#i lost the plot but also i think i accidentally just got myself out of writers block i know the missing piece i needed to come up-

[noriakicatkyoin]

Diversity win! Guy i dont like no longer kins kakyoin

#outing myself as a moron making this post anyway i have been waiting a year for this guy to realize this why because im spiteful #how do u kin kakyoin and ignore that hes like a little mean spirited for the funnies. a little hatred pilled. are you insane #this is a case of me getting mad about him being mischaracterized but im sorry it will forever make me angry #kakyoin is like the worlds worst autistic bc hes not socially unaware. he is TOO socially aware in the WRONG direction #thinks he knows SO much about socializing to the point he GIVES UP because its pointless #and HATES anyone who blindsides him socially and plays stupid games with him bc he sees it as cowardly #like that is the thing ? kakyoin is a speak now or hold your peace while i kill you kind of guy lol . #hes not uwu shy damaged and hurt guy who wishes he knew how to make friends #bro is crazy and didnt realize he was suffering from self imposed isolation #bro overly percieved his own weirdness and couldnt see himself intrinsically tied to another person (cough cough aroace) #and was like wow nobody understands me and im aware of this i am so Different tm i need to never attach to anyone bc theres no point #he has to have that attachment almost forced onto him (tho to save his life i.e. jotaro deworming him) for it to register as a possibility #he never creates an avenue for others to truly get close to or understand him bc he doesnt think they can #but then whenever he learns its possible then its just a game of him slowly allowing his walls to fall back and his mask to peel #and then his mask for himself also begins to peel and he realizes how hurt hes always been bc he doesnt even Realize #bc loneliness is All hes known #i lost the plot but also i think i accidentally just got myself out of writers block i know the missing piece i needed to come up- #with my fic ending. ohhhh boy #ohhhh yeah baby #l8r #youve given me unnecessary feelings

[iamthecomet]

@purlty23 tagged me in This game and I'm super excited about it! (I tried to reblog the original post and just tack on but tumblr hates me)

Thanks Blue, this was so fun!

I'm tagging: @amara-among-the-stars, @mac-and-thefox, @littlemoon-beam, @divine-misfortune and whoever else also wants to expose their sins to the internet. Under the cut, because LONG.

Xena Warrior Princess - Passive Enjoyer Only passive because I was too young to be anything else. Barely counts, except that this show was my first real obsession so I have to include it. I dressed up as Xena for halloween when I was like…5. The pictures are incredible.

Good Charlotte - Mostly passive As is a trend with a lot of these, I wrote a little fan fic, and daydreamed a thousand scenarios, but never shared any of it. I was mildy obsessed with Benji Martin, but I didn't really get involved beyond that.

LOTR - Creative Enjoyer The first fan-fic I ever posted on the internet (I was twelve, people were mean). I didn't make any friends within the fandom. But I was so determined to write for it that I had an entire novel planned out--that eventually became an original book idea instead.

Harry Potter- Mostly Passive I read a lot of HP fanfic, but not as much as others. I didn't get involved in online conversations. I did dabble in writing some fics that I hid from the world and never finished.

The Boston Red Sox - Creative Enjoyer Ok. Now you know why I said I was exposing myself. Look I was like 12-14. My best friend and I filled entire notebooks with our MANY chaptered fic that spanned the entire 2004 Red Sox Season, that we started the day they won the world series that year. We hand wrote it all, I transcribed it into my computer where it still exists somewhere. It was our EVERYTHING. And it has never (and will never) see the light of day. I may have posted some Red Sox fic on the internet in my Live Journal days, and I made a bunch of online friends within that community, but they never saw THE fic.

Rammstein - Creative Enjoyer Again, my best friend and I had a notebook with a long form rammstein fic in. We didn't go as far with this one. And I didn't get involved in any online communities. Though, our love for Rammstein lived a lot longer than our fic writing did.

Twilight - Creative Enjoyer In that I wrote and posted a single fic about Alice.

Lost - Passive Enjoyer. I read a billion Skate fics. Probably thought about writing my own, but I don't think I ever actually did. Was obsessed with this show until the last season. I still have never seen the last episode.

Vampire Academy (THE BOOKS) - Passive Enjoyer. Not a lot online. Read some fic. Was so obsessed with this book that I started to write a fanfic where we got to see some of the story from Dimitri's persepective and accidentally created and entire new plot and new characters and accidentally created my own CHILD of an original novel because of it.

Grishaverse (Shadow and Bone/Six of Crows/Rule of Wolves) - Passive Enjoyer Loved these books. Loved every single character. Read as much fanfic as I could find. Accidentally spoiled a death in one of the books with fanfiction.

Avenged Sevenfold - Creative Enjoyer Short lived. Read some INCREDIBLE fics on the basically defunct site Mibba and thought "I can do that" and was fighting for my life in college. Wrote a few chapters of a fic. Got decent feedback. Got bored immediately.

Supernatural - passive enjoyer Read some fic. Took me like 15 tries to actually get through the whole show. Adored it, never went very far with it.

Marvel (Specifically The Winter Soldier) - Passive Enjoyer. I should have been a creative enjoyer, but was too afraid to write anything or put myself out there. (I spent all of my time after high school/college thinking that fanfic was a waste of time and I should never write it because I needed to be serious. What a waste). Still mildly obsessed with BuckyNat. I adore Bucky and Black Widow. If they put out another good movie I could see myself falling down that rabbit hole and actually letting myself land. The trailer for The Winter Soldier changed my brain chemistry (nevermind the whole move).

Fallout 4 - Passive Enjoyer I could read Sole Survivor/Paladin Danse fics every day forever. I know that's insane. Stop looking at me like that.

Ghost - Creative Enjoyer. Finally allowed myself to write whatever the fuck I want and have fun with it and it has changed my entire fucking life. Wish I'd done it sooner. So glad I got to do it now and with all of you. ♥

#comet comments #tag game #fandom game #I adore this so much blue!!!

