#specially since the fandom is getting more unhinged

[romanticatheartt]

I was thinking thoughts, and realised the way sjm said it's too soon to say who's the next book (it's been almost 4 years lol) we ain't getting that announcement in the next 2 months lmao

[absolutebl]

Top 10 Best BLs on Gagaoolala

My Beautiful Man AKA Utsukushii Kare

Japan 2021

One of the most Japanese BLs to release in the last decade, as weird and as messed up as any 2000s yaoi: emo af and hella warped, entirely true to itself with no attempt made to modify its POV for modern sensibilities or current BL fandom. It used seriously old school problematic and kinky tropes, like whipping boy, for a truly uncompromising piece that also manages to hit up themes of communication, consent, and self acceptance. It’s a wonderful BL but uniquely dirty and harsh, in the best possible way - Japanese cinema, uncompromising.

I lost my ever loving mind over the ending. This show won the Grand Prix “My Best TV Award” at the 16th Galaxy Awards.

Minato's Laundromat AKA Minato Shouji Coin Laundry

Japan 2022

A classic age gap romance where a high school student pursues the man of his dreams (who runs a laundromat). This BL is so steeped in yaoi nostalgia, not to mention a classic romance arc, that it will overload some, but those of us who love this genre for its DNA will adore it. It made me very happy because it did everything I want a BL to do - there’s not much more I could ask of a show than this. It’s the closest Japan has come to perfect live action yaoi since Seven Days (and I never make that comparison lightly).

Squee watch-along here.

My Ride

Thai 2022

Thai BL grew up with this pulp (the first ever to make my end of year top 10). It’s a truly lovely and special little show featuring the extremely rare pairing of sunshine/sunshine (AKA a cinnamon roll couple) plus mature explorations of relationships using one of the softest, sweetest, and most innocent friends to lovers vehicles. Kindly, overworked doctor meets broken-hearted motorcycle taxi driver in an “other side of the tracks” slow burn romance. The support cast is excellent, making for great friendship groups and family dynamics. With honest queer rep that adds to, but doesn’t impede, the story, and genuine conversation about the nature of class, wealth, and classism, not to mention communication, honesty, and respect for boundaries, you can’t go wrong with this show. In other news, I am a sucker for a single dimple.

Takara & Amagi AKA Takara-kun to Amagi-kun

Japan 2022 I gnawed on my knuckles and squealed a lot with this BL. Reserved cool kid who must learn to communicate to keep the tiny disaster nugget he’s madly in love with. It is beyond charming: soft and gentle, packed with cuteness and high school angst, thirst, & yearning. Was there plot? Not really. Was it emotionally tense and paced well enough for me not to notice? Absolutely. Did I enjoy the hell out of it? Oh yes.

Kiseki: Dear to Me

Taiwan 2023

The plot is totally ridiculous and slightly unhinged, but that’s normal for Taiwan. It involves all the tropes under a very casual framework of gay mafia gangs + food = love. Absolutely every character is queer. There’s a gum-ball machine of cameos, elder gay rep, great chemistry from all pairs, and a KILLER side couple. As a result Kiseki is a poster child for Taiwanese BL, and I happen to love Taiwanese BL. Bonus? They also managed to END IT WELL, which we cannot expect from Taiwan.

My Personal Weatherman AKA Taikan Yoho

Japan 2023

This style of live action yaoi really only works from Japan. Basically: boys who fell in love in college end up living together but both are so repressed they actually don't realize they're in love. It's higher heat than we usually get from Japan's HEA stuff, and that part is also very well done, but it leaned into the "why don't they just talk for fuck's sake?" trope which is only exacerbated into undiluted frustration by the fact that they're already fucking. It's great, but watching requires more patience than usual, even for Japan.

Our Dining Table AKA Bokura no Shokutaku

Japan 2023

A lonely salaryman and talented cook gets accidentally adopted by a college kid and his little brother. I was always gonna love this show if they stuck to the manga (which is very dear to my heart). And they did, paralleling it almost exactly. It’s a quiet & cozy little parable of found family alleviating loneliness. Possibly too slow for some but definitely high up there for me as the best of what Japan can do with softness (like Restart After Come Back Home). It’s only flaw (if I dare say such a thing) is that it is not really “romantic.” Lovely & sweet but the romance beats are being used to build a family relationship, not just couple intimacy, but that's OK with me. This is a very safe show for anyone to watch.

Step By Step

Thai 2023

This was Thailand’s answer to The New Employee, and everything I loved about that show I loved about this one. This office romance between a stern boss and sweet subordinate felt more authentic to cubical work than previous Thai BLs of this ilk. That authenticity added tension to the narrative and its characters development (how novel). I also really enjoyed the charming side characters and the brothers' relationship to each other (although I could have done without that brother's side BL).

Long Time No See

Korea (Strongberry) 2017

Catfishing assassins on either side of a turf war who fall in love not knowing they are on opposite sides. Or do they? Suspenseful plot, good fight sequences, mature characters, hot sexitimes and even hotter beating the shit out of each other and kissing while covered in blog (this came from KOREA?), plus an HEA. One of the hidden gems of the BL genre.

About Youth

Taiwan 2022

A truly lovely little coming of age high school BL with a classic YA low drama but high angst and an earnest depth. I didn’t even mind the singing, and that’s saying a lot. A weak seme/uke dynamic but tons of BL tropes (both rare in a high school setting but common for Taiwan) makes this one feel both sweet and colored by real world authenticity and grit.

Some of these shows ALSO appeared on Viki or iQIYI, but these BLs will appear only once on these round up posts (here for Gaga), not on the other platforms top 10.

(source)

This list updated Spring 2024, not responsible for cool stuff that aired on Gaga (or was taken off the platform) after that date.

This is part of a series more here:

[steddieunderdogfics]

Today is all about @dame-zoom-a-lot! In today’s Mod Spotlight, we’re highlighting Zoom and all that they do for this space!

Zoom is our new Challenge Monday person! They get Monday scheduled and help us find fics for all of our special rec days. They also help out with our behind the scenes tech and functionality, offering up new ways to make our processes more efficient.

Zooms (any) started reading English fics in March 2024 when BG3 Karlach put them in a chokehold. They got into Steddie when cuips_not_cute's blinking red light randomly showed up on their dash. One day, she had a really bad day at work and wrote a silly fic about Accountant Steve inspired by Wynnfryd's 'Steve H. Who works in Accounting', and wrote a bunch more since then. He also knits, makes fan art, and codes up tools to make fanfic writing a little easier. It mods for Steddie Underdog Fics and Stranger Things Fanwork Recs

Zoom is always ready to help! It's been a pleasure having them on our team. They're constantly thinking up new ways to improve both the blog and how we run it, which is always exciting! Having someone so eager to help out, someone who will go above and beyond what's asked of them, is a game changer for this space. I'm so glad they're able to help! - @oh-stars

As a part of our mod spotlight, Zoom's answered some questions from you all and our team! You can read them below.

Be sure to stay tuned for more recs and future mod spotlights in the future!

What are your favorite tropes to read?

It’s hard to say because I tend to go for authors rather than tropes. But if I had to choose, I’d say monsterfuckers or crack fics

What is your preferred way to read and find fics?

I prefer to read on my phone. I usually have a notes app open on the side so I can kind of live-blog as I read. Then when I’m done, I copy the entire thing (mostly snippets that I liked and what I thought about them) and paste that in the comment box. This does take a lot of mental bandwidth, so I re-read a lot. My most re-read fic is the a man after midnight series For finding fics… I get my short fics from stuff that people reblog (Thank you @spectrum-spectre for reblogging so many great fics). I find longer fics by reading the works of all the authors I like then following their bookmarks. I’ve also found some incredible fics and ships by beta-ing.

What’s your guilty pleasure trope?

Everything.

What makes a fic an instant yes for you to read?

If I like the summary, I’ll give anything at least a go.

What is your favorite thing about modding this page?

That it has such a strong foundation, and that I can clearly see that I’m doing something good. Stars did an amazing job setting up the basic flow of how we’re supposed to do things, and they’re also great at giving clear directions. I was honestly pretty worried about the workload at the beginning, but I think I spend maybe an hour or so, if that, doing all my work for Challenge Mondays. It’s so gratifying to see all the reblogs and reactions. This is the most supportive and active fandom I’ve had the pleasure to be in, and I think everyone’s willingness to highlight and rec each other’s work is a big part of that.

What drew you to Steddie?

The fanon. My first exposure to Steddie was from @cuips-not-cute’s Blinking Red Light. Then I just devoured all his other fics like Honeyed Affection and Blood is An Aphrodisiac. I found @lollaika’s The Agony of a Loving Gaze while looking for more stuff by cuip, and I just realized… that’s the fanon. It wasn’t just cuip. The boys being kind of unhinged and obsessed with each other. Steve doing the finger wave and twirling things around… I could go on for days, but yeah, definitely the fanon.

ANONYMOUS – Is there any older or lesser-known Steddie event from the past few years that you particularly love (if ongoing or recurring) or loved? Did you participate in any?

I’m new to the fandom (I only joined last July or so) so not really. But I’m participating in the Eddie Munson BB now and it’s been so much fun sprinting with folks.

@sidekick-hero - What makes a fanfic stand out for you?

