking to whump him

Ships: Moiraine & Lan, Galad/Bornhald, Siuan/Leane

Other: positive portrayals of the Aes Sedai, Rand's unhealing side wound, the taint on saidin

WoT Fanfic #2

Name auctioneer: Roccolinde/Fire_Sign (link to auction), tumblr: @firesign23

Highest rating: E (Explicit)

Length/scope: Less than 5k words

Minimum bid: $5

Current high bid: $100

Books or show: TV canon only

Especially interested in:

Characters/ships: Anything centred around Lan, Nynaeve, and/or Moiraine, platonic or romantic or pre-romantic.

Other: Power/Battle couple dynamics and competence kink, exes/second chances/second loves, prickly characters being vulnerable, female characters finding common ground, snark and banter, character-driven stories/smut, hurt/comfort, narrative gender fuckery of all types, shifting power dynamics where they are both aware. Tenderness, vulnerability, and the mortifying idea of being known. I adore complicated and nuanced takes on the character's relationship with gender and identity, and lines getting blurred there.

Wheel of Time - Fanart

WoT Fanart #1

Name auctioneer: milesofheart (link to auction), tumblr: @miles-of-heart

Subtype: Drawing/painting/etc.

Highest rating: M (Mature)

Length/scope: A digital oil painting recreating a famous painting, but with blorbos from my shows

Minimum bid: $20

Current high bid: $20

Books or show: Unspecified (presumably both)

Especially interested in:

Ships: I prefer to stick to canon pairings & relationships.

Other: Most interested in paintings that tell some kind of story, or there are strong vibes between the chosen characters and the themes in the original masterpiece. Color palette and postures also need to vibe for it to work. My experience is mostly with American and European painting styles, but I'm open to considering others.

WoT Fanart #2

Name auctioneer: MxCaptain (link to auction), tumblr: this is me, hello, you’re here!

Subtype: Pixel art

Highest rating: T (Teen)

Length/scope: Pixel art of up to three characters (dependent on complexity - ie I'll do one detailed/complex character or up to three simple ones) of your choice, with a simple background (think solid colour, repeating pattern, gradient, simplistic landscape) I will do one character sprite + a simple background for the minimum bid of $10, additional characters (up to two extra) for a minimum of $5 each. <- The strike through part is actually an old thing that I failed to delete before the auction went live! Feel free to reach out with what you have in mind, I am quite flexible.

Minimum bid: $10

Current high bid: $20

Books or show: Both!

Especially interested in:

Egwene! But again hit me up with other stuff as well :D

Cosmere - Fanfic

Cosmere Fanfic #1

Name auctioneer: Ternary (link to auction), tumblr: @ternaryflower53

Highest rating: M (Mature)

Length/scope: Less than 5k words

Minimum bid: $5

Current high bid: $20

Especially interested in:

I love exploring trans identity and aspec identity through fic (and I am okay with this including external sources of queerphobia). I'm a huge sucker for hurt/comfort and found family feels. I'd love an excuse to play with non-standard omegaverse, which has been on my list of things to write forever.