[mejomonster]

My gastroparesis driving me up a wall. And by that i mean ive been barely eating for over a week now and my symptoms still arent improving and im really not havin a great time im exhausted my bodys in pain trying to get me to Rest but i gotta work full time and my abdomen absolutely hurts but painkillers slow digestion even More so ive been laying down on heatpad as much as possible and i really dont wanna go back to an All Liquid diet (but even if i did im at the nausea and vomiting point of a gastroparesis flare which means even liquid only im likely to throw up either way) and like. I just wanna comfort eat bread cause i feel miserable exhausted in pain and it would be a small joy. But bread is absolutely not something i can eat during a flare. I can only eat it when doing good if i take benedryl. Im so angry and tired and id like to sleep for days. And i gotta still Make myself eat chips and protein shakes even tho i got nausea cause my gi meds dont work unless i eat Something. Even if i got nausea and tons of pain wooh

Anyway im getting flack from family for being so tired the last week and i love em and all but its awful feeling guilty for not calling Enough when its like goddamn eating (something humans gotta do at least once a day) hurts phenomenally and i barely can but i obviously desire to like any human then i eat and Ouch my body didnt fucking like that and punished me for it and im so mad. I feel awful and yeah im mad i dont got energy to hide how much pain im in and chat false enthusiastically for 20 minutes after already doing it all thru work. I had 1 teaspoon of peanut butter today and my remaining options are soup broth (but it had beans cooked in it and my body cant take fiber today so idk if its worth the risk of any accidental beans) and salad (which is of course raw vegetables fiber very hard on stomach rn so i can probably just eat a handful size portion and hopefully ill chew enough its mush and my body will tolerate it). And a protein shake (but its got fiber and is made of chickpeas i think for the protein so idk if my body is tolerating it or not im just drinking it so i dont have no calories). I had chips yesterday but i think my body considered it too solid or large to digest idk cause im eveb worse today. I also had toast yesterday cause i was so angry and hungry and wanted comfort food. So of course that messed me up. Which means i should take more benedryl. But then i wont just be hungry and pain tired, ill also be drug tired. And im so sick of being miserablr all day at work just to pass out the second its over cause allergy meds knocked me out then ive lost all day. But without allergy meds i can eat hardly anything i like. I mean i cant eat rn but like. Right before this fuckjng flare and hopefully once its over. Im just sick of it. Im tired and when i go to therapy next week shell probs ask oh what do you do to stress relief and its like... i get it but are u fucking kidding me. Im knocked unconcious from benedryl. And tired anyway cayse no food, and pain nonstop from gi tract. So im barely doing anything. I cant really get outta bed cause i need the 4 sq feet heatpad or ill be in agony over my abdomen. Dont have tv in room so i can use phone i guess. So tired i can barely keep eyes open or think so im not writing reading or watching shows on phone. I can idk listen to a reaction or lets play since if i fall asleep and wake up i dont need to follow a plot. But like im not in a state to be going for a fucking walk (i wish! I wanna dance and walk but my abdomen and back feel awful and im so tired im dizzy when i stand) or hang out w friend, which im sure idk shed prefer to hear some productive ass activity like god im just trying to keep myself employed and out of the ER until the flare rights itself. Please

And i know jts not that bad. Ive been worse. I couldnt eat solid food for 6 months once. I was in the ER weekly it was so bad i blocked most of it outta memory. This is only a couple weeks. And i havent thrown up much! I was throwing up 5 times daily back then. And i have had chips and peanut butter! I recognizr thats nice, i got some solid food and held it down! I know my gastroparesis is EONS LESS severe than it was when it started.

Its just like. It still sucks barely eating for weeks and any eating hurting immensely and nonstop nausea for days and pain not lowering. Like a normal healthy person might snap from anger if they try to go 20 hours without eating, or crash and need to eat to keep going, or just be run down as fuck and justifiable if they barely do anything that day. But i go days like that and im expected to just appear fine and live life normally like im not worn down af and just desperate to not feel nausea and pain and i just really wanna eat again. Normally.

#rant #my health issues

[brick-a-doodle-do]

Brick, ramble about something, really, just ramble about anything.

okay so i have an alien au that i really haven't talked about at all except with xyz, and i think it'd be cool to introduce and talk about!!

soo basically the au is found family but not in a sense of found family, but he found another family that's worlds better than the one he had, and the dynamics of said family are more likee friendship-y? it's just the family you chose (friends) over the family you were born into. i cannot think of a way to describe it 😭

ANYWAYS

have a lil sample of the plot outline!

phil and techno, tommy's father and adopted older brother, both got accepted into a version of nasa that specializes specifically in the study of planets, including traveling to them. tommy didn't apply because it didn't interest him, and even if it did, he was far too young. so naturally, interplanetary travel took up a lot of his family's time, leaving tommy at home to take care of himself.

so, jealous, tommy did the only logical thing, and followed emduo to their work! and....broke into the facility.

during his exploration, he ran into wilbur, a mini-giant who's going to be travelling to the same planet as phil and techno. and who also just so happens to accept tommy's request that he be taken along! tommy of course added in a few lies about his age and maybe said his family allowed it, and definitely used persuasion and a little guilt tripping, but nonetheless, wilbur accepted. tommy would be going to another planet! to finally see what the big deal was.

time comes for the day of their departure, and tommy again follows emduo to work, meeting up with wilbur immediately after.

the trip is excruciatingly long and a little jarring to him, a virgin to space travel, but it gets done. so now, tommy's given permission by wilbur to go exploring the planet. it's pretty. scarce, but pretty.

while looking around, tommy comes across a waterfall, which he immediately drops all the technology wilbur gives him to go explore within the water. it feels....weird, much different than the water on earth. that aside, he missteps and accidentally slips into a hole that'd been previously covered by (haven't figured that out yet) and plummets down, down, down, down into a beautiful underground civilization. the only downside? a giant alien-esque being walks by, and tommy knows he's royally fucked when he remembers there's no way out. at least he landed in something soft!

meanwhile back at the campsite with wilbur, their clocks say dusk is nearing. he doesn't think too much of tommy's absence, given that his curfew was a little bit after dusk and that this entire place was huge, it was easy to get a little lost, but as half past his required hour passes, he starts worrying. he's getting anxious when he hears emduo talking about tommy, so anxious he almost lets his fuckup slip. he goes to bed, hoping for tommy to be in his tent, alive and sleeping, as soon as dawn hits.

but he isn't. and to say he's lonely and scared is the complete opposite of what he is. he's acquired a lovely bundle of friends while amongst the pretty town.

pretty fun!! i actually made a doodle for this au and would be totally cool with making one of those pages, because alien designs are one of the more flexible character designs! the doodle i made i'm 90% sure is deleted by now but it was of dream's face and i am SOOOOO proud of it like it's SO cool OH MY GOD x came up with it and i added some things and OH MY GODDDD ASJDFFDSAFJASJFJAS i cannot express my love for dream's face design in this au :)

the au (apart from wilbur growing guiltier by the second) is primarily fluffy with only 1 angsty part i already have planned out :D me and x did talk about this a lot so i can probably bring some of that to the surface :D

aHHHHHH i'm typing and deleting so much stuff bc in don't wanna give away too muchhhh ADJVFJD

i'll cut myself off here!! but i do have MUCH more to say!!! questions are always welcome, i'll def answer the ones that don't give away too much :DD

i think this is my third day in a row introducing a new au or set of aus. what the fuck is wrong with me ??? i'm like a hoarder but instead of random crap it's minecraft block men fanfiction universes that occasionally are sprinkled with g/t and vore 😭

#brickquiries #orchid brickling #orchid my belovedd #lost but found au #OOOHH i thought of this name as i was falling asleep so i gotta add it dsjdjs #mcyt g/t #dsmp g/t #dream smp g/t #g/t #tw vore mention (brief) #oh yk what orchid i'm answering on your birthday (i hope its still your bday) so HAPPY BIRTHDAY here is your gift FGJDSJ #a new addition to the evergrowing brickverse!