Timing. I’m so new to fic reading and writing that if a fic introduces me to new tropes and ships, it’ll really sit with me. I already talked about Honeyed Affection and The Agony of A Loving Gaze. But there’s other fics. @runraerun’s Easy As 123 introduced me to Harringrove. @wynnyfryd’s Steve H, Who Works In Accounting inspired me to write my first fic. And @teddywesworl’s  Anemone finally got me to get rid of the stupid hangups I had about omegaverse. They really… I don’t even know the right word for how much these fics have done for me, to broaden how I see the world, what I feel like I’m allowed to enjoy. So yeah. I’ll always be grateful for them. 

@worldswcollide - What advice would you give to someone who is interested in becoming a mod in the future?

Just go for it! If you have the spare time, I’d recommend you learn the basics of Google Suites now, since Google search is turning into more and more of an utter shitshow D:

ANONYMOUS – If you make fanworks and/or daydream about Steddie, what inspires you?

For drawings, other fics. RunRaeRun has these really vivid, emotional visuals that inspired a lot of attempts, and a few actually finished stuff. AidaRonan (@aidaronan) has such detailed and gorgeous monster designs that gives me so much to work with. And I’ve been having a lot of fun drawing for FkinKindaGauche’s Mer verse. It’s so different from standard mers because there’s a lot more plant stuff going into it. For writing, life experiences. I’ve written about layoffs, getting ghosted by bots, doing taxes, etc. I didn’t always have a community to hold my hands through those experiences, so writing Steddie going through them, but together has been a lot of fun. Generative AI is crushing me right now, so I’m probably going to end up writing about that soon-ish.

ANONYMOUS – Do you participate in any other fannish activities, like making playlists, gif edits, fanart, podcasts, Pinterest boards, etc?

Not yet

@sidekick-hero – What motivates you to mod for steddieunderdogfics?

I need a lot of enrichment.

@worldswcollide – Are there skills you’ve learned as a mod that have helped you in your everyday life?

You can sort and filter google sheets as a view-only user using filtered views. I really should make a tutorial because it makes all the spreadsheets so much easier to use.

ANONYMOUS – Outside of Steddie, who is your favorite character in Stranger Things?

Whoever’s POV I’m writing at the moment.

ANONYMOUS – Have you had a particular favorite Challenge Monday or weekend theme so far (maybe because of the theme, the recs, or the engagement, or for some other reason)?

WIP fics with less than 30 comments. Comments are so motivating for writers and I’d be super proud if getting more attention on those fics inspired the authors to finish them.

@sidekick-hero – What do you like best about fandom?

The sincerity of it all. I’ve read some deliciously freaky shit. And they’ve all been written or drawn, or otherwise created only because the artist had a vision and wanted to share it. I also like that there’s a direct community. I write with other authors in the fandom. We cheer each other on and admire each others’ snippets, sketches, and eventually their work. If I comment, I’m pretty sure that the artist can see it and I hope it makes their day a little better, because they certainly improved mine.

@worldswcollide – If you absolutely HAD to choose—enemies to lovers or friends to lovers? (At least when it comes to Steddie)

For Steddie? Friends to lovers, absolutely. But I love the enemies to lovers dynamic for Harringrove. It really depends on the ship I guess. Speaking of, Ronance has such delicious enemies to lovers potential–the anguish of falling for a girl that accidentally tore out your Platonic Soulmate’s heart +_+

ANONYMOUS – For fun: What do you like to do on a rainy day?

I love rainy days. My dog is a bit reactive. So going on a nice little walk when there’s no one outside, and seeing her just relax is so fun.

ANONYMOUS – What inspired you to join the mod team?

The Writer’s Wednesdays. I learned a lot from reading the writer interviews, and I wanted to do whatever I could to help keep the blog going.

ANONYMOUS – How different is modding this space versus others you’ve modded?

I’m new to modding, so I don’t really have a good answer. I only mod this space and another stranger things fan art blog that I started because I was inspired by this blog. This space has a lot more structure and more events (Stars is fantastic I don’t know how they do it).

ANONYMOUS – You mentioned in your bio you like to code things to make writing easier, what sort of projects do you like to make?

I like doing quick and dirty projects that automates one simple task for me without needing to worry too much about maintainability or scalability and all the other fun stuff. I’m most proud of a text generator tool for Ao3 

ANONYMOUS – Outside of Steddie, what other ST fanfic tropes are your favorite?

Errr… I don’t really have a specific trope that I like for just Steddie. But creatures? The weirder, the more non-human, the better. I adore fics that feature the Upside Down more prominently, and as its own ecosystem. I think that’s the Dungeon Meshi girlie in me. Speaking of, y’all should go check out @fkinkindagauche’s PANDO

Today, all of our recs are from @dame-zoom-a-lot specifically! You can always see her recs on our Fic Fridays by checking our #mod zoom rec tag.

[writing-for-life]

The Self-Love, Sex and Pursuit of the Helm Novels

Part 2: Bully for You—An Unhinged Interlude

Okay, I’ve spent the whole @sandman-rarepair-fest with tragic relationships, poetry and being serious.

And while this relationship is also… tragic, it’s neither poetic nor to be taken seriously, although a small group of us are fully committed to the cause: Behold, the crack ship! Morpheus x The Helm! For the Monsterfucker prompt.

(It’s highly advisable to read part one first, but they can sort of exist independently. Just not as well 🤣)

Bully For You: An Unhinged Interlude (2321 words) by Writing-for-Life Chapters: 1/1 Fandom: The Sandman (TV 2022), The Sandman (Comics) Rating: Explicit Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Characters: Dream of the Endless | Morpheus, Dream of the Endless, Desire of the Endless, The Helm (The Sandman) Additional Tags: I Blame Tumblr, Crack, Crack Treated Seriously, Or Is It?, Muhulhu, Drat! A HelmLord Story, Murphy and his Cool Hat, Breaking the Fourth Wall, Swearing, Masturbation, Anal Something, Because I have no clue what they are doing honestly, helm fucking, Monsterfucking of sorts, It's a Dream of a Thousand Cats Situation, At least a thousand fanfic writers were thinking of the same thing, but he actually enjoyed it, although he would never admit to it, Dream and the Helm finally get it on, About Time, tags what tags they make no sense, don't get your hopes up, this is not really smut, it has all the marks of being explicit, but somehow it's really not Series: Part 2 of The Self-Love, Sex and Pursuit of the Helm Novels: A Tragicomedy in Three Movements Summary:

Where we witness how the Lord of Dreams loses his bearings (no, not those ones), and even Desire needs a stiff drink…

If you always wanted to know what's so special about Dream's relationship with his Helm (capital H on occasion), this might provide some answers. Or raise more questions than you ever dared to ask...

Excerpt:

Desire had felt… things for a short while but shrugged the sensations off. Until they became impossible to ignore. Because he wanted something without their doing (although what comes first, or who, was sometimes hard to tell, but not to get lost in details at this point, dear reader). In lieu of ridiculous desires like “something beyond my function, blah blah”, it would usually be shaped like a woman. Since Desire had given him Killalla (and maybe, just maybe, taken her away again, which still made them chuckle), he had developed a bit of a kink for female-shaped mortals. Well, they hadn’t all been mortal, but the “female-shaped” still stood. And because of the mere fact that their brother was so painfully strait-laced (we suggest the spelling “straight-laced” here, dear reader), it came as a bit of a surprise to feel those decidedly different vibes. Dream wanted something. But it wasn’t a woman, or anything remotely female-shaped. It was…

What the heck was it?

Desire concentrated really hard.

It seemed to be something forged in the fever dream of a blacksmith who took his inspiration from a lobster and a nightmare. Something otherworldly, something with a spine like the tail of a crustacean. Truly, if a lobster decided to pursue a career in gothic architecture and at the same time became some sort of… headgear, it would probably look like this.

Desire first rolled their eyes but then felt their breath catching. “It’s his fucking helm,” they muttered. “Please give me a break. He wants to fuck his helm…”

Brother Dream, master of the subconscious, running his hand tenderly, with a slight shake, over the spine of that ludicrous thing. Desire laughed out loud, but the laugh was short-lived, because things began to unravel. Rapidly…

Read the rest here (otherwise I have to add a content label 🤣)

[maxdibert]

honest opinion about Bellatrix?

Well, she’s a character I feel pretty indifferent about. I mean, I just don’t care much (at all), because she basically represents blind political fanaticism and how some ideologies are really just an excuse for certain people to unleash their sadism and violent aggression, justifying those actions through ideological principles.

I think, honestly, that beyond beliefs, what she really enjoyed was the feeling of legitimacy, the permission to let her sadistic tendencies run wild and channel them toward a specific group. Being in the Death Eaters and having Voldemort’s approval gave her the freedom to feel validated in those tendencies, and that’s why she became Voldemort’s little lapdog.

But in the end, Bellatrix suffers from the same problem as every other female character in the saga: Rowling is a fucking misogynist. Since Bellatrix isn’t a mother, a maternal figure, or a devoted wife, she’s just portrayed as a crazy, evil villain. No nuance, just pure caricature. Rowling ends up painting her as a violent fanatic who acts like one of Voldemort’s minions (a man, of course), constantly seeking his validation, and she ends up looking like one of those totally unhinged religious fanatics you see in certain cults. A simp, really.

