#this just spices up the plotline for me personally

[mrsmiagreer]

I feel like being an asshole today so i’m gonna make a headcannon for sunshine because i don’t really like them that much anyway

The more Blake comes and

interacts with them

gets sassy/snappy with them

checks on them (for food and water and stuff)

gets vulnerable with them…

The more they start to develop a little crush on him..

And lemme tell you why

It already doesn’t help that Elliott is gone and they’re under the impression that he’ll never remember them, so they’ll never see him again.

It also doesn’t help that Blake is the only form of company that they keep.

But as bad a situation they’re in, they sadly think Blake is attractive, and being bossed around and forced to listen to him is getting to them.

(Disclaimer!! These are all MY interpretations of what Sunshine could have said in the quiet spaces, these aren’t real or implied)

Exhibit A:

Blake: “How about you just sit there and look pretty hmm?”

Sunshine: “You think i’m pretty?”

Exhibit B:

Sunshine: “Was that the person you’re trying to save?”

Blake: “Yes that was the person i’m trying to save”

Sunshine: “oh.”

Exhibit C

Blake: “Maybe I had a great fucking night last night”

Sunshine: *THEY’RE why he’s being nice to me..*

Thank you goodnight🩷

[fuckyeahgoodomensfanfic]

Good Omens Fic Rec: in your own time

Aziraphale and Crowley grew up together as next-door neighbours on Hogback Lane, classmates at the local Catholic school, and inseparable best friends. By the age of eighteen, both were hopelessly in love with the other, despite the knowledge that they were doomed to live apart, as Crowley aimed to pursue university study in London and Aziraphale committed himself to remaining in Tadfield, dedicating his life to the Church. After almost twenty years spent away from his hometown, renowned botanist Crowley decides to come and visit Tadfield again at a moment's notice; the purpose of his visit is to speak at a Careers Day for the school he and Aziraphale, now a beloved priest and a frequent helper at the school, attended. The twenty-four hours that follow will change both of their lives for ever.

Length: 33,632 words

AO3 Rating: Explicit / Spice Level 🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥

Best for: Mostly Safe in Public, After Dark, Human AU

Triggers: None

Read it here, fic by ineffabildaddy

*Minor Spoilers* I'm proud to say that I was the third hit count on this one and I had no idea it was being posted. This is a STUNNING priest AU, and this is going to be a long rec post.

Crowley and Aziraphale are estranged childhood friends here. Aziraphale was put on track to become a priest, and could not walk away. Crowley had to leave and find his own path. Personally, I love that plotline because it gives me a connection to their 6,000 years of friendship that I like to see revisited in Human AUs. We only get brief flashbacks to their youth, but it is enough to know how much they loved each other then. They go through life content, but incomplete. Each aware that their soulmate is out there, but reconnection feels impossible. That magic is not gone yet, and an unexpected reunion was just the spark they needed.

Crowley's portrayal here is especially soft and tender. His blend of anxiety and genuine confidence is as charming as ever, but it's his understanding and acceptance that truly shine. He never blames Aziraphale for the way things have unfolded. There's no punishment for the past from him, only unwavering support and love. He's so loving and safe, praising and doting on Aziraphale with pet names. I know Aziraphale is going to be cared for now.

Aziraphale's relationship to God and the Church was such a gorgeous journey. He was put on this Earth to do good and provide comfort to his community. Just like the canon though he'll need to separate out the Institution (Heaven/The Church) from God. His moral compass is so strong, "heavy, gilded, reliable". He just needed to learn to trust that voice. And not the voice of those who have forced him to conform to their will. The narrative never villainizes Aziraphale for staying with the church. He just needed some separation and someone to catch him. To be shown that love is holy. The church is not God, he will not be destroyed for acting on his love. I won't quote the whole thing but on Crowley's side, there is a stunning description of what he finds holy and worth of worship. That I am going to reread 1 million times. This story speaks to the late bloomers, the closeted, and the repressed—the queers who have hidden and suppressed their desires to conform to please others. It's for those whose lives seem to have slipped by, filled with missed opportunities and immobilizing fear. It holds us close and tells us, "It's never too late, my love." I often get stuck on "lost time", times I've felt I've wasted in my life. So reading, "It's never too late to do whatever it was you were always meant to do, as long as you do it when you're ready. It's never too late to look into the future, to conceive of a world which makes you grin with excitement and banish all dread from your mind." well, it made me emotional okay!!