[bthump]

I find Elaine aesthetically and thematically accurate to Berserk, especially during the condemn arc. I also love the character development Farnese has because of her, their relationship is cute. But I found myself not seeing her as Casca, her “mother instincts” aren’t credible (that she’s a woman doesn’t mean she wont have complicated feelings about the baby, at least after “regaining her mind”)

Her character lost a lot because for most part of the story she’s not Casca as a character but a plot device (during the golden age arc she’s treated as a plot device too) Guts did unforgivable things to her and I can’t view them as a couple anymore. I almost wished she had died along with the rest of the band of the hawk during the eclipse, it’d be far better than what we got.

I enjoyed the whole dreamscape mini arc (mostly because I love Farnese), but it’s not fair for Casca to be mistreated like this. What do you think would be the ideal development of Casca after the GA arc?

P.S: love your griffguts meta ❤️

Thank you!

Yeah the direction Miura went with Casca is such a shame.

Hmm, if she doesn't die during the Eclipse, then maybe the best thing would've been for her to survive sans rape, but leave Guts and essentially bow out of the story, perhaps to occasionally appear as a side character rather than one of the central characters, for instance if they run into each other at the Tower of Conviction for the sake of the mock eclipse. But with no sexual tension lol.

Even if I can't re-write the Golden Age to remove their hookup, I feel like it was quite unromantic and noncommital (they called it licking wounds after all), and it would make perfect sense for Guts and Casca to go their separate ways after the Eclipse. There's the fact that 2 brands in the same area is bad, but also like, maybe they give it a shot during their time recovering in Godo's cave and realize they just can't be in a relationship after everything that's happened. Maybe they disagree on what they want to do now and have a big fight about Guts' suicidal revenge mission and properly break up. Idk, it'd be pretty easy to come up with something imo.

And the idea of Casca occasionally crossing paths with Guts while doing her own thing just seems fun to me.

Guts can go on a sidequest for literally anything, Casca was a plot contrivance there and you could come up with anything to replace it. Maybe he's accidentally responsible for someone needing magic Elfhlem healing so he decides to take them there partly bc he feels bad and partly bc he needs a distraction after NGriff ditched him. Maybe it's an entirely different sidequest since Elfhelm didn't turn out to be that important after all lol.

Anyway yeah, I don't have anything solid here, but it's an idea. Thanks for asking!

#anonymous #ask #b #headcanons #canon divergence

[tabbi-mysteries]

452-467

That's actually two nights worth of episodes I was just busy.

Phantom of Konpira is well phantom of the opera so fairly straightforward. I do like that someone on the anime original writing team got attached to this little theatre troupe they made they and I'm sad that the wiki says that's there last appearance so far. Bring them back again.

Preview screening is a fun case cause it goes a little against the normal structure with the prevention of the crime instead and I like that and the hopeful ending. If I must nitpick tho, the guy didn't need to be in love with the victim as well, he can be sad his friend died without needing to be in love with her good grief. (Also my friend lost it at the star wars parody cause he had no idea it was coming) also hi widescreen!

The overturned conclusion is a fun detective boys case and I think it's the start of 'genta panicks thinking he accidentally killed someone' which will proceed to happen multiple times poor boy. I have no idea how the culprit planned on getting away with this long term tho. He's not good at thinking things through.

The mystery I loved could have been as simple as maybe ask the old lady first you idiot. If she's that good of a mystery writer to impress Shinichi and she was down for it this plan could have gone way better.

Sonoko's red handkerchief is a case I adore because a) Sonoko and b) Ran and Makoto sending a gang's worth of old men flying as a conclusion. I kinda wish the fight had been longer to be honest.

A mysterious man is one of those weird little cases where everyone is a bit fucked up and the plan seems not very well thought through...

Ova 7 (I think) is very cute and I like recognising the method to solving codes and ciphers even if I can't read them so that was neat. Also I relate hard to Agasa's poor eyesight here. I would be useless at providing information in my whereabouts without my glasses.

Class 1B's great operation is adorable though! So so good! Again with fun codes with recognisable methods even if you don't know Japanese and Haibara gets a spotlight in mystery solving and leading the kids and it was very cute.

The missing page is also cute. Simple but has a cute little message. Genta's book report is a mood even tho I'm a bookworm myself.

The shadow of the black organization is... well the cases are fine but the link to the overarching plot feels... a little eh I guess? Eisuke is one of the characters I want to like and yet find myself struggling to :( also the victim from the second half sure was a terrible person. Divorce was probably still the better option tho guy.

(my friend has a collection of bizarre half formed theories here that are okay but mostly a little off cause they are of the opinion that Eisuke and Rena don't actually look that alike somehow XD)

The unsmashable snowman is a nice case cause I think the trick is neat and the detective boys are particularly cute. Damn the victim/culprit and suspects are all kinda like what on earth is with you people though.

Phew that was a lot of EPs. I should get my thoughts out on the daily instead of doing this again. Looking forward to tomorrow tho! My boy KID is there! The next film! Of which all I know is it's pirate themed. Babby Shinichi and Ran! Teasing my friend who lives Eri and despairs over Eri/Kogoro! And maybe even reaching Genta killing a man. Maybe. Depends how much time we have. But theres a lot to look forward to.

#dcmk rewatch #looking forward to tomorrow:) #also live action watch has been postponed so another friend can join us #trying to watch things mostly in order but also by whats convenient so it happens

[ciphernull]

so i did fully finish chapter 3 of the agent storyline the other day, been ruminating on it as i run about doing all the little side missions i skipped.

as per usual, thoughts under cut.

as a finale, it was... alright? like, don’t get me wrong, as a complete story i very much enjoyed the agent plot, but i was kind of expecting some drastic twist at the end that would have me questioning everything. the space illuminati star cabal were cheesy but an fun concept nonetheless, and alesko honestly even agreed with their premise of freeing the galaxy from the control of sith and jedi, though could not condone their actions to do so.

i was hoping the showdown with hunter would be a bit more difficult, but gameplay aside... GOD i hated that stupid little “oh, i’m actually a ~woman~” reveal for SO many reasons. it felt like they were either trying to make you “take pity because she’s just a poor girl” or yet more comphet “god forbid all this chemistry we’ve been seeding throughout your interactions result in something GAY.” just... ughhh, bioware. do better.

so yeah, easy choice to shoot her. she’s a manipulative monster who repeatedly mindraped the agent and got loads of people killed over her actions. there’s no room for nuance there, dark side choice my ass.

as far as the black codex goes, alesko obviously wasn’t handing it over to the Sith after everything they did to him and Intelligence. part of him wanted to destroy it, but in the end, as a final act of duty and farewell, he handed it over to the minister so they could eliminate the remaining threat of the cabal, erased his identity, and vanished thereafter, choosing to serve the people of the Empire over its corrupt masters. (i’m sure the continued story is still going to have me answer to the Sith, but whatever.)

also, as per the name of this blog, i’m saying he kept the personal title of cipher as a sort of legacy, but went from nine to null to represent his ghost agent status. also, because it sounds cool. :p

critiques aside, i still had a lot of fun and i am very happy to have completed my first class story. i’m a little lost on where to go next, i think makeb is the next big story beat? but i don’t want to accidentally burn myself out or miss anything that was supposed to come before that, so i’m kinda running around just looking for side content.

