#recency bias is so real with these lol

[daintyduck99]

fic asks E (lucky enough to love you now, recency bias lol) and M

E: If you wrote a sequel to lucky enough to love you now, what would it be about?

So I've toyed with the idea of Luke eventually returning because he got sick or injured and had nowhere else to go. Reggie and Julie take him in, which he'd feel bad about even if they didn't have a baby to take care of--he never meant to impose, she's simply the only landline he's clung to for years, and he gets so intently focused that he hadn't once thought--of course she's moved on and they're too kind to send him away.

It should be awkward, but it--isn't? Not really? And he adores their baby, and he finds himself integrating into their--everything, and everyone seems to adore him right back and it's bizarrely easy and he understands, finally, why some people let themselves become tethered to a town like this.

He should have given into that pull the first time, but little Rosie Peters-Molina has him wrapped around her finger, and so does her father, so he can't really regret any of the choices that led them here too much.

M: Got any premises on the back burner that you’d care to share?

I was so sure I'd told you about all of them, but I opened my docs and found one I'd forgotten about!

At some point, I started writing a sequel to I Don't Want You Like A Best Friend / the QPR Rulie fic. I didn't include any notes so maybe I was simply inspired, but I really like what I have, even though it's just Julie realizing that something is wrong and Reggie admitting that his mom thinks she's his girlfriend. If I give that one some real thought, I could probably do something with it!

Here's some of what I have in case it's the only time it ever sees the light of day lol

She fumbles for his hands and finds them dancing along her sides, catching them and lacing her fingers through his. She leans on him a little more, hoping he'll relax into her pillows, and catches the swell of his lip with deliberate care, lingering and slowing their momentum. She starts a silent conversation.

What's wrong?

He exhales shakishly through his nose.

Their mouths make a smacking sound when he breaks the kiss, a messy and abrupt end that she'd be embarrassed about if he was anyone else, even Carrie.

He squeezes Julie's hands and she opens her mouth to ask out loud when he blurts—

"My mom thinks you're my girlfriend."

[yo9urt]

beat beegee three last night!

[otakween]

Digimon Tamers - Episode 28

IDK why, but this episode flew by and felt shorter than usual. I think that's the sign of a good episode. I knew Ryo was supposed to show up in this season eventually, but it still feels kind of jarring. His design is so "generic RPG hero" lol.

Notes:

The boys being frustrated with Ruki and Renamon for always "talking with their eyes" was funny. It felt like they were really lampooning the duo's "too-cool-for-school" vibes in this episode.

The animation was very smooth in this one, especially noticeable in the super windy scenes were everyone's hair was being blown about.

Not only did we get Hagurumon (one of my faves), but we got a blushy Hagurumon too!

V cute. I feel like I've never noticed the asymmetrical eyes before?

Very vague concept for today's setting. There's a clock that, if it's screwed with, stops all of the gears in the area which inexplicably then releases a Megadramon? Super random but okay

Does Megadramon have skull nipples? That's pretty hard to take seriously, I gotta say

So apparently digimon in the Digital World all pine to go to the Real World. Why tho? What's the appeal for them? Do they all want tamers so they can digivolve maybe?

I thought Cyberdramon's design looked too similar to Beelzebumon's design. Maybe this is a recency bias thing since Beelzebumon was just revealed last episode, but I confused the two for a second there.

I wasn't sure what to make of Ruki's reaction of Ryo and at first I thought she was developing a crush or something, but then they explained that Ryo was a big shot in the TCG world. The fact that Ruki's just butthurt cuz she's not the coolest one in town anymore is pretty funny.

I was a little taken aback when Ruki described Ryo as "tanned." I mean I guess from a Japanese perspective he's tanner, but that wasn't my initial impression at all.

Low key unsettling when the gang just got smooshed in the floating cube

Of course it shows that they're fine like 2 seconds later, but I feel like I'd be alarmed as a child.

I feel like ditching everyone because she's put off by Ryo was so petty of Ruki at the end there. Hope they don't prolong this "everyone's split up" thing for too long.

Ryo used some sort of lasso/whip-like thing on Cyberdramon when he got out of control. I'm not sure what they were going for with that. It felt kind of "lion tamer in a circus" vibes.

