Stuff I Love: Top 10 Edition

Feb. 8th, 2026 11:21 am
spaciireth: (Fandom: Artemis Fowl)
[personal profile] spaciireth
[personal profile] dreamersdare is hosting a "Stuff I Love" fest during February and I'm just scraping in with enough time to participate in the first week because it's still February 7 in some part of the world.

So without further ado,  one shots.

Some of these were easy, but it did take a bit of thinking to come up with the last couple to round it out.

Tangled
This was the first Disney movie that I was aware of before it hit Australian cinemas. I'd actually seen some trailers and participated in some fan stuff, and I was hyped enough that when Edy and I were planning our first trip away together, I was like, "It's fine it we leave on January 6 as long as we're somewhere with a cinema that night because there's this movie I want to see."

We were in Cairns and our hostel was literally across the road from the cinema complex, so that worked out well. Edy will confirm that I was cross-legged and leaning forward totally invested the whole way through.

I love Rapunzel so much. There is a fine line between portraying her realistically given her circumstances and moving the story forward, and I feel like they struck the balance between her fears and her excitement really well. And her growth, you guys! GROWTH.

Mother Gothel is one of Disney's best villains imo because of how realistic she is. And who doesn't love a jerk with a heart of gold like Eugene Fitzherbert? (We'll ignore all the BS his voice actor has gone on to spout)

To this day I cannot watch the lantern scene without getting choked up. The animation is so beautiful! And then they sing I See the Light and just ugh. So good.

Ever After

Ugh, this movie. I'm pretty sure it's the reason I'm a sucker for tropes like Heir to Throne/Outspoken Commoner and the Cinderella variations where the Cinderella character knows/has met the Prince before the ball. It's just stellar in every way. The whole cast nails it. This was the first thing I ever saw Angelica Huston in and she's just incredible in that role. The script is perfect. Drew Barrymore and Dougray Scott had so much chemistry and I love the banter between them.

I still go around saying things like "Yes, mother, I'm just here for the food" but no one ever gets the reference.

My only criticism of the movie is that Drew's accent is all over the place throughout.

Fun fact: one of the earliest pieces of fanfiction I remember writing was when I was 10 or 11 and this movie had just come out on VHS and me and a friend were watching it all the time, and I wrote a "sequel". For my age, it was not a terrible concept, I think one of the stepsisters made it back to France and wanted revenge? (I guess it was Marguerite if there was revenge involved). Also I was convinced that I was going to hire a video camera and make this movie myself. My guinea pigs had a guest role somewhere. 😂

Also did you know they made it a musical? Youtube embeds under the cut. )

The Travelling Cat Chronicles
This is a Japanese novel by Hiro Arikawa. I got it in a Secret Santa with my book group a couple of years ago and I was warned by everyone who had read it that I would cry and to have the tissues nearby.  I figured out fairly early on the likely reason people were telling me I would cry and thought "pfft, I'll be fine." 

Reader, when I tell, I sobbed. No, the cat doesn't die! But the ending is just written in such a beautiful way. I was thinking about it often after I read it. It's not something I would usually pick up, it's much more a slice of life kind of story, but I really recommend this one. 
 
The Kingdom
This is a YA novel by Jess Rothenberg and it just hits so many of my favourite tropes. Picture Disneyland... but in a near-future with android Princesses. And there's a murder. And nothing is at is seems. I read this when it first came out and gave it five stars, and I read it again last year and it was still a 4.5 even though my tastes in writing have changed a fair bit over the years and I'm a bit pickier about young adult books than I used to be. I just wish there was a sequel. There was definitely room for one, but nothing ever eventuated. I'm not sure if the author was planning one and it fell through or if the ending is supposed to be left up to our imagination. I would definitely have loved more!
 
Much Ado About Nothing
The original romcom! This is my favourite of Shakespeare's plays. The banter is god-tier. I've seen it a few times live and my favourite version was set in the 1920s. And the David Tennant/Catherine Tate version is sublime. See it if you can! This was the production that gave me my controversial opinion that David Tennant is better at Shakespeare than Doctor Who. He's actually fine at Doctor Who but he really shines doing Shakespeare!