I do think her character had a lot more potential, but Rowling hates women and doesn’t know how to write female characters, so, well, here we are. That said, I still find her more interesting than her sister Andromeda, who for some reason the fandom gives way too much importance to. Honestly, if I had to learn more about the Black sisters, I’d pick Bellatrix over Andromeda, but Narcissa interests me more than Bellatrix, for example.

By the way, one of the worst and most underwhelming moments in the whole saga, for me, was without a doubt when Molly Weasley kills Bellatrix. I found it insulting. It was Rowling’s way of saying: “Look how the housewife is superior to the ‘crazy’ woman just because she’s good and has kids and loves her husband.” And she even calls her a bitch, like that’s the peak of feminist revolution. Just... no. Everything about it was wrong. I would’ve preferred literally anyone else to kill her. But Molly? What a joke. You’re telling me Molly “I-have-no-life-outside-of-my-kids-and-knitting-sweaters-and-bullying-young-girls” Weasley could just take down one of the most powerful Death Eaters like it’s nothing? Why? Because she popped out seven kids and is a devoted wife and mother? Please. I’ll stop now.

But getting back to the main point... yeah, nothing special. It also bothers me when people try to turn Bellatrix into some kind of girlboss, because she wasn’t that at all. And not that being a girlboss is the empowering thing people think it is, in fact, it’s usually not. But that’s more on the fandom than canon. In canon, Bellatrix is just... whatever. Still, she deserved a more dignified ending. I mean, she didn’t deserve it in the moral sense — she was a terrible person — but not even she did something so awful to warrant the humiliation of being killed by Molly Weasley, especially when Rowling’s typical misogyny shines through in that moment via the whole “bitch” line. Very disappointing.

[bangtannism]

Lol speaking of other shippers being jealous of what JK and JM have and blaming the company for why their fave pair don't have it, I recently came across a reel from a Jinkooker page, showing moments from AYS and captioning it "this is what a friends vlog looks like so the company didn't mind showing it" and compared it to those pictures where JK and Jin took a trip together or something and JK was carrying his camera around, and of course they made the excuse that "the company" is gatekeeping the footage because they couldn't hide how they were a couple😅

I laughed so hard when I saw that. It's really all the same arguments from different subgroups of the fandom, they all cry "Bighit is hiding my ship/Jikook is fanservice". It looks like it's solely a Taekooker narrative simply because they are the loudest and most unhinged, but really, all non-Jikook BTS pair-that-has-JM-or-JK-as-one-half shippers are keeping their ships afloat with this narrative. Yes, including some Vminies (I've seen this lot parroting Taekooker narratives when the joint enlistment of Jikook was announced, and mind you they are the same people who were also so smug about Vmin definitely enlisting together)

I know deep down these people know that even if it was their ship spending so much time around each other and orbiting one another, it still wouldn't be the same. They'd never come across as suspicious. Jungkook was openly spending time with Taehyung and there had been an uptick in Taekook moments since 2022 compared to the few years before then and not ONCE did I see other shippers cry about "Bighit forcing Taekook down our throats" or accusing Taehyung of being a "fanservice king" (those accusations were only coming from toxic Jikookers) and "feeding his minions" the way they've always accused Jimin and still do to this day even though he doesn't mention JK nearly as much as Tae does.

Jikook as a ship was on a little bit of a "break" and Taekook had Taekookers convinced they were doing a soft launch and would become official quite soon & not once did I see Jinkookers, Vminies or Taejinners talking about "Taekook is hiding my ship". Even during that time, still, it was Jikook getting those allegations.

No, what makes the Jikook ship so polarizing was never about the quantity of their interactions but always about that special chemistry, that special tension they share between them. And everybody and their mama knows this - the only difference is that most of us hate it.

"the company" is gatekeeping the footage

yes, yes, a very popular assertion. bh/hybe is apparently sitting on a mountain of tkk, ymn, vmn, and jnkk content. (side note, i usually do not judge peoples ships at all but jnkk .... brother eugh.)

It's really all the same arguments from different subgroups

yup. 🙃 everyone is weirdly obsessed with calling jikook fanservice because it hurts their feelings that jikook not only spend time together, not only enjoy the time they spend together, but also come across more couple like than any other duos. it MUST be fanservice that theyre acting like that! it MUST be scripted!! (the cognitive dissonance goes hard in some of these folks.)

It looks like it's solely a Taekooker narrative simply because they are the loudest

nothing to add to this, i just agree. there's more tkkrs than other sub-groups so of course we would see it more often from them.

there had been an uptick in Taekook moments since 2022 compared to the few years before then and not ONCE did I see other shippers cry about "Bighit forcing Taekook down our throats" or accusing Taehyung of being a "fanservice king" (those accusations were only coming from toxic Jikookers)

to be fair, the uptick happened during ch2, so it wouldn't make much sense to say bh was forcing them (not that some other sub-groups ever feel the need to make sense, but that's a them problem). tkk are good friends and had more time to hang out and i love that for them and i do think most jikookers readily admit that tkk love each other. fuck the ones who don't, because it makes them no better than the people they criticize.

No, what makes the Jikook ship so polarizing was never about the quantity of their interactions but always about that special chemistry

that's exactly it, anon. jikook is viewed as a "threat" to all other ships that have jm/jk in them and therefore they take the brunt of hate. they simply would not get the hate and attention they do from other sub-groups if people were not so hellbent on "disproving" them. (weirdo behavior fr.)

i saw someone asking what shippers actually have some sus proof and underneath the comment mentioning jikook, there were tkkrs trying to tell everyone that jk never wanted to be on ays, doesn't like being around jm, etc. you would never catch me behaving like that or even thinking like that, because it simply does not worry me when jm or jk hang out with other people. it reeks of jealousy and insecurity.

no matter who jm and jk spend time with, it simply will not be the same as the moments they have together. whether friends or more than friends, their bond and chemistry is just special and anyone who doesn't want to admit that is lying to themselves.

[how-to-humaning-401]

ok so im just gonna yap my incomprehensible thoughts here because theyve been festering in my brain for far too long and i need to say it SOMEWHERE or i. will explode.

and i dont exactly think someone in my friend group would appreciate this all in a dm or something /hj

my thoughts about the purple and yellow old man bisexuals (long read)

ok so way back when i joined the hat in time fandom (almost 2-ish years ago) i thoroughly enjoyed the game and found comfort in the characters (as ahit fans usually do /silly)

so lets go straight over to the completely unhinged way that i actually came to start shipping these two (i sometimes wish i was joking on how it started)

so i recently got tomodachi life on my ds at the time and decided to put a bunch of ahit characters there and just do stuff with them, probably relevant to mention that snatcher and conductor were both males at the time since i hadnt really thought about the ship yet

and then it got around to their miis being close buddies so i thought about how they would interact for a moment and i thought, "hey, you know, i think theyd actually get along pretty decently, i wanna see if i can get them to be best friends" and it wasnt until i thought about it more a little further down along the line and thought "hey actually i think theyd do well paired together, ill have a look around and see if people have thought of that pairing before…"

and so, on october 7th, at good old 4 in the morning, i shot a good buddy of mine a dm that, literally said, "dif yiu know that conductor x snatcher ia a tjibg", i was extremely tired at that point, after scouring around tumblr for every piece of them i could find at that moment, and it was highly important that i told him about it

and thats where it all started

and it has only gone way down hill from there

ever since that day that i thought theyd be a good pair, they have, quite literally, become my all time favourite ship in all of fiction. i dont know how i got to this point, these 2 old bisexual men that progressively become reluctant father figures to little alien girl, have become the most comforting ship to me

i have gone through their ship tag on tumblr several times trying to find any new content for them, and recently just went through both of their tags together (searching "#the snatcher, #the conductor", i found some additional ship art not under the ship tag :3c), and i have gone through all the fanfiction sites i know of to find fics of them (iirc, there are 7 fics in total), ive probably saved 99% of the images ive found into my special folder in my gallery for them, because im just. so. incredibly. normal about them.

it all started out as kind of a joke thing but its grown to be a big part of my brain that, even if my current interest moves on, i can no longer look at a pairing of anything purple and yellow and not think about them, they will now and forever reside in my head, and thEY WILL NEVER LEAVE. ive literally beem reffered to as "the snatchductor one" for first impressions multiple times (i consider that a win /silly)

THEY HAVE BECOME SUCH A BIG COMFORT TO ME AND FOR WHAT REASON. WHAT IS SO APPEALING ABOUT THEM THAT TRIGGERS THE HAPPY HORMONES BRAIN. COULDVE BEEN ANY OTHER PAIRING BUT ITS THEM.

its gotten to a point that my delusional brain will take any ounce of them interacting as something special, to me. i genuinely get so happy seeing them together, and i get even happier when i see a fanart i havent seen before, i feel so good inside when seeing other people that arent me making content about them, i still sometimes go back and look at older stuff i have saved bc i feel so much for it

they make me want to scream and rip my hair out /pos whenever get mentioned together, im so normal about them

my beloveds that are starting to creep their way back into my brain again while im in the middle of thinking about cookies and minecraft. theyre creeping their way back from the special corner they stay in my brain back to where im constantly thinking about them

i may not exactly have the motivation to make a lot of stuff about them right now, so im stuck living in a no new content hell until something happens /hj I NEED MORE PEOPLE TO SEE MY VISION PLEASE I NEED TO SEE MORE ABOUT THEM I NEED TO READ MORE ABOUT THEM I NEED TO KNOW MORE ABOUT THEM I NEED PEOPLE TO FOR ONCE NOT MENTION DJ GROOVES WHEN TALKING ABOUT CONDUCTOR /j /nsrs /nm

cough on another small note

shoutout to @/milk-box-16 for being the one i scream at in dms about them /silly

shoutout to @/pickled-fern (mostly on tiktok rather than here) for being the oomf at the start when this all started and making up stupid shit with me about them

ngl i think you guys both have prevented me from going utterly insane if i had no one to talk to about them /hj

i. might come back and edit this later if i think of more stuff but yeah for now uhhhh im completely normal about them not insane at all what are you talking about

[kaddyssammlung]

Sundowning

– Transcript from Revolver Sleep Token Special Edition

Sleep token formed in 2016 in the UK. They self-released their debut EP “One” in December of that year, before signing to Basic Records for their 2017 three-track follow-up “Two”.

