#re: my recent shenanigans

[radical-rapscallion]

HSJDHFKT Y'ALL I AM FEELING GAY AGAIN

[medlilove]

(Edited to add headshots because tumblr hates detail) I've etched away at this is a lovely few weeks, so click for full res and all the little details, okay? It's my love letter to the journey I've found myself on

This is long-ish, so its under the cut (but worth reading...)

I had been thinking a lot recently about that double feature episode, you know the one? I half remembered it then, when they chased a bunch of alien spies so fast through the solar system they all got thrown back in time. Half the crew went on a little undercover adventure in Toronto in 2024. It was great because they got completely cut off from the Enterprise, so half of them, well mostly Uhura and Spock if I recall correctly, spent their time collecting as many radios as possible and worked on building their own communications. Uhura and Spock were basically taking turns constantly tweaking radios by the window with wires everywhere. Oh yeah, their base of operations was the whole top floor of a worn out old building looking over a big square. They ended up in the really arty/queer part of town full of art galleries and thrift stores.....??

Chapel and Chekov were sent out to those shops to find disguises for everyone. I loved the joke that Chekov was puzzled and slightly alarmed that Christine just knew everyone's clothes sizes and measurements with no explanation. Later on, they ended up getting separated from the rest of the group and getting held up by B story shenanigans, mostly getting lost and running into culture shocks. It was fun to see them having their own adventures and made for a pretty interesting combo. Spock and Uhura spent most of their time with the tech, accidentally listening to the times most popular music while changing frequencies. Jim and Sulu paired off to search for clues, and getting supplies and spent a lot of time talking to the locals setting up for a Pride parade. McCoy, feeling paranoid and irritable that he had practically no equipment, wandered around with Dr Alfred Nahdi, the Botanist, who kept picking random weeds and talking about how extraordinary the little dandelions were. Oh and together they stole a whole medical bag out of an ambulance?? It was pretty funny.  Anyway, the main issue was they couldn’t risk leaving the area because all these alien spies had assimilated into the population and they had to track them all down and bring them back with them so as not to disrupt the timeline or something. They had to track down the aliens while making sure the aliens didn't pick up on who they were or that they were also out of place. They ended up being there for around two whole ass months, I think. The spies were spread out all over and there were about 30 of them, but it ended up being the Botanist, Alfred (Alfie) Nahdi who found the enemy base of operations by complete accident. Alfred, who had spent most of the time studying all the common flowers and weeds that were so ordinary at that time but were extinct in their time, figured out where the aliens' base of operations was because the big plant shop at the end of the square had a few succulents that could not have existed in 2024. It was a big "woah" moment. And there was this whole thing where he had to act like he hadn’t just figured it out because the florist, who was almost certainly a spy, was watching him and McCoy. But soon after, it all went to hell anyway when a fight broke out and Sulu was straight up shot with the aliens' weapon that had bullets made from alien metal. So then Bones had to perform old school surgery on him in their HQ, with only 2024 equipment. Jim, Spock, and Uhura were out fighting and ran into Chapel and Chekov and were able to finish them off, but it got really crazy because there was a Pride parade in the square at the same time so they had to make sure no one noticed them. While Bones was pulling bullets out of Sulu, with the botanist assisting him until Chapel (who had been sent by Jim) appeared and took over. McCoy said something like, “Christine, I’ve never been so glad to see you in my life,” and they sewed him up all old school. And it worked out! But Bones was a mess because he had to do messy surgery with none of his kit, and so much pressure, and more blood than he was used to... Chapel stayed with Sulu, and Bones and Nahdi went to sit on the fire escape stairwell and had a sweet scene of Bones just full of adrenaline, his hands couldn't stop shaking. They sat hand in hand for a while listening to all the people on the streets below. Then Spock, Jim, Uhura, and Chekov appeared at the stairwell and they all had a happy, albeit exhausted reunion. After a day of everyone recovering from all the excitement, Uhura and Spock used some extra tech they got from the aliens and finally made contact with poor Scotty who was up on the Enterprise losing the will to live. Anyway, their outfits were iconic tbh.

I invented this whole thing to draw Dr. Leonard “Bones” McCoy in a sweater. I lost control of the situation. I spent a lovely two weeks etching away at this with the support of my lovely ST server, I love you guys. This ones for you.

[jacaranda-bloom]

THE LOST LIST FIC REC

I recently came across a list of fave fics that I thought I’d lost. It’s from years ago when I first started reading fic and I’ve been going on a wonderful trip down memory lane re-reading them all, so I thought I'd share 20 of them with you.

Some of these were well-read at the time they were posted, but haven’t been making it onto more recent rec lists. Some are tropes that aren’t as popular anymore. And some of them are pretty obscure with low readership, but each one holds a special place in my fic journey.

Hope you find something new and enjoyable, or get to revisit an old fave xx

*Please ensure you read the tags and author's notes for all fics.

(quiet like a fight) fingers laced together | decadent | E | 17k

Louis is a kitten hybrid in a cruel world. Harry's family is worried he's lonely and buys him Louis as a companion. Or the one where it's a whole new world for them both.

infinitely all for me | swallowsmateforlife | E | 10k

The Alpha Louis has been betrothed to since he was 14 finally comes of age and Louis is delivered to his home. Or the one where they figure it all out.

No Turbulence Please | wetdandelions | E | 5k

It's just Harry's luck that his rut hits right before his concert when he's stuck on an plane where his best friend is the only omega. Or the one where Louis doesn't mind helping Harry out.

trusting things beyond mistake | sarcasticfluentry | E | 10k

Harry wants to see if he can come without touching his cock, but things don't go as he'd planned. Louis, his flatmate, comes home and finds him in a compromising position. Or the one where Harry ends up getting more than he bargained for.

river flows in you | sarcasticfluentry | E | 10k

Louis goes into heat early and part of their tour gets rescheduled. Or the one where Harry fucks him through it.

Make Tea, Not War | howdoyouwhisk | E | 21k

"Is he the messiest?" "Yes." "Does he do the washing up?" "Never." "Does he make his bed?" "Never." "Hopeless, hopeless flatmate. Would you rather be with one of these guys?" "Nope!" Or the one where Louis attempts to become a better flatmate, much to Harry's dismay.

let me make a thing of cream and stars | missandrogyny | E | 25k

Louis and Nick host the most popular show on BBC Radio 1. The audience loves their shenanigans, which is why Louis is currently trying to interview singer (and frequent star of his sexual fantasies) Harry Styles, while Harry planks over him. Or the one where Harry is a rock star who is infatuated with Louis' bum, among other things.

you burn with the brightest flame | sarcasticfluentry | E | 34k

Harry and Niall are betas, Louis and Zayn are omegas, and Liam is an alpha. At least Harry thought he was a beta. When Louis goes into heat in the X Factor House, everything Harry thought he knew is turned upside down. Or the one where everyone gets more than bargained for.

Always Come Back To You | whoknows | E | 29k

Three years after 1D split the hysteria has died down somewhat. People don't care as much when Harry and Louis catch up for lunch, like good friends do. But when Louis publicly comes out and says he has a boyfriend (which he doesn't), he's naturally expected to present this mysterious boyfriend when he shows up to an LGBTQ+ charity event. Or the one where Harry volunteers to be Louis' pretend boyfriend and there might be a lot less pretending than either of them expected.

Unraveling | D1ona30 | E | 10k

Louis' birthday wish comes true. Cue the chaos. Or the one where Harry can read Louis' mind.

led by your beating heart | missandrogyny | E | 34k

He should delete. He should really delete the number. He and Louis shared nothing but brief small talk in the bathroom, nothing significant, nothing worth risking his career over. The smart move here is to just delete, forget about 'Cute Lou from the Loo' and move on. Of course, Harry hits call. Or the one where Harry's in One Direction, Louis isn't, and they reconnect over a game of 'Call or Delete'.

In Dreams | dolce_piccante | E | 24k

When Harry moves to a new city, his new flat comes with a number of sweet, anonymous gifts and surprises that brighten his days. Could it be a friendly ghost? Another friendly presence in his new building is his tattooed neighbour, Louis, who seems determined to put a smile back on his face. Or the one where Harry's a teacher, Louis is a tattoo artist, and being neighbourly takes on a whole new meaning.

Special Topping | LoadedGunn | E | 13k

'Who would even want so many pizzas so late at night?' Harry wonders before the door opens. Oh. Apparently short guys with shaggy brown hair and a scruff and bright blue eyes and heart-stopping smiles. That's who. Or the one where Harry delivers pizza, fashion student Louis creates chaos in his flat, and it's totally inevitable that Harry finds himself drawn into the middle of it all.

One Day To Believe In You | mediaville | E | 8k

Harry blinks and has the nerve to look surprised. "You think about me when you get off?" "Yes," Louis says. He wonders how hard he'd need to punch himself in the face to knock himself out. "Often?" "Yes, Christ, Harry," Louis groans. "Probably eight times a week for going on six years now. On average, you know. More when we were touring, less when I've been visiting family. Anything else you'd like to know?" Or the one where Louis can't lie.

Is This Seat Taken? | Lainy122 | E | 36k

A borrowed suit from Zayn, a cigarette and the right attitude, and Louis went from security breach to misplaced celebrity instantly. He could practically see the wheels in the security guy’s head switch from ‘could be dangerous’ to ‘could get me fired’. L.A was so predictable. Or the one where Louis poses as a seat-filler and Harry is a superstar at the event he sneaks into.

Breathe Me | elsi_bee | E | 26k

Louis is forced to attend a week long meditation retreat. The meditation coach is not quite what he was expecting. Or the one where Louis and Liam are songwriters, Harry might be a giant hippie, Niall plays guitar, and Zayn is dark and mysterious.

Make A Run, Cause Some Rebellion | whoknows | E | 9k

As a general rule, kitten hybrids are small and disinterested in what other people want them to do, slightly evil and at least a little manipulative. Louis prides himself on being all of those things to varying degrees. Or the one where Louis lives with Liam, Harry is Liam's annoying hipster friend who Louis can't stand, and there's a fine line between love and hate.

Foolishly, Completely Falling | dea_liberty | E | 8k

Now that he’s actually gone and done it, there seems to be no way of going back - no rinse and repeat, no ctrl+alt+del, no abort button, no help to be had. He’s fallen into a black hole and he cannot seem to find a way out. The black hole is also known as Tumblr. More specifically, it’s known as Tumblr’s Larry Stylinson tag. Or the one where Louis becomes a Larry shipper by accident.

Hiding Out In The Kitchen | LittleMousling | E | 28k

Harry's in an internationally famous boyband with his three best mates, he gets laid on a pretty regular basis, and he's headed to Australia in a week. He doesn't need anything else in his busy life, and he certainly doesn't need a boyfriend. Or the one where Harry likes coffee, Louis works in a coffee shop, and maybe having a boyfriend wouldn't actually be a bad thing at all.

Hate Me To The Moon | harrystylesandstuff | E | 84k

The last thing Harry wanted was to spend his entire summer stuck with his dad's new fiancée and her kids, especially when he learns she's a very religious dictator, raising a sixteen year old nun and a clean cut potential priest ass kisser. That is until Harry finds out his future step-brother is actually the rude stranger he caught sucking off a guy in a pub. Or the one where Harry is a sexy nerd, Louis is a great actor, and they both pretend to hate each other's guts to convince themselves they're not feeling things future step-brothers shouldn't feel.

Hope you find something to enjoy!

[aggro-my-beloved]

Angel Face → David Shaw x Reader Imagine

note: i can’t write a grumpy david shaw i’m sorry he’s like .03% tsundere in this re-imagined meet cute between him and angel and his anger isn’t even directed towards them. i’ll be leaving a poll at the end for which paring you’d like me to write for next in this scenario. please like and reblog as it’d really mean a lot!

pairing: david shaw x gn!reader

summary: solstice bar is packed tonight for an up-and-coming performance by a local band, and security guard david is left as a stand-in for the usual bartender. just when he thinks he’s at his wit’s end, a stranger in desperate need of conversation and something to soothe their nerves makes this shifter’s thursday a bit more tolerable.

warnings: mentions of alcohol, mild swearing, damn crew as frat bois and other shenanigans

wc: 2.1k

estimated reading time: 10.5 mins

“Welcome to Solstice!” 

At a certain point in the night, the patron’s slurred chattering morphs into white noise for David’s ears. While manning the bar, beckons and calls for another round are less distinguishable but still audible if he concentrates hard enough. 

“Kitchen’s closed!” 

“Soda or seltzer?” 

“Special is a…” he turns the still full bottle on the center of the bar to face him. “A Port Charlotte single malt whiskey. You in?” Seconds later, he heaves a mix between a grumble and a sigh. “Course not.” 

“I said the kitchen’s closed!” 

“Try saying it louder,” chortles Milo. His dark stature barrels through the swinging door leading to the kitchen, behind the bar. Amidst his rapid collecting of fingerprint-stamped brandy bowls and red-kissed crystal stems, his hand flies up to release his chestnut waves from the hairnet securing them. “Don’t think they heard you the seventeenth time.” 

“Remind me why I agreed to pick up a Thursday for Sam. I never work Thursdays.” David raises his voice the farther Milo retreats into the kitchen. The clinks of glasses tickle his ears but do little to nothing to ease his nerves. The cook returns with a pristine array of cocktail glasses sat on a black tray. If there’s anything David admires more than his colleague’s house-made wings, it’s how he can make the same dingy glasses sparkle night after night with a quick wash. 

“Because…” he sets down the tray carefully on the open bar space perpendicular to David, in between the ripened limes he prepped hours ago, and the beer taps. “Ash and his band finally wrote enough decent songs for a gig here and we agreed to be here tonight to support him.” What Milo didn’t know is that the extra tips made between David and Asher tonight were in contribution to the soot-covered kitchen drawers at their home–courtesy of the main act’s drummer insisting he fulfill his oatmeal craving. There wasn’t a chance in hell those two were getting the security deposit back, not if the cherry-oak wood soaked in gray and smelling of cinder and their landlord’s new vendetta had anything to say about it. The two shifters were already ripped a new one last week for their scratch marks on the recently renovated hardwood flooring, which they credited to “dog sitting for a friend.”