[crehador]

TOP 5 ANIME OPS and TOP 5 ANIME EDS EVER

ANOTHER... DIFFICULT...... this one bc i have like. no memories lol

so!! i will list the ones i remember first that i love a lot and/or mean a lot to me

also this got long so it's going under a cut

TOP 5 OPS

1) asterisk - orange range - bleach op 1

sorry i'm a bleach fuckboi. as if it's my fault. honestly the song is still awesome to me and it was so formative to me that nothing is going to take it down from number one on this list. ever lmao

2) jikai yokoku - tatsuya kitani - sentai daishikkaku op

OK I KNOW I JUST MET U BUT HIIIIII I LOV U honestly. honestly!! like you get it at this point i have talked about this enough but i am OBSESSED with this op

i love the song! but it isn't just about the song!! the visuals are so so so good and compelling, there are themes! there is a narrative! right in the op!

it's just. i'm. well. you all get it by now. it's phenomenal

3) kaen (fire) - ziyoou-vachi (queen bee) - dororo op 1

ok ok ok so for most of these i'm trying to link the actual anime op because typically the visuals are very important! but this one i can't resist linking the whole song because it's FIRE (LITERALLY. IT'S THE NAME OF THE SONG)

this was the first dororo op and hoooly shit. beautiful. it was also my first real dive into queen bee as a band, and i've been so into them ever since. every single queen bee anime op and ed deserves to be on this list but i will do my best to limit myself to only one or they would just. they would just be the whole list

also recommended: literally every other queen bee track pls. they're incredible

4) song of the dead - kana-boon - zom100 op

honorary shoutout to the sarazanmai op which is also by kana-boon! that is the one i considered putting on this list first before i remembered phew. no. alas. i have to give it to another kana-boon op

i just loved this to bits. the energy the motion and the music, all of it! i'm sure there's like some recency bias here but as of right now this definitely makes the cut

5) I AM CHOOSING TWO FOR THIS ONE AND YOU CAN'T STOP ME BECAUSE THEY CAN'T BE SEPARATED

[please imagine i have inserted both noragami ops here. i had them both in before i realized there's a 10 video per post limit. so. tragically. i had to take one out. but just close your eyes and pretend it's here. also go to youtube and watch it again. it's good for you. it's enrichment. anyway. let's move on]

SELF-EXPLANATORY. THEY'RE BOTH GOOD.

TOP 5 EDS

1) stand by me - the peggies - sarazanmai ed

so sarazanmai does make it onto the post after all lol

i really like this track! and the mixed... mixed medium? visuals? not sure how to describe it but they're beautiful to me. also it really fucked me up when in that one episode where [redacted] they [redacted] in the ed ads;flkajdklfj

i shan't say more

2) yofukashi no uta - creepy nuts - yofukashi no uta ed

in all honesty i think i like the yofukashi no uta op (daten also by creepy nuts) a tiny bit more than the ed but i love them both!!

but man i just love how all this happened like. the mangaka was so inspired by this song yofukashi no uta that he named his manga after it and when his manga was made into an anime the song itself became the ed. how perfect is that??

also creepy nuts. love creepy nuts. and actually now that i'm listening to them both again idk if i do like daten more like yofukashi no uta. god they're both so good. i can't choose lmao

3) seikai wa iranai - nanawo akari - sentai daishikkaku ed

YEAH THAT'S RIGHT THE ED MAKES IT ONTO THE LIST TOO!! IT'S JUST THAT GOOD!!! again yes of course i'm aware there's some recency bias at play here but really. really. it's good

4) antinomy - amazarashi - nier ed

ue ue ue i love this song. so much. amazarashi does it again. visuals are very good as well of course!! but it's like. definitely the song that takes this for me

5) my nonfiction - furukawa makoto & kohara konomi - kaguya-sama s3 ed (special)

ok i don't know if this even. technically counts. because it's not the "main" ed of the season, it was only played at the end of one episode but holy shit. holy fucking shit

the first time i heard and saw this it blew my mind and then i heard (if i'm remembering correctly) AND 18-YEAR-OLD ANIMATED THIS? ALL OF THIS?? ALONE???

incredible. i'm speechless. had this on repeat for so long after it first aired it truly deserves to be here

[kiwiana-writes]

NICE ASK WEEK! If you could make a list of the top fictional characters that all combine to describe you and your spirit, your soul characters, who would they be and why?

So I had to sit with this one for a bit because… well, because I have a very obvious top two, but they’re also benefitting from recency(ish) bias. But the truth is this question has actually made me realise how fundamentally unrepresented I feel in media in a lot of ways that are really core to who I am, and that… is a shitty epiphany to have lol.