Oh and it's hot as fuck. So there's also that. Like seriously, it'll creep up on you here. It'll be some gorgeous line about the human condition or whatever, and then the filthiest most delicious line imaginable! It was like an electric shock to me. The confessional scene had me weak in the knees!!!! I can't say enough times I love this story. The first several chapters are safe in public, but you will hit a point that it is not! Proceed at your own pleasure

Read it here, fic by ineffabildaddy

[stellar-constellations]

Hi! I just wanted to let you know that I binged your Star Patient series in one go and I love how you write! I was so immersed I actually got so disappointed when I realized I hit the end of the uploaded chapters haha. I'm really loving Reader's character in terms of how she deals with the verrrrry questionable obstacles coming her way, girlie needs a break to just cuddle it out with Andrew or something. Anyway yeah I just wanted to drop by and let you know I'm absolutely eating your writing :D

Thank you so much! It means so much to know people enjoy the personality I chose for reader! I honestly love writing her.

I didn't want a Mary Sue type of reader, or a reader who just seems like a replacement of Ashley (I'm getting real tired of seeing these rip-offs of Ashley, she has her own charm nobody can compete with).

I wanted a reader with her own psychological issues and problems, this series is for Andrew, who is from the psychological game genre! It only made sense having a unique character to go with him! I wanted to match the game's elements and have the reader just like it; battling with her morals and if what she's doing is right, just in a different type of context and setting.

Reader's obstacles and drama in her life is just crazy, but we embrace the crazy. It'll be boring just reading the same thing you've already seen inside of the TCOAAL game, so I wanted to flesh out my own plot and characters. Reader might not be everyone's cup of tea, but she's mine and I love her.

Honestly, I'm still trying to understand Andrew's personality because of how complex it is (I simp for this man so hard, we need more fics of him). Andrew is such a pain in the ass to write sometimes, but I really love him for it, so please bear with me if he seems out of character, because he is! He's my own version of Andrew I wrote for this story, so he's not going to be canon, just like how the timeline and characters aren't canon either.

She really does need to sit back and take a breather with Andrew, but her trust issues refuse to and we'll see why in later chapters~

I've been hinting the introduction of a new character, and chapter 6 will have plenty hints of that, so I'm really excited for their eventual release since it'll really spice up the story and characters. It's a yandere story, after all.

Slight spoiler for chapter 6 down below, if you didn’t already piece this out:

I don't know if anyone has pieced this out yet, but our reader is bipolar (hence part of the psychological aspects of her), and it's something we'll see more of in chapter 6 and onwards. I'm going to do my absolute best to not make her a stereotype of the typical bipolar stereotype (0-100 real fast, sudden mood shifts, etc). I don't want it to feel like anybody is being targeted or portrayed inaccurately, nor to do I want it to feel as the disorder is glamorized/romantized. I want reader to feel like a real person, just like how disorders (especially mental) are real too.

I'm definitely going to have to update my warnings because I'll be honest, the plot is being written as I write along and I don't want to trigger anyone or have unsuspecting readers read something they weren't expecting, so make sure to reread my warnings when chapter 6 is out!

I genuinely didn't believe many people would care much about this series, and I wrote it for fun, but it's such a wonderful surprise seeing people engage in my stories and ideas, you're apart of this journey just as much as I am.

Chapter 6 is currently at 6,000+ words and still has a lot more to go through, so it'll be a long chapter! Thank you my stars, for your support, patience, and giving me motivation!

The Andrew "Andy" Graves complete masterlist

Inbox is currently OPEN for questions about the story and new plotlines/ideas, temporarily closed for requests!

[thecarnivorousmuffinmeta]

what are your expectations for the twilight reboot?

i don't know if i can envision a version of twilight that isn't cringe so i have zero expectations.

I have none either. I can make a few guesses but they could end up entirely wrong.

