#painter of the night season 2

[wlwcatalogue]

Some WLW (?) Jdrama & Kdrama recommendations!

Jdramas and Kdramas have a (not-entirely-unearned) reputation for being very straight, but here are a few which are either canonically F/F or which prominently feature a female-female pair-- please enjoy! For those who enjoy following series in real time, Chaser Game W and She Loves to Cook, and She Loves to Eat S2 are both airing this January 2024 :)

As with my post on anime with yuri subtext, since subtext is so subjective, this list only includes series which I’ve actually watched, and so is by no means intended to be comprehensive. Also, it doesn't include any webseries, since those probably deserve a post of their own.

At-a-glance list:

Miss Sherlock (8 episodes, 2018) (subtext)

Night Light (20 episodes, 2016) (subtext)

Tokusatsu Gagaga (7 episodes, 2019) (subtext)

Painter of the Wind (20 episodes, 2008) (canon?)

She Loves to Cook, and She Loves to Eat (10 15-minute episodes and counting, 2022~) (canon)

Sono Toki, Heart wa Nusumareta (5 episodes, 1992) (canon)

Chaser Game W (10? 30-minute episodes, 2024) (canon)

Doctor X (7 seasons and counting, 2012~) (subtext)

Bonus: SKY Castle (20 episodes, 2018) (subtext)

Summaries under the cut!

1. Miss Sherlock / ミス・シャーロック (8 episodes, 2018) (subtext) – MyDramaList | AsianWiki

The elevator pitch for this show is simple: it’s Sherlock Holmes, but where Holmes and Watson – here named “Sherlock” and Tachibana Wato, and played by Takeuchi Yuko and Kanjiya Shihori, respectively – are both female, and the cases are all set in modern Tokyo. As with other adaptations, mystery-solving and the budding relationship between the two leads takes centre stage, but Miss Sherlock manages to carve out an identity all its own.

There’s a calm beauty to its visuals, which favour sunlight and urban greenery, and the show’s focus on former doctor Wato as she tries out new jobs and goes to therapy means that there’s a surprisingly high number of slice-of-life scenes. It’s also subtly more female-focused than the source material; Sherlock’s gossipy but good-natured landlady Ms. Hatano (Ito Ran) is as much a member of the household as Sherlock and Wato, and the cases often revolve around female characters. But more than anything, it’s just really fun to watch Sherlock and Wato’s relationship bloom as they snip and snipe and are utterly unable to stay out of each other’s space (literally – the body language and blocking is *chef’s kiss*). Their relationship is the heart of the show – watch this one until the end, you won’t regret it!

(CW: psychological abuse, manipulation, and genre-typical murder, violence, and gore)

2. Night Light / 불야성 (20 episodes, 2016) (subtext) - MyDramaList | AsianWiki

(Note: spoilers for the mid-season twist, but it’s impossible to allude to a good portion of the F/F subtext without doing so, and I think knowing the twist ahead of time doesn’t make it any less enjoyable.)

Night Light is a rather odd show. It’s simple enough on the face of it, a story about  successful but ruthless CEO Seo Yi-kyung (an icy Lee Yo-won) who tries to mold the younger Lee Se-jin (a puppy-eyed Uee) in her own ambitious image, only for her protege to develop the conscience she never had and move to stop her dastardly plans… but upon watching it’s a totally different creature,  thanks to the alchemic reactions of some delightfully contradictory acting choices (Uee’s performance convinces viewers less of Se-jin’s supposed latent desire for power and money, and more of a deep love and devotion for the CEO) and the unintentionally (?) inneundo-laden script (“If I like something once, I never forget it– whether it’s a dress… or a person,” declares the CEO less than ten minutes into the first episode while gazing intently at Se-jin).

Honestly, it’s a wonder this series ever got made, but you certainly won’t see me complaining! The first part is full of boss/subordinate goodness; Se-jin is unable to resist the CEO’s magnetic pull despite her hot-and-cold behaviour, while the CEO cannot bring herself to push Se-jin away completely. And then, when Se-jin makes her mind up to stop the CEO, it morphs into a corporate take on a (subtextual) lovers-on-opposite-sides situation, where it is precisely Se-jin’s feelings for the CEO that motivate her to stop her. In short, it’s a workplace GL fan’s dream.

Note: If you do watch it, skip the corporate politicking cutscenes with the old men, you’ll thank me later. Also, there’s a prominent male character who is the CEO’s ex and who works closely with Se-jin in the second half, but don’t worry, all the M/F romance is in the past (and doesn’t get much screentime)– he and Se-jin aren’t interested in each other at all.

3. Tokusatsu Gagaga / トクサツガガガ (7 episodes, 2019) (subtext) - MyDramaList | AsianWiki

Nakamura Kano (Koshiba Fuka) lives and breathes tokusatsu shows (think Power Rangers, if you’re not familiar), but keeps it a secret from her work colleagues to avoid being shunned or laughed at. And yet she yearns for connection, so when she sees a woman on the subway bearing a keychain from her favourite show (Yoshida Hisami, played by Kurashina Kana), she is determined to find her again.

Although ostensibly about being a tokusatsu fan as an adult, this show is rife with queer subtext, and not in the usual way. It deals with the difficulties of staying in the closet (regarding being an adult tokusatsu fan), the desire to connect with other queer people adult tokusatsu fans and how one might do so through hints and signals, parental disapproval arising from gendered and social expectations (that tokusatsu shows are for boys, and magical girl shows for girls), intersectionality and finding comradeship with other minorities people who are excluded due to their interests, and even generational gaps wherein younger queers fans may underestimate the obstacles that still exist. Although all that might sound a bit stressful, it isn’t actually! Difficult incidents are handled with sympathy and a dash of wry humour, and the show never loses sight of the fact that it – above all else – is a story about finding queer community in the face of a heteronormative hostile world, told with warmth and the nuance of lived experience.

4. Painter of the Wind / 바람의 화원 (20 episodes, 2008) (canon?) - MyDramaList | AsianWiki

Adapting the novel of the same name by Lee Jung-myung, Painter of the Wind takes as its protagonist a gender-bent version of real-life Joseon-era painter Shin Yun-bok (Moon Geun-young), whose paintings are used to weave a tale of artistry, political intrigue, and romance, and more than anything else to offer modern-day viewers a glimpse of everyday life in 18th-century Korea.

While it may sound like Dickinson’s boring cousin, apart from having a common preoccupation with reframing historical works, another similarity the two shows share is that Painter of the Wind is also very gay. Starting from the first episode, Yun-bok meets and becomes fascinated by the courtesan Jung-hyang (Moon Chae-won), who despite her initial aloofness is drawn to Yun-bok’s intellect and sensitive demeanour. It’s a real meeting of the minds, their witty repartee in early episodes reminiscent of Twelfth Night’s Viola and Olivia, and their relationship isn’t siloed off from the main plot either: Yun-bok’s infatuation quickly starts causing issues with her academic career, and the two eventually have to contend with Jung-hyang’s precarious position as a courtesan as well.

Unfortunately, all this is undermined in the back half of the show, which tries to gaslight viewers into thinking that Yun-bok’s feelings for Jung-hyang were purely platonic all along and that she totally has romantic feelings for her much older male mentor— but hey, at least it’s an open ending. Despite everything, though, I can’t think of another serious historical TV show which features such a prominent F/F narrative for its main character, even nearly two decades later. (Let me know if you have any others! And no, Gentleman Jack doesn’t count, it’s not exactly traditional in style!)

(CW: period-typical sexism)

5. She Loves to Cook, and She Loves to Eat / 作りたい女と食べたい女 (10 15-minute episodes and counting, 2022~) (canon) - MyDramaList

Based on Yuzaki Sakaomi’s manga of the same name, this simple but sweet show follows home-cooking extraordinaire Nomoto Yuki (Higa Manami), who yearns to cook large-scale dishes but doesn’t eat enough to justify making them. Luckily for her, her neighbour Kasuga Totoko (Nishino Emi) has a massive appetite!

It’s always lovely to see more grounded stories about working women, especially when they’re as cute as this one. Though it touches upon some slightly more serious issues, such as with regard to gendered expectations surrounding food and cooking, it’s primarily a feel-good slice-of-life show about two women getting to know each other by cooking and eating delicious food together.

Side note: if you’ve started it and think the show doesn’t look cosy enough, stick it out for a few more episodes, the production values improve after the first part! Also, the series was renewed for a second season with double the episode count (for a total of 20 episodes) which will start airing on January 29th this year, so this is the perfect time to jump in!

6. Sono Toki, Heart wa Nusumareta / その時、ハートは盗まれた (5 episodes, 1992) (canon) - MyDramaList

Sono Heart, as it’s nicknamed, starts off as a typical heteronormative high school romance: bumbling protagonist Shiina Hiroko (Isshiki Sae) is desperate to get closer to her crush Katase Masato (Kimura Takuya), star of the school basketball team and all-round nice dude. However, a spanner in the works comes slouching along in the form of female classmate Aso Saki (Uchida Yuki, in her debut role), a mischievous, short-haired personification of trouble who Katase turns out to have feelings for. One day, Hiroko gets into a fight with Saki, and they end up having to stay together after school as punishment. But that afternoon gives them the opportunity to bond over a heart-to-heart conversation, and things seem to improve… until, just before leaving, Saki kisses Hiroko. And then everything changes.

Or rather, everything changes eventually. What’s great about this show is that it doesn’t take shortcuts: Hiroko doesn’t instantly fall in love with Saki. Instead, what you get is a surprisingly layered portrait of a high school girl whose coming to terms with queerness is merely a natural extension of reckoning with her burgeoning sexuality. And, because Saki is self-destructive in her depression and makes a game of belittling, worrying, and infuriating anyone who cares about her, it’s really a story about what it means to love another person rather than a romantic ideal. A word of warning, though: Katase is actually quite a large character, as he and Hiroko end up becoming friends. Also, the ending is very abrupt and inconclusive, though rest assured that it doesn’t try to roll back Hiroko’s feelings, or pair either girl off with a guy.

(CW: self-harm, attempted suicide, bullying, homophobia, underage drinking)

7. Chaser Game W: Power Harassment Boss Is My Ex-Girlfriend / チェイサーゲームW: パワハラ上司は私の元カノ (10? 30-minute episodes, 2024) (canon) - MyDramaList | AsianWiki

Probably jumping the gun here as only two episodes have aired as of writing, but I feel honour-bound to recommend this as it’d probably appeal to a lot of people, if only they knew about it! Chaser Game W is a standalone spin-off of Chaser Game, itself an adaptation of a manga of the same name by Matsuyama Hiroshi and Matsushima Yukitarou, but you don’t need to know anything going in.

Protagonist Harumoto Itsuki (former Keyakizaka46 captain Sugai Yuuka) has been assigned a new job: her company has been asked by a Chinese conglomerate to develop a game adaptation of a GL manhua, and she’s been tapped as the project leader. However, what appears to be an exciting prospect soon becomes a terrifying one, as the person sent by the client to supervise turns out to be her ex-girlfriend from university (Lin Dongyu, played by Japanese actress Nakamura Yurika), who is now married to a Chinese man (played by a Japanese actor) and has a child, but remains hell-bent on exacting revenge on Itsuki for their bad breakup. This is a romantic (melo)drama rather than a psychological thriller, though, so you won’t be watching Itsuki getting terrorised the entire time. While she is understandably upset by her ex’s current behaviour, Itsuki can’t forget about their happy days together, and Dongyu herself veers between being a sneering bully and craving Itsuki’s affection.