Anyway. That’s for therapy. This is for nice ask week! 😂

David Rose. I’ve talked about this at length lol, but before I watched Schitt’s Creek I had a bunch of different people recommend it—including, like, my best friend since I was six and another friend for whom we were in each other’s weddings—and no one had thought to warn me how deeply and thoroughly I would see myself in David Rose. Like, it was unsettling. I too am a pansexual hot mess with an outrageous fashion sense and a messy romantic history who hides deep-seated insecurity and anxiety behind a thin veneer of a prickly, obnoxious personality. I too have known I was queer from a young age and chose a fairly chaotic way of coming out to my mum. I too have a history of partying and of everything that comes along with that. I too settled down in a way very different to what I had expected to want when I was younger, and it took me a while to recalibrate that. A great, great deal of what I’ve written for David’s character is uhhhhh way more autobiographical than it should be—just, like, the rich and North American version 😂

And then there’s Alex Claremont-Diaz. My bilingual beloved. My clumsy, caffeine-addicted mspec disaster. My early Aries with another fire sign rising. My child of divorce with all the abandonment issues that come with that, whether we admit it or not. My driving as a coping mechanism, my late-diagnosed ADHD who struggles with real friendships, my diving into things with both feet, my teenage predilection for drinking away my feelings, my enduring and vital friendships with my ex. ❤️

[cc-critter]

My top 10 Anime

I am so glad you asked...

I have watched my fair share of Anime and I wanted to share my Top 10 Anime of all time. Now it is hard to rule out recency bias so I am allowing myself one Anime I have watched recently but beyond that here are the rules I set for myself:

I have to have watched it to completion or to the most current season/episode.

I have to be able to explain the story, characters and "arcs" if they have them

Bonus Points if it is tattooed on me lol

My Top Ten Animes:

10. Frieren: Beyond Journey's End.

This is my Recency Bias. I think I cried in every episode and I won't apologize. This was one of the best shows I have seen this year and It gave me everything Violet Evergarden had but better. Violet Evergard was in my top ten before this show.

9. Tokyo Revengers

I know that people give this show AND the manga crap but I would jump in front a train (lol) for Ran Haitani and I don't care that his character development is mid. I love his pigtails and would ride them. Thank you

8. Fruits Basket (2001 and 2019 - lets be real)

I stand by the fact that I can fix Yuki. This series has so much depth, GREAT voice acting and the 2019 remake gave me hope that OHSHC may one day get the same level of love it deserves.

7. HoriMiya

The Manga- way better. I am not going to argue that. But this show is stupid cute and I love shows about love. So ya know, sue me. Plus can we talk about how GOOD Miyamura looked with long hair and piercings? Ughhh

6. Ouran High School Host Club

Kyoya Ootori please step on me.

5. Sailor Moon

My first Anime Tattoo and proud. I use to play this as a kid and I would switch between Sailor Moon and Tuxedo Mask. If I could go back I would for sure be Sailor Uranus or Neptune... Lets be real

4. Hunter x Hunter (2011)

It is One Piece but Killua is objectively more gangster. It is missing the flair of the entire One Piece Series. Negative points for Hisoka.. Plus ten for Chrollo tho... It is a classic you can't argue with that.

3. Full Metal Alchemist Brotherhood

This is by definition Anime made by Women for Women lol. This walked so JJK could run. Give it the respect it deserves. And oddly enough Frieren bumped it from top anime of all time. Which is insane. Oh and um Mustang I would let you light me up as much as you needed. Thank you.

2. Attack On Titan

Levi.

lol no. It is such a well thought out universe. I appreciate the story telling. Art is amazing. Levi. Voice acting is out of this world. Just - divine.

1. One Piece

Law. ( I do have a law tattoo hehe) Do I really need to explain? The World building? The portrayal of modern day issues? The women? THE MENNN? The longevity? Ugh amazing. Another fun fact - i walked down the Aisle to "Binks No Sake"

[voldemorts-tap-shoes]

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

Thanks for the ask and for sharing the love! 💕

5 favorite fics in no particular order and likely with some recency bias lol:

1. Afterglow - just written for @cruelsummer-ficfest (there is so much good stuff in this fest you guys for real)

2. Finally - I actually kind of love this rare pair fic that I wrote for iwsc last year probably because I gave Terry and Padma all the romione vibes

3. Still Searching - y’all this is my Everest and I will finish it one day 😅 (there may be an update soonish but you didn’t hear that from me shhhhh 🤫😉)

4. Partners in Crime (series) - there’s a new installment of this in the works too and wow I’m just spilling all my secrets today 😜

5. 3rd Year Going on 30 - this was just such a fun rom com to reimagine and makes me smile

[theclearblue]

End of the year asks: number 25

And if you don't have one... Number 4?