From the beginning, there was a mystique about them: The image of four anonymous musicians in cloaks and ornate-looking masks, their exposed chests and arms, daubed in the thick black paint, invited questions. At first, Sleep Token answered those questions if cryptically but soon they would begin declining all interviews. In the early days, it seems, Sleep Token acknowledged that their story required a little exposition. A commonly held misconception among the fandom is that Sleep Token had only ever done one interview with British music magazine Metal Hammer in 2017, around at that time of the “Calcutta” single release. In fact, the band granted another interview in 2018 to Kerrang and in both of those rare press engagements, Vessel underscored the artistic purpose of their concealed identities.

“How we got here is irrelevant,as irrelevant as who we are - what matters is the music and the message” Vessel declared to Metal Hammer. “We are here to serve, Sleep and project his message”. When asked in that same conversation about the band's genre-defying approach, he said, “life is dark, life is bright, life is ugly, life is beautiful. Don't get lost in genres. They will disorient you, music, as for everyone”. In the Kerrang interview, Vessel doubled down on Sleep Token's philosophy of unhinging the art from its makers. “The true identities behind Sleep Token are immaterial and ultimately irrelevant”. As Vessel said at the time, “art has become entangled with identity...our aesthetic is there to fill the void left by that absence. True to those words, Sleep Token have remained anonymous and eschwed interviews ever since. Instead, they have communicated about entirely through their music and its accompanying visuals. Each song is an apparent offering to the primeval deity known as Sleep.

A once powerful being who, according to the band's lore, promised Vessel ultimate glory if he were to devote himself fully to him. He is now known as Sleep because, as background information shared by Basic Records put it, no modern tongue can properly express its name.

His past saw him wield far greater power than in modern age, bestowing ancient civilizations with the gift of dreams and the curse of nightmares. As insightful fans have noted, Sleep bears a wealth of similarities to the shadow archetype in Jungian philosophy, which is part of the unconscious mind and is composed of repressed ideas, weaknesses, and desires, and the aspects of oneself that are seen as not just unacceptable to society but contradictory to one's own personal morals and values. Is Vessel devoting himself to Sleep by offering him this music as a token or is he appeasing him? The consequences among the fans will have poured their free time into unpacking the overarching narrative in the band's music as that it's the story of a toxic power struggle. Vessel oscillates from a love bordering on obsession to frustration, desperation, and anger at Sleep's apparent indifference or even outright resistance towards him explaining the fluctuations on Sleep token's song to the text. This narrative had already been foregrounded in the band's first two EPs, but it was much more fully realized on the 2019 debut album “Sundowning”, which also marked the first release on Spineform Records. Its title refers to a phenomenon experienced by dementia patients regarding a range of behavioral changes that typically, but not necessarily, begin as the sun is setting and resolves themselves by morning. Those who experience it may become agitated or anxious, sometimes feeling like theyare in a wrong place, like they need to go home despite already being at home.

Sundowning, the album title, might then refer to a feeling of disorientation and distress that comes over Vessel whenever Sleep, presumably a creature of the night, arrives. The lyrics of “the night does not belong to God”, seemingly confirms this. You can remember only till the sun recedes once again. Vessel groans before the chanted hooks come in. The night comes down like heaven. “Sundowning” didn't get a typical album rollout. By the time it was released in November 2019, all of its 12 songs were already in fans' hands. Starting on June 21st, the summer solstice, the band dropped a new track every other Thursday at that time of sunset in the native United Kingdom. Beginning with album opener, that night does not belong to God and proceeding along the tracklist order. From both an artist and a marketing perspective, it was an innovative approach. One of many Sleep token were out to buck tradition, but only did the regularity of the world build a sense of anticipation. But it also kept Sleep Token at the front of fans' minds as they outpaced the speed at which most bands could release singles ahead of a new album.

Brilliantly, the campaign also fit into the band's story. Every fortnight as the sun was setting, Vessel presented yet another offering to Sleep. On “Sundowning”, as well as the band's subsequent LPs, each of these offerings had its own visual identity. In a case of Sleep token's first album, every song is represented by a sigil, a series of interconnected shapes, often lines, triangles, and circles that construct some sort of meaning. It is believed that the symbols have various origins. Some reference the Elder Futhark, (the oldest runic alphabet, which is also referenced in the Sleep token's logo,)

and the Enochian letters (an occult language) while others resemble the symbols for demons in the goetic grimoire Ars Goetia (a 17th century book oof sorcery). The aspect of the sigils that has most fascinated the fans, however, is the connection to alchemical symbology. Alchemy is an ancient tradition that is both philosophical and proto-scientific, and fans have latched onto the alchemical meanings of the sigils as meanings of finding hidden significance written within the songs. For instance, the sigil for the offering features the symbol for a callous or crucible and the symbol for fumes or smokes, suggesting the idea of something being burned as a ritual sacrifice. Within the song itself, Vessel makes this notion more explicit. This is a giving, an offering, in your favor, a sacrifice in your name, he sings.

That's one of the simpler examples. For a song like Dark Signs, the symbology becomes a little more complex. One of the individual symbols in the sigil refers to sublimination, a phenomenon in which someone witnesses something that challenges the limits of human understanding and the capabilities of human comprehension. This may well be that Vessel experiences interacting with sleep. In a chemical context, sublimination refers to a substance transformation from the solid to the gas stage or vice versa, which could be interpreted as a metaphor for the transition from being in one's body to being only a spirit. Meanwhile, the symbol for iron, which also appears in the Dark Signs sigil, is traditionally associated with the process of making two opposite chemical components separate from each other. Consequently, it's hardly a coincidence that the song itself establishes a growing sense of the division between Vessel and Sleep. Where we met, there must have been dark signs. Vessel sings while he later contends in the chorus that I hate who I have become, as a result of surrendering himself to Sleep. Vessel's feelings toward Sleep fluctuate so wildly, that the over-aching narrative of “Sundowning” is hard to grasp at first. The album opens by establishing Vessel's devotion toward Sleep in its most straightforward and reverent form. The minimalistic “the night does not belong to God” is practically a modern devotional hymn, presenting Vessel at his most eager to worship Sleep. In contrast, the offering introduces not only heavier riffs but also a fuller picture of the seemingly limitless capacities Vessel believes he has for love. The reoccurring image of biting and feeding is underscored by every repetition of take a bite, suggesting that Vessel is fully willing to lose parts of himself, even violently, to sustain and please sleep.

By the third track, “Levitate”, the foundations begin to wobble with Vessel, now gripped by anxiety over the prospect of being separated from Sleep or of Sleep no longer needing him. I can tell you won't remember my cracking bones. He despairs, eventually asking, will you levitate, where I won't reach you? In the next song, Dark Signs, his fears have come true and he's looking at the wreckage of the relationship, missing the man he was before the first, before the first even again. Yet after the conflict between them intensifies and “Higher”, “Take Aim” finds Vessel so deep in a state of love that he's defiant, almost daring Sleep to come back to him. Make me tear my body, make me yearn for your embrace. He challenges. “Sugar, a couple of tracks later represents the second emotional peak of the album with Vessel in the full throes of desire but with an undertone of darkness and violence. He knows Sleep plays a twisted little game but remains addicted to the pain none of the less. After the romantic dreaminess of “Drag Me Under”,

“Sundowning” ends on a note of frustration with Bloodsport. Once again, everything for Vessel has fallen apart and he's left exhausted by all the sacrifice for limited reward: “I made Loving You a Bloodsport I can't win” he curses, making the second downturn in his mood and fortune on the record. It serves as a lasting reminder, intensified by the singer sobbing over the final thrills of the piano that their bond as a destructive force where Vessel gives and Sleep takes. Musically speaking, “Sundowning” is arguably Sleep Token's softest album. It might be the most pop-oriented as well. Give, for example, has the slickness and the arcing, aerobic shape in the melody of something that might have floated around the mainstream in the mid-2010s while a vibrating synth lands that and trap percussion of “Dark Signs” and “Sugar” evoke the feeling of modern R&B.