“And no more animals!” The unempowered and oblivious landlord scolds them, red in the face. 

“Yes sir.” They reply in unison.

Ash tries choking down a smug laugh and fails miserably. David smacks him on his chest. 

Milo grabs a handful of peanuts from a stray bowl set aside to be washed, and pops them in his mouth, savoring the salt dancing on his taste buds. “Also,” he makes out through munches, “Sam’s out tonight from sun poisoning.”

David scoffs at this. “So he says. Tank was flirting with him so much last night, I could hear them from my post at the front giving stamps.” The promises of what his younger sibling would do to the fanged creature behind closed doors cued David to shudder. Before disappearing behind the kitchen door once again, Milo quips:

“Better hearing it than smelling it.” David refuses to ask the cook to elaborate and instead shifts his attention to the front entrance, where drunken yells and chants resound. His lips curl down in a fierce scowl as the melded odor of sweat and liquor becomes six bodies more pungent. Like a cavalry, they march in with arms looped through one another’s to keep stable. If the young faces weren’t already a dead giveaway for what would be in store for David tonight, their tacky shirts did enough talking. Each one color-coordinated for a significance the man was too exhausted to mull over, but all reading: “Straight Outta D.A.M.N” in giant, bold font. 

“You’ve gotta be shitting me–Hey, Milo, were you just not gonna tell me it’s the E and E’s Annual Frat Bar Crawl tonight? Because that’s a pretty fucked up thing to do to a bartending security guard!” 

“What!” Milo’s accented shriek rings through the building, and he peeks his head out of the aluminum swing door to view the staggering group of drunkards for himself. “Ah, fuckin’ hell..” He fully steps out from behind the door and cups his hands around his mouth. “Hey, hammered frat dudes!” A couple of heads from the group turn in his direction. “Yeah, you guys! Kitchen’s closed!” He turns to pat David on the back of his shoulder, over the white rag he’d been drying glasses and countertops with all night. “You got this, buddy.”

“Uh uh, I don’t think so.” The man shakes his head in disbelief, and a chorus of whines echo from the group of empowered frat members. One brave soul steps forward, the beefiest of them all. He dons a shamrock green shirt with the sleeves (poorly) cut off and a pleading set of eyes. His deep voice floats to the bar from where he stands, almost devastated. “Even for fries?” 

Milo is halfway through his strut back into the kitchen but is halted by David’s hand gripping his shoulder. “Even for fries, Milo?” The man cocks his head to the side, jutting out his bottom lip in a pout. They both knew why he was playing so coyly; resorting to the rarely used puppy dog eyes; mimicking the man’s tone from moments before. It was the same reason they consulted Asher’s band to play tonight. As much as either of them try to deny it, the bar needs the business. And if Sam’s claims during their Super Smash Bros tournament from weeks beforehand weren’t all talk, he’d hate to see what the vampire could do with just a walker and pure unbridled rage at tonight’s numbers. 

Through gritted teeth, the shorter of the two mutters something about putting his hairnet back on before continuing his journey to the clean fryers. 

“Come on in, people!” He waves a hesitant arm in his direction, encouraging the clan to venture further. The solemn whines morph into cheers as they proceed their march to the bar.  Though he was dreading it at first, the orders were easy enough. Bud Lite, Rum and Coke, two more Bud Lites, another Rum and Coke, and a Mojito. In addition to this, anungodly amount of fries, but that is for Milo to deal with. 

Halfway through the intoxicated army's orders, he spots a straggler trying to squeeze through the ever-growing crowd anticipating their next round and tonight’s show from the local, up-and-coming Howl’s Highway. Asher thinks the name is awesome. David thinks it’s one step closer to breaching covert to several unempowered beings who may be wandering into Dalia from out of town. They agree to disagree.

“Excuse me,” the voice croaks. “Sorry.” It pipes up every few seconds, complemented by the sight of shuffling bodies. Finally, a face pops up before him, splotched with red and with bloodshot eyes, but not from any addictive or bitter-tasting substance, other than heartbreak. David can sense their aura with the proximity. They are devastated, even more so than the student begging for a plate of fries. 

“Evening, Angel. What can I get for you?” The patron’s mouth falls open, and without intent, David does the same. He was never fond of pet names at the bar, rather he viewed it unprofessional as much as he did embarrassing. This is why Sam mans the bar, and he manhandles the bastards before they can order a drink. But no, tonight he needs to strip off the leather jacket and tough exterior and ask himself: what would Sam do? 

I can name someone. 

Milo, politely get the fuck out of my head and cook your goddamn–

“Uh…” The unempowered stranger gnaws on their bottom lip in thought. 

“Hey man, we weren’t through ordering!” His mouth retraces the snarl from earlier, and he apologetically directs his attention away from the distressed figure and to another fart member. The most inebriated and demanding of them all, if David had to guess from his words coming out like fondue. This one had a red shirt and an overall bad attitude. 

“Ah,” he holds a finger up, allowing the man to pause. “Let me take their order, and I’ll come back to you, okay?” He offers a thumbs up to the man, hoping this will mollify him. 

“No, not okay.” He crosses his arms, a newfound flame lit in his eyes. Oh great, just when I thought I was done putting out fires this week. Now the red shirt makes sense–fire elemental. “We were here first-“

He hopes for his friends’ sakes, he’s much more pleasant sober. 

“Dames,” Greenie butts into the argument. The one in red simmers down at the feeling of the large hand resting on the small of his back and drawing gentle circles. “It’s alright, he’ll only be a minute.”

“Y-yeah, maybe we can go find some uh–some good seats for the band tonight and come back?” A meek voice offers. He’s hidden behind the other members of the group, all that is visible of him is a pair of round frames and a flash of gray on his upper body. Similar to how they breached the entrance of the place, the squad links arms to continue their journey deeper into the crowd.

 

“God, those were some tacky shirts. Straight Outta DAMN? What does that even mean?” The newest customer shakes their head in disgust as they eye the backside of the frat disappearing into the sea of bodies. “Seems like you’ve got your work cut out for you tonight.” 

“Who, the Bud Lite bunch?” He waves a hand nonchalantly. “We get ten of those on nights like these.” 

“Well, I hope that was your tenth and final bunch of the night. I don’t do too well around rowdy people.” 

“So what brings you to one of the most packed bars in town tonight?” David quirks a brow at the stranger. 

“Well, the pictures online made it seem a lot less busy.” They rub the back of their neck with a sheepish smile coating their face. “I just needed to get away from…I got dumped tonight and wanted to drown my sorrows.” David tries not to be offended by how invisible they are to the public and the stranger’s acknowledgment of it. The bigger chains are killing them. More recently, they’re treading on the outskirts of Dalia and monopolizing over each empty plot of land they deem a cash cow.

“Your wish is my command. What’ll it be?” David crosses his arms, causing his muscular arms to bulge against the thin fabric of his white tee. Simultaneously, the hem of his shirt rides up to reveal a very tan, very toned v-line vulnerable to the wandering eyes of the one sitting before him. They try not to make it obvious. Menu, eyes, menu, abs, arms, back to menu. 

“Maybe an Espresso Martini?” They peer up to lock eyes with him again. Truthfully, they hadn’t read a description of any drink on the list and were taking a lucky guess. 

A few seconds of silence transpire before David responds firmly. “No.” They almost choke in disbelief, and their heart rate picks up.  

“Pardon?” 

“You need something stronger.” He decides, ultimately picking up a few bottles that the dejected newbie couldn’t decipher the labels of. Their eyebrows stay furrowed as David fills the cobbler shaker with a handful of ice cubes and a generous amount of liquor. 

“C’mon, trust me. What’s in here,” he shakes the stainless steel vigorously for emphasis, “ain’t gonna kill you.” 

“I think a hole-in-the-wall bar is the last place I should be told to trust  a stranger.” David considers this and hums. 

“I think the alley in the back of this place might take the cake.” Wiggling in the leather barstool from anticipation, their eyes stay concentrated on the clear glass as a slow strain of amber liquid occupies it. Before sliding it to their side of the bar, David is sure to garnish it with some orange zest.

“Go ahead, it’s on the house,” David smirks, before retreating to the kitchen to help Milo plate the heaps of fries. 

“For real? No, I have to owe something.” 

“It’s a new recipe. I wouldn’t even know what to charge you.” The man admits. “Go on,” he insists, prior to disappearing behind the swing door and being greeted with Milo’s sassy commentary on how David’s going to be working overtime to help him clean tonight. 

As the cook is balancing plates onto his arms, he hardly feels the burn of ceramic against his arms. For all his senses are concentrated on his new patron–more specifically, the sound of them sipping his innovation and a delightful hum leaving their lips. 

“Damn, that’s good.” 

He ponders shortly after, amidst delivering fries to the ravenous elemental crew, I think I’ll call it Angel Face.

＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊

[vinelark]

Hello! If I wanted to read some Young Justice for research purposes, where would you recommend starting? Trying to foray into the comics for the first time!

hello! sorry this took a while, i started my answer and then it got lost in my drafts for a bit. we’re back!

i think honestly just diving right in with the beginning of the 90s young justice comics would be a great place to start; you get to see the team form, initially with the tim&kon&bart dynamic and then cassie and cissie and greta show up within a few issues. also within the first few issues kon casually breaks a guy’s hand for being a jerk to tim and bart steals the guy’s clothes right off him. cassie saves the pope. cissie has an arrow sticking out of her arm for most of her introduction. they’re unhinged from the get-go.

it’s also a 90s dc comic, so…[gestures vaguely] ymmv on some aspects (for example: are women people, or do they exist to crush on boys and be crushed on by boys? well…). fun and bonkers overall though. and it’s okay because comics aren’t real and cissiecassie are lesbians To Me.

also fun fact tim basically comes out as bi in issue 4 i think. (seriously, what on earth did they think they were saying with this?)

and then if you’re looking for something else, young justice (2019) is a more recent “let’s get the gang back together” arc that re-introduces the core four + other characters and tries to reconcile the…many universe shenanigans in the interim decades. i’ll be honest, i didn’t really track the broad gemworld plot of the first arc, but i still had fun reading.

[wangxianficrecs]

💙 stay by my side by ravenditefairylights

🔒💙 stay by my side

by ravenditefairylights (@ravenditefairylights)

T, 27k, Wangxian

Part of the MDZS Reverse Big Bang: 2022

Summary: “A-Ying,” Lan Wangji says quietly, trying to gauge whether the boy is asleep. Even as the boy’s figure tenses and his head peaks out from the rest of his body to look around, he doesn’t stop shaking. His clothes are wet, Lan Wangji can see in the candlelight, clinging to his skin. Winter has not yet passed. The boy must be freezing. “Hello?” A-Ying asks hesitantly, looking around. His eyes are big, but despite some suspicion in their depths, the boy mostly looks curious. “Hello, A-Ying,” Lan Wangji says kindly. “I heard that you prayed to me.” --- a boy, a god and a rebellion against the empire Kay's comments: THIS STORY!! I love it very much and I recently re-read it and it immediately had me hooked once again. This story really has everything. I loved the historical world building with the cultivation sects having fallen a thousand years ago and everyone living under the Wens' tyranny ever since, I loved God!Lan Wangji, who looks out for abandoned children and makes sure Wei Wuxian finds his way to the Jiangs, where he is raised as Jiang Cheng's and Jiang Yanli's personal servant, I absolutely adored Hanguang-Jun hypeman and the very best wing man Lan Jingyi and I loved how Lan Wangji didn't want to admit to himself that he had fallen in love with Wei Wuxian, very in-character for him. Also, the identity shenanigans were very fun! Exerpt: “It is an honour to meet you, Lan- gongzi ,” Wei Wuxian says politely with another bow. “This lowly one is Wei Ying, courtesy Wuxian.” “You have a courtesy name?” Lan Jingyi asks, surprised. Wei Wuxian is used to this surprise and doesn’t do anything other than nod. Lan Jingyi doesn’t pry either—must be the famous Lan restraint to abstain from gossip. “Come with me, I’ll show you to the guest dormitories.” “Many thanks, Lan- gongzi ,” Wei Wuxian replies. Lan Jingyi takes him through the grounds with only a lantern to light the way. Wei Wuxian has missed his chance to explore, but still… “Lan- gongzi , may this one ask you a question?” “Yeah, sure,” Lan Jingyi says. When he shrugs, the lantern he’s carrying gets jostled and the light plays on the shadows around them. “Is it true that the Cloud Recesses have the first temple that was built for Hanguang-jun?” Wei Wuxian asks. “And Zewu-jun?” he adds quickly, in case Lan Jingyi is offended that he’s included only one of them in his question. Lan Jingyi’s face brightens up under the yellow light. “Yeah! Hanguang-jun is the best —and Zewu-jun, of course, but he’s not as cool as Hanguang-jun, although he’s so close. Zewu-jun and Hanguang-jun were the last cultivators to ascend to immortality before the shift into the Wen dynasty when the cultivation clans were wiped out. They were both sons from the direct family line in charge of the Lan Sect—Zewu-jun was the heir and then the sect leader when their father, Qingheng-jun, also ascended to the Heavenly Realm. Zewu-jun is the god who protects leaders and musicians—you may note that his statues always depict him playing the xiao—he’s a martial god regardless, like his younger brother, Hanguang-jun.” Wei Wuxian knows all of this, but he doesn’t interrupt. Lan Jingyi sounds as excited to tell him about them as Wei Wuxian is to hear about Hanguang-jun again.

pov lan wangji, pov wei wuxian, canon divergence, god lan wangji, tgcf, tian guan ci fu fusion, historical, sunshot campaign, secret identity, identity porn, identity reveal, worship, angst with a happy ending, age difference, friends to lovers

~*~

(Please REBLOG as a signal boost for this hard-working author if you like – or think others might like – this story.)

