#the vibes on this one are. Immaculate. if i do say so myself

[twig-tea]

With 23.5 finally coming out, the people are rejoicing at finally getting a high profile gl from GMMTV. But there have already been several gls airing this year, including my fav TsukuTabe, that have been flying under the radar with fandom, and in general there are more gls already out there than folks seem to think. I just know you have a list of all the gls we should be watching, please share with the class!

Thank you for the ask! How did you know I had a draft of GL recs to make at some point? [Trick question, I mentioned it to you.]

It may seem like I'm out here hating on GL because i've made a couple of negative reviews of recently airing series recently (Love Senior and Chaser Game W in case you're curious) but I actually have lots of GL that I love and that I wish were better known! Thanks for sending this ask so I am inspired to actually finish it! I've limited myself to series so that I could keep the list and this post to a reasonable length. Where possible I've listed where you can find each of these and included a link. And I've included an 'elevator pitch' summary but I am NOT in marketing for a reason, so please don't roast me too hard for my terrible comparisons. Alright, enough waffling!

Twig's GL Rec List

She Loves to Cook and She Loves to Eat S1 & 2 (Japan, 2022 & 2024, both seasons fansubbed by @furritsubs; if you need help accessing this show feel free to DM me!)

Elevator pitch: Our Dining Table with lesbians and an even slower burn. Watch for beautiful food, acespec rep, mental health and therapy rep

What might turn some off: Extremely low heat, and quite slow-moving; warning for a disordered eating and family trauma plot (v gently handled)

Let's start with the one you've already mentioned. This is a heartwarming slice-of-life slow burn in which an autismspec-coded woman who likes to eat is invited by her neighbour, a femme acespec woman who loves to cook, to come and eat her food. It starts from a very practical place (when you love making food you need someone to help eat it), but their relationship grows as they spend more time together. The story follows them as they both move towards self-actualization in several ways: as a lesbian, as asexual, at work, with their families, with their friends, with each other. This show is so careful to say the important words aloud. And there is so much delicious cooking! Each episode highlights a particular recipe, and the food porn is real. Do not watch while hungry, but definitely watch. The found famiy vibes in this one one are also immaculate.

She Makes My Heart Flutter (Korea, 2022, YouTube)

Elevator pitch: Younger lesbian friend group tries to help out (slightly) older lesbian bar owner with mixed success. I can't think of a good BL equivalent, The Moment Since feels the closest with its similar bartender/patron romance

What might turn some off: Comedic tone; short runtime; struggles with being closeted

This is a gem of a miniseries about a bar owner and an interior designer who smoulder at one another while an intrepid group of younger bar regulars (including the bar owner's neice) meddle. This series is really cute, solid, and full of sapphics! Once again found family vibes are immaculate (you may sense a theme in my faves). Run don't walk.

Fragrance of the First Flower (Taiwan, 2021, GagaOOLala)

Elevator pitch: Right-person-wrong-time/second chance romance; tonally is a little like We Best Love 2: Fighting Mr. 2nd but with an ambiguous ending.

What might turn you off: Medium heat, second chance romance means they break up once, internalized homophobia, adultery/cheating, at one point there's a creepy dude, child with autism (depicted well), ambiguous ending

At its core this is a story of a woman who can't stop getting in the way of her own happiness. This series is a little more sad than the rest of this rec list but I couldn't not include it because this relationship is so poignant. Plus there's a s2 that supposedly is to come out in 2024 so maybe we'll get our happy ending after all?

Love Greater Than or Equal to 70 Degrees C (Korea, 2019, YouTube)

Elevator pitch: Ingredients but with lesbians staring at one another over beautiful tea pairings! What more could you ask for?

What might turn you off: Low heat; short runtime; ambiguous ending; like Ingredients this is essentially a long ad for the café it's filmed at.

This is a Korean miniseries about passionate tea sommeliers making really fancy tea while staring at one another a LOT. Perfect sapphic representation, 10/10 no notes. This one packs a lot of the drama tropes into its short runtime, so even though it's short it's full of butterfly-inspiring moments.

Sleep With Me (Philippines, 2022, GagaOOLala/iWantTFC/Netflix w/VPN set to Philippines)

Elevator pitch: The Truth About Cats and Dogs but the self esteem issues are handled without catfishing. BL equivalent: Hmmm. Closest I can think of is Gaya Sa Pelikula.

What might turn you off: There's some ableism (treated as such) in this show; Open ending.

Stellar GL between a late night radio DJ and an insomniac who listens to her show. One of the main couple is a wheelchair user and the show tackles ablelism and navigating disability in relationship as well as feelings of inadequacy in a relationship and how that manifests as interpersonal conflict.

Our Relationship Ended Before it Began (Korea, 2022, YouTube)

Elevator Pitch: Along the lines of I Cannot Reach You; the show gives both perspectives and they are held back by queer angst.

What might turn you off: No kiss (but they make it very clear both want to kiss), internalized homophobia

Really sweet miniseries about having a crush and being afraid of being hurt so you don't actually make a move. I really like the way the girl who has not dated a girl before defaults to gender roles and it throws the more experienced lesbian lol I also really like the way this show makes clear that both of them are waiting for a kiss, and that if you get in your head about things, it can get in the way of your own happiness!

Pearl Next Door (Philippines, 2020, Youtube)

Elevator Pitch: Gameboys but with lesbian vloggers.

What might turn you off: Love triangle, lots of teasing but low heat in the end, a lot of (good) conversations about mental health issues, ambiguous ending

This is the GL spinoff to Gameboys, starring Pearl from Gameboys. Pearl ends up being fought over by the two gorgeous women in the gif, an old love and a new. I love the queer friendships in this story as much as the relationships. I will say it's an open ending (that felt a bit like the showrunners didn't want to decide between ships) and definitely the love triangle features prominently but even in the face of these aspects that would normally turn me off a series I had a good time. The characters and interpersonal conflicts feel very real, and are allowed to be complex even when the show tone is comedic.

Dear Uranus (Taiwan, 2021, YouTube)

Elevator Pitch: Schoolgirl ensemble GL; a little like My School President but without the singing.

What might turn you off: Short runtime; ambiguous ending; a little bit of bullying; very standard romance trope execution

The first Taiwanese GL miniseries, this series was produced by a Taiwanese lesbian couple (Rabbit & Wolf)! Lots of excellent drama tropes, and incredibly gorgeous women (I think the entire watching audience fell in love with Erol.

Lily Fever (Korea, 2015, YouTube)

Elevator pitch: Complete crack; YYY but with more kissing and frankly an even less coherent story.

What might turn you off: The lack of coherent plot; less a romance and more a very thirsty lesbian kissing everyone she can

This miniseries is utter chaos. Nothing really makes sense, it's all just random excuses to cause very suggestive moments (and kissing) to happen. I love so much how this series depicts women being so absolutely thirsty for one another (and yes that date isn't a typo, this series is ~9 years old). Not an "happy ever after" ending but it really isn't that kind of story.

Chasing Sunsets (Philippines, 2020, YouTube)

Elevator pitch: Ocean Likes Me with lesbians. Resort romance with a mental health twist.

What might turn you off: Some of the mental health stuff gets intense, this was filmed in 2020 so the pandemic features heavily; hopeful but slightly ambiguous ending.

A complex story from the Philippines covering mental health and finding yourself. A woman shows up to a resort and befriends one of the women running the resort. They get closer as they spend time together, and the resort owner realizes something is off. There's also a BL side couple in this series.

Show Me Love (Thai, 2023, YouTube)

Elevator pitch: A little like My Day the series with lesbians, in that they work together and fall in love and it's full of tropes

What might turn you off: The advertising for the Miss Grand competition, there is some bullying and cheating (though way less than I was expecting tbh), not a lot actually happens, the editing gets a bit wonky at the end

This is essentially a massive ad for the Miss Grand Thailand competition; this GL was produced by the same company that produces that competition, and the stars are mostly Miss Grand competitors. The main pairing were shipped in the actual competition, and the company decided to make a GL about them. It's very slow paced and low-stakes, and there are better kisses than I expected considering everything I just said about where this show came from. There are a lot of cute moments!