#rhys plays swtor #agent alesko #storyposting #swtor #imperial agent

[sattlersquarry]

I have a weird relationship with s3 of Stranger Things. At first I absolutely loved it, like the vibes surrounding it were immaculate. I also just gotten really into the show, I first watched it in 2018 but for some reason it never clicked. I gave it another try in the week s3 was released and I absolutely loved it. Also my life at this point was great and overall I just had a good time. So if you would have asked me then I definitely would have placed s3 at the top spot.

Last year I started to rewatch the show before s4, a bunch of times. And by bunch of times I mean really obsessively lmao. Like I had it constantly on and with every rewatch I found myself disliking s3 more and more. If you watch the seasons back to back, the rift between s2 and s3 is so stark, it felt like you entered a completely different show. Characters like Steve, Hopper, Mike and Joyce felt like different characters, like caricatures of what we have seen till this point. They stripped Steve from his essence and made him into this dumb guy who is not capable of anything. Which really also got amplified in the fandom then. Hopper was also unnecessary aggressive, especially towards Joyce and Mike. Joyce was suddenly okay with leaving the kids behind with no problems while her entire character prior to that was the overbearing mother.

The plot, especially the Russian part was just unnecessary. It went nowhere, s4 would have been so much better if that plot wouldn't have been introduced in s3. The writers could have explored the shady US government more, or had Kali come back and fleshed her out more. She is obviously a foil to El, having her be part of what is going on in Hawkins would have been amazing. Like accidentally open a portal to hunt down Brenner, while working already with Henry/Vecna. Unbeknownst to her the Mindflayer got activated and we still could have gotten majority of the s3 plot around Nancy's group. Those points would be so much more interesting than oh the Russians again, communism sucks (I know we are in the cold war period, I literally live in Germany at the center lol but it's overdone in every media so far). It would have also allowed the show to explore the UD more instead of throwing everything at us in s4.

The more I think about the plot and characters, the more I dislike s3. The complete tone switch from semi realistic plot in small town vibe to action packed Hollywood Marvel aesthetic is just too glaring.

If you ask me objectively, my ranking is going to be s1, s2, s4, and s3.

Subjectively speaking s2 because to me everything is perfect, even the lost sister part, s1, s4 but only vol1 then s3 and lastly vol2 of s4 because those two episodes kinda ruined the entire show for me, which is for another rant lol.

“THE LOST SISTER” DEFENDERS MAKE SOME NOISE 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻 I truthfully will never forgive the Duffers for introducing such an interesting character in Kali and then just tossing her aside. I kept waiting for Kali to be a part of Season 4 and was so disappointed that she never showed up! If she’s not in Season 5…Duffers I just wanna talk. 

It is so strange that season 3 Joyce was okay to just leave the kids. I agreed that was weird and out of character. And Hopper was too mean. Way too mean.

Season 2 is my second fave season, it’s so good. And I agree that Volume 2 of 4 is worst…I feel like in the rush to get things out they kind of dropped the ball. Here’s hoping season 5 is much better!!!

#Libby answers asks #stranger things 3 #stranger things 2 #kali prasad

[sesshy380]

🧸, 🦷, 🌿, and 🦋 for the truth or dare ask!! ^^

🧸 ⇢ what's the fastest way to become your mutual?

Just start randomly chatting with me. If I don't reply right away, it's usually because I'm busy, but I will reply when I get the chance. If it's been a few days, throw me another rando message. It's entirely possible that my squirrel brain took a glance at it then got distracted and forgot (and without the notif dot, I won't think to check).

If we've been chatting on occasion, but then it's been a few days and you wanna reach out, do it! I am terrible at initiating things, because I brain tells me I am being annoying (I'm sure that's majority of the people here). If your brain does the same and keeps you from sending those rando messages to me, you're not. I have low energy days that sometimes limit my socialization, but it takes a lot for me to find someone annoying. Your competition for 'who is more annoying' is a 15yo that will walk into the room and recite John Cena speaking in Mandarin over and over and over and (that's him being mildly annoying)

🦷 ⇢ share some personal wisdom or a life hack you swear on

This one is for making mashed potatoes when you have low energy. It involves knowing ahead of time.

Figure out when your higher energy period is and get the prep work done. Peel, cube, rinse off dirt/excess starch (I do a double rinse), then put in a bowl or the pot you plan to use with cold salt water that covers and put in fridge for later. I've done mine the day before on occasion, and even had one time where something came up so it had to sit in the fridge for an extra day. I don't recommend 2 days in advance on a regular basis, but it can be stretched that far if needed (I suggest replacing the water in this instance before boiling).

When it comes to mashing, electric hand mixers work great. You get a nice creamy texture, though you can leave a few lumps if preferred.

Accidentally added too much liquid during the mashing process? If you have dry instant potato flakes, sprinkle and mix a little at a time until you get the desired consistency.

🌿 ⇢ give some advice on writer's block and low creativity

Don't beat yourself up (easier said than done, I know). Do something else for a bit. Your brain will scream on occasion to work on your stuff. Make the attempt to at least look. At one point something might just click.

Maybe you wanna write something, but it's not The Thing™. Do it. Write the randomness that appears. Get it out of your system. Maybe it's not your usual style. Maybe it's incoherent gibberish. Hide it away in a doc labeled 'Gibberish'.

Maybe you're stuck on a scene that you want to go a certain way, but the characters want to do something else. Let them. You can copy/paste everything that will still be relevant for the original plot and pick back up later.

Sometimes you get stuck trying to carry over from a previous chapter, then while cooking a grilled cheese you realize that chapter doesn't even have to be there. Don't delete it, just store it away. It might come in handy later. Sometimes that's the only reason the block existed in the first place. (That totally didn't happen to me)

🦋 ⇢ share something that has been on your heart and mind lately 

There are times I feel like I'm letting my readers down with not having any recent updates to TKB 2nd chance.

Add to it that my longfic has also become a 'I will post when I have something', and I'm afraid my longtime readers will think I've become another of those longfic authors that lost interest in their own story and will discontinue writing it.

That is absolutely, positively, not true.

I love my longfic. It's my baby. I'm just starting to get to the part where I feel some readers might start noping out. The tag is there, but it's worded in a way to avoid spoilers. The hints are also there, but I am having to consistently remind myself 'I'm writing for ME'. The end I have in mind is a bit of a cliche, and the dynamics between characters will not be any less string-board.

