#this has been a bucket list fandom thing for me for SO LONG you don't understand

[13eyond13]

I FINALLY HAD A DREAM WITH LAWLIGHT IN IT

[dropintomanga]

Manga I Enjoyed in 2023

It's been another great year for manga. And I don't think we wouldn't have it any other way, right?

I got to read a bunch of manga, old and new, this year. But these titles stood out to me the the most.

Honorable Mention: Kindergarten WARS by You Chiba - This was something I needed, post-Assassination Classroom. A school filled with rich kids protected by assassins who have nowhere to go fighting against assassins trying to kill the kids. Not only that, the main female lead is desperate for a boyfriend and will date anyone who looks hot. But if they have certain peeves, the bodies will hit the floor. This is a really funny series with fun characters and a lot of action. It also has one of the best gags of the year.

Favorite Ongoing Weekly Manga: Akane-banashi by Yuki Suenaga and Takamase Moue - Akane-banashi continues to impress me every week. I absolutely love how every chapter continues to be impactful. Akane is still a refreshing protagonist and I love how it feels that even though she can win rakugo competitions based on sheer determination, Akane knows that she has a lot to learn. This is a stand-out manga that is excellent for teenagers.

Here's my top 5 manga of the year!

5.) A Home Far Away and The Yakuza's Bias by Teki Yatsuda (tie) - Once I got into K-Pop, I had to check out The Yakuza's Bias. I enjoyed a lot of the humor and the gags are well-done. It's a title that really showcases what it means to take a deep dive into fandom when you're new at it in hilarious fashion. But Yatsuda's debut work about 2 boys on the run is one of the best things I've read all year. It's truly a heartbreaking LGBT romance that will touch a lot of emotions. Also, Yatsuda's art is absolutely gorgeous and I can't wait to see their new work being licensed in the future.

4.) ZOM 100: Bucket List of the Dead by Haro Aso and Kotaro Tanaka - The only zombie manga story I read was Kengo Hanazawa's I Am A Hero, but I gave this title a follow because people were telling me about it due to its messaging. ZOM 100 stands out as an upbeat zombie apocalypse story that speaks to the resilience of people in tough times. I think we all forget that we can do great things in times of adversity if we all get support. There's some great moments in this series worth talking about. I never felt bored reading it. I'm glad I gave this manga a chance because I really think depressed people need to be told that while it's okay to feel the way they feel, they can still try and people shouldn't shame them for it.

3.) Kowloon Generic Romance by Jun Mayuzuki - Hong Kong nostalgia at its finest, in my opinion. This is one of the most fascinating stories of 2023 with regards to finding your identity and reconciling your past with your present. I have this high up because I really like how the central love story is slowly tying into a bigger mystery on why the world in the manga seems very off. People struggle so much with their pasts and I feel that this manga resonates with those folks. Especially me as I find myself longing for past moments that I dearly miss despite having not-so-pleasant experiences I would like to forget.

2.) Chainsaw Man Part II by Tatsuki Fujimoto - I absolutely adore this series. Fujimoto pulls no stops in telling the story he wants to tell. I love the new female characters that have all shown up and the return of a very notable one. I like Denji's development as he really doesn't know what he wants despite being granted a frightening power that continues to be a target to those who want to use him. This is the story of a "hero" who doesn't have the resilience to be an actual hero. It's also a story about people having their emotional needs warped into desires in the worst way.

1.) The Summer Hikaru Died by Mokumokuren - I normally don't read horror manga, but this manga is phenomenal. There was so much hype about the manga being released here in the U.S. and it has delivered in all cylinders. The art is great. The usage of sound effects to convey a sense of dread is top-notch. The interpersonal dynamic between the two main characters is frighteningly realistic. This manga, at its core, about dealing with a relationship that should've ended, but didn't. As much as we talk about needing relationships with people to survive, they have to end sometimes. There's a lot of horror and dread over how to talk about a relationship ending and good god, the manga delivers on displaying that. I also love the subtle reminder that bad relationships have serious consequences for everyone else. In real life, we've seen how abuse and interpersonal trauma trickles down from the victim into other parts of life and other people. All of this makes The Summer Hikaru Died my top manga of 2023.

I hope you all enjoyed my top picks. There's been a lot of fun reads that I probably missed out on, so let me know what you guys enjoyed. 2024 is probably going to be another great year for manga and there's already titles I'm looking forward to.

See you all in 2024!

[grumpy-liebgott]

Miscellaneous Tag Game (pt. ii)

Made by the lovely @onehelluvamarine and thank you for the tag @panzershrike-pretz <333

A band you don’t like that many others do:

BTS. Idk why but I'm just not the biggest fan of them

A childhood memory that you remember vividly:

When I was younger, my sisters and I would put aside time every night to play blind man's bluff with my dad in my parents' room. Every night, we would choose a different person to be the blind man, and the rest of us would have either 3, 5, or 10 lives (depends on how tired my dad was that day). It didn't matter what our mood was before, after we played blind man's bluff, we were all happy and giggling. I loved those moments and I still smile at the memories.

Least favorite animal and why:

Flies and mosquitoes. THEY'RE SO ANNOYING. THE WAY THEY BUZZ BESIDE YOUR EARS AND LAND ON YOUR FOOD AND BITE YOU. Ugh I hate them so much.