Do note that the show isn’t without its flaws: it’s very Japanese about the Chinese thing, which is to say it’s filled with comments which range from somewhat offensive to borderline racist, and the script will probably give you a headache if you know even the slightest thing about game development. Your mileage might vary on the ex too, as she can be really quite nasty to Itsuki and her teammates. But if you can overlook those issues, this is a rare prize indeed: a TV drama focusing on a canonical F/F pair, who are specifically exes, and in a workplace setting.

(CW: bullying)

8. Doctor X / ドクターX (7 seasons and counting, 2012~) (subtext) - MyDramaList | AsianWiki

To be very honest, I was in two minds about including Doctor X on this list. It is, with a few notable exceptions, misogynistic and reductive in its depictions of women (especially in the first two seasons), gives too much screentime to objectively awful and subjectively annoying men, doesn’t respect the work done by medical personnel apart from surgeons, and on the technical front is formulaic, repetitive, and often lazy in its writing and presentation. Unfortunately, the dynamic between the genius surgeon protagonist Daimon Michiko (Yonekura Ryoko) and her anaesthesiologist wife partner friend Jounouchi Hiromi (Uchida Yuki) is almost unparalleled in its excellence.

The premise of the series is basic indeed: Daimon Michiko is a freelance surgeon with a healthy disrespect of rules and authority and, unluckily for her detractors, a cast-iron guarantee that she will succeed in any surgery, no matter how difficult. She’s initially portrayed as a lone wolf who’s dismissive of the entire hospital system and anyone who’s part of it— but her interest is piqued by the anaesthesiologist Jounouchi, who is skilled beyond her peers and chafes against the idiocy of her colleagues. For all its flaws, the first season – which is more serious and edgy in tone compared to the others, and isn’t an ensemble cast like the post-S3 seasons – is a fantastic depiction of two people being perfectly matched in skill, intellect, and outlook, and how they come together despite one being standoffish (Jounouchi) and the other not being used to reaching out to or even respecting other people (Daimon).

The seasons after that sadly ditch the emphasis on Jounouchi being Daimon’s professional equal, but in exchange offer up another rare and unexpected gift: two women in their late thirties / early forties who are partners both at work and in private. Jounouchi is Daimon’s designated anaesthesiologist, assisting with nearly every surgery, and she spends so much time at Daimon’s agency-office-slash-house you’d think she’d moved in. Also, after a point they just start being wonderfully dorky and comfortable with each other, while still being consummate professionals in the operating theatre. Although the show is very much focused on Daimon Michiko as its sole protagonist, Jounouchi is undoubtedly the character most significant to her – even more than Daimon’s father figure, the head of the freelance agency – and this is highlighted in the story from time to time. They are very, very good. I just wish the series was better.

Note: If you’re curious, I would recommend watching the very first episode in full– by the end you should know if you’re invested enough to continue, otherwise drop it and live in the happy knowledge that you dodged a bullet. If you aren’t so lucky, I’d advise skipping the surgery segments when they start to bore, and in general to skip liberally. Also, season 4 is not worth watching as a whole, except for the last two episodes, which absolutely should not be missed. Sigh. I can’t speak to seasons 6 and 7, due to having paused mid-S6.

Side note: If you’ve watched Doctor X already and liked it (or at least like Daimon and Jounouchi), but haven’t tried Miss Sherlock yet, definitely give that a go because there seems to be a big overlap in the fandoms. Maybe it’s because they both feature a genius protagonist, have the two largest female characters being work partners, and domestic vibes…?

(CW: sexism, genre-typical gore)

Bonus: SKY Castle / SKY 캐슬 (20 episodes, 2018) (subtext) - MyDramaList | AsianWiki

(Note: slight spoilers for the early episodes, but it’s necessary in order to give a more accurate recommendation regarding the F/F subtext, especially as the show is not primarily focused on any one relationship.)

This one’s a bonus because unlike the others on this list, there’s no close relationship between two female characters which could be interpreted in a romantic light. That’s not too surprising as the show is all about the women of a several super-wealthy families trying to get their children into the top Korean universities (equivalent to the Ivy League) whilst supporting their husbands in the rat race: a decidedly heteronormative premise, albeit one that’s executed in an award-winning manner.

So why am I listing it? Well, it’s because somehow, in this series about heteronormative and highly gendered nuclear families, it features possibly the most erotically-charged dynamic I have seen, even taking season 1 of Killing Eve into account. (Though it takes some time to get there, so if you try it out, please watch at least the first four episodes before making a decision!)

That honour goes to the problematic gem that is the relationship between the main character Han Seo-jin (Yum Jung-ah), who is willing to do whatever it takes to get her daughter into Seoul’s top medical school, and star tutor Kim Joo-young (Kim Seo-hyung), who is known for her 100% success rate. It starts off with a mild push-and-pull, when Han Seo-jin wants Coach Kim to take on her daughter, but is wary of the shady rumours surrounding her; the tutor stands firm, and Han eventually has to swallow her pride and accept the risks. Where it really comes into its own, though, is when Coach Kim starts to pose a legitimate threat to everything Han cares for: her daughter, her marriage (or rather, what her husband can give her), her position in the world. It becomes increasingly clear that Han should just walk away, and indeed she tries to do so many a time, only to bend in the end because the coach is key to fulfilling her dearest wish– and so to Han, for all she rages and resents and fears, Coach Kim is nothing less than temptation itself. This is the beating core of the show, and even as the plotting disintegrates and falls into melodrama in the second half, their scenes together still crackle with delicious tension every time. Watch it.

(CW: suicide, psychological abuse, child abuse, bullying, murder)

[silkjade]

genshin men as wedding dates (2)

It’s wedding season and you’ve got a large one coming up. But it’s not just any wedding, it’s a family wedding meaning…extended relatives. Are you going to brave the night out on your own or are you rsvping with a plus one?

Featuring— Albedo, Kazuha, Itto, Ayato, Heizou, Scaramouche

gn!reader, modern au, mentions of alcohol, mostly platonic but implied romantic feelings

Part 1 - Part 2 (here) - Part 3

ALBEDO

so the bad news is that you find out he’s the hired live wedding painter. turns out all the times you shared his art posts on your instagram story were not for naught

the good news is that all he has to paint is the first kiss!

tbh he accepted your relative’s commission as an excuse to ‘coincidentally’ run into you, he just didn’t think you’d ask him to be your date

overhears a lot of gossip while he’s painting and tells you everything when you come over to hang out and watch

you bring him cake since he’s busy and he asks you, super nonchalantly, to feed him

“as you can see, my hands are a bit full at the moment” you’re too flustered to notice the slight twitch of his lips, a subtle smirk

not too keen on dancing so he just sits around and sketches. you manage to drag him away for at least one dance. he’s forced to leave his sketchbook and returns to find that it’s gone

someone ends up returning it to you? since it’s filled with sketches of you, you must know who it belongs to. you’re in disbelief but lo and behold, you open it to find various sketches of you throughout the night; dancing, laughing, even just standing around

you look up to see albedo himself standing in front of you, frozen in shock... wait he can explain-

KAZUHA

love in the air, romance in the wind…he is in his element. even more so if it’s an outdoor wedding

you tell him he doesn’t have to bring his own gift, but he insists and brings a little bonsai plant for a harmonious marriage

A HIT with your family because he’s just so well mannered and polite (his flowery words also make him especially charming to the older ladies)

truly a double edged sword though because he gets stuck in an essential oil mlm pitch

it’s sunset after the ceremony so you two take a walk through the rose garden to kill time before the reception. you comment the roses smell nice so he picks one out (he’s so bold, the sign literally says ‘do not pick the roses’)

mans is out here quoting shakespeare “a rose by any other name would smell as sweet” and then he puts it in your hair

your other single relatives are seething with jealousy

he keeps talking about what he would do differently for his wedding but he sometimes slips in ‘we’ and ‘our’

“perhaps for our cake we could do a different flavor for each layer.” is he insinuating something or just referencing his future spouse?

ITTO

takes so. many. photos. of you, of him, the decor, the scenery, everything. he’s sending them all in real time to his arataki gang gc and you know his boys are hyping him up the way he’s smiling at his phone

the ceremony is outdoors so unfortunately there are bugs. even more unfortunate is that a mosquito is flying around itto and he raises his arm to swat it away right…when…the officiant asks if there are any objections

yikes

other than that, he’s not a bad date. he’s funny, he dances, he’ll bring you a plate everytime he makes another round to the buffet table

the kids love him. he’s fun but also takes them seriously so that dance battle with the 8 year old? yeah he wasn’t holding back. keeps them out of trouble as well e.g. he stopped your bratty little nephew from running straight into the first dance

they’re following him around like a mini arataki gang, you just want your date back please

signs his name obnoxiously large in the guest book

at the end of the night he is still just a big sweetheart. if your feet hurt from your shoes or dancing or even if you’re just too tired to walk, he will offer you a piggy back ride

AYATO

surprisingly eager to agree. he’s excited for his first real wedding since all the ones he has previously attended were glorified networking events

no one outside the business sphere really has a face to the name so you don’t have to worry about attracting too much attention

he talks about his job (financially stable ✓) and his relationship with his younger sister (family oriented ✓); multiple aunts are asking why you aren’t dating this nice young man? your face heats up in embarrassment and he’s enjoying every second of it! fans the flames like

“yes, why aren’t we dating?”

the reception has a diy drink mixing station so obviously you guys have to make each other’s drinks. at least you tried to make him something decent; he has the audacity to smile while handing you peppermint schnapps and fruit punch honestly wtf

slips the photographer a crisp $100 to take some extra candids of you and him and gives them a burner email to send the photos to

kind of just sways on the dance floor at first but it’s nothing your encouragement (and some alcohol) can’t fix! unlocking fun ayato is always nice

the newly weds wanted a private last dance so everyone is ushered outside to prep for the send-off. you guys go off to the side where he asks you for your own private last dance

doesn’t want the night to end but he won’t say it outright, just keeps hinting at it. you take him out for late night skewers and boba

HEIZOU

the sunglasses are a part of his outfit

scavenger hunt champion; he figures out the clues so fast people just start lingering around, trying to overhear his thoughts. purposely says the wrong answer out loud and sends a crowd running the opposite direction

a very fun and solid date. he’s ready to party and you’re not surprised to see he’s such a smooth dancer. honestly it’s kind of sexy? shikanoin slayzou

at some point during the night, he is at the front of the conga line

people watching! he makes some offhand comments about some guests and before you know it, you’re creating random backstories for them

you get a little bit of cake at the corner of your mouth so he wipes it off for you with his thumb

“oh! you got a little something right— here, let me get it for you”

he doesn’t think much of it and goes right back to eating and socializing. for someone normally so sharp, he sure doesn’t notice the way he’s making your heart do backflips in your chest

tells you exactly where to stand to catch the bouquet; let’s out a big whoop when you catch it because it was all based on vibes and intuition. go figure

