#i love him so much favorite character award goes to!!!!!

[gearslips]

*thinks about jimmy mcgill so hard i need to lie down*

[karalynlovescake]

THE CENTENNIAL HUSBANDS 2024 BIG BANG IS LIVE!

You can read my fic on Ao3 - Entropy and Optimism, rated T, 56k words, complete at 13 chapters.

Hob Gadling is offered immortality by Death in 1389 and he meets with her every 100 years. In his dreams, he befriends and grows close with a man who he knows is Death's brother, but who never gave Hob his name. After a disaster in the late 1700's ties him even closer to Death, Hob sees his Stranger less and less, and believes his choices are to blame. Meanwhile, exhausted by seeing Death everywhere he goes and heartsick over losing his relationship with her brother, in 1889 he tells her that while he still wishes to live, he does not want to see her again.

Hob goes over a hundred years with no word from either of them, until one day two women with two talking ravens show up and tell him that his friend desperately needs his help. He embarks on the quest, hoping to once again see his mysterious Stranger, who he learns must be the King of Dreams. But when he arrives in the Dreaming he finds two people he has never met ruling, his friend asleep as if under a spell, and the kingdom falling apart around them, with the legions of Hell trying to invade.

And check out the art from my amazing artist Koresephone !!!

@koresephone66

The plot for this story started out as the plot of the novel Paladin of Souls by Lois McMaster Bujold, which is one of my favorite novels ever written. I consider it to be an absolute masterpiece of writing and plot weaving. It won a Hugo, a Nebula AND a Locus award for a REASON, and Ms Bujold is a far better writer than I am.

I had to change a lot of stuff to make the plot fit the setting and characters. So much stuff that I debated is it really even the same story anymore? Apparently very few people in the active fandom are familiar with the Bujold novel, which meant no one would see exactly what I was trying to do.

But it also meant that there was no one out there who was going to write this story if I didn't write it! This is the first novel-length story I've ever completed, and my first big bang, and honestly if you're going to borrow, borrow from the best of the best, right? I was already using Neil's characters, and I think I did a pretty good job!

I'd love to hear if you enjoy it!

[bananamarshmallowz]

I'm here to talk about Destiel...

The internet is a very funny place.

If you're in need of a good laugh, go to your favorite series, show, films what have you and ask what are you unpopular opinions with _said show_.

I have watched dozens of shows and always think I might be the only one, post that and see what happens.

I am a shipper but I normally don't talk or boast about what/who I ship, it's not relevant and it can be weird. I don't ship actors/real humans, that's crossing lines. Characters however, yes. Anyway, I have to bring up this one. One comment said "Destiel shouldn't have happened." Okay, I get that, people can get weird about it. Then they go on to say how every shipper claws and digs for stuff that isn't there.

And again, I'm not saying some people don't dig but not all gay/LGBTQ+ representation is completely shown in media. Mentioned maybe here and there, sure. But there's endless cis-straight-relationship romance movies, romance themes and what have you. Some series make really bad portrayals and give gay people a bad rap because they're the only representation. And don't get me wrong, sometimes we do dig and claw because we feel what they portray, or at least we think so. But sometimes we don't need to dig.

That same thread added the random siren or even the policeman from yellow fever had more chemistry than Dean and Cas ever have. - Him looking at the soldier's ass in Time After Time while walking in the store. Yes, those were weird scenes, why were they even shown? Great question, I don't know I'm just here. - And as for they have no chemistry... They won best chemistry award for TV... It doesn't get better than that.

This is more of a rant than I want but this is certainly one of my favorite shows. And I feel the need to say what's on my mind because I know I can't afford therapy, so this is the next best thing.

Oh yeah before I start this, I have read numerous comments accusing all the actors of horrendous things... - Firstly, they all have kids, and wives and love their kids so much. I don't think they would do anything to jeopardize that. So stop making up messed up shit. - Secondly, I don't want to believe other people make other people uncomfortable for fun, but some people do. But considering that they acted for more than 8 years together, I'm pretty sure working with people that are cool for that long, they all had a strong bond. And all the times that Jensen looks uncomfortable whenever Misha goes into or talks about Destiel, it's because technically they're not even allowed to say anything about the show regarding shipping characters because anything could've been true, it could've not been. If every actor were able to spoil their movie, we'd be out of movies but we aren't. And Jensen is a rather shy individual, funny enough. At the beginning of Supernatural he was 27, and Jared was 23. When Misha joined when he was 34. They were and still are wholesome and great people. Regardless, All of them would pull pranks and stuff on the show, they're friends, not some messed up whatever someone said, I'm blown away that people would even imply some things. You can look up any video of everyone being close with one another from hugs to dancing, to singing to whatever. So don't say "read the room" when they're just being themselves, I shift a lot when in public, does that mean I'm constantly uncomfortable? No. - THIRDLY, they were all lowkey scared of certain parts of supernatural, in 2017 they did an interview with Entertainment Weekly {this one} and said what the scariest episodes or concepts were at the time for them. Jared's was changelings, shapeshifters, demons possessing people, things that could be real but possibly something posing as someone but something's off. Jensen's was people doing really messed up things and that it was the most realistic thing that could actually happen. Humans being psycho. And vintage dolls, lmao, same. And Misha said that everything could give him nightmares. He's so soft, any of it could give him nightmares. These guys are human. Not some terrible against religion people, they play on a show. Pure human. Just like everyone else.

ANYWAY, I think we all know the infamous eye sex scenes LMAO... if you haven't heard of them... {here's 10 minutes of them staring at each other} and that's not even all the seasons

They always look each other up and down and just stare at each other.

Above, Dean says "Cas, we talked about this. Personal space." and then Cas backs off. He doesn't know why, he just knows it makes Dean uncomfortable, so to make him more comfortable, he takes a few steps back. But Cas isn't aware of how complicated humans are. Personal space are just words, angels shouldn't care what humans have to say. They're so primal and they need more than just basic shelter and foods, they need the whole pyramid of Maslow's Hierarchy of needs. He doesn't understand this until he goes through it himself, but we're getting slightly off topic. Sure, them continuing to stare could be just a funny little thing at the start... no. It still happens up to the last episodes.

This is the musical episode, Fanfiction, Season 10, Episode 5. Destiel, Samstiel and the most dreaded Sam/Dean are mentioned... They're brothers. As someone with siblings... gross.

"You can't spell subtext without S-E-X." Then Jensen gave this look to the camera, I think this is on behalf of many of the people on the show.

Below, they end a scene after talking but it's about 15 seconds of them just staring at each other then it ends. Personally, I'm not a big fan of eye contact, and try to make at least 5 or maybe 2 seconds of contact in between interacting with someone, anything more than 10 is past uncomfortable... I don't stare at anyone this long. Legit the scene is so long lmao

I don't remember the context on this but I just don't like eye contact. Both their eyes are gorgeous but I don't stare like this, especially with any of my siblings. When they have a hard time I hug them if they want a hug, talk to them, but I don't make eye contact like that.

I have never looked at my friends like this, not my best friends, certainly not my siblings. Someone I had a crush on, possibly.

Next, they are going in as Texas Rangers and Dean explains how to get Cas into character. "Yeah. Look, just act like you're from Tombstone, okay?" "The city?" "With Kurt Russell? I made you watch it." "Yeah, yeah. Yeah. The one with the guns and tuberculosis." [in a deep cowboy voice] "I'm your Huckleberry." [gulps] "Yeah, exactly.-"

I don't have anything other than I like that scene and how Cas says, "I'm your Huckleberry" :D

(SPOILERS AHEAD Whoops lol)

-

When Cas dies Dean tries to pray to God even though he swore off praying to God. One of the lines is "We've lost everything." Mary's gone, correct but everyone else is alive, except Cas. They still had the Bunker, Baby, Jack. Cas and Mary died (she fell through and there was no way to know she was alive.) But considering that Sam is still alive, the guy Dean has fought tooth and nail to save all these years, is standing by him, ready to fight what may come. But Cas is dead... Dean obliterates his hand from punching on a bathroom door. It's frankly the most punches he's made in a single scene I think and even then, God doesn't answer him so he begins to mourn. It creeps in that his friend is gone.

When Cas is being burned, at first it peers to Jack who sees the man who is supposed to be his father, not blood father but someone who promised to look out for him, someone he doesn't even know, he feels the loss but he's just been born and he never really met Cas.

Then we roll to Sam, he's lost a dear friend and is sad. He's wanting to cry and fidget and be sad.

THEN we roll to Dean. His face is drained of all emotion. He has lost his best friend. His dear companion and looks like he lost it all despite his brother being right next to him. He can't even move.

Now I would be sad if one of my brothers died but sadly I don't have that much of a connection with them as Dean and Cas have. And thankfully I haven't yet experienced one of my brothers pass on.

But I have lost a few lovers, and that... That is the face I have felt. When everything else feels irrelevant. You don't care about anything. You can't care about anything. You are numb.

-

And this all brings us to the finale.