Girlfriend Project (Korea, 2022, YouTube)

Elevator Pitch: Love Class with lesbians

What might turn you off: One of the leads is kind of mean in that pgitail-pulling way? It ends abruptly (but happily)

This is a short miniseries about two girls paired in a class that are assigned to "date". The chemistry is chemistrying. And there is a kiss (a good kiss, and a tiptoes kiss at that!). This show also has one of my favourite tropes, in which someone who seems like a pushover stands up for themselves and their partner finds it very attractive. For the record, in this show they are watching another GL by the same company, Love Tech.

Lulu (Philippines, 2022, Vivamax/grey)

Elevator Pitch: Present Perfect with lesbians (but with a better ending).

What might turn you off: Depictions of panic attacks, brief depiction of drowning, pandemic lockdowns, illness, exes, waffling, happy but open ending (which I actually liked for this story)

Two women trying to move on from the garbage in their lives meet at the beach of a B&B (where one saves the other from drowning) and become one another's company during their escape and then something more. They both have baggage that seems determined to keep them apart even as they continue to be drawn together. In the end, they decide to stick it out and see where they end up, with no guarantee of happily ever after, which I found very sweet. Requires either a VivaMax account or searching the grey for it, but it's worth the effort (check MyDramaList comments for suggestions on where to find it). Plus one of the leads has a cactus as a pet.

Welcome to the Lesbian Bar (Korea, 2023, YouTube)

Elevator Pitch: A little like Fudanshi Bartender but without the fudanshi bartender and all of the bar patrons are lesbians lol

What might turn you off: Short, can get a little bit preachy, abrupt ending

Cute short series with different very stories every episode as different patrons visit the bar. The stories range from women who have been together for awhile, to people meeting from an online app for the first time, to someone visiting a lesbian bar for the first time; and yet the story all weaves together in a way that's satisfying though ends abruptly. Includes some solid marriage equality propaganda.

GAP the Series (Thai, 2022, YouTube)

Elevator Pitch: Kind of the vibes of Together with Me but lesbians and in an office instead of school. Angry boss falls for charming new intern and

What might turn you off: This one is the highest heat of all these recs; homophobia especially amongst family, brief depictions of death by car, brief mentions of suicide, cheating, bullying, abuse of power in the office.

A list would not be complete without this one! Honestly the plot is a bit wobbly but the show is a lot of fun. The girls are very cute, the feelings and tension builds really well between them, the friend group is excellent, and in the special we get a wedding.

---

The rest of these have caveats of one kind or another, but i couldn't leave them off a rec list, so here are the side couples and censored stories that are still worth your time anyway (I might do a separate more detailed post for these, as well as for films, one day if there's interest):

Nevertheless (GL side; Korean, 2021, Netflix) Not sure it's worth watching a whole kdrama for side lesbians? Search soljiwan on youtube. They are great. Even the Netflix account stans them. I watched this (ngl, I watched the SolJiwan cut) as it aired and was constantly braced for it to let us down but it did not! A really good friends-to-lovers story.

Friend Zone 2: Dangerous Area (GL side; Thailand, 2019, YouTube): These sapphics are messy and I love them. Decent conversation about dating someone with mental health issues in this series, and they're one of the only couples in this ensemble to get a happy ending. If you're just watching the lesbian couple (which you can, their story is pretty self-contained) you don't need to have seen s1.

Six Survivors (GL side; Japan, 2022, Viki) This show is a horror comedy and it is SO MUCH FUN. Warning for zombies and blood, but way less than you might think. One of the eponymous 6 survivors is a lesbian who keeps trying to convert them to veganism lol. If you watched Chaser Game W you'll recognize one of the actresses in this, the lead actress is from Kamisama no Ekohiiki, and one of the guys is from the prequel series His as well as I Want to See Only You! And yes there is a kiss. Also a surprising number of Mallrats references. Not for people who can't handle gore or relationships being complicated/not a "true love" story/ambiguous ending.

Kamisama no Ekohiiki (complicated question of is it GL in parts, Japan, 2021, furritsubs once again coming through to save the day) This one is a bit complex because there's bodyswap, but the girl who falls for the bodyswapped boy-in-a-girl's-body is clear that she is only interested in the girl. One of the better bodyswap stories because the bodyswap is not a secret for very long, so instead there's a lot of introspection about what gender means and who/what they are attracted to. Feels wrong to call this GL, necessarily, but it's very queer.

Couple of Mirrors (Censored GL, China, 2021, Viki) Story of a rich girl and her assassin girlfriend. This production did an amazing job getting away with what they could, just don't watch the last five minutes and we've got essentially a happy lesbian family.

Legend of Yunze (Censored GL, China, 2021, @douqi7s) Very cute very low budget xianxia miniseries with two seasons and a special. The special is set in modern times in a future lifetime so if you want a cute censored-but-clearly-a-soulmate-love-story this is the one for you. Don't be thrown off by the weird cuts/abrupt episode endings, that's in line with cdramas in general.

Led Astray by Love (Censored GL, China, 2021, @douqi7s) A very fun and adorable isekai story in which a modern day girl is transported to a wuxia novel setting and has to figure out how to get home, and gets romanced by the princess along the way.

And a few additional links for people who even more content:

My Indian sapphic webseries rec list

My suggestions for content with toms (Thai category that's similar to but not exactly the same as butch lesbians) in response to this post.

This really good GL MyDramaList list (not made by me!) lists what seems to be everything I've mentioned and about 200 more. Even I haven't seen a few of these!

My YouTube playlist of sapphic content: This includes anything I stumble across or find in my searches, a lot of music videos and random shorts as well as some microseries and miniseries that I don't consider GL but are WLW/sapphic in addition to true "GL" content. For serialized content, I add just the first ep. A complete mess, but you can trawl through to find stuff to watch, like Hetero!

SOONOTSUE: The same producers of She Makes My Heart Flutter have other short series on their channel worth checking out; if you liked that one, try Out of Breath!

Shakeshoulder: Thai YouTube producers of very pulpy (read: low budget and dramatic plots) shorts

FuFuKnows: This YouTube channel is owned by a gay Taiwanese couple that produces shorts every week, including some with GL mains and sides. These are very low budget but cover a whole swath of queer themes.

@douqi7s is a godsend providing subtitles for all kinds of content, including sapphic shorts and more series than I've listed here. Check their tumblr for links to all of their content; A Practical Guide to Being a Superstar's Assistant has one of the best setups to giving us great moments in the guise of something else so that they get past censorship I've ever seen; I also recommend The Vampires if you're into genre fiction, as well as Legend of Yunqian if you enjoyed the xianxia parts of Legend of Yunze. @wlwcatalogue did an excellent summary of many of the non-wuxia options here.

Quick pitch for the streaming platform GagaOOLala; it's affordable, has a ton of content, including a whack of GLs (originals, license series, and a ton of shorts), and is run by queer people out of Taiwan who care about good quality queer content being made and having an audience, and using the soft power from those successful series to support social change. And if you can't afford a subscription it's worth checking out what they have for free, they open up temporary free access to some things for various events throughout the year.

In searching for gifs for this post I found fellow tumblr user @drowningparty 's WLW compendium list; they've listed more series and films so check it out if you still need more content!

*wipes sweat off brow* that should be enough to be getting on with, but it's really just the tip of the iceberg! If there's something specific you want to see with sapphics let me know and I can tell you if I know it exists. Anyway, I hope this gives you and everyone else a taste of what all is out there! I of course always want more, I am serious about being a sapphic dragon hoarding every crumb i can get my lizardy hands on, but I do think what we have should also be appreciated more. If I missed one of your faves, please tell me!

[shepscapades]

Just have to say your music taste is immaculate and your Spotify playlists have been getting me through my commutes ( and the Doc DBHC one get me through my workouts)

When picking the songs, are you just adding ones you already like that go with the vibe or do you find new ones when making the playlists?

