#by then an actual plot started to build and I am such a sucker for plots

[allastoredeer]

I discovered Just kiss Already after you uploaded part 3 and I have a question. So Part 1 is 1 chapter, Part 2 is 2 chapters, Part 3 is 3 chapters. When you say your writing "the next fic" do you mean like ALL of Part 4, which you then break down into chapters before you upload them or do you upload chapters individually as you complete them?

The fics themselves aren't so much chapters as they are a serialized collection of fanfics that have an overarching plot.

The reason I'm writing "Just Kiss Already" as a series instead of a multi-chaptered fic is because each fic has its own little mini plot inside it. Each of them are a mini story that's gradually building up the larger story at play.

I'm also keeping it as a series because I go back and forth between POV's a lot. Hopping between POV's in a multi-chaptered fic can work, but I usually like keeping them contained to a single POV. It makes it easier on me and the reader, so I don't have to clarify which character we'll be following in each chapter.

It's a collection of stories that are all linked together, kind of like a TV show, but you can totally view them as parts too.

"De-Lovely" is part 1 , "Holy Suffering" is part 2, and "Damage Control," is part 3.

I've actually split up the entire plot of "Just Kiss Already" into three different arcs (or three seasons if the TV analogy helped), each with their own theme. But I shall not tell you what they are, because that would be spoilers 😈

Sometimes, I don't intend for the fic to be split into multiple chapters, but if it gets bigger than I expected, I break it up because it's easier on me when I get to the editing stage. Editing one large chapter is so much harder than editing a couple small ones 😅

I hope you're enjoying the series! I'm very excited to get into the juicer bits of the story 😏

[assumptionprime]

I need to rant about the Fallout show

Because this is the person I am. Full spoilers, so I’m putting it behind a Keep Reading:

I’m a huge sucker for Fallout (yes even 3&4). And I went into the Fallout show with some… trepidation. Amazon has been a mixed bag on adaptations, we could have been blessed with a Good Omens, or cursed by a Rings of Power. But early buzz and reviews seemed positive, so I slammed the whole thing in one night with my spouse (we were staying at my in-laws house and they have Prime. Time was a factor.)

And y’know? I was really enjoying it! The characters were fun, the plot was engaging enough, and the costumes and visual design were extremely on point. There were some minor lore quibbles to be had: Ghouls needing some kind of medicine to not go feral. Really, more Enclave holdouts? Timeline and date whoopsies. Wait are they in California? Where the hell is the NCR?

I made a face at Shady Sands being bombed and the NCR collapsing. But I wasn’t completely out of the story. Based on what I had seen so far, I thought it was building to a reveal that the Brotherhood had done it. That the more zealous turn they took in Fallout 4, which has clearly carried to how they are portrayed in the show, lead them to bombing the NCR. War never changes, as they say. Maximus even says when asked what happened to Shady Sands: “The same thing that always happens.” Yeah, it leans into Bethesda’s weird desire to keep the Fallout world in a state of perpetual wastelands full of raiders and no civilization, but it wasn’t so terrible that I couldn’t still enjoy the show.

But then.

BUT THEN.

Episode 8, and the reveal of Vault-Tec apparently being the ones who dropped the first bomb in the Great War.

I was surprised to hear that some fans have apparently been debating over who fired first? Some even asked Tim Cain about it?

That’s really odd to me because, in the games, there is already a pretty definitive answer to which side sparked the Great War:

Who fucking cares?

The world ended. What does it matter who shot first?

There is no China, no United States, no communists or capitalists left to fight about it. 

It's a powerful little bit of lore.

For all the posturing, all the promises from each nation that their way is the true way, all the nationalism, the militarism, and blind loyalty to flags over humanity, they both lost. Everyone lost. All that remains of the ideologies and nations that were so important to the people of 2077 is faint echoes over vast expanses of radioactive ash.

Who started the end?

No one knows. No one cares.

It only matters that their conflict was so bitter, so all-consuming, that one of them dropped their bombs, and the other dropped theirs in return.

The truest legacy of the old world is the devastation left by their final, most horrific war.

Can we do better?

Then the show says "Nah, Vault-Tec did it. It's not a commentary on human nature and the futility of self-destructive conflict, it was actually these guys, these mustache twirling villains huddled in a darkened room literally plotting to end the whole world so they can rule what's left."

And I can see the attempt to make this a critique of capitalism. I actually paused the show to praise a bit of writing when Coop is talking with Charlie before the war, when Charlie tells him that the “cattle ranchers are in charge” to illustrate how capitalism and corporations hold too much sway over the government, it felt very in line with how in New Vegas one of the recurring critiques of the NCR is that all the real power is in the hands of the “brahmin barons.” Nice parallel, spot on!

But “we’ll set off total thermonuclear war so we can rule the ashes and have a True Monopoly” isn’t capitalism. It’s just dumb “we’re the baddies” writing.

And then Shady Sands was also Vault-Tec?! Forget any meaning in the NCR falling to the same corruption and/or factional fighting that consumed the old world, they were literally just bombed by the evil shadow conspiracy that apparently also killed the old world. Hank gives this speech about factions fighting and the futility of it all while we see the Brotherhood fighting Moldaver’s NCR remnant, and like, no! You can’t say that when you’ve made it so neither the old world or the NCR fell to war with another faction! It was you! You and your band of cryogenic supervillains!

I don't care that they changed it. Timelines and dates and little retcons don’t bother me all that much. I care that they changed it to something so much worse.

[evendimmer]

Hey babe 😌 here to save you from your bored: What are your top 5 favourite Agatha fanfics?

Thank you love, for your ask and so kindly saving me from boredom.

When you say Agatha fanfics, I’m going to assume it’s any fanfic involving Agatha? Not just exclusively Agatha I hope because the list would be entirely different….

A few things you should know about me: I am a big sucker for Character x reader fics. There. I’ve said it. Call it self insert, self indulgence whatever you like but it is my guilty pleasure, and that’s the point of fanfics right? To enjoy and feel good?

Another thing is that I’m a huge consumer of smut. Pure shameless smut. Give it to me hot and filthy.

The last thing: I love Agatha and Rio equally. And you’ll see what I mean I in just a moment.

