Random, Recs and Crafts

Recently finished the Cdrama I am Nobody. I have never come across a canon that seemed to try to portray the main character as someone we were supposed to be cheering for yet also presented them as a complete insufferable asshole that everything they did made me hate them more and more. Hou Minghao (tlt2's Wu Xie)'s character was great though (he grew his hair out for his role and looked amazing, check out this short nonspoilery clip of him) but ultimately not worth sitting through it for.

I tried a few episodes of Mysterious Lotus Casebook, I don't think people are wrong when comparing various aspects of it to Nirvana in Fire or Blood of Youth (which I both loved) but it's not working for me. I guess because I find myself drawn to young, hopeful Fang Duobing (Zeng Shunxi/Joseph Zeng)'s character rather than the sick plotting one so a lot of the same plot notes feel different. I suspect there's also a little of the inundating flood I keep seeing of people talking about it. Sometimes, that pushes me to finish a show (like Word of Honor, which I was also kind of meh about when watching) but other times it doesn't and I just wander away and I think it's falling towards the latter this time. Time will tell. I suspect it'll wind up living in the 'currently watching' list on mdl. It takes a lot for me to shift something to 'on-hold', let alone 'dropped' and just Not Feeling It isn't really a reason to shift it down.

Craft-wise I took that plastic cordage rope I made months ago and kept adding to it and eventually started making it into a rug while adding more and more and eventually (after using SO much scrap plastic from mailer bags and clothing bags and ziplocks with rips and the protective plastic that paper product rolls are wrapped in etc) made a rug for boots:

It's 20"x15" or so, fits two/three pairs quite easily. If I'd planned for this use in the first place I would have made the starter rope much neater but oh well. Daughter has already claimed it for her apartment so at least it'll get used. I've got enough bread bags to start a new rug from them, although no idea where it'd go if I finish it. We're basically out of room but I have absolutely no desire to sell my craft stuff. Trying to monetize a hobby would only lead to stress and doubt and hate for me so that's not an option.

I have started the next cake for the dragon scale blanket. Not sure what I'll do when I finish with it (which will be ages, but still). We already have more afghans than I know what to do with. I also started a new oven mitt using the same pattern but this time making it a bit larger all the way around so hopefully it'll be a better fit.

Have two weeks of recthething recs, two mdzs/untamed fic recs and a bunch of random art from this year's trick-or-treat collection:

Mark My Place by BenevolentErrancy (28k)
Summary: Wei Wuxian had already made his mark on the cultivation world and he knew it. He had been a nuisance and a war hero and a threat and the stain of true evil and then he had died. Whatever place he had once carved for himself was shed at some point in those thirteen years. Now, having been revived, a man displaced from time, he could accept that he didn't really belong anywhere except perhaps at Lan Wangji's side. And that should be enough, because Lan Wangji's side was the best place in the world to belong. It didn't matter if none of the other sects wanted anything to do with him, or the fear and scorn that other cultivators met him with. Really, it didn't. The juniors disagree. (a new 'all the sects come to love wwx' fic)

The tea to my heart by blackmorphos (84k)
Summary Snippet: A sleep deprived Wei Ying stumbles into a tea shop, meets an impossibly beautiful man, and is served a cup of tea that changes his life in more ways than he could have possibly expected.

A modern day meet cute with heaps of Wangxian fluff, mutual pining, and A-Yuan adorableness galore! (exactly what it says on the tin - cute modern AU)

trickortreatex art recs (all works still anon):

Doctor Who (1963):
- [Art] Do Not Pass Go. Summary: The Doctor and Romana play a traditional 20th century Earth game. (love this and the details, like the monopoly pieces, are very cute)

Mysterious Doctor Plague:
- Doctor Plague Makes a House Call. Summary: ...somewhere he's never been before! His new patient is foreign to him, but oddly familiar-looking. (I don't know this fandom, but it's absolutely adorable plague doctor art!)

Neopets:
- Halloween Sticker Sheet. Summary: A mock up/Faux sticker sheet including Halloween Neopets, Petpets, and spooky items (very cute!)

Nightmare Before Christmas:
- Zero's Discovery. Summary: The moon has a surprise on Halloween. (Zero is so adorable here)

Object and Concept Anthropomorphism (Cursed Book and Dark Druid)
- The backyard's full of bones Summary: Everyone in the coven knew about the Cursed Book that was chained in the depths of the sacred cave. It was this grimoire that gave them deep knowledge of nature, potions and spells. Despite the common knowledge of the book's existence, since reading the book came with accepting its curse, the coven gave the position of book holder and Reader to only one chosen witch. Said witch would be the only one to even come close to the book during their lifetime.

The coven has had many Readers over time, their lives not lasting very long due to the Book's curse. But this time the book feels what they will call curiosity (for now) for their human holder. The only human they will see for a while, but how long will that be? (fascinating and well done)

Original Work:
- In the Deep (delightfully spooky anglerfish mermaid)
- Still Here (a beautifully done ghost dog at a cemetery, poor thing)

Spider-man: Into the Spiderverse
- Sad Drummer Summary snippet: Gwen is sad about not being able to visit Miles Morales and Hobie cheers her up! (this really captures the look and feel of the movies)

No store I went to for post-Halloween sale candy had any on sale. :( Cheap candy day is the best holiday and I failed at it this year.