[ghostsandfools]

Interesting Stuff From Yesterday's LAES Episode:

DISCLAIMER: I go insane under the cut. There is swearing. You have been warned.

Okay first of all, where are they???? Obviously in a dream, which Lunar says "doesn't feel normal", which is already weird, but they're in a location Lunar's never been in before. Probably not important I'm just curious, like, is it just some random place conjured up by Lunar's subconscious or does Res have him in a specific location for a reason???

Res works for Cetus apparently.

Lunar sees Res for the first time and goes "You don't have a face" and Res goes "Oh, I can assure you, I do." I'm sorry???????????

This is off topic, but these episodes stress me the fuck out. Like, the writing isn't always the best and I've seen people leave the fandom over some of the decisions the writers make. Now, I don't really care about how bad the writing is I'm gonna watch it anyways, but I genuinely get stressed out over the lore, it is an issue. I worry about it on a day to day basis, I think I'm starting to get WAY too attached to these characters.

Res looks so much like Nebula, I mentioned it in a separate post but like seriously, it's not even funny how similar they look. They could be twins, at least in my eyes idk if y'all see it too. Also, I love Nebula and I would NEVER accuse her of such heinous crimes, but the astrals have basically stripped her of her rights and are making her work constantly with almost no breaks and no pay, and from what we've seen Taurus specifically treats her pretty awful, and Res did mention hating Taurus and Leo, so... I mean I wouldn't be surprised if Res and Nebula were the same person.

Res has met Castor and Pollux at some point and thinks that they're "entertaining" so I don't know what the fuck that means but I'm scared-

The order to begin the infection has been given :)

We're all fucked :)))))))

Res didn't want Lunar there??? Lunar says "I shouldn't be here," and Res goes "You shouldn't be, this was a very private meeting," so Lunar can just get dragged into antimatter shenanigans with no say in the matter randomly????? Res didn't even intend for this to happen???????

The fact that Res doesn't care about Lunar knowing is scary. Res doesn't try to hurt Lunar or kill him or get him not to tell anyone, they just don't care. Which is worrying, because Lunar could tell the astrals, and the fact that Res doesn't care about that means that they're already far enough into this plan that the astrals knowing about it will hardly be a setback.

I was thinking, maybe Res stands for Residual or Residue. Because, they said they're made out of dark star power, but they AREN'T a witherstorm, so maybe they're residual leftover dark star power.

THEIR VOICE EVEN SOUNDS LIKE A CORRUPTED NEBULA, am I going crazy here??? Their voices even sound similar, except Nebula's is much smoother obviously, but they both speak the same way, y'know? AM I INSANE??? Like, their voices are different but the way they talk and their enunciation of certain words is the EXACT SAME.

Res being Nebula could explain their inside knowledge about the astrals. I mean, obviously they could just figure stuff out on their own or through Cetus, I'm assuming dark star power entities can probably spy on people pretty well, but it would explain why they already know Lunar and that Taurus is coming to Earth, I'm just saying...

OKAY OKAY OKAY okaay okaoaksyaa SO. Res talks about getting rid of one of the astrals for good, which is interesting. Gemini said that astrals can die, but they usually come back because they're stars and stars will just supernova and reform. But Res says they could get rid of one of the astrals for good and how Cetus would love having one less to deal with. They also say one of the astrals is already out of commission??? Unless I missed something, this is the first time that's been mentioned. I wonder who it is. Probably not Libra since she's a leader, not Gemini since they've been around recently, not Taurus because he's showing up soon, probably not Aries since they're the one who helped Gemini get into Lunar's dreams, SO WHO?!

Res, (with that incredibly sexy voice of theirs~), says that they "Need Lunar" and that he's the "Perfect Catalyst". Which is interesting because like two minutes ago they described themself as a catalyst??? I wonder what they need Lunar for, maybe to get more inside knowledge about the astrals for them?

It is getting more and more difficult for me not to talk about how hot Res is the longer this post gets, they said Lunar was "Ample for corruption~" JESUS RES, JUST KILL PEOPLE. YOU DON'T HAVE TO BE HOT ABOUT IT, JUST KILL PEOPLE AND FUCK OFF!

WHY ARE THEY BEING SO SEDUCTIVE???? "What I'm going to do to you when I get my hands on you, I'm going to do so many horrid things..." I'M SORRY? EXCUSE ME BITCH??????

How do you turn positive star power into negative star power? Gemini said that when star power is harnessed, negative star power is the result. Lunar does not harness star power, he is basically an astral now which means he's MADE of it. Him using it won't produce any negative star power, which means Res has a way to convert pure, unharnessed star power into negative star power. Interesting. If I didn't have the memory of a goldfish when it comes to my hyperfixations, maybe I could tell you have that would work with stars and dark matter in real life, but I forgot so sorry :D

How many negative star power entities are there??? Res says Lunar will "become one of us". So far there are at least 2, Res and Cetus, but there HAS to be more than that. C'mon. There has to be. The astrals are also interesting, how many of them are there? Obviously there's the main 12, based on the zodiac constellations, but are there more based on other constellations? Are the "Astrals" just what the main 12 are called and any others are considered lesser than them? And then for the dark matter ones, are there 12 to act as dark zodiacs? Or are the less, or worse, are there MORE?

I wonder if Gemini made Taurus and Leo sound more scary as a way to get Lunar to behave himself. All they said was "Taurus and Leo destroy planets", but according to Res, they really don't. They only put planets out of their misery once they've been infected and already basically destroyed.

I wonder if Res did anything to Lunar while he was asleep? They say "you need to wake up" and then Lunar falls asleep in the dream only to wake up in real life, but I wonder if they could've done something to him in that time that he doesn't realize?

It's kinda interesting that Lunar's first thought was to go to Monty rather than Gemini or Moon or waiting for Taurus to show up. I actually have kinda a sweet reason why, more of a headcanon than a theory though. Whenever i have nightmares, my brain kinda goes back in time for a little while, and instead of calling someone I actually trust like one of my friends or my partner, my first thought is to go to my mom. Now, i don't talk to my mom anymore because she sucks, but I really liked her as a kid and when I have bad dreams I forget about all the people i have in my life now and wanna go back to her. And Monty and Lunar used to be so close, obviously Monty knows a lot about negative star power so they're a logical option of who to get help from, but i also think it would be really sweet if Lunar goes through the same thing and that's why they want to go to Monty first, because they're almost like a parental figure to him.

ANYWAYS, that's enough rambling and simping and theorizing and trauma-dumping and going fucking insane for today, if you read this far you have a VERY good attention span. I would not read a post this long, you are a better person than me.

[twig-tea]

TWIG! Friend! I couldn't help but notice your tags in my excitement post about getting to La Pluie -- I see that you and I are YYY mutuals. :) Let's call YYY... say... zany or offbeat -- off the beaten path of the usual romance-dominated field of Thai BLs. What are some other "zanier" BLs (not just Thailand, but everywhere in Asia) that you love and would recommend for an off-the-wall experience? And, why?

@waitmyturtles I'm so sorry you sent this a million years ago and then I kept letting it languish. And it's extra rude because I love this question! It's so hard to add something like YYY to a rec list without a billion caveats, so this is a great chance to shout out some of the series & shorts that don't get as much attention. A few of these I know you've seen but I have to include them for completeness.

First, for the sake of other people reading this, as Turtles has written about, Cheewin brings his own kind of zaniness to almost everything he works on; my faves of his other than YYY are Make It Right and Secret Crush on You (the exception is Bed Friend, which is not in any way zany but I still liked it).

Also going to mention that since Turtles asked for off the beaten path zany, I won't be mentioning any of the popular comedies (in case you're wondering why I Became the Lead in A BL Drama or Man Who Defies the World of BL aren't on this list).

Alright now that's out of the way, let's get into the other recs!

Zany lesser-known BLs other than YYY

Ossan's Love Franchise (Japanese, 2016-2024, GagaOOLala)

It is... less true now that this series is lesser-known than it was when I started writing this draft (in uh... August 2023) but I shall persist! The franchise details alone for this series are complete crack:

A 2016 45-minute short [skippable imo];

The 2018 original series which builds the short into a zany 7-episode comedy series about a man in his late 20s who suddenly finds himself the love interest of his older boss (in his ~50s) and his coworker/roommate (in his mid-20s);

The sequel film Ossan's Love: Love or Dead (2019)which turns into an action film halfway through for no clear reason but also remains a romantic comedy in which the mains from the original season decide if they want to stay together

The AU season Ossan's Love: In the Sky (2019) which has the same characters of the lead and his boss from S1 and the short, but this time they work in an airport and all of the surrounding cast is different and leads to a very confusing love rhombus. Incredible 10/10 no notes [people hate this because they like the mains from S1 & the film but I loved the mess]

The sequel season to S1 and the film, Ossan's Love Returns (2024) which you can absolutely watch in isolation and is about the main couple re-establishing their relationship and their found family friend group after being long distance for a few years.

It's truly excellent comedy, and gets better every outing; there are some barriers that might prevent some enjoying the earlier seasons but the most recent one is really delightful. You can hear me talk more about this series with @bengiyo and @shortpplfedup on The Conversation podcast!

Diary of Tootsies (Thai, 2017, grey/Netflix (for the movie))

I love Diary of Tootsies and the follow-ups so much. SO much. One of the best laughs of my life was the opening to the movie, and I cannot be in a long car ride without thinking about the purse incident in s1. This show doesn't get a lot of BL fandom attention because the romance arcs are not typical for BL (but that's one of the things I love about them). And the friendship in this series is truly what sells it. Season 1 is self-contained, a lot of people dislike the romance plot of S2; I really like the arc across s2 to the movie (as established above, I tend to be less invested in a particular ship across a franchise or multiple franchises). The movie plot is all about reconciling who you thought you wanted and who you are with (amongst all kinds of shenanigans).

HeHe and He (Hong Kong, 2018-ongoing, YouTube)

This mockumentary sitcom-style series does tackle some serious topics and is also absolutely hilarious nonsense across its 3 seasons. The very simple premise is that a gay guy ("hehe" is slang for gay) and a straight guy who are old friends become roommates when the gay friend breaks up with his longterm boyfriend and needs a place to stay, and hijinks ensue. They do direct-to-camera confessionals spliced in with scenes from their lives. I love this show so much, and it would actually be high up in my indie BL rankings if it were completed. I lose it at least once an episode. It's very queer (if you want a show that tackles everything from hookups to turning everything into a joke to being so, so mean to each other while also loving each other dearly to even chemsex, look no further), and I am in love with all of the wacky characters that have formed a love-hate found family that is deeply relatable. The creators posted a video a few months ago saying they're struggling to end it in a way that they're happy with so I'm not sure we'll ever get an ending for the show. But if you like comedy and queer content it's worth a watch even incomplete! I've been very patiently following this project since 2018 and it's legitimately one of my favourite shows.

Rainbow Prince the Series (Filippino, 2022, YouTube)

This is a musical; it is a lot of campy nonsense. There is royalty, political intrigue, a dog, kidnappings, and so. much. singing. The songs are surprisingly catchy and it's all extremely good fun. Also a lot of the dialogue is very clearly improvised.

Hey! First Love (Vietnamese, 2019, YouTube)

This series of shorts are mostly just silly fluff. The very tenuous plot is that these shorts are slice-of-life moments from a young established couple, but it's all really just excuses for Vietnamese comedy and BL romance tropes. If you haven't watched anything from Vietnam, this is a very low-stakes commitment (I think it's under 30 minutes of content all told; there are 4 "episodes" which are spliced together shorts, each of which has a tiny plot but there is not much of an overarching narrative, and then a Q&A with the actors at the end) and gives you a sense of the Vietnamese sense of humour. Both of these actors have gone on to continue to be in other Vietnamese BLs, so if you have watched Vietnamese BL you may recognize them! The production quality on this is charmingly low.

Shubh Mangal Zyada Saavdhan (India, 2019, Amazon Prime)

This film was such a joy to experience in a live theatre. Billed "the first Gay Bollywood RomCom", this movie was a riot of chaos, dance numbers, shenanigans, hilarity, and cuteness. I loved the way this film incorporated the very real legal change to decriminalize homosexuality in its story. Arguably not "BL" as it very much fits in the bollywood tradition not the BL tradition, but OP did ask for all of Asia!

Like Love (China, 2014-15, grey)

And no I don't mean censored--this is from before China started censoring its BLs. This show has kisses as shown in the gif, and even (poorly cropped) sex scenes. It also is super bizarre. I was so confused by this show, the characterization, the fourth wall breaks, and how disjointed it was so I went to read the source material and...it turns out it's one of the most perfect adaptations I've ever seen, the book is in fact exactly like this. The characters are caricatures, there is no bridging between scenes, and the plot is the most absurd take on 'loserfail no-thoughts-head-empty character who doesn't admit he's gay but still ends up in a dedicated and loving relationship with a rich handsome domineering man ' I've ever seen. It's a bewildering experience. Note the sound quality on this one is suuuper miserable. I like s2 way more than s1 (s1 is getting together and includes a lot of the bullying-teasing and I'm-not-gay-I-just-need-him-to-pay-attention-to-me stuff, s2 is the honeymoon phase + getting the homophobic parents on board) but S1 is definitely the zanier of the two. That being said, if you wanted, I think you can dive right in to s2 (there's a direct-to-camera explanation of what happened in s1 at the start of it). Note that they set up a cliffhanger at the end of 2 in anticipation of s3 which was going to be made in 2016 but was cancelled because of the political changes in China in 2016 (this is one of the reasons I went to read the source material; they do get a happy ending in the books).