WAU THANK YOUUU!! <3 Honestly, I found myself putting one of the dbhc playlists on out of nowhere and what a huge freaking mistake let me tell you, its like all at once the full force of brainrot hits me. like what, did i think i wasn't gonna be affected by all of the emotions that go with these songs? the heck did I think was gonna happen what a FOOL LDKFJDFG

But seriously, thank you!! I feel like i can be kinda picky with my music and don't often branch out to music reqs unless i'm like ~feeling~ it so i'm rly happy you like the music i pick!! :>

When it comes to picking songs specifically for dbhc characters, (i think i may have mentioned this somewhere else? i dont know what i have or havent said tbh my memory is so bad) -- and honestly, i do this with pretty much all of my character playlists i think-- i usually only pick songs that coincide directly with a moment, emotion, or event from that character's timeline! Which can be hard if i'm looking for songs to represent specific events, especially if I want to represent that event specifically from the character's perspective (meaning the vibes or lyrics need to be pretty spot on) but it's also cool bc it helps me sort the playlists chronologically while also inspiring how certain details of each event may go down... idk!! I had no plans to make dbhc etho go Wacko Crazy until I actually listened to the song Destruction and was like 'oooh this song sounds like one of the androids going crazy, almost like they didn't get booted up right-- oh... oh. oh. oh no.'

LMAO so its kinda weird! Not so much a vibe, and moreso like putting a puzzle together of songs that represent the entire narrative of each character! Sometimes there are songs i haven't put anywhere that i know will slot in, but most of the time its me listening to new music and a lyric or vibe will remind me of one character or moment and then i just start spiraling /silly

this is a bit of a ramble, but hopefully that makes sense! Idk man my mind is an enigma and before I know it i'm like listening to a character's entire narrative in musical-form in my head driving to and from work everyday

[sciderman]

Your post about balls and their inherent attractiveness made me wonder who you are attracted to? If you don’t mind me asking of course! I don’t mean to pry.

I’m just curious because you’re such a multifaceted person and gender and sexuality are so multifaceted. You mentioned that like, you don’t think you’re this icon of gender that everyone thinks you are but I don’t think you’re as far off as you think you are. You’ve never (at least that I have seen) claimed to have it all figured out. You sort of just walk into the room and go, “This is what I’m doing right now! Is it what I’ll be doing tomorrow? I don’t know!” It’s very David Bowie. So I thought maybe in terms of your sexuality you’ll likely be in a similar state of, “I know what I don’t like, but I’m still discovering what I do like because every day is a new adventure!”

hmm!! hmm... i think it's tough to pinpoint, because i've not had a lot of crushes in my time with people i know on a personal level - and, i haven't really been in a lot of relationships, and when i have it's usually been people pursuing me and me just, giving up the fight (sighs) - but when i do have a crush it's usually an emotional bond that makes them so attractive to me. it's not that they're not physically attractive too, of course they are, but it's kind of the emotional side that makes every little bit of them homina homina, you know. not to be gay about it.

i think even celebrity crushes i have are more about their inexplicable vibes more than their physical features. vibes have to be immaculate. i need to think "yeah. i wanna hang out with them. i think they could make me laugh."

though of course there's people out there who are objectively gorgeous, and i'm not immune to that. i know when someone's gorgeous. i - well, i don't know. i'm just (waves hands around) bisexual. i'm very bisexual. i find a lot of people attractive. from all parts of the gender and aesthetic spectrum. i don't think i could point at one thing and say "oh so that's what does it for me" - i think maybe just... enthusiasm and good vibes. friendly and approachable. not intimidating. kissable (whatever that means).

i'm easily scared away by people who seem intense. because i'm very skittish. so... people that are approachable and make me feel comfortable and safe, yeah. god. feeling safe with someone. yeah. that gets me hot under the collar. when i'm with someone i can feel free and comfortable with, and they kind of get it - and they know how to not scare me away, that's great. i've had a lot of interest in me from a lot of people that just kind of didn't get me, or think i'm something else, and all i want to do is get out of that situation. i can't do it, i can't do it. it - it kind of makes relationships difficult for me. because it's almost a given that if someone is thinking of me in a sexual context they're misinterpreting me. it - it kind of stinks. like, i should be responsive, maybe, but it never feels comfortable, for me. i wish it felt right. it very rarely does. so - so i've turned down so, so many people. and i beat myself up about being "scared" or whatever, but - i don't think it's true. if it feels right it feels right. if it doesn't feel right - you can't - you can't force yourself to think that it is. and every time i've bitten the bullet, it - it doesn't work. because it wasn't right. sometimes i think there's something wrong with me. but - i... i don't know. i've had this realisation that nearly all of the intimate relationships i've ever had, i've been a bit of a cornered animal. and i hate that realisation. it kind of stinks to realise that. kicks the dirt. god, i need more positive experiences.

i definitely feel more comfortable with afab people - i've - well, i've never had a positive encounter with anyone amab. not a one. i know that i shouldn't hold it against them, but it does something about my degree of comfort, yep. and i just think afab parts are prettier. (i'm right. they are.)

but i think, you know, while everybody has their clothes on, i don't really have preferences when it comes to femme vs masc, really. like when it comes to actors and things it's a 50/50 split on what actors or actresses i find attractive. in my day-to-day i'm probably more attracted to femme-presenting people, but that's generally because they put a little bit more effort into it, and their clothes and make-up are so, so pretty. i love when people display their emotions or their energy through their wardrobe. when people express themselves with all their colours or whatever. when you get a sense of who they are, and what they're about, just by looking at them. people who light up a room. i love those people. you generally find that more with femme-presenting people, and i love those girls. stay loud and proud, my girlies...

in my mind, in my subconscious, whenever i have dreams (that aren't a sordid threeway - i have a lot of those - usually with one gorgeous girl and a large, ominous faceless man) - dreams about who i'm going to wind up with, they're almost always femme-presenting. usually my age. sometimes older. shrugs. don't know what it means. just that's where my brain is at. i don't think it has to be true, but - guess it's where my brain is at.

my dad still insists that i'll end up with a man. i almost want to not, just to spite him. whenever i mention i'm attracted to a male actor he says "oh. so you are straight." he thinks i'm just confused. he says to me, "you're confused and that's okay." so i think that might be just about the full extent of acceptance i'll get from him. shrugs. i'm confused, i guess. i don't know. i think this particular thing i don't think i should or will have an answer. i don't think i'm confused. i don't feel like i need to sort it out. my options are open. i'm not scared about whatever will come. whatever is meant to happen will happen. that's - just, i guess, that's how i see it. whatever is meant to happen will happen. and it's not a problem that it hasn't happened yet. because i guess it wasn't meant to.

i think my gender stuff was always a priority - it always came first. i had my gender awakening LOOOONG before my sexual awakening (my sexual awakening like. only happened like. two years ago. honest to god.) i remember it being a bit of a problem - when i was forging my gender path back in high school, and a lot of people thought it meant something. meant that i was a cute boy who was up for dating girls. when actually i was the kind of boy who was not into girls yet. i was too busy being into comic books. i think even now, sex just - isn't my priority. it's just - it's more important for me to find people that see me for me. see me for what i am, and the sex can come later.

it's just - it's stupid, really. i find a million of you guys online who kind of get it. you're freaky weird gender like me but - in real life - i have no idea how to explain myself. i have no idea how to market myself. i can't use dating websites because i think people on both sides are going to be disappointed. and absolutely everyone who's romantically interested in me in person doesn't know how to approach me as what i am. they approach me wrong, and it scares me away on impact because - because whatever they think i am, i'm not. i'm not a butch lesbian, i'm not a transguy, i'm not a girl, i'm not a boy, i'm not... i don't know, i'm not easily marketable. i can't find my demographic. i've only found my demographic here, in my weird little spider-man corner of the internet. with likeminded freaky gendered spider-man nerds, i guess. i think maybe my dating life would be easier if i could just be one thing. but... (waves hands around) i can't do it. i can't force myself into a box for the sake of being more easily marketable. i just can't do it.