Death is on her way, has them by their hearts, well Dean's in fact. They run/slowly walk over to Basement Storage Room 7B and Cas wards the room, slowing down Death on the other side.

This is the exact moment before he loses Cas for the last time. (I'm copying from the script on the Supernatural wiki, don't hate me, I watched it over and over too, and I've shortened Cas's monologue because I don't want to relive that heartbreak again lmao) But basically Cas realizes this is it, this is the happiest he has been. Everyone was alive and well, he has Dean alone at last. The last exchange they had was this: "You changed me, Dean." "Why does this sound like a goodbye? "Because it is." - "I love you."

"Don't do this, Cas." - "Cas..." "Goodbye, Dean." "What?"

Cas pushes Dean out of the way and gets taken by the Empty.

He has to process all these years of interactions with this awkward little man with sensible shoes in less than five minutes and it all crumbles.

Castiel is gone. And he's not coming back.

Sam keeps trying to call Dean but he's just getting Dean's voicemail and Dean isn't answering. He simply can't.

-

A few episodes later, Dean fucking dies. Just how he said he would, to a monster, like any other job. It felt rushed and I didn't like it.

But how they ended it could've been so much worse.

Dean makes it to heaven, expecting just memory lane, but Bobby's there and says Jack remade heaven new, everyone's together in heaven where they belong. He offers him a beer and tells him how different heaven is and how it's so much better.

Dean's sold, but it's missing something.

This is directly after Bobby tells Dean that Cas helped Jack rebuild heaven.

After that, he takes a drive as he waits out Sam's life. He meets Sam on the bridge and that's the end.

For years, Dean didn't have an obvious love interest, here and there a fling maybe but nothing romantic. All the soft scenes were pretty much between him and Cas.

Their bond isn't brotherly, it's very best friend-ish but lovers can be friends too.

And that's my review on Destiel and why it's a thing it's 4 am and I haven't slept well the past two days so what to do other than write about destiel

ok bye :]

[graciereadshannigram]

Five Star Fics: Hannigram Edition

hey fam, welcome to the inaugural roundup of the best hannigram fics i've read this past month! i read over 60 fics total, and these were the cream of the crop.

the ingredients for a five star rating typically (but not always!!) include some combination of a.) believable characterizations of both Hannibal and Will, b.) compelling plot and/or character arcs, and c.) high quality smut.

that being said, my judgment of the aforementioned ingredients is powered almost exclusively by vibes and as such, is incredibly subjective.

in no particular order, let's go!

~

Title: Veins As Fine As Rabbit Hair Author: lovetincture Word Count: 42,953 Summary: After their fall, the little yellow house Hannibal brings them to is a charmed space. It’s easy to forget there, when Will is in the mood for forgetting. In the Pennsylvanian woods, it’s easy as breathing to ignore the life he left behind. Simple to pretend they’re the last men on earth. Molly and Jack, the murder victims and the FBI seem farther away in the sea of tall, sweet grass—an echo from someone else’s dreams. That’s their life now: Will wants to forget, and Hannibal wants to let him. But reality has a way of asserting itself. No one can ignore it forever.

This was absolutely beautiful. And tender. And sweet. This is probably my favorite post-fall fic. I just get Will and love how they figure out their dynamic together. Definitely hit me right in the gut, but in a very very good way.

Title: Peccavi Author: Yggdrastiles (yoingle) Word Count: 30,067 Summary: After a terrifyingly vivid dream, Will realizes that he's going to need to pick a course of action, and the one he picks no longer involves betraying Hannibal. He knows he'll have to confess because if Hannibal were to discover the original plan on his own, it would tear them apart, and Will's not planning on letting him go anytime soon.

I'm a slut for a well-executed daddy kink, what can I say? Long enough to get really invested in the characters and top-notch smut. Nothing more to say here, folks!

Title: Demonstration Author: HotMolasses Word Count: 11,660 Summary: Will goes to a heat clinic a few days before he is due, to determine whether he wants to use the facility. But then he finds himself blindly following the scent of a delicious Alpha. Before he knows what's happening, he finds himself naked, bound, and gagged on an examination table that is being prepared for a medical demonstration, given by Dr. Lecter to a room full of students on how to properly treat an omega during heat. At first he is mortified, but Dr. Lecter's treatment soon has him enjoying himself to the point of begging for more.

This got five stars purely for the SCORCHING smut. If you're into the omegaverse and also enjoy exhibitionism, you'll enjoy this!

Title: Paragon Author: BloodyWar2411 Word Count: 552,462 Summary: When Hannibal met Will Graham (the man who had, three years prior, been mistaken for the Chesapeake Ripper), he expected amusement. What he got was his first taste of obsession. Dark and bitter in the back of his throat but achingly sweet on the tongue. He knew at once that this feeling, this Man, would consume him. And Hannibal would consume Will right back.

Need I say anything? I still don't have words for how much I loved this fic. The plot was excellent, well-paced, and I loved the characterization of Matthew so much! Bonus points awarded for making me truly understand the appeal of primal play.

Title: Realignment Author: HigherMagic Word Count: 23,120 Summary: Hannibal has a daddy kink. This was easy enough when he was younger - plenty of men were eager to take a pretty-faced, arrogant youth in hand. But as he got older, people started to see him differently, even though his own tastes and kinks never changed. He started to attract men who expected him to take the lead, and it just felt awkward to try and broach the subject. Then he met Will Graham.

As I said, I can't resist a well-executed daddy kink, but I was surprised to find out how much I enjoyed Hannibal calling Will daddy.

Title: Mark Me Not A Savage Author: KatherineKrawl Word Count: 401,953 Summary: When Will opens Hannibal's letter, it wakes something primal locked inside of him. He doesn't understand it, but what he does know is that he has to go to Baltimore hospital for the criminally insane, and he has to go now. Dear Will. He could still see the words, written in the curly elegance of Hannibal's hand, burning behind his eyelids. He breathed deeply through his nose to try and calm the unsteady flutter of his heart. A deep breath. One that clawed at his nose, one that penetrated his nostrils like a liquid, a smothering sting he felt intruding behind his eyes. One. Deep. Breath. And then it took him.

An INCREDIBLE omegaverse fic that convinced me hannigram was made for ABO dynamics. Not only was the smut incredible, but the author brilliantly incorporated their canonical mind melding and retooled it for the omegaverse. I think I also set a new reading record by reading this in under 48 hours.

Title: Kindling Author: gleamingandwholeanddeadly (something_safe) Word Count: 10,281 Summary: “You should take a date to your fundraiser." “Yes, perhaps you’re right. It would be improper to invite someone under false pretence, mind, and for my patient to understand, the evidence would need to be… compelling.” “Perhaps an ex-girlfriend,” Will says, unsure why the thought makes him feel flat and remote. “That would be incredibly inappropriate.” “A friend then. Someone you can explain the problem to. You could take-” “You,” Hannibal interjects. The words belly-flop into silence. Will’s mouth opens, and then closes, and then opens again. When Franklyn's advances of friendship become too much for even Hannibal to politely ignore, he enlists Will's help.

Another favorite trope: fake dating. This fic just had me giggling and smiling the entire time and I loved it. I feel moderately bad for Franklyn as a character and yet... I love when Hannibal and Will flaunt their relationship in front of him. Sue me.

Title: Nothing For It... Author: phenobarbital Word Count: 11,360 Summary: ...not thinking to consult Hannibal on the matter, Will went ahead with venting his anger and he thudded the headboard against the wall again, before pressing his lips together and letting out a loud humming moan, which he trailed off into an ‘aaah’ sound as he parted his lips. He didn’t even glance behind him, totally missing the startled and intrigued look on Hannibal’s face as he made another humming moan and thudded the headboard lightly again.

GOOD GRIEF. This fic left me UNWELL. In the best possible way. We love making homophobes uncomfortable, and if it leads to accidentally having sex? Oh noooo. Also, Beverly makes an appearance at the very end and she's great. Love her.

Title: Transcendent Suffering Author: itsbeautiful Word Count: 484,659 Summary: Blue eyes closed suddenly against Hannibal’s searching gaze, sucking in a breath, body going rigid. “You can’t say things like that to me, Hannibal. You cannot glorify the dark impulses inside of me and call them… beautiful.” Will stared up at the ceiling, head thrown back as if struggling to breathe, fragile and bending against the sound of his voice. “You can’t. You just can’t say them.” “Only the celestial moon and I have truly seen you bathed in blood, savoring the darkness, embracing your becoming, and I can assure you it was truly breathtaking.”

I can't remember the last time I read a fic that was as deeply gut-wrenching as this one. I cried. Multiple times. If you like incredibly well done, character-driven stories, this is IT. And the author also wrote some of the most romantic stuff I've ever read, ever. I will be processing this fic for the foreseeable future.

Title: Love Is What You Make It – A two part series! Author: orphaned on ao3 Word Count: 181,771 (both parts combined) Summary: Will and Hannibal make their way to Hannibal's safe house in New Hampshire a couple days after their plunge off the cliff and plot their next move, Will coming to terms with the fact that he is committed to it this time.

