#another top tier tier list from yours truly

[felikatze]

Fire Emblem protags rated by dragon-ness

*depends on Eliwood's dragonfucker status

**includes dragons among their potential love interests

"draconic blood pact" refers to characters whose ancestors were blessed by dragons and may or may not literally have draconic blood. i am uncertain

i have no goddamn clue what byleth qualifies as. half-homonculus.

lucina used in draconic blood pact section bcuz including chrom in the dragonfuckers tier is important to me personally

alear is suprisingly the first FE protag who is a full dragon without any schemantics attached? they're just a dragon.

transcipt below the cut

Dragons: Alear, Robin

Byleth: Byleth

Half-Dragon: Corrin

Quarter-Dragon: Roy

Draconic Blood Pact: Alm, Celica, Sigurd, Seliph, Leif, Alfonse, Sharena, Lucina

Non-Dragon: Lyn, Hector, Eirika, Ephraim, Ike, Marth, Elincia, Micaiah, Kris, Lianna, Rowan, Shez, Itsuki

Dragonfuckers: Eliwood, Chrom, Robin

[garagepaperback]

absolutely love your fic recs omg! do you have any recs for authors who are currently still active? i'll read anything but i'm a big fan of stories that take their time and have a slow slow slow burn.

aww thank you for the ask! here are some of my top-tier favorites from ~active~ authors, varying degrees of slow burn:

probationary action - @toomuchplor

this fic is like being in a carnival funhouse where the walls are writhing, panting, dumb-hot, rigorously perfect smut and then slowly, slowly, you recognize all the mirrors and the warped floor are actually soft, glancing sentiment and crisp prose and then you make it back outside to a big, real, aching world. in the parking lot you will have also important thoughts about the punitive justice system.

Harry breathes out a sigh, dropping his face into the open palms of his hands. “Thank Merlin for you, Neville,” Harry says, looking up again. “You really are the best of all of us.” “I’m not,” says Neville, “but I do want to see you happy, Harry.” Harry reaches out and squeezes Neville’s shoulder fondly. “It must be very interesting, dating Malfoy,” says Neville, standing up. “He uses a lot of sex spells, doesn’t he.”

la, who am i to love you? - @epitomereally

a masterpiece! i'm actually getting sun-soaked dazed eyes just thinking about it. perfect, heat-scoured (the riddled-with-light skies! the la fires! the radiant blooming gardens! the fucking pool!) lush location, one of the most interesting takes, and still true-to-the-marrow depictions of harry, draco, pansy, luna - the list is endless. also so hot, and so dear. even the traffic feels dreamy.

“Maybe you could list the pros and cons of moving to LA for me, Harry,” Dr Goldstein prods. Uncomfortably, all Harry can think is Draco, Draco, Draco.

the july tree - @oknowkiss

:,) this is so sweet, fun, hot and adoring from another masterful prose-maker. everything that is glanced at feels so naturally done, the vividness creeps in before you're liable to fully realize you're in fact reading and not truly looking. explorative and understanding. 10/10, wonderful, a hundred gold stars.

His neck was in shambles from where it had been bent over to one side. He tried to move but there was a heavy weight on his shoulder. He looked down and saw Potter had fallen asleep on him. Potter’s hand had slipped between Draco’s legs, just above his knees, and then the train came to a stop and Potter woke up as well, lifting his head, his glasses slightly crooked. Draco wanted to go back an hour and keep himself awake, so that he could feel Potter on him, warm and heavy and unguarded. Instead he’d had only a few seconds before Potter sat up straight, stretching his arms overhead. He smiled at Draco before standing, resting his hand on top of Draco’s head as he walked by. It was lovely, and intimate, but all Draco could think of was the hour he’d slept through, an hour of time spent with Potter he wouldn’t ever get back, his brain repeating over and over, I missed it.

cut from the sky - @mallstars

so much of what i'm desperate to say about this fic is [redacted] for spoiler reasons! such a raw romance wound around an incredible, engaging, heart-stuttering plot. i'm jutting my lip out and there's a vacant ache in my ribs where my heart's supposed to be over this one. lovely, queer, splendid, just perfect. god.

"Please," Harry heard himself say, though he didn't quite know what he was asking. Draco kissed his forehead. "Of course," he replied. "What would you like?" Harry shivered, watching the runnels of water against Draco's flushed cheek. "Please," Harry said again, dropping his head against Draco's leather-clad shoulder, thinking of his hotel room, of stumbling into Draco's store tomorrow, calling him Malfoy and pretending his days didn't revolve entirely around him, "Please don't leave. Please don't leave just yet."

gallows-bird - @jtimu

i want to describe this one with eight knife emoji's and nothing more. four chapters in and every single one individually has ruined my day. it's wonderful, dreary, just enough gray that you'll wonder if the glint you thought you saw was hope or just a trick of the light. highly recommend, misery loves company, come on through.

There hadn’t ever been anyone to soothe Harry’s hurts. To fuss over his skinned knees or brush his hair back from his temples with tender thumbs, too coo softly over a scrape. Comfort was something he’d learned secondhand, dear and hard-bought, and so sat there with his fingers twisted together, knuckles like knotgrass, and tried to wrench the words out. He wanted to touch, instinct told him that much, but he lacked the framework for how and where, and so he didn’t, and they sat there together in a thorny silence.

from love, obviously - @starsworth

counting even though bizarrestars is writing mostly (lovely! gender-explorative! wonderful! wolfstar and also black familial fic currently) not drarry because just god damn. an essential read for me. weirdo, phenomenal draco and the best teddy in the game, easily. hilarious but in that way where your breath snags after laughing really hard and the moment sort of echoes.

"You were kissing," Teddy says. "I saw it."  Harry's eyes sink shut for a moment, and he drags a hand through his hair, which Draco may have accidentally made a mess of, then he blows out a deep breath and opens his eyes. "That's—well, that did happen, yes. That was…something we did."  Teddy's eyes narrow. "I thought you were mortal enemies."  "Mortal enemies kiss…sometimes," Harry says weakly, clearly out of his depth here. He grimaces almost immediately after he says this, then seems to remember he's the adult out of the two of them and coughs, standing up taller. "Nevermind that, you'll understand when you're older."

close behind - @oflights

oh my whole fucking heart. destroyed! adrift! she died how she lived. reading this feels like listening to music, something sleek and melodic, and when i actually consider the masterfully-rendered level of complexity in the plot, it feels like trying to peer into the belly of an actively-playing grand piano. certainly does not hurt to be an enormous fan of eternal sunshine of the spotless mind, orpheus and eurydice myth, and general suffering <3

“It’ll be all right,” Draco said again, and Harry swallowed the rest of his words. He couldn’t let them out here, in their bed, in their home; not yet. And his body didn’t know how to say what he wanted it to, not with Draco this close. Harry didn’t know how to tell Draco that they wouldn’t be all right, not in any language. Not yet.

[regulusrules]

Hi! Okay so you seem like a very well-read person and I’d love to know if you have a list of your favorite Merlin fics. I just bookmarked all the ones you recommended in relation to the 10 best episodes and now I need more! I’m going on a training camp and would love to have something fairly long to download to my kindle so I can read on flights and when I don’t have data 🥰

Thanks so much in advance!

(Also, I LOVE your writing, I’m so glad to be part of this fandom with talented people like you!)

Hey! Thank you so much for your kind words! OF COURSEE I'd love to recommend you some fics! Likewise— the creativity of this fandom never ceases to amaze me :)

*cracks knuckles and pretends my eyes aren't lighting up rn because my time has finally come*

Long fic recs (50K-100K+)

1. to the world that never let you be by ImperialMint. Look. I'll hand out my own throat so willingly to any scar reveal fic. The trope is just so dear to my heart, and this one in particular was something else. It broadly covered every single feeling you might be looking for in a Merlin fic, and its characterization of both Arthur and Merlin was top tier. I basically sell my soul to any fic that does justice to their characterization, and this one did so much more than that.

2. What I'd Have Done by @flight-of-fantasy. I solemnly swear you will never read something like this fic. I read it in one day from how on edge I was all the time. I had to recount it to my friends in the timespan of three hours because of how much screaming and dramatic pauses there was. Simply, the brilliance of plot here is unmatched. Arthur's characterization as a strategist shook my innards, and Merlin's unapologetic nature was chef's kiss. It's so hard not to give away the plot while recommending this so just.. just read it.

3. Redemption by flakedice, Zerda. Soon, you will find a parallel post to the best 10 episodes with the worst 10, featuring first and foremost The Disir. Honest to God, I could literally go on ages ranting about how much agony this episode brought me. It was the blow that awoke my eyes to the possibility of fuck, this show isn't going to end well. I once thought about shitting on that episode like I did with 5×13 in My heart is readily yours, but fics like these hold me back because they already gave us everything. It gave us the ending we deserved. Gold. Everything in this was gold. The world building, the character development, the fact that Arthur has been given time. Truly a fix-it that fix-ed my heart.

4. Talking about deviations from The Fucking Disir, The World I Built for You by Fulgance is a must. It was the first fic I've read from the How They Didn't Find Out (magic reveal one-shots) series, and from then on I was * s o l d *. Whichever fic you decide to read from this, I guarantee you, you will have the time of your life. Fulgance is the one author I will always recommend without a shadow of a doubt. There is not a single work of theirs that will disappoint you. They will only break you.

5. Deep In My Heart I'm Concealing by @citharaposts. True story about this fic, I squealed when I read its summary. “I'm not standing here as a king, Merlin!” was the quickest catalyst to ever make me start a fic. I specifically wrote a spoiler-free comment for the author and left it in the first chapter so that anyone who's thinking about whether or not to go into yet another 100K fic will rest assured that it's an amazing ride. Have real fun with this one.

6. It Was One Kingdom, Once by queerofthedagger. Two things, if they happen, you leave everything behind and go thank your God for blessing you with it: @queerofthedagger posting a new Merlin fic, and it being a Royal Hanahaki AU. Like so many other tropes the author has nailed, this was the best Hanahaki I've ever read (across fandoms). It's so intricate and detailed and the world building is on another level. If our world was burning and I had only one thing to save, it'll be the works of this author.

Hope I helped, and hope you have so much fun in your camp!◕⁠ᴗ⁠◕

[Short fic recs]

[crimson-calligraphyx]

Tag List: @cheyfi @kingdomof-omens @daylightlvrs @blade-in-red @jay02bo @itsmrsfuentes @cncohshit @catj422 @lma1986 @chels3a-smile @kiwi475 @cookiesupplier @timid-raccoon

A/N: I've had this in my drafts for a month lol I'm so sorry.I hope y'all enjoy 🖤 Sexual content.