On the other hand, there's plenty here that verifies Sleep Token's metal credentials. The bite of the guitars cut through like a surprise attack in the middle of a song, a bait-and switch structure that has become all the more frequent as Sleep Token have evolved. A notable expectation is “The Offering” which melts siren-like synths with noshing guitars and intertwines them tightly rather than handling them as a separate tool. By far the heaviest song on “Sundowning”, however, is called an alternative metal slice of fury that stones and swaggers with greater harshness than anything else on the album. Recalling Death Tones at their angriest as well as Sleep Token's contemporaries in Liverpool metal upstarts “Loathe”. Regardless, it's rare for Sleep Token to stick to just one sound. Even the anger of “God” dissipates for a while with a delicate, twinkling piano bridge. When “Sundowning” was released, Sleep Token were in a promising position. On October 3, 2019, they performed a ritual at the Underworld, a 500-capacity venue in London that often acts as the first rung on the ladder of an up-and-coming band's success.

Plant a flag at the Underworld and it's a sign your band is truly going somewhere.

Later that year, the album brought them to the US for the first time and then they returned to the UK for a headline tour in the early 2020s. Unbeknownst to them, however, the ritual they played at the 900-capacity Islington Assembly Hall on January 31 would be the final one for almost a year and a half. Not even the act of worshiping Sleep could justify gathering during the COVID-19 pandemic. The band did attempt to organize a series of socially distanced shows known as the Isolation Rituals in March 2021, but the virus was still too rampant at the time for them to go ahead. Not even Sleep himself could know how fast Sleep Token might have risen if there hadn't been a pathogen standing in their way. None of the last, when the stacking of ritual was approved by the government again, would neatly coincidence with a whole new chapter for the band. Sleep Token's son was about to rise to another level.

(This text was taken from the Revovler Special Edition Collector's mag; I don't own any of this)

[georgegraphys]

I see and respect your point about the driver numbers on the caps, but to me personally it falls flat considering the fact that Toto/Mercedes seems obsessed with creating hype over some of the youngest ever driver to … records [they’ve had graphics all ready to go] about Kimi, and now the WhatsApp/Netflix documentary. I am certain that Toto wishes to make Kimi his new cash cow, and the next Max, with George losing out.

I am fully aware that my point might sound unhinged but it really wicks me, especially as it was crickets for literal YEARS over the abuse he received from his former teammates cult, and then Toto publicly undermining his performances and going after Kimi and Max [for real his dream line up]

Oh- I didn't expect this tone going down here!

But actually it's my fault for not making my points clear about what "fairness" do I mean by the erasure of the drivers numbers blah blah. When I mean fairness, I honestly mean "SALES NUMBER" yk sometimes these f1 fandoms started getting numbers and quantity obsessed so maybe to avoid those cringe fanwars, they probably did that.

But UMMMMMM coming to the next argument, anon you need to wake yourself out of that constant pessimistic thoughts (it's for your own good as well so you can see things in a better and healthier perspective) and you need to realize that you can't pour two or three not-so correlated points to a thought salad because... I'm not a Kimi fan. I only focus on one person and that is GEORGE RUSSELL so I'm trying to defend Kimi or anything but saying that George is left out and not hyped yadda yadda is simply not true?

You know despite what you think of Kimi getting the hype and promotion, it is actually George who did the main PR and everything. IWC, Adidas, AMG/Benz, Ritz Carlton, UBS, Einhell, Petronas, HP. It's all him as the main man. It took until Imola last year for George to reach 25 PR schedules but this year it only took until Bahrain for him to do that. So I fully disagree with the "cash cow" comment.

About WhatsApp, I don't think George really had a close sponsor relationship with them since last year so that's not a Mercedes or Kimi problem. Maybe they just don't click just like what happened between George and Monster Energy till the end of ME's time at Mercedes. And plus regarding the documentary, I don't fuss much with that because.... You do know Kimi got a documentary but George got to be an ambassador for the hyped up special car launch by AMG/Benz right?

The launch itself is even hyped up so much by the CEO and CTO of Mercedes Benz themselves. And you see how it's only George that is tagged? Yeah so I think it's fair and everyone got their own portion. Documentary by WhatsApp for Kimi. Benz/AMG Car launch for George. Not to mention this car launch has a bigger leverage because it's held by the parent company, supported by the board members (unlike other cars), and in the automotive industry itself it's already hyped up to rival Porsche's release.

Everyone got their own portion.

Regarding records and hype posts, I disagree. We did not see that George because he debuted in Williams but George received his big ass portions of hype post as a junior driver as well. They called him "Mercedes Benz Junior Superstar" and he's afaik the only one junior that got that nickname from them. He got his own portion of privileges back then (even bigger if I must say) and also regarding socials, i think you realized too that Mercedes' social media strategy changed SOOOOO much right? To the point that they're hyping and including their juniors, hyping Vesti, crazily hyping Doriane, and doing more in general. And to add, George got a lot of props posts and stats posts as well. I don't think the change only had to do with Kimi and Kimi only but the change exists throughout the whole Mercedes, even down to the juniors and reserve drivers exposure.

Again anon, I'm not trying to defend anyone here. I'm not a big fan of anyone enough to defend them but you need to see things objectively and not mix one thoughts with another and make a thought salad of it. I am as frustrated as you regarding the mistreatment and the silence over the hate trains and abuse but the whole social media strategic change and sponsorship dynamics does not have anything to do with it or may it be Mercedes manipulating things to favour one side over the other. I disagree a whole bunch of lots if you say George is losing out and did not get the hype. He does get the hype and he's not losing out on the sponsor thing. If anything? It needs to be lessened because he needs some damn break.

I honestly won't lose my mind too much over the documentary or the fact that he's not that close with WhatsApp because even since the Lewis-George era as well, some sponsors leans towards one driver more than others and I'm not too surprised by it. Monster Energy is even worse than WhatsApp LMFAO. And again, if you think the documentary is unfair, remember the car launch. Remember IWC, Adidas, AMG/Benz, Ritz Carlton, UBS, Einhell, Petronas, HP. That's that.

No I understand your frustration regarding your last point about the mistreatment but the rest of your point regarding the sponsors, documentaries, and social media has nothing to do with their silence over mistreatment/abuse. It's two different things that do not have anything to do with one another. In this case, I'm sorry but I have to fully disagree with your point. Everyone had their own portion (tbh? George has more stacked up on his plate than others) and this year Mercedes is more "spread out" regarding their social media strategy.

Again, i'm not defending Mercedes or Kimi but i'm just here to say that these points you pointed out do not have anything to do with each other. Mercedes can be very wrong in not defending George against the abuse BUT that doesn't mean that the other points (George getting sidelined, which is not even close to true) has anything to do with the first point.

[tallysgreatestfan]

@cruelfeline tagged everybody who wanted in this, so I gladly take this opportunity, because it looked fun.

Who was your first fictional crush?

You know, I kept telling me it was Spock from Star Trek TOS for the entirety of my teen years because I desperately wanted to be hetero and ignore that I am actually bi. But looking back, I actually realize that it was even earlier than that, it was Tally Youngblood. Not the Tally from the movie, tough I guess she is cute and could be hot as an adult (and super soldier) too. I realized in the third book, Specials. There is this scene where Tally ends up getting saved last second from being operated on fully conscious, and this image of a tall, muscular, tattooed and scarred, clawed and fanged, bleeding and very, very pissed cyborg super soldier girl made thirteen year old me feel in a way could not really understand back then at all. But looking back... yeah.

What’s the first colour you think of when I tell you to think of a colour?

Blue

Which fanfiction emotionally scarred you and still makes you shudder to this day?

Dead Dove alarm.

I think the most viscerally disturbing one is a Lennier/John Sheridan one (Babylon 5), where Lennier shows up at Sheridan and Delenns house after the series, clearly mentally unwell and wanting to atone for nearly snapping over his love for Delenn, so he basically offers himself up to Sheridan to do with him whatever he thinks he deserves as punishment. This starts as psychological torture over both of them being in love with Delenn, and then escalates in an not exactly consensual sex scene mostly about Sheridan demonstrating how Delenn choose him and he knows about all kinds of Minbari anatomy stuff from that. After that, I hated Sheridan even more than already before, but he also felt so much more human than canon ever managed to get across.

Then everything that even just vaguely explores Hordak/Horde Prime and the sheer amount of trauma for Hordak from that.

Then every ship fic featuring Shay as a Special (Uglies again) furies wrote on AO3. Such a good character study, and so desperate, and unhinged, and hopeless, and full of rage and self destructive even beyond the self-harm, it is so uncomfortable to read, but in a good way.

I’m coming to your house for dinner, non-negotiable, what are you making me?

Noodles with tomatoo sauce and parmesan I guess? It is not even that I can't cook complicated stuff, it is just that my executive dysfunction does not let me.

Do you prefer lions or kangaroos?

Kangaroos.

Which fictional villain do you brush past the glaringly obvious issues for because you really like them?

Uff, hard to pick one. I have so many villain faves. And I think I generally do like to acknowledge the bad things they did while also acknowledging their humanity, for a lack of better term, and reading them in good faith?

Both Hordak and Entrapta, though for them its relatively easy because the series is so vague about what extent of harm exactly their actions caused, and what the political and sociological background of that was?