SCARAMOUCHE

straight up says no but you keep going on and on and on that he finally agrees just so you’d stop. says he’s going for the drama, which isn’t a lie

if he hears just a whisper of pregnancy news…he is going to congratulate them out loud, fake smile and all. also brings up controversial topics at your table for some good old fashioned family entertainment

when he sees your cousin being mean to you he claps back by asking why their plus one has been drooling after that pretty bridesmaid like a dog. Your cousin throws their drink on him and storms off and you’re ready for him to throw a fit but he just bursts out laughing because it was so worth it

doesn’t smile in any group photos, and the more the photographer takes, the more visibly annoyed he looks

told you way before the wedding that he does not dance, but he feels a little bad seeing you just sitting at your table so he flicks your forehead and you look up to him offering his hand

“come on. what kind of date what I be if we don’t even dance” he says begrudgingly. he doesn’t meet your eyes but you swear you see a light dusting of pink across his face when you take his hand

it was the most awkward dance ever but it’s the thought that counts and you’re touched

someone accidentally sets his jacket on fire during the sparkler send-off

© silkjade — do not steal, plagiarize, translate or repost any content onto any other platform

[sincerelyyadere]

December review [no spoilers] 9/10

omegaverse, alpha x omega, trust issues, soulmates (sort of), yandere/possesive, wholesome and cute, nsfw, ongoing (2 seasons so far)

Tw: nsfw, mentions of abuse and sexual abuse, blood, physical abuse displayed

I loved it so much. To be honest, never thought i would say this words about an omegaverse series, but here we are. It truly was different from all the other omegaverse you can find nowadays - i loved how in depth the explanations went and how the classism between the secondary genders was shown. I really liked how this comic included woman having secondary genders too, as it made this omegaverse be less i-fetishise-gay-people and more this-is-a-fantasy-world-that-makes-sense.

I loved the pace in which the characters relationship developed as it allowed you to enjoy the now, but also not make it so slowburn you cant take it anymore. It was perfect for me, i loved how the author teased us with the sexual scenes, denying the kisses etc (the people in the comments were going wild, but i think this sort of teasing is really hot and helps build the tension between the characters)

A lot of people in the comments were calling ML the green flag alpha and to be honest, he really was (we are speaking about a fantasy here of course, he was doing a lot of yandere shit but in the manhwa realia its just for the better hehe~). It was really refreshing to show this possesive and cold yandere be so soft to the mc, always asking for consent and checking up on him.

Also, MC is so cute and lovable my heart could barely stand it. He was reminding me visually Na-Kyum from "The painter of the night" which was really doing it for me. He was so kind to others and so selfless, but in the same time he could stand up for himself.

I loved how the comic displayed healing from trauma, and the impact traumatic events have on your loved ones, how they can sometimes be a little overprotective of you afterwards, while you try to live normally again.

The yandere parts were chefs kiss to me, i really like when bitches get what was coming for them so it was really satisfying in that way. Also i LOVED THE GRANDPA FROM THE CONVENIENCE STORE I LIVE FOR HIM.

I can't wait for the next season, will surely write an update when i read the rest^^

[guess-my-next-obsession]

Frankie Morales Masterlist

all fics marked with * are explicit and are 18+ only—all minors interacting will be blocked

oneshots

power outage* — frankie and reader find a good way to kill time during a storm. 1.5k

blind dating show — reader finds herself in a local bar’s dating game-show, the contestants Will, Benny, and Frankie. only one man can walk away with the prize, and we all know the perfect pilot for the job. 2.5k

blind dating show p.II* — part two of ^ where reader accepts an invite to frankie’s barbecue. things get spicy. 3k

oblivious — reader and frankie are the best of friends until a fight on a camping trip reveals things that neither of them ever dared to admit. fluff follows. 3.7k

cabin in the woods* — frankie and reader decide to rent a cabin for the holiday, but neither realize they’re walking into a “haunted house” courtesy of the rest of the TF boys. 2.9k

i’ll be home for christmas* — Frankie comes home after a long month of work just in time for the holidays. 2.5k

a new friend (1/2) — reader gets lost in the woods and frankie shelters her from not only the storm, but her shitty relationship. 4k

when we were young — reader sees their ex, frankie, i’m a bar after five years. 2.5k

series

august* — frankie x ofc. Rebecca Herrera goes on her annual family vacation and meets a handsome stranger. Only problem is, that stranger just so happens to be twenty years older and her uncle’s close friend. (CANCELLED—WILL NOT UPDATE)

meet me in the hallway* — frankie x ofc. when Dylan Jones, the struggling owner of a start-up bakery, lucks out and finds a cheap room for rent, she finds more than she could have ever expected in her group of four male roommates: friends, family,…love? Follow along for a New Girl-inspired will they/won’t they to see if they in fact do! (CANCELLED—WILL NOT UPDATE)

ivy & stone* — victorian au!frankie x ofc/javi g x ofc. Lady Florence Bell lives an idyllic life—summers in the countryside, autumns in the city, a wealthy bloodline, and unparalleled beauty to top it all off. After having spent last summer in an affair with her family’s handyman and gardener, an older gentleman named Mr. Francisco Morales, Lady Florence is reluctant to join this season of Court, her heart already set on her secret lover. But when a famed painter and old family friend from Paris makes a rare appearance in London, Lady Florence is forced to face her old crush as an adult—and her competing affections.

drabbles

the addams family* — part of Spooktacular ‘22. frankie gets turned on by wife!reader in a morticia costume.

facetime movie night — part of Spooktacular ‘22.

christmas cookies — decorating christmas cookies w frankito.

dressing room tears — reader struggles with weight gain and finding jeans that fit her, frankie is there to remind her how beautiful she is.

i can take it* — edging with sub!frankie.

lost in love* — frankie likes the way you look beneath him.

just a dream — reader struggles with infertility and has a dream that feels frighteningly real.

caught* — reader is dating santi, but frankie urges her to tell him about their affair.

real love, baby —plus size!reader meets frankie in a bar. fluff fluff fluff.

EXTRAS

my frankie playlist

[bettsfic]

2023 WIP cleanout

a couple years ago i did a major WIP cleanout and it was very satisfying, and i've been bummed out lately so i'm doing it again to cheer myself up.

i have about 200k worth of unposted/unfinished fic, and i'd like to make a decent dent in that. when i listed out my WIPs i was surprised to find that most of them i'd written past the 50% mark and for whatever reason, the fic went an unanticipated direction. instead of fixing it, i moved on. the problem is that usually the unanticipated direction is something cool and that i want to pursue, but would make the fic longer and more complicated than i want it to be, and more work than i want to put into it. once i get enough distance from a fic, it's a lot easier to see how to get it back on track.

there are many things i set down and never think about again, but if it sticks in my head for longer than a couple months, then i know i need to come back to it eventually.

so this is my accountability thread! and i'm going to lay out the steps i took to triage these fics and get them posted, in case it helps anyone struggling with the same problem.

here are the things on my WIP cleanout list:

(Organic Chemistry isn't on this list because i'm actively working on it, albeit slowly)

Wind of the New World

Annie/Finnick, The Hunger Games (ASE epilogue)

started August 2020

this one is what inspired the cleanout, and as of yesterday it is DONE and POSTED. for the longest time it sat at about 7k when i knew it would be 10k, and i couldn't make myself write the last 3k because somehow it turned into a threesome fic with Gale and it took me a loooong time to let go of that idea. also, it required a lot of canon knowledge, which faded the longer i kept it on the backburner.

to finish it, i:

killed a few darlings (Finnick's crush on Gale)

down drafted the scenes i hadn't yet written

reread ASE while taking notes

rewatched Mockingjay 2 while taking notes

transcribed several scenes of Mockingjay 2

made a punch list of things i wanted to fix/rearrange/expand on

up drafted, dental drafted, and posted

completing it took about 15 hours across 3 days.

Stray

Lumine/Razor, Genshin Impact

started April 2021

this is an alternate beginning to genshin where the traveler finds Razor instead of Paimon. it stalled out at 5k because i wanted it to be rated M and i also wanted the characters to get all the way to Liyue, but both of those things were far more work than i wanted to put into it. so now it'll be rated G and end when they reach Mondstadt. i don't anticipate it will be more than 7k.

Before the Suns Rise

Anakin/Padme/Obi-Wan, Star Wars

started June 2022

this one is nearly 45k and about 95% done. i set it down because 1) i got to the threesome part and writing threesomes is hard, 2) i hadn't watched the Clone Wars or Rebels yet and so i was self-conscious about my knowledge of canon, and 3) i got distracted by Lemon.

another thing that a lot of these WIPs have in common is that they're very closely tied to canon and therefore have Plot and even though i can do Plot, i find it exhausting and a little tedious.

this is a post-Vader, alt-OWK timeline fic. in the 20+ star wars fics i've written, only 5 of them are in any way related to canon, and they're all one-shots. so this one is going to be hard.

i anticipate it'll only take 5k to finish, for a total of 50k and 14 chapters.

Patronage

Seungho/Nakyum, Painter of the Night

started October 2021

this is my Patreon AU that's over 10k already. in it, Seungho is married to Jihwa (and cheating on him with Nakyum) and i wanted to write the whole thing through to their divorce (and Seungho Getting A Real Job), but that is just. a lot. so i'm going to write only to Seungho finally giving in to his feelings for Nakyum, with the knowledge that after season 4 is finished, i may want to continue it as a series and write the latter half as i'd intended.

i'll probably only add 1-2k, for a total of 12k.

In Water Falling

Ahsoka/Rex, Star Wars

started November 2022

this was the first rexsoka fic i started working on when i finished Clone Wars. i got about 10k in, scrapped it, wrote another 15k, scrapped it, and then started focusing on Organic Chemistry. also, i just got very frustrated with it. to fix this one, i think i need to lower my expectations of it, rearrange some plot points, and write the final 2-3 scenes.

maybe 3-4k more? hopefully it'll cap out under 20k.

There & Here

Chishiya/OFC, Alice in Borderland

started February 2023

in my defense, i set this one down, like. a week ago. there's nothing i'm stalled out on; i just have to finish it.

currently 25k, hopefully only 5k more, capping out under 30k. it's 4 chapters.

things i intend to finish later:

Good Bones - this is my Emergency Fic that i'm saving for when i'm too blocked to write anything else

Bomb Time - this is a BOSAS fix-it. i definitely want to finish it, but i'm going to wait until the film comes out in November, so i don't have to reread the book to remember what's going on

[sparks-olivarpente]

day 2: Season 5 speculation

Here's my list of underrated fics for #BylerFicRecWeek2023, day 2: Season 5 speculation

Do You Think I Have Forgotten by borealisaurora: “Um,” Mike said awkwardly, looking up at the ceiling. “What do you think? How would you know if you’re in love?”

captured ghosts by @etchedstars: ghosts from will's past come back to haunt this. literally or metaphorically is up to audience interpretation.

Hold My Hand by @foodiewithdahoodie: Will refuses to let Mike become Vecna bait.

The Son, and The Heir by disaster_energy: Realities are crashing together, one too big, too complex, too unapprehended to fit into theirs without ripping it apart.