This is an extremely silly but also touching franchise with a lot of tropes I don't love, but also a lot of things I do (and just neat to see some stuff so early in BL: Underwater kiss? Helicopter ride? Femme fatale becomes friend of the faen? Supportive grandparent? It's all here). There are some fantastic speeches in s2 about supporting your gay children; I liked how in this the kids didn't give up on their parents but try to reconcile their filial piety with their dedication to each other. If you do watch S1, highly recommended you watch the series version rather than the film. For "S2"/the follow-up film, make sure you look for the uncensored film version.

The Lover Room 709 Cut (Korean/Japanese, 2016, grey)

This starts extremely silly, plays with BL tropes, and gets a little bit serious at the end but is mostly just full of puns and innuendos. Includes one of the most hilarious takes on kabedon, and egregious use of the soundtrack from Brokeback Mountain. Also: fart jokes. Folks worried it was going to stay teasing the audience but it does commit and we do get an actual resolution that is satisfying. I admit I've never seen the whole series (which includes stories of 3 other couples in the apartment building) but the BL cut is readily available if you search. Make sure you look for the deleted scene with the lotion application--this scene walked so IFYLITA could run (I'm kidding, but it's very funny seeing this scene now and thinking about that one).

The Boy Next Door (Korean, 2018, YouTube)

This is another older series playing with censorship (similar to The Lover) in which the two characters end up in BL romance tropes but are not actually in love...or are they? The shenanigans are very fun. This one is left more ambiguous than The Lover, which is one of the reasons it's further down the list.

Go! Go! G-Boys (Taiwan, 2006, grey)

I debated between this and another quirky comedy from Taiwan in the early 2000s, Formula 17, but while that's unequivocally a better movie, this one is lesser known and more zany, so it technically better fits the bill for this ask (but if you haven't, go watch Formula 17!). The plot is a bit cringe--straight boy signs up to gay beauty contest to pay off his girlfriend's debts (accompanied by his gay childhood friend who is in love with him) and finds his truth. Meanwhile a homophobic police officer has also infiltrated the contest for investigative purposes. Amongst all that admittedly not great setup, however, are several bizarre sequences including the incredible Lord of the Rings recreation scene (complete with Gatchaman of course), a killer soundtrack, a random delivery of poultry, someone slapping a cake, and, most absurdly unbelievable at all: police taking harassing death threats to the gay contest seriously. It does a great job of setting up what should be a dramatic scene and then immediately undercutting the tension with something absurd. It's not narratively good, but it is a fun ride! And yes, there is a happy ending. Stick around for a fourth wall break (literally) after the credits.

Something Crunchy Crunchy (Korean, 2018, GagaOOLala)

Extremely bizarre little musical short in which snacks are anthropomorphized as hot guys and they sing songs about being eaten and wanting to be eaten. Played entirely sincerely, but the concept is screamingly funny. Fascinating. Also, kind of poly?

Dom (Korean, 2016, GagaOOLala)

Another hilarious and weird Korean short, this time in which we see the protagonist's sex life from the perspective of the condom boxes that are anthropomorphized and given personalities based on their brands.

And since we can't leave out the ladies,

A few zany GLs:

Lily Fever (Korean, 2015, YouTube)

I wrote about this one a little in my GL rec list; it is absolutely bonkers nonsense. There is not really a plot, it's a fever dream of a show. Chaos! Not so much a romance as an excuse to see cute girls flirt and make out.

Legend of Yunqian (China, 2020, grey)

I debated including this one because only the middle is really the zany part, it's sandwiched with more serious xianxia drama. But in the middle of this miniseries is an extremely cute interlude in which xianxia characters time travel to present day for ~reasons. It's censored but there is very little uncertainty about feelings, and manages to be absolutely charming. Worth the short runtime for this kitten quickcut (subbed "Whomst?!" in the show for ultimate comedy). Warning for character death (but it's ok because time travel to reincarnated character!) Subtitled by the indispensable @douqi7s [see their pinned post for links].

BetCin (Filippino, 2022, WeTV)

A lesbian couple with a YouTube following decide to break up but then find out there's a contest for couples, and they decide to pretend to still be together to try and win the contest rather than tell their fans they've broken up. This series does some really interesting things by starting with a breakup and then looking at how two people who are no longer dating manage BGP while also managing their feelings. There's a lot going on in this show, and the hijinks definitely ensue!

Perfect One Night Stand (Korean, 2020, GagaOOLala)

This is a cute Strongberry GL short in which a friend agrees to help her other friend find a girl to have sex with before the day is over; they go through several quirky candidates looking for the titular perfect one night stand.

[slavic-roots-western-mind]

My top Russian Tv-Shows

Despite this being mainly a mandarinblr, I still try to practise my other languages so here are some of the most interesting tv-shows in russian for my fellow russian-learners and speakers and anyone interested.

Kitchen - Кухня This show has several spin-offs including Hotel Eleon and Grand which I will not mention as by the end of the last spin-off there are literally no characters from the original cast and the plot slightly goes of the rails. The actual show is set a french restaurant in Moscow where Max Lavrov, who just finished his military service decided to work at. The show follows the various challenges that Max faces at his new workplace, including the foul-tempered but very talented Chef Viktor Barinov who has a drinking problem and other interesting characters. It's quite funny and heart-warming, and it's a must-watch imo.

Youth - Молодёжка A pretty standard sports series tv plot. The hockey-team "Bears" are a meh team at best, but that all changes when a former National Hockey League player turned coach shows up to make a proper team out of them. I only watched the first season because after that the plot got a tad boring for me, but as far as sports series go, pretty good.

Law of the Lawless (Not the 1964 film!) - Бригада A cult-classic staple of only 15 episodes. The plot is a bit over the place at the beginning, as opening episodes sequence is a flashback to the start of the final episode but after that it's chronological, with the first episode w english subtitles here. 4 best friends start out as youths from early 1990s to 2000s, with one returning home after finishing his army service with plans for uni and the others just starting their lives. However, the Perestroika had significantly changed their lives, so eventually the gang turns from racketeering and petty crime to slowly becoming the mafia. The opening theme is worth watching alone, but then again I'm biased.

How I became Russian - Как я стал русским This comedy show is quite dear to me, as it follows an American journalist with russian and slavic roots navigating life and work in Russia as he works on a story about life in Russia for a major newspaper back home. He's back in his homeland but as a foreigner who finds his heritage utterly confusing. This series resonates with me, as despite having a good grasp of my cultures languages and customs, I still feel disconnected from my heritage at times, and this show has been a reassuring reminder that not being 100% attuned with your heritage is okay, and that there are many different ways of re-connecting with your culture.

Closed school - Закрытая Школа I was slightly tramuatized by this show when I first watched it 4ish years ago, in part due to how unhinged and off the rails the plot slowly but surely becomes. A descent into madness. Andrei and his sister are sent to study at the Logos boarding school, but are then informed that their parents have perished. Andrei doesn't believe this, so he sets off to investigate with his new friends and investigate he does. There are also some other background shenanigans going on, but the unraveling of the schools mystery remains the main interest, including its odd passageways and deeply disturbing history. As a thriller series, it honestly deserves that title.

Here are some shows that came out more recently that I think deserve a mention.

The Boy's Word: Blood on the Asphalt- Слова пацана кровь на осфальте I've only seen a few episodes out of the 8, but it's very Brigada-esque so far. During the mid-late 1980s when Perestroika is going on and the USSR is soon to be no more, 14 year old Andrei is trying to survive as he's constantly bullied at school and by gang-members. He makes friends with one of said gang members Marat, as he slowly descends into the world of street life. I'll finish watching this series sometime probably.

The new guy - Новенький 16-year old Max moves from his glamorous life in Moscow to a small-town Yurovsk due to his parents constant arguing, where he immediately doesn't get along with his clasmmates who think him stuck-up and start bullying him. One day Max goes missing and his classmates are the obvious suspects, as slowly but surely secrets start to emerge revealing everyone's lies. A pretty good suspense/thriller show, which covers the topics of bullying, coming of age and what it means to be an adult pretty well, despite the 4th and final season being kind of lackluster.

Central Russia's Vampires - Вампиры средней полосы Where to even begin with this show. I don't know whether I should introduce the trailer or the opening theme song mv. Basically the life of a small and unconventional vampire family living in Smolensk, presumably in central Russia, who get disturbed when bodies with distinct bite marks are found nearby. This results in the Guardians (aka the guys keeping vampires a secret and ensuring that no one acts out) taking over and investigating with the vampire leader Svyatoslav Vernidubovich given a week to find and punish the culprit. My odd plot description aside, the cast is why I adore this show. The recently turned Gen-Z wannabe blogger Zhenyok, the thousand year old grandpa Svyatoslav, the constantly annoyed Dr. Zhan Ivanovich (who is actually french and decided to hang around after Napoleon was defeated) and his ex-wife The Countess who honestly should have a spin-off show and many more characters.

Doomsday - Конец Света Satan decides to come back to Earth and start the apocalypse, for which he needs his son Dimyan who should become the Antichrist but to his dismay, Dimyan doesn't really care about world domination and money, he just wants to get married to his fiancee Galya and live happily ever after. Chaos ensues as satan tries to persuade Dimyan to join him, whilst Angel vs Demon shenanigans occur in the background. I honestly had no idea that this type of show could even be produced due to the censors and yet it was. It's kind of slightly similar to Good Omens with all the apocalypse stuff and the Angels and Demons eventually teaming up? Good Omens adjacent. Except more gritty with much darker humour. The actor who plays satan is Yuri Kolokolnikov who actually starred in game of thrones so if you're a fan of his acting, do try this show.

Alisa can't wait - Алиса не может ждать Alisa is a 15-16 (don't remember her exact age) year old girl who is going blind and she decides to do something really drastic to ensure that her life will be comfortable after she loses all sight. There's a noticeable build-up to what she's actually planning during the episodes, as her homelife is less than ideal, with her older sister stuck in an unhappy marriage and a turbulent relationship with her parents. This is one of the few shows that really left a deep impression on me but it deals with some very sensitive and potentially upsetting topics so be aware if you're giving it a go.

This list may be updated in the future, so if there are any other shows that I may have missed do share them!

[leighsartworks216]

I Come With Knives Pt17

Astarion x gn!Tav/Reader

Y'all know I had to do this scene. I didn't do the mirror one (just didn't fit this story imho) so I have to make up for it somehow

Shoutout to @shenanigans-and-imagines for inspiring the engraving

Warnings: mentions of Astarion's transformation, references to Tav's past abuse/trauma

Word Count: 1,584

Main Masterlist

First Baldur's Gate 3 Masterlist - Second Baldur's Gate 3 Masterlist

I Come With Knives Masterlist

AO3

Tag List Form

When Astarion calmed down and gathered himself together, he approached you later that night, saying he had something he wanted to show you. You’d have followed him blindly anywhere as he held your hand and led you through the darkened streets of the city. You should have been terrified, searching every alley and shadow for signs of your master or her minions - but you weren’t. You felt safe with Astarion, despite it all.

You didn’t expect him to bring you to a graveyard. It’s dead silent, empty. It’s not unused - there are recently placed flowers in front of some tombstones, and others appear freshly engraved with names and dates - but it is an odd place to go in this city that thrums with an exciting nightlife. He stops you before one of the stones, staring at it hard.

Then it clicks.

Your heart aches at the sight of his tombstone. Most of the others have been tended to as age takes its toll - vines trimmed away, names and dates re-carved before they get too worn down. But not his. Healthy vines curl around the stone, obscuring the writing. You squeeze his hand, offering your support.

With a readying breath, he steps forward, dropping your hand as he kneels down in the dirt. To think, a mere 6 feet below lies an empty coffin. It chills you.

He brushes away the stubborn plants. They strain and snap apart, falling limply to the ground.

“Nearly two hundred years and I never came back. Not since the night I woke up down there,” he says quietly. He frowns, eyes never leaving his own name. “I had to punch a hole in the coffin and claw my way through six feet of dirt. Then when I finally broke the surface, retching up dirt and congealed blood…” His stomach churns just remembering it. Even now, with the bastard dead, something within him is fractured. He doesn’t know if it’ll ever be fixed. “Cazador was waiting. From that day on I was his. Until today.”

You try to imagine it. Waking up in the dark, cramped quarters of a wooden box. Terrified. Clawing and screaming until you finally break through, only to be crushed under the weight of all that dirt on top of you. Nothing you could picture would ever compare to the real experience. You wish you could shove Cazador into a box, bury him, and watch him claw his way out just so you could kill him again.

But the thought feels sour. To enact that cruelty back on him, no matter how deserved, makes your stomach twist; reminds you of the spawn you’ve hurt. All you can do is take solace in the fact he’s dead.

You kneel down beside him and carefully take his hand again. He holds on tight. “Are you alright?”

He hums, contemplating the question. “There’s almost nothing left of the person I was. Just a name on a rock. Some part of me wishes I knew what I was like back then, but he’s never coming back.” He straightens up slightly, trying to shake off the weight of the past. “But now I need to figure out who I am. What I want.”

“And what do you want?”

He smiles as he turns his head to look at you. “You,” he admits, voice quiet but certain. Your heart leaps into your throat. “I want you. You were by my side through all this. Through bloodlust and pain and misery. You were patient. You understood. You cared.” He huffs a laugh. “You trusted me when that was an objectively stupid thing to do. I feel… safe with you. Seen. And whatever the future holds for me, I don’t want to lose that.”

“You won’t,” you assure him quickly. He grins at your eagerness, while you flush with light embarrassment. “Whatever comes next, we’ve got each other.”

“Thank you.”

He turns back to his grave. You trace the carved-out shapes with your eyes, before you reach forward and feel along them with your fingers, calluses catching on the limestone within the grooves of the Old Common letters and numbers.

Astarion Ancunin

229 - 268 NR

Beneath it, however, are a series of unfamiliar, elegant letterforms you can’t translate. You follow along the shapes with interest, recognizing a few that repeat. “What does this say?”