Dr. Cable? One aspect I love about her character is that very much has an understandable, well intentioned goal (keeping humanity from destroying itself again), and in the books there a quite a few moments where I am so close to being on her side - not sure if this works in the movie too, since the movie flattened down the worldbuilding and message a bit - but she is also ready to do pretty much any atrocity for that.

What would accompany your picture in the Burn Book in Mean Girls?

I didn't really recognized that, so I had to google it. But given how awfully I was treated in school, I don't even need to guess. All kinds of ableist and queerphobic insults.

How many days would you last in the universe of your favourite fandom?

Hard to choose a fandom.

Babylon 5: I mean Babylon 5's world if you are not on some ship or space station pretty much is our world but with aliens, better technology and a small number of high ranking people who actually do try to make things better, so probably I would do just as badly as in our world, but survive?

Star Trek: Utopian post scarcity society. Don't think I would last long in Starfleet because I have no stress resistance whatsoever, but everywhere else I would thrive.

Uglies: Utopian post scarcity society but with a dark secret. Super safe, everything is handed to you, and additionally absurdly good medical technology, it would be pretty hard to actually get myself killed. Even if I would join one of the resistance movements, and end up getting captured by Special Circumstances, they, at least in the book, to not needlessly kill people, they just brain surge them to be happy and compliant.

She-Ra: Depends on where exactly I would end up? Would I be some citizen somewhere on Bright Moon territory who only truly notices what is going on when Horde Prime invades? Would I be in Plumeria (if they're all as ableist as Perfuma good luck)? The Etherian Horde? I am not a fighter or stress resistant at all and I can't deal well with crowded environments, but also the Etherian Horde seems to be pretty fair and flexible and accommodating about work as long as you don't end up directly under either Shadow Weaver or Catra, so... idk?

Have you heard of Mischief Theatre?

No

Do you feel sorry for Medusa?

Kind of depends on which version of the myth, but overall, yes.

Which song makes you think of your OTP?

I have so many different playlists for so many different OTPs, so I'll just say the first that comes to my mind:

"Animal" by Jim Yosef and RIELL, for Tally/Shay, specifically their destructive, bitter but also longing relationship in Specials, and probably also the fallout of this toxic relationship turning sexual once they're older and have processed a bit.

Which song makes you disassociate and daydream the fastest?

"Loud Magic" by Foreign Air right now. Makes me think on some original project idea I have heavily inspired by Babylon 5.

Also tagging everybody who wants

[drawwithsajiri]

I’ve been pretty quiet here for a long while, not even posting all my art, and not interacting with people. Sorry to my followers, I suppose I got a bit worn out on a few things.

One, some of the weird and unhinged anon messages I get, a few of which I’ve responded to. No, they didn’t upset me, but they made me roll my eyes and just wonder why people are like this.

Two, ever since I stopped posting ffxiv art and screenshots so much, my engagement has plummeted. I know that’s what happens, I grew a following based on a specific fandom, then I ended up switching to original content, the people who followed me stopped interacting.

Three, just the general hate and political nature of social media. It’s been an incredibly rough year for me irl, and scrolling through stuff while trying to unwind and instead being bombarded by politics for a country I am not a part of, and other really aggressive stances even if I agree with them was too much.

I will try to be more active on here and interact with people again.

In the meantime, if you’re on the butterfly app, come follow me. Im enjoying it more than some other places

[alexluvsskittlez]

intro post!! ( ˶ˆ꒳ˆ˵ )

HIII EVERYPONY!!! welcome 2 the digital diary of an unemployed band obsessed freak!! ( ≧ᗜ≦)

my name is Alex, you can also call me Zoe, Sam, or Binoo!! (Alex is mostly preferred though)

i am 4teen and my birthday is April 23rd :P

i use he/they pronouns, I don't mind if people just use he/him or they/them on me though ^_^ please don't use she/her on me though.

i am audhd + dyscalculic

i am an artist, animator, voice actor, youtuber, and I'm currently learning how to sing!

i am asexual, demiromantic, pan, genderfluid, and poly :3

my special interests are Paramore and my ocs!! >_<

my current hyperfixations are Emily Armstrong, fall out boy, and madoka magica :D

i saw Paramore on November 7th 2022!! and I am also seeing ptv on May 28th and Linkin park on August 8th!!

BYF:

i am incredibly annoying over my interests

i have a very weird and unhinged sense of humor

i am an Emily Armstrong defender TILL THE DAY I DIE. if I catch you interacting with my blog and I see a post of you talking shit about my glorious queen you WILL be blocked

i am an rpf enjoyer (including the ships) I am respectful about it though so please don't get mad at me for drawing Hayley and Emily kissing 🙁

i don't care about most online discourse so please leave me out of it

i may come off as parasocial or weird about my favorite bands

and finally, I don't think before I say or do shit so if I post something wrong please let me know!!

music I listen to:

Paramore, pierce the veil, linkin park, fall out boy, sws, mcr, Hayley Williams, pinkshift, meet me @ the altar, silverstien, green day, bring me the horizon, p!atd, la dispute, lemon demon, sunny day real estate, Will Wood and the tapeworms, Will Wood, asking Alexandria, not enough space, get scared, the used, Owl city, mitski, Florence + the machine, stomach book, she wants revenge, Weezer, picture me broken, rites of spring, hot milk, stand atlantic, halfnoise, dead sara, isles & glaciers, dead by sunrise, black veil brides, system of a down, limp Bizkit, silly goose, cobra starship, the academy is..., never shout never, ajr, merchant ships, moon walker, swing kids, title flight, charli xcx, tyler the creator, halsey, dot dot curve, noahfinnce, marianas trench, twenty one pilots, Broadway homestuck, scary kids scaring kids, alesana, evanescence, mom jeans, Imogen Heap, blink-182, chappel roan, fem&m, femtanyl, the cure, modern baseball, foxszn, 3drinkz, newgrounds death rugby, yellow card, vylet pony, american football, C418, boygenius, Avril Lavigne, nickasuar, millionaires, Kesha, s3rl, 3oh!3, attack attack, brokencyde, and waterparks.

i also like a few musicals such as the mean girls musical, be more chill, hamilton, and wicked (I've only seen the Broadway version of wicked though, I haven't seen the movie yet)

favorite shows and movies:

shows: madoka magica, smiling friends, Steven universe, gravity falls, murder drones, arcane, eddsworld, inside job, spooky month, the owl house, amphibia, invader zim, toopy and binoo, pelswick, the amazing digital circus, and mlp

movies: the final riot, Steven universe the movie, across the spiderverse, into the spiderverse, mean girls, Juno, the tamagotchi movie, the toopy and binoo movie, and mlp the movie

favorite games:

minecraft, splatoon 2, fnaf, animal crossing, roblox, regretavetor, mario kart, castle cats, pjsekai, kingdom hearts re:coded, nintendogs, baldi's basics, ddlc, and class of 09 (ONLY THE FIRST 2 GAMES THOUGH.)

favorite youtubers:

Kurtis Conner, Danny Gonzalez, Drew Gooden, funkyfrogbait, Markiplier, stariaat, sinjin drowning, DanTDM, bredrawz, lovleylor, and cybernoop. (there's definitely a lot more)

other stuff I like:

(fandom related) the tamagotchi franchise, warrior cats, laikas comet, Homestuck, and spaced out.

(non fandom related) alternative subcultures/fashion, nostalgic stuff (mostly 2010s since that's what I grew up with), old animation memes (which would probably be categorized with nostalgic stuff), space/astronomy, and animals.

dni:

bigots (idk why you would be here in the first place though), darkshippers and people who harass them, tcc, most things ending with "phile", people under 12, anti furry/therian, Paramore haters, Emily Armstrong haters, ronnie radke supporters, jimmy urine supporters, and jamie Bennington supporters.

also, if you are over the age of 18 you are allowed to interact with my posts. but please keep in mind that I am a minor, and please do not try to get too personal with me.

other info:

youtube: alexluvsskittlez

instagram: _thekillerandthefinalgirl_

doodle Instagram: allweknowisalex

tiktok: alexluvsskittlez

spotify: Emily Armstrong's discord kitten

i usually tag my posts with "shut up alex", "alex suffers", or "freaky alex". I will also start tagging my art posts with "alex draws"

THATS ALL!!!!!!!!!!!!! >w<

also heres the link to my playlist :3

[readerofoddities]

Hi

I am going insane so here's a Life Series AU but it's Cult of the Lamb (no art just yet because I'm still finalizing some design shit)

For you trafficblr folks, here's the main gist of the game:

You play as a cute little lamb and start a cult.

That's it, that's all I'm giving you here because there will be MAJOR spoilers for the game throughout the post

First off, I had to decide who our Lamb is gonna be.

You might be saying "oh! So maybe one of the winners will be our player character!"

NO! I have different ideas for them

Our Lamb is Jimmy Solidarity

Why?

Because the Lamb is the last of their kind and this will be the only time Jimmy will die last (kidding, hoping for a future Jimmy win)

Now, for those in the CotL Fandom who also like this series and/or are just interested in what I'm saying (which i doubt lmao), you may be wondering who is playing the Bishops and the Mystic Seller?