Early August. Third trimester; 35 weeks. My doctor told me to rest, but it's just not that simple when you own a bakery on Sunset Boulevard in LA, and it's the middle of the summer. Business was booming from summertime festivities, and there were orders that needed to be fulfilled before we closed early for the day—today was my baby shower.

I peered through the entryway from the back of the bakery, stealing a glance out the window. The sun beat down on the stream of passersby, adorned in shorts and sundresses, sunglasses and bright smiles on their faces as they soaked in the sun. I could only imagine how hot it was outside, and it made me oh so very thankful for the tree in our backyard, knowing I'd be spending the majority of the day out there for the shower. At least that way I'd have some shade.

I sighed and made my way back to my station in the back, picking up where I had left off. I twirled the flowering nail between my thumb and index finger, working on putting together yet another rose for a cake that a customer had ordered.

"So, you have any names picked out, Liv?" Juliana sidles up beside me, and I shake my head. "No, but we have a middle name. Nicholas." I tell her, a subtle smile spreading on my lips as I finished the last layer of the flower. I slide the rose onto the cake, adjusting it accordingly before turning my attention towards her cheery face. "That's Noah's best friend." "Aww," she breaks out into a smile that spread from ear to ear. "That's so sweet!" "Yeah," I let out a bashful chuckle, "but not as sweet as this damn cake. Look at how many flowers they want!"

We both glanced down at the dessert in front of me; the entire border was littered with roses, alternating between red, orange, and yellow. It wasn't the kindest on the eyes, but I was doing exactly what the customer had asked for.

"That's a lot of frosting," Jules laughs. I snort. "Tell me about it. It looks like a wall of fire." "Does it?" I nod, knowing she can't see the colors. "Oh! Check out the cake Holly made for your baby shower!" She enthusiastically waves me on towards where Holly was stationed.

I take a peek at what she was working on and grinned—it was beautiful from what I could see. She finishes the last dollop and places the piping bag down beside it, turning towards me with a sheepish grin on her face. "What do you think, Liv?" Holly asks in her timid voice, taking a step away from it for me to take a better look.

It truly was a work of art, and I was more than grateful for her effort. It was a single tiered 8-inch round cake, walled with a baby blue that melted into white all the way around. Intricate flowers skirted the bottom, elegant swirls crawling their way up the sides, meeting with a border of clouds. The cake read 'Oh boy!’ and settled on the top was a pair of blue booties, my heart immediately swelling at the sight of them.

"It's perfect, Holly. Thank you so much!" I threw my arms around her, bringing her in for a tight hug—well, as tight as my belly would allow. "I'm so glad you like it," she tells me quietly, but I can hear the smile laced in her tone. "I was so worried it wouldn't come out the way you envisioned. It's hard guessing what colors are what," she chuckles. "Thankfully I had some assistance with the booties." I pull away, placing my hands on her shoulders with a shake of my head. "It's better than I could've imagined. I almost don't want to eat it later today, but I think he wants it...so we're going to devour it," I laugh. She giggles and thanks me before packaging it up to be taken home.

Noah

"She is going to kill us," I muttered, one arm folded across my chest as I pinched the bridge of my nose with my opposite hand. "Why is the banner pink, and why does it say 'It's a Girl'?" "Well, they didn't have any 'It's a Boy' banners left," Folio shrugs. "But don't worry, we got a plan!" He perks up, a wide smile growing on his face. "Great," I grumbled with a roll of my eyes. I turn when there's a rattle behind me, being met with Nicholas shaking two cans of spray paint, a proud smile on his face. "Don't tell me you're gonna—" "Oh, yeah. That's exactly what I'm gonna do," he smirks, popping the cap off one of them.

With the banner pulled taut, I watched as Nick worked his magic, starting with the lighter shade of powder blue—Liv's mom must've helped pick out the colors. He traced what appeared to be a cloud around the word 'girl', slowly filling the area in and covering the word up completely. It looked a little tacky, but I was trusting the process, knowing how artistic my best friend is, and went back to assist Liv's mom and Victoria with finishing up the backyard.

After another half hour or so, we collectively stood as a group, Vic and I with our arms folded over our chests as we observed the scene before us. "Well? You think she'll like it?" I asked, a bit hesitant with the outcome.

All the streamers and balloons were hung, and all the favors were laid out in their designated areas. We had a table full of refreshments, and underneath our tree we had a large cutout of a hot air balloon—blue and white striped with bundles of white balloons to mimic clouds—acting as the backdrop for Bryan to take photos when Liv was to open her gifts. Nick finished painting the banner, and it seemed to compliment the theme of the party beautifully.

Vic shrugs, bouncing her head side to side as she contemplates. "I think she might throw a bitch fit over the banner, but other than that she'll—" "I love it." I spin around, and there was Olivia waddling her way through the slider door, her dress flowing by her ankles. "Even if the banner is fucked up," she laughs, shaking her head. I puffed out a sigh of relief, returning her smile, and began walking towards her. "Fuck off, Noah. She was mine first!" I'm practically shoved to the side as Vic brushes past me, engulfing Liv in a warm embrace with her mom following suit.

The guys laugh behind me, and all I do is shake my head with a light chuckle as I watched my wife reunite with her mom and best friend. My heart swelled at the sight; with a bright smile, Liv looked as beautiful as ever in her light blue dress, peppered in a floral design, and baby's breath tucked into the neat bun atop her head to match. Tears of joy sprung in their eyes as she cupped a hand under her belly, showing off the size of her bump. Her mom and Vic both gushed and placed a hand on her belly each, surely waiting for him to kick.

I let them have their moment, turning to greet Juliana and Holly as they came in through the gate. They brought in a cake from the bakery, which admittedly looked incredible, and I thanked them before placing it on the table with the rest of the food. After introducing them to the guys, I told them to help themselves to whatever they felt like, hoping to make them feel at home since this was their first time over.

It wasn't a big get-together and everyone seemed to be enjoying themselves, mingling about as Bryan clicked away on his camera to capture the day. We played games like baby trivia, guessing the baby's measurements, and guess who—which was sort of like this or that, but more so 'would mom or dad do that', and of course everyone was in favor of Liv, but it was all in good fun.

Before I knew it, it was time to open gifts, and with each and every one that was opened, the more this became real. Baby clothes, bottles, diapers, teething rings. A carseat, a tummy-time mat, a breast pump—which I had to snatch from Folio, who pulled it out and held it up against his chest and asked 'How does this work?' Everyone laughed, and I'm sure Bryan got a picture of it, but Christ I swear that man doesn't have a brain.

By the end of it all, my head was spinning. For such a small party, there were so many things gifted to us. Of course I was thankful for everything, and it was obvious the baby was already very much loved, but it just seemed like so much. Is he going to really need all these things? Was everything going to fit in the nursery? The clothes were so tiny, how is it possible for something to be so small?

Oh, God. We're a short five weeks away from Olivia giving birth. We're about to have a tiny human in our home. We still haven't finished painting the nursery or putting together the crib. Are we ready for this? Am I ready for this?

"Noah," I hear Liv call for me, and I shake my head clear before meeting her in our bedroom. "Could you help me take my shoes off?"

She sat at the edge of the bed, leaning back against her hands that were planted on the mattress. Her hair fell around her shoulders in messy waves, and her cheeks were flushed, indicating she had tried her best to take them off on her own, only for her belly to hinder her from doing so. Her dress had been lifted to the middle of her thighs, and I could see that her feet were swollen from where I stood. I knew she was embarrassed by the bashful smile playing on her lips and I crossed the short distance to join her.

"Sure, love." I grinned, cradling the back of her head to lay a kiss to her forehead before crouching down in front of her. I take her right leg in my hands and undo the strap around her ankle, carefully slipping the wedge from her foot. She sighs with relief; there was a deep indentation across the top of her foot and I frowned, knowing how hard I tried to convince her to wear flats instead. Her left foot was the same, if not a little bit more swollen.

I pressed my thumbs into the arch, slowly rolling up towards the ball of her foot, repeating this action a few times. A quiet moan slips out from her and I moved back to her right foot to do the same, her sounds music to my ears. As innocent as this was, it was going straight to my dick—her sounds, the proximity, her dress pulled up just enough for my mind to run rampant.

Slowly, my hands move up to her calf, my fingers kneading into the tense muscle. She sighs again and I bring her leg up to my lips, pressing them gently against her ankle. I inch my mouth further up her leg, my right hand sliding up and over her knee and landing on her inner thigh. "Noah," she giggles, "I only wanted you to take my shoes off." I lay one last kiss against her calf. "I know, sorry," I lower my hand, shaking my head. "I'll stop." Her legs start to separate, and I quirk an eyebrow at her as our eyes meet. She's biting her bottom lip and there's fire burning behind her oceanic eyes. "You don't have to," she tells me, maneuvering so that her leg was now out of my hold and over my shoulder.

She leans back on her elbows, spreading her legs further. Once again, my cock twitches in my pants seeing her on full display. I can't see her face clearly from the way her belly protrudes; I sit up on my knees to look at her and she winks at me. She presses her heel into my upper back, and I let out a breathy chuckle at her eagerness.

She assists in pulling her dress up further, settling it below her breasts. I grin, running my hands over her stomach before pressing a kiss against the bump and sinking back to my original position, hooking my fingers into the waistband of her panties. I begin to shimmy them down her legs, noticing that she's already starting to glisten with arousal. I smirk to myself.

I lay kisses on her legs once more, alternating between both thighs, inching up until I reach her mound and settle there for a moment or two. She's breathing heavier now, and I know she's buzzing from anticipation because of it.

Her hips rut towards me when I flick my tongue against her clit and take a moment to savor the way she tasted, licking a stripe through her folds. I palm her thighs, keeping her legs spread, and she squirms in my hold as I purposely avoid the sensitive bundle of nerves. I was being selfish, but God did she taste heavenly.

I spear her with my tongue, my nose running against her clit and she whines, her hands finding my hair. She knots her fingers at the roots, giving me a light tug, and a low growl slips from my throat from the sensation. She was telling me what she wanted without a single word, and I was going to give it to her.

I replace my tongue with a finger and a second shortly after, curling them leisurely, brushing against her spot ever-so-slightly as I coaxed a quiet moan from her. She begins to whisper my name, begging me for more, only to be cut off with a loud gasp when I brought my attention back to her clit. I massaged her with my tongue, meticulously tracing her in the way I knew that she loved. I thrusted my fingers inside of her, matching the speed of my tongue, and her hips start to lift, pressing herself further against my mouth.