And I'm frustrated because I don't have anyone that I can discuss future chapter ideas with that has even a clue what's going on. It's one of those stories that you can't simply mention a character name and think you understand their dynamic with other characters, because despite being somewhat canon compliant, it's more parallel timeline with a whole different pre-history. It's the 'What if' of What-if's.

Ask Game here

#ask game #answered asks #atlas #sorry if this got a bit rambly

[autisticlilith]

After like five yrs I finally watched SU:Future and the last episode of Steven Universe myself— turns out I actually stopped right before the last episode, which is weird cuz I thought I had missed a whole season, but yh.

But anyways I wasn't blessed enough to not see all the socmed posts abt it— in fact I watched it cuz of the sort of SU renaissance last month —but why did everyone make it out that the memes making fun of the ending were wrong? The plot was exactly as what was claimed. Now I'm getting flashbacks to the LandlordCap diskhorse, cuz it feels like ppl are claiming that detractor's reading of the text is wrong when said reading is flatly correct & the actual unspoken objections are whether the text is enjoyable as an audience member or not

Like with the amount of posts being like "Steven actually HATES the diamonds and fantasizes and even attempts to murder White!" I thought that the sunshine boy protagonist somehow underwent a drastic change, but no he's still sunshine boy— and to be clear, He should still be sunshine boy, that's not a problem at all! —but when I watched the actual arc, the context got totally erased by ppl who think they were "defending" the show but we're actually mischaracterizing it severely. Steven's anger get framed as a mixture of trauma and superpowered pubescent identity crisis that— in the most literal sense —turns him into a raging monster and gets heals through the power of his family's love, which includes the Diamonds hugging him until they all cry and go back to normal. But the way ppl acted, I though Steven was gonna get revenge— for himself or others —but no it's framed as a horrific impulse that was a sign of his descent into madness that he needed help with.

Idk why there were sm many posts misrepresenting the arc when there could be posts wondering why tf the series puts sm onus into Rose/Pink— and that's not to say she didn't do things ppl should be mad at her for, but if we're gonna play relativity games.. then why did the other Diamonds get a series of quirky fun cutesy hobbies while the mere mention of Rose puts the characters on their toes? —And also why did SU: Future completely flatten every non-Steven character? In the main series the "side" characters often had the most personality and growth, but in SU:F they're so flat and dull and effectively lampshaded for Steven crying hour redux. I can see why SU:F wasn't really a hit.

Amd also with the surviving CG's (especially Bismuth) making such a big desk about their friends and comrades lost in the war, you'd think uncorrupting the Crystal Gems would introduce a wide and expansive cast for SU:Future, but they have no character either and the surviving CGs act like they're just acquaintences at best. Seems like a waste of a Future spinoff, and that's saying smth bc the mainline show— in light of getting cut 40 episodes short —wasted a whole episode of their limited schedule just for Watermelon Steven making a phone call from prison.

And— now I'm just thinking about other potential content —you know what else could make for like a flashback or something, smth abt Who made the Diamonds. Or at least White Diamond cuz maybe she made Blue and Yellow. I always headcanon'ed that an advanced organic civilization invention the gem lifeform and created White, but either their civ died out or she killed them or White's creation drained their entire planet's resources and accidentally self-destructed them, and then White perhaps created the others by draining entire other planets for one gem. Whatever the case, I'm sure it's canon that Pink was a later creation cuz she was entirely unfamiliar with organic life, but it would've been cool to see confirmation about White's origins and who made her.

who is this. why are you sending me a whole novel

[buttersbookreviews]

A Review of This is How You Fall In Love by Anika Hussain:

Hey it’s me again back with more YA! I bought a load of books in one go and never really got around to reading them.

Stats:

Entertainment: 7/10

Cringe Factor: 6/10

Yikes Factor: 0/10

Let’s get right into the plot because wow this was certainly a book

Plot:

Zara is your average machine gun Kelly loving sixthformer (for any Americans that is your education from ages 16-18) who comes from a lenient Bangladeshi household. She also has a best friend, Adnan, who she sees as a brother and nothing more - despite the whole school shipping them.

Well one night her parents start fighting because her dad hid the fact that he had diabetes, and Zara wishes for a way out. However, Adnan accidentally grants that wish when he enters a secret relationship with Cami, and in order to keep it secret, pretends that it’s actually ZARA that he is going out with. Zara is completely against this, however when she sees how happy her parents are that they’re together she decided to agree to the whole scheme.

It’s working relatively well, but Cami is getting jealous, and Zara has met someone else, a boy. His name is Yara and he’s just her type (and also plays Pokémon go because the characters in this book love Pokémon go apparently). Well things start to get complicated.

Zara’s friend who is making a documentary on love insists on using Zara and Adnan as her subject, unaware the relationship isn’t real.

Review (will contain spoilers):

Now. I’m going to start with what I liked.

This book completely subverted the whole fake dating thing at the end, and I’m very glad that she didn’t get with Adnan because it just couldn’t shake the yacky when she said she was like a brother. Props to the author.

While I myself am not Bangladeshi, I thought all the cultural references were cool, and if you were Bangladeshi I’m sure you could relate heavily to the characters (or maybe you couldn’t?)

Also, Zara was a very strong character and a compelling lead. Despite being roped into possibly the strangest scheme ever, she held strong and kept me reading even when it got super awkward (I’m looking at you ‘sucking face’). I appreciate her for that, she had good vibes. I think that’s really what you want from a main character.

Now let’s move onto the bits I didn’t like so much. Some of these are quite nitpicky but relevant nevertheless

Everyone but Zara was kind of insufferable?? Cami was whiney even though it was her idea in the first place. She sets up the whole “You can’t be seen by my dad!1!!1!1!” Thing which gave me the impression he is super abusive and keeps her on a tight leash and he’s evil incarnate… but it turns out he’s just a bit protective because she got in an abusive relationship!! I get she still has trauma from the relationship but goodness me an elaborate fake dating scheme which you don’t even like is NOT THE ANSWER!!! (Maybe she was meant to be like this?? Idk? Were we supposed to like her??)

Adnan put hoes before bros and literally compromised his best friends entire life because he really liked this girl. Zara literally lost her best friends over this and he’s just like ‘tee hee that didn’t work out’. Adnan never considered how much Zara struggled to get into relationships, and literally took over and ruined her chances anyway. Boo. You suck.

Yara? Well he was just kinda there man. He tried to be the manic pixie dream boy but in reality was just a tall Pokémon-go playing weirdo. I think the whole big reveal that he is related to Cami was interesting, but overall he felt very bland as a love interest.

Overall:

I think this book would be a lot of peoples cups of tea. If you’re into the whole fake dating thing, this is the perfect book for you, as the scheme is one of the most elaborate I’ve ever seen in a book like this. I enjoyed the main character despite her weird Machine gun Kelly obsession (I mean to each their own but seriously MGK????). I’ve got to say, I had no clue who she was gonna pick until the very end, like I was genuinely hooked. And I was still surprised!