Come From Away
We saw this show on Broadway in 2019 knowing absolutely nothing about it other than the brief summary on broadway.com and thinking "Oh, that sounds nice." Instant. Favourite.

For those unfamiliar, this musical takes place in the week following the 9/11 attacks in a small town called Gander in Newfoundland, where 38 planes were diverted when the US airspace closed. The town has a population of around 7000 and there were that many people again on the planes. It's just a beautiful story of community and coming together in the face of tragedy. It doesn't shy away from the bad things but it's got so much warmth and heart. I cry every time I listen to it. I've seen it two more times since Broadway and would see it again many times if opportunity presented itself. 

I auditioned for a local production last year but they had something like 120 people auditioning for 12 roles! So needless to say, I didn't make it. But they had their pick of the best performers around here and it was an excellent production as a result. 
 
Cats
Don't give me that look. 😂 Cats has no plot? Duh, I'm aware, I watched the proshot every day for months when I was 10. My niece was three and so we've both got a very big place in our hearts for this show. We went and saw the 40th Anniversary Australian tour together last year and had the best time. It's just fun? It's dancing and singing cats! Lyrca! Leg warmers! Incredible dancing! Who needs a plot? 

Phantom of the Opera
Ahh, my problematic fave. Look, I know. But dammit if the first notes of that overture don't get me every time. It's just so ridiculous and over the top. Also, I was introduced to the original cast recording around the same time as I was introduced to Cats, and I am an Andrew Lloyd Webber tragic forever as a result. I would love to see the new staging, and also the Masquerade version on in NYC right now, but I doubt I'm going to have the funds for either (well, definitely not getting to NYC, but even the Sydney Harbour productions are like $300 a ticket or something). 

Winnie-The-Pooh
I'm counting this as standalone because even when new things come out, they are usually not continuing on from something previous. 

There is just something about the childlike wonder of this material, both the books and the movies. The whimsy! The way phrases like Bear of Very Little Brain get capitalised just adds to the unique style. My partner and I will play Pooh Sticks any time we walk across an old wooden bridge in the woods. We have it on our bucket list to visit the village/woods that the 100 Acre Woods were inspired by and play Pooh Sticks on the actual bridge. One day. 

The Scarlet Pimpernel (BBC)
I was trying to think of something else to finish this list off and that got me thinking what are things I still quote from years after I last watched them? The BBC adaptation of The Scarlet Pimpernel with Richard E. Grant and Martin Shaw is definitely one of them. It's just adventurous and kind of swashbuckling even though there are no pirates. There's a fun love story, too. The costumes and locations and everything are gorgeous and luscious. It's just a fun time.
but_can_i_be_trusted: From the 'Art Gallery' pantomime; my first self-made .gif icon! (Surprise)
[personal profile] but_can_i_be_trusted posting in [community profile] 100words
Title: 'Great Desire'
Fandom: Original Poetry
Rating: G
Notes: Crossposted to [community profile] emotion100 and [community profile] drabble_zone

Great Desire )

Festivids

Feb. 7th, 2026 06:12 pm
settiai: (Festivids -- charmax)
[personal profile] settiai
Well, I was planning on trying to get this post finished before reveals, but I didn't manage it. So I've now updated it to include the names of the vidders as well.

Sadly, I haven't had time to watch everything from this year's Festivids, but I at least have watched the vids in fandoms that I'm familiar with and am caught up on (as there's a few that I'm behind on that I skipped because of the risk of potential spoilers). Here are some of my favorites from the ones that watched:

Vids under the cut. )
musesfool: key lime pie (pie = love)
[personal profile] musesfool
Per my last post, I intended to make two specific dishes for dinner this weekend (panko-crusted pork chops and pasta with sausage and cabbage), and my groceries were ordered with that in mind. Three guesses as to what did not arrive with my order, and the first two don't count. (Spoiler: it was the sausage and the pork chops.)

Sigh.

I gave up on today and just ordered pizza, and I think tomorrow I will pivot to mac and cheese because I have all the ingredients for that without having to do a second grocery delivery.