I feel her walls beginning to clench around my fingers, and I groaned against her, wanting her to come undone. I needed her to, I needed to feel her release, taste her as she comes in my hand.

I encase her bud with my lips, lightly scratching my teeth against her before sucking, knowing this drove her nuts from the moan she always let out when I did. She tugs my hair once again, and a chuckle vibrates in my throat—I knew she was close. From her quickened breaths to the way she gyrated her hips against my mouth, it was only a matter of time.

With a final pull against her clit, her walls tighten around my fingers, pulsing as she comes on my hand. I groan, finding pleasure in the way her body quakes against me, savoring every last drop of her as if I were a man starved and this was the last meal on earth.

Her body relaxes, falling limp against the mattress. I pull her dress back down before standing, gazing down at Liv as she recoups. I grin; she was always so beautiful, even with her face flushed and her hair mussed, all the while panting with a satisfied curl tugging on her lips.

"Let's get you comfortable," I tell her after a few minutes, taking her hands in mine to bring her to her feet. "Wait," she giggles, dropping my hands and placing hers on my chest, looking up at me. "You don't want anything in return?" I shake my head 'no', grinning sheepishly. "No, love," I deny, my hands landing on her hips and giving her a firm squeeze. "I just wanted to make you feel good." Her cheeks tinted into a deeper shade of rose as she lets out a soft 'Oh'. I move my hands to her upper arms and give them a reassuring rub, kissing her forehead. "Arms up," I tell her gently.

She rolls her eyes, a playful pout on her face as she does as I instructed. I lift her dress up and over her head, dropping it on the floor before spinning her around to unclasp her bra and slipping it off her shoulders. She turns back towards me with a light smile and I reveled in the sight, from the glimmer in her eyes to the swell of her breasts and down to her belly.

She starts to cover herself with her arms; I knew how uncomfortable she was with her body now that she was eight months pregnant, but it was my goal to remind her just how beautiful she is. I cup her face with both hands, pressing my forehead against hers with a little shake of my head and locked my eyes with her iridescent blues.

"None of that," I whispered. "Stop trying to hide your body. You are still the most gorgeous woman to grace the earth whether you see it or not, okay?" I notice the tears starting to well in her eyes and she tries to blink them away. "I'm sorry," she says, barely audible. "Don't be sorry, love. It's my job to make you feel that you are." I lift my head from hers and brush her bangs back, kissing her forehead. "You. Are. Beautiful." I enunciate by kissing her nose and cheeks between each word. "Okay?" "Okay," she whispers, a strained giggle sounding from her.

I palm her belly, glancing down and admiring how my hand curved against it. She lays her hand atop of mine, and a smile breaks out across my face when I feel him kick. I bring my eyes back to Olivia's, and she had the same smile painted on her face.

"Let's get ready for bed, yeah?" I give her a kiss before retracting my hand and strip to my boxers. She takes my shirt from my hands and slips it on, giggling when it just barely covers her belly—my shirts used to land at the middle of her thighs beforehand. She finds a pair of shorts, lying down shortly after.

I lie down on my back, my right arm extended and patting my chest with my left hand. She wastes no time at all and shuffles closer to me, settling her leg on top of me while she rests her head on my chest. I press a kiss on the top of her head and wrap my arm around her, rubbing her shoulder lightly.

She sighs peacefully, nuzzling her face against me. "Thank you for today. Everything was beautiful." "Don't just thank me. Everyone chipped in," I tell her. "True. I guess if it weren't for Nick, we'd have had a banner that said 'It's a Girl!'," she giggles. "We have Jolly to thank for the food, Bryan for the pictures, Folio for the comedic relief." "Your mom and Vic for all the decorations, Jules and Holly for the cake. I really just made sure things were put in the right place," I shrugged my free shoulder. "Well, you all did great, and it's clear that baby is already so loved. So, thank you; all of you." "Anything for you, love."

In a matter of minutes, she was out cold. I grinned to myself, admiring the way she snoozed on top of me. Her jaw slack, the same strand of her mahogany hair that always got sucked into her mouth as she breathed, the subtle movement of her eyes shifting back and forth as she dreamed. I pressed another kiss on top of her head, sighing as I shut my eyes to try and catch some sleep.

It wasn't easy when your mind was on the fritz, mentally trying to figure out how this would all play out. Worrying if we had everything we needed—even though I'm sure we had more than enough—worrying if the room would be ready in time, worrying if we were both ready for this next step in life. Hell, we didn't even have a name picked out for him.

I don't think I'm getting any sleep tonight.

|Chapter 25|

[i-cant-sing]

I would like your input on this idea that's been floating in my dome. Baby fushiguro grows into young adult and they somehow find a lover without the zenin clan knowledge and gets engaged. She thinks that maybe that since she has grown perhaps uncle Noaya would AT LEAST see how happy they are and maybe eventually give his blessing.......SIKE BITCH HELL NAH

*young adult fushiguro introduces fiancé*

Uncle Noaya: He's hideous and poor, wont be able to take care of my bby...

*young adult fushiguro shows off ring*

Uncle Noaya: Thats such a small diamond! My bby needs a boulder diamond, see honey he doesnt love you, you deserve someone better!

*young adult fushiguro shows the proposal video*

Uncle Noaya: Where's the parade? Where's the fireworks? Where is the Tier 1 band playing in the background? He's not even proposing on top of the world! Honey look he doesn't even have any Hello Kitty shops owned! You need to break up with him before he takes you away from your Hello Kitty obsession because he'll get so needy!

(Btw sorry if this is long and might look like a request but I'm sorta new and just cant tell the difference between writing a ask or a request)

10000000% true because Naoya really doesn't think anybody is good for you. The only thing you got wrong is that:

1. He'd never be so nice about it and praise you for being superior to your fiance.

2. He'd much rather die than admit that he remembers the name of the pink hellish cat you're obsessed with.

Imagine reader being super nervous as she brings her fiance to the Zenin estate. It was already very hard dating him secretly, but now you felt like you were gonna fight one of the biggest curses of your life. Even that seemed easier than this.

Your fiance was confident that he'd win their hearts, he rubbed your back and assured you that you have nothing to worry about. But he doesn't know your family, he doesn't know how crazy they are.

You and your fiance sat across from your family. He was talking to them about how serious he is about you, how he'd make sure nothing ever upsets you, how he'd happily give up his life for you, all lovey dovey things. He had charmed up your aunties and other females of the family, but the men were a whole another story. They were glaring at him with distrusting eyes, loathing him for daring to steal your heart and plague your naive mind.

But they saw how happy you looked, how you beamed when your fiance held your hand, how you blushed when he tucked your hair behind your ear.

You were truly happy.

So as much as they hated the thought of someone kissing you and plaguing your innocence, they'd put up with it solely because you're happier than you've ever been.

They even do a background check on him, and he checks out. They've all accepted them, well- almost all of them.

Naoya is still in denial that you've dated someone, much less accepted someone's proposal. How had you been able to keep this charade up for years, right under his nose, is beyond him.

So, when you look to him for approval with those big doe eyes, it's really easy for him to say "Absolutely not." to you before leaving. You run after him, begging him to change his mind but all Naoya can think about is how that rat is gonna take you away and do disgusting things to you and traumatise you forever because clearly, no one else can protect you and love you like he does. All men are trash, all except him.

How tf is he supposed to let someone take away the child he raised himself? Youre his pride and joy, the only one to make him soft, the biggest pain in the ass, but you're his pain in the ass.

He simply won't let anyone take you.

Y/n: give me 1 good reason why I can't marry him-

Naoya, pulling out a list: he's too poor, so he can't maintain your lifestyle and will make you a poverty stricken child again. He's also very ugly, so he's not gonna give you good looking kids and he's not really handsome enough for the Zenin clan image. Also, you're stupid and naive to even date such an idiot in the first place-

Y/n: really? These are your reasons. They're ridiculous.

Naoya: ridiculous? They're absolutely valid-

Y/n: no, they're not. You're just jealous because no body wants to marry you.

Naoya:

Y/n:

Naoya:

Y/n: ugly ass ho-

Your poor s/o is just really confused when he comes for you, only to find you and your uncle Naoya fighting (more like Naoya putting you in chokehold while you pull hard at his hair) with each other.

[jaynovz]

Silverflint “In Peril” Fic Rec List

Hi guys! I got an anon a few weeks ago requesting Silverflint recs with the prompt: “one of them being in danger/peril/kidnapped (or anything akin to that) and the other going just above and beyond to save him. something with the vibe, if you hurt him i'll kill you.” 

There were hmmm not as many as I thought with the EXACT getting rescued parameter but I compiled some similar ones as well. Enjoy.

--

Affinity by Magnetism_bind

Summary: Silver spends his time while captured by Hands thinking of Flint and ignoring his feelings for the man.

It's a little harder to do so after Flint rescues him.

Notes: Oneshot, 4.6k, definitely the best and most faithful example of the prompt as submitted. Silver is held hostage and brutalized by Israel Hands and Flint rescues him.

Another Way by x_etoile_x

Summary: Silver doesn’t get the chance to turn back and attack the Spanish soldiers when he and Flint are captured on the warship, so he needs to come up with a different plan. Things get out of control. A retelling of their time on the warship at the beginning of S2, in the aftermath of this.

Notes: Long fic, 29k. Fantastic story on many levels. For the list, first chapter has a direct fulfillment of the prompt--Flint is in danger, Silver goes above and beyond to save him.

Fifteen Men in September by ballantine

Summary: Fifteen men on the dead man’s chest Yo-ho-ho, and a bottle of rum! Drink and the devil had done for the rest Yo-ho-ho, and a bottle of rum!

A Black Sails origin story for the song.

Notes: Long fic, 34k, just a fantastic read. There is a pivotal scene where Silver kills a man on Flint’s behalf and then further scenes of both of them in peril, Silver gravely ill. Very much the “going above and beyond” and “if you him I’ll kill you” vibe.

we were never meant to survive (but what if we did) by explosiontimothy, inwardphae

Summary: Since you still haven’t told me your name, I shall call you Jonah. You are so obsessed with sea and water that you’d make a home out of the belly of a whale if only it meant not to touch foot on solid land ever again. What if you get stuck there? I’d be forced to make my way to you and drag you out, cut the whale’s skin with my knife like a shark with its teeth and carve my shape out of it. And yours. There are two fighters, on opposite sides of the time war. They have never met but they know each other's names. But names are powerful, untamed things when they are spoken out loud. So they don’t call each other by their names, ever. Until, one day, they do. The Silverflint Time-Travel AU no one asked for, but you're all getting anyway.