Come Away With Me by @starsarefire824: The one in which Mike gets to be Will's knight in shining armor.

a change that i can see by agustplz (shout_out_lou): a sleepless night in mike's room, april 1986

ST S5 E01 – The Painter by @tsugarubecker: “Painting?” “Yeah.” “What... painting?”

The Sun's Embrace by @dinitride-art: They've got a plan to get Max back but it's dangerous. They're travelling into their heads and chancing an encounter with Vecna. They know what to expect, but what happens when their friend isn't telling them everything?

[roryonic]

Weekly Wednesday Tagging Thingy

Today we're getting Back to Basics with a good old-fashioned getting-to-know-you tag game!

(disclaimer: there is presently a glitch with tumblr that only allows you to tag 5 people per line in your text posts. to remedy that, you can separate your tags into different lines as i have at the bottom of this post to ensure that everyone that's tagged knows they've been tagged!)

Thank you @spacerockwriting @transmickey and @gallapiech for the tags - your kisses are in the mail.

///

Name: Rory

Age: Almost a whole Pie

Your time zone: CET

What do you do for work? Full-time uni student and evening security guard - mama's busy, ya'll

Do you have any pets: Technically, a hamster, and all stray neighborhood cats

What first drew you to this fandom: Well, the pipline from Wolfstar to Gallavich is surprisingly very short. A few TikTok edits of the ginger and the thug, and boom - watched all 11 seasons in 2 weeks.

Are you a morning person or a night owl? Night owl that cannot sleep past 9 am.

What are your hobbies? The almost 900,000 words in less than a year on AO3 would say writing is one of them, and The Sims, working out, mountain hiking, occasional painter, crocheting--

How tall are you? One cm shorter than Beyoncé.

If you could live anywhere in the world, where would you live? For right now? Chicago. In the future? Sweden or London.

Favorite color? If I choose one, the world explodes.

Favorite book? I...I don't read.........Twilight.

Favorite movie? Rocky Horror Picture Show and Ten Things I Hate About You.

Favorite fic? All The Young Dudes and A Black Mass Over Highway Ninety.

Favorite musical artist: MÅNESKIN

What is your average screen time so far this week? Next question.

What's the first app you open in the morning? Emails, for potential comments 👀

How long have you been on tumblr? Less than a month.

Finally (and I know this one is hard) tell me a fun fact about yourself: I once got a fireworks rocket to the knee.

Tagging @rayrayor @transmurderbug @jrooc @bawlbrayker @lee-ow

@blue-disco-lights @doshiart

[coolmomacchiato]

Auroras, The Course of Empire, and a HUGE Tiger & Bunny 2 realization

Before I begin, let me start out with a brief art history lesson about a series of 5 paintings by English-American painter Thomas Cole of the Hudson River School movement (mid-1800's). The series depicts the growth and fall of an imaginary city, each taking place at a different time of day to reflect where in its lifecycle it is. The paintings are: "The Savage State" or "Commencement of Empire" (Dawn/sunrise)

The Arcadian/Pastoral State (morning)

The Consummation of Empire (Sun's zenith/Day)

Destruction (Waning day/twilight)

and finally, Desolation (Sunset)

Of course even beyond Cole, the different stages of the day/night cycle has widely been used to symbolize the circle of life: Morning/Sunrise being birth/rebirth, Day for "adulthood"/Consummation (completion), Sunset/Twilight for downfall/aging, and Night for death. The SECOND thing we need to establish is the way "Little Aurora" is constantly equated with " hope" - both literally (as in it says the words right there) and figuratively, since she represents hope for not just NEXT, but society as a whole:

Now - how does this relate to Tiger & Bunny 2, you may ask? If you recall, Sunsets were a visual metaphor in Cour 1, and referenced in the ED AIDA, as well as the OP.

In Cour 2's ED, we see Kotetsu and Barnaby - each alone - standing under a night sky filled with auroras, surrounded by a broken cityscape. As the sun begins to rise over the desolation, Tiger and Barnaby cross a liminal landscape to find each other again, to face a new day together. Indeed, the ED ends with a visual recall to Cour 1, but at dawn:

S2 ends with the destruction of the status quo. The last scene takes place at night: the hero system is no more, society is fractured between NEXT/non-NEXT, Kotetsu has lost his powers, and Kotetsu & Barnaby are no longer "Buddy heroes". Even the two symbols of "justice", Sternbild, and Tiger & Barnaby's partnership as a whole - Justice Tower and Mr. Legend's statue - are destroyed in the fray.

However, as the title of Episode 20 says, The darkest hour is always before dawn. In fact, Episode 25 ends with the hope of a new beginning. The title is "Today is Not Tomorrow's Yesterday", and includes an epilogue scene where we see a snow-flecked museum that looks disturbingly like a mausoleum. The memorial plaque says "The Legend of Buddy Hero", with the starting date of when the first episode of S1 took place - the beginning of their hero partnership - and ending on the day that S2E25 happens on. Underneath that, we see "NEXT". Though this might be the end of the era of Tiger & Bunny as we know it, NEXT is the beginning of a new one.

So what does this mean for the future of the series? I posit that S2 isn't a conclusion - it's a second act that precedes a 3rd act with a drastic change of status quo - and a new beginning.

Staff have repeatedly spoken about "change" around S2, and now I think I understand what they meant. Bringing back the times of day symbolism, we can imagine that the entire story of Tiger & Bunny could be divided into 3 acts (seasons), with 3 "intermissions"(movies). They are: Intermission 1: The Beginning Movie Season 1: Day (Consummation) (this is a recent visual from S2, but I've always found the choice to frame them against a bright day unusual, compared to the historical treatment of key art):

Intermission 2: The Rising Season 2: Sunset/Nightfall (Destruction & Desolation) If so, then perhaps during the live audience viewing of Episode 25, which will air on the infamous T&B day of Christmas Eve (Dec 24, 2022), we will get an announcement of the conclusion: Intermission 3: The Fall? Season 3: Sunrise/Dawn (Rebirth. "Tomorrow is not Yesterday's Today.") As many have noticed, there seemed to be several suspended story and character arcs from S2. Foreshadowed events (such as the dinner/drinks date") don't end up happening, and character journeys don't feel complete. I can go into detail on what specific story aspects feel set up for a 3rd arc, but that will be for another post. For now, I will leave you with this last Easter egg. Thank you for reading!

[frostycatblr-fandom-files]

The update nobody likes seeing: I Think I'm Taking A Break.

"Fandom is a community" they said.

Funny - I've possibly never felt more alone.

Never felt so isolated and overlooked in favor of the familiar, the "famous", the friendly and out-going. Maybe it's all just the Seasonal Affective Disorder talking, and this is all momentary, but right now, it doesn't feel that way.

It sure doesn't feel momentary between how low my interactions have been on writing that I have put so much fucking effort into.

The community I foolishly thought I was a part of only ever seems to stick to reading their same circle of friends, endlessly, forever. Rarely ever do I see someone else gets given a chance outside of the friend group. And that's an "if" on if they reblog something a friend didn't write...

"Reblogging is important for everyone!! If you like a fic reblog it! Everyone in this community is equally important and valued."

Fucking is it? Am I?

Is it important for EVERYONE in this community, or it just applicable to your friends? Is it only your friends who get your reblogs, and your comments, and your reaction memes, and whatever else? Is it only your friends who are worthy of your time for a simple reply when it comes to thanking ""everyone"" who left you a comment?

If everyone is as valuable to this community as you claim... why aren't you acting a little more like it?

Why are there people like me who feel like they have to resort to "Put Yourself Out There!" type of posts in order to get absolutely pitiable levels of acknowledgement in return for time and energy that only ends up being a waste?

A waste of the organizer's time, and a waste of the participants' time.

Some sweet soul (and god fucking bless them) sent in my Last of the Pack artwork in for a previous Fandom Friday some time back and the interactions barely budged. I think I only ever got 2 additional notes from the recommendation...

I signed up for a follower appreciation event where people were supposed to submit their masterlists, and the participants were supposed to pick two (at minimum) items out of their assigned masterlist to react to/comment on in their reblog of either the work of fiction or piece of art...

... And I haven't seen a single reblog out of it from whoever was assigned to me (yet, I believe there's still time within the event deadline, to be fair).

Thing is: I don't know that I'm gonna be postponing this inevitable hiatus I feel I need to take in order to see those for much longer.

I'm probably going to stick around just long enough to post a Fives x Reader that an anon requested from me, and then I'm going to bounce. I don't know for how long. So that means I don't know when "Deep Night" to Poets and Painters will end up being posted.

That means I don't know when anything will be posted again.

But I think I need to perform a serious evaluation of the effort I'm expending for the turn out of any type of interaction I'm getting in return while lowering my expectations AGAIN before I come back to my sideblog.

[alfvaen]

Novel Madness

Still reading, and apparently still blogging about it.

So this is what I read in March. Possible spoilers for the Vorkosigan Saga, and the Mercy Thompson and Peter Grant series, among others.

Jeffrey Cranor & Janina Matthewson: You Feel It Just Below The Ribs, completed March 2

So as you may recall, back in February, I had given up on Ruth Ozeki's A Tale From The Time Being, wasn't fond of Kristen Painter's Flesh And Blood, and was also not really liking the nonfiction book on Reddit I was reading.

I was somewhat tempted to just skip ahead to my reread of Memory, my favourite book in the Vorkosigan series. I mean, when I had started doing more frequent rereads, it had been after just such a string of subpar books, and I wanted to retrench and remind myself why I loved reading. Looking back in my records, I can't actually find that string of subpar books, but I can find about when I started doing the rereads--the fall of 2007, when I started doing a Wheel of Time reread, where every second book was a reread; it was the first time I reread the entire series (up to that point, which was Knife of Dreams). After that, my rereads went back to their more sporadic pace, until the spring of 2008 when I did an every-second-book reread of the Vorkosigan saga (the first of three such rereads in the next few years). And I kept doing every-second-book-a-reread for two years, at which point I slowed down to mostly every third book. By 2012 this was down to every fourth book, and there it seemed to stabilize. So it wouldn't be unprecedented for me to do my rereads more frequently, but the cycle has been stable for a while--I added in the alternation of author gender, the diversity slot, the trying-out slot…it would throw my cycle off now if I did the rereads more frequently. But don't think I wasn't tempted.

Anyway… I was looking for a male author, something that wasn't urban fantasy (because of the Kristen Painter), probably something that wasn't space opera (because Memory was still coming up)… I toyed with the idea of selecting something that might be "fun" (like John Scalzi's Agent To The Stars or the Doctor Who And The Krikkitmen book), but there were also books that I had been thinking "maybe" on for some time and hadn't yet picked up. And You Feel It Just Below The Ribs was one of them.

Many of you are likely familiar with Joseph Fink and Jeffrey Cranor's "Welcome To Night Vale" podcast, which I discovered relatively early (by current standards--maybe around the "Sandstorm" episodes?). I've see the show a couple of times when it came through (or near) Edmonton, I try to keep up on the podcast (though mostly I fail because I can't keep up with a bimonthly podcast schedule any more), and I have read all of the tie-in novels and the script books. The novels are decent, not great, but okay. And I have also tried out a lot of the other related podcasts--"Alice Isn't Dead" and "Within The Wires" are the ones I stuck with.