Happy Holidays!

Happy Holidays to you too!

#25: So for like most of the year I haven't made any oc characters rip BUT I am in the beginning stages of making a new dnd character that's an articifist with a fucked up little robot pet, real Chainsaw Man vibes like with Pochita lol

#4: Recency bias may be coming into play but I REALLY liked Miyazaki's new movie The Boy and The Heron. Loved the art and the characters and the themes it was very good. Also really like Into the Spiderverse I gasped when it got to the end ajaksdlslsl

[supernovaa-remnant]

ashjdfakd immortal stella just so you can maybe someday space travel. i fully support you.

ahhh the end of the movie, yes. truly hits because like what the fuck??? the thought of being alone out there, thinking you're the only one left??? and i mean we as the audience know that someone's on their way to her but she doesn't and it's somehow so hopeful but so devastating at the same time??? like ending the movie with that truly was an absolute genius decision.

honestly, you're doing better than me lol i panic if i think about what i'm going to do, like, next week. if i'd start having existential thoughts at the wrong time i would probably have a mental breakdown. though i do love to talk about it at the right moments (like now :D)

but yeah i agree. sometimes just existing is enough. especially as i got older, i never really liked the question of what i want to do with my life or what my goal is or something because for me the answer always just was 'to be happy'. i just want to exist the way i want to, enjoy the things i like, spend time with people i love. like, some of my favorite memories are just lying in a pile with my friends while we watch some movie. there doesn't have to be a big goal or meaning to everything, especially not a human life that is so small in the scale of things.

i think it ties in with what you said, "your light is never really truly gone". we as people touch so much around us, be it the places we go to or other humans around us. like, i'm still in some way influenced by what my ancestors did a hundred years ago, be it positive or negative. we all connect with things and people on our way of just existing, just living. and some small, insignificant thing we decide today can leave traces for years to come.

ajksdhslkjdskjsls thank you sky for supporting my immortality agenda <3 one day 190237293729 years from now I'll discover a new element or law of physics or smth and I'll name it after you <3

aughhhhh the end of the movie pulled my heart out of my chest and stomped all over it /pos. I think that having a strong ending is really important for a story because, even if the entire story is really good, the ending is going to be what sticks with people the most (bc recency bias), so ending strong is really important. and the ending of interstellar was just aisdugshijdgisygudhijsohdsiuj 1000000/10 amazing wonderful breathtaking perfect execution. and you're so right in saying that it's both so hopeful yet so devastating at the same time.

I'm pretty sure my brain chemistry was permanently re-written after watching interstellar tbh.

existentialism can very easily be either really good or really bad for me 😭 like, it completely depends. I always try to spin it in a bit of a more positive light though. doesn't always work, but I try nonetheless.

"to be happy" being the answer to goals in life is so real. like, I'm not entirely sure what I want my future to look like, but what I do know is that I want to be happy.

if I think to much about the impacts we have on other people's lives I'll cry, I think. like, it's all just ripples, but those ripples spread out and touch people even if they're not in our lives anymore. and I think about my ancestors and I wonder if they liked similar things to what I like and if they smiled at the same things or laughed at the same jokes and aosduhsidgusiduisgdhkasldlh

and there's people I don't talk to right now and there's people I'm growing apart from, but the impacts they've had on my life are still so noticeable and the same can be said about them in regards to me, and it's so <3

I think people focus on the idea of legacy a lot (which, understandable, I do too, and I always cry thinking about humanity's innate urge to leave a mark, to leave something to say "I was here, I existed"), but it's also important to remember the short term things. Sometimes things don't last, sometimes they don't even last very long, but they still have value, y'know? Maybe, not all relationships need to last a lifetime. Maybe sometimes it's enough to have had fun with them whilst it lasted and be left with a new favorite coffee order.

Anyway, stepping away from these big emotional philosophical existential thoughts before I start crying irl lmao..

we've been talking about interstellar a lot (because it's an amazing movie and I love it so so so much), but are there any other sci-fi stories you like?