When you glance over to him, his face is pinched with emotion. A sadness swims in his eyes you’ve never seen before. “It’s in Elvish. Espruar.” He reaches out with his free hand, brushing his fingers against yours as he traces over the faced letters. They’re so thin; they were clearly carved out with care. “Our little star,” he translates, voice too quiet.

You run your thumb along his knuckles to offer your support. “Your… parents?” you venture hesitantly.

He chokes out a strained laugh. “I’m not sure,” he admits. “Their faces, their voices - all lost to me now, I’m afraid.” He traces over the shapes once more, before clearing his throat. “No matter. Whoever it was hasn’t been here in a while.”

You stare at the message. It’s all too easy to picture two elegant figures with white hair like Astarion’s, hunched over the fresh mound of dirt, mourning their child. He was still so very young before the Gur, before Cazador. You wondered if your parents had been the same when you were stolen away. You couldn’t remember them well, either; vague shadows at the edges of your mind that disappear when you try to focus on anything more specific. You wonder if they searched for you, and for how long before they gave in to the horrible thought that you were dead. You wondered if you had a tombstone out there, somewhere, in an old corner of Berdusk.

“Well,” he cuts through the silence, dropping your hand to reach behind him and grab his dagger, “I should probably fix this.”

You sit back and watch as he supports himself against the limestone to carve into it. He scratches a series of Old Common numbers just above the Elvish inscription, below his birth year.

Astarion Ancunin

229 - 268 NR

460 NR -

He leans back, satisfied with his work, and tucks his dagger away once more. “I’ve been dead in the ground for long enough. It’s time to try living again.” He turns on his knees to fully face you with a self-assured smile tugging at his lips. You turn to face him as well, and he picks up both your hands in his. “With everything that life has to offer.”

You chuckle a little. “Meaning…?”

He tilts his head slightly, considering. He’d never prepositioned you for sex, and while he does wish to experience it again in better circumstances, for his own pleasure and present in his own body, he’s all too wary of your own experiences. His mind still jumps to the memories you showed him: fully nude before Kir Parthene, even before the spawn and loyal servants, unable to cover up even slightly without being punished for it. Your reaction to the order from the incubus, how quickly you had jumped to obey. Washing you with your clothes on to avoid being exposed. No, it would have to wait.

“For now, a kiss or two, and perhaps a cuddle,” he teases lightly, dancing around the truth of his desires. He lifts your hands to his cheeks, guiding you to cup his face. Your fingertips brush against his curls, your palms pressed into the angular planes of his cheeks. He leans into your warmth, kissing your hand with a contented sigh, eyelids fluttering shut. “I love you. I love this. And I want it all.”

He looks so at peace under the moon like this. The stars no longer laugh or cajole at your anxieties, for there are none to be found here with him. His hair is pure starlight as you loose a hand from his hold and run your fingers through his curls, blunt nails scraping against his scalp. He sighs and leans further into the affection, eyes half-lidded as he meets your gaze. He grins sweetly, at ease. You remember the hungry wreck that awoke you that night so long ago, twitching as he asked for blood; the way he helped you bandage your hand and the kiss he left behind with darkened eyes. He’d come so far. Your heart burst with emotion.

You gently tug him forward. He follows without hesitation, watching you attentively as you meet him halfway to press your forehead to his. You sigh, relieved, as you brush your nose against his and curl your fingers to hold the little hairs at the nape of his neck. He groans quietly in encouragement.

“I love you, too,” you whisper. Your hot breath hits his lips and he can’t keep himself at bay any longer.

He closes that last little gap and catches your mouth, tilting his head to better kiss you. It’s warm and sweet, the taste of freedom and adoration. He cups your own cheeks in a futile attempt to pull you closer.

You pull away with a breathless giggle, but you don’t stray far. “Just two kisses?”

He chuckles. “Perhaps a few more.” He pulls you in for another, and another, until you’ve lost count. He leans further into you, until you topple backward onto the dirt in a fit of giggles and idiotic smiles. The sound of your laughter floods the graveyard as you celebrate his new life.

---

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[poomphuripan]

Given that we're halfway through the series, how well do you think msi is doing ?

hi nonnie

because i'm an overthinker and msi is on my mind 24/7 so i have interpreted this question into three different ways and i'll be answer all three below.

1. how well do you think msi is doing (in terms of portraying the characters and the plot of the original novel, speaking on a personal capacity)?

this series leaves me on the edge of my seat every damn week. everything is WORKING FOR ME. i love the character designs, the adaptational changes, the pacing... my only grievance? occasionally i absolutely detest their hairstyles (whoever hairstyled sol and joe for sol's mv should get fired, real). i also dislike the fact that they usually layer ming's outfits, when i think they should just let him wear one layer of shirt for example in this behind the scene still for that confrontation scene he's just wearing a black shirt but it looks soooo goood, this picture most likely taken when they're rehearsing.

but let's go through bit by bit

character designs: i think like other novel readers, i was a bit wary of the toning down/softening of novel!yanmingxiu, but i think it worked in favor of the series as a visual medium, coupled with them also making joe seemingly more naive than novel!zhouxiang. it balances well to have a not as cruel ming with a puppy-like/happy go luck joe 1.0. i really like in a recent reaction video where up, poom and porsche were reacting to ep.7, poom says he's happy to see so many people curse ming because it meant that he's doing well playing a scum male lead and praised up for playing such a compelling "bad" character because he thinks if it weren't for a such scum ml, his character 'joe' wouldn't come off as pitiful.

adaptational changes: i understand that translating a novel to series is a huge challenge, especially since thai series does not have a tendency to insert inner thoughts as much as japanese series does or the way audiodrama can do so but my stand in is doing so well utilising the flashbacks or blocking/cinematography to showcase the emotions of these characters so i've been loving most changes so far. they're also making changes that i love to see (novel!yan ming xiu throwing a tv remote at zhou xiang when he said something that upset him, reading that i was like bruh was that necessary?!?!!?!?).

pacing: it's really good, with my only grievance being they should make the eps longer in length. contrary to the complaints i'm seeing about how they're making audience wait to long until the huge reveal, i think it's fair and i'd actually like to see ming grovel a bit more before finding out that joe 2.0 is joe 1.0 because or else it wouldn't make sense to me why he would be so invested in getting invovlved with joe 2.0 if he wasn. most eps so far have been condensed from 10 chapters, with the biggest exception being ep 7 being adapted from 16 chapters (chapter 60-75) but i like that they simplified that plot with tharn/novel!tanyin without completely eliminating it. perhaps the only thing i regret being left out is ming crying out to joe's name after having sex with joe 2.0 but since the series went with ming not having sex with joe 2.0 in ep 7 yet so we didn't get it. anyway, ready for more ming/blind master shenanigans this week.

2. how well do you think msi is doing (with chinese fans/novel fans)?

so just recently, the weibo supertopic of my stand in hit 23,000 followers and the douban score for my stand in hit 8.8 (it debuted with a 6.8 score in the first ep btw). while douban scores for bl/foreign dramas tend to bit higher than the average scores for cdramas, this is still a huge feat considering how it's being adapted from a popular danmei novel and how bad the initial reception to the casting announcement was. it is HUGE!

after last week's episode the scores really skyrocketed due to the two scenes, the hotel verbal fight scene and the back reveal. it's also a relief to see how both scenes are well received because they're very different from how they were executed in the novel, so i think this is a good sign of how novel fans have warmed up to the adaptation changes (if anyone is interested, feel free to read chap 73 for that confrontation and chap 74+75 for the back reveal).

also cfans seem to really be into up poompat's portrayal of yan ming xiu these days, most are ready to forgive him while simultaneously still want to watch him suffer for the rest of the series. everyone and their mother loves poom as joe/zhou xiang but they have been loving and praising poom since ep 1 so that's not really new.

3. how well do you think msi is doing (in terms of trending, general viewership and popularity)

i think my stand in is doing crazy well considering its genre (dogblood drama featuring a scum male lead). regarding trending, the number of tweets is increasing weekly and it's stable at 4th/5th place like every week and considering is up against TWO QL series of two popular established branded pairings (EngLot with Love Bully, GemFourth with My Love Mix Up TH) and the hottest lakorn series of the year (Dhevaprom), I think it's already achieving the best possible results in terms of trending (cfans are also wishing that my stand in would be more popular considering how dramatically dogblood and lakorn-coded MSI is ಥ_ಥ)

But I think it's more important for iQIYI that it's ranking #1 worldwide iQIYI consecutively for the last seven weeks since its their "first" Thai original (i actually thought My Dear Gangster Oppa is their first, turns out not 😅). Being up against all those beautiful costume/historical cdramas and still ranking #1??????

also i can't speak on behalf of other fans but the sole fact that the main topic on my twitter timeline every weekend is how pitiful joe is/how terrible ming is/how up and poom are DELIVERING the breakthrough performances of their careers? i think regardless of the end result of this series, it's definitely a remarkable BL series of 2024 and i'd honestly call it the dark horse among the 2024 BL releases considering how lowkey and underwhelmed the initial hype it had.

i hope some of this answers your question 😭😭😭😭 if i had misunderstood your question though, feel free to send another ask. I LOVEEEEE talking about my stand in.

[runabout-river]

Thoughts on JJK chapter 261 (Spoilers)

The Fuck

We start with Yuji's last attack and a redraw of last chapter's last scene. Yuji didn't manage to injure Sukuna's heart further and gets thrown to the side being forgotten immediately together with Todo because Sukuna has a new/old opponent now: fucking Yuta.

We do get one more panel of Yuji thinking of Choso which fits my recent post about Yuji's accumulated trauma. Other than that Yuji/Todo get sidelined for the rest of the chapter but that was needed to explain what the fuck Yuta had done

Also, Okkotsu Yuta is now on name-basis with Sukuna, a place only very few people have reached at this point like Fushiguro Megumi and Gojo Satoru.

When I first saw the stitches on Gojo's head, I thought of Kenjaku and Kenjaku only. Even after Sukuna called him Yuta I needed a moment to understand what had happened here. Do you all understand how awesome that is 👀 JJK has an active theory based fanbase and I at least have never heard or thought of this possibility 😣

We get a flashback to explain how we got to this point: the idea of taking over Gojo's body came from Yuta and most people were initially against it. Of note: Yuji was not part of this discussion probably for the same reason why no one told him about Todo.

We get a reminder why it has to be done this way but Maki throws in that Yuta's copy only lasts 5 minutes. So the question is, what happens when those 5 minutes are up?

Yuta dies because Kenjaku's possession ability needs to be active constantly

Yuta dies at some point because Kenjaku's possession ability needs to be activated again and again

Yuta's new body permanently becomes Gojo's body

Honestly, I don't think 3) will be endgame for Yuta. It might happen that he will become Gojo in body permanently but story-wise his death signs are through the roof. I don't believe that Yuta will survive inside Gojo 😢

1) is has to be false otherwise Kenjaku wouldn't be able to use other CTs like CM and AGS. 2) is a probable option as in Kenjaku had to intermittently re-activate his original CT but he still had the option of using other CTs as well.

Also, secret 4th option: Yuta dies but his body hopping shenanigans bring Gojo back to life.

It's good to see how Yuta is concerned about Gojo. Yuji would've been right there with him. He told Gojo about his plan but the guy was absolutely sure that he wouldn't lose anyway, haha...

Gojo speculates that Yuta might also be the descendent of the Fujiwara in addition to being one of the Sugawara and I'm not a genetics experts but I'm pretty sure that after 1000 years without migration happening in your family tree that you're descendent of everyone who lived that long ago. Except for Sukuna because he never had children.

Also, the original gang from JJK 0 came together to be part of some murder. The deaths of the higher-ups we saw at the very beginning of the Sukuna fight is now explained: Gojo killed them for a better future of the JJ Society but he was a little hesitant about it.

The flashback jumps first to Yuji's old friend who's name I forgot. We learn that his CT is sugar (??) based which leads to him becoming part of the medical team. Then the FB jumps to the aftermath of Yuta's fight against Sukuna: he was cut in half and is about to die

In a funny call back to when Yuji died at the Detention Center, Gojo is both dead and completely naked on a table. Just like Yuji, he also rises again albeit not completely alive when it comes to himself.

(Why did Yuta waste crucial seconds to put a shirt on?)

Shoko says that she fully sutured Gojo's bisected body and because Kenjaku's CT (as far as we know) only works on dead bodies, we have the confirmation that Gojo has indeed died against Sukuna. Except of course that he's about to be revived again.

Let's not forget that as far as Kenjaku's CT is involved, body and mind are treated the same. Something that will involve Gojo and his consciousness is going to happen at some point because of Yuta's decision to do this body hopping.

A new Domain Battle between Sukuna and GojoYuta is about to start. Yuta not only watched the previous battles, he also acquired Gojo's memories so it's exciting to see how that will play out.

It's also interesting how the visuals of the domain clashes changed so much. GojoYuta's is still the same (the first confirmation that a possessor can use the possessed's DE) while Sukuna's deteriorated somewhat, represented with the beastly construct in the background. He also has to use Gojo's handsign.

Break next week but now we can speculate to hell and back about what will happen now.

[lipglossanon]

I saw a piss kink mentioned and I’m here. As someone who is slowly infecting my favorite fandom writers with piss kinks and submissive men, I’m always happy to speak on the topic. I’ve been gone because I’m not really into the real dad/brother stuff, and haven’t been as active in RE recently (and a LOT of personal life stress) but piss kink and monster fucking will always summon me back!

Anyways!!!! Piss kink considerations!!!!!!