Was the dialogue a little cringe? Yes. But it’s a YA teen book, sometimes you just have to embrace it.

Thank you for reading 🩷

#book review

[biblioflyer]

Thoughts about Admiral Clancy and Starfleet Antagonists, Picard s1e2 Rewatch

Narrative and (Un)Reliable Narrators

Should we always trust that the protagonist is right in Star Trek? Was this true in the pre-streaming era of Trek? Is this still a safe assumption? I don’t personally think it has ever been completely true and it definitely isn’t wholly accurate now.

This is part of a series of essays reevaluating Star Trek Picard and interrogating the widely held fandom criticism that Picard made the Federation into a Dystopia.

A topic I’d like to discuss at length is Admiral Clancy’s meeting with Picard. This scene is one of the most hotly debated in some circles as to whether or not the Federation presented in Star Trek Picard has become a dystopia or if the situation was one of those slow running tragedies that happen in environments of terror and limited information.

Clancy is very much taking up the same role as the Interviewer from the previous episode in that she provides more exposition about the Federation’s apparent abdication of its interest in the outside universe and the Romulans in particular. She also acts to reinforce the audience’s perception of Picard acting alone against a hostile and fallen Federation.

I think there’s every reason to think that Clancy is a good faith actor. 

Let me explain what I mean by that. She greets Picard warmly and seems to start off by being cautiously interested, if not concerned for him as one might for a friend or mentor who just lost his chill on live interstellar tv and has had a bit of a cloud hanging over him. Her frustration with Picard doesn’t seem cynical or calculated, she seems genuinely convinced that Picard is waving off inconvenient facts in pursuit of some wild conspiracy theory.

Narratively, Clancy definitely seems like she is supposed to present as self assured. 

Against the broader backdrop of the Star Trek universe, ought we, the audience, to agree with her? 

On a surface level, certainly not! 

After all, Picard is the title character and our hero, therefore he should be unquestionably correct in all things, right? Right? 

As I’ve said before, I think that this show may either intentionally or accidentally be presenting a more complex moral question and thus is pulling its punches when making the case for the Federation’s isolationist and martial turn in order to make it that much more plausible that it can ultimately reclaim its idealism when proven wrong.

Sympathy for the Devil

Characters who narratively function as obstacles may be antagonists, but not bad people.

One of the frustrating things about life, in the real world, and life in the fictional world is that we don’t always know people’s motives or background. What do we know for example about Admiral Clancy’s motivations?

To be frank, we don’t know. Yet if we wanted to conjecture a sympathetic character whose narrative role is to be an obstacle to Picard, it really wouldn’t be hard. Perhaps she’s someone whose experiences in the Dominion War hardened her.  Perhaps she was never a hero in the conventional sense. Perhaps she rose through the ranks commanding depots and shipyards, ensuring supplies got where they needed to be and refits finished on time. 

How many Starfleet officers actually spend their time thumbing their noses at space gods and how many do milk runs to out of the way colonies delivering subspace relays and industrial replicators?

Perhaps one might think that having to resort to starting so many sentences with “perhaps” is a sign of bad storytelling or bad worldbuilding. Perhaps the audience ought not to have to rely so much on imagination or invention. 

Is there a difference between a streamlined narrative to ensure good story momentum and a plot hole? I personally think so. Maybe I’m just a crusty old compassionate soul, but I guess my instinct is to be charitable to fictional characters and non-fictional writers, directors, producers etc.

Author's note: I found myself with a sort of Mandela effect wherein I could have sworn that after looking it up, Admiral Clancy was Admiral Yancy, but when I re-looked it up, it was Clancy. If you see any lingering Yancy's, then I am a variant and please don't report me to the TVA or Starfleet Temporal Affairs.

#star trek #star trek picard #Picard Maps and Legends #Picard s1e2 #Admiral Clancy #Star Trek Picard Rewatch

[caffeine-n-words]

Building the Ace!Mikaela Universe pt 1

(Picture made with DollDivine)

This ramble is brought to you by Caffeine, Rebecca On A Transformers Kick, Rebecca’s Constant Pokémon Kick, A Fanfic Idea Of A Fanfic Idea I Had Five-Ish Years Ago, and Transformers’ Lack Of Continuity Even Within Continuity Families.

Let’s start with the fanfic idea of a fanfic idea, shall we?

So, about five-ish or so years ago, I had an idea for a Transformers (Bay movie continuity) x Pokémon crossover that I originally titled The Legend of Samuel Prime series. It was going to be a multi-fic rewrite of the entire universe (which at the time was around when The Last Knight came out, but I hadn’t yet seen that or Age of Extinction, so it would only have covered up to Dark of the Moon). It was going to be epic and include Sam being an awesome trainer, an OC ace trainer mentor, and one fic was going to be a time-travel fix-it that would be technically AU to the rest of the series because it would have pretty much erased those actions from that timeline. It was one of the first fics I started writing on Scrivener.

Then Scrivener crashed and I lost the project.

It was demoralizing. Apparently I had accidentally turned off backups for that file, so when the main file got corrupted, I didn’t have a backup to start from. It was one of two times I had lost about 20k-ish words of notes and actual fic. Though I really do wish to remake that file and start again, I haven’t quite gotten my mind into the required state for it, for a couple reasons: first, in order to recover from that loss, I moved onto a different crossover project (The Samaya Court) and second, because I decided to give Boku no Hero Academia a shot during the summer of 2020 and became hyper-focused on that instead. I’ve only just recently started looking into Transformers fics again.

About six months ago, I started idly thinking about another Transformers x Pokémon fic, but I wasn’t (and still am not) ready yet to get back to TLSP. I wanted to write something both interesting and unique. I decided to focus on a character that seemed (at the time) to either get side-lined or just outright hated, and one that I personally didn’t like to see assassinated in Revenge of the Fallen: Mikaela Banes.

(And yes, her character was assassinated, but that’s a post for another time. Long story short, she was reduced to “jealous girlfriend” status and then just disappeared in the next movie without any explanation, and I don’t like that.)

Mikaela actually had the potential to be an amazing character. I’ve found a lot more fics about her, and a lot of them feature her working with the Autobots, or at least apprenticed to Ratchet for medic training. But I wanted a fic that was all about her, not just seeing her in the background or as Sam’s girlfriend. Why did she need Sam at all? She’s a lot more interesting than he is, at least to me.

(No, I don’t hate or dislike Sam. Normally I’m more attached to the male characters, but he was just…too relatable, I guess? So incredibly painfully awkward. My favorite characters tend to have a few more differences from myself.)

My first concept of this idea was Mikaela as the main character of the movies. No big changes, just no Sam—she felt bad for him and bought Archibald Witwicky’s glasses to support Sam’s car fund. This cut Sam out entirely as Bumblebee switched to her guardian and she became involved with the Autobots.