Notes: Long fic, 46k, big concept sweeping crossover with the book This is How You Lose the Time War. Without spoiling, this story very much embodies “going above and beyond to save him.” Top tier.

darkness in his fingertips, eyes just the same by Jaynovz

Summary: A desperate fear is welling up in Silver. Flint, injured? How grievous a wound must it be to keep Flint from a battle? To prevent him from heading up the rescue party? Flint, who Silver had seen take a warship with a shot shoulder, Flint, who shrugged off injuries from raids with an annoyed grimace as if they were minor inconveniences. Silver’s heartbeat is too fast and too slow at the same time, ice creeps around him from all sides at the stark reminder that Flint is mortal. The man who would sneer at God, who would sail straight into a tempest, who seemed to control reality with his demons… Silver has seen Captain Flint bleed, yes, but it’s never mattered like this, never truly hampered him.

And on the heels of this fear is something far less enfeebling, something Silver embraces: a dark vortex of rage.

Notes: Oneshot, 4.3k. A reaction to in peril. An alt canon take of early s4 where Billy injures Flint at the Underhill Plantation. After Silver returns, he murders Billy for the insult. “If you hurt him, I’ll kill you” exactly.

frail and fragile bars by Ajaxthegreat

Summary: “I think you fuck,” Silver says. By which he means, with great intent: I think you are human. I know you are human. I see you.

Notes: Long fic, 21k. A very excellent story overall, and for this list specifically, it features Flint taking a sword to protect Silver in battle and Silver murdering the man responsible.

how we could be brought here by love by mapped

Summary: A 4x03 AU where Flint receives a minor injury in the battle of Nassau Town and Silver is very shaken by it.

Notes: Oneshot, 3.7k. Not a rescue so much as Silver’s intense reaction to Flint being hurt. I think it fits the vibe.

in over our heads by Jaynovz

Summary: Set at the end of 2.1.

The remaining Walrus crew want Silver flogged.

The experience creates some altogether unexpected outcomes.

Notes: Mid-size fic, 13k. Silver is flogged, Flint is very affected by that, takes care of him after, and they both learn a lot about each other ahem. “If you hurt him I’ll kill you” vibes definitely feature.

please do not let me go by natlet

Summary: Vulnerability, it turns out, is a blade that cuts both ways.

Notes: Series, 5 stories, 39k words total. An overall excellent series of Silverflint fics, however the one I’m thinking of for this list is the fourth, all pale and panting, where Flint is gravely ill and Silver goes above and beyond to take care of him. 

--

As always, let me know if you have a suggestion for an inclusion and I’ll give it a look. Thanks.

[mayasdeluca]

Could you rate Marina scenes but only.from s7.

Ik it wasnt perfect and kinda rushed but we had so many cute stuff

Sorry for the delay! This took some time and I'm still not sure of my ranking because some of these were tough. We did get some great scenes despite them ultimately doing Marina dirty in Season 7 IMO. A lot of stuff brushed under the rug/put in wordless montages that was really frustrating after waiting so long for certain storylines to wrap up and come to fruition but this is how I would rank them.

This would be my top 5 and then the rest under the cut:

7x04: truth or scared scene. so good. finally got to hear them express their fears to one another. (crazy how they all ended up becoming reality during the season) and then of course the cuddling scene at the end and carina sleeping in maya’s neck like we all knew she did <3 lovely to see and bonus that it was directed by Stefania.

2. 7x05: in maya’s bunk. top tier. everything about this scene is perfect. carina waiting for maya while wearing her sfd clothes. liam there. maya freaking out when she sees carina’s bloody shirt. carina having to tell maya she can’t get pregnant and maya immediately wanting to fix it and suggesting her eggs. maya finally speaking italian to her wife. i’m so glad we got this and in the 100th episode makes it even more meaningful <3

3. 7x10: we’re pregnant. two babies. i love this scene even if i wish we got more of an initial reaction to them finally seeing each other after all the wildfire stress. but the payoff of carina finally getting to tell maya she’s pregnant was beautiful and so special. the spinning kiss parallel to their proposal scene felt meaningful also. they finally had their moment <3

4. 7x09: i’d rather focus on my hot wife. 10/10 great scene. the foreshadowing of this is definitely evil but it's probably the sexiest thing we got of the season and didn't disappoint. Danielle and Stefania truly delivered as they always do when getting the material.

5. 7x01: Hi little Liam. We’d like to be your moms. I love this scene. Maya being the one to suggest adoption, saying they can still have their plans to get pregnant, listing all the reasons it makes sense for them. Carina being so happy and the way Maya looks at her at the end as Carina is looking at Liam and Liam looking up at both of them. I’ll always wish we got more of the beginning stages of Marina bringing Liam home from the hospital/introducing him to the team etc. but this scene was really good. The start of them finally becoming moms <3

Now the rest. I don't know if the 7x09 cliffhanger technically counts because they don't interact in it but I have to shout it out/put it close to the top because it's still so beautifully done and intertwined both of them together in such an amazing way. Just such a shame that they didn't pay it off that well.

6. 7x09: scene in kitchen. mutual i love you’s finally, the ultrasound picture on the fridge, maya wearing the jacket she wore when they first met. another great scene that gave us so many good things.

7. 7x05: FaceTime maya carina liam. super cute. we got probie and babe and maya in her class A’s. 

8. 7x08: opening montage scene of ivf process/embryo transfer. loved this scene, glad we got to see some of it on tv for once that just involved the two of them. i think out of all their wordless montage scenes in the season, this is the one that actually made sense to be a montage but some of us were so frustrated with them already having a lot of those scenes already that we wished there was dialogue. but i think it was nice seeing the process being done, the way they were looking at each other with complete heart eyes, maya holding carina’s hand every step of the way and then carina explaining things to maya on the ultrasound photo. and i love that it was the first scene of the episode. and then the transition to them at the clinic and maya being all protective of carina moving heavy things? 10/10

9. 7x07: scene in the beginning with liam is adorable. maya testing carina for her meeting about the lawsuit, maya and liam both crying and carina comforting them both. all it was missing was a kiss of some sort, don’t know why they didn’t add that. also carina calling herself mommy felt wrong

10. 7x04: getting locked out of the house. peak comedy. carina saying she wants to fight. love seeing them bicker like an old married couple lol "i’m married to maya bishop, of course my car is locked"

11. 7x06: at the clinic. maya being all smitten at the idea of carina being pregnant. i’m so glad we at least got this since we never got to see maya around a pregnant carina…we were so robbed of that

12. 7x08: over protective maya about the embryo transfer at the clinic and wanting carina to take it easy…adorable. the little bits we got of her being that way since we didn’t get to see it while carina was actually pregnant but i love that carina also reassures her she’s fine and still capable of doing things.

13. 7x09: in the tent, worried wives and ‘see you at home’ short but sweet

14. 7x09: texting scene. lasagna mention. super cute and bonus carina/liam cuteness 

15. 7x06: joe’s bar. annoyed they cut the kiss which was a theme this season but i really liked this scene. maya being a cute yapper while carina amusingly listens to her wife and them talking about mason and their parents and bringing it back to them having their own kids. carina telling maya she’s going to be a good mom…it was just a cute married domestic scene at their place.

16. 7x01: talking about getting house. Carina saying ‘your apartment’ stings even if I get she’s saying it because of the bad memories. seeing Carina with Liam in the beginning and Maya saying she did everything she could to save his bio mom was cute. our house. our home. this scene is cute but the fact that they didn’t just let them kiss properly is annoying and then we got the awkward angle instead. 

17. 7x08: in the lounge talking about liam and the bio dad. love how carina leans into maya’s chest and maya kisses the top of her head. wish it wasn’t so quick but it was a nice scene

18. 7x02: Carina getting sued: Maya being supportive of Carina from the jump was cute and the little touches throughout the scene was so them. and Maya basically making sure everything was taken care of and leading the way once they got the call to get Liam? my heart

19. 7x04: discussing attachment parenting and their different styles. i found this scene to be very interesting and to hear maya's POV of why she felt the way she did and it made sense for her stance to be what it was while carina felt the opposite. thought it was nice to hear them talk about it in a healthy way despite them disagreeing.

20. 7x04: the fight in liam’s room. lots of mixed feelings with this scene. i know people think Carina always pushes Maya too hard but i also think she should be able to talk about the tough things with her wife at times. it shouldn’t just be a ‘therapy’ thing when Carina is just trying to figure out where Maya is coming from. it’s also interesting to me how Maya always goes to bring up Carina’s father whenever she gets confronted with something by Carina, i wish that was something that was addressed. i also understand Maya is still working on herself and so getting defensive and walking out is still something she does and i don’t blame her for that. but part of me does wish we would have gotten to see them grow from this as it was already a step in the right direction after the fighting in season 3 (and we all know how maya handled that) but to finally get to see them ‘fight’ and discuss something without Maya walking away. 

21. 7x08: marina walking into the engagement party and telling the team about being on track to adopt liam. glad we got this moment and the team being happy for them. 

22. 7x02: Marina Clinic Scenes (I’m just grouping them altogether as one since they weren’t technically alone for any of them but still had some moments) love the look Carina gives Maya when she says “That’s what I said” about never having kids. Carina helping Maya with her gown, seeing them work together to figure out the illness the woman had, it was nice seeing them work together in that element like that (though i still think it was a missed opportunity for them to deal with a contagious situation and one of them catching something/worrying about liam but there was already a lot going on plus the suing situation at the end)

23. 7x04: Maya with the drill in the beginning. Carina with liam was adorable but it felt a little forced that Carina just couldn’t get a diaper herself lol

24. 7x07: end scene. having the box hit Maya’s boobs so they can’t kiss? stupid and unnecessary. only good things were the hand holding and amore mio. the double standards between all the couples sex scenes were trash as we’ve all said. 

25. 7x10: the flash forwards. idk if these count but they were fine. Maya’s showing them both giving birth was unexpected but i am glad we got the vision of carina giving birth to their baby. Carina’s only showing some weirdly placed photoshoot was underwhelming though.

26. 7x02: bringing Liam to the station…the fact that this was just a wordless montage really upsets me. I think this moment deserved way more. I get that it was Jack’s moment/episode but Marina had been waiting for this for so long and we deserved to see them excited and having the team excited with dialogue that they were finally bringing their baby home with them. 

27. 7x03: montage scene(s) - if these even count…I think we all know how ridiculous it was that this it the only content they got in the Pride episode and while it was sweet seeing the three of them in their new home and getting to dance and have their moment as a family…they deserved so much better and so much more. 