[saintsenara]

thoughts on ron weasley/tom riddle?

thank you very much for the ask, anon!

guess it's time to out myself as a ronmort girly...

obviously, as far as fandom stats go, this is the niche crack pairing when it comes to lord voldemort getting into the funky way with a member of the golden trio. both tomarrymort and tomione/volmione have thousands upon thousands of works and stans prepared to fight to the death over insignificant things.

ronmort has... three fans in a trench coat and immaculate vibes.

i am genuinely shocked that it isn't bigger as a pairing - surely we're all agreed that "i have seen your heart, and it is mine" is an outrageously romantic thing for the locket-horcrux to say to ron? surely we've all deeped that the locket makes its bid to save itself by showing ron softcore pornography? - but not, i think it's worth saying, because i think there's any merit in the tedious fanon [particularly prevalent in ships which pair hermione with other men] that ron is a closet blood-supremacist who'd make an amazing death eater. he's not - he's principled and loyal and, even in a world where voldemort wins and he's the only member of the trio left alive, he's not going over to the dark side. it sounds too much like hard work. 

instead, i back ronmort as a pairing because ron is... kind of mother. and we all know lord v's very much in want of one of those.

he likes to look after people and he channels his negative emotions into doing so [he wouldn’t have left the tent if harry and hermione had learned how to shoplift properly and he could be settled in front of a nice pot, and i’ll die on that hill]. just imagine little captive ron - maybe the snatchers recognised him, maybe voldemort’s won and everyone else is dead - bustling around his gilded prison in malfoy manor making the dark lord a cup of tea when he turns up to psychologically torture him. voldemort would - as i am - be intrigued.

i have two recs for the pairing - wind tunnels by @mrmxlemons and ghouls in the attic by speechwriter - and i also have a statement of fact which I know many of the girlies [gender neutral] won't like to hear...

ronmort is less of a crack ship than tomione, sorry to be the bearer of bad news.

[rebelfell]

So, here’s the thing. Around this time of year, I can be very (some would say overly) sentimental. And it partly has to do with my nana and the fact that she passed on NYE many years ago.

Because she was the kindest, gentlest, most beloved person I ever knew, and I always wished I could be as effortlessly good as she was making people around her feel loved and special.

This year, being on this site, reading everyone’s words and realizing how much talent there is in this community has been staggering to me. In a million years, I could never express what it has meant to me properly.

And one of the things that brought me joy this year was making covers for some of my favorites. Most I’ve shared already, but I wanted to compile them all together along with some (unhinged) rambling, sorta like a year-end review.

That’ll all be under the cut. But for now, I just want to express my deepest thanks to anyone reading for helping me get through this year.

Because whether you knew it or not, you really and truly did. ❤️

I’m gonna start with my token Hellcheer fics cos they were like my gateway drug 😉

These stories by @majicmarker & @hangon-silvergirl

I love the humor in them, the way they capture Eddie’s voice so completely. Just the straight up FUN I had reading them both made me want to be able to do it again and again. Anytime I write from Eddie’s pov, I feel like I draw inspiration from here cos they just really capture the energy and chaos of his mind that made me fall in love.

I am so narcissistically obsessed with these covers. They are far and away my favorites and sometimes I just look at them like, “omg I made that???” Similarly, the Whatta Man stories I’m equally obsessed with: Steve and Eddie as flirty coworkers in a bar? Overlapping stories?? 90s REFERENCES OUT THE ASS??? Sign me the fuck upppp. Eddie’s night was my gateway into the world of @loveshotzz's writing and what a wonderful world it is 🥰 Speaking of….

I had originally wanted these two to be like coordinating covers because the stories were connected, but the simply put immaculate vibes of both are so different, I wanted to reflect that.

The hold these two old men have on me is just embarrassing. I read every update with my feet kicked up behind me like a little fucking school girl watching Steve fall in love with his tough girl and falling in love with him right back. And I’m so endlessly enamored with OCS Eddie. I poured over every part of their story, drinking in every detail @carolmunson put into it like it sustained me because it did. So desperately in love with everything Carol writes, but my god there is something about him that just breaks me.

Welcome now to the wealthy Steve portion of our program. These are the stories I wish were movies I could watch over and over and over. They are so cinematic in the way they are written and the way the characters interact. I mean, The drama! The tension! The fcking cliffhangers! @katyswrites had me SAT for the entirety of her whirlwind summer romance and I still find myself wishing I was on Ischia island in a private villa with Steve…

And We’ll Call It Love….it’s so, so good. It is my dream come true for a rom com, it’s got so much humor and heart and lightness and sadness and I literally care about EVERY character’s happiness, like how do you even do that, @superblysubpar?? Is it witchcraft? You can tell me if it’s witchcraft.

The “Yes” Policy is everything to me. It is written so gorgeously and it’s such a complete and fully realized world. The amount of care and time and effort that’s put into every. single. word. is just so apparent and so incredible it makes me weak. @pinkrelish knows these characters down to their bones and shows them to be so hopelessly in love I can’t even articulate how lovely a story it is.

Last two! And oddly appropriate these lined up together because they’re respectively the oldest and the newest stories I’ve fallen in love with.

@blueywrites’s TKYM was the first ever Eddie fic I ever read. An AO3 link to it came across my dash with someone saying “if you haven’t read this yet you are missing out” or something along those lines…and damn if they weren’t right. I’d never read an x reader fic before. I had yet to watch Stranger Things. I knew Eddie as a meme only. I was so wholly transfixed by the writing and the way Eddie was characterized — I devoured this story like my life depended on it. I go back to it and back to it and back to it. I see myself in it, I see the person I want to be in it. It makes me feel every feeling I can possibly feel all at once. It is simply…awe inspiring. It brought me here.

And @sweetsweetjellybean’s Torn is…idek know how to describe it? I have been down bad for that Eddie since the first “Hey, doll.” He’s got me in a goddamn chokehold. The pure excitement I feel every time an update posts is so overwhelming and the writing is so good it takes my breath away. The way the story moves and the depth of the world surrounding it makes it feel so real in a way that I forget it’s fiction? It’s such a beautiful story for Eddie and it’s so enthralling I really cannot wait to see where it goes.

Aaaaaand that’s it! If you’ve stuck around this far — thank you for doing so ☺️

I hope everyone has a wonderful year. Please know that you deserve only good things and you are loved deeply even when it doesn’t feel/seem like it. You have everything you need to make your life into the one you want and nothing can stop you from doing so, not even yourself.

Love you, mean it. ⛄️✨💕

[witchzoe]

Here are my overall thoughts on Rogue Trader now having played through the game.

The biggest thing is definitely how much it just absolutely nails the Warhammer 40k setting and the vibes. Not only for the Imperium itself, but also for all Xenos races you encounter. Immaculate in that regard.

The companions are all pretty fun and have some interesting stories that develop over the course of the game. There should be someone for everyone here.

The game is a relative straight lift of the Rogue Trader TTRPG, so it is relatively crunchy with a lot of possible choices of different talents, abilities and skills. That allows you to build a lot of different characters, but it can also be a bit overwhelming. I myself just picked the talents that fit into the archetype I envisioned and most of the fights in the game were relatively easy (on Normal difficulty). But I you could tell me that any Talent is overpowered/useless and I would probably believe you.

The additional mechanics of colony management, Voidship Combat and exploration were all pretty fun imo. I liked that every colony had its own storyline that developed as you built it up and changed based on previous choices. I also liked the in-universe story book sequences for events that wouldn't really work in the game itself.

The soundtrack does its job. It helps build the atmosphere and fits well into the game, but it also isn't something I would listen to outside the game.

The voice acting is fine, but I am not very good at judging that so I can't say much on that topic. I do wish that some of the emotional scenes had voice acting.

Normally I am not a fan of "morality points", but the division into Heretic, Iconoclast and Dogmatic as well as you earning points for these orientations makes sense in the setting. And I never really felt that my roleplaying choices were limited.