(Note that I might still write this version at some point.)

But that wasn’t unique enough for me. I like heavy AUs. I like seeing canon changed, and the resulting fallout. So I asked myself what the biggest change could possibly be, and the answer was obvious: 

Mikaela could be a Decepticon.

But why? The Decepticons want to kill humanity, don’t they? Actually, why do they want that? With these questions in mind, I jumped into my favorite part of the plotting process: Research bingeing. 

At this time, I’d also been rewatching a few episodes of the Unicron Trilogy and found Transformers: Prime. I knew their plots didn’t have anything to do with each other or the movies, but I had thought the background and history of the universe would be consistent. So I jumped into the Transformers Wiki, and immediately found out how wrong I was.

Apparently Transformers is far more expansive than I first thought, because there are no less than eight continuity “families,” some of which have dozens of continuities within them (Looking at you, Generation 1). And every continuity family has its own backstory to the war, its own history of events. Some of them echo each other, but most of them are pretty drastically different.

At first I started with the movie continuity’s background, but it wasn’t exactly appealing to me—Megatron was a power-grabbing dick brainwashed into becoming even more power-hungry and ruthless. Yawn.

Then I poked around some more, read through the major continuity families, and found Aligned.

I want to keep this under 1k words, so I’ll pause here and pick up next week!

Next time:

When the writers are scared to make a villain too sympathetic, it shows.

Blending the Aligned and Movie continuities.

How and why Mikaela became a Decepticon.

#fanfiction #meta post #writing rambles #Tuesday Fanfic Ramble #Transformers Movie Continuity #transformers movie #Transformers Aligned Continuity #transformers aligned #pokemon #mikaela banes #plotting #decepticons #Ace!Mikaela AU

[spacedykez]

oh right i was gonna. send an ask in. crap okay- for the writer ask game; 15, 23, 33, 35, 55, 62, and 87 (random)

(writing ask game!)

15. where do you share your writing? sigh. im tired of linking things nixxxx i just made two long posts with tons of links today /lh but that does mean the links are easily available! here’s my ao3 and here’s #paciFics.

23. how do you deal with writers block? badly. ususally by simply Not Writing. very bad practice. lately (as in the last few months) my strategy has been scoll #whump prompts or @/prompts-in-a-barrel to get myself in the mood and then write a shorter thing inspired by that. unfortunately as you can see from my ao3 i have a tendency to lose interest in longfics and once i do i just. never get back to them. sigh. hyperfixations my beloved and beloathed

33. do you start with the characters or the plot when writing? i mean, that depends. sometimes i get fic ideas that are "this character does this" (cough branzypierce) and sometimes i get fic ideas that are just "oh, this would be a cool thing to write (magic by moonlight). branzypierce fics have been All character, but also quite a bit inspired by quotes actually. bleeding out in your arms tonight literally came to my mind when i read this:

35. tell us about a character who’s very different than you who you love a whole lot

oh gosh okay well i mean most of the characters i latch on to are because i see myself in them at least a little. double life pearl, i suppose. i feel the abandoned thing a bit because i do tend to feel very lonely especially since i wouldn't say i have very many friends irl, but really she's not like me at all. then again, i've never been in a death game! but for all i joke about violence i really would never hurt anyone. somebody'd stab me and i'd apologize.

55. do you have any abandoned WIP’s? What made you abandon them? well. a question i accidentally answered! okay so i have several longfics lying abandoned (but trust me they don't leave my mind i feel guilty constantly) including scott's eternal winter, which was e1!scott turns evil and instead of corruption covering the world, it's ice/snow. i have tried to write the next at least five times and i have the outline and chapter titles i just. Can't find the motivation.

alone was pure torture (no, literally. i mean. like. that was the fic) i left it because i never really watched the dsmp enough to have a good characterization of anyone and also it just felt. i don't know. too much. people say a lot of tommy fics are torture/trauma porn or something like that and i just felt like it was too angsty.

the legend of the stag siblings i feel bad about. i just think i rushed the plot and it wasn't as well-written as it could have been and also i just. Lost motivation. if i were to pick it back up again (which i do still love the concept) i would rewrite it quite a bit.

and then on this topic i have two like 3000 word oneshots i never published. one is an owl house fic that i could probably post and just say it's incomplete, it's completely readable, i just had more plot planned and then got sucked into mcyt again. and the other is an old basically ventfic (the closest i've ever written) with o!scott. the problem was that i used it as an outlet for my emotions and that worked too well so i never finished it because by the time i hit like 3k words i wasn't in that headspace anymore and i couldn't bring myself to try to get back into it to finish the story.

oh. long answer whoops. um well they haunt me okay. im terrified magic by moonlight will join them cause so many people like it and i don't want to let them down and- okay. shush paci.

62. what’s the weirdest reason you’ve ever shipped something? because i hate my streamer. one guess as to what this is referring to. yes it's ace race x sally. i am starting to be unironically here for the narrative of the wilbur soot ace race saga god help me.

87. does your writing style change depending on the genre you write?

well, i mean i don't know? i only really write fantasy/fanfiction but i would say probably yes? like i do enjoy experimenting with different styles sometimes. my favorites have been Journal, Yin And Yang, bleeding out, and Flicker just because i tried really out-there and obvious style choices and i do really like them. you haven't read journal, yin/yang, and flicker i'm sure.

but journal was an experiment in writing first-person pov, yin/yang was one of my first times writing this sort of opposites-symbolism thing i really like where it's sort of playing with antonyms (light/dark, order/chaos) and since then i've sort of improved on that to add more metaphor/description to my fics. and i'm still SUCH a sucker for good comparisons like this. bleeding out was fun because i added the parentheses to create this growing sense of dread and tension (i really think it worked). and flicker was all about description which was a fun excercise!

on this sort of topic, my writing style wasn't that different but antlers was SO fun to write and i can't tell you why without spoiling it but i LOVE it so mucchhhhhh

#asks #nix tag #ask games #this was quite the trip #gosh i haven't thought about some of these in months

[ao3commentoftheday]

Hello, I hope you are doing well! Thank you for the time and energy you put into this blog!

My “ask” is personal and specific, so I don’t know if you will have much in the way of feedback, but if you don’t maybe folks who follow will 🤞🏾

Early last year (squints at calendar) I discovered I have Inattentive ADHD. Retrospectively this makes a lot of sense, but I’m also an in my mid 30s so it’s kind of a lot to process a whole new understanding of yourself.

As this relates to fic it makes sense. As a teen I would hyperfocus in writing mode all evening after school. As an adult with responsibilities exchanges have worked well for me as far as deadlines producing results… but they aren’t as good for the ol’ Plot Bunny farm. I got ideas that could be enrolled in high school, okay? I want to get them out!