A twofer!! And oh my god this was TENDER. I am a sucker for fics that really explore Will and Hannibal's emotional journey post-fall and I think this did an incredible job of realistically portraying that, while still being indulgent. The first fic is very character-driven, and the second part is more plot-heavy. Both are so good! I found myself actively taking breaks just to make it last longer.

And lastly, the honorable mention(s)!

Title: Hannigram: Cuts Unscene -- Season 1 Author: DBMars Word Count: 71,097 Summary: Cuts Unscene is a Hannigram fanfiction challenge – to write one scene for each episode of the series where Will and Hannibal have some kind of intimate interaction that builds their romantic connection. These stories operate on the concept that they were scenes cut from the original episodes, and the attempt is to make them fit into the plot in ways that are as plausible as possible while still having a good ol’ time writing them. The devil is in the details!

Okay WOW, this is the first of four (one per season, and then an imagined season 4), and I am so deeply impressed with how the author made these truly feel like cut scenes from the actual show. The only reason I'm not giving a full five stars is because I want to actually rewatch a couple episodes and pause to read some of the cut scenes to really assess how well they fit into the overall plot. I'll hopefully have an update on this at some point in the future!

~

And that's all she wrote, folks! Feel free to let me know what y'all are reading and what I should read next :)

[dcfanfictioncatalogue]

stephanie brown NOV 2023 fic awards

this is part of a new experimental thing I'm doing, where I will comb through every fic posted/updated in a character tag for a specific month and find my favorites! I hope this will encourage people to read and comment on new and active fics with less-focused-on characters.

-> Action & Plot <-

Purr-ple Power [series: 2/2], by Cephalogod. 5.7k, T, timsteph pre-relationship. summary: batman wouldn't listen to steph about her dad, but luckily for steph, a certain cat-themed vigilante is more than willing to. my notes: I adore "stray" fics/AUs, so it's about time steph got one! her particular brand of mischievousness is more than suited to selina's, and tim in this series is so funny. love!!

&&

Road to Recovery, by Solemini. 19.8k, T, gen, 6/6. summary: cass leaves steph the batgirl suit, and everything changes. a complete rewrite of batgirl 2009. my notes: god. this steph is angry. and she deserves to be-- she hates the world for not treating her right, she resents her upbringing. this is our angry robin. but it is, despite that, a tale of joy and love. basically, it's a gorgeous retelling of batgirl 2009.

-> Fluff & Humor <-

the relief of home, with you, by MermaidMarie. 2.5k, G, stephcass. summary: a series of little moments in the home steph and cass share. my notes: AAAGHGHG this was so cute!!! absolutely adorable and lovely 10/10 no notes the perfect friends to lovers domestic fluff

&&

the purple menace and camera boy, by waffleinatorinator. 1.2k, T, timsteph pre-relationship. summary: steph is spoiler, tim is a civilian, and he finds her injured in a dumpster. my notes: they're so cute!!! this is just one little scene but it's an adorable setup and I enjoyed it immensely.

⇘     click for more!     ⇘

-> Whump & Angst <-

distress signal, by waffleinatorinator. 5.4k, T, implied stephcass. summary: cass's distress signal goes off. steph runs across a city for her. my notes: the angst is DELICIOUS. the author's tag of "if there was a pwp tag for whump i would use it" rings very true. definitely good steph angst >:)

&&

i swear that i'll be yours forever 'til forever falls apart, by waffleinatorinator. 800, not rated, timsteph flavoring. summary: steph comes back as the red hood, and she's out for revenge -- but she doesn't get what she expected. my notes: this concept is everything to me -- reverse robins tim as red hood always bugs me when steph is logically supposed to be in that spot in the order and when it fits her story so much better. I also love tim's dedicated loyalty to her here, and how insane they both are &lt;3

-> Currently Updating <-

Girls Against God, by cookiesncrows. 36.3k, M, stephcass endgame, 22/?. summary: jim gordon falls ill, which means babs and james have to tolerate each other enough to take care of him. in the interim, kate kane moves back to gotham to be the new batgirls' mentor, which steph and cass are not fond of. my notes: ohh the angst is so good!! this fic is very heavy on the character interaction and the plot which I personally adore, and the inclusion of lesser-known characters that are written very well makes this whole world feel fleshed out and real.

&&

The Ping-Pong Wars, by fadesfanfic. 6.6k, G, gen, 5/?. summary: steph beats damian at ping-pong, and damian becomes hellbent on reclaiming his honor. my notes: it's silly and fluffy and somehow manages to perfectly capture the batgirl 2009 vibe of steph trying to bond with this feral little child. well worth the read!!! &lt;3

send me an ask for fic rec lists ++ to find a fic lost to the sands of time

[honeyjars-sims]

The 2023 Simblr Gratitude Awards by STK

Part 1

In this first round of awards, I wanted to individually highlight some of my favorite simblrs that I've engaged with this year. Not only do I enjoy your content, but I have appreciated our interactions as well. (presented in alphabetical order)

🥧 The Sweet as Pie Award 🏆 goes to @aries-sims for being an engaging mutual and because your Just Desserts Legacy gameplay is simply delicious!

💞 The Legendary Legacy Award 🏆 Over the past several years @cinamun has been sharing the life of Indya Drake here on tumblr. We've cheered for the Drake family's triumphs 🎉, cried through their heartbreaks 😢, laughed at the memes 🤣, taken in lots of advice 📝, and maybe opened a private browser or two 🔞 Your creativity and interactions are much appreciated!

🍀 The Lucky Us Award 🏆 The recipient of this award is @hannahssimblr for sharing her beautiful writing and compelling characters with us. It was us who were the Lucky Girls (gender neutral) all along 🤭

🎆 The Creating Chaos Award 🏆 shall be given to @havenroyals for coming up with characters who really know how to bring the drama. I love being a fly on the wall of your chaotic world!

🎭 The All the Feels Award 🏆 is awarded to @lynzishell. Just like the peaks and valleys of Mt. Komorebi, my heart has experienced highs and lows thanks to your dynamic storytelling! And your insightful comments on my story always give me the warm fuzzies!

🤝 The Gracious Host Award 🏆 This one goes @nexility-sims, who was kind enough to create the best writing group ever. Thank you for giving us a place to have wonderful conversations and for making everyone feel welcome and included! I'm also looking forward to becoming more familiar with your story!

💎 The Forever a Fave Award 🏆 has gone to @rebouks because you are ever present in the community. Not only have you shared the emotional journey of Oscar Finch (and a seemingly unending cast of characters) with us for what feels like forever, but I and many other storytellers would be lost without your poses!

📖 The Riveting Raconteur Award 🏆 is awarded to @stargazer-sims for your ability to not only create so many multifaceted characters but to write about them so beautifully!

🥂 The Rooting for You Award 🏆 goes to @theosconfessions for writing a character who cheats on his partners and has questionable parenting skills, but I'm still somehow rooting for him. Now that's powerful characterization!

👐 The Helping Hand Award 🏆 I'm giving this one to @tipsy-clouds because you have helped me out a lot over the years and I really appreciate your support, kindness, and your content!

I have more posts coming soon!

[thatoneluckybee]

OKAY PROPAGANDA TIME! @yttd-enjoyerNo pressure for any of these lol, I added a lot because rambling and procrastination. I’m copy-pasting some descriptions from another post of mine. I was trying to look for some with good lore and magic systems, or that had great characters.

Cursed Princess Club: This one is adorable and hilarious. It’s a fantasy and comedy. The Pastel Kingdom has four children. The eldest, Maria, is 18, and so beautiful that forest animals follow her when she sings. The second oldest, Lorena, is 17, and so beautiful that flowers grow where she sleeps. The third child is prince Jamie, who is so beautiful that he is constantly GLOWING (literally.) And his twin sister, Gwendolyn, is the sweetest and perhaps most loved of all! The three sisters are happily engaged to the Plaid Princes. When Gwen meets her soon to be betrothed, though…. he finds her to be really, really, ugly. Gwen has to learn to love herself as she is with the help of a club for cursed princesses (and one prince who wants to change the club name desperately.) It’s hilarious. Someone swallows her fiance whole. Jamie can taste feelings through food and keeps accidentally violating HIPPA. Lorena beats the crap out of a bunch of clowns. Gwen keeps getting mistaken for an evil witch. There’s a really spoiled drunk llama named Laverne. Maria buys merch of her boyfriend’s fanclub. There’s an omniscient clam. It’s a glorious disaster. (Also that was what the screenshots I was losing my mind and spamming last night. I relate to the plaid guy on an eerie level. This one has INCREDIBLE character arcs and parallels and foreshadowing and details and AUGH)

Space Boy: This one is one of my all-time favorites, and I believe it deserves an award for it’s realistic character arcs and characters. I’d be convinced if you told me they were real people. Sci-Fi Romance. (A lot of romance. Not a particular favorite genre of mien it’s just like 70% of all Webtoons.) In the far future, humanity is exploring the furthest reaches of space using the freezing sleep thing (real thing, forgot name.) Amy lives happily on a mining colony in deep space, until her father loses his job, and she and her family are sent away from the colony, and everyone she knows, back to Earth, where she wakes up 30 years later (frozen sleep thing.) Amy is adjusting to life on Earth, the new technology, and trying to come to terms with the fact her best friend is now in her 40s and she’s missed it all in sleep. Amy’s identifying trait is synesthesia: to her, people have flavors to match their personalities! Well, everyone except a strange boy she meets a school, who refuses to speak to her, and doesn’t have a flavor, Oliver. Amy decides that she WILL find this kid’s flavor if it kills her, and manages to get herself roped in the most chaotic mystery involving ancient cults, alien artifacts, unsolved murders, a government conspiracy, and whether or not Oliver is actually who he says he is. It’s so sad but I love it so much and I want to send everyone to therapy. I don’t even like sci-fi usually so this was amazing for me.