"Within The Wires" was always weird, and not every season was great, but it was an interesting combination of two conceits--one, that every season was done through "found audio", which included relaxation tapes with hidden messages, dictaphone recordings, answering machine messages, and museum audio guide recordings, among others. And two, that this all took place in an alternate history where, due to an early-20th-century upheaval called The Reckoning, the new regime had taken the drastic step of abolishing the family: breaking the emotional links between parent and child by altering their memories and raising the children in communal creches. (There's also a distinct shortage of male characters in the podcast, which is fine--at some point I'd even thought that men had been wiped out entirely, but there are occasional male characters mentioned now and then. And the new season features a male voice actor for the first time.) But we've never really gotten much detail about the Reckoning, because it was too far in the past, and nobody needed to talk about it much because it was just part of their common world. (Maybe in the season where we were following a woman who was part of a secret rebel group that did raise their own children, but even then we didn't get much.) So I was very interested in the novel that they came out with, in hopes that we would find out more about what the Reckoning actually was and how the change in society came about.

It's a bit of an odd novel--it has a sort of framing story of it being a found document, and has frequent footnotes. But I'm not clear why it was done like this. The document is the memoirs of a woman who was orphaned during the Reckoning--which seems here to have been a worst-case version of World War I that lasted until 1941 and did literally engulf the entire world, possibly with a worse flu pandemic as well. (This was published during Covid so that may have affected things a little.) The author, Miriam Gregory, ended up being influential to the whole post-Reckoning New Society practice of editing memories to remove parent-child bonds. She later got involved with the mysterious Institute from the first season, and there were some hints of the plot from the third (the political thriller told through dictaphone recordings). The footnotes mostly seem to be there to try to point out places where the editors of the document found stuff they were pretty sure was inaccurate. They quoted information from the official record and mentioned when there was no evidence of something existing or having happened at all. Which, okay, maybe this was people parroting the official history even with all its inaccuracies, as a method of showing how the truth had been hidden. But supposedly the publication of this document was being done by a group which was already not following the New Society party line, so why would they be so certain that this was wrong whenever it contradicted the accepted source of truth? It's not clear, and so it seems like they're just there to undermine the story whenever it gets too dramatic. It doesn't feel like an effective technique.

Overall it was a decent book, but flawed, and I felt like it could have covered more of the world than it did.

Lois McMaster Bujold: Memory, completed March 5

I have probably mentioned before that Memory is my flat-out favourite Bujold book. It's not an easy one to recommend to other people, though, because it may only work (and certainly works much better) if you've read all the previous books first. Jo Walton has talked about the "spearpoint theory", where a tiny sharp point can be made much more effective if you've had a lot of buildup to it. This book has a shaft consisting of all the Miles books and stories that came before. Obviously Mirror Dance, of course, the immediate prequel, but it has an especially poignant revisiting of "The Mountains of Mourning", as well as the reappearance of Duv Galeni from Brothers In Arms, and robust roles for Emperor Gregor Vorbarra, Delia Koudelka, Ivan Vorpatril, and Simon Illyan, who is central to the plot. It also has one of the dullest titles in the series, though it is relevant, not least because of the reference to Simon Illyan's eidetic memory chip.

The first part is the most painful, as Miles manages to lose most of what's important to himself through an attempt to keep it from slipping away. But I love almost every scene that takes place on Barrayar. It's such a treat just to see Miles coping with day-to-day life there (my favourite bit is still the convenience-store "Reddi-Meals!"), plunged back into a life he's been neglecting for years, that it doesn't even feel disappointing when it's over a third of a way into the book before the "real" plot really gets going. Because the shaft of that spear is still building up.

In later rereads, there are some bits I find fascinating. Like the worldbuilding details about the existence of Imperial Auditors, special investigators answerable only to the Emperor himself, that actually were never mentioned before in the series. But the way the native Barrayarans explain it to one Komarran feels completely organic, and they've known it all along, so surely these Auditors have been mentioned before? Nope, they're probably something that the author pulled out of her hat for this book (there were "auditors" mentioned in the framing story of Borders of Infinity, but I think they were just regular auditors, not Imperial ones). But if feels like they've always been in the background. (Maybe, if they were, they should have been mentioned in Barrayar somewhere? Well, whatever. Good enough.) Also, there was one relationship that blindsided me first time through, but now I can spot all the groundwork being laid for it all the way through. Very deft.

Steven Barnes: Zulu Heart, completed March 12

Next, according to my cycle, it was time for a book by a "diverse" male author. As I may have mentioned before, I seem to be much shorter on those than I am on female diversity, particularly on the black authors.

I first read Steven Barnes many years ago, at least in collaboration. His book with Larry Niven, Dream Park, has long been a favourite; I recall one day, after a stressful move between cities, that I spent just rereading the book from cover to cover. The sequels never hit quite the same spot, though, which may be why, although I did occasionally buy a Barnes solo book in a second-hand store, I had never actually gotten around to reading any of them. But they were there when I needed to draw from them for this slot. A couple of years ago I read his Lion's Blood, an alternate history novel about a world where African (and mostly Muslim) nations colonized the New World (which I believe they called Bilalistan), and they enslaved Europeans. (I don't recall if there was an in-universe explanation for the change in dominance--maybe the ever-popular Hyper-Virulent Black Death--or if it just turned out that way. There was something about Alexander The Great maybe going to Egypt…) One of the main characters was an Irish man named Aidan who was enslaved as a child near the beginning of the book, and separated from his sister; the other one was a black Muslim named Kai, son of a Wakil in Bilalistan. It probably covers a lot of slave-story tropes, but race-swapped, plus there's also drama an intrigue centered around Kai's family. It was an okay book, but I wasn't particularly planning on searching out the sequel; however, last summer at the When Words Collide convention in Calgary, I saw it on a table of "free to a good home" books, and decided to pick it up. And having basically exhausted pretty much all the other possibilities, I was perforce reading it next.

Once of the principles I mostly stick to with the diversity books is that I don't give up on them. (Maybe I should have done this with the Ruth Ozeki book last month, but I guess I didn't.) It's supposed to be about broadening my horizons, approaching different kinds of stories, etc. I've always been a little hit-or-miss with alternate histories; my perception, at least, is that a lot of them tend to focus on the same things--the American Civil War, the American Revolutionary War, World War II--all American stuff. This one is, at least, a little more creative, and is very black culture focused in a way that, frankly, Barnes's other books I read really weren't.

Plotwise, though, it's only okay; some threads are interesting, some I'm less interested in, and some seem to be a little rushed, as if he was trying to squeeze in plots from a third book the publisher had nixed. The back cover blurb seems to imply that the book is going to cover this world's version of the Civil War, but given that they're still colonies of overseas nations (Egypt and Abyssinia) it's really more like a Revolutionary War. And, spoilers, what there is of it is not a major part of the story. In that sense it's almost more like Diana Gabaldon's later books where the (American) Revolutionary War is going on, and it affects our characters, but it's not primarily about the war itself. And maybe this book would have benefited from being even longer to have that increased scope.

I do worry a bit about the reversed slavery idea--on the one hand, maybe it'll give some of us white people a better feeling for what the Africans suffered under slavery if we replace them with Europeans. The concepts that stuck with me were things like having white slaves given Arabic or African names rather than names from their own culture, and also all the African cultures being treated as distinct things while all the European cultures get jumbled together. But I also picture some people pointing at this and saying, "See? They'd do just the same as us if they were in charge!" Which may be true, but of course it doesn't say that, in our world, the slaves in America didn't suffer, and we're not living in that alternate world. It means that one group may not be inherently nobler than another, but that doesn't mean that they're not deserving of justice, or equity, or reparations. (I can also picture frothing white supremacists screaming that this the what the blacks want, and turning it into a story of white victimhood. Well, I guess we can't control what white supremacists are going to froth about.) It's not a bad thing, but it seems like it can be mischaracterized. (One novel I was working on, I have a setting with an area's native inhabitants being oppressed by intrusive colonials, and I was toying with the idea of having the natives be white, but I'm afraid it'd get read as anti-immigrant rather than anti-colonial, so I probably won't.)

Natalie Zina Walschots: Hench, completed March 16

After the long and somewhat topically heavy slavery book, I decided I was in the mood for something maybe a little lighter, and it was time to get back to a female author. My wife had recommended this Hench book to me, and nudged me about it a couple of times, and I decided to give it a go. I know that technically I do have my special slots for new authors (with the "try but feel free to give up if it does not spark joy" parameters), but if I never tried a new author outside of those slots, then it would take forever me to try all the ones I'm interested in, so I decided to let myself read this one.

The book is clearly set in a world with superheroes, and of course supervillains. I've read a lot of comics--mainly Marvel comics from the 60s through to the 90s (my attempt at a comprehensive read-through on Marvel Unlimited has just inched its way to the end of 1993, so I may be a little behind on the current state of the superhero genre, apart from the MCU stuff) but fewer actual prose novels. I suspect that the modern superhero novel, with its narrower focus, is more prone to examining superheroes in more depth, and frankly most of them tend to come out on the anti-superhero side of things, and at the very least turns them into more complex, flawed characters. The Annihilation Score tended to treat them as problematic; Brandon Sanderson's "Reckoners" series treats them as existential threats (admittedly, in that setting their powers literally drive them insane); and at best, they are severely flawed people who just happen to have powers, as in James Alan Gardner's "Sparks Vs. The Dark" series. Maybe it's a generational thing--in an age where the status quo is far from kind to the vast majority of those who are Millennials or younger, who are your sympathies with--heroes who fight to uphold the status quo, or the villains who subvert it? (Which is not too far off from the logic from that gets people to vote for Trump…)

Hench shows us mostly the villain side of the story, with superheroes mostly shown as overpowered thugs and walking disasters. We're mostly concerned with Supercollider, an example of the former, whose every brush with our protagonist leaves her damaged, and his longtime nemesis Leviathan, who lifts her up and makes her feel valued. I keep wanting to draw analogues with the heroes I'm familiar with--is Supercollider basically Superman? Leviathan seems more like Doctor Doom than anybody. Supercollider's partner Quantum Entanglement (a bit of an awkward name) seems more like a combination of Invisible Woman and Shadowcat than anything else. (I'm always low-key amused at superhero naming where they just silently have to avoid the names of real Marvel or DC characters, without seeming to. In my superhero stories I mostly tend to think that the real heroes are afraid of getting sued by the corporate juggernauts who own the trademarks on the fictional ones…) It got a lot darker than I was expecting, actually, but it was absorbing and I liked it a lot.

Patricia Briggs: Silver Borne, completed March 19

I had originally been thinking of something like Ann Leckie's The Raven Tower for my next book, but after Hench I wasn't feeling like it; instead I thought it might be time for another urban fantasy. I have started so many, and finished (or even caught up with) so few--the Dresden Files, for sure, and the Kelly Meding might be the only one. I find a lot of them appealing in the abstract, but it seems like they appeal to my wife more, so she's the one who reads then, gets hooked on the series, stays caught up, buys them in hardcover, etc. She has always been more of a fan of romance, and a lot of the female-authored urban fantasy seems like it's on a spectrum to paranormal romance. (The main difference, of course, is probably whether there's a single continuing protagonist, or a different romantic pairing every book.) Anyway, I'm in the middle of a lot of series, and it seems to take a lot to get me to the state where I get hooked and have to start reading them faster, so it can be years between books for me.