So if any of these things above aren’t for you, you can pretty much skip my whole list :’)

Anyway without further ado, here's my top 5 Agatha fanfics:

(Note: Click the titles below to start reading each fic)

5. Learning to Focus (w/ Part 2) by @covenofagatha

Pairing: GP!Professor!Agatha x Reader

"When you run into Professor Harkness at the local library while you're supposed to be working on a project for her history class, you find yourself distracted by her (again)"

I feel like I'm exposing myself with this one. There's something about cockwarming and being in control/losing control that makes this fic sooooooooooo fucking hot. The build-up and anticipation before getting absolutely destroy by none other than Professor Daddy Agatha? One of my go-to fics when I need to get uh sorted out.

3. Two Professors and a Student by @covenofagatha

Pairing: Professors!AgathaRio x Reader

"You run into your old professors Agatha and Rio at a bar, and will it lead to the start of something new?"

Yes I skipped a number. No it’s intentional, because the next two fics are TIED in third place.

Let’s be honest. Who hasn’t had a crush on their teacher or professor at least once in their school life? I did. More than once. This fic has it all - both Agatha and Rio as your ex-Professors (cuz school policies wink wink), getting down and dirty with you separately and together at the same time. Live out that college fantasy with this fic in the smuttiest way possible.

3. Neighbourly Care by @d-z20

Pairing: Milfs!AgathaRio x Reader

"You think the neighbours are MILFs and the evening is filled with flirting and then you get to be fucked by each of them and then by both of them."

What's better than a hot mommy? TWO married hot mommies that are both into you. Agatha and Rio taking care of you, with a little bit of friendly competition between them. As the author has stated, this fic is just "pure unadulterated smut" and nothing less. Best part? You're not the only brat or the only one getting punished ;)

2. Something Wicked by @motherconfessors

Pairing: Pre-Salem!Agatha x Rio

"While an apprentice witch, Agatha grows frustrated when she's not permitted to learn magic.

Until someone makes her an offer that she can't refuse."

This is the AgathaRio fic that I swear by, canon in my mind until we get actual explanation from season 2 if its happening. It explores the backstory of Agatha leading up to her Salem trials, and her meeting with a certain Green Witch™️. A fine balance between plot and smut. Great character depictions, superb lore building and filthy hot smut that hits just right.

1. Lights, Camera, Magic by @lunargrrrl

Pairing: Director!Agatha x Reader

"Agatha Harkness sits in the director's chair of some of your favourite movies. Your world suddenly turns upside down when you're invited to audition for her latest screenplay, 'Witching Hour'."

This one is a no brainer. My newest obsession. Ongoing smutty fic with 41 chapters now. Author is so good at building tension like it's not even funny anymore at this point it HURTS (just right though). Yes there is angst but there's also fluff and A LOT OF HOT FILTHY PURE SMUT. Tens of thousands words worth of smut. Like I've mentioned before, every chapter has a song to go with it and author has ✨excellent✨ taste in music.

oops looks like I went off again. But there you go, if you haven't read them already please give these fics a try. I promise you they are sooooo worth it.

I feel so exposed now I need a new account and a new life

[scribblesofagoonerr]

definitely can see Leah loose her mind with Jordan, monkey, buddy, and rugrat all staying under one roof including the two dogs. I feel like she would have to be the responsible parent of the two not to mention live with your co parent who you thought you would spend the rest of your life with

Absolutely, Leah would be on the brink every single day.

It's complete carnage—her ex girlfriend, her daughters, her granddaughter and 2 dogs under one roof? It's like a whole sitcom from hell, and Leah is definitely the only one who takes anything seriously while everyone else just runs wild.

Jordan, of course, is the fun parent and she easily lets' Buddy get away with blue murder—she's a sucker for Buddy's big blue eyes and pout, caving in to giving her sweets before dinner straight away, and letting her stay up too late, of course sleeping through all of the nightfeeds leaving Leah to handle that instead. And of course, Leah is the type to hold a grudge—she'll be shooting Jordan daggers across the room while rocking a screaming Rugrat at 3 AM.

Monkey is really going through it and barely comes out of her bedroom while Buddy is running riot, plotting how to get rid of Rugrat in the quickest way possible

Then there's the emotional weight of living with your ex—the person you thought you'd build a life with. There's a lot of late night moments where Leah and Jordan sit in silence, exhausted and start to reminisce about the past. There's the occasional arguments between them when Leah feels like she's doing everything while Jordan just coasts through. But there's also a few rare moments when they work like a team again—when Rugrat won't settle and Jordan wordessly hands Leah a cup of tea, or when they both burst out laughing at the chaos around them because what else can they do?

Leah's life currently seems like a never-ending headache, but deep down, she'd never actually away from them—no matter how much they all drive her insane.

[kidspawn]

OOH could I ask about Beneath the Mask?? I’m such a sucker for vigilante aus and I’ve never seen a trc one before 👀

(Fun-ish Fact: Its what this snippet is from)

Thank you so much for asking!! This fic is kind of my baby. I've been quiet about it because, to be honest, I didn't think anyone would be interested in reading it. And it started as kind of a joke? I won't go on too long, but to explain what it is I want to just share the inspirations:

"Ronan was saying that he never lied, but he wore a liar's face" Blue Lily, Lily Blue

And this got me thinking about Ronan, his personality, how he handles his keeping of secrets, and how the bled into his relationship with Adam. Ronan doesn't technically lie. He dances around it, he bends the truth until right before it cracks. He excels in secrets. And secrets are a half skip from a lie, aren't they? And in my head, this is almost a way to justify to oneself that, if you really think about it, it's not really lying so really he's honest, right?

Now, pivot to Adam. I start thinking about how Adam responds to people keeping secrets. When Blue and Gansey were hiding their relationship, and he confronted them, he wasn't so much angry about them hiding the actual relationship as he was the idea they didn't think he could handle the truth.

So my little lizard brain goes, "god isn't that great fucking conflict??? wouldn't it be fun to write Ronan keeping this huge secret from Adam? and how that tension would build and boil over and break?" And yeah that would be so fun.

On the other hand, the idea of Ronan trying to help Adam and Adam getting pissed over it. And this going on until Adam decides he needs to figure out who the fuck this guy is and also they know each other in real life? Wowza, this will not go bad at all. Fun little push and pull, you know?

Add that onto Ronan "has never used a healthy coping mechanism in his goddamn life" Lynch dealing with what has been one hell of a year and working through his grief and isolation the only way he knows how? With a power he inherited from his father and learned could make the bad things go away. I could talk more about where the rest came from, which was a period of time spent playing Persona 5 nearly every night and thinking about Akechi Goro and his sense of justice and the idea of doing anything, anything, because if you make someone pay, maybe it'll fill that pit in your chest.