[postalninja]

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

Ooo, thank you for the ask! But how will I choose?? I definitely have a recency bias with my writing, partly because I know that I've gotten better over time so some of my older fics aren't really up to my current standard in terms of things like pacing, especially. But setting that aside, there are still some of my early fics that hold a special place in my heart, so I'll try to pick from across the board. 1. Starting with an old fic, actually, The Measure of a Man (Octopath Traveler, Rated E) is still a favorite of mine, even after 3 years. I just really enjoyed the deep dive into Olberic's sense of self and exploring how, after getting married and starting a family, he would still have some struggles in terms of his purpose and his worth. It was kind of like taking his canon story and bringing it full circle (by the gods I love that man!) 2. Next, Sins of the Father (Skyrim, Rated M), my first novel-length longfic! I put a lot of work into this one, and it was the first time that I managed to successfully develop a plot with, like, a story arc and whatnot. Still very proud of how this one turned out, since it required a lot of playing with lore and developing the backstory of characters who didn't get much of one in the game (including my first fully fleshed out original character who really stole my heart) 3. Another favorite is Fashion Party Confidential (Drawtectives, Rated T) I had so much fun putting together what is essentially meant to serve as a bonus episode after season 2. I structured it similarly to a real episode, complete with drawings made by each of the characters and an original NPC for them to harass help. I re-watched the series before I started writing and felt like I had a really good grasp of the character voices, and I'm very happy with the dialogue and how in-character it feels. And I had fun with the fashion theme of the story, given my background in fashion design and the fact that it fits in canonically with York's story, as well as the opportunity to reflect the players' fashion knowledge - or lack thereof - in the drawings (sorry, Nathan)

4. Next is Would She Love Me If She Knew? (Octopath Traveler, Rated M) I debated including this one on its own or combining it with the sequel (which, spoilers, is also on this list), but I feel like they are different enough thematically that I can talk about them separately. This fic was me diving headfirst into the royal/guard trope and essentially writing an entire romance novel, lol! It took me 9 months to write and was (at the time) the longest thing I had written. By this point I was starting to get the hang of pacing things properly without rushing them, letting the story breathe and take its time getting where it wanted to go. And I have to admit that this is my favorite version of H'aanit and Olberic that I've written so far - I absolutely loved making them face adversity before they could get together, putting obstacles in their way so that they would pine and despair about ever being able to have a relationship. Oh, that delicious angst! This fic set a new bar for me, and I've become a better writer because of it. 5. And of course, the as yet unfinished (but so close!) The Head That Wears the Crown (Octopath Traveler, Rated T). More than two years in the making, and I'm still stuck on the climax of the story, argh!!! Nevertheless, crafting this one has been so rewarding, given that it ties into WSLMISK but uncovers all of the sinister hints that I left in that story of a bigger issue to come. There's a mystery to solve, a conspiracy to uncover, and so much goddamned trauma to deal with! Some of my favorite character development to date is in this story, and I can't wait to (somehow get through this writer's block and) hopefully give this whole thing a satisfying ending. I've learned so much about plot and how to do foreshadowing and developing a complex villain while writing this fic. And as a bit of a bonus... I'll just say that I have a new Octopath Traveler 2 fic that I am *nearly* ready to start posting (just waiting on feedback from my beta, which *should* happen today) that I am currently in love with. Recency bias may play into this, of course, but I can't wait to share it! It's a Castti/Osvald Gothic Romance AU titled Memories Seep From My Veins :)

[missusplum]

Why are you so hopeful when these writers might bait and play us again?

What were you’re thoughts on the finale and what stories would you like to see next season?

Here’s hoping for one of your long essays

lmao i completely get the frustration, but the way i really see it, i don’t think the takeaway from this season is that armony will never be a focus; it’s that this show chooses to be chaotic just for the sake of being ~shocking~ and ~unexpected~ so really by that benchmark anything is possible lol

for those reasons i think going into the business of trying to predict anything on this show is generally a bad idea and a recipe to setting yourself up for disappointment. so i have no thoughts on what might go down in s3, just that i hope we get one loool. because despite all my yapping and complaining i really do want to see more of this show, and i think there are lots of stories still to tell. i started watching for elodie and i’m gonna stay for her too 😌

i’ll share my thoughts on s2 behind the cut:

my general sentiment on this season is a big meh lol. like all the criticism and worries i had about where the season was headed and about kamdar being nothing more than a lightning rod all stumbled into fruition. my biggest criticism is that the writing seems intent on delivering shocking moments and stressful situations at the sacrifice of interesting stories and actual character development. the biggest example of this is the show choosing to drop chris’ story, the far superior and more emotionally-compelling storyline, halfway into the season and choosing to fully focus on kamdar instead. i really think it was a gigantic misstep to veer into this direction and a misread of what drew people to this show in the first place. to me, the real strength of tcl was always, always, the chemistry between arman and thony, and between thony and fiona. people watched because of the actors’ chemistry; even in s1 the mob drama was always less interesting and draggingly melodramatic at times. but people put up with it because it was the vehicle to showcase the chemistry and relationships that intrigued everyone. s2 literally went full throttle into mob territory and sacrificed the emotional side and the relationships that made us care in the first place. and that is the true fumble here.