Nomads: ONE OF MY ALL TIME FAVORITES. The concept is your stereotypical “there were five kingdoms after a war 100 years ago:” the Sun, Sea, Sand, Sky, and Snow kingdoms. To maintain the peace, traveling between the kingdoms is banned for average citizens. You may, however, choose to become a Nomad, and travel for a price: you can never have a permanent home. Lance of the Sea Kingdom REALLY doesn’t want to be a Nomad. However, his little brother Mikah goes missing, and Lance has to find him in one year (once Mikah turns 18 it’ll be impossible to find him.) It’s going well and dandy until some unfortunate circumstances result in him, his new traveling buddy Satra, and a magic talking cat-thing being mistakenly accused of kidnapping a prince. And now they’re wanted bounties. (This comic is HILARIOUS so many shenanigans and I love Satra so much.)

Castle Swimmer: Can’t reveal TOO much of this ‘cause spoilers but it’s a really really good story. It’s a fantasy romance too. In this society of “Mers” (merfolk), every kingdom has long awaited the day a mysterious, mythicaeing known as the Beacon arrives. He will grant each kingdom’s prophecy, be that granting them fortune or saving their lives. When the Beacon arrives, though, turns out he’s literally just some kid named Kappa who has no idea what he’s doing. Siren is the prince of the shark kingdom. They have a curse that will cause them to suffer and become covered in scars and eventually die. The only way they can break the curse is whenever the Beacon arrives—and Siren, as predicted, will kill him. The only problem is that Siren REALLY doesn’t want to be a murderer, and Kappa REALLY doesn’t want to die, and they both are pining HARD. 

Suitor Armor: This is a romantic fantasy but I like it because it doesn’t feel boiled down to JUST a “will they won’t they.” Fairies and humans have been at war for as long as anyone can remember, with heavy losses on both sides. A Lord rescues a child, a little girl named Lucia, to be his daughter, Kirsi’s, lady-in-waiting until Kirsi marries a nearby king. The only issue? Lucia is a fairy, and she and the Lord must hide that if she wants to live. After they’ve grown up, Kirsi and Lucia go to the nearby kingdom to prepare for the wedding, where Lucia meets their mage’s newest creation: an enchanted, sentient suit of armor named Modeus. And now we’re all aggressivley shipping a tin can with one of the coolest women ever. (And I LOVE the magic system in this… we don’t know everything yet, it’s being revealed as time progresses, but it’s amazing in my humble little opinion.)

Homesick: Recommending this one since you’ve read School Bus Graveyard! It’s almost a “sister series” in that the fanbases overlap lots and the creators have done collabs too! Disclaimer that it’s mature for a reason. It covers a lot of dark topics and is a HORROR FOR A REASON. School Bus Graveyard is incredibly dark, but it sort of eases you in to the terror while Homesick tosses you in like a flailing child. If you do choose to read it I can provide trigger warnings, though it may spoil some plotlines a bit. Rayne (my pfp!) wakes up on a rooftop with no memories at all and meets a boy named Samael, who quickly informs her that it’s the apocalypse. Cannibalistic creatures called murks roam the land, feeding on anything that makes eye contact. Rayne and Samael form a deal to survive, but things get really, REALLY messy when they encounter someone from Samael’s past and get wrapped up in something that might just be worse than the apocalypse. On top of it all, Rayne has noticed some strange things about herself, including terrible headaches that warn her of murks… (It’s so good I love it but good lord it gets dark. I really want to say more about it but the story doesn’t jump right into the main action or plot right away so I CAN’T WITHOUT SPOILING IT SOB.)

Okay limiting myself to six for now sheesh I typed a lot.

[mrs-johansson]

Escape from LA - Lisa Manobal x Fem!Depp!Reader

Part 1:

“And the Grammy goes to… Y/n Fleur Depp!” The present read out the card and I just let my head fall back as I let out a big sigh. My sister was the first to bring me in a big hug and then my manager and producer who were also such a big part of this album. I hugged everyone around me and at the table next to us was Harry sitting. I looked over and he was already on his feet clapping with a genuine smile on his face. I put my hands together and leaned forward a bit to express my gratitude.

Walking up the stairs will never get old or boring, it’s always a huge honor. Accepting the award I stepped up to the mic.

“Thank you so much for this. Ugh… It’s always an honor to get one of these but I think it’s even more special to me to be named beside my fellow nominees. I would’ve never thought that my name would be in the same conversation as ABBA. Absolutely insane to me,” I chuckled looking down at the award. “And everyone else in the category, you guys are incredible and the art that you all create is what this world needs and I’m just happy to be named beside you. I uhm… I wanna thank Romeo and Phil, my producers and Jenna, my manger. My family, of course, you guys are the best. But mostly my amazing fans, who relentlessly support and love me, and without you, I wouldn’t be standing here, so thank you.”

***

Y/n Fleur Depp parties with sister, Lily-Rose Depp and ex-boyfriend Harry Styles at the 2023 Grammy after party

The Depp sisters enjoy a night out in Los Angeles after the Grammy Awards

Y/n Fleur Depp bags 2 Grammys just before kicking off her Reflections World Tour

Y/n Fleur Depp supports Harry Styles at his Melbourne concert just a week before her world tour kicks off

***

“Tonight we have a very special guest with us, multiple Grammy award winner singer, and songwriter, please welcome Y/n Fleur Depp,” said Jimmy Kimmel, and as the door opened I stepped out, waving to the crowd and making my way to the chair after sharing a hug with the host.

“Y/n, welcome to the show, how are you doing?” Asked Jimmy. “Thank you, happy to be here. I’m great, how are you?” I asked politely. “Great, thanks. Are you and Harry back together?” He replied so fast and my eyes just went wide as the whole crowd started cheering. “Oh no, we’re not. I’m absolutely single, believe me. I don’t need anything right now,” I chuckled uncomfortably. I admit I’ve been talking the most with Harry since we’ve broken up but there’s nothing between us and we both know there’ll be nothing. “Okay, just making sure. Did you enjoy his concert?” “Yes, definitely. He is an amazing performer so I wasn’t worried.” “You start your tour in two days and it’s gonna be a very long journey. You start in LA on February 22nd and the last date is in Soul, Korea on December 22nd. That’s a long tour.” “Yeah, it is. But it’s gonna be awesome. We’ve been preparing for a while now and I’m very excited to see everyone and sing the new songs,” I smiled giddily and the crowd cheered hearing my words. “How do you prepare for a tour like this? I mean obviously, you have the dance stuff and all but mentally and physically?” “Yeah, I prep for the show with all of the dancers 3 times a week for like… 3 months. But I work out every day also, even if it’s pilates or gym. Shows can be very hard on your body when you perform 5 times a week for two and a half hours, so I try my best to prepare for the year. And mentally I guess I just try to enjoy every quiet moment before going on the road. It’s very hard obviously being away from my friends and family but someone always comes to each show so that’s nice,” I explained. “And as I know, you bring your cat on tour with you.” “Oh absolutely. He’s my baby, I can’t leave him for that long.” “His name is Bucky, right?” “Yeah,” I smiled. “How did you get the name?” He asked. “Uhm… I really like the Marvel movies and Bucky is one of my favorite characters of all time so I thought why not? The Winter Soldier already seems like a black cat type of guy so I chose that.”

After the interview, I got back to the green room and I was a little angry not gonna lie. “I go to one of his shows with literally multiple people and have one drink with him at the fucking Grammys, and suddenly we are back together. How does that work? And besides, we broke up over 4 years ago,” I packed up my bag and grabbed my phone. “You know they always do this, don’t bother,” said Chloe, my assistant, as we made our way to the car. “I know they do, but fucking hell, I can’t be single for one goddamn minute.”

***

“Hello, it’s Y/n Fleur Depp and today I’m gonna let Elle ask me anything,” I smiled at the camera.

“What’s your favorite memory from doing your last album?” Asked the journalist.

“I’ve got to work Doja Cat on one of the songs and I think it was one of the greatest days of the album making. We just had such a fun time with that song and we were just vibing a lot. She has a really interesting character and it was refreshing to work with someone like her.”