Somehow this has bled into "hey how much can I make Ronan fucking suffer because maybe my mental health will improve if I write his gradually spiraling down the drain" and I was right. I'm setting Ronan on fire, dousing him in gasoline, and dancing on the ashes. I am beating him with a wiffle bat. My skin is clear though.

I wish there was a more clear synopsis at this point. I have 50k written and most of it won't see the light of day, to be frank. It's been a lot of maneuvering and rewriting and editing to get the tone I've settled on. Henry has also made himself a major player despite all my outlines and plans. Half the fun of this story is me being able to ask questions about character dynamics and what switching them up will look like. Aging them up and threading their development if it had played out differently. I had to go and write drabbles and one shots to establish background for characterization. But at its root its the product of me starting a crack drabble I will likely never show anyone and it just spiraling so fast out of control.

There's a lot I won't clarify in terms of plot, because I'm worried sharing too much would ruin the story beats? But let me link this snippet I'm editing down, with unreliable narrator Adam judging the fuck out of Henry and kind of the groundwork for the dynamic I want to write between them:

==

“Oh.” Henry said, already making a beeline to the kitchen. “Scary when she does that, isn't it?”

“Not scary.” Adam corrected, following. “Not surprised you think it is.” Henry had never struck him as the type to know how to handle fear. Granted, the information Adam had on Henry was limited to a trust fund hefty enough for effortless comfort well into middle age. 

“You're acclimated to it.” He was digging through the fridge, edges of his nose and mouth radiant against a pale yellow glow. Even hunched over, Henry had an easy elegance when maneuvering his body. There was no rationale to Adam's envy here - elegant was the one word he knew came attributed with his features and hands and complexion - but it was more the sense of comfort in skin he figured he'd covet. 

“I got it from her mom, first.” Adam shrugged. “She comes by it honestly.” Maura had more a grasp on the theatricality of it all, and rarely needed to practice those confrontations. Adam had been trained out of reprimandable offenses long before association with the women of Fox Way. Rarely, if ever, had Maura turned admonishment his way.

Henry came up empty-handed, frowning at the shelf he'd been scouring. “There's nothing to eat.”

“There's plenty to eat.” Adam corrected, “You just don't like leftovers.”

“Takes all the zest out of mealtime, doesn't it?” Henry grinned at him, straightened up to shut the door.

“I guess.” Adam leaned against the cupboard, arms crossed. “I don't think about zest very often.”

“That much is obvious.” Henry did not spare him a glance as he went to the sink instead. “Water?”

Adam sighed. He'd had this conversation with Blue before, about trying harder with Henry. The conversation had not quite been an argument but should have devolved into one, especially when Blue had compared him to a shelter stray. Something to do with abstaining from interaction beyond his trusted few. Adam, she'd said, was not the type to snarl but he didn't come close either. Trapped between docile and hostile, a true neutral ground. It was most apparent when he spoke to Henry, who spat back venom under ostentatious vocabulary.

“Sure.” He said, picking at a patch of dry skin on his elbow. Much like his hands, his joints flecked and dried during these drier winter months. 

“You should look into lotion.” Henry pointed out, faucet on and back turned. By no account should he have seen the picking. Adam hated when he noticed things about him. It was like being trapped by a two way mirror.

“I'm fine.” 

“I have some. I'll even pretend not to notice you use it.”

“I'm fine.”

Henry passed him a glass of water, careful not to graze fingers. “Pride is a sin, I've heard.”

“I'm agnostic.”

“Also a sin, I imagine.” He said, turning to reopen the fridge, like a second approach would grant new results.

“Something like that.” Adam snorted, despite himself. He watched Henry, keen to absorb what little information could be filed away. The tender half moons of exhaustion barely peeking through his complexion should have indicated a lowering of defenses. Henry wore a bone deep exhaustion Adam recognized in mirrors and glass panels, another conundrum when paired with smooth skin and soft palms. 

“You know, Parrish,” Henry began, examining a bottle of relish. For no particular reason, really. Adam didn't think any of them particularly liked relish. Or had anything to put it on. “I am caught between a rock and a hard place with you.”

Could say the same for you. 

“Are you?” Adam crooked an eyebrow. 

“I'd like to know you, but you bristle and hiss if I get close. I’ve never seen a human practice overt piloerection.”

“Who uses piloerection in casual conversation?”

“Now, don't tell me this is casual.” Henry said, “I doubt you're the type for small talk.”

Adam wasn't, but he could pretend to be. He stared back. 

“I'm not a fan of it.” Henry admitted, setting the condiments down. “Pickles are good for muscle cramps. We should keep pickles on hand.”

“Blue isn't big on pickles.” Adam explained.

“And neither are you?”

“I don't care either way.” 

“You know we've known each other a year and I don't know anything about you.” He shrugged, “Not for lack of trying.”

Adam scoffed, “I'm not hiding anything.”

“Didn’t say you were.” Henry said, “You don't offer anything up, either.”

He couldn't argue with that. “And you do?”

Henry considered this, glancing at the ceiling like it held an answer. “Blue is very expressive isn't she?”

Well that was a given. “Yeah, I suppose.”

“It's something I admire about her, you know.” He tapped the side of the fridge, a one two three rhythm. “She always seems able to say what's on her mind. How she feels. You know who she is, you know? She's good at showing it.”

Adam swallowed. “Yeah. She is.”

“I think that's one thing we know about each other, then.” Henry continued, resting his chin on the door, rocking back and forth on his toes. 

“What's that?” Adam took a sip of water when Henry caught his eye, smiled a little sad. A little triumphant too.

“We both wish we knew how to show who we are, don't we?”

==

Alright that's all. Thanks for asking and tuning in!

ask about my wips (or don't you don't have to i swear)

[bengiyo]

Century of Love Ep 5 Stray Thoughts

Last week, Vee decided that he wanted to steal the stone to heal his grandmother, and so pushed San to let him live in the house. Vee wanted to get into the locked room, and was eventually let in by San. Vee also learned that San has suffered every night for a century. Vee also tried to seduce that man, leading to another wet dream. Nephew came back to start shit again. Goons kidnapped grandpa, and then one of them snuck into the house, stole the stone, and stabbed Vee!

Ah, Grandpa wasn't kidnapped. They just wanted them all away from the house.

Watch enough Thai dramas and you start to recognize the hospital hallways.