This afternoon, I baked an apple-cranberry crumble since I had 2 apples I hadn't eaten yet and all those cranberries hanging around. Instead of walnuts, I used pecans and instead of raisins I used chocolate chips, and I used maple sugar over the fruit instead of regular, and it smells fantastic. I can't wait to cut into it. I might need to make some whipped cream to eat with it.

The wind is whipping around like crazy and it's supposed to be super extra cold tomorrow, so I hope everyone is safe and warm, wherever you are.

*
shroomystar: (enriyo)
[personal profile] shroomystar posting in [community profile] 100femslash
Title: fluff and satin and sharp edges
Rating: Teen
Category: F/F
Fandom: Gachiakuta
Author: shroomy(y)star
Ship/Characters: Amo Empool/Riyo Reaper
Warnings/Notes: complicated relationships, unresolved vaguely belligerent tension, sleepovers
Word Count: 2444
Summary: Amo doesn’t reply, just sits there on her bed in her brand new room and stares.

ao3 | dreamdwidth
cephy: (Default)
[personal profile] cephy posting in [community profile] no_true_pair
Title: Critical Failure
Fandom: FFXV and FFXVI
Pairing/Characters: Ignis Scientia, Cidolphus Telamon, + ensemble
Content Notes: Spoilers for both games, though only indirectly as this is 100% modern-day fusion AU. Humour, D&D.
Prompt: September 3 2025 - Ignis & Cid - “that could have gone better”

~ Fic posted on my personal DW here ~
cephy: (Default)
[personal profile] cephy posting in [community profile] no_true_pair
Title: Symbols
Fandom: FFXVI
Pairing/Characters: Cidolphus Telamon, Gav
Content Notes: Takes place early in the game, prior to Oriflamme. Just a little missing scene drabble.
Prompt: September 24 2025 - Cid & Gav - “sparkle and shine”

~ Fic posted on my personal DW here ~
thisbluespirit: (writing)
[personal profile] thisbluespirit
I was planning to type up some older ficlets I'd found in my notebook, including one for [community profile] no_true_pair, and when I opened the doc, found an all but complete one already typed up! So here's one I had mostly prepared much earlier but apparently gave up on for some reason.

For the Sept 2024 round of No True Pair, and also for [community profile] 51pluscrossoverfandoms, [community profile] 100fandoms & [community profile] allbingo Crime Classics.

Subdivisions (1073 words) by thisbluespirit
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: Discworld - Terry Pratchett, The Chronicles of St Mary's - Jodi Taylor
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: Death (Discworld) & Madeleine "Lucy" Maxwell
Characters: Death (Discworld), Madeleine "Lucy" Maxwell, Leon Farrell
Additional Tags: Crossover, Alcohol, Drunkenness, Community: no_true_pair, Community: 51pluscrossoverfandoms, Community: 100fandoms, Community: allbingo, Max would like it to be known that none of this would happen if Peterson could drive straight, Death just wants to talk
Summary: Max continues trying to cheat Death, even when Death just wants to buy her a pint.
thisbluespirit: (btvs)
[personal profile] thisbluespirit posting in [community profile] no_true_pair
Title: Subdivisions
Fandom: Discworld - Terry Pratchett & The Chronicles of St Marys - Jodi Taylor
Pairing/Characters: Death & Madeleine Maxwell
Content Notes: Alcohol/drunkeness
Prompt: September Twelve 2024 - Death & Max with the title "subdivisions"

Subdivisions @ AO3

Evil, Chapter 1 by flootzavut [G]

Feb. 7th, 2026 03:36 pm
[syndicated profile] elysianfields_feed

Buffy has never been more convinced that Spike is evil.

(A Spuckling tribute!)

 

If you don't know what Spuckling is, please allow me to introduce you: if it walks like a duck and talks like a duck

[syndicated profile] elysianfields_feed

Buffy and Spike begin to get closer over a series of patrols. Retcon of Season five episode "I was made to love you" 

Earlier chapters in this story have been lightly edited and updated for continuity and tone. No major plot changes—just refinement. If you’ve read before, you may notice small shifts.