Hot fandom take:

I don't knowwwww

Do you wear any jewelry, if so, what’s your favorite piece:

I rarely ever wear jewellery except for a necklace my mum had made when I was a baby. It's in the shape of a heart and has my name engraved on it. My mum and my sisters all have one of their own.

Besides that, I used to have two pairs of clip on earrings that I absolutely adored. My grandpa banned my sisters and I from ever having piercings, but I've always wanted earrings, so my mum got me those clip on ones. Sadly, I lost both of them a few months ago.

A movie others liked but you didn’t:

I don't know, maybe the new animated Super Mario Brothers movie? I fell asleep half way through it. Though, that could probably be because I was just too tired.

Three things you love about yourself:

- my hair. It has a few different shades of brown with some copper and gold strands mixed in. I have my mum's genetics to thank for that

- my ability to memorise things (very handy in exams)

- my eyes

A place you hope to visit in the future and why:

Italy. It's always been on my bucket list to visit Italy. It just looks like such a beautiful country

An actor that gets on your nerves and why:

There isn't any, really. I don't know much about celebrities lives because I don't actually care, and I think they should have their own privacy.

Things you’re excited for in the nearby future?

Celebrating Chinese new year with my family!

Least favorite ship in a fandom you’re in:

Thor/Loki from the Marvel fandom. Like, come on, they're siblings. Adopted siblings, but still!

What’s the most toxic fandom you’ve been in?

All the fandoms I've been in haven't been very toxic. But then again, the HBOWar fandom is the only one I've really interacted much with.

List three things you find beautiful about life:

- being able to watch the sky. The clouds, the stars, the moon. They're all so nice to look at.

- spending time with the people I love. Whether it's my family or my friends, I appreciate all the little things we do together

- playing with my pet dogs. I love seeing them so happy and excited when I play fetch with them

Any dreams for the future?

I hope to one day become a sucessful veterinarian who ensures long happy lives of pets, with enough income to support my family.

How are you really feeling today?

Honestly, not too good. I was tired the whole day and I'm down with a cold. Oh well, at least tomorrow is a holiday for me so I can rest up.

Tagging (no pressure) : @ronald-speirs @malarkgirlypop @a-n-t-h-e-a @l13bg0tt @1waveshortofashipwreck @blueberry-ovaries

[hearts4robs]

Hello~!

I've never done a match up event before! But knew I had to try once I saw it was open cause your writing is absolutely precious!

For Fandom, I guess DC! Love Batfam family chaos! Makes me want to curl up with a blanket and watch them bicker and roughhouse until Alfred comes in with a feather duster, looking equal parts disappointed and amused.

I'm a 5'3 18 year old asexual panromatic. (Yes, im just a baby, though i have been told-more like my therapist often told me that i dont act my age, saying i act like Im 30. Still trying to figure out if I should be offended by that.) With long hair that's completely grown out red box dye like little mermaid red, my roots being somehow not quite brown not quite ginger and just not blonde enough to be strawberry blonde. My appearance is fairly round and cute even if my expression is often RB. My eyes are a green that appears to be more of a dark grey.

To sum up my personality in one word would be cat like. Sometimes I'm docile and actually a bit of a doormat. In new environments, I tend to shadow some I know and can't find myself able to stand up for myself. This is probably ties into my selective mutism and social anxiety. Sometimes, when I'm in a familiar environment, I tend to be more aggressive for better or for worse. I love a good argument and debate, standing firm in my decision even if I'm wrong. That stubbornness has gotten me in trouble quite a few times. Though cause of it, I've thought of becoming a lawyer. When I'm not arguing I'm drawing, or painting on my walls which I've done far too many times now.

I'm very much a homebody who rather stay in pjs but perfect date wise would probably be a bit of a classic nerd/bookworm date of going to a cute book store and getting lost in the deep wooden bookshelves flicking through various of books catching my eye. Maybe debating on what book is better or whatever trope is more interesting in a detective novel. (I love murder mystery, horror, thrillers, romances of all types, and absolutely despise shakespeare. I was told Romeo and Juliet was a tragic romance. Liars they all are all I can see is the making of a really creepy stalker movie. I can't watch horror movies funny little contradiction, right?) Personally I'd probably write something after the date. I always get inspired by going out and always find myself hunched over my laptop writing whatever inspired me have it be the moment or a movie. I don't know how many times I've watched a movie and got inspired just to spend hours writing whatever fanfic about it. Which can be either amazing or terrible cause I'm an okay writer with a preference for angst due to my dark humor.

I never realized how hard it was to pick an ideal type until just now lol. I guess my type is someone who would enjoy talking/debating/discussing with me, someone fun who loves to do new activities as ive never really do much and is willing to listen to me ramble about whatever hyperfixation. Bucket list kind of things or be able to stay in and talk about their day while I cook some food. (One of my love languages is food. I want to be full and content.) I'm a homebody who has more of a traditional mindset due to my upbringing. So staying home and activities at home would probably be more common. Oh! A bit more open minded or at leasr able to deal with my curiosity, I love discussing religions and culture practices (im unfortunately like the whitest of whites. My dad's side is a bit of a classic white racist). I'm a pagan with some more Wiccan practices, yes crystals and candles. We put holly near our front door and hang cinnamon brooms throughout the house to bring good fortune.