“What are you most passionate about outside of singing?”

“Ooh, that’s a hard one… food? I don’t know, I just love to try new stuff and cook new stuff. It’s a fun thing to get into.”

“Biggest pinch me moment in your career?”

“Oh my god, on my last tour, I was in New York, performing at Madison Square Garden and it was like halfway into the show and I looked up to the… well VIP section I guess and Rihanna was there, dancing and singing along. I almost fainted.”

“What is the best industry advice you’ve received?”

“Enjoy every second of it. I think especially now with social media, there are so many opportunities for people to make it in the music industry. And now, someone can easily take your place overnight if their song is gonna be a trend on TikTok. So I enjoy every little moment.”

“Who’s your biggest cheerleader?”

“My sister Lily, for sure. She has always been my biggest supporter. Since we were little kids, she always made me sing her favorite songs. And even now, even if I have a show on the other side of the world she will fly out and dance and sing through the whole thing. She’s the best.”

“What’s your 5-year plan for your personal life?”

“Oh damn… Uhm… I just want to be in a secure and stable place. Definitely move out of Los Angeles, it’s been too long for me to live here. I want to live somewhere different and new and have new experiences. And uhm… be in a calm and loving relationship.”

***

“Come on people, night one,” I stood in a circle with all of my dancers. “I just want to say how proud I am of us and the work all of you put into this tour. I am extremely grateful for all of you because everybody in this crew is so amazing, dedicated, and talented. I want us to have fun. It’s gonna be a long road but we’re gonna shake up the world and do some incredible stuff. I love you all and let’s have some fun,” I said and we cheered before putting our hands in the middle. “Reflections on 3, 2, 1!” “REFLECTIONS!”

I stood on the lift and I got my mic handed to me. Then the intro for Ready for it began playing on a loop.

The podium rose and the crowd erupted in cheers and screams. “Los Angeles… Are you ready for it?” I said and seconds later the song started.

About an hour into the show, I was at the front of the runway part of the stage. Sitting on a chair with only a guitar and a mic stand.

“Before we dive into the next song I wanna thank all of you for coming,” I said and as soon as they started cheering I smiled widely. “The last few years were absolutely crazy. ” I looked around the stadium. “But now, we are finally at peace kind of and I think we should enjoy it. We worked so much on these shows because I think we all took doing concerts for granted and me and my crew want to give you the best. It’s so cool to be back on stage, in front of all of you. Uhm… I love you and thanks again,” I smiled and they all cheered which made me smile even more. I just love that they love me.

Doing another hour and a half was a little exhausting but I enjoyed every second of it. “Thank you so much, Los Angeles, I’ll see you tomorrow,” I blew kisses all around the stadium as the lift was moved down.

I walked behind the stage and as soon as I stepped into the hallway, I had champagne sprayed all over me as my friends and family screamed around me. “Oh shit,” I covered my face as the champagne was just coming. “Congratulations!” heard Lily’s voice before she hugged me as soon as the alcohol stopped flowing. “Thank you, it was so fucking cool,” I said. “Oh my god, it was!” She shook my shoulder and I hugged everyone who was around basically then made my way to the dressing room, changing to something that wasn’t covered in champagne.

Once I cleaned up, I checked a couple of messages on my phone when I heard a knock on the door. “Come in,” I said, still scrolling through my phone. “I brought some guests, sissy,” Lily spoke and I looked up immediately, not hearing a noise from the guests.

All of a sudden Blackpink was standing in front of me with shy smiles. I’ve met Jennie before and we clicked really well. She is a very funny and sweet person, but I haven’t met the other members yet. “Oh my god, hello,” I went to hug Jennie and she was quick to greet me too, before turning to her members. “It’s Jisoo, Rosé, and Lisa,” she pointed at each of them. “I know, I’m a fan, you know that. It’s so nice to finally meet you,” I said, honestly feeling happy to meet them. “We’re happy to see you, it was an amazing show by the way,” said Rosé with a noticeable Australian accent. I put my hands together and bowed my head. “That means a lot coming from you. We should hang out. Are you guys free for the next…” I looked down at my watch, checking the time. “…couple of hours?” I asked and they all looked at each other before nodding their heads. “What do you have in mind?” Asked Jennie. “We could have some drinks back at the hotel if you’d like. It’s a calm place,” I suggested. “Let’s do it.” Jisoo excitedly said and we all chuckled. “We’re gonna be great friends, Jisoo.”

[thecampjuicebox]

Here's a short one for you. Any number of companions/characters of your choice reacting to a Tav, who initially seems to be of a pretty slight build, but one day Tav takes off their shirt (in order to clean it and/or because they have worked up a sweat) and thus reveals that their slight frame is just completely covered by carved muscle. ('cuz bulging muscles are cool, but what about lean musculatures? 😏)

This is so clever!! Cracks knuckles

This is most certainly going to be an NSFW take because all of the companions are horny one way or another.

Let’s see what I can cook up. I’ll do my favorite companions reactions first and we’ll see how well this goes haha

Astarion

“My gods, darling. You’re just full of surprises, aren’t you?” He’d certainly lick his lips at the sight. He may be rather fit himself, but the hidden gem that’s just been unearthed to him is otherworldly, and he’d ravish Tav right then again there. (Of course it’s mostly a show, but is it completely?) I can imagine he’d approach Tav carefully when they’re alone, reach out to teasingly trace the muscles with his cold fingertips and watch as the muscles contract. Rest his head against them to listen to the blood rush and pump through their veins. A delicious display, all his for the taking, should he want it.

Karlach

“I’d like to ride you until you see stars.” And boy, oh boy, is she serious. Karlach is rather muscular herself, and she even takes pride in this fact. But finding out that Tav is low-key shredded? Delicious. She’d think about them often. How their body would feel pressed against hers. How they’d share her heat. How she’d make them sweat and those very muscles would glisten in the dim glow of her infernal engine and Avernus flames. The idea of it would drive her mad with desire. And once the two of them are alone, she’d explore their body with her hands and mouth alike.

Gale

Gale would be a special case in this instance, as he doesn’t entirely care about what Tav looks like. He’s much more of a “love what’s within” type. HOWEVER. This does not mean that once he finds out Tav has a beautiful build that he wouldn’t be interested in exploring it with his “experienced tongue”. And explore it he will, once they’re awarded a moment alone. He’d cover their skin in kisses and bite marks. Leave little purple bruises along their hips. Trace each tight muscle with the tip of his tongue. Just absolutely ravish Tav and show them how beautiful they really are.

[sapphicseasapphire]

YOUR SKY AND PIPIT COMIC MADE ME CRY

PIPIT NEEDS MORE RECOGNITION🫡

Best SS side character ong

HAPPY TEARS I HOPE???

But yeah! Pipit’s a favorite of mine haha! In my opinion, he’s the most interesting side character on Skyloft! By far! (Groose isn’t on Skyloft anymore so he doesn’t count!) He’s also one of the most underrated characters in any Zelda game.

• He’s an upperclassman at the Academy who actively stands up for Fledge and Link against Groose.

• He’s SO SUPPORTIVE. Every time you talk to him, he has something encouraging to say. He genuinely really cares about Link and Zelda and is one of the few people who believes in Link.

• He’s the only student at the Knight Academy who doesn’t live in a dorm.

• He lives at home, but you never see him there.

• The Worst Mother on Skyloft Award goes to Mallara! (Pipit’s mom). The reason Pipit’s never at home is because his home is a mess and his mother is the WORST.

• Mallara has really nice furniture and ceramics and stuff but it’s all messy. Pipit’s corner of the house is the only clean area, but his furniture is all worn down and scratched up. His blanket is patched. Everything he has is well used and mended.

• I kind of view that as a metaphor: Mallara has nice things but doesn’t care about them enough to take good care of them. She has an amazing son but doesn’t care enough about him to take care of him. Meanwhile, Pipit uses what he has, even if he doesn’t have much.

• ALSO he’s struggling financially. When you clean Mallara’s house, she gives you twenty rupees and tells you to say hello to Pipit for her. (There’s a reason she doesn’t say hello herself. There’s a reason Pipit doesn’t talk to her).

• If you clean her house enough times and then walk by it at night, you’ll hear Pipit yelling at her. I don’t know the exact quotes but he said something along the lines of “I gave you that money to buy bread and you spent it on a housekeeper! If you keep this up, I won’t be able to afford to go to the Academy next year!”

• Bro’s a full time student and also works the night watches at the Academy just to have the money to put food on the table and put himself through school. He gives some of this money to Mallara and she IMMEDIATELY turns around and spends it on Link.

• THAT’S A WHOLE OTHER THING. Mallara pays Link to clean her house because she’s too lazy to do it herself. She tells him to talk to Pipit because she’s too lazy to do it herself. She expects Link to be her housekeeper and her messenger because she’s not willing to put the work in and do the bare minimum for her home or for her son.