I hope that was a decoy stone intended to be stolen to learn who their enemy was.

Nephew! I knew it was you!!

In typical drama fashion, we have to reveal exactly how we outsmarted the enemy.

Not only does Daou look great in this hoodie, it makes it easy for any stunt doubles.

Oooh a car chase.

WELP, DROWNING IN A CAR IS ONE OF MY PRIMAL FEARS.

Don't worry, Vee, they don't know you also tried to steal the stone.

I do like that Vee is having fun teasing San. I haven't forgotten his homelessness story from last week.

Oh that was a good cut from the bench back to the room.

POND PONLAWIT

It's interesting that Vee knows Third already. We're gonna flip multiple dynamics in this lifetime. Already thinking about the observation from I think @mysterygrl20 that this time around San pushed Vee into a loveless marriage.

San looks familiar to Third! The plot thickens.

Juu is my favorite. She will never give San a break.

Now, San, no one said anything mean about you; that was all you. Vee is also correct that he doesn't have to prioritize the lore about previous lifetimes, especially when San insists that he isn't Vad.

Honestly, I'm totally down to see what kind of romantic chemistry Pond and Offroad can build with these characters. They can play out this jealousy plot for a bit if I can get that.

LOL, Juu. She does not want to follow them.

I feel like the dino art reaction is a play on Daou's fandom thing.

I'm with Juu. He barks orders like an old man, and then he wants a friend.

A balloon arch! How fancy.

An upside down book. It's a common trope, but now I want to watch Goblin again.

Oh good. I was hoping Vee would catch them in the picture.

That's right, Vee, tell his old ass that he has no right to control you. You're allowed to entertain suitors!

OOF. Vee is taking this in stride, but it definitely hurts to be shunned.

Not this show getting me to root for Third! I am such a sucker for second chance romance for the gays.

WHY LIGHT THE FIREWORKS IF HE AIN'T ACTUALLY KISS THAT MAN?? SPARKS ARE NOT ENOUGH!!

I'm happy for Vee that he got a response out of San, but curious how he navigates more interactions with Third next week.

This show is so smart, and is having a lot of fun interrogating its own premise. I like the implication of Trai being reincarnated as Third, and having a genuine relationship with Vee that he wants to turn into romance, whereas San is being possessive of Vee in a way that's about someone else entirely. San has to also build a real relationship with Vee, and it's good that the show knows that. We noted that Vad and Vee have similar features, but I'm curious what the investigation into those relatives will turn up and if there is a female Vad doppelganger with the same birthday as Vee.

[elixirfromthestars]

💘: y’all already know i will take any opportunity to praise time after time by my sweet lovely @intrepidacious

nika’s writing is some of my favorite i’ve ever read and tat is no exception. the world building is phenomenal, the plot is excellent, and the attention to detail in every aspect is actually insane, and i will sing its praises so long as i am on this godforsaken app 🫶🏼

💘 The Sweetheart's Book Club 💘

Submission!!

Time After Time by @intrepidacious

pairing ⟢ bucky barnes x time witch!reader summary ⟢ After what starts out as a fairly normal mission, you find yourself stuck in a time loop. Which would already be bad enough in itself if it didn’t also mean having to watch Bucky die over and over again.

˚₊ · »-♡→ Oh, that summary alone has me hooked!! I’ve never read a time loop fic before, but it seems like it would be such a fascinating read!! Although, I feel I’ll have to prepare my heart to see our beloved super soldier die over and over again 🥲❤️‍🩹 But I’m a sucker for angst, so I’m so here for it, break my heart! 👀💔 Thank you so much for adding this to the book club, Tiff!! 💖

sweetheartsoiréesleepover ⊹ °• 💌 ₊ ° ♥️ !!

[farm-witches-fic-recs]

Farm witch friends, you have done the coven proud.

We've got so many good recs it's going to take a few weeks to share them all!

Starting with these that were recommended more than once, if you haven't spend some time with these fan favorites, you should check them out now! And leave the authors some love, of course.

========

Everyday Magic (houdini74/@mostlyinthemorning)

Each magic story is so unique, so sweet, so... D&P! 

I couldn’t pick just one of these wonderfully variable scenarios that all include just a little (or maybe a lot of) magic added to the perfect scene setting and banter. 

Favored Nations (@blueink3)

ALL OF IT! It’s my go-to when I’m feeling down, when I need to revise our boys. The characters, writing, and plot are all amazing. 

Amazing world building, very in character slow burn.

The ultimate slow burn, the perfect love story set amongst the wonders of Broadway and NYC.

It’s just so, so good!  I am a sucker for secret romance fics, and this one has that and so much more.  Add in some Shakespearean theater with a twist and just the right amount of angst and sexiness, it’s just perfect! I love it so much.  

This author knows David, Patrick, and the NY theater world inside and out. The volume and level of specificity, volume, tenderness, anxiety, and love of these characters and worlds is astounding. The characterization is so vivid, it's the easiest fic to forget isn't canon.

Fifteen hundred miles (morehuman)

I go back to this fic a lot! I just love the idea of them both challenging themselves and finding out what they are capable of.

The most incredible journey, a gift to go along with them in it.

I carry these heart-shapes only for you (@ladyflowdi and @ships-to-sail)

I love this transportative, visual feast of historic fiction. Luscious WW2 Paris is so vividly portayed and David’s wild, wealthy, LGBTIQ+out flamboyance juxtaposed to the farm-boy turned military-man Patrick is sexy and sweet. It undoes me every time. I actually first came to the piece via FairManor’s outstanding podfic. Both the text and the podfic are high art. It’s not just one of my favorite fan-fics. It’s one of my favorite stories of ALL time in any genre. I read/listen and I am at the Gaston, riding on the back of Patrick’s motorcycle, kissing in windmills, eating crepes, touring junk shops & dancing naked to 40’s blues. I’d give anything to see this as a film with Dan & Noah & cast. I want a leather bound print copy of it. Also - The epilogue is progressive, heartbreaking thoughtful genius. I’ve just finished rereading & listening to it again. Each time there are new Easter eggs to be found. Joyous. 

It's just the most beautiful piece of writing ever written. Descriptive, lyrical, hot, stunning, heartbreaking. It has everything. 

I’d swing with you for the fences (@nontoxic-writes)

Achingly sweet and fluffy all set in the perfect baseball/famous AU with secret relationship AND musician Patrick. I come back to reread this one a lot!