I believe the studio in charge of the reboot is Lionsgate Television, which among other things has co-produced shows like Mad Men, Dear White People, and several others. Notably, the parent company Lionsgate films produced the Hunger Games films.

What I'm getting at here is that this is a large subsidiary studio of a large well-established studio who has gotten their hands on a well-known IP that is primarily targeted to teenage/young women.

Specifically, they're not going to rock the boat. I expect the show to be marketed towards the audience of the books (young women/teenage girls) and not to a broader adult audience (see Mad Men).

More, given the books were so popular, they'll generally follow the plotline and try to tie into book moments they think audience members will like, but they will tone it down a lot. Much like the movies did.

Twilight will probably be kept entirely intact. We'll have the meadow, we'll have Bella nearly be crushed by a van, the blood testing in Biology, the Italian restaurant scene, the James subplot, etc.

However, details like Edward methodically planning the massacre of his biology classroom, will more than likely be dropped or else glossed over.

We're probably going to get an Edward who's palatable. He still has an aura of mysterious darkness, of course, but the audience can rest assured he's their sweet nerd and cinnamon roll and that the vampirism is just an unfortunate, if sexy, affliction.

We'll also likely get a Bella who's more talkative and takes more initiative. Not only does this address common complaints about the character, but it's very difficult to write a show where one of your main character rarely expresses herself out loud. (If you read the books, what Bella narrates versus what she says are two very different things.)

The movies addressed this in part by keeping the voice over narration for Bella with... uh... effect (I personally thought it was very poorly done and mostly hokey).

They might go the same route in the show, maybe Bella will intro each episode and outtro with a diary she writes in, "Dear Diary, today Edward stared at me, he was hot", or we'll get her voice over in pivotal scenes, or she's going to have to start talking to somebody about what she's feeling and thinking.

However, we'll probably get all the major plot points.

After Twilight, is where we might get changes.

It will probably take the film route and blame Edward's religious nature on his dad. They can't remove it, as Edward needs some reason to deny Bella becoming a vampire even when he and his family eat animals, and it can't be the spicy 'you'll probably eat humans anyway'. In the books what he said was Bella would lose her soul, Carlisle disagreed with this in a conversation with Bella. In the movies, they had Carlisle go all in as it ah--makes Edward look like the misguided product of his parents than it being him being religious himself.

Even though New Moon is hilarious in that the romantic lead disappears for an entire novel and Bella spends that novel hallucinating Edward, they're not going to drop it because of the importance of the Quileute characters as well as Jacob being the secondary love interest.

What they might try to do is spice it up and tone it down at the same time. Rather than be a complete depressed blob the entire novel, we might see Bella make significant recoveries to feed the Jacob/Bella side of the love triangle. We'll also probably spend a lot more time on the tribe both to flesh out the characters and to distract from the giant amount of nothing that happens in New Moon.

Bella may or may not hallucinate Edward. It was a large part of the novel, but it was weird, and never to be mentioned again when Eclipse happened. It's also not too fondly remembered by fans, even fans of the Edward/Bella ship. People remember the meadow and the wedding, not the time Bella rode a motorcycle with Edward saying "Don't dooooo iiiiiiiiit". It's entirely possible the producers would find it too spicy.

On the other hand, it's all we see of Edward of what could be half if not an entire season. Given he's the romantic lead that Bella ultimately ends up with, you can't have him on vacation for a fourth of the show.

So, 50/50 on Hallucination Edward.

Eclipse will probably remain mostly intact as well, as we get an exciting love triangle there, but they'll probably tone down Edward again. No longer will Edward kidnap Bella to his house, too spicy, instead he'll look sad and cuckolded as his girlfriend flirts with Jacob. The tent scene will probably be toned down quite a bit as well to remove some of Edward's more alarming statements.

Actually...

I expect all of Edward to always be toned down in every moment. I'm not sure what the hell they'll have him say, but it won't typically be what he says in the books in his more "WHOA" moments.

Now, Breaking Dawn is... interesting. On the one hand, they can squeeze a season out of it and if they're three seasons in and haven't been canceled yet then why not? On the other hand, it doesn't fit in with a typical teenage story that they want to draw people in for.