Trope is also a hard pick. I like a good enemies to lovers or a revenge story but romance wise probably a childhood friends (or friends to lovers) idea. Just the idea of your partner being someone who was your friend since you were a tot and chasing butterflies, picking dandelions to blow them into the wind. Someone who has looked at you like your the center of their world while you pull them through the park. Even though they have no idea what lo6ge is truly is. Just kind of melts my heart, and will probably give me cavities from the fluff.

Ahh hopefully I did this right! Sorry for any spelling or grammar mistakes. Hope you have a blessed day, and something amazing happens to you soon <3

𝐓𝐢𝐦 𝐃𝐫𝐚𝐤𝐞: 𝐓𝐚𝐤𝐞-𝐨𝐮𝐭

“I’m back!” Tim exclaims out into the open hallway as he pushes the door closed with his foot. There were multiple white, thin plastic bags in Tim’s hands, his keys dangling from one of his fingers.

You raise your head from the book in your lap, leaning forward to catch a glimpse of your boyfriend as he shimmied his way out of his shoes.

“Hi, honey.” You smile at him as he walks to the coffee table in front of you, setting down the bags of different take-out.

“Alright.” Tim sighs with a grin, his chest heaving a bit quicker, like he was a bit out of breath.

“What’s all this?” You ask, reaching over and pulling some of the thin plastic away from the food. “Smells amazing, no doubt but-“

“Well, you said you wanted to taste the world.” Tim says, a giddy smile on his lips as he plops down onto the couch beside you with a sigh. “So I brought it to you.”

You smile at him before snorting out a chuckle.

“Fuck you.” You say, and Tim simply smiles before grabbing a small box of thai food, handing it to you, giving you a chance to get the first bite.

“You’re welcome.” He says, nuzzling a small kiss to the softness of your cheek.

Headcanons:

Tim and you have annual movie nights. Every Friday night. Very simple, very easy. You have a joint letterbox account where you leave brutally honest reviews and you both analyse that shit like your life depends on it.

When you guys moved into your shared apartment, Tim dedicated one of the walls of your living room for you to paint and draw on. Needed more space? He’ll paint it over with whatever background colour you need.

You guys have a small chalk board on your fridge. It was used as a small shopping list at first, like writing up stuff like ‘ran outta eggs and cucumber’, but it quickly ended up in Tim leaving you cute notes and reminders for when he was gone on patrol.

Tim doesn’t always understand your asexuality, and he struggled to figure out how to relieve himself, but he figured out a solution and tries to turn the topic whenever someone discusses it to the point it makes you uncomfortable.

I hope you like this </3 it’s a bit late and honestly a little rushed but I’m trying😭🙏this also ISN’T proof-read so I’m so, so sorry if there’s mistakes☝️☹️

[metalbvcky]

Answer the questions and tag five fanfiction authors you know!

tagged by @sarahowritesostucky, thank you lovely!! 💖💖 no pressure tagging: @late-to-the-party-81 @sparkagrace @bittersweet-in-boston @otpcutie @apple-writes

🍓 How did you get into writing fanfiction?

I feel like that's asking "how did you join Tumblr" it just happened 😂

🍇How many fandoms have you written in?

One, technically, which is nothing compared to others but I enjoy exploring my ideas with the MCU and its characters. I'm not sure I'd get the same feeling with other fandoms, like say, supernatural.

🍈How many years have you been writing fanfiction?

It'll be four this summer. Again, not long, but considering I denied myself as being a writer for several years? That's progress and growth.

🍎Do you read or write more fanfiction?

It depends on the muse and all sorts of other things. Sometimes I'm punching out oneshot after oneshot, while other times I'll be focused on a longfic and will read in between and stuff. Like currently!

🍌What is one way you've improved as a writer?

Writing more. Reading more. Writing more again. But also letting go of sticking to a strict outline. I'm a planster. I'll plan the major things, but everything else is made up as I go.

🍑Do you have any bad habits as a writer?

I'll often start or continue writing a scene and will find myself stuck, thinking it's the end of the world, and then realize my whole issue is a few lines above what I'm trying to make work. Happens so often you'd like I would be used to it by now.

🍍 What's the weirdest topic you researched for a writing project?

I don't know about weird, but I've been doing a ton of medical research for my future doctor/patient AU. I've searched around for all sorts of things lol even for a sentence that I'll likely not end up using.

🍉What's your favourite type of comment to receive on your work?

Keyboard smashes. Long detailed comments about the plot/relationship/pining/etc. Comments that mention a tiny detail I included, those are the best when people notice them. But also, any comment.

🍐What's the most fringe trope/topic you write about?

Crack fics? I don't think I write a lot of outlandish stuff, at least I wouldn't consider them to be 😂

🥭What is the hardest type of story for you to write?

Uhhh... *stares blankly at my open doc* Ones with big plot. I love it, it makes the story even more fun to write, but MAN plot can be tricky. Catch me saying "Did everyone see that? Because I will not be doing it again" like Captain Jack Sparrow when I finish a longfic, and then immediately start planning another one to write.

🍏What is the easiest type?

Short oneshots with hardly any plot. Which isn't often because almost everything I write ends up being longer than I anticipated.

🍑Where do you do your writing? What platform? When?

Docs. I used to use Smartedit Writer and organize by chapters, but ehhhh I just throw ideas onto a separate doc and go from there. Why plan extensively when my characters will do a 180 on me all the time? And almost always at night, sometimes during the day when time/the muse allows me.