What isn't there to love?  Baseball, long distance relationship, sex, songs, coming out to the parents, coming out to the team, coming out to the world, excellent use of side characters....I could go on and on.  There are so many amazing fics out there, but I've read this one at least a dozen times! 

Incorrect (@lisamc-21)

You can hear David saying it, but now picture the Maldives.

A beautifully written story of our boys meeting on vacation. Their trip is so sweet and so hot, and when they say goodbye, it's heartbreaking. The twist- they are both famous in their own worlds but don’t recognize each other so don’t realize who the other has hooked up with. When their week ends, they try to maintain a long-distance friendship as they learn who the other is. What was a hot hookup becomes a slow burn, and it’s amazing!!

The Last Rose Video (@distractivate)

Gorgeous writing, the perfect mix of canon and AU, clever plot, great dialogue.  The fic I read over and over.  It’s as comforting as a warm blanket. 

Swoon. SWOON.

Strike Anywhere (@madlori)

Hot firefighters. Hot sex. Hot romance. But like in a Sandra loves Keanu sliding out of a speeding bus kind of way.

Hot hot hot!  That’s the first work. Then- the author developed a prequel that is also hot but is also funny, loving, sweet. Love fireman Patrick!

This enemies-to-lovers-to-secret-husbands story featuring Patrick Brewer as a firefighter, is deliciously tropey and blazing hot, but also it’s written with such authentic emotion and perfect banter that it keeps me coming back to read it whenever I need a mood lift. 

Such great heights (@likerealpeopledo-on-ao3)

Great story, the very best jokes, and the wedding date chapter is so good it would work as a stand alone fic. 

It's got the mother of all fake dating scenarios, and Stevie in this in among the best I've ever read her. It's also very very funny. All the times when they say Feel The Air crack me up every time!

Sustineo (@rockinhamburger)

This is a perfectly paced one-shot AU that builds a world in which David is a brilliant, stormy, reclusive artist whose whose treatment by the press (and one Sebastien Raine) has made him unwilling to engage with the world…. Until he meets an intuitive and kind art writer who sees him for everything that he is (and can be). All of characters here are perfect and I love the descriptions of David’s art. 

Incredibly hot art fic.

You can fall (sweetsirius/@wordthieve)

It takes the David and Patrick rescue each other theme of the show and makes the stakes even higher. Plus it's just a genuinely beautiful piece of writing.

The story arc and pacing are fantastic. I love how David and Patrick's relationship develops and how Patrick learns to open himself up again after grief. It's incredibly well written. I've read it so many times, from full read thrus to dipping in and out of my favorite moments and chapters.

Patrick is so heartbroken, but then he meets David. So romantic, and feels lived in.

[blindmagdalena]

Hiiiiii! I have to start off with the fact that I love love love your fics and drabbles. I am truly obsessed. I’ve always been an x canon or x oc person, so that’s how I found you actually? Through eat your ego, honey. And I loved it sm I read your x reader fics/ficlets as well (I always pretend reader is an oc lmaoo) and I just needed to let you know how much I adore your work.

So much so that I’ve been hit by a plot bunny and I just had to share. In DC Injustice (spoilers ahead btw for anyone who was interested in looking into it) iirc smth that happens to make Superman go all homelander-ish, is that the joker uses krypton it’s I believe, to trick Superman into a hallucination where he thinks he’s taking a super dangerous criminal or smth? I forget what exactly? Out of earth’s atmosphere to save the planet. And instead, what he finds out when he is free of the kryptonite influence, is that he wasn’t taking and killing a threat out in space. He had actually taken his pregnant wife, and so he’d killed Lois and their unborn baby. It’s so tragic to think abt, and the start of a lot of more loss and anger and despair—turning Superman from the good Boy Scout image into a true threat, almost like homelander.

And I can’t help but envision a scenario where a supe with this mind altering ability? Sort of uses this on homelander and his pregnant partner. Except I’m a sucker for happy or happy-ish endings, so obvi I think homelander snaps out of it just in time. Maybe he flies his partner way way up and drops them? Only to snap out of it, as soon as he’s let go.

Sorry if that was a bit too dark btw! I just cannot stop envisioning it 😭

oh!! thank you so much! happy to have converted you 😂 i was similarly only into x canon/x oc, but something about Homelander converted me, too. i was so focused on him, and reader fics are a really easy way to put a character in Situations while having a lot more freedom with the love interest than canon/oc typically allows.

anyways! onto your scenario!! MY DUDE. that's fucked up 😭

i'm similarly a big baby and would only be able to read this if it ended happily haha but if it's plaguing your mind, it's a good indicator you should write it! the building horror of the ascension, the moment of realization!!!! the shock of seeing them plummeting to the ground! catching them! the aftermath! AAHHH!

this has so much potential, anon!!! 🖤

[hazbinhazbinhazbinreblog]

HI!!! I’m super super new, and i just browsed through the tags for Dadstaticradio AU, CATCF AU and Radio Guard AU and need to say that i am sooo obsessed with them!! I certainly plan on browsing all the other AUs (especially secretly married AU, i am very excited about that one), but it is very late where i live (*cough* 1 AM *cough*) and i want to go to bed soon, so they’ll have to wait for tomorrow (well, “tomorrow”).

But before i do retire to bed, i would like to put my own two cents in, because i am soo happy i found a place where i can finally share my little ideas and stories!! (I do hope i don’t annoy anyone, I apologize if i do 😭).

Basically, it’s a radiostatic AU. Of course. And it might sound a lot similiar to the secretly married AU from what i gathered about it, but how i mentioned earlier, i haven’t checked that one out yet + this AU has been brewing in my head for maybe like… two weeks??

It goes with the trope of Alastor and Vox getting married way before Alastor disappears for 7 years. I’m not sure if they’d be exactly public, but i like to imagine they would like to keep their relationship to themselves but wouldn’t be exactly insistent on hiding it either. But, that isn’t the main thing about this AU.

The plot revolves all around Alastor’s disappearance. The reason why he disappeared in the first place.

Because of Vox.

And let me get this straight, i do not have this fleshed out at ALL. Like, it’s just a little concept i have. But the premise is that maybe some really powerful Overlord wants to take advantage of Alastor and his power, and make Alastor work for them. They would be trying to find Alastor’s weakness, because goddammit everyone has one, so what’s his deal? but being unsuccessful for a long time. Until one day, they notice Alastor’s interaction with Vox. And they start observing them. Which leads them to conclude that, Vox is Alastor’s weakness. So they build this really elaborate plan, where they threaten Alastor that if he doesn’t work for them, they’ll bring harm to Vox. Alastor tries to find out an escape at first, but the Overlord has been preparing for a long time for this and that leaves Alastor with no other choice than to comply.