The game could have used a bit more content in Chapter 4 and 5. But there is DLC on the horizon, so that can change.

I would have wished to a bit more reactions from my companions to my actions. Especially during the Heretic playthrough there were some actions that prompted no reactions, that definitely should have prompted some. Also there was only one occasion on which my Origin/Homeworld was acknowledged in game.

There are still a few bugs in the game. The companion banter is definitely bugged. Fortunately most bugs fell into the funny category and not the annoying one.

Small one but I wish you could change your clothes. As a ruler of multiple planets it is weird to be stuck with the clothes determined by your origin.

The game needs to be gayer. Three of your companions are bisexual, but otherwise there exist no same-sex relationship. Trans people and Enbies also don't exist, not even as an option during character creation.

TL;DR: Fun game that really nails the 40k setting with a fun story and companions. Still a bit bugged and definitely needs to be gayer

[carlyleandco]

SHOT BY SHOT LET'S GO PT 1

Okay so first we have the infamous ghost lamp. I absolutely love the design, it has such an otherworldly yet steam punky vibe, @vryfmi did a great post on the use of brutalist architecture on the show, which I encourage everyone to read!

This seems to be Lucy travelling on the train to London after the incident with Jacobs'. It seems like she is either drawing (which would be fantastic, I hope we see artist! Lucy) or looking through newspapers for potential jobs.

Shot from the teaser! Annie Ward plotline here we come!

Lucy at Kings Cross arriving in London for the first time? I've noticed Lucy's colour in the series primarily, or almost exclusively, seems to be blue.

I have a feeling this woman is the one talking at the start of the trailer: "It's terrible the world's come to this...I feel sorry for your generation." She appears to have noticed Lucy in agent gear, perhaps looking a little lost and forlorn.

Lucy reading the advertisement! Interesting design for the agency's name.

If you need me, I'll be at 35 Portland Row. Honestly looks EXACTLY how I always pictured it!

Lucy and George's first interaction <3 <3 <3

Looks like this is the sitting room? I love the cluttered nature of Portland Row; is that a TV I see in the background? What happened to "To think some people just watch TV" Lockwood?

George my beloved

Can't wait to see them break a gourd <3

Kudos to the props/design team, it's actually eerie how similar it looks to the way I always imagined!

Judging by the background, specifically the columns, this looks to be Kensal Green, Lucy and Lockwood seem to be kicking down the door to the chapel in order to rescue George and they look like they are about to kick some serious ass as well!

Lucy and Lockwood waiting to go into the Hope’s house? I remember as they were waiting, Lucy saw movement in the window and presumed the family to be home, only for the daughter to arrive straight after.

Meeting Annie Ward. This seems to play out different from the book in which Lucy had to call gently out for Lockwood so as not to disturb her. They seem to instead find her together in this scene. Although we do have a shot of Lucy facing her alone.

How I'm going to look tomorrow morning after staying up analysing the trailer

Lucy and Lockwood in the Hope’s?

You know what time it is? Arson time.

Lucy and Lockwood putting the company into serious debt.

The man, the myth, the legend. Montague Barnes looking mighty fine if I do say so myself. He looks extremely done with everyone, A+. He is with Kipps here, most likely investigating the Bone Mirror case.

Couples who do arson together, stay together. I love how they are just standing around in that second shot, taking in just how terribly they've screwed everything up, the vibes are immaculate.

Talented. Brilliant. Incredible. Amazing. Show stopping. Spectacular.

[immortalbutterflycos]

hi!! 5 and 21 for regulus please <3

Aye Yooo!! (Thank you~)

Those are really good ones too!

5- I actually have a few songs that come to mind for Regulus because I am low-key (high-key) obsessed with making playlists for my various WIPs. So here's just my top 5 (because I have to limit myself here...) and why:

Regulus - ONEWE First of all, the title obviously XD. But aside from that, it's so pretty too! and I looked up the English translation and there's this one line that kills me,

"I'm withering, but you don't be withering Remember me even when I'm gone, yeah, just a little selfishly This star is precious a living and breathing memory Even if it's far away from the earth"

2. Reckless Driving - Lizzy McAlpine & Ben Kessler The StarChaser vibes are simply immaculate in this song.

3. Lonely Star - Oh Wonder Honestly, this one kind of speaks for itself (ToT) 4. Hymne a l'amour - Edith Piaf What can I say? Solmussa's Only the Brave rewired my brain. I listen to this song all the time.

5. Stay - Phemiec This one also have fantastic Starchaser vibes and honestly Phemiec's songs from this album are all in my playlist for The Art of Running for Our Lives. The lyrics, "She made it okay to not be okay. She made me believe that someone would, that someone could Stay" just really hit hardest with a pleasant mix of Black Brothers angst and StarChaser <3 21- I think that my favorite thing to do while writing Regulus is to give him some sort of obsession with the stars.

I know it's kind of a cliche answer, but I'm also the type of person who will step out of the house at 3 am to just look at the sky for a second and exist in that space for a little bit. I love the stars so much and my biggest dream is to go to one of those Dark Sky Conservatories and my goal is to project that onto Regulus and Sirius in anyway possible. <3

I also love writing him to be happy. I put this man through absolute hell because the more they hurt, the better the comfort. (and since I'm a slut for happy endings and hurt/comfort, it just makes all the pain so much more worth it! My least favorite thing..? I'm not gonna lie, I actually really love writing Regulus. I find it a lot easier to write from the perspective of a character with a lot of emotional depth and trauma than anything else. Oddly enough, because of this, I actually struggle a bit more with writing James.

I guess if you'd like another answer, it would be smut. Not because I don't like it, but because the last time I wrote a full smut scene was on Wattpad when I was in high school. Which I graduated from in 2016. 😂 (The worst part is that it still exists on the internet forever. 😔)

[goatskickin]

Not a question, more appreciation! Thank you for having so much amazing and appropriate clothes for elders! I have always struggled finding nice stuff for them!

THANK YOU

uh I had more to say about this

When making elder cc (mostly EF but I’m looking to do much more EM stuff too, yay grandpa), I do try to highlight shapes and choose patterns, that - to me - scream: “I’ve lived a good long life. I’m not 21 anymore and I don’t want to be. But I’m no schlub.”

All About Style has always been a huge style inspiration for me for grandmother fashion. That site’s EF clothing was the perfect mix of quirky, fashion-conscious and matronly-cool clothes. Judie had immaculate taste! There’s a reason her cc was beloved, even after years of play.

Much of existing elder cc is on alpha meshes. Those are fine and good! But I feel like elder sims need to be dressed in ‘bulkier’ stuff. It just makes sense to me. There’s tons of older elder CC that I see and like the idea of, but it’s painted on a mesh that is little more than the base EF/EM body shape on top. Idk, skintight sweaters on grandma or grandpa just kind of give me the willies. 😵‍💫 It’s not realistic either.

Plenty of elder cc is also Maxis match. Perfectly fine! Love those shapes way more. There are lots and lots of age conversions that look great on elders. But, I feel like our elders deserve more than a copy and paste of what we already have on offer for adult sims. So, I retexture those age conversions. The clothes just need to be stuffier, with more mature colors and patterns. Just, have more of a mature “vibe”.

On a more tinfoil hat note (lol), I think some simmers do not like to play elders at all, and that has everything to do with fearing age itself. And not having a worthy selection of clothes for them, that too. 😂

But I mean, there are mods to skip elderhood entirely. And a clothing mod to make elders have the standard AF chest instead of a sagging one exists, and that has existed forever. It’s like one of the oldest mods out there! And a mod to make them not have the “elder” walk. All things to make them less “oldpersony”.

Elders are thought of as being boring or unimportant sims, something to avoid, unappealing. I think that says way more about how people feel about aging themselves. But I think it’s much more freeing to embrace and enjoy a stage of life that I’ll face myself.