🍋What is something you've been too nervous/intimidated to write, but would love to write one day?

I was just thinking about this recently. I have never written a post TWS recovery fic. It's on my 'to write' bucket list, so I hope to tackle a lengthy canon fic one of these days. I love reading canon fics where they're on missions and the plot is centered around HYDRA or some other big bad, I feel like those are trickier to write than AUs. But everyone has their strengths and weaknesses, and I know coming up with detailed worlds/world building isn't a walk in the park for some.

🍇 what made you choose your username?

I didn't know what to name my Marvel sideblog when I was making it so... I just decided Bucky + metal arm + aw crap that name is taken = Metalbvcky 🤣

[akirawrites24]

Heya! It's the Yusuke-lover Anon! I absolutely LOVED what you wrote and I was hoping you'd take another request from me 🥺👉👈

It's quite kinky so buckle up.

Fem!Reader and Yusuke decided to get more intimate very recently, and they discovered that Yusuke is becoming addicted to it way more than he'd be willing to share. I'm talking like the SLIGHTEST of teasing will get him hard. So, reader decides to challenge him not to cum for a whole week. She catches him, on the last day, masturbating in a secluded area of Mementos while the rest of the team were trying to figure out where they're going. So, when they get home, reader decides to punish him via overstim.

I dunno what it is but a submissive Yusuke intrigues me. I'm wondering how you'll go about that, as it is a challenge for me to even think about writing.

Totally get it if you don't end up writing this! Just testing the waters, but I'll def try to request some more stuff from you!

~ YusukeLovingAnon💙

You ask and you shall receive! Hopefully you like it!

Sub!Yusuke x Dom!fem!Reader

Fandom: Persona 5

Warnings: Smut, Teasing, Masturbating, vibrating cockrings, pleading, oral sex, mistress kink, spoilers for 4th Palace

________

Having intimate moments with his love might have been the best thing that ever happened to Yusuke. But he never expected it to feel THAT good.

"Here is a little thing you can paint~", [Name] said while pointing at her crotch.

Look, when you would have told him this before everything, he would've just treated it as a normal suggestion to paint. But now, he just gets flustered by it. Oh yeah and his blood rushes to his dick as well.

This didn't go unnoticed however. If anything, [Name] was the first one to notice. And boy, what was she going to have a field trip with it.

______

"I beg you pardon?", Yusuke said when he heard the following words from his love's mouth.

"You heard me, I want you not to cum for an entire week! Otherwise, you would be severely punished", she said while giving him a smug look.

"Very well, I get along with this."

A week huh? Well..that should be easy.

______

It was not easy. Cause he forgot that masturbating is also a form of sex. Luckily he didn't give in into his desires, but it became harder and harder to resist it as the days proceeded.

To make sure he wouldn't do anything that wasn't allowed, he was just busy with painting. He also didn't draw nudes for the case that would break the rules. But he is kinda excited about this. It is something he can't explain.

Day 1:

Well, it went easy! On this day, they were too busy to secure the Treasure in Futaba's Palace, so it got him distracted and too tired to even think about it.

Mission: success

Day 2:

Frankly enough, he was somewhat surprised that he also managed this day, even if he didn't go to the Palace. The rest was needed, and Ren told the group they needed the day off.

But it was the constant teasing of his lover that almost sent him over the edge. But he wouldn't fold. He wouldn't want to know what this punishment would mean after all. And hopes to never find out.

Mission: success

Day 3:

Fighting a cognition of Futaba's mother was something that wasn't on his bucket list today. But hey, he also never expected to fight his supposed to be Sensei so there is that. It tired him out too, so it was easy to just go to sleep. He has four days left, it should be easy.

Mission: Success

Day 4:

Now that the Palace is cleared, he finally can work on the agreement again. And his love wasn't around, and the thought of touching himself was very tempting. He gripped his pants, but didn't do anything. But how long is it going to take before he gives into his desires?

Mission: success

Day 5:

When his love is with him in his dorm, it is a nightmare not to touch himself. She is clearly trying to provoke him to touch himself. The constant flirting, the constant teasing…But he won't give in. He can't! Not if he had two days to go.

Mission: success

Day 6:

This wasn't easy as it seems, because his lover put on a pirn movie, while she was clearly touching herself under the blanket she had. And what is even worse, she wasn't even trying to hide it, still trying to get him to lose this game. He almost gave in.

Almost.

Mission: success

Day 7:

The group is now in mementos, needing to do some requests while looking out for the reaper. But there was something wrong. Fox wasn't with them.

"I go looking for him, I will be back soon Leader!", [Code Name] said to Joker, who looked at her.

"Is it safe for you to go alone though? We have been in this area for quite some time now", he said, clearly worried that they would come across the reaper.

"It's Fox we are talkin' about! He probably found some inspiration or somethin'", said Skull. Most of the Phantom Thieves agreed with that.

Joker gave [Code Name] a nod, giving her permission to look for Fox. She nodded, and went to look for him.

And boy, what was she glad she did.

______

"Ngh! My love…please…", came from Yusuke as he was tied up in the bed and his lover is sucking him off, but isn't letting him get any release.

"But you have been such a bad boy! Masturbating in Mementos! That was against the rules, and you know that! You do realize I have to punish you for that!", She said as she looked innocently at him.