Bella's suddenly married??? And pregnant??? With a demon??? Their protagonists are out of high school, Bella's pregnant with a demon and dying, there's a war on and all these weird non-teenage people are showing up.

They could choose to end the show with the wedding. Bella and Edward get married, he promises to turn her, they ride off into the sunset.

On the other hand, there are fans who would murder them and cry tears of blood if they don't get the honeymoon/the rest of breaking dawn (even though fans simultaneously hate breaking dawn).

We could get a Breaking Dawn sans Renesmee. The Volturi instead accuse the Cullens of some crime they very clearly have not committed. Irina narks on them for a crime they didn't commit because she was secretly in love with Edward (her character having been merged with Tanya's) or else becuase she seeks revenge for Laurent and didn't act until now. Bella gets her wedding and honeymoon but has to be summoned back because shenanigans are happening again!

However, in that case, they have to figure out how to turn Bella since one of Edward's primary character traits (and one they can't really change as it would alter the entire plot) is that Edward doesn't want to turn her.) And they're going to want Edward to have to do it versus any other character, as it validates that Edward truly does wish to be with Bella forever.

There could be a subplot where Edward tries to hide Bella in the mountains when the Volturi are coming but Bella tells him, "No, Edward, this time we cannot run" despite, you know, the tent debacle weeks earlier where she said "Edward, we absolutely can run"

But again, I really don't know. I'm in the same boat as the rest of you.

[stillness138]

for the character ask game: Vernon Roche

i gotta think about this! thank you

first impression: i actually remember this pretty well because witcher 2 was my first exposure to the franchise. i think i felt pretty much what i was supposed to feel though; "this guy imprisoned me but seems more sensible than the goons he employs". i liked his matter-of-fact but clearly proud and protective attitude towards Ves and his putting the key on the table and walking away like 'surely Geralt will manage'.

impression now: i still like him! surprisingly, cdpr writes original characters with really commendable nuance. of course, if Iorveth is to be believed word for word, Roche is responsible for carrying out hate crimes (he doesn't deny the accusations Iorveth makes, so i think that's just fact), and yet he shows time and time again that he really is more sensible than most. compare him to Rayla - also a special forces leader - and see the difference. Roche lacks the outright bloodthirst or really even the prejudice; it seems to me that he does his job and obeys Foltest without objection because he sees it as doing something worthwhile with his life, considering how he grew up. he and Iorveth contrast and parallel each other in fascinating ways.

favorite thing about him: his relationship towards Ves, because he clearly values her as an employee and as a person. his relative level-headedness. and the unpacked daddy issues that are most definitely there even if he won't talk about it. that part of him is sadly the most relatable to me. i also enjoy his humor, whether intentional or not. "emhyr var emreis, spice merchant" bursting into the elven baths while Triss is trying her hardest to seduce Geralt, fucking comedy gold.

least favorite thing about him: apart from the hate crimes? i think most of my issues that relate to him are metatextual - because the entire political landscape and plotline of witcher 3 sucks ass. maybe he could've held back the cops that beat Geralt though ngl.

favorite line/scene: "And we did. For three days. Then they smashed us into splinters." again, as much as i dislike the politics in witcher 3, this bit stands out to me. maybe also because it's punctuated by a reprise of the second game's main theme, in 3's instrumentation and a much more somber mood. good scene. that and the funny bits. "Some professional you are..."

favorite interaction he has with another character: it should be mainly credited to Letho's absolutely hilarious one-liner, but their little reunion at Kaer Morhen always gets a chuckle out of me. the entire interrogation at the beginning of witcher 2 is up there too.

a character that i wish he would interact with more: in the second game, elves in general. he mostly proves he's not completely shit-headed in context, but it would've been interesting to see him have a conversation with someone like Cedric. third game should've had Iorveth, we all know that.

another character from another fandom that reminds me of him: i know 5 things, but if i had to make a comparison... general Tullius from Skyrim? both are very capable and dedicated servants of a government despite its obvious failures and both show a noticeable sensibility or even calm you perhaps wouldn't expect. both have a badass lady as their right-hand person, too.