- sub!step bro Leon being so fucked out he doesn’t even notice that he is pissing instead of cumming, especially when it’s just you riding his mouth and he gets so pussy drunk he can’t tell what is happening besides that he loves eating you out

- sweetheart step dad Leon on a work call while you cock warm him, and it’s a really important one so he can’t pause or hang up but he has to piss so you just let him go inside you and he ends the call early so he can fuck his piss out of you and replace it with cum

- werewolf Leon needs to mark you on the full moon. My dog tends to try to piss on things even when no stream is left, and that’s just Leon the entire night. Pissing on you, in your mouth, in your pussy, just anywhere and everywhere. Mixes it with his cum and won’t let you move and/or rinse/wipe anything off until he is back to normal and can take a picture of you

- INHUMAN! CHARACTERS! HAVE! PISS!! KINKS!!!!!! They should be stalking you, and the night before they come claim you, they piss around the outside perimeter of your property to mark you as their territory (before they then piss on you and breed you the next night)

Anyways: love you lipgloss, I’ll always be your 🐶 anon and wish the best for you. I’ll try to think more Leon thoughts to send you soon 💜💜💜

- 🐶

Oh my gosh, hiii 🐶 anon!!

And you’re totally fine! I know real dad/bro isn’t for everyone. Aww I hope you’re feeling better!! 🫂 🫂

AGSKGBL subby stepbro with piss kink is so so good 😩 (both him doing it cause he’s so mind numbingly pussy drunk and then wanting you to piss on him 😌 )

Sweet stepdad!!!! Ahhhh 🙈 🙈 he likes it but thinks it’s too dirty for you so he doesn’t lean into it too much. But sometimes when he’s been drinking, he just can’t help himself and just needs to go, so pisses in your mouth or your cunt and then fucks you stupid cause he loves that you get off on it too 🤭

Werewolf Leon!!! He’s definitely making a comeback for October for sure 🤭 yess!! I totally agree!! He’s gotta make sure to mark his territory and that means you 🥴 just him pissing and cumming to smear it all over your body 😩 at first your put off (cause I mean it’s a lot 😜) but after he fucks your brain into soup, you’re all for whatever he wants

October is gonna be way more diverse this go around so expect some fun monster shenanigans 🤭 😉

Awww thank you 🐶 anon 😭 you’re definitely one of the OG’s and I love seeing you every time 💜 🥹 please don’t be a stranger!!! 😘

[genericpuff]

A while back you made a post mentioning Down to Earth is trash and I would like to here your take on it. No pressure on it I just like hearing your opinion on things. FYI I hate Kade lol

I did, and I've been meaning to post about it, but I've been taking some extra time to re-read as much as I can so that I could better collect my thoughts :' )

Now I will mention, I have not caught up to the most recent episodes. Most of my thoughts here will reflect the earliest parts of the series, as I didn't end up sticking with this one. So please take my criticisms as someone who just never got into this series for various reasons, not as someone who was incredibly into the comic and fell off it (like I am with LO). I will try to judge it and review it fairly based on that context.

Most of my issues with Down to Earth don't stem nearly as deep as my issues with LO, Let's Play, or even Big Ethel Energy. Frankly, I think the comic is 'fine', but I don't think it's necessarily all that good either, and the amount of attention it gets from the platform lends to the fact that I really think its success is due to a lot of generated hype. This is one of the other comics on the platform that gets a LOT of priority advertising, not quite as egregious as LO, but still a lot.

The short answer: I think the comic is just overrated and pretty basic in terms of its storytelling and art, and I don't think it's necessarily a good "romance" comic for some of the same reasons I don't think LO or Let's Play are good romance comics. I think the only reason I don't get quite as mad at it as I do with LO or BEE or LP is because (as far as I can tell) it's not really advertising itself as some feminist progressive piece of work. It's sorta just "what you see is what you get", and what you get isn't really all that great (for reasons listed below) but at least it doesn't try to sound smarter than it is most of the time. Read it the same way you would watch a fluff anime.

Moving into my long answer, I will say some of the things that were initially appealing about it: the art is very colorful and cutesy, the comedy (for the most part) is inoffensive and simple, and the story is really easy to pick up and get into.

That said, I do think some of those praises are also part of its weaknesses.

While the art gets better over time, there are certain aspects of its stylization that still feel very "baby's first webcomic" to me. Which is great if you're someone who's into that style, but when I read it, it never really stops feeling like a Canvas comic, if you catch my drift. Nothing really sets it apart from the flood of Merryweather-esque fan service comics that are in the Canvas section.

And boy, is there a LOT of fanservice in this comic. I think the main plot point itself is fanservice in and of itself - cutesy anime alien girl crashes on earth, and winds up living with the depressed NEET-like guy, shenanigans ensue from how "inexperienced" she is due to her alien status. Everything from the circumstances of this character's plot to how she's drawn screams "this is for people who like to read about small titty girls with big asses being put into a situation where they have to rely on a man". The comic takes many opportunities to draw the FL, Zaida, as wide as possible (and of course, the ML Kade loves this trait about her, it's one of the first thing he notices aside from the fact that she speaks an alien language and can do weird alien things like telepathy and flying).

Thankfully this does get a little better in the later episodes, you can tell the creator was struggling with anatomy in places and then honed their skills, but there are still times it regresses back to the extremely-pinched-waist-mega-badonker-hips look.

Don't get me wrong, having a protagonist with wide hips like this is all fine and dandy, but there's a point where you can tell it's purely for fanservice and that's definitely what the comic wants you to know from the starting gun. She fits perfectly into that "born sexy yesterday" trope that so many romance FL's do (cough Persephone cough) while also having that "uwu I'm so inexperienced :(((" vibe that you get from characters like Sam in Let's Play. Shit, Kade pretty much starts sexualizing her before he even knows what her deal is as a person. Does he even know how old she is? Is "she" even a "she", do these aliens have different concepts of gender identity or even different types of reproductive organs than what you would find on Earth?

Look, I get it that I'm probably WAY overthinking it, you can write comics about characters from other dimensions and planets without having to get into the nitty gritty of whether or not they have periods, that's fine. But the real problem is the fact that her being from another planet seems to be used purely for creating an infantilized character with extra steps who's easily laughed at for not knowing things (don't even get me started on how "alien" could be replaced with "someone who doesn't speak English or have access to modern devices" in a lot of this comic, but I feel like that's way too deep of a criticism to be pinning on something that's literally designed to be a quirky fanservice fluff comic.)

Like, you want an alien girl who looks human but still acts reasonably like an alien - while even tackling subjects that come with being an "outsider" - without making her act like a literal baby? Starfire from Teen Titans.

(granted, the whole "smooching to transfer information" thing is definitely a little weird in hindsight, and there are definitely moments of fanservice, but that's about as weird as it gets lmao you don't see Starfire acting like a literal toddler, she is smart and capable, she just isn't from Earth, which is the whole point of her characterization being parallel to that of what foreigners experience ! She's not stupid or incapable of taking care of herself, she's just not accustomed to life on Earth!)

Like, this is in one of the newer episodes and I just-

(I suddenly have to throw up-)

It really dials the creep factor of this whole relationship dynamic to 100 when they drive home just how "babylike" she is through panels like this. It's not really her being unaware of customs around her, it's just her being written as babylike as possible with the fact that she's an alien being used as justification.

But it really makes you think about Kade's intentions when he goes straight to buying lingerie for the girl he just met who's been forced to stay with him in his home. He doesn't even really make efforts to help her get on her own feet, he just accepts this as his fate and goes "welp I guess I gotta make sure I don't get fired from my job" because now he has to support the baby girl that landed in his backyard. So Zaida ends up having no agency as a result. It just feels like a contrived situation meant to force an unaware, vulnerable girl into being taken care of by a guy who's, frankly, a creep.

And boy, Kade is actually kind of a creepy scumbag.

Kade makes for a really uninteresting and frankly pathetic character, he's just sort of a whiny man baby and you just know if Zaida was an earthling who had spent time on this planet longer than a few days, she probably wouldn't put up with this shit LOL Like, deadass he basically threatens to harm her within the first few episodes of the comic-

Like, this is after she's ruined his Playstation or w/e, and it's just like DAMN girl, this is a RED FLAG. But of course, she's an alien girl who's ignorant about everything, so it creates that power dynamic where he basically has full reign to take advantage of her at any time. Ladies, if a guy says you shouldn't trust him, take him at his word.

Zaida's characterization is also very inconsistent between her being an alien and her just being an "uwu baby girl". Often times it just makes the whole "alien" thing feel like it's only there to justify writing yet another "I'm babyyyy" romance. Sometimes she's WAY more privy to things than you'd expect her to be and then other times she's doing the dumbest shit for laughs.

Now to be fair, she DOESN'T put up with his shit here, but the fact that the writing for Zaida is inconsistent makes scenes like Kade being a creep being more about the creator realizing they're leaning too hard into her being vulnerable to abuse and so they quickly have Zaida combat it with some strange amount of awareness despite the fact she's only been living with him for a few days... but not enough awareness to maybe realize this isn't a good living situation. Like, again, she may be able to speak English, but that doesn't mean she's fully aware of what Earthlings are like, so she's suddenly really smart about what it means to be taken advantage of by a human man even though everywhere else in the comic she's written like a toddler.

And of course, like many of these webtoons tend to do, they don't linger on the implications of this scene too long, so they quickly turn it into a punchline to ease the tension. Audience comfort restored.

And that brings us to the comedy. The "jokes" in this comic basically boil down to, "haha, the alien girl doesn't know how to take care of herself on Earth!" , which frankly, I think is just a very thin veil for infantilization. I mean, really, the fact that she's an alien doesn't even really matter in the world of this comic, it takes a while for the comic to even really give us a glimpse of what her life was like off Earth so most of the comic is just typical slice of life cutesy moments you'd find in literally any shoujo or romance webtoon. You could switch out the fact that she's an alien with her being from another dimension, or turn it into an isekai where she was the female character in Kade's favorite video game who suddenly got zapped into the real world, and it would make fundamentally zero difference.

They even sorta lampshade this fact but swiftly move on from it.

There's nothing really that makes her an "alien" in any unique or consequential way, she's just a carbon copy anime girl with pointy ears who could be replaced with any other trope from other romance subgenres like this. She can eat human food just fine, dress in human clothes, and as long as she wears a hat over her ears, she's literally indistinguishable from the humans around her.

I will add as well that there are a lot of little ways they hint towards the implied dynamic between these two, at least in the beginning. The whole "second rule: obey" bit, while passed off immediately after as a joke, feels like it was inserted there JUST to create that imbalanced power dynamic that so many "romance" webtoons rely on, similarly to LO and Let's Play. The fact that he corrects himself from this just feels like, again, lampshading.

And again, after this we do see Kade legitimately acting like a creep and he DOESN'T DO ANYTHING to help Zaida get her footing beyond paying for her room and board and telling her to mind her vocabulary, so this seems more like him trying to create a situation that's beneficial to him where he's effectively trapped this girl into relying on him.

They even lampshade this as well so that leads me to believe they're fully aware of this dynamic and how creepy it is, so they try and play it off as a "haha so funny" joke to ease the tension or create suspension of disbelief.

When it comes to the actual execution of punchlines, again, 90% of the jokes in this comic are "haha alien girl so stupid!"

(I will admit this scene did make me laugh, but it's telling that it was the only one that stood out to me for that because every other joke in this series is very mid and resorts to the same type of "haha she's a stupid alien girl" punchlines.)

(omg mental illness! so funny! /s)

If you really want comedy written around aliens describing human things in weird ways, then just go read Strange Planet. They're actually aliens and they're consistently funny through much smarter writing that doesn't rely purely on "lmao they're stupid because they're not from here". If anything the aliens in Strange Planet are way more welcoming and endearing to the concept of being a fish out of water than simply making them stupid for a punchline.

(i swear to christ, "crisscross flop disc" and "prohibit anxiety" are lines that have lived in my head rent free for like 3 years now, it never gets old and THAT'S how you know it's a good joke LMAO)

And the story, as mentioned, is easy to get into, but ultimately that winds up meaning it's not really all that well done. Like, it's fine! It's a cute comic to read if you're into this sort of thing, there are a lot of sweet little moments that feel good to read between Kade and Zaida, but ultimately because of the focus on the fluff, that's all it ends up feeling like - weekly doses of fluff. Even when it tries to have some semblance of plot, it's quickly undercut by fanservice. So it's just kinda boring and vapid.

Case in point, one of Kade's observations of Zaida is that she apparently looks "just like his ex girlfriend" who he still clearly hasn't gotten over, but we don't actually see even a hint of what his ex-girlfriend looks like until MULTIPLE episodes later after the "sparks" have already started being formed between him and Zaida.

Um... she doesn't really look like Zaida at all aside from them both being generic anime girls, but okay lol by that logic the girl he served at the store in Episode 7 also looks like Zaida.

So it kinda makes the whole relationship feel superficial, like he's only interested in her because she vaguely reminds him of his ex, and it's taking so long to get through any amount of plot through all the fluff that I can't be sure if they ever actually address this. I'd like to think they do eventually, though from what I've heard of the later episodes after his ex-girlfriend makes an appearance, it seems more like they go the LO route of making the two relationship "choices" just be complete opposites where one is actually sweet to the ML and the other is abusive JUST to make the sweet FL seem like the "better option". IDK, obviously my criticism of this is lukewarm because I haven't kept up on this comic in ages, but I have the sneaking suspicion the whole ex-girlfriend-the-ML-can't-get-over plotline isn't gonna be used for his development, just to further propel him and Zaida into a relationship - and by extension, manufactured drama to make their relationship more "interesting".

Overall, I don't think Down to Earth is anywhere near as egregious as Let's Play and LO, but it's definitely cut from the same cloth, and that's why it frustrates me to see it - alongside LO and Big Ethel Energy - being marketed as "new voices in romance".

(also real talk, it's so disingenuous for them to include LO in this "new voices in romance comics" panel when it's been around for so many years that everyone and their grandma who uses WT knows about the comic, if they aren't reading LO by now they REALLY don't want to. It's not "new", if anything it's one of the oldest ongoing webtoons on the platform and it REALLY needs to end already lmao)

Far be it from me to gatekeep an entire genre, but this brand of romance comic isn't really "romance". It's vapid fluff loaded up with egregious fanservice that's meant to give you a hit of dopamine every week, while never lingering on serious scenes for too long because they don't want you to realize just how imbalanced the relationship is between the two main characters. It's not quite as concerning as LO or Let's Play, but it does have a vibe that's really uncomfortable when you start to feel it. So having comics like these held up as the "golden standard" of romance is just... it's really telling as to what WT's priorities are and how unhealthy "romance" has become in mainstream media.