[gffa]

Did they at least fix what was wrong with Jason? like did Bruce at least fix what he did to Jason? Like im coming to terms with the fact that Jason as a character is now just a prop to serve Bruce whether to make him look good for saving the streetkid from becoming a Evil Criminal, or to give shock value to readers, or to dispense platitudes about the importance of family and how wonderful Bruce.

and that he will never be allowed to be or do anything good unless is in the service of batman in someway, but at least i need to know that Bruce fixed what he did wrong, and that they didnt just forget about that like the other time Bruce was awful to Jason.

I'm not really aware of them even specifically addressing it outside of maybe The Man Who Stopped Laughing, but like. That's kind of the things comics does, all comics I've read will do this at some point or another. They do over the top ridiculous nonsense and those plot threads often get dropped, I don't think we're meant to take them seriously, just like I don't think we're meant to look at Jason and think of him as the guy who shot an 11 year old child straight through the chest and probably right through his spine, and not forgive him for it. Comics are bonkers and I don't think they're meant to be taken with the seriousness we would of these actions in the real world--otherwise, almost ALL of these people have done things that they could never fix, you know? I don't know where your lines in the sand are, I don't know what you're looking to get out of comics, whether you're here for the canon or you're here for the fandom--and none of that is said with any shade, there's a whole wide variety of reasons to be a fan of something. I can't really give advice here because it's something you have to figure out what you want from comics and what you think they're meant to be might be totally different from what I think they're meant to be. And I'm struggling to word all of this, because I can feel how frustrated you are, how I've been there and felt heartsore about the place my faves occupy in canon, like I was and am a Pietro Maximoff fan in the comics, I have intimately known the pain of a character only being an extension of other characters, being written horribly by those who don't care about him, and desperately holding onto that one run where he was written brilliantly even though it was from 20-30 years ago. Versus that that's just the way comics often are, our faves just are not A-list characters, that comics are on a tiered hierarchy and we have to make our peace with that. Not all of the characters we like are the same ones the company likes or the writers like and that sucks. Whether that means walking away from comics (like I did after Marvel threw the X-Men under the bus for the Avengers in AvX, like I've stopped reading Quicksilver comics because my heart couldn't take it anymore) or just reading comics and then turning to fandom to realize the potential that canon never intended, whatever you need to do to make your peace with how comics operate, that's all any of us can do. I don't know if you're just in need of venting or if this is truly a breaking point for you, but it probably is true to some degree that Jason's always going to be written as an extension of Bruce's character, because Bruce Wayne Sells So Many Comics, of course DC is going to make everyone an extension of him, to some degree or another. (Honestly, right now, I think the only Bat escaping that is Dick and even he is still extremely tied to his relationship with Bruce.) Until those characters sell as many comics as Bruce does, I don't see that changing. All we can do is find the moments of something worth having fun with in the meantime, because comics are not a coherent medium, they are messy and tons of stuff is never addressed on-screen because every writer is coming in with their own agenda and it's pure chaos, and in my experience we just have to find joy in the whirlwind of it all.

[ryansjane]

Can you list the best straight couples in Thai movies or dramas in terms of chemistry?

sure :)

MY FAVE THAI DRAMA STRAIGHT SHIPS

KRATHING & DUCHESS (GIRL NEXT ROOM: RICHY RICH)

these two are just my faves, not just bc I love offmild, but also bc their story is simple, fun & wholesome, while still having some depth about generational poverty & superficiality. the chemistry is top-tier & this two are forever my fave thai straight pairing :)

ZEN & YUI (FABULOUS 30)

another off ship, shhhh I'm not biased he just slays so much it's not my fault! zen & yui are quite similar to krathingduchess in the sense that they're generally a very funny couple, yet they actually tackle a lot of issues about self confidence, appearances, intimacy, etc. they're not perfect but they're ADORABLE & I love them sm!

SOMCHAI & LINN (ANGEL BESIDE ME)

angel beside me is my fave straight thai drama bc somchai & linn are SO beautiful & wholesome. but similarly to the other previous ships, this show deals with a lot of deep issues related to poverty, toxic family members, etc. it's truly such a beautiful underrated show & absolutely deserved to pop off when it was released!

MEW & NEO (3 WILL BE FREE)

despite being the most underrated relationship in the 3wbf throuple, mew & neo are extremely iconic! first of all, yes mild lapassalan & joss wayar are two of the hottest people I know, thanks for asking, they make my bi heart very happy 😌 but also I love the evolution they have from enemies to lovers, and being both sex workers means they understand each other very well! they're just very cute together & I love them :)

SILA & MEEN (HUA JAI SILA)

not only is hua jai sila my favorite lakorn, but it's mostly bc of the pairing. I don't usually love pairings where the man is tortured & cold while the woman is perpetually kind & loving, but here it really worked for me. the chemistry is straight up FIRE, and you truly come to believe these two are such a beautiful & powerful team together. absolute cuties, and the fact that the female lead was a tor fan before that lakorn??? ADORABLE!

TANNAM & TEE (HAPPY BIRTHDAY)

to talk about a tragic couple (which also contains mild bc she owns this list lmao), we have happy birthday. mild & push are not only INCREDIBLY good looking together on top of being ABSOLUTELY TOP TIER actors, but the whole writing of this show will take your heart & play squash with it lmao. the chemistry is truly out of this world, and I cherish this show so much. the side ship of tonmai & his best friend (pluem purim & jan ployshompoo) is also ADORABLE!!!

VEE & KATE (THE REVENGE)

with how much I always scream about my love for this show, I hope that everyone knows by now that the revenge is one of the best thai dramas EVER MADE. one reason why I enjoyed this show so much, is that it balances legit the most gruesome murder story with a very cute & wholesome love story, AND IT WORKS. with mook worranit & non chanon being multiple times in this list which makes them thai romances experts, they really deliver a beautiful chemistry & love story. watch after the ending credits of the last episode, though!

BADZ & SMILE (BOY FOR RENT)

there is a reason boy for rent is one of the only straight gmmtv shows to have amassed so many millions of views, and it's that, on top of the hot shirtless men, badz & smile are absolutely one of the cutest pairings ever! their love story is a bit complicated but mond & fon's effortless chemistry really makes every viewer get attached to them immediately!

ANNIE & CHEN (MAMA GOGO)

here we have a very unexpected ship but SUCH a goodie! annie & chen are a funny, opposites-attract kind of ship but their chemistry is fire & they were just absolutely adorable! a truly wholesome pairing that will always put a smile on my face :)

AOM-AM & MIKE (FULL HOUSE)

now bringing it back to an OG iconic thai couple, we have full house! while this show has a lot of flaws, its pairing ISN'T one of them! the chemistry is top-tier, the story very touching & you spend so long with these characters you truly get so attached to them. absolutely adorable pairing :)

YING-YING & KORN / PAT & NOINA (46 DAYS)

now we have three recurring actors on this list at once! 46 days is such a cute show, it's chaotic, a bit surface-level, yet SO much fun! the main pairing composed of baifern & non is chemistry-central and absolutely great, but of course the side pairing of offmild (again! can't believe they got 2 shows together, it was such a slay!) stole my heart :)

KIEW & CHOMPOO (TO ME, IT'S SIMPLY YOU)

here we have another lakorn, that is this time barely a romance & more about a tight-knit community working together for a common goal & being cute, but the ship truly is TOP-TIER! one of the least problematic & toxic, and probably the most wholesome pairing I've ever seen! they're just too pure for this world & I absolutely love them :) (also green (kiew) & pink (chompoo) is my fave color combo hehe <3)

KLUAY & PUP (LOVE AT FIRST HATE)

you want chemistry?? YOU GOT IT! this is a pretty classic enemies to lovers thai story, very reminiscent of lakorns, but made better by the incredible male lead (I fell in love with him during this show, man's HOT!) & the really great chemistry between the actors! truly one of the best thai dramas for it, and even though I wasn't a big fan of all the tropes, this is one of the best thai straight dramas in my eyes!

BANK & LIN (BAD GENIUS)

even though I already loved the non x aokbab ship in the movie, in terms of series, jaonaay & juné were so good together! they even made a song together afterwards hehe, so cute! bad genius is such a good movie & it's also an amazing series, and even though there's a lot going on the brewing romance between bank & lin is SO GOOD! truly a show I'd recommend no matter what anyway :)

MIELLE & KIM (SENIOR SECRET LOVE: BAKE ME LOVE)

on the theme of chemistry, here we have a show that isn't exceptional but is absolutely CARRIED by its pairing! loving both actors from this pairing, it's no surprise they put their whole USSY in the chemistry, like I genuinely love this show bc they're too fucking cute!!! would recommend for a short, wholesome & easy watch :)

PHAT & CHER (CATCH ME BABY)

with the same female lead as the previous ship, we have my favorite straight recent pairing! not only is catch me baby such a fun show that I tremendously enjoyed, but the romance aspect is so cute & the chemistry??? PALPABLE! really such a lovely pairing I swear!

TEE & EL (BANGKOK LOVE STORIES 2: PLEAD)

once again our king non chanon is back, and here we have a story that did kinda disappoint me towards the end but is mostly amazing with a very powerful couple! emotions are high in that series, & I'm also so glad we get to see a really beautiful sex scene between them where usually thai dramas are more conservative, mostly regarding women. the cinematography of this show is also absolutely beautiful!

KRAAM & MAY (THE STRANDED)

I'm gonna try not to cry even though this makes me think of beam papangkorn's death, but the stranded truly was such a special thai show that deserved so much better. this pairing is a bit cliche but made better by the beautiful acting & chemistry beam & pat presented, as well as the beyond perfect cinematography (I think about the firefly scene shown above approximately once a week!) in my opinion, this is one of the most important thai dramas that is a must watch, so I would absolutely recommend it!

MINT & BEBE (MINT TO BE)

mook strikes again, this woman is incapable of having bad chemistry with anyone LMAO. this show is also one of my favorite thai straight series bc it's short, cute & very entertaining. the chemistry between mook & krist is also REALLY good, and the show was quite revolutionary in terms of pda for a gmmtv series at the time. I definitely recommend for a wholesome time :)

SKY & HOSHI (MY DEAR WARRIOR)

idk who thought of pairing up baifern & oab but they ATE! if you like scifi/supernatural shows, this will probably be right up your alley! I personally didn't really love this show even though I enjoyed a lot of aspects, but sky & hoshi truly were a great ship that I remember fondly! the chemistry was amazing & oab looks the hottest he's ever been in that role!