i do get frustrated reading some of the postmortem interviews with the EPs because i really want to know what progress they think this season made at all. almost all the new characters that they brought on have died (shoutout to JD for living to see another day!), the triangle of death is still in tact, thony is still single-mindedly focused on her family, luca is still sick, the de la rosas are still undocumented, arman still has no power, etc. and everyone is so miserable 🥴 something something about a clinic and helping out the community was completely overshadowed by this kamdar storyline which ended exactly how we all knew it would end, with him dead. oh i guess g*rrett miller died too. overdue imo but i’m sorry to his fans for your loss lol

one thing i will say is while i think it was very deliberate to have thony do unlikable things and behave antagonistically, i still think a lot of the fandom is being unfair with how much hate she’s getting and letting recency bias cloud their judgment. this is the same character that agreed in a second to sell street drugs because arman looked sad and then immediately incriminated herself when they got caught, literally only to protect arman. it’s a complete disservice to the character and franking oversimplifying just to write her off as selfish. she is anything but selfish imo. i do believe, and the EPs have said as much, that she has a tendency to be arrogant and to think she knows better, and this stems from her career as a surgeon. but to say she hasn’t paid for her mistakes is crazy lol, the entire two finale hours was basically nothing working out the way she wanted, and everyone telling her off and giving her shit for what she’s done. which for the record i liked; thony has often acted purely on instinct, but i like that this time that she had to lose and that the same instinct led her to make bad decisions. makes for a more compelling character vs. one who is always doing the right thing. i will say that i think reverting to anchoring all of thony’s actions to be about saving luca’s life was a narrative mistake. not only because it only underscores what we already learned about her in s1, but because atp (and i hate to say it) luca is nothing but a plot device imo. like people get frustrated when luca is thrust into the forefront again because aside from being a cute kid who is unfairly ill, there’s nothing else to the character. is he not literally only there to be sick and to cause thony to act irrationally? instead of investing time into actually making luca a well-rounded character with a personality, we wasted scenes on the likes of kamdar and maya, none of whom ended up having any staying power on the show anyway, and the stakes ended up feeling repetitive. i cannot understand why there was a need to bring on so many new (and temporary!?) characters in a short season when you already have existing shallowly-written core characters that the audience actually wants and needs to know more about.

i’ve already made my opinions on love triangles very clear lol and it still stands. like if you’re a fan of any of the characters of arman, thony, or nadia, i cannot for the life of me imagine why anyone would want this triangle to continue. it’s horrible for all of them; it’s unattractive to see arman continue to divide his heart between two women; it’s depressing to see thony reduce herself to an emotionless robot because she has to shut arman out; and it’s ridiculously unrealistic to think that nadia would still put up with arman after all the arguments they’ve had about thony already. if you’ve read any of the postseason interviews with melissa carter and miranda kwok they seem pretty intent on continuing to ride this out. i’m flummoxed because like what more is there to explore???

in one of the interviews, they said that they had to slow down armony because they went too fast in s1 which is wild to me when that’s one of the few reasons why people tuned in in the first place lol. the philosophy behind thinking that when a couple gets together it becomes boring is flawed and imo more of an indictment on the writing if interesting stories can’t be told with your leads in a relationship. miranda kwok said that the bond between arman and thony will be strengthened after surviving what they went through in s2, but literally none of that was communicated to the audience lol. melissa carter said there was an opportunity for more romance in s3 because there was none in s2 but like y’all literally wrote it that way 🥴🥴 i really do think the writing massively overestimated everyone’s patience and tolerance for nothingness and crumbs. it might have been more tolerable if the rest of the show was just as compelling, but imo it just isn’t so s2 was really just watching this show shoot itself in the foot repeatedly lol. fwiw i think a push and pull between these two could have worked but s2 was literally all pull lmao; like if you have guaranteed five seasons to arc out a molasses-paced relationship then sure but we’re barely scraping by here lol 🤧

anyhoo, all in all i hope the writers actually do get a chance to read some of the criticism of this season and it’s not just written off as shippers throwing a tantrum lol. s2 was a bit of a drag to get through but if nothing else, and for better or for worse, i feel like i have a better grasp of what this show is trying to be now so that’s something. all my criticism aside, at the core of it i do love that this is a show with southeast asians at the forefront, with elodie yung at the forefront, and for those facts alone i’ll happily keep rooting for it to succeed and keep contributing my views and ratings. the rest i’ll just keep hoping for the best.