Originally, I was gonna go sibling/God age = winner but that made for weird combinations

So I ended on the following:

Grian = Mystic Seller because he was the first winner, the MS has a sun motif and so does G's winner symbolism and he is the creator of the Life Series

Scott = Shamura because both have a sort of calm hopelessness to their characters. The head injury is also reminiscent of how Scott's thoughts/free will caused him to turn against the game so losing his mind could represent him losing his free will or whatever

Martyn = Kallamar because first off he lived in the sea in his season. Also, Kallamar's injury is to his ears and Martyn's Eyes and Ears lore fit SO well. Also, c!Martyn is the type to fully just say "hey kill my sibling instead"

Joel = Narinder because he gives the same middle child energy as Nari. Also, I think he'd play off of Jimmy as the Lamb in a hilarious way. Plus, betraying his family is, like, the opposite of what he was about in Wild Life

Pearl = Heket because both are unhinged ladies. That's straight up my reasoning. Also, Pearl as a boss would be INSANE in a similar way to my beloved Heket (it took me and my brother 5-ish tries to beat Heket in multiplayer soooo). Also, Pearl losing her voice would be such an interesting plot point to explore

Scar = Leshy because both are super chaotic and also the sunflower thing from Secret Life. Scar losing his sight would also be fun to see

Now, Cleo isn't included in the gods because, first off, there are no other gods and second, I have a special place for her

Cleo gets to be my favorite character Chemach. Both are unhinged and Cleo being someone who collects severed body parts makes sense lol

The rest have fallen into place afterwards

Tango is Ratau because Ranchers

Ren is Haro because of his theatrical way of interacting, so being the lore guy makes sense

Impulse is Clauneck and Skizz is Kudaai because they NEED to be a duo

Our other canaries are the twin guards that hang with Narinder. Lizzie is Baal, Mumbo is Aym

BigB is Helob because I thought it would be funny

Bdubs is Rakasha because both are small and Etho is Rakasha's snail wife because I think I'm funnier than I am

Lastly, our newest member of the series, Gem! I thought she'd fit the Goat, since she's a more violent (/j) version of Jimmy and is a later addition like the Goat was

Coming later on is some concept art of what they'd look like in game so look out for that lol

Also, there aren't enough Lifers to fill ALL of the character slots so I guess other Mcyters could fit in those but I'm sure not gonna do it

[raikkoberg]

I'd like to thank @kimissteeringwheel for the tag!

Pairing/Shippy list!

Here's the rules:

1. List your top seven ships

2. Put all of them in order of your love for them; 7 to 1, 1 being your favorite.

3. Name their fandom.

4. Supply photos for said people.

So here we go-

7. Jenson Button x Fernando Alonso [Ship Name: Buttonso / Jensonando]

Fandom: Formula 1 RPF

Reasons: Because why not? They have the chemistry, they have the potential, they have their own thing going on every now and then- give me a good reason to not ship these dorks.

6. Napoleon Solo x Illya Kuryakin [ Ship Name: Napollya / Illeon]

Fandom: The Man From U.N.C.L.E. [movie 2015]

Reason: Pure Grumpy x Sunshine trope. Illya is shot tempered and keeps himself isolated most of the time, but Napoleon knows how to get under his skin (👀) and adores his Red Peril to death. I mean, he literally jumped in those deep waters to save his life- what more prrpf do you need?

5. Charles Leclerc x Max Verstappen [ Ship Name: Lestappen/Verleclerc ]

Fandom: Formula 1 RPF

Reason: Seriously? You need a reason? Aren't those subtle touches on Charles' lower back after the podiums, or even when they're close to each other, not enough? Isn't that habit of Max not being able to stand in one place after seeing his favorite Ferrari boy enough? Isn't their inability to not mention each other once in every interview ever enough? They're the definition of "Love is blind"

4. Mika Häkkinen x Michael Schumacher [Ship Name: Makkinen/ Mikael]

Fandom: Formula 1 RPF

Reasons: The classic Finn x German trope. They say they're not friends yet can't seem to leave each other alone. They basically defined each other's lives in the sport and outside of it by staying side by side in every battle. A win wouldn't feel like a win to any of them if not snatched by the other one.

3. Carlos Sainz Jr x Lando Norris [ Ship Name: Carlando / Muppet Friends ]

Fandom: Formula 1 RPF

Reasons: THEY'RE MY COMFORT SHIP!!!! They take care of each other, mention each other everywhere, go on golf dates (and dates) with each other, spend time with each other on family weddings/holidays and even after it's been three years since Carlos switched teams, their bond keeps on getting deeper and deeper. And these two were the ones people initially thought would not get along. They proved everyone wrong, and still are. I personally believe both of them progressed a lot as a personality after meeting each other. Specially in Lando's case- He's a big brother to Oscar now. Carlando for life!

2. Nico Rosberg x Lewis Hamilton [ Ship Name: Brocedes / Rosmilton ]

Fandom: Formula 1 RPF

Reasons: REASONS??? FOR WHAT EXACTLY??? Both of them come from two totally different worlds and background - one with everything and one with almost nothing. Nico grew up in a lavish lifestyle but he established that friendship doesn't care about your background. It's just friendship. And he had his fair share with Lewis, a little boy from the UK who found a friend in a place and time he least expected to be. They went on vacations together, raced each other as teammates - both in karting and F1, which was a dream they both promised each other of when they were practically babies. But the same dream tore them apart later in life and they're so close and yet so far. And the fact that it's not fictional is just tragic.

Honourable Mentions:

Destiel [ Dean Winchester x Castiel] - Supernatural

Cherik [ Charles Xavier x Erik Lehnsherr]- X-Men Universer

Stony [ Steve Rogers x Tony Stark] - Marvel Cinematic Universe

Johnlock [Sherlock Holmes x John Watson]- The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes

Hannigram [Will Graham x Hannibal Lecter] - Hannibal.

AND DRUMROLL 🥁

1. Kimi Räikkonen x Sebastian Vettel [ Ship Name: Simi / Kibastian ]

Fandom: Formula 1 RPF

Reasons: Who else has ever had the ability to make the Iceman smile bar the little unhinged sassy German that we all love and worship the most? Kimi is so comfortable with his surroundings when around Seb and actually laughs and speaks by his own will! They both spend time playing badminton and Kimi actually addresses Seb as his friend. Like- is this a dream? IT'S REAL!!!! Get yourself someone who smiles at you the way they both smile at each other. And after all- it's Sebastian. You can't resist his charm- no one can ✨

Like look at them:

Uff. This was a long post but I enjoyed it. Thanks a lot to everyone who read it to the end.

I'd like to tag @thatquirkycookie, @sebbuh , @wdkzms, @rednyx-sf, @muppet-friends and @sainzinnorris to participate. And anyone who sees this post and wants to do this obviously. No pressure though. Do it only if you feel like it!

[consumeroflemoans]

Azul and the Leeches for the ask game

- First Impression

Man it’s been a little bit since I’ve played through Book 3. I know I didn’t really like Azul at first. The tweels were just kind of there for me. I found them funny

It’s rare for me too immediately get attached to a character so they had to stew for awhile

- Impression Now

I love Azul with all my heart and soul and also want to punch him in the face. I know you’ve suffered a lot of bullying in your time and I do not condone it at all. But sometimes. Sometimes you need to look inside yourself and say what is it about me that’s being bullied. You are so insufferable and I love you for it

Jade, my king of manipulate, manslaughter, malewife. I’m obsessed with how he convinces people into thinking he’s the normal twin when they’re actually both equally insane. I love that he lowkey forces people to experience his special interest. He’s so silly.

Floyd is what I would be if I didn’t have anxiety and a crippling fear of failure. I was given mental illness to lock my mortal body in chains so I don’t ascend and become Floyd Leech. He bites and squeezes people, does what he wants when he wants, and makes it his life’s goal to be a silly little shit. I adore him

- Favorite moment

That scene where they go to the museum after Azul’s overblot to return three photo. It’s really one of the first times we just see them chilling and not directly trying to extort people. Also merfolk lore my beloved

- Ideas for a story

LITERALLY ANYTHING EXPLORING THE CORAL SEA AND MERFOLK CULTURE PLEASE I AN STARVED

.

I’m normal about this.

I do think it would be interesting to see Azul going back to the Coral Sea once he graduates NRC. He’s slowly recovering from his past and improving his habits like the other pverblotters. I think it would be so interesting to see him in a couple years return to the sea. I really want to see him interacting with his old bullies after returning. Maybe seeing them grown up and changed could help him heal. Or maybe seeing them being the same pricks as before could result in the twins having a little fun with them. Either way catharsis.

ALSO. I think it’s not brought up enough that it’s heavily implied the tweels’s family is part of some fish mafia?? What is that. I need it.

- Unpopular Opinion

I don’t know if I have any unpopular options about them. Tbh most of what I think about them is either canon or pretty talked about in the fandom

I think Azul should set up a side business where he lets people pay to punch him and the tweels without consequences. He would make a fortune off it

- Favorite Relationship

I mean, I like their relationship as a trio a ton. It’s probably my favorite.

Outside of each other, I think I like Azul’s relationship with Idia a lot. They have a fun dynamic and their interactions are some of the rare chances we can see Azul being Azul without actively extorting someone else. I think board game club is good for him.