So, Alastor finds himself in a deal. His soul for Vox’s safety. The Overlord doesn’t wait any longer and takes Alastor to god knows where, making him disappear for 7 years. And the worst part? Alastor isn’t allowed to tell Vox anything, lest he reveals his deal and risks Vox safety.

At first, Vox is worried for Alastor. Because what if something happened to him? But he later acknowledges, through his bond with Alastor (i kind of hc that when u marry someone in hell, you bind your soul to them) that Alastor is completely fine and (relatively?!?) safe. Making Vox believe that Alastor just straight up left without a word. So he grows angry and frustrated and swears Alastor as his enemy (even though he could never actually hate him. Not his Alastor. It’s just the hurt speaking). And when Alastor comes back, he’s not met with love, but with blind rage.

So, for both his and Vox’s sake, he plays along. Pretends to be Vox’s biggest rival and enemy. Even though it hurts more than he could ever imagine.

Hi !! Always v happy to hear new people are enjoying things, and dw no one is annoying here, all ideas are welcome

"Vox is Alastor's weakness" punched me in the chest /pos, I'm such a sucker for self-sacrifice especially if the second person doesn't understand why they did it

Also the idea of marriage in hell being a soul bond is so. Amazing. I have no words for it

Love this love this

[mostowa]

I don’t think Tim’s pain should be excused, however nobody seems to be acknowledging how DISRESPECTFUL Tim was toward Lucy in last episode … actually making not want them back together because he’s treating her like she meant nothing to him

Hey Anon!

I needed to take some time to answer your question for several reasons. One of them being that I didn't want it to be bundled (also in my head) with hateful comments about me being Tim defender. More importantly, I wanted to really think about what to say here. My answer is going to be one of tl;dr so here goes my general reflections about fandom, TV shows and life.

Firstly, someone said here very wisely at some point that it is great, how different we see scenes, dialogues and react to character building. I also think this is what makes things interesting as long as we keep our discussion civilized and open-minded.

Please, I don't want you, dear Anon, to find this lengthy answer as invalidating to your reflections. You have every right to this judgment, to your emotions and wanting to skip shipping Chenford.

You know, I rarely watch TV shows to judge or relive the drama. I am a sucker for TV shows that are well written (and I consider The Rookie one of these) is that they usually give me a lot of reflection on different characters and all kinds of life situation. I watch them mostly to analyze. And Chenford situation atm is nothing if not a deep pool to explore :D

The analysis is what I really feel like doing with Tim (and a lot of other plots in The Rookie). His perspective is a very distant to one that I follow in my life and that's what makes it interesting for me. He is a deeply bruised man in an obvious mental health crisis. And thus I am not feeling like judging his moves. I want to understand what he does and why he does that.

I've been in a mental health crisis myself. And boy, I was desperate. I was looking for any kind of reassurance I'm doing OK. I was left and judged by my friends. I felt so alone.

So, to add up all that. The way I see this situation is that it's not disrespectful for me, as I try to find different colors of Tim. It's a deeply wrong reaction, a scheme that he tries to fall into. The (once) safe common ground with Lucy: a work talk (that's the same he does in new sneak peek of 6x08). It's not an excuse, it's more of an explanation. I don't think it's good or right what he did, but I get why he did it and he is in an extremely flawed place.

Of course, if we are talking of disrespect and things happening in the relationship we need to consider both sides. So there goes Lucy side. As I see it, Lucy is, well, she is strong. To start. She also knows her boundaries so well. She sets them immediately with Tim. And I don't think also that she found his part disrespectful. I think she treated this a facade, maybe a BS also a little bit. I think she really hopes Tim will get his sh*t together (he needs to, let's be honest about that too). I'm happy she won't let that done at the expense of herself.

I don't think I see any of the disrespectful dynamic written in their relationship. But then again, I wouldn't have chosen to be with a partner like Tim, because I need a healthy attachment style and a good communication (which all I found in the beautiful mind of my husband). I think I've also always been rooting for guys like Tim has to find the good path. So, yeah.

Thanks to any of you that decided to stick to the end of this answer. I hope it makes any sense.

[yuri-is-online]

So I’ve got to ask, would you recommend Tokyo Revengers from your experience so far? Does the story and characters outweigh the (alleged) obnoxious currency system and money grabs?

So my gut reaction is to say no, I do not because I just cannot feel comfortable recommending this game in the state it's in, but I am going to make a pros and cons list to help maybe give you (and anyone else curious) a basic idea of where my head is at right now and help you make your own decision.

Cons

THERE ARE NO CAMPAIGN REWARDS. I cannot stress that enough there is nothing being given out to day one players to help you get started, and honestly it's super hard. Saving up for pulls feels like a foreign concept, there are so few opportunities to earn gems I have no real idea how I would even start building a stash let alone a team with the few characters I currently have. They don't give you a free SSR like twst does to help out, just the free SR from choosing your guy at the beginning though they do have a paid free SSR function. Now Twisted Wonderland does too, but like I said they give you a free one with unlimited re-rolls at the start.

Someone actually did the math about pulls and I agree with their assessment here: the cost isn't the worst I have seen in a gacha, but when you couple that with no free SSR for f2p, lack of reliable way to earn gems and I can feel it being a nightmare if the game progresses any further without a re vamp of some sort.

There really is no point to the combat or team building in this game beyond being a road block between you and the story. It's full auto which could be neat if there were nice animations but there aren't. It really might as well not be there, and that's before you get to the SSR rates...

Neither Pro nor Con

You might have noticed the above reddit user talking about the distinction between joseimuke vs otome and the reason for that is way back when this game was first announced it was supposed to be an otome game, which implies a level of explicit romance and relationship between the MC and the characters that is not typically present in joseimuke games. The current version of the game has a cast that seems to have completely changed, both character and voice actor wise. The stated reason for this and the delay was "changes in the market." It was originally supposed to be based off of Tokyo Ghoul? And was supposed to release in 2019, but was delayed until 2020, then put on indefinite hiatus until it's release now.

On an unrelated note, OG Obey Me! was released on December 11, 2019, Twisted Wonderland was released in Japan on March 18 2020, and Genshin Impact's world wide release was on September 28 of the same year. Make of that what you will.