[avellino]

top five favorite characters?

omg this is so hard but 🙏🏼🙏🏼 lemme try

elena greco from l'amica geniale/the neapolitan novels. I love her sooooo deeply and have always felt so #Seen by her, her thoughts, how she interacts with the people and world around her. I will recommend the show/books to literally everyone

acknowledging some potential recency bias here but hotd’s version of alicent hightower. irdgaf what anyone has to say I love her to absolute bits and think she is such a tragic character. something about her just resonates with me so much. on top of that, olivia cooke (and emily carey!) put so much into her she just feels so real TO ME…that’s mother!!!

I’m so sorry I just realized this is becoming an eldest daughter syndrome list huh but…fiona gallagher from US shameless…particularly the earlier seasons (I honestly haven’t finished the show yet lol) love how flawed she is, how she fucks up regularly but also had to give pretty much her entire life to caring for others. once again another character that just feels very reallll to me. the scene of her crying and yelling at monica in s1 gets me every time…carl made something BLOW UP! for his science fair!!

amy march. the girls that get it get it

I feel like I should just list my problematic babygirls together so like anakin skywalker, paul atreides, aemond targaryen…🤭

[mermaidsirennikita]

Hi! I work in a bookshop that is not in America and the romance section in our stores tends to be pretty pitiful. Other than Julia Quinn, historical romance is non-existent. We have finally put in a romance bay and I’ve been asked to recommend some books. My colleague is handling contemporary romance but I was hoping to push for historical and possibly paranormal! I have several books in mind but as my favourite go to reviewer, I was wondering if you had any books that you think we should focus on, especially if we’re introducing a local area to historical romance? Thanks!

Oh, thanks so much for thinking of me! And thank you for repping romance in you bookshop; it's getting hard to get a selection in American stores too, and I can't imagine the book bannings will help.

So I'm thinking that because recency bias is a thing, you're sticking to recent releases? I would definitely, if possible, recommend including a bit of diversity. Some recent books I've enjoyed and seen a great reader reaction to:

A Caribbean Heiress in Paris, Adriana Herrera--Afro-Latina heroine and Scottish hero, jet sets from Paris to Scotland which is really fun, it's sexy, it's smart, there's fingering on the Eiffel Tower... Hot.

To Catch a Raven by Beverly Jenkins--Ms. Bev's most recent release, may be a challenge because it's very American (they're trying to catch someone who stole the Declaration of Independence, sorta lol) but it's a really fun heist/fake marrieds romance.

Something Fabulous by Alexis Hall--A m/m romcom, hilarious, and benefits from Alexis's cross-brand name recognition (his Boyfriend Material books are really popular contemporaries, and his ability to cross genres is amazing). Very modern and approachable for newbs to HR. The sequel, Something Spectacular, is out soon and is excellent.

The Queer Principles of Kit Webb by Cat Sebastian--A delicious m/m heist romance, very emotional and funny and sexy. There's sword fighting! (Not that kind, but also yes that kind.) The sequel, The Perfect Crimes of Marian Hayes, is a m/f book with bi leads that is also so good.

For more conventional historicals, I'd recommend:

Sarah MacLean--her new releases, I imagine, would sell well with people who are less familiar to the genre because she has name recognition and is known for writing great heroines with a feminist streak. I looooove Heartbreaker.

Julie Anne Long--her Palace of Rogues series has been a real joy, and she writes such a funny, romantic historical

Lorraine Heath--her next book, The Notorious Lord Knightly, is out this summer and it is SUCH A BANGER. Lorraine is one of those hidden gem authors where I feel like she's not super known outside of historical romance circles, but anyone who reads her books gets sucked in.

A Rogue's Rules for Seduction by Eva Leigh is out next month and it's so, so hot. I'm gonna post my review for it soon. It's also really lovely and Eva always has a very modern sensibility that I love.