Patricia Briggs has, like many, split off a side series--her main series follows Mercedes "Mercy" Thompson, but there's also a "Charles & Anna" series which crosses over, and after the last Mercy Thompson book (Bone Crossed) left me a little underwhelmed, I had started those books, so the last Briggs I read was actually side series novel Cry Wolf. Apparently reading them in alternation is not a bad idea anyway, so I went back to Mercy for this one. I even remembered most of the characters, or at least was satisfied with the author's descriptions of them (a lot of minor werewolf pack members showed up, and I couldn't tell you for sure which ones we'd seen before or had character traits before this book).

The pacing was a little weird--there's basically three plot threads which show up at different times, which aren't really connected causally but do interact with each other, and the balance doesn't always work (like pack politics dominating everything else for a few chapters until we get back to our other plots), but it was better than Bone Crossed, at least. It's unfortunate, given how much urban fantasy I read, how little I enjoy the dominance politics of werewolf packs, and particularly the touchiness of Alphas. (Oh, no, we can't meet their gaze or undermine their authority or it's a challenge and they'll have to kill us. And they can't show any weakness or others will try to kill them.)

Next book in the series will be back to Charles & Anna, anyway. I am not yet really hooked on the series, but I'll keep going for now.

Lois McMaster Bujold: Komarr, completed March 22

Back to the Vorkosigans again, for Komarr. Like her other planet-named books, it takes place entirely on the planet in question (if we allow space stations in the same system to be close enough, anyway), the troubled vassal of Barrayar. Because the only current access to Barrayar comes through a wormhole in the Komarr system, and the earlier Cetagandan invasion of the planet was abetted by the Komarrans, Barrayar ended up conquering Komarr to secure its interface to the rest of the world. (I always wondered if it was only upon conquest of a second planet that Barrayar became a true empire, but I think they had emperors before that so probably not.) They've tried to be benevolent rulers since then, but we already saw in Brothers In Arms that there are those, like Ser Galen, that want to get rid of the Barrayaran yoke. And Aral Vorkosigan acquired the sobriquet of "The Butcher of Komarr" when a group of prisoners in his custody were executed--supposedly on his orders, but in fact it was an overzealous subordinate who Aral later killed.

Miles comes along to investigate a bizarre act of destruction--accident or sabotage, we don't yet know--where the "soletta array", a group of orbiting mirrors reflecting additional sunlight onto the cold, still-being-terraformed world (the world's population still lives in domed cities), has been damaged through collision with an off-course ship. He's mostly just shadowing older Lord Auditor Vorthys, the engineering professor who's analyzing the debris, and they end up staying over with Vorthys's niece Ekaterin Vorsoisson, who is our other viewpoint character in the book. Ekaterin has a highly unsympathetic husband, Tien, who has a secret shame, a hidden genetic disease called Vorzohn's Dystrophy. He also happens to be in charge of a small department of the terraforming effort.

I guess my biggest problem with this book is just that Tien and his department turn out to be directly related to the soletta disaster. I mean, think of it--the disaster happens, and an auditor is sent to investigate it. If it hadn't happened to be someone connected to Tien, the investigation might have gone nowhere, or taken a lot longer, because they wouldn't have had that extremely gratuitous link. It bugs me every time.

So the best part of the book is probably the introduction of Ekaterin, and her growth as a character through to the end of the book, where she strikes a decisive blow. And without it, we wouldn't have A Civil Campaign (or would, at least, have a much different book). But it is a dip in what would otherwise be a five-star run from Mirror Dance.

Shaun Barger: Mage Against The Machine, completed March 27

Catchy title, eh? That's probably part of why I picked it up in the first place, though I don't remember for sure. This is in my actual "trying a new author" slot, generally with permission to give up if the book doesn't grab me.

Essentially, it seems that the world ended at some point (2020?) when the machines/AIs rose up against the humans. The mages, who had been living in secret veiled communities for centuries, were hidden and thus not affected by this, though they're pretty sure that the humans were all wiped out. At least, that's what Nikolai, a young magically-talented officer (with a traumatic past) in the year 2120, has always been told.

Meanwhile, outside the veil, a young human cybernetically-enhanced woman named Jem, who remembers the machine uprising ten years earlier (she has her own tramatic past), and who mostly escaped because they were on the way to a colony on Venus at the time, is working as a courier, escorting a rare pregnant woman (unaffected by the fertility plagues the machines spread) through the fringes of Philadelphia.

The two stories go back and forth for several chapters in what seems like an attempt to sow confusion in the reader about the inconsistencies between the two versions of the timeline, which mostly led me to conclude that either these are literally parallel worlds, or that the mages are severely misinformed about the last century of history outside the veils. Or, presumably, most of them are misinformed but the ones at the top are all in on it and keeping the secret for their own reasons.

It seems like a bit of a hodgepodge. Part The Matrix, part Harry Potter (the mages have a sport named "flyball" that seems a lot of like Quidditch without broomsticks), part Brandon Sanderson/Brent Weeks (the flavour of the actual magic system), part Children of Men, part Wool (for the sheltered society ignorant of the world outside)… But I guess that means it's not too derivative, because of the variety of sources?

The biggest problem with it, really, is that the story clearly is not finished…but, in the five years since its release, no further books have come out. The author still seems to be actively posting on Instagram, and I found a Reddit post which said that as of two years ago the sequel was finished (and apparently there are supposed to be four books total), so I hazard a guess that the roadblocks are publishing-related. Like, his editor, Navah Wolfe, bought the first book for Saga Press, but moved on, so he might be editorially orphaned, leading to Saga passing on later books, so he'd have to be looking for a new publisher, or giving up and self-publishing (or just giving up). Always awkward--ask my wife who has two self-published sequels to the books that Scholastic published twenty-some years ago, because no other publisher would take them without rights to the first two. (Diana Rowland managed it somehow, but mostly it just doesn't work.) So I may hang on to this one and await further news (which presumably he'd post on Instagram or something…)

Ben Aaronovitch: Whispers Under Ground, completed March 31

Most of the urban fantasy series out there had female authors and female protagonists; I tend to call this the "post-Buffy" wave--before that, it felt like "urban fantasy" was more like Charles de Lint, with people in and around cities coming into contact with fairies and the like. Although stuff like Tanya Huff's "Blood Ties" series was also around back then, and that's clearly very close to what we call urban fantasy these days. Anyway. There are a few male authors as well, Jim Butcher the most famous, and Kevin Hearne, but they have a different flavour to them. And then there's Ben Aaronovitch, which is different again, being very British. Which is all just a way of saying that, while I normally try not to read too-similar books too close together, this doesn't really feel very much like the Patricia Briggs book I read a couple of weeks ago.

I'm a bit behind on this series--I read Midnight Riot (the North American retitled version of Rivers of London) some time ago, and Moon Over Soho more recently but still a while ago. But my wife was just reading the latest, Amongst Our Weapons, from the library, and apparently it's full of Monty Python references (in the chapter titles, if nothing else), and my eldest son was just reading Midnight Riot (apparently he'd heard that this series's magic system is vaguely similar to the system from the Ars Magica RPG we've been playing recently), so it felt like time to revisit it. My memory is of course a little fuzzy, but my overall impression is that this book is a little more police-procedural murder mystery than the previous two. Definitely there is a murder to solve, and there is a lot of interaction with other police (and an American FBI agent). Definitely a certain amount of underground (including sewers), as the title implies (so it's not just the London Underground). I enjoyed it and will have to try to revisit the series a little more frequently.

And that's it for the prose fiction books for March. For completeness I can also add in a graphic novel I squeezed in (literally just finished it before midnight on the 31st). See, one of the podcasts I've been listening to for a while is the "Endless" podcast, about the Sandman, cohosted by Lani Diane Rich and Alisa Kwitney. Kwitney, who was a former DC editor, particularly on Sandman itself, also apparently did a series for Ahoy Comics called "G.I.L.T.", which they were shilling on the podcast, so I thought I'd give it a try. I got my library to order what turned out to be a collection of the first five issues (I guess I'm not sure if there are more, but I wouldn't be surprised). "G.I.L.T." apparently stands for something like "Guild of Independent Lady Temporalists", though I'm not sure such a guild actually turned up… Anyway, two women, 70ish Hildy and 50ish Trista, get sent back in time to 1973, though Trista wasn't supposed to come along; they try to deal with their respective pasts, linked by a creepy cult-leader type that Hildy was engaged to and Trista's mother was a follower of. They're not supposed to be able to change anything, but they're also not supposed to both go back at once, so things get a little screwy. I wasn't 100% sold on it, but it was interesting.

And now I am actually reading The Raven Tower, but that'll be for next month's post.

[forensicated]

A Stiffy (*snigger*) recap for the sextet of Conviction episodes. Sadly no longer Smiffina related as Rachel (boo!) is Inspector for now but still useful for fic background further down the line as they really are quite Callum/Smithy heavy and it feeds a lot of their story.

Conviction aired between the 1st to the 16th July 2009. Gina left October 2nd 2008 so we are 9 months on from An Honour To Serve Part 2. A quick scan back through the wiki episode guides tells us that in the last few months, Smithy mentored Mel a little bit during her first NYE attached to the MET that had her brother down from 'Oop North' to get caught up in a crime, Smithy and Leanne Samuels (Witness 1-8 and others before that) got back in touch during a case that involved a single mother and her sister who happened to attend a community hub that Leanne runs. He learnt Brooke is thriving and that Leanne had met someone and was getting married. Callum got close to another victim of domestic abuse who trusted him enough to tell him about criminal matters her husband was involved with (A cash in transit job). The case was further complicated when Max trampled over it. During Nate's Extra Special School Season, Smithy was stabbed by a school boy during an arrest and his lung collapsed but luckily all was OK in the end. Diane returned for one night before she transferred to another station as a Sgt. She and Smithy ended up undercover in a club with uniform to catch the dealer of mis-identified drugs and Arun, Beth, and Sam all left.

Conviction - Part 1 - Cover Up (1/6)

Ben and Sally find a burglar still on the premises, unfortunately he runs into the allotments behind the houses and Sally loses him. Callum and Roger arrive to give support.

Smithy is called to a disturbance outside the E1 club/pub. He breaks up a fight and threatens a bloke peeing in public with arrest, only to find an assault victim next to him. He asks the rather unhelpful group watching who heard or saw anything - noone helps out!

Sally speaks to their informant, she's in her 70's and can't see very well so can't give a description other than 'male'. The owner returns rather worse the wear and doesn't seem too surprised to see the police. He claims nothing appears to be missing other than an expensive watch. Callum points out the man has a rip in his trousers and some cuts and bruises on his hand. He asks if it was a good night, and the man says he fell over after one too many. Callum just nods and tells him CID will be in touch with a crime reference number in the morning when asked about making an insurance claim.