Of course he understood that, but he didn't realize that it would be that bad. His eyes widened even more when he saw her put something on his hard and throbbing cock.

He was about to ask what it was, but he couldn't because it started to vibrate, bringing him closer and closer to the edge. It was so much to handle that he moaned, almost begging for release again.

[Name] really does know how to push his buttons, keeping him from cumming by holding the tip closed so it won't come out. And with the cockring on him, it became almost too painful for him to handle.

"My muse, p-please! It's too much! May I release…?", he actually whined out, to which she shushed him. "But you are a bad boy…I have to discipline you…Or are you disobeying your mistress again?", She said with a pouty face.

"No..mistress…I'll be a good boy for you..Please..", he said once more as he started to sweat even more now. It was so beautiful…

[Name] wanted nothing more but to finger herself or riding him, she needed some pleasure too. But he has been begging her so nicely…

She went down on his cock again and release the cockring and turned it off as well, and sucked his dick once more.

Yusuke moaned more and more before he came into her mouth. Herself swallowing it with pride.

"Mistress…", Yusuke whispered before he fell into a slumber, making her kinda feel bad about letting him pass out while having done this.

But it's okay. He had begged her so nicely, and didn't resist at all. He has been a good boy in their sex. She smiled and untied him, cleaning him off before cleaning up as well and lay next to him, proceeding to fall asleep next to him.

Mission: failed

[pippinoftheshire]

AO3 Wrapped [Writers Edition]

(Found this on Tumblr somewhere obscure so...)

How many words have you written this year?

How many works did you publish this year?

What work are you most proud of (regardless of kudos/hits)?

What work of yours has the most hits?

What work of yours got more feedback than you expected?

Favorite title you used

If you use song lyrics, which artist’s songs did you pull from the most?

Pairing you wrote the most for this year?

Favorite pairing you wrote for this year?

What work was the quickest to write?

What work took you the longest to write?

How many WIP’s do you have in your docs for next year?

What’s your longest work of the year?

What’s your shortest work of the year?

What WIP are you taking into next year with you?

What’s your most common “Additional Tags” tag?

Your Favorite character to write this year?

The character that gave you the most trouble writing this year?

What’s one pairing you want to explore next year?

Which work of yours have you reread the most?

How many kudos in total did you get this year?

Which work has the most comments?

Did you do any collaborative works this year?

Did you write any gifts this year?

Did you receive any gifts this year?

What’s your most common category?

What do you listen to while writing?

Favorite work you wrote this year?

Favorite line/passage you wrote this year?

Biggest surprise while writing this year

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

I Don't know why I decided to torture myself by doing this but here we go:

1. 150,849

2. 52

3. And They Call It Salvation (TMFU/Unfinished)

4. House Telcontar (LoTR)

5. Oh… either my series The Fallout (Mission: Impossible), which was more of a self-indulgent thing tbh; or my long running Witcher fic, On the Streets Of Novigrad.

6. And Our Love Shall Be Like The Stars (TMFU)

7. The only times I have uses song lyrics (This being twice, and only for Good Omens fics) were The Velvet Underground and Lauren Aquilina.

8. Napoleon Solo/Illya Kuryakin (Sometimes Gaby joins this tag). Second place goes to Ethan Hunt/August Walker. By ONE FIC!

9. Crowley/Aziraphale (Good Omens)

10. Scales and Secrets (TMFU) I think it took me two hours.

11. The Finer Act of Kindness (The Witcher.) Though there are a few others who come a close second…

12. about six or seven 😊

13. On The Streets of Novigrad (Witcher)  By a long shot.

14. If I Could Turn Back The Time (TMFU). At 588 words.

15. And They Call It Salvation (TMFU), Narnin O in Duath O Ernil (Middle-Earth) and On The Streets Of Novigrad (Witcher)

16. Napoleon Solo is a Little Shit. (Thank you, Writing GOD!!!)

17. Oh darn… tough one… Either Crowley or Illya/Napoleon…

18. Bruce Wayne. By far.

19. I’d like to do more Aziraphale/Crowley next year, but also to try and get back into Sherlock/John.

20. Eughhhh that’s an embarrassing question! …It would be, I Can’t Not Love You (TMFU)

21. 1,530

22. On The Streets of Novigrad (Witcher)

23. No, sadly 😊 But it’s on the Bucket List hehe

24. I did indeed! 4 of them!

25. No. Unless Kudos and Lovely comments count- I got plenty of those <3

26. Like Fandom? I’m confused. If it’s fandom then it’s Man From UNCLE 2015…

27. Dear lord- I have far too many playlists on Spotify- tailor made for almost every fic… So uh… Music?

28. At the moment it’s either We All Have Our Shadows (BvS), or Scales and Secrets (TMFU)

29. Blarghhhh why are these questions so HARD???

llya does too, but he is far from willing to offer that up. Now, in the stillness, Illya takes his first uninterrupted look at the man he has been looming over. The dark curls mattered with sweat and blood… eyes the color of a summer sky… O’ bozhe but Illya misses the sky… the way it would unspool in an endless ribbon over the city. In his memory, the buildings are untarnished, the clouds drifting on a slight breeze as a little boy runs amongst the leaves in a park, blond hair shining in the sunlight. Nothing has hurt him yet. Perhaps nothing ever will… if Illya does not blink.