And if I can get a little "old man yelling at cloud" for a second, I miss when romance was sweet and soft and earnest and heartfelt. I think the only mainstream and successful romance webcomic (and it's not even an Originals!) that I've seen in the last several years that isn't loaded up with these problematic tropes is Heartstopper. Heartstopper is sweet and soft and earnest and heartfelt. Heartstopper is way more of a pillar for a healthy romance than what any of these "new voices in romance comics" can provide. It literally couldn't function as an Originals series because the definition of a WT romance comic would undercut the actual point of Heartstopper.

These unhealthy standards and dynamics that we've set in the romance genre have been so pervasive for years now and I really just wish they'd go away.

y'know what, this whole essay is really just a promo post for Heartstopper now, go read it-

[wangxianficfinder]

In the mood for...

~*~

1. hi! could i ask for fics that describe the long and logistically-nightmarish aspects of the SSC? mayyybe acknowledging how without wwx it would've been even more horrific? (i read along with flute in wartime and its absolutely gorgeous but annoyingly my brain refuses to enjoy top wwx and/or bottom lwj so that limits the request a bit re: the explicit fics...) thank you a lot!!

we're starting at the end by Miss_Enthusiasimal (M, 92k, WangXian, JC & WWX, Time Travel, Canon Divergence, Implied/Referenced Suicide, Golden Core Reveal, Burial Mounds, Hurt/Comfort, Angst, Starvation, emaciation, Cannibalism, Self-Harm, Amputation, Suicidal Thoughts, Sunshot Campaign, let JZX and WWX be friends club)

~*~

2. Hello again, thank you for the last time you guys recommended me fics , they were amazing and i loved reading them and i am back with another request. Can you please recommend A) some wangxian arranged marriage au before the sun shit like the war didn't happen in the au , and wei ying doesn't lose his golden core , canon divergent and they make their marriage work out , happy ending. Thank you in advance 💗🫂

B) Hello, it's not been 24 hours and i am back with yet another request, can you please help me look for something where wei ying and lan zhan are childhood friends and are absolutely smitten with each other and wei ying's parents are alive and them and lans have friendly relationship. Thank you:) @sineofu​

2A)

Give Me a Chance to Fall by brooklinegirl (E, 37k, wangxian, canon divergence, arranged marriage)

Into the Oubliette by Ruixx (M, 122k, WIP, wangxian, JYL/JZX, growing up, fix-it of sorts, time travel, arranged marriage, sibling bonding, adopted sibling relationship, light bdsm, sunshot campaign, war, politics, hostage JYL, visions, LXC redemption, good uncle LQR, empire building)

Lead Me On Through by vesna (mrsronweasley) (E, 54k, WangXian, Arranged Marriage, Practice Kissing, practice other things, horny boys in love, questionable logic, Questionable Choices, they’re dumb but cute) they're arranged to marry each other but don't know that...

💖 sweet chaos by eachandeverydimension (G, 86k, WangXian, Arranged Marriage, Canon Divergence, Fluff, Romance, Light Angst, Falling In Love, Different First Meeting, Qīnghéng-jūn’s A+ Parenting, Night Hunts, Chinese Language, Good Sibling LXC, Good Sibling JYL, POV LWJ, Getting Together, Love Confessions, First Kiss, Chinese Culture, Slow Burn, No Homophobia AU, Chinese festivals)

Concord by Deastar (T, 41k, WangXian, Arranged Marriage, Gūsū Lán Sect Rules, Depression, Canon Divergence, Angst with a Happy Ending)

2B)

Cartwheels In Cloud Recesses Series  by ShanaStoryteller (Not Rated, 23k, WangXian, CSSR/WCZ, CSSR and WCZ Live, Cloud Recesses Study Arc, Cloud Recesses Shenanigans)

tall as the mountains that sheltered us  by thelastdboy (M, 4k, CSSR/WCZ, CSSR & WWX & WCZ, wangxian, canon divergence, CSSR & WCZ live, crack treated seriously,   childhood friends to lovers, genius WWX, inventor WWX, bg character death, happy ending, WCZ pov)

~*~

3. ITMF lwj seducing wwx

got your way with me by vesna (mrsronweasley) (E, 51k, WangXian, Modern AU, Friends With Benefits, Fuckbuddies, wangxian/others very briefly, otherwise it’s OTP all the way, lwj FUCKS) the "lan zhan fucks" tag on ao3 has some good ones

🧡 Rule Number One: Never get attached. by KizuKatana (E, 130k, WangXian, Modern AU, A/B/O, Light Angst, Crime Boss LWJ, Rogue criminal genius WWX)

~*~

4. Hey!!! How are you guys doing? I hope you're healthy:) Hi! Aside from allergies been fine 😊 ~Mod L

This is an IITMF request : fic where WangXian fall in love at first sight. Angst is fine but not too much. I'm in the mood for sweet fluff lately.

Thank you for your hard work✨✨✨ @tinyfoxpeach​

Hello!! This is #4 from the recent IITMF. Thank you for your rec!! I'm gonna read them now ♡♡♡

I know what my heart wants by yakuso5u (Not Rated, 28k, WangXian, Modern AU, Single Father LWJ, Fluff, Mutual Pining, Getting Together, Accidental Child Acquisition, Domestic, Slice of Life, Christmas references)   does love at first site but stupid pining for a bit count? These are all super fluffy either way

box your errors by mellowflicker (T, 42k, WangXian, Modern AU, single dad lwj, Domestic Fluff, Family Issues, Slow Burn, Kid Fic, let lwj have friends agenda, Hurt/Comfort, Pining)

And They Were Quarantined series by thunderwear (E, 49k, 3 works (complete), wangxian, 3zun)

joined delight by RoseThorne (M, 1k, WangXian, fast burn, Marking, Frottage, Marathon Sex, Implied Sexual Content, Love at First Sight, POV Third Person, POV LWJ, Canon Divergence, Cloud Recesses Study Arc)

Blooming Days by Atsushiis (G, 7k, wangxian, LXC & LWJ, MM & LWJ, modern, college) university au, meet-cute, first dates, first kiss, angst, hurt/comfort, fluff, romance, falling in love, gratuitous handholding, LWJ protection squad)

~*~

5. Hi! For the next ITMF can you recommend me a fic where JYL (and JZX if possible) lives after WWX dies? Either she survives the wound/in coma/the Jin lies. Preferably if it's yunmeng trio feels (no jiang bashing i mean). It didn't have to be the focus of the story, i just want them meet and have a talk. Thank you! @idontknowwhattowriteforusername

Arrayed by FirefliesNLightningBugs (M, 5k, WangXian, XuanLi, Canon Divergence, Angst with a Happy Ending, Protective JZX, JZX Lives, JYL Lives, Somebody Lives/Not Everyone Dies, Supernatural Elements, Post-First Siege of the Burial Mounds) has jzx and jy live with it revealed right after their death. Wip. Feels. If comments are to be believed, it made many people cry. Um, I know there's another long fic I think might work with this where jc is married to wq and I think they had twin daughters? Idk

~*~

6. Hello!! First time doing this lol. I'm in the mood for a fic that's mainly LWJ angst or whump fics where he's very hurt and/or grieving and everyone around him is worried about his wellbeing. Maybe set during the 13 years or before the ending. Preferably, anyone else's POV but not LWJ's. Unfortunately, I love seeing my favorite characters sad lol.

to the act of making noise by words-writ-in-starlight (Gunmetal_Crown)  (G, 19k, LSZ & WWX & LWJ, WangXian, Grief/Mourning, Father-Son Relationship, inquiry, Music, Angst, Fluff, Found Family, mostly CQL verse, Podfic available) not sure if this is what OP is looking for since whump isn't the focus, but this is indirectly A-Yuan's POV of LWJs mourning

~*~

7. Itmf fics where wwx's silver mask features prominently, with secret identity/double identity vibes. Esp if set during sunshot campaign/any time prior to wwx's death in canon timeline. Bonus points if key players (like lz or Jiang siblings) don't know the masked identity is him and/or didn't know him previously.

Impossible by Theladyofravenclaw (G, 11k, WangXian, ChengQing, Cinderella (Fairy Tale) Fusion, Cinderella AU, Misunderstandings, Oblivious WWX, Canon Divergence, Everybody Lives Nobody dies, Happy Ending)

Mask by BurningTea (M, 30k, WangXian, Non con tag refers to activity between WWX and LWJ which WWX believes to be consensual, Bottom LWJ, War Prize LWJ, YLLZ WWX, Canon Divergence, Canon Setting, dubcon)

The Scarlet Lotus by rainbowninja167 (M, 127k, WIP, WangXian, Marriage of Convenience, Secret Identity, Fix-It, Angst with a Happy Ending, It Gets Worse Before It Gets Better, Canon-Typical Violence, canon-typical war crimes, Yunmeng Bros, the mortifying ordeal of getting seduced by your own husband, nonlinear chronology we die like cql, just kidding nobody dies in this fic, Slow Burn, Mutual Pining, Miscommunication)

Tumblr fic by shanastoryteller

~*~

8. For the next ITMF, please recommend me the filthiest and dirtiest wangxian fic you ever read! Preverably the one that you can read in one sitting

P.s. no bottomji please. Thank you

Febrific by tailor31415 (E, 2k, WangXian, post-novel, PWP, Figging) There was one involving peeled ginger root object insertion that was really good but I can't find it. / found it

Making Mouths at Dragons by athena_crikey (E, 10k, WangXian, Modern with Magic, Mpreg, baby fever, near PWP, Dragon sex, also human sex, Rimming, Size Kink, Egg Laying, Feel-good, hints of self-worth issues, Dragon LWJ)

Fentao-laoshi's Guide to Cut-Sleeve Pleasures by occultings (microcomets) (E, 31k, wangxian, canon divergence, pining while fucking, friends with benefits, first time, cloud recesses study arc, practice kissing, sharing a bed, jealousy, getting together, confessions, happy ending)

dreaming and getting a glimmer by verseau (E, 27k, WangXian, Modern AU,, College/University, Glory Hole, Compulsory Heterosexuality, Internalized Homophobia, Humiliation, Slut Shaming, Identity Porn, Objectification Kink, Mildly Dubious Consent, Mild Feminization)

eating sugar out of your hand by azuresummer (E, 20k, WangXian, Modern AU, A/B/O Dynamics, Alpha LWJ, Omega WWX, A/B/O Roleplay, Dom/sub, Dominant LWJ, Submissive WWX, Established Relationship, Roleplay, Consensual Non-Consent, Under-negotiated Kink, degradation kink, Praise Kink, Light Bondage, Size Kink, Size Difference, Spit Kink, Hair-pulling, Daddy Kink, Slight Crossdressing, Lingerie, Creampie, Feminizing Language, Dirty Talk, Overstimulation, Prostate Milking, slight breathplay, Facials, Snowballing, Finger Sucking, Panty Kink, Spanking, Crying, Mentions of Face-Slapping, Drunk Sex, Mating Cycles/In Heat, LWJ and WWX Have a Breeding Kink, PWP)

I Won't Tell If You Won't by anxiousTypist (E, 11k, WangXian, Modern AU, Masturbation, Public Masturbation, Semi-Public Sex, Exhibitionism, Voyeurism, but not really, no one sees, Coming In Pants, Wet & Messyish, Mildly Dubious Consent, lwj involves wwx in his masturbation without his consent and also enjoys secretly getting cum on him, PWP)

The Amber Hairpin by may10baby (E, 7k, wangxian, f/m, female LWJ, male WWX, top LWJ, bottom WWX, canon divergence, arranged marriage, courtship, CSSR & WCZ live, bondage, smut, possessive LWJ) Oh! I just remembered! /yes/ this is tagged both het!Wangxian with fem!Lan Zhan AND Top!Lan Zhan, and DAMN did she do so

after the crash landing left me stranded (on an abandoned oceanic planet) by fenaly (E, 4k, wangxian, Alien!LWJ, Sci-Fi AU, Breeding Kink, Oviposition, Explicit Smut, Non-Human Genitalia, Monsterfucking, Non-Consensual Oral Sex, Non-Consensual Somnophilia, Non-Consensual Oviposition, Lots of Cum, alienji feeds wei ying some nutrition eggies and takes care of him until he heals okay, egg vore, Ambiguous/Open Ending)

~*~

9. Hii do you guys have any fic recs with lwj's ribbon and the meaning behind it like misunderstandings etc both mdzs or cql

A Mother's Love by FirefliesNLightningBugs (M, 168k, WIP, WangXian, ChengQing, Canon Divergence, Somebody Lives/Not Everyone Dies, Mostly combo of the Untamed and MoDaoZuShi timelines, Unreliable Narrator, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Eventual Happy Ending, Miscommunication, Family Feels, PTSD, Post-Sunshot Campaign, Political Intrigue, Mystery, POV Multiple, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Additional Warnings In Author's Note, Genderbent WWX, Intersex WWX, not a/b/o, POV Original Character, Expanded Universe, Unplanned Pregnancy, Golden Core Reveal, WWX Has No Golden Core, YLLZ WWX, Getting Together, MXY Lives) wwx (and others) not knowing what the ribbon means gets brought up a few times. Nor does he recognize its significance (and implied acceptance) when he let's lz tie it around his wrist off screen in the first chapter.

~*~

10. Itmf A) foxxian and dragonji, esp ones which have baby half fox half dragon kids (more plotty stories than smutty please) or ones where one of them finds an orphaned baby from not their magical race (so like foxxian finds a random dragon egg, dragonji finds a random foxkit, etc) B) any animal or spirit/fantasy creature shapeshifter stories.