TOEI & TAR (HORMONES)

I couldn't talk about thai straight series without mentioning one of the most iconic ever, hormones! out of all the pairings, there is only one straight one I really loved, and it's toei & tar :) I'm always a sucker for the friends to lovers trope, but I thought this one was especially well done, especially considering toei & tar are some of the least unlikable characters from the show lol. they're very cute & wholesome and I thought I should include a high school love story in this list!

EMMA & PORSCHE (SENIOR SECRET LOVE: PUPPY HONEY)

despite being an offgun stan, I have to admit: I prefered porschemma to pickrome in puppy honey season one lol. despite being ruined in season two, emma & porsche are such a cute & wholesome ship, and them being reunited by dogs, which I'm obsessed with, only made their story cuter!

xxx

[prem-ium]

I've seen a lot of discussion and break downs of characters and motivations. But there are things about Top and Boston that keep jumping out at me but no one seems to be bringing up so these are my Only Friends thoughts:

Top:

From where I sit, he's giving off some serious abuse survivor vibes. When Boston talks about wanting him, Top has the clear ability to state he isn't interested. But when Boston gets physical at any point, Top freezes and lets it happen to a point where he either has to start actively participating or make a show of force to end things. And while he's a bit bigger and probably stronger than Ton, he picks the more passive option. Generally a sign that he was either abused as a child or by a partner that he was with long enough to feel like he couldn't escape (conditioned into going along with the situation to ensure his safety). So I can't help but ask.... Was the house fire another sign of his parents neglect or was it a way for a parent to try and get rid of the damaged goods in the form of a child? Let's be real, Thai dramas do not shy away from truly fucked up parental abuse. We know Top still works for his father and takes his job seriously. Given what I've seen from dramas in the past and knowing that this show is wanting to push the boundaries I would not be surprised if the father had been abusing Top and the mother set a house fire to try to end Top's life in some fucked up attempt to put an end to the abuse.

I don't think he really likes Mew as a person. I think he likes the idea of someone who doesn't prioritise a physical relationship. Someone Top could be with and hold a bit of the control. Someone who might actually see Top as a person.

Boston:

He tops everyone else, bottoms only for Top. (This is not really relevant I just felt the need to say it)

So in ep 3 we find out Boston's dad is a politician and Boston can't so much as take a photo with a lover for fear of scandal. This explains a lot about his commitment issues. He is locked in the closet by his father's aspirations. Previous partners have probably been paid off to leave. If your first love hit the road for a cheque, you'd give up on love pretty quickly too. So again, I feel like it's a parental cause.

His obsession with Top may be a parent approval situation. It looks like Top and Boston's families are both rich and powerful and probably running in the same circles. Boston brings Top in from outside the uni. They very likely grew up as family friends. (That photo booth from the flash back is in Top's hotel) Top seems like a very obedient son and Boston has probably been given the "why can't you be more like him" speech at some point. Boston has a clear list of reasons why Top is "top-tier". Maybe he figures if he gets the best boyfriend going his parents might finally approve and let him keep a relationship. (Yes I know Ray's family is also rich and probably prestigious in some way but Ray is an alcoholic and Ray's mother also had addiction issues and a scandalous death so he's clearly not appropriate for dating a politician's son).

And I'm going to end this with a wild, definitely incorrect, theory that I'm sure will be defunct within an episode or so but I still want to put it out in the universe:

Sand is also a rich kid who got disowned for being bi/pan. Sand's ex is Boston. He would have been the partner that couldn't be bought but then Boston cheated on him with Top and everything went to shit. I know it's not an accurate head cannon but just imagine what it would mean for next week's interruption scene in the SandNick apartment.

[danpuff-ao3]

2022 Standouts - Yet Another Rec List

Okay, LISTEN. There was lots of greatness to be had in 2022. This is not my fault. This is all of your faults. This is what you all get for having so much talent and passion for fandom!! Some of us are overly excitable and chatty and can't shut up!!

In fairness, one can never spread too much goodness and positivity. If I talk about the same fics, the same creators, and make new lists every other day, it's all born out of love and appreciation, which the world could use plenty of! And with that said, these are all my own opinions and preferences so please keep that in mind!

So...here we go?? Should I do a Top 22???? That seems fitting.

1.) Post Mortem [fic, Snarry, E, 17k] by @inarticulateimbecile. I'm still dying over how fabulous this is. The characterizations, the dynamic, the descriptions...chef's kiss, truly. This might be one of my new favorites. (Also this Snarry art they did as a runner up, though all of their art just does things to me.) (I really would have thought art would have been their mention on this list, but no, they had to go be a great writer, as well!! Rude of them, really.)

2.) Slipping [fic, Snarry, 11k] by @bluesundaycake are you kidding me???? This is fabulous. Gritty postwar story that is too real with our hero, Harry, not "living up" to his potential, and not having the happily ever after he so deserves with a bittersweet, hopeful ending. Just lovely.

3.) The Lover and the Boytoy [fic, Drucius, Snaco, Draco/Snape/Lucius, E, 10k] by @fleetingdesires. Why the heck are my friends so talented?? This is offensive. And like...I clicked it for the Malfoycest?? And I left with Snucius feels?? What the heck. Just ??? Brain melted, all I can say.

4.) Clip, Ravel, Cleave [fic, Andromeda/Bellatrix, Andromeda/Ted, E, 15k] by @vdoshu. It was hard to narrow it down to one doshu work because wow they've done the dang thing this year!!!! So much great variety, but this one really blew me away. However toxic and dark the sisters' relationship was, I was rooting for them and heartbroken for them. What a beautiful, dark, sad story.

5.) Wind and Cardamom [podfic, Angelina/Hermione, G, 5 minutes] by JocundaSykes (fic by Arsenic). All of Joc's podfics are truly so, so good. Her voice work is always amazing and I easily can (and have!) listened to her read all day. Nothing like having a good fic read to you while doing chores, let me tell you!

6.) Lover's Flight [poem, Snarry, T, 200] by PinaNaponi (@vulnerasanenturmyprince.) My dear Nina is another case of "stupidly talented friends" and "hard to narrow down", but since I've waxed poetic about some of her other works recently, and in other lists, I figured I'd shed some light on this lovely thing. It's an adaptation of Goethe's "Elf King."

7.) Compulsory Figures [fic, Snarry, 6] by @liladiurne. Listen, my lovely Lila has arguably "better" works, and more "literary" works, but...her smut speaks to me, okay? I read this and was like "Ooooh, Lila can be FILTHY." I'm obsessed with it. Even back when it was just an idea and she was brainstorming it, I was obsessed. In fact, I was grocery shopping with my partner and being useless because I couldn't stay away from our DMs talking about said idea! Then she actually wrote and posted the dang thing and !!!! Obsessed.

8.) Some morning cuddles and coffee [art, Linny] by @luendland. Lu's snarry art is great, but they also do other ships (and characters) too and equally as lovely!! This Linny one speaks to my heart. It's so warm and lovely and gives me all the feels. I do digging for it to fawn over fairly often!

9.) Alphard's Favourite [fic, Sirius/Peter, Sirius/Alphard, M, 4k] by @thistlecatfics. Another top tier fic from Blackcest Fest! Not a ship I ever had interest in but oh gosh. The complicated characterization of Peter, the screwy interactions between him and Sirius, the way Sirius acts out as a way of dealing with trauma. It's such difficult subject matter treated in such a realistic manner. Not "good", not "easy", not "romantic", just that gritty, awful realness of how trauma impacts us, and how we don't always handle it in perfect, ideal ways.

10.) Untitled Harrymort Art [art, Harrymort] by @mrviran. I have no words. This isn't even my ship. But good golly is this spicy hot!! The corset! The sweat! Voldemort's smug, amused, mischievous little grin! Those red eyes and the red string!!!! Wooooo boy.

11.) Death and the Snarry [art, Snarry] by @necromanticnoir. This is another case of "I expected one thing from this creator, but my top choice for them is another??" Great writer is Noir, but also artist???? Multi-talented folk are killing me, I stg. And like...I need more Snarry versions of Klimt works, truly. So gorgeous!

12.) even the stars admire you [art, Snarry] by @acydpop. Speaking of Snarry versions of Klimt, THIS GORGEOUS THING. I'm so obsessed. Look at those colors!! Look at that embrace!!! Oh geez, I'm having feelings.

13.) Tom Riddle: interview with @phantomato [podcast] by @fanficmaverickpodcast. ChaosBlue is a great host and listening to writer interviews is always such a treat! And hearing what Phantomato had to say here was super fascinating, and made me much more intrigued by the Tom Riddle/Voldemort character!

14.) Snape's Hungry for a Snaco...[podcast, Snaco] by @careofmagicalshippers. Every episode of this podcast is great. Megs and Nathan are charismatic, hilarious, passionate hosts and listening to them chat is always such a fun time. Even guest episodes, even when Megs or Nathan is out, they have such interesting people to talk to and such interesting ships to talk about. This Snaco episode in particular spoke to me! (Especially since they went into it intending to cover Snack, but moved onto Snaco fairly quickly...I don't blame them!)

15.) When the Rose and the Fire Are One [ficbinding, Snarry] by @witchyficbindery. The fic by perverse_idyll is just stunning, as all of her works are! I believe earlier this year I was chatting about how I'd love to have fics on my shelf and what I imagined they might look like. And I thought "this fic would have to be STUNNING, just visually stunning." And midway through this year, I saw this post about an actual ficbinding of this fic! And...I was correct. And completely blown away. This cover is more gorgeous than I could have imagined. All of witchyficbindery's bindings are so, so outstanding. I can't imagine how they do it! But this one is the clear standout to me.

16.) 22 femslash recs from 22 years [rec list] by @consistentsquash. Squash always has the best recs, I stg!! Writer crushes I've had, but reccer crushes?? Such good taste, and always such good things to say. And this list especially is great with lots of gems for wlw content!

17.) Traid/Threesome recs [rec list] by @sitp-recs. Liv is a Queen Reccer, truly! This one is especially nice with options for Drarry+ ships, and non-Drarry ships, and a few bonus moresome fics! Lots of good stuff on this list, and more for me to check out! (RIP my TBR, fr.)

18.) The Bravest Man [fan-comic, Snarry, T] by @ac1d6urn. Acid is such a very skilled creator, both as a writer and an artist! The story, the characterizations, the art...all so stunning and perfect!