a headcanon about him: he hates the smell of cheap alcohol. childhood reminder. i also think he has a notable appreciation for architecture. can't remember if he actually comments on Loc Muinne in any way but somehow it feels like a thing he'd do. and i think it's pretty much canon that his hair color is towards light brown? or have i been living with fanon for far too long. either way, yeah, dirty blonde or warm light brown, super short on the sides.

a song that reminds of him: Shadowplay by Joy Division, in a way. first verse about beginning to serve Foltest, second verse about Foltest's and Temeria's fall. "but i could only stare in disbelief as the crowds all left" versus "and we did, for three days, then they smashed us into splinters".

an unpopular opinion about him: i famously dislike shipping him with Iorveth and i'm actually yet to see a good Roche ship. but the real hot take is that he doesn't need one. did i just say aroace Vernon Roche? maybe.

favorite picture: i'm sorry, but it's gotta be this one. on a more serious note, i always liked this piece of fanart a lot too. he gets to be cool.

[newx-menfan]

Marvel Infinity Comics Love Unlimited #43

*Spoilers*

The issue starts with Gwenpool on Krakoa, instigating her own “meet-cute” with recently revived Wither, while talking about Romance Tropes. (Basically think about it like if every Mindy Kaling show was a comic book plotline…. 😂🤣)

They get to talking about plants (Gwen remembered he was into Gardening and Art from NXM!) and they plan to meet up for dinner so Kevin can help her with her garden!

(For people who don’t know- Gwenpool is a character used to parody and commentate on Comic book Tropes- she’s essentially a real person who has been sucked into the comic verse…)

We find out Gwen has “main character syndrome” and has decided what she really needs to up her recognition is a love interest…and apparently Gwen is also a hardcore NXM fan and LOVES Wither! (So do we Gwen…so do we!)

Gwen tries to look into the future via the web/breaking the fourth wall and sees various web info on COVID and on herself…mainly negative commentary on how she’s a derivative copy of Deadpool (we do LOVE you on TUMBLR Gwen!!); also we find out Gwen has been in the Marvel verse for 8 years now…and is kind of still bitter about her book getting cancelled (understandable!)!

We find out Gwen was also a huge Rogue/Gambit shipper growing up (honestly…same…just don’t read the most recent comic book Gwen! 😂🤣🤣)and wants to copy the will they/won’t they- “we can never touch” tension…

In between plant innuendos at dinner- Wither touches Gwens hand…and we discover Kevin now has full control of his powers, much to Gwen’s chagrin…

(Does this mean Wither and Selene aren’t “together” anymore??)

((As much as Gwen complains the relationship is super BORING now…STILL better than Kid Omega during WCA! 😂🤣🤣…))

Gwen decides what she needs to spice this up is a love triangle…and who BETTER than Wither’s PRIOR rival….Elixir?!!

Review:

This whole comic is just a KICK honestly! Jeremy Whitley did an AMAZING job!!

The jokes are great (LOVED the “One More Day” call out especially!), it’s well researched, and in the same vein as “Spider-Man and the X-Men”! 

It’s basically a NXM must read!!

Honestly…It was really hard choosing which panels to feature in the review… it’s THAT amazing!

The only downside is the art…which is pretty meh…but all things considered- it’s just a fun issue!

Super excited for the next one to come out- honestly this kind of content makes me want to get a Marvel Unlimited account! 

Gwen really SHOULD interact with the X-Men MORE!!

Predictions:

Gwen totally forgot the biggest hiccup to this plan…Wallflower! 😂🤣🤣

Really hope we get more NXM cameos…maybe Gwen will try to get in on the Surge/Prodigy/Speed drama next!! 😂🤣🤣

[fraudulent-cheese]

I always thought Amy and Sammy should have been on different teams for their own development. Sammy slowly but surely becomes her own person and gets the confidence she didn't have before without her sister pushing her down or making everyone hate her. While Amy can get worse, either in a positive or negative, as she doesn't have her sister as a scapegoat

Ok i have no clue who this anon is or why they keep sending me Pahkitew Island thoughts, but boy am i glad they are!