• This whole time I’ve been calling it her house. But the game calls it Pipit’s house. PLEASE did he buy the house too?? So that his mother could destroy it?? Crying.

• He has the sweetest little crush on Karane and the game gives you the option to tease him for it! I will always give the letter to Karane because it makes me happy to see him happy. He deserves it! “You like her?” Such a little brother response.

• He literally says something along the lines of “don’t I deserve to know true love?” about Karane. Like. This guy’s never experienced genuine love in his life. His mother sure isn’t giving it to him.

• Link and Pipit are 100% brothers and I’m writing a whole fic about how Link was adopted into that problematic family and what that means for Mallara and Pipit. Suffice to say, Link and Pip are quite close! For my au, Pipit is the first person to really and truly understand Sky since he knows Link so well (literally grew up in the same house) but also knows Aepon! (Took care of the Loftwing while Link was away on his adventure). In many cases, he understands Sky better than Zelda does. Better than Sky knows himself! There will definitely be more Pipit content from me because he DESERVES SOME LOVE.

[ryattcos]

i have finally finished tgcf and can give better opinion of some of my favorite characters.

xie lian- my baby! i love him. he must be protected at all costs. but also…. he kinda hot when he goes all martial god…. that’s all i’m saying. also, i love that even though he’s unlucky, he’s highly perceptive of things and people around him. he notices things. i want to give squishmallows.

hua cheng- plz let me tell him that he’s worthy. plz let me tell him he matters. my god, this man needs more softness in his life. so much suffering. give him squishmallows too! he would appreciate soft stuff too!

feng xin- a likable, dependable labrador. he is simply a good man and a good body guard. he follows his orders to a t and tries to do things the right way.

mu qing- just a bitch. an understandable bitch, but like… a bitch. i think he is a complex character and i loved when he was talking to xie lian abs being vulnerable he was able to admit his feelings were complex and messy. i couldn’t be in the same room as him. but i get it.

shi qingxuan- oh, my absolute favorite gender-fluid icon. thank you! they are such a true friend to xie lian and over all give me comfortable and safe vibes. they would listen to you vent, and they would judge you but they wouldn’t hold it against you.

pei ming- i think general fuckboi is an outstanding character. i think he would absolutely ignore me. i love that even though he’s a whore, he’s up front about it. the slutification of pei mingvis the only thing i’m here for right now. he definitely needs more respect women juice, but he has solid potential.

lang qianqiu- he gives me pretty boy vibes. idk what it is, but he gives me “better than thou” for most of the story. he does redeem himself once he has had his revenge, so like, i get it.

quan yizhen- he is a great dane. giant, floppy, goofy. could break through the wall like the koolaid man. he reminds me of a colt. like a young horse. horse people will get that one.

jun wu- mommy milkers and morality don’t go hand in hand unfortunately. so the biggest tits award also goes to the biggest fuck ass award. cuz holy trauma llama…

i’m sure i’ll have more thoughts but these are just the ones off the top of my head. bed time ramblings if you will.

[euniexenoblade]

hey, on your old blog you had a list of your favorite books. Do you think you could make another post like that?

Yeah totes, so if we just stick specifically to novels and no comics or manga, here ya go:

The Alchemists of Loom (trilogy) by Elise Kova: It's a weird story that I can only describe as a traditional fantasy and steampunk combine. The exposition is there was this world of people called the Fenthri who achieve achieve steampunk level of tech, finally inventing a flying machine and going beyond the clouds that surround their planet, to find floating patches of land where they discover a race of people that call themselves Dragons, who have magic. The dragons invade the planet and oppress its people. The main character is this woman known as The White Wraith, a Fenthri who is known for killing Dragons and harvesting their organs (source of their magic), her lesbian protege that leads a revolution, and a Dragon royal that betrays his people to help attempt dethrone the king. Shit's great. I love it. Please read it. That first book is outstanding.

Goth by Otsuichi: A Japanese horror novel about a boy who has impulses to kill and a girl who is suicidal. Both of them are attracted to death and interested in the grotesque and macabre. Endless trigger warnings for this, from animal abuse to obvi murder. It's one of my favorite horror novels, if not my absolute favorite horror novel. The story is unique, and uniquely Japanese in it's telling. I reread it every October.

Another by Yukito Ayatsuji: The other horror novel I reread every October, another uniquely Japanese story about a class that's cursed, where a dead kid ends up in the class every year, but no one can identify who it is that's dead. And, the more they interact with the dead student, the more likely everyone is to die. There's an anime adaptation of this, it's pretty decent though it feels more like "Final Destination: The Anime" than the novel does. There's also a manga, I know nothing about the manga. But yeah, read the novel, it's fun.

Mordred, Bastard Son by Douglas Clegg: One of my favorite Arthurian stories, it retells the King Arthur story from a perspective of Mordred, who in this rendition is a very kind hearted gay man. I don't like the portrayal of King Arthur in it really, but that's all of like, 5 sentences. The story really hovers on our protag Gay Mordred and the shit he goes through. Pretty sure it won an award for gay literature. The downside is it's a cliff hanger ending an the author never released the follow up (it's been almost two decades, idk if we're getting it). Book is like, 40% of where my name comes from.

Pretty much any Nisioisin book. He just has a really clever wit, and a story telling style that feels very fun and vibrant. My favorite of his books is probably Kizumonogatari, which is a prequel of Bakemonogatari, follows Koyomi Araragi saving a vampire and in turn becoming a vampire himself. I additionally love his book Zaregoto, which is a locked room mystery, and his books Katanagatari, martial artist goes on a journey to collect mystical swords. He's a fantastic writer, look into a book from him.

Shades of Grey: The Road to High Saffron by Jasper Fforde: I haven't read this in over a decade, but I've claimed it to be my favorite book since. I really should reread it. It takes place in a post apocalyptic world where humans eye sight has devolved and a caste system has formed around what colors people can see.

Some other novels I really like are Insomnia and The Dead Zone by Stephen King, Phantoms by Dean Koontz, Feed by M.T. Anderson, I Want to Eat Your Pancreas by Yoru Sumino, and the Spice & Wolf series by Isuna Hasekura.

[spiderlingh]

obx s3 thoughts (obviously contains spoilers!)

this is just my opinion, please don’t come for me if u disagree :)

i was a bit disappointed with this season ngl, definitely my least favorite season of the series so far

action sequences were really good but i felt like a few episodes were just straight meaningless action scenes and that definitely felt unnecessary to me

cleo pope jj owners of the season <3

drew starkey can certainly pull off a buzzcut but man do i miss his sexy haircut from season 2 😭😭

WAY TOO MANY BIG JOHN SCENES oh my god look i get it, it’s a miracle the guy turned up alive and shit but i am not john b i do not give two shits about this rather mean looking man and i felt like he was on my screen more than the main cast

shoutout to his actor tho. he did a great job portraying him

i thought i would be a jiara shipper but i don’t like them together at all… i lowkey hate that the writers now literally paired kie with every guy of the pogues when that seems so out of character for her

saw a post about kie being lesbian and you know what? y e s. even though i think a love interest wouldn’t be necessary for her to begin with

i’m a jjpope girlie sorry their chemistry is just chef’s kiss but it’s never gonna happen bc according to the writers there’s not a single gay on that silly lil island

(it’s completely fine if you do ship them bc they did have chemistry in the previous seasons)

not the sarah x topper drama getting reused from last season… i love sarah but girl what the hell

speaking of topper i thought it was fun how they included him in the train heist

but the way sarah manipulated him and used him… i’m no fan of his at all but i did feel for him bc he pulled so much for her and she went straight back to john b 😭

my boy really said i’m gonna light this place up like a damn bonfire lmfao

anyway back to it

the main villains (ward and rafe) of the past two seasons became pretty much irrelevant this season?? huh???

rafe did a near complete 180 out of nowhere… which was strange

like this man’s whole trauma was solely fixed on getting love and respect from his father and the whole donating the cross situation really sucked if you look at it from rafe’s perspective but i do not believe that THAT was all it took to suddenly become so hostile towards ward. even if he still ended up saving him.

this guy was so stuck in the cycle of violence from the pilot up to the final episode of season 2 and his character development was so interesting to see (that scene in s2 when he says he’s not okay and needs help and ward tells him to man up still stuck with me) and it feels like they threw it out of the window and pretty much sidelined his character for no reason at all.

new boring villain is introduced and gets killed in the same season

worst parent award goes to mike and anna

I WANT TO SEE MORE OF JJ AND SARAH WORKING TOGETHER OR JUST INTERACTING PLEASE

they’re such a fun dynamic like give me that please i’ve been asking for this before s2 even came out

the pogues had pretty much 2 scenes together and that’s it… i had hoped to see more of them and their dynamics and just more of them on that deserted island??? wasted potential oh my god

is it just me or was the filming style a lil different this season…

wasn’t rafe’s love interest supposed to be a bigger thing? because the few scenes he shared with her were completely irrelevant and so was her entire character tbh 😭

rafe and kie teaming up… was awesome i loved it

jj and kie running into pope and cleo when they were just about to get off the bus and immediately had to run from people with big ass guns is peak obx energy and i thought it was hilarious

i audibly gasped at the time jump!! such a weird way to end the season, it almost seemed like a series finale but knowing that season 4 is already confirmed i’m genuinely wondering what direction they’re gonna take this. the root of it all was that they were looking for the treasures because some of them were connected to it in their own ways (john b and the royal merchant bc of his dad, pope and the cross/denmark tanny bc family) and rafe and ward were perfect villains up until this season.

if there’s something i want to see in the next season, it’s just more pogue scenes, strengthening their own characters and developments and their dynamics with the other pogues. we really do not need the same romance drama every season. it’s boring and frankly annoying. honestly in this show there’s so much going on that i don’t feel like each one of the pogues needs to end up with someone. i would love to have jarah and jjpope as endgame and have kie and cleo end up solo or maybe have other love interests (but not really).

just give me the pogues doing what they do best — bickering while they’re off chasing some mystery and putting their lives at risk and miraculously getting out of it alive and well.

because season 3 was just weird. really weird. idk this is all for now but i might add more later!