19.) Snitches and Songs [fic, Snarry, E, 50k] by @lizzy0305. When I tell you how PUMPED I was to see when this story was posted. Lizzy fic? Check. Severus sings? Color me intrigued. 'Magical tattoos'? Sign me UP. Then...I spent ages waiting to read it because I'm weird and like to "save" things that I know are going to be good. And I was right to save it! (Also: I should have read it sooner!) (Please don't expect my brain to do logic, because it will not.) What a gorgeous and enjoyable love story this was! My plan is to give this one a reread soon, actually; with luck, in January! (And I'll have the time and energy to do so!)

20.) A Life Worth Remembering [Snarco, E, 22k] by @writcraft. When Writ first reached out to me, I had to be like "okay, self, be cool. Don't fangirl and scare them off, okay?" Turns out, Writ is a lovely human and hearing they were coming back to Snarry had me just plain ecstatic!! And while Snarco isn't always my jam, I did know how invested they were in writing it, and couldn't resist checking it out! And I'm so glad I did!! One, because Writ's work is always fantastic. Two, because...I was sold on Snarco???? Maybe???? Or as close as I get to being sold. Geez Louise. It's such an interesting tale of de-aged Snape, the memories he lost, the established Drarry, and how they all come together. Their dynamic as a triad, and the individual pairs that make it up (Drarry, Snarry, and Snaco), and the individual people are all so lovely and well done!!

21.) Obedience Lessons [Snarry, E, 7k] by @likelightinglass. Um, how many times have I read this story this year? Too many, probably. (Is there such a thing as too many? Who knows.) ANYWAY. A/B/O with Alpha Harry and Omega Snape???? Yes please and thank you. All the kink and spiciness that I love. 100% did it for me (multiple times.)

22.) The Afterlight [Snarry, E, WIP] by @perverse-idyll. Good golly. Can I tell you how overjoyed I was when PI first posted this???? New PI Snarry???? All of my hopes and dreams coming true, awesome. And it's only 4 chapters in (out of ????) and so far, so GREAT. Postwar, death themes, gritty realism, A+++ characterizations, dark and spicy Snarry dynamic!!!! I don't often read WIPs (my patience is nonexistent, and not knowing how things end is bad for my anxiety (let's please not talk about my undying love and need of spoilers)), but this is totally worth it. I'll wait forever and a day for this fic if I have to. PI has been among my favorite authors for YEARS and for good reason. Characterization and relationships always so on point and exactly what I want and need. Not to mention gorgeous, stunning, unforgettable prose. The words that strike right through the heart, and burrow in to live there forever. Genuinely, PI's work is always stellar, and I already feel in my bones this will be a favorite. It's already the WIP I most look forward to update emails for! (Not that I have many, in fairness.) (Again, I generally steer clear of WIPs; no offense WIP writers. It's for my own good, I swear!) Side note: PI is another excellent human who I so appreciate knowing. Thanks for always taking time to listen to my babbling, especially knowing how busy you always are!

[mobumi]

Do you mind if I ask your top 10 favorite characters (can be male or female) from all of the media that you loved (can be anime/manga, books, movies or tv series)? And why do you love them? Sorry if you've answered this question before.....Thanks....

Hi! Sorry for the late reply, i started to write my answer and completely forgot about it. It's been in my drafts for months, i feel so bad omg! 😭 It was also really difficult to choose and i have only two female characters i am truly ashamed... But thank you very much for this ask, it was fun!

Here's my top 10! 😊

1. Mob/Kageyama Shigeo (Mob Psycho 100 - Anime)

I love him so much! I think he has the most wonderful character development in any anime i've watched! He has such a pure soul and compared to other shonen MCs, he just wants to be a normal teenager and be happy. So much growth and strength with this character, i love it! The series finale was incredible and I was so happy for my boy🥹

2. Megumi Fushiguro (Jujutsu Kaisen - Anime)

I think he's an interesting character with so much potential for the future. I love the way he always appears reserved and cold but he's actually a softie on the inside and how his own sense of justice contrasts with Yuji. He's just a pretty cool character and stronger than he appears to be and he cares so much about his friends. Haven't read the manga but currently watching season 2 so I'm excited about what's in store for him!

3. Dream of the Endless (The Sandman - TV)

New favorite character alert!! Not a surprise 'cause my favorites are always the cold and broody ones tbh I just love how Dream is so imperfect and still learning and his whole vibe, the long black coat and the emo hair like he's in a indie rock band is just chef's kiss! Incredible character on the show, so charismatic and mesmerizing.

4. Five (The Umbrella Academy - TV)

At this point, there's a pattern here. Maybe it's because i'm an INTJ myself, but Five seems like he's very INTJ to me. It's just the whole attitude and the way he calculates and plans everything, very rational and precise, sarcastic and (though pretty mean sometimes), exactly how i like my characters! All his scenes are top tier and his power is very cool (not explored enough on the show unfortunately.)

5. Minho (The Maze Runner - Book series)

The sarcastic character? Asian as main? Hell yes! Finally more Asian representation and not stereotyped! The book series would have not been as good without him! I was pretty gutted when he was barely there in the Death Cure movie, but Ki Hong Lee was so great as Minho, he perfectly captured his smug and smartass attitude that I fell in love with. He's also very courageous and loyal to his friends which I love too. Overall a very cool character!

6. Deadpool/ Wade Wilson (Deadpool - Comics/Movies)

Deadpool is just Deadpool... Bro he's just vibing killing people or whatever. He's completely unhinged, crazy, over the top and just a fun ride. Pansexual king! What else can I say, he's just one of my favorite comic book characters ❤️

7. Miles Morales (Spiderman - Comics/Movies)

Another comic book character in my list. Miles is a cool addition to the Spiderverse and the movies they made are just INCREDIBLE! The animation, everything is top notch. Also Miles is very relatable and has an intesresting development. You get attached to him quickly and he's just so lovable, idk he's my son, i stan.

8. Stiles Stilinski (Teen Wolf - TV)

Honestly asfghjkl!! I've always loved this character, more so when i was a teenager watching Teen Wolf. Looking back now, the show was not that good but at the time I was pretty obsessed. Stiles was everything i loved about a character: funny, sarcastic, entertaining, likable... He made the show a lot better and kept me watching! He's low on this list only because i'm not into Teen Wolf as much as i was back in the day.

9. Sana Bakkoush (Skam - TV)

She's so cool?? I wish i had been like that when i was a teenager, well for the most part lol. I really like her unbothered attitude and her snarky comments. She is fierce, not afraid to say what she thinks and is loyal to her friends and trustworthy. She's a teenager who has still a lot to learn but she's already wise for her age and just a good character overall. I really like female characters who are confident and charismatic! Her season wasn't perfect, but for me she was the best character in the whole series 😊

10. Sidney Adamu (The Bear - TV)

She's last on the list mostly because she's a new favorite, but she's very cool. I can relate to her, she's fresh and real, she knows her worth, she's courageous, hard-working and just very lovable as a character! Sydney captivated me from the beginning and her scenes were always my favorites. Haven't finished season 2 yet but I can't wait to see where her character goes! ✨

[noelclover]

Off the Cuff 25/04/2024

Had a lot of things I wanted to talk about but I figured I'd talk about games and tier lists instead, because I realized, while talking to some people, that a lot of people don't understand tier lists.

"tires don exits"

Is a load of crock. Tiers do exist and they are there to show players where things stand relative to each other, how well they're expected to do against each other with their kits, and most importantly if you're getting into a new hobby and you like everything just enough that you can't decide, to help you save money.

This does not mean that tiers are absolute and should be taken as scripture.

Tiers are ultimately guidelines and should only be treated as such. A deeper analysis is generally needed if you're interested in actually making your money's worth/ knowing what you're doing.

Take for example, Honkai Star Rail. For this example, I'll be using Fire TB, Gepard and then add in Aventurine.

Fire TB -> gets shields with every action, shields are very small Gepard -> biggest shields but only when he ults, has higher aggro Aventurine -> weaker shields than Gepard, but uses skill points instead of ult. Also grants Eff Res 50% and allows Aventurine to block CC. Stacks. Also builds up to a follow up attack that does some damage.

If we were to look at things like this, Aventurine becomes the top tier pick, with Gepard coming in second and Fire TB suffering the fate of every f2p gacha protagonist.

However, FireTB has one thing neither of the others have, which is a Taunt. Which in turn guarantees that single target attacks and blast attacks target her, thus saving 2-3 team members from damage.

Additionally, both FireTB and Gepard can gain their shields outside of their turn, so they both have an emergency button built into their kit that Aventurine doesn't.

The question then becomes... how do you even weight this against each other? One could argue that FireTB is still the weakest due to her shields being very small, but they're sufficient in blocking most of the small hits that'll hit your party, even in MoC12, assuming she's actually built and RNG didn't just give you a ton of HP on your gear instead of DEF.

((Key words: small hits. The gorilla slam is not a small hit.))

And more importantly, she has a Taunt. A skill that tells you in advance where the damage is going to be distributed, which, I'm sure for those who've played HSR and other games like it would know, is invaluable. She can also generate a lot of skill points, as even her attacks give shields.

On the flip side, Gepard can freeze your targets whenever you've got skill points to spare, thus allowing you to delay incoming damage by just a bit and maybe give another team mate a turn. A lot of the time that's enough to get in another DoT, a Break, or maybe even a Luocha heal charge.

Yet despite all that, Aventurine guarantees that you've got shields every turn as long as you can spare the skill points, and his shields are more effective than TB's, and Eff Res., despite ((likely)) being multiplicative, is still better than having nothing but base Eff. Res in a game that's going to have more status effects. But running him may limit the amount of skill points available at any given time, and anyone who's played games like HSR will tell you that resource starvation is one of the worst things that could happen to you.

A look at any tier list would tell you what's strongest, but when laid out it becomes terribly difficult to truly judge.

It becomes extra difficult, but most importantly interesting, when you realize what it is you're weighing. But equally as important is looking at things in the macro as well as the micro. Perhaps you've already got very good sustains. Then why consider Aventurine? You don't need another sustain. You could be lacking in carries, buffers or debuffers who could all be ranked lower on the tier lists, yet would significantly better your account position to clear hard content.

Note, it is important to always zoom in and out in all topics, especially those pertaining to real life, I'm just pointing out that you really need to do this if you want to know what you're doing.

I wanted to talk about some light cones as an example, but as this is long enough, I'll end it here.

[divine529]

Realm of the Elderlings Ask Meme Thing

I was tagged by @tragediegh! Thanks so much! I haven't seen this one floating around in a long time!

Favorite Rote Book: It changes fairly often, but currently "Fool's Errand".