The assault victim, Andrew Brennan, has 100 pounds and his own bank cards. It doesn't seem like a mugging. Stevie tactfully explains what happened to the mans wife when she calls. Evie rushes to the hospital and explains that her husband told her he was going to speak to someone 'about work' - he's an odd job man/painter decorator. She doesn't know who he met or who might want to hurt him. Roger finds an expensive watch engraved with OR - Oliver Robinson - the owner of the burgled home that Callum was dealing with - at the scene. Brennan could be the burglar.

In the morning, Callum and Ben head to the Brewery where Robinson works to ask if he knows Brennan. Robinson asks if he's the person who took it and Callum explains the man is still unconscious. Robinson claims not to recognise him and says he's had no work done on the house recently. He seems evasive and excuses himself for a meeting, telling them he doesn't want to take it further as he's gotten the watch back - even if the police are holding into it for the time being as evidence. Ben and Callum are in agreement - he's lying. He definitely recognised Brennan from the picture.

Smithy and Stevie return to the E1 bar where Brennan had been drinking the night before. Pete, the head barman gets them a copy of the CCTV whilst Smithy asks a woman at a table if she'd been in the night before. She says she doesn't work there and is just waiting for her boyfriend. As they leave, Jason Devlin, the manager appears and introduces himself and says he recognises Brennan and that he was with another man who was wearing a suit and they appeared to be having a 'heavy discussion'. Watching the CCTV back, Roger recognises Oliver Robinson as the man meeting Brennan.

Callum wonders if the watch was even stolen in the first place, it's possible that the 'heated discussion' turned violent outside and that the watch fell off in the fight. He wonders if Robinson faked the burglary given that - despite his inebriated condition - one of his first questions was about insurance. Noone has come forward to admit to seeing Brennan in the alley, however one witness did describe a man in a suit getting into the back of a gold coloured car at approx 9.20pm. There's no CCTV on the required street so Rachel tasks Sally and Roger with trawling through the CCTV of the surrounding area.

Rachel tasks Smithy and Stevie with returning to the hospital to speak to Brennan's wife to see if she knows if he'd worked on Robinson's house or to at least give them access to his paperwork for them to check. Things get a whole lot murkier when Evie tells them that Robinson is Andy's real surname. Brennan is his mum's maiden name that he took after he was released from a young offenders institute because he was finding it hard to get work. Stevie asks if Oliver Robinson could be a family member and his wife shakes her head. "I doubt it. His family are dead."

Smithy looks him up and finds that Brennan has convictions dated in the 1980's for drugs, theft and arson. Oliver Robinson is listed as his brother. Difficult to explain why he lied to Callum about not knowing or recognising the picture of his brother! He tells Callum that he didn't want to get him in trouble for taking his watch. Callum tells him that it's bigger than the supposed theft of his watch and that they're suspicious he infact attacked Brennan himself. Robinson insists he didn't and says that Brennan has gotten himself caught up in something that he wants nothing to do with. He's apparently hassling Robinson for money but won't tell him what it's for.

Brennan insists he doesn't know who hurt him, he was out for a few drinks after work, left the bar approximately 10 past 9 and was attacked and left laying down so didn't see who did it. Smithy asks if he left the bar with his brother. Evie is confused and asks if it's a joke and Stevie clarifies that it's the man who they spoke about earlier. She is horrified Brennan never told her about him, even if he hadn't seen him in years. She refuses to leave the room and wants to know what's going on. Smithy tells them that Robinson is being questioned and that he's told them Brennan wanted to borrow money. Brennan insists that it's money owed to him and that his brother owes him and gave him the watch. "You think it's my brother who beat me up?"

Robinson tells Callum he hadn't seen his brother since the late 80's and they were never close but he gave him 'some money' because he's his brother. Callum says that doesn't make sense. Robinson says he only met him the night before to tell him he'd give him no more before they went their separate ways. He says he left E1 before his brother and stopped for a kebab before he walked home. Callum asks what Brennan did. "Obviously he went round to my house and stole the watch, didn't he!?" "I don't know. I'm asking you."

Brennan tells Evie he's always been straight with her but doesn't say why his brother owes him several thousands of pounds. Evie storms out, followed by Stevie. Evie tells Stevie that her husband is a good man, there'll be a reason why he's lied and that they're trying for a baby but the 'trying' is proving difficult as nothing seems to be happening and they've just finished a second round of IVF.

Rachel asks Callum if it's feasible for Brennan to have gotten to his brothers and back in the time suggested. It's possible but doesn't make sense as he lives the other side of Canley so why return to the club? Robinson's kebab stop is confirmed by the CCTV from the shop and there's no way he could have returned in time to assault Brennan. Rachel suggests that if his brother didn't assault him then he definitely knows something given the fact he's lied so consistently. FIU look into Brennan's accounts and find he's paid a private fertility clinic for tests. Stevie and Smithy return to the hospital to talk to him about it but he's done an illadvised runner after getting dressed.

Evie is as confused as the officers for why her husband has left and tells them she has his keys so he can't have gone home. They ask if she has any idea where he might have gone, especially as he still thinks his brother was the one who attacked him and that he's in the frame for stealing the watch. Smithy and Stevie arrive to double check on Robinson and they find Brennan collapsing at the brewery.

Sally spots a gold Volvo on CCTV and they go to speak to the owner. He's cagey as he has been mini-cabbing without a licence but Callum just says they'll 'assume for now he's in the process of getting one'. He admits being in the area and that he picked up a man in a suit the night before. His voice sounded familiar to the driver who thinks he's spoken to him previously but can't say where or how. Callum suggests to Ben that he's a 'regular' of the drivers which could potentially lead to him being a member of staff. They take him in and run him through an ID parade of staff members from the CCTV and he identifies the owner, Devlin.

Rachel suggests that they concentrate their efforts on Devlin as the man who attacked Brennan. She shows them CCTV of Brennan and Devlin talking over the bar which seemed innocent. She suggests they have history but Devlin said he'd never met Brennan before in his life - though he would if he'd gone on to attack him. Smithy and Callum can't agree who should go speak to Devlin so Rachel says they can both go and sends Ben with them to 'keep them in line'.

At the E1 the Sgt's meet Matthew Devlin, Jason's father who asks if it's something serious. Devlin appears down the stairs with his girlfriend. He insists he was at the club all night doing the books in the back - as he'd said earlier - and that he didn't leave at 9.20pm. His father says he can vouch for him and Devlin adds that the barman, Pete and his girlfriend can too. Devlin Senior suggests they have the wrong man. "Who did you say the cab driver was?" Devlin asks. "... I didn't." Callum replies. The suit he wore is at the dry cleaners and his girlfriend covers that she spilt a drink over him approx 9pm in the smoking area - an area covered by CCTV. Callum asks for a copy and they spot Brennan talking to Devlin's girlfriend but no Devlin until they hug and the girl kisses Brennan's cheek - and Devlin appears from a doorway at 8.40pm.

Stevie tells them that she has done some digging on the earlier convictions of Brennan. Two separate witnesses spotted two boys at the scene of the arson. The officers investigating thought that it might be Oliver but their parents gave him an alibi. Oliver was older so perhaps the parents thought he'd get a rougher deal being 18 with two drug possession charges so Andrew took the rap alone and that perhaps that is why Oliver has been giving his brother money. Callum wants to nail Oliver on top of the assault but faking the burglary would only get a caution. All three say they should speak to Brennan and offer to listen should he want to clear the air.

Brennan says that he talked to the girl, Abbie, for the first time that night and that she was really nice and sweet and that the hug and kiss on the cheek meant nothing and that 'even the tall guy behind the bar was joking about it.' He says that he warned him off and to keep his hands to himself and that Brennan laughed and said she was out of his league. Stevie asks why she hugged him. Brennan explains he'd told Abbie he was about to be a dad - she asks if that was because his brother was going to pay for him to get private treatment. "You know about that?" he asks and Stevie nods and says she reckons she knows why. Brennan clams up and tells Stevie she doesn't know what she's talking about and that he served the time and will stick to his original statement if she starts digging.

Smithy suggests that Devlin is really dangerous if he can kick a man half to death for a friendly hug and kiss on the cheek. The level of violence he used is far too much for a first offence and so Devlin should be someone they know about. Rachel gives permission to bring him in for an interview.

Devlin claims he doesn't remember the conversation with Brennan and that Abbie is a very pretty girl so he's used to people hitting on her but he trusts her implicitly so has no worries. He claims the angry expression on his face is 'his thinking face' and laughs off any inference that he was the one who attacked Brennan. He claims he doesn't know which dry cleaners his suit is at because Abbie deals with it all and she has lost the ticket and mocks them for having only the word of an illegal cabby for evidence. The Sgt's are aware Abbie won't inform on her boyfriend and Smithy suggests getting forensics to go over the taxi and see if they can get some DNA. Unfortunately before they can get to the car, Sally is called to an arson attack on the cab drivers car and everyone claims they saw nothing. "If someone's trying to intimidate you-" Callum starts saying to the driver who responds. "It's worked." and he withdraws his statement. Callum tells him that with his help Devlin will go down for a long time. "Where is he now?" he asks with Callum telling him he's at the station. "Exactly..." he says, gesturing to his burning car. Callum threatens to nick him for illegal minicabbing and he tells him to arrest him and that he'd rather be sent down than have his family at risk.

Abbie can't help with the dry cleaners name and so Smithy and Callum turn to go with a warning they're going to search Devlin's house for 'the ticket' but there might be a clean up job required after. Abbie suggests there is a place on Gasson Street that they might have used. Pete is clearly listening in and then asks the men if he has been charged when Abbie goes to answer a call. He tells them that Devlin has a temper but is very wary of the CCTV camera watching them and insists he can't help them any further.

Smithy hits a dead end with the Gasson St Dry Cleaners and is not happy to have to bail Devlin because of the lack of evidence. Callum is pissed off at having to give Robinson his watch back whilst he only gets a slap on the wrist for faking a burglary. Neither are very happy boys!

Stevie and Callum tell Robinson they know exactly what happened. Robinson reluctantly hands the watch back and tells them to give it to Brennan. At the hospital Evie tells them they don't want the watch and that all she wants is their life back. She thinks that the watch would be blood money and taint whatever it bought. Brennan gives them the watch back.

Ben spots at fire engine approaching them and tells Roger that he used to beg his dad to follow them so he could see them in action. Roger chuckles and humours him and turns the car to follow the engine. "Don't say I don't treat you nice!" In the meantime Smithy is tracked down by Callum who tells him the E1 bar is on fire and both men hurry to the scene. Callum suggests Devlin has upset someone further up the food chain. "Nothing like a bit of poetic justice, hey?"

[anotherbluesunday]

Fic authors self rec! When you get this, reply with your favorite five fics that you've written, then pass on to at least five other writers. Let's spread the self-love 💗

so both @kybee1497 and @ablatheringblatherskite asked me this question a while ago and i forgot to answer. so sorry! life has been a little rough but it’ll be okay. 💜

1.) In My Blood (Wednesday): Basically my take on what should happen in season 2 with all the hallmarks of romance, blood/gore, major character death, friendship, and betrayal! I also introduce my favorite oc Mara in this fic and now she’s become a staple in my Wednesday fics. lol.