[dangermousie]

Farscape rewatch - The Locket, 2x16

I am probably in the minority of being both a rabid John x Aeryn shipper and not being fond of this episode. It’s probably my least favorite ep this season except for Dream a Little Dream. Not sure why that is - perhaps because everything gets reset at the end of this episode in a way that it does not come to bear later. If it did not happen, nothing would change for anyone (with possible exception of Zhaan and Stark and even for them, it might just delay their relationship mildly at most.) But me being me, it does not mean I don’t have a ton to say. On the contrary.

It’s a bit ironic but in an ep known as a big John x Aeryn shipper episode, what brings me the most joy is the start of Zhaan x Stark, one of my favorite secondary OTPs in any shows. 

How could I not adore them? A former anarchist-assassin priestess who is also a wise earth mother type and supremely sensual being and over the edge of insanity and tortured by Scorpius for years, former Banik slave who helps the dying over to the next world? Who just work together perfectly? And it ends tragically? So so SO sold. Plus, Paul Goddard's voice makes me so weak in the knees I have no legs left.

It's funny because everyone loves Zhaan (how could you not?) but I remember Stark being such a polarizing character when the show aired. I confess to loving him. He is off the edge and off-kilter, but it makes perfect sense: even on Farscape, where it’s a tough competition, Stark wins the suckiest life award. I mean, he was in Aurora Chair dozens of times and we saw what it made of Crichton in a not nearly as many spins. And yet he still has compassion - he had it with Crichton in the chair, he searched the Moyans out to give D’Argo news of his son, and look at him be so kind to Aeryn:

And he is surprisingly together until he gets dispersed. And then he is much more off-kilter, and when he feels 10,000 of his people dying, killed by Scorpius, it doesn't help.

Whenever he gets any stability (as with Zhaan. He is quite normal with her) it gets yanked away. OMG, the bit in S&L when she basically tells him there is nothing he can do about her dying and just help her cross over and says he is an expert on dying, and he replies 'I am an expert on dying. I am just not an expert on you dying.'  Ohhhhhh...

And I still think that in a lot of ways, Zhaan/Stark is a mirror of John/Aeryn. With the woman the crazy guy's source of stability. Stark goes catatonic-mumbly when Zhaan dies which is a John thing to do. He sort of displaces onto Aeryn because Zhaan died for her.  He goes looking for Zhaan even though she is dead. These are all a John sort of thing to do. Only he doesn't have the happiness of having Zhaan back.  In some ways, Stark is John, complete with a dark streak (the way that he leaves Grunchlick frozen is rough justice but it's very dark) and passionate hate of the use of the helpless and hopeless love. Only years later and messed up a lot lot lot more than John (I still remember John telling Stark “she is my Zhaan” about Aeryn and it clicks for Stark, because of course it does.)

I love that he gets peace at the very end. One of my favorite things is that he is finally free of all the horror. And I am an optimist. Maybe one day he will find Zhaan  again. It's Farscape, anything can happen.

Oh, and I do love how alien the two of them can get:

(Those two clearly had a good time, heh.) 

OK, moving on to the non Zhaan x Stark stuff. This little moment is pretty awesome:

Indeed.

A moment that struck me is this one:

I think it strikes me so hard because this is such a constant for John. Aeryn comes back ancient and John has no idea what caused it or if it would do this to him or what danger he’d go into but it does not matter. She is in danger and that’s the sole thing that matters. Aging does not scare a man who went down to the Gammak Base in s1 to save her, saw his life  turn into neverending horror  as a result and that past experience and still does not let it give him even a moment of pause. John remains the same throughout - Aeryn’s safety trumps anything for him. It’s one constant no matter what else changes in him - in s4 he goes to the Scarran stronghold strapping a literal nuke to himself to rescue her. He has no stops when it comes to her and he never will.

The thing with the titular locket btw - I found it so interesting not that old Aeryn had John’s portrait in it and referred to it as the love of her life (not surprising) but that John ultimately did not want to look and see who it was because a man who was brave enough to walk into an enemy stronghold, to fight the Universe even, was not brave enough to look in case it was someone else. And how Farscape for him to find out only after her death (and once again, Farscape uses any opportunity to twist the knife; they make them old in giant part just to have her die in his arms, I swear.)

One bit of amusingness for me tho is Harvey’s frustration about being stuck in the middle of nowhere with crotchety old Crichton and nothing he could do about it.

But ulitmately everything gets undone and it ends on a surprisngly gentle note for this show. 

PS We begin to see the cracks in D’Argo x Chiana. It was a relationship that always made sense to me, in good days and bad - they were never compatible in some ways and I do think that their narrative really went through whether feelings and a hell of a sexual attraction is enough for them. (The thing with Jothee really was Chiana self-sabotaging in the most spectacular way because she was worried she was in too deep and because it was her subconscious telling her to pull the bandaid off before D’Argo did. Better leave than to be left. She really had enormous issues, like the rest of them, and nothing was ever magically easy.)

[prototypelq]

What are you favorite DMC character dynamics? (outside of Dante and Patty) Which ones would you want to see more of?

Hi, dear anon, thank you for sending the asks! It`s pretty fun to write them and I hope it is entertaining for you to read the replies

Sooo, the answer should be fairly obvious here hehe. DMC is a series that is literally built around the Loser Sparda Twins, much more than any other game series that comes to my mind. Dante is the heart and soul of the games - he is the living impersonation of the family theme, which is the underlying main theme of the games, underneath all the fun demon slaying; Dante is the core of the games, so that makes Vergil the living impersonation of all the struggles that come with family bonds, and at the same time he is the main advocate and victim of the 'fun violence' the series is known for. I don`t think you can like the series without falling heels over for these two blockheaded idiots and their family drama.

Actually, the family drama is how I ended up in the DMC. I saw the trailer for definitive 5 (the one that goes 'Hes your brother?; Hes your father; Nero is my son?'), the one that shamelessly spoils the plot, and hell yeah I`m down for that. So I checked some videos, bought 5 and Vergil, and here I am, in this very deep and sticky swamp known as DMC.

As you can probably tell, I adore Dante&Vergil trying, failing, and trying again to restore their brotherly bond. I have all the angst/hurt/comfort gen fics bookmarked in their respective tag on ao3, and I mean ALL of them.

Their duality and the way twins embody the principle of complementarity towards each other is fascinating to me. It is also why I adore the ending of 5, and have no idea where to take the series in a possible next game, since the conflict that the series was built upon since the beginning has been solved.

You`ve asked about the relationships other than Dante&Patty, but its like my second favorite in the franchise, I have to write some words about it. I adore them because I believe Patty came into Dante`s life at a very low place, and he really needed someone to be there for him, even if he himself out loud said he wanted to be left alone. Patty was persistent and sweet in a way a small girl can be, and her constant pestering was a good distraction and a helpful nudge for Dante. Also, her backstory is way too close to home for him (an orphan on the run from demons) and I think that protecting her (like covering her eyes to hide the bloodshed) did give him some closure with his own childhood trauma.

Other relationships... and mostly fanon-made. DMC is extremely character-centric, yet not character-centric at all because most of the emotional stuff about anyone fans have to guess or make up. Sooo this is just headcanons below mostly.

Dante&Nero! I think Dante is the Uncle material, if post-twins-return he will start actually trying to be an uncle he would win the Worlds Best Uncle Award for sure. However, first he would have to explain a lot to Nero and that would be...interesting to see. Weve seen that Nero can hold his grudges for a long time (just like his dad), so fixing their relationship is gonna be a big task for Dante, but I also think Nero can come to understand why Dante acted the way he did and forgive him. Nero also very slightly partially to blame because, kid have you looked in a mirror? Ever? But its probably just...a writing loophole. Anyway, back to the uncle and nephew - I`d love to see them share interests! These two obviously have a lot in common, so it`d be fun if they tried to rock jam sometime, have an arms practice, talked guns, etc. It feels like Dante would be up for pretty much any activity together. Also, the noogies. Nero gets ALL the noogies for the 20+ years they should have known each other. There is no escape.