"Yuri why did you bring up Obey Me?" Well Solomon's ring is introduced as a plot device... which could be interesting if they are going the direction I think they are with it but I don't know if I have enough faith in them for that.

The Pros

The characters in this game are honestly really fun. I really do mean that, I am not sold on their dorms/houses but the dynamics between the characters themselves are good for what they are. But the tone is very goofy compared to Twisted Wonderland (despite featuring more explicit topics) and I don't think these characters are as well developed as twst's are, but I think that can be chalked up to one of these games having been written by a manga author and the other having not.

I am a little bitch who hates horror stuff and is easily spooked but I really love how they are using modern internet horror monsters in this game. The first book features a creepy pasta monster that I was legitimately afraid of as a kid and I love their take on him. This second book features a ghost from a popular Japanese creepypasta. I'm a sucker for people being creative and using things that have become a part of popular culture without making it cringe, and I think this game succeeds at that.

Wrap Up

This entire situation has made me think about two animes I really like that I think sort of fall into the same dynamic as Twisted Wonderland and Tokyo Debunker. The first I am sure you have heard of, it's called Komi Can't Communicate and follows a girl with trouble communicating who really wants to make friends, and ends up accidentally befriending a guy who wants to help her out. The manga started being released in 2016 and is still going. It's quite good and I like it a lot.

The second is a little show called Aharen-san wa Hakarenai. It's manga started in 2017 and it received an anime adaptation around the same time as Komi san was being adapted. It follows a girl who has trouble communicating who really wants to make friends who accidentally befriends a guy who wants to help her out. I have no idea if Komi-san inspired Aharen-san nor do I really care because once you get past the generic set up, the routes the story takes are completely different as are the personalities of the characters. Komi is a slice of life and coming of age story in addition to a romcom, whereas Aharen is just a straight up romcom with a really cute main couple. There is room for both to exist because both stories do their own thing, just with a similar premise. There really is no reason Tokyo Debunker and Twisted Wonderland can't do the same, provided TD gives itself room to breathe and fixes it's damn grind.

Well assuming it picks up in Japan, it doesn't seem super popular over here right now.

[miz-chase]

🥝🍇

🥝 What’s your favorite trope/AO3 tag to write?

First Time - Always fun to build AUs based on "What would happen if this was the episode they first hooked up in?" Both B&B and Rizzles have a ton of build up so it's always a fun game to figure out what, in that episode's context, would be the thing that pushes them over the edge.

Making Up - I love heart-achey angst with a happy ending. Starting off with unresolved fight/breakup/divorce is fun because, again, both couples spend so much time together that it's fun forcing them apart and having them cope with holding grudges and sustained separation. Also I am SUCH a sucker for who is the one brave enough to reinitiate contact and how awkward that can be

🍇 Is there a particular scene/episode/book/etc that you want to just write a million fics about, over and over? Which one?

B&B: Obvious answer: 6x09 The Doctor in the Photo. Brennan confesses her feelings to Booth, what could happen next? Does she pretend nothing happened and go on with her life (canon)? Does she quit? Does she stop working with Booth? Do she and Booth cheat on Hannah? Does Booth leave Hannah? Does Booth never show up at all and she's hit by the car? The episode is such a good AU flashpoint in the timeline to play with!

Less obvious but same questions: 3x15 The Pain in the Heart: How does she cope with the emotional fallout from Booth's fake funeral? 11x2 The Brother in the Basement: How does she cope with the emotional fallout from the dumbfuck thing Booth did and the knowledge that he would abandon her & the kids for a lost cause?

Rizzles: Okay I don't know the show as well as I do Bones (let's be real, I haven't watched either show to completion, I have a Thing about that). Since I can't rattle off specific episodes, I'm gonna cheat here and actually say that one of my favorite things to do is borrow from other crime procedurals as plots to throw the ladies into. Favorites include Bones 3x05 The Mummy in the Maze where kidnapper drugs you up with drugs to make you panic and exposes you to your greatest fear. Jane rescues a panicking mute Maura who struggles to function, let alone trust her, etc etc. Another is The Closer 7x21 The Last Word: Big Bad of your choice gets away on a legal technicality, Jane beats the shit out of them in apparent frustration, and turns around to use their blood on her fists as DNA evidence to plant against the Big Bad. Jane's fired, but gets the job done. Meanwhile Maura is home alone, Big Bad sneaks in, Maura saves herself right as Jane shows up etc etc

[thelivingautomaton]

beyond the many, MANY other critiques of episodes 3x07 and 3x08 of the wheel of time (i.e. the racist/colorist treatment of darker-skinned black characters, Bury Your Gays, and so on -- imo all valid criticisms, and voiced with much greater eloquence in posts like this one), i think one of the big reasons the latter half of season 3 fell flat for me is this recurring idea of "we have to subvert book readers' expectations and keep them on their toes", combined with an inability of the show's writers to let go of their darlings

(obligatory disclaimer: my last attempt at reading the books fizzled out a year and a half ago about halfway through book five -- i'm starting them over again now, in part because of the way season 3 ended up going, but i might be incorrect or uninformed on some points in this post because of that. This Time I'm Really Going To Do It, i promise)

to be clear, this isn't to say i'm unhappy with ALL the changes that have been made. up till the last couple of episodes i was actually pretty impressed with the way that the show has been pruning out the more difficult or irrelevant plot threads, moving around events so as not to be hitting the same beats one after the other, and adding in more contextual build-up for characters' future dynamics. (see: elayne and aviendha's relationship, giving perrin and faile a more slow-burn romance, moving the siege of tear to post-aiel waste, etc.) obviously YMMV on all of these points, but for the most part i've been able to look at the show's changes to the source material and say, "okay, i see why you're doing this or not doing that, and these changes still feel pretty resonant with what was portrayed in the books (in my personal opinion)."