2.) Violet Midnight (Wednesday): A college au that centers around two students in the music composition program who learn how to love again through their shared understanding of what it means to hurt and their love for music. This fic is currently ongoing and the next chapter will be releasing soon!

3.) Star Atlas (Wednesday): This story is one I have written and deleted many times for other fandoms and it just seemed to work for wyler. It’s a story of what it’s like to fall in love young as a scientist and the sacrifices that must be made. It will have plenty of action, adventure, and scifi horror laced in as things ramp up. Currently it is a WIP and the next chapter will be released in early August.

4.) Last December (Painter of the Night): This was the last queer romance I wrote before going on hiatus and then returning to writing for Wednesday. It is an unexpected and quiet romance story between a young surgical resident and an art student set against the winter backdrop of New York city. It’s more realistic and stark than my other stories and dives deep into the turmoil of letting go of unrequited love while simultaneously falling for someone else.

5.) Transatlanticism (Attack on Titan): This is the first fic I ever completed and the first one I was ever really proud of because I truly evolved as a writer and a person through this work. It’s a queer love story, as per usual with me, set in Naples, Italy and follows the story of two archeaology students falling in love. However, there’s a timer on their love and soon they will be forced to part ways. This story really focuses on the act of becoming vulnerable with romantic partners and what it means to truly trust someone and love them so deeply it transcends being soulmates. It’s a favorite story of mine and I hope you all like it too.

[thesiltverses]

[Description: A poster advertisment for an art gallery, displaying a woman in black and white, standing in a field, staring at something unseen. The text reads, 'So Long, Good Luck: Visions of a forgotten artist. Coming in 2022 to Pitt's Collection. Hear it on Patreon first.']

Psst! As the mid-season break of The Silt Verses Season 2 approaches fast (two eps to go!), we’ve been giving our Patrons a heads-up on some of the cool stuff they can expect coming their way very soon.

Feast your ears on a sneak preview of...

The Immeasurable Apotheosis of Sid Wright

Four episodes of spin-off audio-fiction starring David S Dear

Months after what he's come to think of as his 'resignation letter' from Greater Glottage Radio, the prophet of sleep and former radio DJ known as Sid Wright is suffering a crisis of faith.

Does an endless rest really hold all of the answers? Is he causing more harm than he's preventing? And what, exactly, is the name of his god?

Hoping to understand his deity, his powers, and his mission better, Sid embarks on a remarkable journey homewards to the town of Puckham's Weald...

So Long, Good Luck

Four episodes of standalone cosmic horror with a full cast.

At around closing time at Pitt’s Collection, visitors and staff alike find themselves baffled - then increasingly horrified - when the power unexpectedly drops out.

Phone signals fail. The streets and roads are still. Reality itself seems to shift and alter without warning.

And even the night sky outside seems to have been snuffed out...

As the horrible Painter hunts them through the pitch-black corridors and hallways of the gallery, our isolated and scattered survivors attempt to find their way to safety.

As it becomes increasingly clear that the world itself may not survive this cataclysmic event, we also come to understand that the mysterious, hypnotically beautiful abstract painting known as ‘So Long, Good Luck’ may be at the heart of all of this…

[creepkinginc-au-vault]

master post: alternative universes.

high school au.

body painter au.

jury duty au.

medieval ukrainian au. > goat addition one and two. > vyshyvanka addition. > storyteller addition.

bartender x dancer au.

what started out as massage therapist au.

trapeze artist au. > opening routine addition. > drag show / spite addition. > @/michellemisfit's fanart. > @/mishervellous' fanart.

social media aus: > artist mickey and ian the brush. > angsty guitar player ian. >> sad ian addition. > dancer mickey. > highway life / van life au. > tiktok identity swap au. > another tiktok au. > youtube au. >> podcast au.

big brother au.

call of duty au.

scandal au.

mutants au one and two.

artist x musician au.

author x actor au.

actor x personal trainer au.

cruise ship au.

lumatere chronicles au. > missing thoughts.

gods au.

superhero au. > mickey and liam.

hospital au.

crack aus: > SUBway/DOMino's au. > meet-ugly land before time ref au. > land before time au. > shrek au.

hockey au.

pilot au.

escape room au.

teacher aus: > special ed teacher au. > irish culture / art teacher au.

hunger games au.

journalist au.

single parent au.

ugly train meet cute au.

late night radio au.

hostage au.

ranch / rehabilitation project au.

demon / monster hunter au.

twilight au.

rockstar au.

werewolf family au.

queer eye au.

fem popstar au.

mickey goes college au.

trans!mickey au. > addition one. > addition two. > transition journal.

bakery au#1. bakery au#2.

dragon au. > addition: ian's horde.

forest cryptid / societal dropout au. > my neighbour totoro au. > princess mononoke au. > addition: gallaghers as abstracts. > addition: mickey grieving / change of seasons. > @/flamingbluepanda drabble: how they met. > addition: mickey's beast form. > addition: hibernation. > forest peculiarities. > will to protect. > dietary specifications.

steampunk au.

greatest showman au.

sitcom / h2o au.

figure skating au.

robot apocalypse au & alien apocalypse au. > alien au addition.

avatar au.

regency au.

sci-fi / flying au.

dystopia joker/harley quinn au.

perfect dinner au.

nerd au.

giant / forest spirit au.

svet stays au.

dancer au.

ben x carl compilation. > introducing: ben the usually unusual boyfriend. > addition: ben x gallagher road trips. > ben and wildlife.

[the12thnightproject]

2, 13, 14, 15? 👀🙈

Hi Lorei... thanks for the ask!

2 - Is there a trope you’ve yet to try your hand at, but really want to?

Not a trope, exactly, but at some point, I'd like to combine my interest in figure skating with Ikesen and write an ice skating AU. If I could manage it without it turning into a 20,000 word novella.

3 - Is there a trope you wouldn’t touch with a ten foot pole?

Major character death. (I mean, never say never, but it's not something I'm really interested in exploring).

14. What’s the worst writing advice you’ve ever come across?

Maybe not the 'worst' but the most misinterpreted -"write what you know," because it prevents writers from starting stories they are passionate about - maybe they have a great idea for a character who is, for example, a painter, but they themselves have never painted, and don't know anything about painting - so they think, "I can't write this story because I don't know what it is like to be a painter." Maybe not, but they know what it's like to be a creator. Or they don't write that story about weapons specialist on a starship, because they don't know anything about space travel. Maybe not, but they might understand what it is like to be responsible for protecting someone else, and what it's like to want to travel to far away places.

You should be able to write your story authentically, but I think that is more about knowing and understanding your characters and what makes them tick. As long as your characters behaviors, thoughts, actions, and dialogue are true to themselves in that world, then they are authentic. The background world building, the learning about other careers is simply research.

15. If you could choose one of your fics to be filmed, which would you choose?

I've actually played with the idea of turning Snowglobe into a short script... but it wouldn't be a script about Yoshimoto, it would be a script about a bespelled prince and a woman trapped in a snowglobe... so I don't think that counts.

Honestly, I would love to see all of my Tempest in Time longfics turned into a television series. Each season would be a different longfic... season one would be Twelve Lies I Told Shingen Takeda, season two would be A Mitsunari Night's Dream, season three would be Ten Things I Hate About Mitsuhide... etc).

Not that it's ever going to happen... but it's a fun fantasy.

[manwalksintobar]

A Poem for Painters  // John Wieners

Our age bereft of nobility

       How can our faces show it?

I look for love.

       My lips stand out

dry and cracked with want

                                    of it.

                                   Oh it is well.

My poem shall show the need for it.

                         Again we go driven by forces

      we have no control over. Only

                                                   in the poem

     comes an image that we rule

                     the line by the pen

in the painter’s hand one foot

                             away from me.

                               Drawing the face

                             and its torture.

That is why no one dares tackle it.

                   Held as they are in the hands

                               of forces they

                   cannot understand.

                                                      That despair

       is on my face and shall show

       in the fine lines of any man.

  I had love once in the palm of my hand.

See the lines there.

                                     How we played

its game, are playing now

in the bounds of white and heartless fields.

  Fall down on my head, love,

drench my flesh in the streams

                               of fine sprays. Like

                                      French perfume

so that I light up as

                                    mountain glorys

and I am showered by the scent

                         of the finished line.

                                              No circles

                      but that two parallels do cross

And carry our souls and bodies

      together as the planets,

                    Showing light on the surface

                           of our skin, knowing

                    that so much of it flows through

                          the veins underneath.

                    Our cheeks puffed with it.

                          The pockets full.

                                   2.

  Pushed on by the incompletion

             of what goes before me

I hesitate before this paper

             scratching for the right words.

  Paul Klee scratched for seven years

             on smoked glass, to develop

             his line, LaVigne says, look

at his face! he who has spent

            all night drawing mine.

        The sun also

rises on the rooftops, beginning

w/ violet. I begin in blue

knowing why we are cool.

                                    3.

  My middle name is Joseph and I

walk beside an ass on the way to what

Bethlehem, where a new babe is born.

        Not the second hand of Yeats but

      first prints on a cloudy windowpane.

  America, you boil over

                                     4.

        The cauldron scalds.

      Flesh is scarred.

      Eyes shot.

        The street aswarm with

      vipers and heavy armed bandits.

      There are bandages on the wounds

      but blood flows unabated. The bath—

      rooms are full. Oh stop up

                                                     the drains.

                             We are run over.

                                      5.

  Let me ramble here.

yet stay within my own yardlines.

I go out of bounds

           without defense,

oh attack.

                                       6.

    At last the game is over

                                            and the line lengthens.

  Let us stay with what we know.

  That love is my strength, that

I am overpowered by it:

                                       desire

                                                 that too

is on the face: gone stale.

When green was the bed my love

and I laid down upon.

Such it is, heart’s complaint,

You hear upon a day in June.

And I see no end in view

when summer goes, as it will,

upon the roads, like singing

companions across the land.

  Go with it man, if you must,

but leave us markers on your way.

  South of Mission, Seattle,

over the Sierra Mountains,

the Middle West and Michigan,

moving east again, easy

coming into Chicago and

the cattle country, calling

to each other over canyons,

careful not to be caught

at night, they are still out,

the destroyers, and down

into the South, familiar land,

lush places, blue mountains

of Carolina, into Black Mountain

and you can sleep out, or

straight across into States

  I cannot think of their names.

  This nation is so large, like

our hands, our love it lives

with no lover, looking only

for the beloved, back home

into the heart, New York,

New England, Vermont green

mountains, and Massachusetts

my city, Boston and the sea.

Again to smell what this calm

ocean cannot tell us. The seasons.

Only the heart remembers

and records in words

of works

we lay down for those men

who can come to them.

                                        7.

  At last. I come to the last defense.

  My poems contain no

                     wilde beestes, no

lady of the lake music

of the spheres, or organ chants,

  yet by these lines

I betray what little given me.

  One needs no defense.

              Only the score of a man’s

            struggle to stay  with

            what is his own, what

            lies within him to do.

              Without which is nothing,

            for him or those who hear him

            And I come to this,

            knowing the waste, leaving

              the rest up to love

            and its twisted faces

            my hands claw out at

            only to draw back from the

            blood already running there.

              Oh come back, whatever heart

            you have left. It is my life

            you save. The poem is done.

  6.18.58