TL;DR: thank you

And let me know who I should look to next for style inspiration. I’ve already gained inspirash from: the Golden Girls, the oracle from the matrix, Eartha Kitt as madame Zeroni in Holes, probably anything Stevie Nicks has worn recently, anything Judi Dench has worn as M in the Bond movies, André Leon Talley (rip), Sag Harbor, Eddie Bauer and Squaw Valley sweaters and long skirts from the 90’s, what Diane Keaton is wearing in any movie, any era, Guinan from Star Trek: Next Gen (slay, the colors especially), thinking if it would look good on current day Jane Seymour then go for it, my friend whose mom is a high school art teacher, a sprinkle of Mrs. Doubtfire, a sprinkle of Miranda Priestly, and of course, anything Prue Leith wears.

[solar-eclippse]

Abijah for the ask game? 👁️w👁️

Gladly~! Thank you for the ask! [Ask game]

1) Sexuality headcanon Pansexual and... I want to say grayromantic?

2) OTP Abijah x me~ Ahem! Who said that? I swear, there's some sort of weird echo in here...

Self-shipping aside... I have been obsessed with Abijah x Mizu since first watching BES. I always go feral over shipping narrative foils together, and these are just. IMMACULATE. Red and blue, fire and water. "Extrovert adopting an introvert" except the introvert would rather he just shut up. Two ruthless killers, one who sees their actions as a necessary evil, the other who RELISHES in it. Two outsiders in their respective home countries because of their heritage. The opportunity for Abijah to act as a mentor figure. The twisted familial vibes. The complicated power dynamic. The sex would be absolutely wild, and you can't convince me that they wouldn't mesh surprisingly well if it wasn't for the fact that they met because Mizu tried to kill him.

3) BROTP Does this guy have any friends? Probably not, so I'm gonna go with him and Heiji. I sort of ship them, too, but either way, their dynamic is SO FUN. I love the idea of a relationship that's 10+ years past date, but they know each other like the back of their hands and need each other too much to get out. I want to study them under a microscope.

4) NOTP Mmm, pass. There's not a lot of ships for Abijah, and I like all the ones I've seen so far.

5) First headcanon that pops into my head Unsurprisingly, he's pretty obsessed with food, and while he's got staff to take care of that these days, I headcanon that he's pretty great at cooking! (He will eat anything that's available, though. The exact opposite of a picky eater.)

6) Favorite line from this character "So! If you might, my dear, dear friend, my trusted partner and clear equal, my right hand and both feet on land, fondest heart, spare a cup of concern towards our purpose... and do it your fucking self."

7) One way in which I relate to this character Shut-in and low-key really mad about it >:/ (My executive dysfunction doesn't allow me to go outside nearly as often as I'd like)

8) Thing that gives me second-hand embarassment about this character That line where he compares his conquest of Edo to a partner waiting for him on the bed. Sir. Just generally how much of a freak he is. (I mean, same, but.) Every time I write him, there's a constant chant of "Why are you like this?" going on in my head.

9) Cinnamon roll or problematic fave? Look. I adore him, but it doesn't matter how many pet names I call him or how much I think of his tragic backstory, he might just be the most morally reprehensible character I've ever gotten attached to, and even I can't fool myself into thinking he's anything but a problematic fave.

[effieandtim]

i don't know what to do with myself after seeing the homme+ cover... literally losing my mind and i will perish if they publish more photos from that shoot. the black and white pic, the pose and the angle of the viewer so to say, feels a bit voyeuristic 👀, the stubble, his expression and entire face, i am dead (of horniness)

im sorry im answering asks from days ago only now😭

you must have seen the photos by now, and I bought the magazine yesterday so i have them in print too

and they are GORGEOUS

i couldnt get jonnys cover bc it got sold out v quickly tho i expect it to hit the shelves at some point again (since this issue will be in print till summer ‘24) but my copy also has all his photos

my favourite one is definitely this

like it’s insane how good he looks here and the old hollywood vibe is immaculate

and these too

if you want me to make a post of all pictures in one post lemme know and i’ll post them later today🫶

[mickmundy]

i am now hooked on bushmedicine bc of your fics, would u happen to have fic/blog recs? 👀

OH MY GOSH EEE THANK YOU SO MUCH MY FRIEND ;__; I'M SO HAPPY YOU'RE ENJOYING MY SERIES!!!! ;u; as for recs.. ohoho... yes... i do.., fortunately i have amazing talented friends whose work i admire and adore!!! just going to say that this list is by no means exhaustive or complete and is being done completely off of the top of my head, so PLEASE don't feel bad if i leave anyone out!! ;__; <333

also i'm really not super active on here so i mostly know twt accounts but i'll do my best! i'll firstly advise you to just look through my bushmed tag on my blog. lots of great folks in there!! ^v^ so much talent!! aoguaougaaa!!! and to my friends who have supported me with my own fics thank you so much ;;; i owe u all everythign!! <333 going to stick this under a cut since it's kind of lengthy!!

for fic recs, i actually don't have a lot of time to read many, sadly!! ;_; BUT i'll gladly point you in the direction of some of my besties' fics that i have read and absolutely adore!!:

see that my grave is kept clean by @fairyouth.... my favorite. john is a freaking MASTER of writing them and i love his big huge creative mind!!

heatstroke by @eurovamp... kat is so talented!! i LOVE her interpretation and they have so many fun au's!! i haven't gotten a chance to read it but she also wrote a bushmed naga fic that they've been talking to me about and AAHHH IM SO EXCITED TO READ!!

as for fanart, i'll also use this as a chance to promote my lovely talented friends!! i don't speak for them of course but i believe some of them (myself included) might be more active on twitter, i'm not sure! :( but i'll rec them here regardless hehehe!! some accts are ns/fw too so just a heads up!

@lovey2dovey2 YESSS FELLOW MEDSNIP LESBIAN!!! HEHEHE!! she's SO talented and kind, and all of her interpretations are SO fun and creative!! absolutely adore her art style!!

@5piecechickendinner / @5piececockdinner DEEEEEE absolutely stunning pieces, great moody art and a joy to talk to!! a blast to talk headcanons with too!!

@rabidratbaby -> twitter acct! amazing pieces, conveys such tenderness and sweetness in their art, both nsfw and sfw!! super chill and immaculate vibes in general!!

@radioactive-gremlin -> support her on patreon! char's got it all... lighthearted silliness and super sexy comics!! a total delight to follow and befriend!

@lubby-beez LUB!! so sweet to know, and the queen of saucy medic art!! amazing coloring and body type representation and super fun ocs!!

@poisonedflame if you follow me on here you've probably seen me reblog ren's amazing sfms quite a few times hehe... so kind and talented, huge-brained and a wonderful friend!!

@skymacaroon fantastic art and super fun to talk to, absolutely love how he draws medic and sniper!!

@oldkamelle one of the accounts that warmly welcomed me to tumblr.. ;u; very kind and so great to talk to, totally wonderful artistic talent!!!

as for folks who i am not very close to but whose works i still adore and cherish and scream so normally and lovingly any time i see them on my tl and who i want to still give some spotlight to! i hope it's okay that i'm tagging you in this! ;-;

@goo-p absolutely no notes... ellís's style yields so much range for whimsy And more somber/serious pieces... absolutely stunning!! a joy to work with creatively and to speak with!!

@hootsimedes such cute style and so many amazing creative ideas!! and so kind!! ^u^

@halfhihat SUUCH a cute style!! absolutely love the cute little comics he draws!!