I'll be real, i think most people would agree with you on this. Amy and Sammy being on the same team really damaged their potential to be their own people, but the biggest problem really comes from this cast only getting one season. If we got a second, i'd say they would've been on different teams. They would've been expanded upon as characters, at least a little bit!

As i've mentionned multiple times, Twinning With a Twist did a really good job with them to me. First of all, splitting them up but still letting them interact is great, but then on top of that the writter actually expands on Amy and Sammy's characters by giving them... Character! and Agency! and a backstory!

Honestly i want to do something similar - not beat for beat obviously, but the added depth to both parties + Sammy getting a character outside of her getting pushed around by Amy. I'll probably reorganise the teams a little to do this, but they would be on the same team at first, with their plotline progressing like canon, with the big difference being Sammy trying to take charge of her team and getting a confidence boost after she takes over her sister's identity. Right after Amy swims back on the Island however, Chris decides to keep the stronger twin in the game, just on the opposite team! You know, for the added spice!

In general their most important relationships end up being with Jasmine for Sammy and Scarlett for Amy - i'll stop myself here since this ask wasn't directly about my rewrite but their plot's really important, and not just for the twins ;)

[they-reap-what-we-sow]

Okay I'm gonna be honest, I was kind of underwhelmed by the mid-season finale...

Now, I'm not gonna say I didn't like it, or that it was a bad episode- because I did enjoy it and it was a pretty well done episode, but it felt like it didn't give us the feeling of a mid-season finale.

The emergencies all felt scattered, with no clear theme over arching them. I've felt the theme better in random episodes throughout the rest of the seasons, especially 5b. The big emergency, the one fire (the first one all season!) should have been a much bigger part of the episode, especially with how impactful it was to Bobby, and what I assume is a plot line that will follow into 6b. I know 9-1-1 tries to stay away from fire emergencies because they don't want to be a basic firefighter show but like,,,, y'all they can fight fires we won't get bored promise 🤞

Another thing was just that the vibes didn't feel like mid-season finale. We've had a really light season, with nothing big in the realm of trauma/drama excepting the Hen/Karen/Henren stuff, but for the most part, this has been one of the lightest seasons we've had throughout the show. For that matter, I thought they were building us up to crash down hard in the finale, but no, it felt just as light and almost, like, nonessential. The Josh prank plotline specifically??? Like it felt so out of place in a finale that me and @fanfictiongreenirises almost thought he was gonna have a heart attack or something to spice things up, but alas.

Maybe it's just because we'd been building up to this ep for two weeks, and we had time to spiral into theories, especially with the Buck Coma Theory (which I fully believe in as a 6b arc, but more on that later) but I think we just over hyped the episode to ourselves, and personally I was left wanting more.

Ah well, I'm off to the archive to make this better for myself!

[edwinspaynes]

hello hello! I have just become a overnight fan of yours i just LOVEE ur blog ever since a moot advocated your work! I wanted to pass on similar questions/musings i had for her, and since i became a fan of urs, i would LOVE to know ur pov on them <3<3<3

2. Cassie on spicy romance

A lot of the “spicy” romansce fantasy authors that kind of pioneered the sub genre (SJM, Jennifer l armentrout, laura thalassa etc) all started in YA, and then in mid series, they shifted and grew with their audience to go more adult in themes.

Do you think Cassandra Clare should have done the same thing and missed this opportunity? Would you have preferred if she reflected this? I personally feel like her fandom would still be as strong as ever if she followed her colleagues suit.

Or do you think that she stayed good sticking to her roots and her writing voice lends itself to not have more adult type of romances and benefits from a fade to black shall we say.

In her latest kickstarter, one of the four novels that are in it, will feature 10 spicy romantic couples from shadow hunters universe. Given this is crowd funded it makes me wonder if, if it were up to her, she would have gone more adult themed but her publishing contract held her back from it. But then from a publishers pov, isn’t that shooting yourself in the foot? All the authors I mentioned above changed their contracts I feel to reflect the direction the audience knew would give the most captain gain.

I would love to know your thoughts on this 🤭.

Lots to unpack here. First, SHOUTOUT TO LAURA THALASSA. That's one of my main go-to/autobuy authors! I just got the Queen of All That Dies, too, so I'm excited to chomp down into it.