Vergil&Nero are great, of course! I`m sure they can work out their relationship together. Vergil is good father material, he`ll do just fine.

I`d love to see the sparda trio do something together! My personal headcanon is that they would all enjoy a symphonic rock orchestra show (because orchestra makes the classic rock songs sound almost better than the original, and I`m projecting very much here)

I really want to see more Nero/Kyrie! They had very little time to show their relationship and they are very sweet) And Kyrie herself really needs more screentime, her only character trait is pretty much 'neros girlfriend' and she needs more than that. Her concept art in armor is GREAT actually, and it should`ve been the one in-game. There is a fic on fanfiction The Emptiness is so Real by Night Companion where I think the author capture the Kyrie we should have gotten. The Kyrie that has grown around church, but also very close to military men and she should know the consequences of their lifestyle, as well as be able to help them. Her kindness should not be unassuming and naive, but firm and deliberate.

The undercharacterisation issue goes the same for Lady, Trish and Lucia. All of them need actual arcs and development and badly. Lady had a very tiny little bitty hint at having her own emotional struggle with family drama in 5, but that`s just not enough. All of them are almost identical to their first appearance in the series, and while, understandable as they are side-characters, this becomes a huge problem when they are returning side-characters, in every game entry. The ladies need their own stories.

(sidenote: I don`t ship Dante with anyone, mostly because I feel like he has had quite enough problems on his own and a relationship on top of that would only drag him, and the person down. But if I were to ship Dante with someone I`d go with Lucia)

Other characters that I wish had more character are the Devil Arms! They were very sentient and talktative in 3 and we had Balrog in 5 ('Ignite the flame NOW' gives me freakin chills every time), so I hope we get a little bit more of that. There is a headcanon that Yamato is 'she', and I fully support it and want other Devil Arms to have some character traits of their own! (King Cerberus, my beloved, gimme more of the elemental doggo)

Thank you for the ask! Have a great May day)

[saltygilmores]

A Really Really Old Interview with Milo From The Earliest Days of Gilmore Girls, TeenMag.Com

Name: Milo Anthony Ventimiglia

D.O.B.: July 8, 1977

Hometown: Milo was born in Anaheim, California, but he grew up in nearby Orange, CA.

How You Know Him: Most people recognize Milo from his role as Jed Perry on the short-lived but much-loved Fox TV show Opposite Sex. He's also appeared as a guest star on show's like C.S.I. and Sabrina the Teenage Witch. Now, Milo has joined the cast of the terrific WB show Gilmore Girls as Luke's trouble-making nephew, Jess.

Taking the Plunge: Milo always wanted to be an actor, even when he was a little kid. "When I was eight, I was telling my parents, 'Hey, in twenty years, I'm gonna win an academy award,'" says Milo. "Then I really didn't dive into it until I was 18." When he was in high school, Milo was in plays, but he was too focused on playing sports?football, baseball and basketball?to think about getting into acting professionally. "Then, finally, when the opportunity came up as I got older, I was like, 'Wow, this is really something that I enjoy doing, and I think I could see a future career in it,'" explains Milo. "Plus, I'm not the best salesman, and I can't play guitar." What else was there for him to do?

First Paying Gig: The first professional paying job that Milo ever had was a small role on The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air. "I had one line," says Milo. "I walked down the stairs at some party Ashley was having because her parents were out of town. I have a girl on my arm, and I say, 'Relax Ash, we're just taking a little tour' and I laugh. It's a great glorious moment," he adds sarcastically.

Big Break: Besides that captivating bit part on Fresh Prince, Milo did a few commercials and appeared as a guest star on a few other TV shows. The public really started to take notice of Milo when he landed the role of Jed on Opposite Sex. This short-lived series earned Milo countless fans and some even made fan pages for him.

Becoming a Gilmore Guy: These days, Milo plays Jess, the new boy in Stars Hollow on Gilmore Girls. So far, we don't know that much about him. "He's kind of a mislead youth," says Milo. "He drinks. He smokes. He says rude things. He's kind of impolite. But, uh, he just doesn't want to be there." Jess is sent to live in Stars Hollow with his uncle, Luke, when he gets into trouble, and his mom just doesn't know what to do with him. Jess isn't just a typical bad boy though. "He's also really intelligent," says Milo. "So I think there's hope that he's going to turn out to be a good guy, or at least kind of he'll settle into his own in the town. He's always got a book in his back pocket." And guess who else is always carrying a book around: Rory.

Mystery Guy: Even Milo doesn't know that much about his Gilmore Girls character, Jess. The writers haven't told him where Jess was living before he came to Stars Hollow or even what his last name is. "I guess he's one of those Madonna characters," jokes Milo. We're guessing that both Milo and us Gilmore fans will be getting to know Jess a lot better in the coming months.

Good to be a Bad Boy: Milo admits that he's really having fun playing the bad boy role this time around. "I really enjoy it," he says. "I think, a lot of times, I kind of get stuck with the nice guy. The nice, indecisive guy who doesn't know how to make up his mind about anything. So, it's nice to just be the carefree, reckless youth." Plus, you get to do all those bad things without getting into any trouble. What a deal.

Sticking Around: There's been a lot of speculation about how long Jess will be a character on Gilmore Girls, so Milo wants to set the record straight. "I've got a two-year contract." says Milo. "I'm on for two years. It's kind of weird* My mom is so funny. Gilmore Girls is her favorite show, and so she goes on the web sites and spoiler boards and everything. In some places it says, 'Oh he's only a guest recurring,' and in other places it says that I'm only in two episodes," says Milo. "But no, I've got a two-year contract." So, go ahead and get attached to him girls. He's gonna be around a while.

Making Trouble: Of course, the news that Jess will be on Gilmore Girls for two years may upset some of the hardcore Rory and Dean fans out there. The rumors are flying that Jess is going to come in and break up that adorable couple. Milo isn't really saying what's going to happen. "Yeah, I definitely raise hell," he admits. "In episode number eight, which we just finished, I meet Dean for the first time. It was interesting. It was very quick but it was cool." Jess has already caused one fight between Lorelai and Luke, and it looks like he's just going to keep shaking things up in the sleepy town of Stars Hollow.

Movie Editing: If you look up Milo's movie credits, it looks like he's been in quite a few flicks, but it turns out, the poor guy has been edited out of most of them. For instance, in She's All That most of Milo's scenes got chopped. "It makes me laugh. My part was so miniscule," says Milo. "You see me walk in a door, and, right before I'm about to talk, they cut. So there's that. And then there's a whole following scene with myself and Kirin Culkin [that got cut], and then there's another scene in the movie that was totally cut. So, I kind of laugh when people are like, 'Oh, Milo Ventimiglia, She's All That,' and then they name something else, and I'm like, 'I wasn't really in those movies.'" There are a few movies that Milo managed to stay in, including one called Sheer Bliss, which hasn't been released yet. "I couldn't get cut out of that," says Milo. "I was the lead role." Sheer Bliss is about four guys who graduate from college and decide to try to figure out what the heck the want to do with their live. Check out the official website at www.sheerbliss.com.

Car Guy: Something else Milo is really into, besides acting, is cars. "I'm kind of a motorhead," he admits. "I'm a Chevy guy. I've got two Chevys." In fact, Milo was excited to learn that the teenmag.com shares a building with big name car magazines like Hot Rod and, even better for him, Super Chevy. He even wanted to stop by so we could take him to the car magazine floors and show him around. Milo said he'd call to set up a time to drop by. We're still waiting* (sigh.)

What's That In His Pocket?: Just like his Gilmore Girls character, Milo has always got a book with him. During down time on set, he's usually just sitting back reading a book. Currently, he's reading the Richard Bachman (aka Steven King) book The Long Walk.

Manly Movies: Milo's movie collection has got a lot of classic guy flicks in it. He's got The Godfather DVD collection, Goodfellas, Blow and The Matrix. But Milo's also into some old classics like movies starring James Dean and Marlon Brando. "I kind of dig all that old stuff," says Milo. Milo says that he really likes movies with good character development. He prefers movies "where it's not superficial. You have to kind of see what's going on in the mind of the character, to see their thought process without them giving it away or handing it to you on a plate." So he's a thinking guy. How cool!

Milo's Music: Like most people, Milo has a pretty eclectic music taste. "I listen to a lot of hip hop, and right now I'm stoked on a band called The Strokes," says Milo. "I was up at like five in the morning last week, just doing a bunch of stuff, and then I ended up just crashing on my couch and turning on the TV. I was falling asleep, and I heard the song and saw the band, and I was like, 'Who the hell are these guys?' I went and bought the CD, and I just haven't taken it out of my player yet. Then also like a lot of Deftones, and a lot of Orange County punk that I grew up with."

That's all for Milo. Don't forget to check him out on Gilmore Girls every Tuesday night at 8pm EST/PST on the WB.