30. Probably just how kind everyone is. The fandoms I belong to- especially The Man From UNCLE one- are just such wonderful people <3

[banneriscarried]

List 5 things that make you happy, then put this in the askbox for the last 10 people who reblogged something from you! get to know your mutuals and followers 💜💜

Stories This has always, and will always, be the thing that brings me the most joy in life. It doesn't need to be a big story, it doesn't need to have complex themes, it doesn't need to have original characters, or specific characters from whatever fandom I'm in. It doesn't have to be good, it doesn't have to be ground breaking, or original. i just need to have some sort of story for my brain to go through. Even when I'm going through a rough time, I always, and I mean always, have it in me to listen/read/watch/engage, so long as there's some semblance of a tale to be told. There are a lot of things in my life that bring me plenty of joy that I could live without, but stories aren't one of them. Even if it was possible for humans to exist, interact, and genuinely live without telling stories, fiction or true, i would not be able to make it. Maybe I just listened to too many audiobooks as a kid, but my life would have zero meaning without the existence of fictional stories.

My pets This one's pretty obvious, and definitely the same for most people who have them, but my pets are one of the most consistent sources of both joy and frustration in my life. I love all five of my cats and my single dog with all my heart. There's genuinely nothing I wouldn't do for them, even if one of my cats is constantly trying to attack my feet and my dog likes to get her butt as close to your face as possible before letting it rip and immediately leaving. I wouldn't have any of them any other way.

Being outside This one's probably very surprising to anyone who knows me irl, because I'm genuinely the definition of a homebody. I don't really like going most places, I don't like talking to people that much, and I'm perfectly content to live my day to day life with zero interaction outside of my pets and family, sitting at home and reading my stories. But physically being outside the house? That slaps for me. Growing up my family had about 2 acres of woods, along with a tree house in that woods, and I have genuinely spent entire summers practically living in either a tent or the treehouse. Even now, I'm lucky enough to live in a place that has a porch and I've been living kinda outside for the past few weeks. If I'm not surrounded by four walls and a roof, and I can smell plant life and dirt, then I'm right where I want to be. I'm always up for nature walks or visits to national parks or camping or whatever the thing to do outside is.

On that note, travelling I don't mean the "going to exotic places and seeing the world" kind of traveling, but the actual act of going from one place to another. An eight hour car ride is my idea of a good day. I loved being on an airplane the two times I've flown (there and back, long flight though) even though someone actually stole my seat on the plane the second time and then reclined the very seat they weren't supposed to be in onto my lap for the entire ride. The twenty minute bus ride to and from school was one of my favorite parts of the day when I was in grade school (take that how you will). I grew up in the car, going on long rides that I absolutely loved, even when I had incredibly bad motion sickness (I had a designated puke bucket because any journey longer than half an hour meant that I would get sick), being in the car and actively going places was one of the most exciting and enjoyable things. I still love it to this day.

Cooking I don't have it in me most of the time to do much in the way of cooking for myself, but cooking for other people? It doesn't matter if I'm exhausted or if I've just donated blood, I will happily cook for someone else as long as I can figure it out and we have the ingredients. I will cook absolutely anything I can find a recipe for, no matter how much time and effort it takes, or even if I know that I myself won't like it or even be able to force myself to try it (autism and ARFID for the win). The actual act of cooking is one that I really enjoy, and it makes me feel good and useful. It's just a positive activity, though I'm not in a position where I can cook all that much beyond pasta because food is expensive and the world sucks. I did get to make French Toast for the first time on Mother's Day, though, so that was nice.

Thank you so much for the ask!

[emoverted]

back to the streets where we began

Me? On Tumblr? In 2024?

Feels like it was just yesterday I patiently waited for Tumblr to be unblocked in Indonesia. The app wandered aimlessly on the phone of a 12-year-old me, just like herself, in the world supposed to be her's from her eyes. With little hope, the app soon came to life and became her world. No, she did not post anything unlike now, but being an observer was enough. Fandom after fandom and phase after phase (feels weird saying those words in 2024), she dived through in the pursuit of exploring herself continuously. While I can't say those days were the best (who would you be proud of their edgy phase?), they did bring me to the person I am today. I still am the same old flawed me, or as I would like to call myself on this site back in the day, potato. But I can safely say my approach in life has greatly differed. Again, not to say I am already living my fullest and best life. In fact, I wouldn't necessarily call it life if I'm fulfilled. Instead, I choose and am trying my best to view both the good and the bad things in life as equal. I'm grateful for the good days, but I'm even more grateful for the bad days. There has to be a deeper meaning when things don't go our way and I aspire to explore that more this year. As I've said, no matter how much I cringe in the remembrance of my Tumblr days, they undeniably shape my present self, and it's the same for other fragments of my past. Just now I realized how I've been lying to myself. I thought I'd put my past behind me, forgiven my younger, dazed, and clueless self when deep down, I still hold a grudge against her. Through this brand new year, I hope to slowly make sense of her wrong choices in order to make peace with my current self.