Why: It's the least harrowing Fitz book (yes I know he's pulled out of his quiet life and back into the fray of politics and intrigue and it comes at a great cost to one of his nearest and dearest). I just love how quiet it is, Fitz and the Fool's dynamic is top tier and Fitz is in an interesting place as a character and it has some of my favorite scenes and quotes in it. It reads like a romantic comedy in some ways. There's just so much to love about it.

Top Three Favorite Characters: This is a tough one! There are so many characters I love (it might be fun to do by Fitz books, LST and RWC honestly), but the ones who live in my brain rent free most days are always The Fool (all of their facets), Nighteyes and Fitz.

Top Three Least Favorite Characters: To say I agonized over this question for a long time would be an understatement. Hobb has such an incredible ability to write compelling dislikeable characters to the point where everyone adds something to the story even if you hate them. There are plenty of characters I find irritating though, but do I actually dislike them? No. There are only two characters I truly hate and the third I'm mentioning I just feel very apathetic about for the most part. I truly dislike/hate Kyle and Hest, and the third is Bee. I don't hate her, but I don't love her.

Favorite Ship (of the floating kind): Paragon, but I also love Ophelia.

Top Three Favorite Ships (of the people kind): I love so many ships both canon and non-canon and it also changes (except for Fitz x Fool, they're always a constant). Fitz x Fool are my everything always, Alise x Leftrin and Malta x Reyn (but shout-outs to Patience x Lacey, Burrich x Chivalry, Brashen x Althea, Malta x Nettle and Carson x Sedric too.). Truly I love how shippable RotE is across the board and the complexity of all of the relationships, issues and all.

Would you rather be Witted or Skilled? Honestly I see the benefits of both and if I could have both, I would pick that, but since I have to pick one, I'll pick Witted.

If you were Witted, what animal would you bond with? That depends on where I was living. If I was by the sea, dolphin, if I was on land a dog of some kind or a wolf possibly or a red-tailed hawk or possibly a horse and most likely a Friesan. But being realistic, some kind of canine.

Would you rather live in the Outislands, the Mountain Kingdom, the Six Duchies, Bingtown, The Rain Wilds, Kelsingra, Jamaillia, The Pirate Isles, or the Fool's Homeland? Another tough one! Probably either Bingtown or the Fool's Homeland (Mercenia I believe?). Realistically, I'd be a nomad and hop from place to place because they all interest me.

How were you introduced to the books? A close friend of mine from college read them and I was in one of those places where I looked at my shelves and nothing looked appealing, asked her for some recommendations and RotE was one of the series on the list (she didn't tell me it was 16 books at first) and I started it and the rest is more or less history.

Share a quote you love: Should I show you the tabs on my books? There are so many quotes I love, but I'll pick one or two.

'History is no more fixed and dead than the future. The past is no further away than the last breath you took.' Fool's Errand

"Don’t do what you can’t undo, until you’ve considered what you can’t do once you’ve done it." Assassin's Apprentice

"Leave the pain behind and let your life be your own again. There is a place where all time is now, and the choices are simple and always your own. Wolves have no kings" Royal Assassin

And so many more, but those came to mind first.

Tagging: I have no idea who has done this or who wants to do it, but if you love RotE, and you see this and want to do it, consider yourself tagged!

[maimingkillingiii]

I feel bad that’s your first ask now- HAISJS! So, your top Saw characters? With reasons if you want to include.

OUGHHHH I can’t keep putting off answering this ask. This is so so hard for me. It would be easier to answer my favorite movie in the franchise (LYING). Anyway.

Obviously Amanda is my Number One Pookie of All Time. Blorbo Supreme. She’s just so cool. I don’t just like her because “teehee, make two women kiss” (although we love playing with characters like dolls). She just has so much going on and it breaks my heart but it also makes me feel seen, which now that I say it may be the biggest red flag any human has ever admitted to in the history of the universe (being facetious).

I know I post a lot about Saw women (or at least rb a lot of posts about Saw women), but I don't want to say that any of them are "favorites" (except Amanda because that's just such a basic thing to say). I cannot form a coherent thought about any one of them and I feel gross if I think about them for more than approximately four seconds at a time (these conditions are related, and are probably also related to “teehee, make two women kiss,” but we aren’t unpacking that today). Also a lot of them got super fumbled as characters (if they were even that developed) which pains me and I don’t have hope that they’ll ever stop (although I can dream). But yeah, while I'm sure I could probably tier-list all of the Saw women and maybe write essays about several of them if given a couple of days, I don't feel confident in my abilities to claim any of them as favorites (aside from Amanda, who I did write an essay about for one of my classes many semesters ago.)

Wow, short list. Okay, uhhhh… Adam and Lawrence? They are a set, do not separate. Without them there is no Saw. They at least deserve a mention. I cannot write an essay about them, but I don’t need to because that’s why we have Ao3 I guess?

There are plenty of other characters I like for one reason or another (often silly reasons, like "they're pathetic" or "they said the realest one-liners") but I genuinely cannot think of them which is so sad 💔 smh all these fake Saw fans on tumblr dot com (me) (this is a joke)

These are the most basic opinions anyone has ever had. I'm sure if I really put my mind to it I could pull some truly wild choice for favorite character out of my skull, but I am so so lazy and I just don't want to put in the effort to saying that like, Troy from Saw 3 is my favorite character (he's not, but you get what I'm saying.)

[servicereward]

Do you have any top favourite scenes from the show/comics?

First, anon, thank you for your patience while I thought long and in-depth about this. I love the show so much, it's easy for me to come up with 30 different examples of moments I love but that's not very exclusive ^^;

Some of my top scenes, in my rewatch of season 1 I'm undergoing at the moment, have been the little character-building moments between the Manhattan clan. For all of it's behind-the-scenes production struggles, "Enter Macbeth" has some very nice character interplay between Lexington, Brooklyn, and Goliath. "Sorry I was too busy WRITHING in AGONY to notice," and *DISTANT ROARING* "Looks like Bronx found Goliath," come to mind as moments that make me smile.

Another of my top favorite moments, (putting aside all OwenPuck scenes because otherwise this answer would be all about him, lmao) is the scene where Coyote and Dingo break The Pack out of jail. Fox reading Jean-Paul Sartre. "Nietzsche's too butch and Kafka reminds me of your little friends over there." The excellent sequence where Dingo breaks into the building with his powersuit and unleashes high-key horror imagery on the prison guard. It all fits so neatly together, and is such a well-paced scene it feels so luxurious in what it gives you. It's a top-tier scene for a season opener.

I've talked previously about "Kingdom," and what a great episode it is - I think what it really comes down to for me for "favorites" is how lived-in an episode feels. There's a lot of great character work in Gargoyles, which is one of the reasons people keep going back, in that it feels like a tangible world. When Matt comes back home to his tiny little apartment and loosens his tie and then gets startled by Broadway waiting for him. They way the clan collects Cagney to take care of back at the clock tower once it's apparent Elisa isn't coming back (an small but important detail not to forget, from a writing perspective - she's got a cat!) The dramatic but relatively domestic drama of the mutates in the Labryinth (oh no, someone in your underground collective is a major asshole!) Owen also sitting at David's desk with his jacket off and his tie loose. The little details like this make the show feel less like a cartoon where someone opens their closet and has ten of the same outfit as a gag, but like a world that belongs to the characters who live in it. If that makes sense?

Truly, the list does go on, but I'm going to transition to the comics now :)

I need to read the SLG run again; I've read it multiple times, but sometimes the more disparate quality of it's narrative and artistic elements distract me from forming a coherent opinion. But I adore the following moments:

Owen and Delilah bring Free Will to the Table

This is an interesting little interplay that frustrates me on the whole because I'm not entirely sure the Goliath / Thailog part of it is earned, but it does develop Delilah's sense of personhood in the narrative and also gives us a window into Puck's code-of-ethics-as-Owen. Goliath makes a mistake (girlfriends can be won like a prize) but Owen says essentially "Aren't you going to ask her what she wants? Doesn't she have free will?" which is a fascinating conk-on-the-noggin for the faerie-stuck-as-a-mortal-and-is-your-part-time-nemesis to deliver to the protagonist of your story.

And it does deliver in that Delilah says, "Fuck all this" (i wish she literally said that) and ends the party without being hitched to either Goliath or Thailog. She itches something in me because she's claiming some agency. She didn't ask to be here (who does, tbr) and was created from the DNA of two very complicated, very different women (who were unwilling donors to top it off) for the purposes of satisfying Thailog's desire for a romatic partner. NOT OKAY! What does Delilah want? For so much of her existence, what she's wanted has been a foregone conclusion (in that, it doesn't matter) and any move she makes in the narrative on her own agenda is one more step towards actualizating her sense of self. That being said - I would like more Delilah.

Shari = Shaharazade

Shari is such an interesting, stand-out character to me, and I wish she'd been around in the show because I'd love to see her animated. She's mystery wrapped in mystery - her motives are so opaque! She's a high-ranking Illuminati member who has presumably been alive for thousands of years - and she's helping Thailog for some inscrutible reason. I get really excited when she shows up. I'm also interested to see how Thailog and Shari pose as narrative foils to Xanatos and Co in the future, given their parallel but opposing structure.

Mary, Finella, and Brooklyn's timedance adventure begins

I think the last two issues of the SLG run were the strongest, and the content in them literally made me shriek when I read it. For one, you've got delicious interplay between Brooklyn's existence in the narrative. He's from the past in the future in the past in the present. Mary and Finella's relationship is great (and for the part of me that reads with shipping goggles - gay, please? they can bond over missing their kids and then kiss about it....a fine lady and her handmaiden, nothing to look at here boss, no sir!) Truly I want more Mary, Finella, and Brooklyn adventures. I think the beginning of their story was the best thing to come out of the 2006 comics run. Also, "You named the horse Magus?" "Something about his face...." (Magus confirmed horsey face🐴✨ ✊😔)

As for the new runs, I'm soaking it all in. I'm very excited for Quest - I don't have a "Top Favorite" scene from it yet, though I very much enjoy the fact we're getting a fleshed out picture of the NYC world of organized crime as it exists in Gargoyles. I like that they're all scared shitless of Uncle Dracon and I want him to show up more, he's been a very interesting player in the plot. I also really like the sequence where Renard says his goodbyes to his friends and family, even if it does implode ~10k words of unpublished fic I have on my Google Drive. But that's what the canon non-compliant tag on AO3 is for 👍! This is the short way to say I think Titania should be scarier. Like, shit-your-pants scary. I love women.

I love them so much, I married one! *ba-dum**tiss* 🥁🎶