[daisychainsandbowties]

I love a avatrice with all my heart but sometimes we need bealil and God bless you and your dads fic!!

oh anon, darling, i think you meant this for my very talented friend @birgittesilverbae but while we’re here i’m 🤝 with you about dads it’s everything to me i think it’s so so brilliant, astonishingly beautiful in how it takes bea and lilith and understands them. there’s nothing i like more than a fic that (picture me crying) makes me go “oh god, oh fuck. she would fucking say that wouldn’t she?”

dads bealil is everything to me. these girls are divorced, they’re dating they share one whole braincell. their vibes are immaculate they’re the two biggest losers you’ve ever seen.

it’s the growing up so entangled with each other that they hardly know how to breathe alone. (it’s the learning to do that. alone so they can be together) it’s the please leave your scarf behind in my life but it’s a #1 dad mug and it’s oh, i left myself behind in your life but we can never go back

(you can’t take loved away)

fic: dads just gets bealil, i think. more importantly it understands both characters and it loves loves loves loves both characters. it’s lilith who cares so much, the “if i loved you less, i might be able to talk about it more.” how she just wants so loudly and both of them tripped up by their tongues.

the ache of loving so much and so long it sets you on fire and touching fans the flames and not touching makes the dead heat of longing sit under your skin. the inescapable gravity of them, two lives locked in orbit around what they both love (their daughter, each other) and the endless refrain of bealil that is the love didn’t change anything, it didn’t save anyone, but it still matters that the love was there.

it’s beatrice sifting through the ashes of their life it’s how impossible i find it to tell which of them is more in love. the quiet loud impossible affection bea has and holds, scalding her. (as long as we both shall live) holding a mug in the kitchen and broken by the brokenness of this love that’s as vital to her as a heartbeat.

dads just understands them both so much. they’re stupid, they’re married they’re divorced i hate them they love each other. they’re gentle and scalding and they can communicate in touches, without words when they speak the words run roughshod over each other they’re meant to be together they’re doomed (it doesn’t matter) they’re a two-body problem to which the solution is a three-body problem.

so, yeah, fic: dads is a masterpiece it’s a beautiful piece of storytelling and i’m glad you adore it because i do too

[babybluebanshee]

Things I've Had To Deal With As A City Librarian: I'm Just So Tired

Haven't done one of these in a while, and things have just been...they've been a time, let me tell you.

*We caught a guy hiding in one of the bathroom stalls after closing. We check the bathrooms to clean up any messes for the next day, and Julie knocked on the men's room door. No one answered, so she went in and checked the stalls. Didn't see any feet so she starts opening the doors. She gets to the handicap stall, and she tries to open it. It's locked. She mutters something about having to unlock it, and suddenly a voice from inside calls out, "Hey, I'm still in here." Julie nearly shrieks. The guy claims that his fly was stuck, but given the fact he didn't say anything when Julie came in and we couldn't see his feet under the stall door means he was probably crouched on the toilet, hoping we'd think the bathroom was empty and he could spend the night in the library.

*My coworker Allie did a cute little display in the kids area where you can write a letter to Curious George. She even made cardboard mailbox for it and put out a bunch of books and movies for people to check out. The amount of vandalism this thing has seen is unreal. One night a kid poked holes in the mailbox with a colored pencil. I was doing a walkthrough after a particularly rowdy family was in the kids area, only to discover that they have thrown everything on the display into the mailbox - the books, the movies, the postcards, the coloring materials, even one of the book stands. We spent about ten minutes fishing everything out.

*Speaking of displays, I did the Black History Month one this year. I worked on it for three months, and to be honest, I was very proud of it. It took up two tables, full of historical events and famous figures of black history. Needless to say, since black history is so damn expansive and my space was limited, a lot of people ended up getting left off (especially local people I'd never learned about). The amount of times people told me I left out a person they personally believed should be on it drove me to distraction. Two separate people told me I missed Kamala Harris (which I'll be kicking myself forever about). One woman asked me why I didn't redo the whole display to add one local figure she thought needed to be included. One woman asked me why she herself was not included one the poet's wall, because she was a published author. No, she was not kidding. I guess I should be thrilled that people were actually interacting with it, but at least a few people telling me I did a good job would have been fucking nice.

*To branch off from the black history month display - the city has an anti-discrimination policy when it comes to people reserving rooms for events. The only thing we explicitly do not allow is social events like parties and anyone attempting to sell something; everything else is fair game. This means we get a lot of obnoxious groups whose views we really, really do not agree with - homeschoolers, churches, conservative clubs, and, my personal favorite, the Sons of the Confederacy. Or as Rachel and I like to call them, The Sons of a Bunch of Loser Piss Babies. They had a meeting there during February, and Rachel was working that day. One of them, in his stupid little gray hat, was standing talking to someone...right next to my black history month display. Rachel told me she wanted to take a picture because the juxtaposition was...stark, to say the least. We're really not that surprised Failfuck McStank didn't notice the irony.

*We've had a guy coming in with his guitar and just...hanging out in the study rooms to play. We can't really do anything about it unless he's too loud or someone actively complains, but we're all kind of puzzled about the library being his first choice of places for a jam session.

*There's a pair of teenage girls that have been coming in for about four months now and their punk vibe is immaculate. The first time I ever saw them, one of them had a giant bleach blond mohawk, a leather jacket with studs, hot pink and black striped stockings, and the most badass combat boots I've ever seen. Her friend had a bleach blond buzzcut, a black jean jacket covered in patches, teal leggings, and red converse that were falling apart. Sherri stumbled on them chilling in the kids area, and noticed the buzzcut one was bent over something. She got closer and realized the kid was knitting a scarf. Mohawk comes in more often, and always has a thick book with her, just lounging in the chairs and quietly reading for a few hours. They're my second favorite patrons and hope they never change.

*A woman was interested in attended my classic book club meeting back in June. We were reading Fun Home by Alison Bechdel, so I gave her a copy. She didn't attend the meeting. She returned the book a few days later and said it was "gross". While she was there, she also picked up her inter library loan of a "romance" novel about a woman falling in love with her abusive stepbrother. I'm all for people reading whatever the fuck they want, but I also feel like if you're gonna read stepsibling porn, you don't get to call lesbian comics gross.

*Two women came in with a little boy who was absolutely bouncing off the walls. They did absolutely nothing to control him - one of them was busy talking to someone on her phone (on speaker till someone complained), the other was perusing the shelves - and the kid was just kind of running around being a nuisance. I was walking back from helping someone in the computer lab and saw the kid taking off his shirt. I told him he had to keep his shirt on, and that's when one of the women finally turned to me and said, "He wants to put his Spider-Man costume on." And I'm like, "Lady, that's great, but you're in a public space, not your living room. Have him change in the bathroom." Luckily they didn't hang around long after that, but fucking hell, the entitlement.

*A woman came in to fax a police report to her lawyer, and Sherri and I ended up being privy to the sordid tale of having her car stolen. She was out with a guy she met on Tinder, and they went to a bar in the next town over. They were getting ready to leave, but she wanted to have a cigarette, so they were standing by her car in the parking lot. Suddenly, three police cars come shooting up, right next to them. Turns out the dude she's with has a warrant out for his arrest. He panics, grabs her keys out of her hand, jumps in the car, and fucking peels away. He ended up crashing it into a ditch less than ten miles away, totaling it. She doesn't even know what warrant was for.

*It's very funny whenever I call anyone for reserve reminders or things like that, because people are so used to getting calls from robots and scammers that they're immensely suspicious any time they answer their phone. And it makes the absolute 180 they do into delighted toddlers, excited to get their books, that much funnier. The scenario usually goes like this:

Me: Hi, is this [insert name]?

Patron: *clearly doing the suspicious Fry face* Yeeeees...

Me: This is Blue, at the library! I was just calling to let you know you have a book on reserve ready for pick up!

Patron: *brightening instantly* OMG thank you! Oh, I'm so glad you called! You've made my day, you guys are wonderful!

Never fails to make me chuckle.

*The assistant librarian is in charge of a lot of the teen programs we do, and by far the most popular are her teen book boxes - the kids fill out a form of stuff they enjoy, and she puts together a box of three books, plus crafts and snacks, for them. On average, she does about twenty of them a month. However - because we are located in the heart of Conservative Brainrot Land, where a not insignificant portion of the population thinks if they're a good little conservative who hates what Fox News tells them to, Tucker Carlson will come give them the hug their dad never did - this has also given us great insight into the minds of ultra controlling parents who would encase their kids in wax if that could keep them from learning things they don't want them to. One particularly baffling example started with a mom asking that no "social justice" be included in the box. The next one asked for "no gender identity". This time? No inclusion. Like...I get why she put that. Because inclusivity = woke = liberal = the devil. But like...do these people hear themselves? Do they know what words mean? Also, I told the AL that she should just give the kid an empty box. She did not follow my advice.