case in point, i kind of loved perrin giving himself up to the whitecloaks at the end of 3x07? as others have pointed out, it fills a gap in the books where perrin is more or less missing from the action in book 5, plus (again, imo) it feels resonant with the overarching theme in the books, and especially perrin's arc, about violence being a choice -- sometimes a necessary choice, sometimes one you have to walk away from, sometimes requiring a third option, but ALWAYS a choice. also i am just a big sucker for Trial Episodes(TM) in tv shows. (maybe perrin gets taken by the whitecloaks later in the books and gets a trial then, IDK, DON'T TELL ME)

put that in contrast with loial's death in 3x07 and siuan's death in 3x08. in particular loial's death felt incredibly contrived ("a waygate can only be closed for good from the other side", like...really?), while siuan's felt like an act of overkill after seeing her get stilled and then the aftermath of her "questioning". but it also left me thinking: why? like, what purpose do these moments serve within the greater arc of the show? how are they meant to reinforce the ideas and themes of the original books? (i guess for siuan you can make the argument that it drives home elaida's zealotry and the creeping rot at the heart of the white tower, but idk, i think the stilling and the preceding lack of a fair trial kind of showed that already!)

obviously you can talk all the livelong day about the non-diegetic reasons for said changes: expense, scheduling, makeup/prosthetics, etc etc etc. and you can also talk all the livelong day about other ways the show writers might have worked around those things. (recast siuan post-stilling to emphasize how she's a completely different person/going undercover; let loial stay on the backbench in the two rivers while faile/bain/chiad go rescue perrin; etc.) again we come around to the point of, "does this align with the feeling and ideas and overall Important Themes in the books? or are these changes made unnecessarily in order to add shock value and 'surprise' fans of the books?"

you can also contrast this with the outsize importance within the show's narrative of both maksim (literally did not remember he was there with alanna in the two rivers in book 4, altho i understand the books pretty much paint most warders with the same Just Some Guy brush) and also, imo, liandrin, who i SWORE was supposed to kick the bucket once moghedien confronted her. and also the failure to kill off/disappear moiraine and lanfear (soz, i know i didn't finish book 5 but i did get a little spoiled for that moment) after building that up all season, again in order to "subvert" viewers' and readers' expectations...but like...for what purpose? to go through the same thing all over again next season? the very thing the show writers have been purporting to be trying to avoid?

when i read the shadow rising (actually listened to the audiobook but whatever) there were three chapters that really knocked me flat on my ass with their emotional impact: rhuidean, the tower coup, and the battle of the two rivers/"goldeneyes". i liked rhuidean in the show, a LOT, but the other two felt weirdly lackluster. i think the coup was hamstrung by being one of a number of moving plots in 3x08, and also because unlike the books, we didn't have an eyes-on-the-ground POV of the coup actually taking place -- no min, no gawyn, etc. it just sort of...happens, with little fanfare? meanwhile the emotional core of the two rivers battle was just ablated altogether by the decision to not have perrin send faile away and her then bring in the cavalry in a Big Damn Heroes moment. sure, it's cool to see her and perrin fight side by side, and i DID love the "kill the ones i miss" exchange, and i GUESS they tried to replicate the arc of "all hope seemingly lost -> big rescue moment -> day is saved" with loial and also the whitecloaks coming in (not that they...really seemed to do much of anything, LOL), but it really kind of fell flat for me.

idk, maybe these choices will make more sense (in terms of the diegetics and resonating with the books -- again, not trying to make excuses for the harmful execution of specific tropes) IF the show returns for season 4 and we're able to see the bigger picture, but at this point i'm just left kind of scratching my head...and returning once again to the books. LMAO

[hellsgreatestperformance]

🍒 /launch/

send  me  🍒  +  a  url  and  i  will  write  some  positivity  for  them.

@arcanepactguile

Haha, I get to talk about you! > :D

I remember when I found your blog I was so thrilled to see someone else who loves RadioDust. I'll be real, I was a bit nervous to follow but your rules really spoke to me. I related a lot to them and it encouraged me to follow. I was really hoping you would follow back. Like I know I'm a bit slow with, like, essay threads, but I actually really like them. Angel loves to be the angst King, but he may be rivaled with your Alastor. But to go back, I scrolled through your posts and actually checked some of your threads with other Angels. I really admired your writing. Google or not you have a very outstanding vocabulary. I admire your attention to detail, something I personally think I struggle with. You can really set a scene for the muses or even just your own in solo situations. I also like the versatility of Alastor. The fact that in one thread he can be heavily dominant ( which really drew Angel to him ) and in another really submissive.

Also since we've started talking something I really appreciate is that you actually care about comfort. When I came to you about Angel's preferences I was really nervous, but you were so nice about it and we compromised. I feel I can come to you with concerns or even be honest if something's uncomfortable and you won't disregard it. Since that talk, I haven't been nervous at all. I really like plotting and planning with you. You don't make me do all of the work. It's a team effort to form ideas and build relationships. Your rules may seem intimidating, but you have been very nice. I enjoy our talks even though you're bullying Angel and making him needy! Crime! I really enjoy the writing, too. I think we mesh well. I get to read your replies. I feel like a winner. Your characterization is just fine~ Like Al can slay me. I am a dialogue sucker so keep that sweet, sweet dialogue coming. You are destroying my spider!

But, I'm really happy you followed back. I got excited. I'm looking forward to spicy and not-spicy things~ I'm really glad we were on the same page with shipping. I hope we get to write for a long time! And keep getting famous with those kudos you always tell me about.

[walks-the-ages]

I randomly found a "time travel fix it fic" for transformers and read it despite never interacting with any Transformers media outside exactly 1 Happy meal toy as a kid and Not Actually Watching the live action movies when they first came out (our brother liked the movies because they were so Mature(tm), I don't remember literally any of the details) and absolutely loved it.

I am a sucker for Time Travel Fix It Fics, and I think i recognize a tiny bit of plot from listening to that one HHbomberguy video where he reviewed the old transformers movie (the big guy eating planets is what I remember, and the one guy who talks super fast)

and honestly, Transformers fanfic is everything I wanted from the murder bot series and more. Especially reading the wiki page (from having to look up what everyone looks like) . Canonically transgender robots who looked at humans having genders and saying "oh that's cool, I'm that gender now, instead of the monogender(?) our species defaults to" .

The fact that they can reproduce in so many different ways (including "lets just build a robot and boom, it's alive and sentient now") , the fact that so many fics are effortlessly using not-quite-conlang perfectly to convey these characters are sentient robots made of machinery and are relatable but without just turning them into 'basically human narrator with anxiety in power armor with good hacking skills'.

The Wikipedia is absolutely hilarious to read with all the snarky comments and the level of detail with just how many continuities there are out there.

Anyways, if I wanted to actually get into Transformers shows, is there a particular place it's best to start, or is it fine to start at the original show and watch the cheesy original 80s(?) cartoon first and just move forward from there?

Are there any transformers novels?