Well, that was a mouthful. Now as to why I decided that now is the right time for me to post the randomness inside my head in Tumblr specifically, out of all places. Surprise surprise, I've tried posting on more professional sites, I'll let you guess them yourself. But what I realized is it pressured me to publish eloquently written essays, having gone through the tiring process of drafting, editing, and proofreading, all leading up to the final flawless essay. The topic itself should also be something other people would be drawn into. These factors led me to dread what was supposed to be a reflective routine. I know I've loved writing ever since the day I could, but structures and all that jazz are not exactly my cup of tea, although I sometimes unashamedly enjoy the art of writing academic essays and papers. Nevertheless, it's not like I would willingly create a habit out of it. Long story short, I rekindled with Tumblr and realized that its format is just right for me to create as many mistakes as I could within my writings without the guilt following it. Besides, striving for progress and not perfection is on my bucket list, as a self-proclaimed perfectionist procrastinator. Anyway, I shall pour out from the tidbits to the very depths of my mind here with all of its nonsense. But when I do feel extra special for specific writing, I might publish it on those so-called professional sites. In the meantime, I hope you survive being exposed to my messy thoughts.

[nezukoo-channn]

J:  What’s your favorite fanfic trope?  Have you written it?

N: Any fic ideas brewing that you’d care to share?

T: Any fanfic tropes you can’t stand?

X: How would you categorize your fanfic reading?  Are you a voracious reader?  Do you carefully pick and choose?  Something in between?

Alright! That's a lot of questions but I'll try answer them all.

J: My favorite fanfiction trope has always been a lot but, currently it is:

right person, not enough time

banter

friends to lovers

enemies to lovers

"this reminds of you"

Idk if it's a trope but flower symbolism

Flowershop au

Happy and healthy friendships

Royalty x commoner

Actors Au

Have I written them? Yes...only some. I've written right person, wrong time in a Jeanlisa fic I've posted. The other tropes, I do have drafts on them but never continued (just scared to mess up the characters really)

N: Any fic ideas brewing that you'd care to share?

My most prominent fandoms (The ones I'm writing docs about) do have some ideas! I have two ideas for a Genshin fanfiction and around three (?) For Naruto.

For Genshin Impact fic ideas:

Jean meets librarian, Lisa in the library she works with. They talk for a while, exchanged numbers and started to see each other. One day, Jean noticed Lisa wasn't there. Worried, she called Lisa up to find out she's sick. Visiting her place, she keeps her company. Jean then discovers that Lisa had an old bucket list she wrote during her years in college and promises Lisa that they'll try their best to finish the bucket list before Lisa's clock runs out. (F/F, Jeanlisa, Modern Au)

Kamisato Ayaka has an image to maintain as the eldest daughter of the Kamisato clan and as a member of the Yashiro commission. That is until during the night of her celebration where she meets a very particular and extroverted woman who just has a love for fireworks, Yoimiya. (F/F, Ayamiya, Nobility x Commoner)

For Naruto fic ideas:

Based on this lovely post. In which, Nara Shikamaru is a simple deer farmer who in a twist of faith is introduced to Suna's princess, ambassador, and advisor to the current Kazekage (is it even possible? But it's Temari, no surprises), Temari. Idk what happens next (actually , I don't know what will happen or how can I continue on it) on but I would like to have a dramatic scene in the rain or something. (F/M, Shikatema, Nobility x Commoner)

Yamanaka Ino finds a new professional make-up artist in her team. Well, more of their old one quitted and a new one has to fill it in. Enter Sai, a new and upcoming make-up artist, who finds himself working in her team of make-up artists for a movie she is a part of. (F/M, InoSai, Celebrity AU)

Hyuga Hinata enters a flowershop she always go to for her flowers she uses on set as a photographer and as someone who sells resin flowers. Only for her to come out with her old feelings rushing back in for the cashier, the man she hasn't in years, Uzumaki Naruto. (F/M, Naruhina, Flowershop AU, Friends to Strangers to Friends to Lovers) (Funfact: I thought of this fic because I realized there isn't much flowershop au Naruto fics and I've read much everything on AO3)

If I'm being honest, I might never write these ideas.

T: Any fanfic trope you can't stand?

Not much but here are some:

Miscommunication

Romanticization of things that shouldn't be romanticized in the first place

Unplanned pregnancies (especially if they don't serve any need to the story)

I know there's more but those three really ticks me off the most.

X: How would you categorized your fanfic reading? Are you a voracious reader? Do you pick and choose? Somewhere in between?

- It depends. It depends on the fandom, on the trope, on my mood, etc. Usually, I'd say "oh I'll read anything so long as it doesn't make me uncomfortable" and it's true most of the time. Sometimes, I can be very picky on what to read, I read the tags, I check what people say, I check if it's recommended to me or if I found it by pure luck. And sometimes, I don't read the tags (I forget to read angst tags the most) and just read.

Thanks for asking these questions!

[im-fairly-whitty]

So...how did you feel about Pink's big reveal? I'm shocked and annoyed(?)

On Complexity of Character: Pink Diamond/Rose Quartz

I’m actually an armchair SU fan, I enjoy the show and got into it a couple summers back, but I don’t interact with the fandom at all online. I appreciate the lovely fanart I see across my dash sometimes, but I don't ever read the theories or rants or OC blogs or whatever. 

That said, as a lover of stories and animation, I do have Some Thoughts about what the show is doing character-wise with Pink and Rose’s character, and since you asked, here they are. All of the following are free-range and organic Wit thoughts, unexposed and uninfluenced by the greater fandom as a whole.

So first off I actually wasn’t surprised at all at the reveal, I’ve seen it coming for several episodes now, what with the memory flashbacks and subtle foreshadowing and all, and I actually thought that most all of the fandom knew too? That’s what I get for being unplugged I guess, today’s shocked reactions from everyone surprised me. 