Thanks for reading and sticking with the revisions.

Weekly proof of life: mainly media

Feb. 7th, 2026 03:25 pm
umadoshi: (Cult of the Lamb 01)
[personal profile] umadoshi
In movie news, Cineplex has a listing for Zhu Yilong's new movie, Scare Out, which is apparently opening in Canada on Feb. 17. I refuse to let myself be excited about this, after having so much hope about Dongji Rescue last summer. But maybe it'll open here and I'll be able to see it! At least the 17th is before the crunch at work starts.

Reading: To shake things up a bit from Kurosagi, this week I reread the first two volumes of Hikaru no Go. In both of these cases, I'm pretty much relying on Goodreads to tell me when I get to volumes I haven't previously read. Awkwardly for my sense of "what even is time?", this means that I now know that I first read vol. 1 of Hikaru no Go in 2006 and vol. 1 of The Kurosagi Corpse Delivery Service in 2008.

My sense of how far I got into Hikaru no Go is completely nonexistent, since I know I read some number of volumes at some point, and I saw some of the anime (long enough ago that I know we were still living in the co-op we moved out of over fifteen years ago), and [personal profile] scruloose and I (much later) saw the c-drama in its entirety. It's all rather a jumble. But seeing the c-drama did inspire me to finish buying the manga, and I guess its time has come!

I did wind up reading all of Dungeon Crawler Carl, and the upshot, given my uncertainty about finishing it to begin with, is unsurprisingly that I doubt I'll pick up the second book. I think it's very safe to say that LitRPG is not my thing. I did wind up liking the book more overall than I would've thought back around the 40% mark or so, though.

Watching: We're caught up on The Pitt and one episode behind on Frieren. We've also seen the second episode of Midnight Mass, which has a lot of animal harm; I don't have any triggers that I'm aware of, but it was enough to be upsetting.

Playing: I think I've finished Cult of the Lamb: Woolhaven, which is to say that I've finished the main plot and done a few wrapping-up things, leaving me free to idly manage the cult and do dungeon runs, but that's usually when I wander off.

Weathering: We're having some of what I would call Normal Snow for the second time this week. The first time, a few days ago, I realized I've started to basically think in terms of "winter days that are cold but not much is happening outside" and "snowstorms", without much in between, but that's probably a result of leaving the house so rarely as much as it's a byproduct of climate change.
flareonfury: (Cressida)
[personal profile] flareonfury posting in [community profile] 100femslash
Title: Yours, Cressida
Fandoms: Bridgerton
Pairings: Eloise/Cressida
Rating: G
Warnings/Spoilers: Season 3
Summary: Cressida apologizes.
Notes: Written for [community profile] femslashfete prompt judgement and [community profile] 100femslash prompt forget.
[...Table...]

Yours, Cressida............
[syndicated profile] elysianfields_feed

After the return of The First and the Turok-Han 10 years after 'Chosen,' Faith and Spike get trapped in Hell in their efforts to avert the next apocalypse. Forced to camp out in the infernal realm, it takes them a century to find a way back to the real world. When they return, they're in the past and they have an opportunity to make sure none of this ever happens. They quickly begin to take steps to take out the Turok-Han and foil The First's plans before it ever gets a foothold, but can Spike pass up the opportunity to make some other changes? Not likely. 

susieboo: An icon of Double Trouble from She-Ra and the Princesses of Power, with slightly muted colors. DT is resting their chin in their hand with a thoughtful expression. (Default)
[personal profile] susieboo posting in [community profile] animatedfanfiction
Title: you're the sunflower (i think your love would be too much)
Fandom: KPop Demon Hunters
Rating: T
Warning/Spoilers: minor body horror + medical stuff, sad ending, internalized homophobia
Summary: Celine has been quietly suffering Hanahaki disease for years, and now must accept that if Miyeong can't love her back, there's only one way forward. [One-sided Celine/Miyeong. Angst. Oneshot. Title from "Sunflower" by Post Malone and Swae Lee.]

Posted here on AO3, or here on DW.

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