[meowmeowmessi]

and they're trying to take away from AlbicelesteTalk's credibility now just because they can't accept it 😭 like frst of all, it's not even their info, they're only reposting from the interview??? second, what did they expect lmao? yk that one cmvnga or whatever acc that's always posting shit about messi despite the 50 diff players in his carrd? they're the ones obsessed like be fr now. if your fave really is the best (lol) then why are you getting so worked up? reeks of insecure imo. i KNOW it's the face card more than anything (which i rly dont see im sorry but to each their own 😭😭) bc how can you genuinely look at both careers even only up to 24 and decide messi isn't better... don't even get started on the actual playing like??? he's not real and no one will ever compare, least of all someone who declined his 'dream club' for psg's bank account and look where that got him 🤥. also about the rent-free thing,,,,, he was asked in an interview and actually spoke pretty well about m*appe (i dont wanna potentially get jumped 😭) and y'all wanna pretend he insulted him or was salty just because he didn't say he's the best?? which he isn't???? again: reeks of insecure.

HE DID SPEAK WELL ABOUT MBAPPE gosh i totally forgot to mention this in my previous response shsjdjsk like of course he brought him up they were literally teammates back in PSG 😭 he literally said mbappe is a good kid why are yall acting like he murdered your dog be serious now 😭

i actually don't know who this cmvnga person is (and judging by what you're telling me maybe that's a good thing lmao i do appreciate retaining my braincells) but yeah i'm going to keep saying what i've always been saying: the recency bias regarding mbappe is insane. like, comparing mbappe to any version of messi is the closest thing you can come to blasphemy in football i think, or even sports in general, but especially if you're comparing him to what messi was like at his age: messi had FOUR ballon d'ors by the time he was 24. FOUR. and he won them back to back to back to back. i don't think people realize just how absolutely ridiculous that is. it's a record that's probably never going to get beaten in the history of football ever.

moreover, after his loss in the 2014 wc final, messi was an absolutely demon at club level- like a man on a mission. meanwhile this is mbappe after the wc:

(the 10 rating was in a match against psg ultras 😭 his own fanboys 😭)

face card aside, i do think another reason people latch onto mbappe is bc there hasn't been a black "it boy" like him in football? (do tell me if i'm wrong, though!) his fanbase has a noticable split (on social media at least) between ronaldo stans who jumped ship after his "fall from grace" (so to speak) and tiktok girlies who take the kpopification of football a bit too far 💀💀

bottom line is- messi's comparison only exists in pelé and maradona, and i think these weird fangirls and media outlets with their agendas aside, most people have actually accepted this fact now. and we can all thank la scaloneta for that. they actually saved football tbqh

[fullwets]

9, 15, 19 & 29 hi ly

9. Favorite pairing you wrote for this year?

oh god. we did too many pairings this year. recency bias says deweys but my heart says jomalmdo but like honestly. to be real w you. i gotta give this to tml (tombalemaxlando). sorry for the lol literally erasure

15. What WIP are you taking into next year with you?

i think maybe finally finishing my tmfu AU might fix me. return to stupid. return to humor. return to maxiel(chal).

19. What’s one pairing you want to explore next year?

this is not so much a pairing *i* want to explore but. i am going to bully someone into writing bono/angela/lewis if it kills me.

29. Favorite line/passage you wrote this year?

i've already told you my real answer in DMs. loser. but i'll pick another one sure why not since you asked:

You’re my best friend, he thinks, but Brandon already knows, and he’s already asleep, so Connor doesn’t say it out loud.

from November

[iwantthemtostay]

Rhubarb and locket!!

Rhubarb: a favorite snippet of dialogue

“If I was just a normal girl and you were just a normal guy…” She’s not brave enough to finish the thought, can’t expose herself that utterly.

“Lexi.” It’s something like a plea, something almost pained. He does look away now. “We can’t…” She looks away too. 

“I know. I know that.” Her own voice holds something similar. “But, if we were in some sort of different world…”

The words hang in the air and she looks back up towards the sky, thinks of all the other worlds they could share under these stars. 

“Yeah. Yes.” These words come easier to him, come with conviction. 

From 'could you just give in?' the princess/bodyguard story so the recency bias is real. The "Yeah. Yes" is my favourite part but I thought it might need some context, lol. This dialogue is a lot more about what they're not saying than what they are and I really like that he does let her know she's not alone, even when I'm not sure he's really allowed himself to consciously think about any of this until now.

Locket: idea for a fic I haven’t written yet

The first idea for a fexi fic I had was where Lexi is on a writers' retreat while trying to write her second novel after her first was successful and there she meets Fez who's working on a ranch/farm/stable etc but I have yet to write one word of this.

booster asks for fic authors