And why was I surprised that everyone was surprised?

Well first off, it’s important to note that a prevalent and interesting continuing theme in the show is “nothing is what it seems.” 

While the show started as a relatively chill story with low stakes and little lore (just a bunch of colorful space friends eating ice cream and trying to shape-shift into cats on the beach) but as time goes on we’ve discovered that pretty much everyone and everything in the show is not nearly as two dimensional and simple as you are initially led to think they are. 

For example: Cool and collected Garnet is actually a forbidden fusion of two gems, ever-joking Amethyst is a physically malformed gem who is hiding crippling self-doubts, little Steven has untold and untapped abilities, book-smart Connie can fuse with Steven and has the skill to become a swordsman, terrifying and calculating space scout Peridot is an art loving goofball who needs love, a mirror is a trapped Lapis Lazuli. Heck, even centipeedle is revealed to be a horrendously mentally traumatized former space captain. 

The list goes on and on, but the basic pattern is that you meet a character that you think is a flat stereotype, that seems to be one dimensional, but then over time you realize they have hidden strengths and glaring flaws and buried secrets that make them far more complex and interesting to watch. This is good character writing that forces you not to take people at face value, to not automatically accept what they do as “good” or “bad,” but to actually pay attention to why they do what they do, and not just what they do. 

Real people always exist in a grey area where we try to do our best but often come up short because of our personal weaknesses and conditioning, and really well-written characters exist in this same grey area.

So what about Pink Diamond and Rose Quartz? Well they’re the biggest and grandest example of this pattern in the entire show. 

Think about it, who are the two flattest, most arguably two-dimensional characters in the entire show? People who are portrayed as either ALL-good or ALL-evil? 

It’s these two. 

Part of this comes from the fact that they’ve both been “dead” (to varying degrees of course) for a long time, meaning that everything we hear about them is stylized and influenced by the viewpoint of whoever is telling us stories about them. 

First we learn of Rose Quartz: the dashing and brilliant rebel leader who fought for freedom and defended the week, the angelic and perfect leader of the crystal gems who loved Greg and humanity and who to this day smiles down on the Gem’s temple from her beautiful portrait over the front door. I mean come on, her tears can literally heal and resurrect, it’s hard to create a more obviously savior-type character than that. 

On the other hand we are later introduced to evil incarnate, Pink Diamond. When we first learn about her she is a cryptically powerful and faceless diety that was as overwhelmingly cruel as her diamond sisters, someone who ruthlessly ruled the Earth and tried to exterminate humanity and the rebel group rising against her. She was a terrible danger that had to be destroyed to protect the planet and ultimately even the subjects under her who are shown as having lived in a nigh-dystopian society. It doesn’t help when we start to learn later that she was essentially the kid sister of the diamonds, a bratty child capable of throwing tantrums and disobeying directions to get what she wanted.

Rose Quartz and Pink Diamond: Two extremes, both rather two dimensional in that one is ALL good and the other is ALL bad.

Until we meet Bismuth. It’s when Bismuth reveals that Rose Quartz bubbled her that things start to get interesting, because this tidbit suddenly seems to challenge everything that Steven thought his mother stood for. 

That’s when I sat up straight and really started paying attention, because if a perfectly perfect character suddenly has one potential flaw in a show of wonderfully nuanced characters, then I was suddenly convinced that we were about to find out that Rose Quartz was riddled with all kinds of interesting flaws and secrets. The show’s character-revealing magic had finally started to work on Rose and I was excited to see where it went.

As clues and hints about Rose Quartz started dropping we were also pulled into learning more about Pink Diamond and her “death,” or more specifically, the complications around how she was supposed to have died. I especially like the episode where Stevonnie saw vision/flashback/dreams of Pink being treated as a child, ie. not a terrifying and supremely evil overlord.

With Rose and Pink both having extra dimensions and backstory heaped onto their characters at the same time, sliding them both away from either side of the character spectrum from all good and all evil, I figured it was only a matter of time before they met in the middle. Rose Diamond, Pink Quartz, whatever this mess of a character is, it’s a beautifully complex one and she is forcing every viewer to reconsider what they thought and assumed about Pink and Rose up to this point. 

Instead of a savior and a despot, we now have one well-meaning young leader who made a LOT of extremely questionable choices that ended in a lot of people living and a lot of people dying, and even more living with some kind of lasting trauma.

I for one am very interested to see what we learn next about the real Rose Diamond/Pink Quartz, because now instead of hearing glorified war stories or bitterly hateful ghost tales we’re going to be hearing more about a real person with real flaws and real weaknesses. 

A lot of the backlash I’ve seen drifting across my dash today seems to be people who are mourning the death of a perfect character, whether it is the savior-like Rose or the all-powerful Pink, and they’re right, both of those characters as we’ve known them have disappeared for good. 

But I don’t think it’s a cause for grief or anger. I for one am kicking back with a bucket of popcorn to see how the show handles the combining of its two most powerful characters into someone new that is going to have an incredibly interesting story to tell that we’ve never heard before.

And don’t forget that as we discover more truth about the past, we’ll also be discovering things we hadn’t seen before about the present, and then realizing things about the future as well.

Because in this show, nothing is ever as it seems, and the more that Steven discovers about his mother, the more he’ll discover about himself too.