Jade Trey and Rook are a really fun dynamic. They aren’t shown a ton interacting, it’s mostly in vignettes. But I really like the ‘seemingly normal if not a bit eccentric vice housewarden that that is wildly unhinged under the surface’ dynamic. They would commit atrocities together <3

Floyd has so many good relationships because he is a menace to pretty much everyone he interacts with. I think my favorite has to be his dynamic with the basketball club. Once again they’re not really shown much, but I think they’re fun. I like Floyd and Ace interactions because they would absolutely torment Riddle together

Also honorable mention of Floyd and Chenya. They haven’t met yet but seven help us the day they do, Heartslabyul is not safe

-Favorite Headcanon

Really any sort of appearance headcanons where they look more inhuman. I don’t think Azul would do it, but if the potions to keep them human are customizable enough to let the tweels keep their sharp teeth, I think they should be able to have more fish features. Give me teal tints to the skin. Give me octopus pupils. Give me markings on their skin that look like their patterns in mer form

I feel like I ramble about this too much

[jon-sedai]

Fandom For Dummies: A totally objective and 100% correct ranking of the different ASOIAF fan communities

Nobody asked for it, but here’s my unwanted ranking of the largest ASOIAF communities on the internet:

7. X (the website formally known as twitter)

This is a cesspool; easily has the worst takes imaginable and it doesn’t help that’s it’s mostly like two fandoms at the forefront of this. Show watchers blend into book readers and this causes so many bad takes on every character. People talk big mad about characters, until you realize that they have never read a single chapter for said character and are basically just spewing whatever nonsense oomf told them to. Fights are petty and uninteresting, not to mention just how unhinged HOTD twitter stans are. Back in my day things weren’t this bad. But the last few seasons of GOT made everything 1000x worse.

6. Tiktok

I went back and forth with this one but I think it should be near the bottom. Tiktok is basically just twitter lite. People are not as unhinged on tiktok as they are on twitter, but they still bring their nonsense stan wars which means that it’s super rare to find good asoiaf content because everything is basically wrapped up around “how do I make my fave look good by making everyone else look bad?” People who have never read the books also never hesitate to give their bad takes. Tiktok is also notorious for straight up stealing stuff from Reddit and tumblr, and then wrapping it all up with the stan twitter logic - which is a proven recipe for disaster. Don’t expect to find particularly gripping analysis on tiktok that you haven’t seen anywhere else. Shoutout to that one account that posts lore videos though - they’re single-handedly hard carrying that godforsaken app.

5. Quora

It might be an unpopular opinion to rank this anywhere other than last, but I put it above twitter and tiktok because you can actually find good analysis here and there. However, Quora is also a massive echo chamber that enables the worst circle jerks imaginable (we’re all familiar with that famous poster who acts like Dany literally murdered their entire family, aren’t we?). Quora was shockingly bad way back when I joined this fandom and nearly a decade later, it’s still terrible. But this ain’t special to the asoiaf community. Quora as a platform is intensely toxic. For being a cesspit of hate, it gets a near bottom ranking but still manages to rank above twitter for actually sticking to book content every now and then. Also, there’s usually not a whole lot of shipping wars which is a major plus!

4. Reddit

I’ve also gone back and forth with this one because it could rank higher or lower depending on the time of day. But it’s been a hot minute since passable content came out of Reddit, which explains why it isn’t any higher than fourth. This is a site that is capable of great good, and also great evil. Some cool theories have come out of it (e.g., the Night Lamp theory), but the downside is that this happens once in every five blue moons. Most of the time, Reddit is one giant circle jerk of whatever is the opinion of the day. Think Tyrion is the devil incarnate? Well you’re in luck, because so does literally everyone else. The makings of Reddit’s core demographic also means that female characters are more likely than not to get lambasted for every little thing (e.g., Cersei getting victim blamed for the abuse she suffers). Sure you could find good analysis, but it will be right alongside the most shockingly bad take on any given character that you’ve ever seen (just ask any Arya stan). A majority of redditors also employ the most surface level analysis of any character which lends to the bad takes, but this isn’t anything new considering that tiktok and twitter do the same thing but worse. Major plus though, little to no shipping! Which means that we get to avoid fighting about which teenage girl gets to shag Jon Snow. For having elements of both the good and the bad, Reddit is firmly middle of the pack. But shoutout to r/darkwingsdankmemes for single-handedly hard carrying the asoiaf Reddit communities. Y’all are doing the lord’s work (though it’s not like the bar is that hard to clear to begin with).

🥉 YouTube

Ok, woah YouTube in the top three?! Yes, hear me out. YouTube is really good at presenting out new theories, especially pertaining to the magic side which often gets overlooked everywhere else. In fact, I’d argue that it’s the second best place to get any sort of discussion on the magic side of asoiaf without falling into some bizarre stan war echo chamber. YouTube also doesn’t have the shipping wars that you find everywhere else, which makes the fan experience a lot more fun. Now a major downside is that a lot of analysis on there is either borderline crack on wheels or the most surface level reading imaginable. Some creators also push a lot of hate towards certain characters (we all know who they are). But still, it’s not the cesspit that Reddit is and you’ll be able to find interesting stuff everyday. It’s like tiktok, if people actually tried to think for themselves and analyze the books outside of an echo chamber. When you learn to filter out the bad faith arguments, YouTube has great content, especially if you’re a new fan and are trying to learn about the lore or get some explanation on popular fan theories. Shoutout to AltShiftX (for when they stick to presenting out basic lore), CivilizationEx, Radio Westeros (though they started out on westeros.org), and many more for the work that they do. Tiktok wishes they were you!

🥈 Tumblr

Tumblr is a GREAT place for fandom engagement! Ok let’s start with the bad: shipping culture. This has almost completely ruined the fan experience. Especially for ships that are not yet even cannon (yeah don’t all gasp at once). Either you think Sansa (a 13 yr old girl!!) is the devil incarnate or you think Dany (a 16 yr old!!) needs to be strung up by her toes. Every now and then, poor Arya will catch some strays. This also means that you’ll find a lot of bad faith “analysis” for the anti-ship characters. And to make things worse, Jon is in the middle of this and so every group is guilty of either misconstruing or vastly misinterpreting his character to further whatever their agenda is. Now onto the good. For all the flak tumblr gets, it’s given us some of the best character analysis you could find in greater asoiaf fandom. There are so many incredible asoiaf blogs and even the shippers post great content. There also a variety of good stuff which allows you to curate your fan experience. You’re a Theon stan? Great! There are a bunch of wonderful Theon posters on here. A Stannis stan? Fear not, you’re in good company! There’s something for everyone and you can stay in your own cute little stan bubble, which can’t be said for the other communities. Tumblr also has great artists and gif makers too, which you won’t find anywhere else (well, maybe the editors on tiktok). Something that keeps tumblr in the higher ranks is that there’s something new everyday. This site, for all its faults, has managed to stay active and keep things fresh after all these years. But the shipping wars man…that’s what’s stopping us from being the best. Let’s #MAKETUMBLRGREATAGAIN2024!

And the best ASOIAF fan community is 🥁 🥁…..

🥇 Westeros.org

Yes, Westeros.org is still the best asoiaf fan forum after nearly two decades. To this day, the best asoiaf analyses have come from this forum. The reread projects, in particular, are top of the class: The pawn to player threads which single handedly changed how we discuss Sansa Stark (+ the same people did the Arya reread projects); the learning to lead reread project which was a cool joint project by Jon and Dany fans; the Jon and Tyrion reread threads, the best of them all, which were spearheaded by the forum’s top posters; the moments of foreshadowing threads; the ‘can’t believe I missed that’ threads, the heresy threads for off the wall magic theorizing; the over 150 RLJ threads…the list goes on and on. Westeros.org has been the backbone of asoiaf fan discussion for years and years. Also, some of the funniest posts ever made (e.g., the ‘Sandor and Gregor Clegane are brothers’ theory) have come from that site. Does this forum have its faults? Absolutely. Just as all the others do. I’ve been around long enough to see the tides turn on which female character needs to be hurled right down to hell. Way back then it was Sansa and Catelyn, then came the huge anti-Dany circlejerk (which is still there tbh), and now it’s Arya who’s satan incarnate. Another ding against this forum is that is has not managed to keep it relevance after all these years; Tumblr has been much better on that front. Westeros.org lost its best contributors as the show overtook the books and is now a husk of what it once was. BUT, you’ll still find good discussion from the ten people who still log on everyday. This site actually focuses on book content, as there’s a dedicated book only forum. It’s also the best place to find extensive discussion on the different magical elements in ASOIAF. So instead of arguing about who is or isn’t Azor Ahai, which is frankly so 2014, posters on Westeros.org will actually spearhead some pretty out there analysis on the different magical elements. They’re not afraid to go against the grain, which is how we got the heresy threads - an entire subforum that encourages readers to think outside the box, which you won’t always see on tumblr or other sites. Westeros.org is not what it used to be but once Winds is out, I’m sure it will be returned to its former glory.

Didn’t include other sites like Tower of the Hand (which was pretty decent back in the day), Winteriscoming.net, and many others because they’re just not as big. Anyway, I’m 100% correct. GRRM himself told me so 😤