*On the flip side of the crazy, controlling parent thing, y'all remember this family from a while ago? The one where the aunt came in and said Pretty Little Liars had opened a satanic portal that drove her niece to a mental hospital? Well, I'm happy to report that I think the mother of that girl might have had a face turn. The same kid just recently returned several books from the Anita Blake series (which are pretty mature as far as sexuality goes), and she's been in talks with the AL to volunteer for us, informing her that she doesn't know her schedule just yet because her mother is letting her start public school. I like to think the mom looked at that whole situation, took a long, hard look at herself in the mirror, and thought, "Ya know what? I don't think I want to be like this anymore. I think this is a problem." And ya know what? Good for her, and good for that girl. I hope it does them both a world of good.

[naughtybg3confessions]

I wouldn't worry too much about anon hate. That just means this blog is popular! 😜

(for real though, there's literal people that like dedicate themselves to troll random blogs with hate just cause. My mum runs a literal flowers blog (non-tumblr) and there's still people going like 'I hate you' 'your blog is trash'. It is, sadly, become a part of running a blog with significant amount of followers.

But trust me, the people that love your blog, far outweighs the haters. The haters will find anything to complain about, you just do you.

(love this blog btw 🤩)

That's very sweet of you to say, but this aint my first rodeo on tumblr. I've been here since 2009, I've seen it all- I was even a hater myself at some points as a young teen. I understand their words mean nothing unless you decide to give them any meaning, which only encourages them, so why bother?

In retrospect, I shouldn't have posted that one hater, but it was just such a bizarre message that I thought it was funny. I'm glad I did though, because apparently she's been harassing a lot of BG3 blogs around here. After sharing her backstory, some of my followers were reassured that the messages they also got from her were nothing to worry about. But in the future, I'll just do what I usually do- delete hate comments and keep on truckin'.

One random spammer is nothing compared to the outpouring of love and encouragement I've gotten from you all- and I truly appreciate it! The positive vibes of this community are immaculate.

[destiel-wings]

I noted down my thoughts while I listened to the tortured poets department for the first time (every track in order) and here's my album reaction

1) fortnight

I like the sound, makes me feel like the album is going to sound like midnights 2.0

2) the tortured poets department

somehow this song sounds exactly like i was expecting it to sound. love it, it'll def grow on me

3) my boy only breaks his favorite toys

interesting melody. caught me from the first note.

4) down bad

probably my favorite so far??? definitely midnights 2.0, particularly, I'd say the album so far sounds like midnight rain

5) so long, london

HER VOICE HERE HELLOO

another possible favorite. the intro gives me a mixture of christmas vibes + death by a thousand cuts intro

6) but daddy, i love him

the intro gave me happier fearless album vibes (with super subtle country touches), but it sounds like its own song. this is pure taylor with a 5.40 minutes song 💖👌🏻

7) fresh out the slammer

interesting change of rythm in the middle of the song, like in evermore. I'll need to listen to it again

8) florida!!!

the song i was most excited about cause i LOVE florence + the machine!!! I'm so glad she actually sang in it, i really felt the collab and there is something magical about this song. I would expect nothing less from a collab with florence 😍❤ i loved hearing taylor explore these more haunted/epic vibes. It still felt coherent with the rest of the album

9) guilty as sin?

loved it from the intro, love the rythm. I don't know what it is about it but it made me think it seems like a song that might have been from the 90s, but with a modern midnights sound?? one of my favorites.

that "am i allowed to cry?" in the end? PERFECT.

i felt some super subtle 90s vibes in certain moments of the song?

10) who's afraid of little old me?

the intro is chefs kiss perfection. OMG I LOVE THE WHOLE OF IT SO BADLY. One of the best songs of the album, 100%. Immaculate vibes. Great lyrics. Original melody that isn't flat standard but still catchy.

11) I can fix him (no really i can)

this song is like if cowboy like me was written for ttpd. and I'm saying this in the best way possible. this song is evermore(album)-coded. the melody reminds me willow too. 11/10 👌🏻

12) loml

excellent intro, yes, give me a sad song!!!! my favorite songs very often are in the second half of the albums or towards the end. this one is absolutely beautiful. another favorite (there are already so many favorites for me and I'm still at track 12 💀)

"I wish i could unrecall how we almost had it all" yes taylor, kill me please 🥲🙃💔

13) I can do it with a broken heart

this one is you're on your own kid's sister. It adds up to Taylor's songs whose music is 🤩💖🎊🎉 while the lyrics are 💀🔪💔😞

one of the songs that i was claiming for myself from the title alone.

14) the smallest man who ever lived

you can understand from the very first (sigh) note that this one is going to be a high quality song. I think this is more or less how i expected this whole album to sound like. a quiet folklore poetry heavy album. --but OH!! the way the song builds up in the second half got me!! LOVE IT LOVE IT. another one of the best ones.

15) the alchemy

I liked it. It has less elements that grip you on the first listen but i think it's one of those songs you won't able to get out of your head once you get them.

16) clara bow

this one surprised me. liked it a lot.

17) the black dog

I had high expectations for this one. I liked it. I'll need to listen to it again.

18) imgonnagetyouback

this is where I'm starting to hear this album's sound as its own (as in different from midnights 2.0). all the vocals have been very cohesive throughout the tracks. I love them. there's something unhinged about this album as a whole and I'm HERE FOR IT.

19) the albatross

perfect intro, I just knew from then it was going to be a 10/10 track already. this one is another one of the best ones. perfect. THIS is how i thought the album would sound like.

20) chloe or sam or sophia or marcus

beautiful, beautiful song. again I'm hearing something from evermore.

21) how did it end?

THE PIANOOOO!!! 🥺 THE VOCALS!!! ANOTHER FAVOURITE, AND ONE OF THE BEST ONES.

Maybe even my favorite???

22) so high school

90s vibes!!! again, but with the modern sound of the album. maybe I'm the only one who hears the 90s vibes and I'm making it up in my mind, but there's something slightly retro about it. and her mentioning american pie in the lyrics kind of confirms it. I'm in love with this song.

23) I hate it here

"I hate it here so i will go to secret gardens in my mind" ME TOO TAYLOR, ME TOO. love the melody of this song, and the concept. there's something delicate about it.

24) thanK you aIMee

i love that there's something from the past in this album, like taylor went back to her high school years bringing back old wounds and relating to how she is now.

25) I look in people's windows

what I'm loving about this album is how much more intimate it seems, compared to midnights. the sound may seem similar at first, but even that one is more intimate. It's less constructed, more unhinged at times, like she's writing her diary again, and that's something she hasn't done in a while, since folklore and evermore featured characters and stories that weren't necessarily autobiographical

26) the prophecy

I'M IN LOVE WITH THIS SOUND 😭😭😭 the whole album, and this song. It sounds so good. Another favorite.

27) cassandra

right there in my alley. immaculate vibes. I may cry this song is so beautiful. how much of a clown would that make me to say this is another favorite??

28) peter

why does taylor always put her best songs at the end of her albums, or in the extra/deluxe songs??? I'm in love with this one too, dammit. the melody and music is so perfect. one of the best ones??

29) the bolter

there's something of the early taylor in this song?? it's so cute

30) robin

ohhh. dreamy. something solemn, like a dreamy hymn? I can picture her sitting at the piano playing it, in front of an open window on a sunny morning with lots of green trees outside on the second floor.

31) the manuscript

again, somwhow this sounds exactly like i thought it would sound like. "but the story isn't mine anymore" hit 👌🏻🥺🥹

I think this album is going to be a little masterpiece. So many great songs. Catchy, but not in an obvious way. Very intimate. Emotional.

GENERAL THOUGHTS:

I'm obsessed already. I'm just mad at taylor for giving us incredible albums with half of them being digital only.