Our Shape-shifter AU might have something you’d like ^^

10A)

Foxxian/Dragonji thread by @/cerbykerby (wangxian, cw: dubcon, mpreg, memory loss)

~*~

11. Could you recommend A) a fic when weiying reincarnated and marry lan zhan but then due to some curse or something he died again but with a happy ending he came back again or something like that 🤭 and B) also some darkji fic where he's obsessed with weiying 🥺😘 @friedsublimeface

11A)

All Old Things are New Again series by The Feels Whale (miscellea) (M, 59k, WangXian, Reincarnation, Modern AU, canon still happened, extreme post canon, Sugar Daddy, Kink Negotiation, gentle dom!LWJ, canonical levels of consent play, Modern Cultivators, cultivators can   recognize important people from previous lives, vaguely, this started out as a cute sugar fantasy and got just incredibly horny very fast, blame LWJ) lwj meets reincarnated wwx in a modern setting, so i think it counts? very post canon? if the modern era doesnt bother you, it fits well with the request

11B)

A Matter of Time by mrcformoso (M, <1k, WIP, wangxian, time travel fix-it, graphic depictions of violence, underage, LWJ pov, JC pov, dark LWJ, manipulation, grooming, teen body adult mind for LWJ, happy ending for wangxian, problematic consensual underage sex, blood & violence, insane LWJ, manic LWJ) I only just saw this at the start of looking through the time travel fix-it tag, but I think it might fit? I haven't actually read it

~*~

12. Hiya! Firstly, thank you so much for all you do for this fandom. I can't tell you how many amazing fics I've discovered because of your blog. 🙇‍♀️💖 For your next ITMF post, I'm curious if there are any modern AUs out there where WWX lives with LWJ's family or WWX lives with LWJ's family (as a couple). I remember a threadifc exploring that concept a while back...Ty! @morecolorfulmetaphors​

paired wings soaring by typefortydeductions (E, 33k, WangXian, Modern AU, Domestic Bliss, Slice of Life, Angst and Fluff and Smut, Hurt/Comfort, both physically and emotionally, Kissing, BDSM, one instance of car sex, Light Somnophilia, Suspension, subspace AND domspace, Comeplay, very loving and consensual degradation) LWJ and WWX move in with LWJ's mother

The Fifth Type of Non-Contact Force by Caixx (Not Rated, 83k, WangXian, Modern AU, High School, Slice of Life, Slow Burn, Fluff and Humor, Actually Somewhat Canon, Mutual Pining, Horny Teenagers, Angst with a Happy Ending, Non-Graphic Smut) exchange student wwx lives with lwj lxc and his uncle

~*~

13. hurt comfort @cribisfringu

Our Sick Fic / Hurt/Comfort comp posted just in time 😄

~*~

14. I have found the best modern aus almost always make me cry SO I’m itmf angst w happy ending (important!) modern fics that you think might fit that! Preferably wangxian but other is also OK as long as it’s not JC or XY, I just don’t find them that interesting usually.

Zero by theladyofravenclaw (G, 19k, WangXian, Modern AU, Soulmates AU, Musicians, Friends to Lovers, Reincarnation)

see you yesterday by glyphic (M, 138k, WIP,  WangXian, Modern with Magic, Ghost Hunters, Time Loop, Case Fic,   Hurt/Comfort, Memory Loss, Angst with a Happy Ending, Slow Burn) technically I don't yet know if it's a happy ending since it's still a WIP but it's so so good and I have high hopes for a happy ending!

one good thing by Yuu_chi (T, 26k, wangian, modern, ghost wwx, fluff & angst, happy ending, alarming number of rabbits, Podfic available)

the best of you by sysrae (E, 41k, WangXian, Modern AU, College/University, Angst with a Happy Ending, Hurt/Comfort, Mutual Pining, Getting Together, slightly undernegotiated kink, but in a very soft and consensual way, Nightmares, Panic Attacks, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, JFM and YZY’s A+ parenting, Dysfunctional Family, Mental Health Issues, therapy is good actually, Reference to animal attacks/animal cruelty, descriptions of past violence)

this river runs to you by sundiscus (T, 53k, WangXian, Modern with Magic, Mutual Pining, Dragons, Literal Sleeping Together, Tender wound tending) 

💙 Wish I could forget the taste of your skin and the feel of your hands pinning me down  by KizuKatana (E, 63k, wangxian, WQ & WWX & WN, modern w/ cultivation, getting back together, BAMF WWX, BAMF LWJ, case fic, pining)

leading tone by silencemostofall (G, 32k, WangXian, Modern AU, Soulmates, with a lil twist, Eventual Happy Ending, lesbian wq rights, Music, Orchestra, platonic and romantic pining, Podfic available)

You Bring the Colour by fuddy_duddy (rainier_day) (G, 12k, wangxian, art school, art restoration) 

Night Bus by Suspicious_Popsicle (G, 3k, wangxian, modern)

Let the streetlights guide you home by tellthemstories (M, 36k, WangXian, Modern AU, so much UST, references to drink drugs and underage driving, wwx’s a mess but what else is new?, Car Racing, Street Racing, [podfic] Let the Streetlights Guide You Home by jellyfishfire)

Your Heart, My Table by Spodumene (G, 30k, WangXian, Modern AU, Canada, Angst and Feels, Angst with a Happy Ending, Family Dynamics, Parent Death, Supporting Character Death, Chinese New Year, Comfort Food, food is love, Getting Together, food as a love language)

Nothing but your heart by airinshaw (E, 21k, WangXian, Modern AU, A/B/O Dynamics, Implied Mpreg, First Time, Getting Together, Angst and Drama, Angst with a Happy Ending, Anal Sex, Whump, Breeding Kink)

When You Wake, 怎能当梦一场 by MouSanRen (T, 39k, WangXian, Modern AU, WWX is in a coma, Angst with a Happy Ending, Modern AU, Single Dad LWJ, Implied/Referenced Homophobia, Parenthood, YZY's A+ Parenting, JFM's A+ parenting)

A Well-Heeled Man by littlelightbeams (E, 52k, WangXian, XiYao, XuanLi, Past ChengQing, Modern AU, Inspired by Crazy Rich Asians, Morning Sex, Semi-Public Sex, Sneaking Around, Mistaken Identity, Implied/Referenced Drug Use, Declarations Of Love, Sibling Love, Angst with a Happy Ending, Romantic Comedy)

Tempo Rubato by Spodumene (E, 107k, WangXian, Modern AU, Angst with a Happy Ending, Romance, Persuasion au, Separations, Mutual Pining, Depression, Miscommunication, Emotional Roller Coaster, Implied/Referenced Self-Harm, Reconciliation, Eventual Smut, Jane Austen Fusion, Underage Kissing)

The Right to Care by travelingneuritis (E, 61k, WangXian, Modern AU, Mood Whiplash, musician LWJ, nanny wwx, Developing Relationship, Breakup, Texting, Pining, Eventual Happy Ending, Adoption, Child Abuse, abuse intervention, Miscommunication)

The Fifth Type of Non-Contact Force by Caixx (Not Rated, 83k, WangXian, Modern AU, High School, Slice of Life, Slow Burn, Fluff and Humor, Actually Somewhat Canon, Mutual Pining, Horny Teenagers, Angst with a Happy Ending, Non-Graphic Smut)

take my hand, will you share this with me Series by doodlebutt (E, 137k, wangxian, JC/WQ, modern, figure skating, hurt/comfort, pining, angst w happy ending, major character injury, recovery, getting together, past trauma)

undone (the spreadsheet song) Series by spookykingdomstarlight (E, 282k, WangXian, XiYaoSang, LWJ/OMC, Modern AU, Artists, Communication Failure, Mutual Pining, mutual obliviousness, Demisexual WWX, Eventual Smut, Getting Together, Mentions of Past Lan Wangji/OMCs, Crack Treated Seriously, Friends to Friends With Benefits to Lovers, Angst with a Happy Ending, Non-Linear Narrative, Established Relationship, Pre-Relationship, Angst and Fluff and Smut, Separation Anxiety, Family Drama, Dysfunctional Family, Self-Worth Issues, Casual Sex, College/University, Temporary Long Distance Relationships, Relationship Pressures and Stresses, Insecurity)

~*~

15. In the mood for some aloof Wei Wuxian!!

~*~

16. ITMF helpful/smart JGY? Could be any genre, canon or modern, I just want to see his cunning used to aid his friends rather than for villainy.

The Edge of Night by Hobbsy3 (M, 277k, WangXian, XuanLi, Modern AU, Zombie Apocalypse, Yúnmèng Siblings Dynamics, Accidental Baby Acquisition During a Zombie Apocalypse, Junior Quartet, (except they're all babies), Angst with a Happy Ending, Minor Character Death, Hurt/Comfort, Blood and Gore, Ensemble Cast, Worst Zombie Fighting Team Ever, Found Family) I'm still only at chapter 22 and so far JGY has been very loyal and helpful! It's a modern/zombie apocalypse au and it's so good!

there's this forced arranged marriage fic immediately post sunshot between jgy and wwx (jgs's idea) which leads jgy to switch to Jiang side on ao3.

shades of grey spill from my veins (bleeding ink all over the page) by cl410 (M, 58k, WangXian, POV NMJ, Canon Divergence, Joining the "WWX raised by the Nie Sect" Club, Hurt/Comfort, Accidental Sibling Acquisition, Single Dad NMJ, NHS & WWX Friendship, Fluff, Humor, Happy Ending, Everyone Lives/Nobody Dies, Protective NMJ, Sunshot Campaign, Some angst, Blood and Injury, Kidnapping, Protective Siblings, Found Family) Another fic where wwx was raised nie, mightve included a chapter with sword spirits pov, think had "grey" in the name but was later changed, where jgy stays a loyal deputy. (This fic? - Mod C)

what builds a home by Stratisphyre (T, 46k, wangxian, meng yao & wei wuxian) Another fic where jgy mama takes bby jgy and runs from abusive jgs and adopts bby wwx along the way maybe called '2 for price of 1'? They're like brothers in that. (Were you thinking of this one? Afaik the fic you named is about WWX adopting baby MXY, but I could be wrong. - Mod C)

#13 of This post has some Good JGY fic recs that might be helpful ^^ - Mod C

Peony to Lotus series by Deriliarch (T, 65k, JYL/JGY, wangxian, canon divergence, arranged marriage, demisexual character, demiromantic character, fix-it, slice of life, angst)

for want of a fox series by DangerousCommieSubversive (T/E, 34k, wangxian, LXC/JGY, canon divergence, creatures & monsters au, Fox spirit WWX, minor character death, espionage, sunshot campaign, scheming JGY, scheming NHS, slow romance, war, happy ending, not everyone dies au, first time, dual cultivation, poetry, smut, marriage proposal)

~*~

17. Itmf Bitchy LZ, like in pentimento maybe? I really like when he makes petty little jokes about others with WY (or just with wwx in general) or like just him generally being the politest little bitch about things. Thank you! @desperation-is-my-middle-name

卧薪尝胆 by RoseThorne (G, 978, WangXian, Petty LWJ, Bunnies, False Accusations, scapegoating, Cultivation Sect Politics, Chief Cultivator LWJ, POV Third Person, POV WWX) might fit

mating rituals by detectorist (E, 16k, WangXian, Modern AU, College/University, Humour, Pining, Getting Together, Idiots in Love)

~*~

If you didn’t get an answer to your ask here, don’t forget to make use of @mdzs-kinkmeme and MDZS KINK MEME on Dreamwidth. Authors actually do use them for ideas. You may get what  you order!***Your prompt doesn’t have to be kink! Fluff, crack,  whatever - it’s all good!***

[besttropeveershowdown]

Propaganda Time!

I am back with more Propaganda about why "All just a Dream" is NOT an inherently bad/annoying trope and just frequently misused!

And I bring more examples, funnily enough also all from DC animated shows (someone in their writing department knows what they are doing, damn!)

The first two examples I wont spoil, they are both episodes of Batman the Animated Series, and while they both follow the classic formula to a T, they also make it very clear that the point was never about what happened in the dream, but what the dream can tell us about the dreamer and how they view themselves and the world around them.

That also makes both episodes very re-watchable because the context of the dream makes if very easy to pick up on all the details hidden everywhere, though it also helps that this show was a "villain-of-the-week"-style anthology with almost no overlapping storytelling or arcs that could be disrupted by dream plots.

But wait, there's more:

The follow up Shows Justice League and Justice League Unlimited have their own Dream-Plots and they try something else: Both the two-parter "Only a Dream" and "For the Man Who has Everything" reveal that they are Dream-Plots very early on and add an outside perspective from the Dreamers allies & friends (both dreams are caused by supervillain shenanigans).

One could argue that that disqualifies them as "Only a Dream" Episodes, but I would disagree. Both episodes center their main-plot around characters in a dream world that, ultimately, can have no consequences in the real world.

What they do is, once again, show us those characters hopes, fears, and, well, dreams. And due to the early reveal, we are aware of that and can pick up all those bits of characterization immediately as we watch the characters struggle with them. As a bonus on top, due to the outside perspective there is an easy way for those stories to show the consequences the dream-sequences can actually have, as the dreamers, once they are awake, have to deal with and can (or refuse to!) share the contents of their dreams and what they might say about them.

Lastly, I realized while writing this, that, in recent years, episodes that enrage me like the worst dream-plots used to, are no longer dream plots!

Both Time-travel and Alternate Dimensions/Universes have become very popular to pull basically the same thing as a dream plot would: Show cool crazy twists and turns and then just undo everything with the snap of a finger.

(If you want to hurt yourself for no reason, Ladybug season 3 has an episode that is half time-travel, half dimension-travel and all terrible.)

It's as if some writers remembered how hated dream-plots were and thought that the dreams were the problem, not everything else, which, if you ask me, is just more proof that dream-plots are unfairly maligned.

Anyway, wall of text over, thanks for coming to my Ted talk!

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