I understand that common writing advice is to have a routine and write regularly etc. But scheduling, planning, organizing… these are skills I have such a nonexistent grasp on right now? I’m starting to learn skills for ADHD management, but meds aren’t an option yet. So I’m trying to be patient and compassionate with myself… but I would also really like to be writing? 😅

I’m not sure what I’m looking for now that I’ve typed this out. Advice? Affirmations? Commiseration? It certainly doesn’t help to be in a lonely ship/fandom. I guess I’m hoping I’m not alone in this experience too?

You're definitely not alone! I could have written this ask myself. I fully understand what you're going through and I suffer with the same issues.

Scheduling, planning, and organizing are things that I'm able to do in a work context because I've built up a lot structure in that space. In my free time, though? No way. I've used all of that part of my mental energy at work and I don't have any left to pour into my hobbies.

What I do have is chaotic creativity.

For me, rules around writing every day or finishing one story before I start the next just don't work. If I have an idea for a thing, I need to write that thing immediately. Betas? I can't use them. I'm too impatient to be done, so I forgive myself the typos and correct them when I notice them later.

Another thing that helps is remembering that not every story needs to be a multichap. You've got a small idea, but that plot bunny just won't go away? Write a oneshot. Put the context in the summary. Drop the handful of scenes you have in your head. Move onto the next story before you forget what you're even thinking about.

I'm such a chaos gremlin that I actually write all of my fics and chapters directly into the work posting form on AO3. I do this despite knowing that if a glitch happens or the site goes down while I'm writing or I accidentally navigate away from it that all of my writing is lost. I would much rather lose 3K but have it out of my head than wait the extra time it takes to write it out in google docs first and then copy/paste it over.

Let yourself be messy. Let yourself be disorganized or distracted or chaotic. Write five different WIPs at the same time and update whichever one is making your brain sing in that particular moment. Fic is your free time activity, so let yourself be free with it, and whatever ends up working as a way to get the words out just do that.

Don't force yourself to follow rules that aren't working for you. ❤

#asks and answers

[souvenirsofsurgery]

Fiction Podcast Recommendations

Because this is the only media I consume anymore. Let’s get the big ones out of the way first!

1. Welcome to Night Vale

The OG. This was the first podcast I really got into and I am very sentimental about it. It’s the funniest and most uplifting piece of horror media I’ve ever found, and I love it for that. And I’m obsessed with the weird worldbuilding, the atmosphere is absolutely perfect. Also, gay main character, which I pretty much require at this point. 

It can take a minute to get into if you really want some plot, but I promise some plot is coming.

2. The Magnus Archives

This is a great horror anthology that also ends up having a really interesting overarching plot. I’m warning you right off that bat that it is a tragedy, though, and we’re all anticipating being absolutely crushed when it ends. But! Canonically biromantic asexual main character, which we love.

Similar to Welcome to Night Vale, you’re going to have to be a little patient if you really wanna get to that plot, but it’ll get there. 

3. The Adventure Zone

One of my absolute favorites. It’s a D&D podcast, but no D&D knowledge is required to enjoy it (I didn’t play D&D when I first started listening). It’s funny and endearing, and also has made me sob so hard that my family thought something was wrong with me. I still think about the ending of the Balance arc, because I’ve never found an ending in any other piece of media that is so emotional and satisfying. 

And as far as representation goes, the first arc has a gay main character, second arc has a bi woman main character, and third arc has a main character who is technically asexual, although that hasn’t been confirmed in canon at this point. Also plenty of LGBTQ+ side characters, including a trans woman (Lup I have a crush on you <3) in the first arc and a nonbinary person in the second. 

4. The Penumbra Podcast

Welcome to the queerest thing I have ever seen in my life. Just straight up no cishets around, it’s beautiful. 

This one actually has two separate storylines. The Juno Steel one is about a private eye on Mars, and the Second Citadel is sort of an ensemble story in a fantasy setting, and I would highly recommend both of them. Like would you like to hear a noir inspired story set in space with a nonbinary bisexual detective protagonist and a homme fatale criminal love interest? You absolutely would. Or would you like to hear about a knight who is sworn to hunt monsters having an existential crisis because he’s having some feelings about a monster he just had a homoerotic sword fight with? Obviously you would. Listen to this podcast.

Anyway! Let’s get into some of the smaller podcasts! 

5. Death by Dying

This one is so much fun. Love the weird vibes of this creepy little town. We’ve got an obituary writer who just doesn’t even seem to realize how bizarre all the deaths he’s writing about are, I’m obsessed with it. As soon as he started reading out the condolences and they were just in-universe ads I lost it, that’s so funny to me and I immediately knew I was going to love this podcast. 

6. Kaleidotrope 

Fanfiction gays, this one is for you. Here is a college that is said to be magic, where everyone will find their romantic trope and fall in love. The main characters are running a college radio show together, with one of them believing in this magic absolutely and the other being very skeptical. Will they fall in love? :)))))))

This one is so cheesy, and it’s very small so the audio is pretty scuffed, but it’s so sweet and I love it. Both of the main characters are queer and one of them is nonbinary.

7. Brimstone Valley Mall

I’m obsessed with this podcast! Nobody is talking about it and I’m obsessed with it! It’s demons working in a mall in the 90s, who also have a band together. Wtf I love that. One of the main characters is gay, and another one is nonbinary and uses they/them pronouns. Please listen to this podcast, I want it to get more popular so badly. 

8. The Strange Case of Starship Iris

This one is so sweet and I love it so much. Gay space criminals? That’s everything I love. It also just has so much heart, I want to cry. There’s a bisexual woman main character, another WLW main character, a trans man main character, and a nonbinary main character (who, yes, is an alien, but I will let it slide because there is also a nonbinary human side character). 

9. Alice Isn’t Dead

The vibes are impeccable. I listened to a lot of this one while I was on a road trip by myself in rural America, and that is the ideal experience. This is about a woman trucking across America looking for her missing wife. It’s so quietly creepy, and I’ve got a thing for weird Americana. And there are lesbians too, so. 

Also, the main character dealing with her anxiety was something that was actually really important to me. I really liked hearing about someone who didn’t “cure” her mental health problems, but grew and learned to manage them better. It was just a very important story to me, and I still think about her all the time.

10. CARAVAN

Every single person involved with making this needs to go to horny jail. I am so serious. You will hear an extended conversation about how, like all of these characters are monster fuckers, and also very audibly hear two characters have sex. So, you know, you’ve been warned.

But, all that aside, this one is about a man who accidentally ends up in this weird hell world, and has to try to figure out how to get back home. It’s really fun, but also gets pretty heavy towards the end. Definitely read the content warnings ahead of time. 

This one’s also queer, obviously, with a bisexual man as the main character and some queer side characters (Including Virgil who I do have a crush on. The morally dubious enbies just get me.)

#podcast recommendations #podcast review #lgbtq podcast #queer podcast #welcome to night vale #the magnus archives #the adventure zone #the penumbra podcast #death by dying #kaleidotrope #brimstone valley mall #the strange case of starship iris #alice isn't dead #caravan podcast