Anyway, we can fangirl about Laura Thalassa later if you want (?).

I don't think Cassie's works are suited to romantasy. I say this with a lot of love to the genre - it's one of my favourites - but romantasy is... not known for its world-building. It's clear to me not just from TSC but from SC that world-building is a great delight for her. Also, I feel like she's trying to position herself as a "serious" fantasy author like George RR Martin or Diana Gabaldon. That's been the main vibe I've gotten from her SC tour.

I don't think she should have been a romantasy author, but I also don't think she should stick to YA. I talked a bit about this yesterday and in the past, too, but TLH should definitely have been an adult trilogy. None of the characters feel like teens anyway besides Lucie and maybe Jesse. Like, Cassie deadass wrote 20somethings, went "huh, gotta publish this as YA," and waved the magic want to make them 17. All those characters read as Riverdale Teens to me. Cole Sprouse at 29 in a weird hat.

Adult Urban Fantasy TLH wouldn't have written Tessa out of her own plotline. It would have unpacked Alastair's trauma and the Carstairs family dynamic more fully. 10/10 adult.

As for the Kickstarter, I don't really care about the spice level of the content. I'm going to like the ships I like, and not like the ones I don't. I'm pretty simple when it comes to this, lol. >_<

[honestreviewsblog]

Cursed in Love JDrama - A Fan's Journey (with spoilers!!)

Ep 1-2

It's got every trope that I look for in a romance story omg. It's got, childhood friends, love-hate relationship, enemies to lovers, AND partners in crime ALL in one relationship.

Me: Such complicated feelings!! 🫢

It has the spice that I've been looking for in Jdramas and honestly I am sold, I am seated, I am so ready for this roller coaster ride.

The ML isn't looking really green flag-ish right now, as a matter a fact at this point I can safely say he's a red flag. But I also do understand FL's torned up feelings too so, "Girlie, I can't even blame you right now to be honest".

I can't wait for what this drama's in store for us.

Ep 3-4

I was shookt, tbh I DID NOT expect any intimate scenes from a Jdrama. Or maybe I just haven't watched enough?? Anyway, the plotline is need I say it? A bit sad. And the main characters just feel so lonely and isolated as a person. So the overall tone of the drama is just looking for the goodness and the 'light' in an otherwise really dark and lonely life.

The ML continues to be a red flag hahahahaha. He could've just explained things properly but I guess he just never learned how to be a good person so he never even considered actually communicating first before doing something really concerning. FL continues to surprise me in so many ways. She looks very timid and shy but she's actually strong for putting up with everything that's been happening in this family to be honest; and her perseverance is really commendable, just sad that she has to hide her own identity even though I can see that she's also falling for ML. I can't even imagine what would happen when he finds out. But still, I'm so excited hahahaha.

5-8

I forgot to update 5-6 yesterday cos I was so out of it!! The plot thickened so much I didn't even know how to begin. So I'm just gonna wrap it up with the finale.

And damn was it a whole rollercoaster ride. The moment you think it's the end, another revelation gets revealed like an onion or something, the skins just go on and on—it feels never ending. But I'm not gonna spoil anything. Just go watch it yourself so you'll get what I mean hahahahaha.

Anyway overall, the drama was so goooood. I did NOT expect the revelations at all! And I thought I could pretty much figure things out through all those years watching KDramas but apparently, I'm still a baby when it comes to predicting JDrama plots.

I love it 10/10 ✨ It feels like they had a season 2 within the last 3 episodes but it didn't feel rushed or slow, it was just right but I also wished there were more. Maybe more cute scenes between the main characters?? But that's just wishful thinking, I knew they can't have more due to the premise and having cute scenes towards the end also wouldn't fit the overall tone of the drama. So to me it really was a 10/10 💖

[bubblegumflavor]

As a fellow fic writer in this fandom I get how you feel. Back in 07, when I wrote fics in Live Journal you'd always get at least one comment even if it was from a mutual. But I'm a bit used to sending things out into a void and not always getting a response.

You gotta do what's best for your creativity! Keep writing for yourself if that's what makes you happy :)

PS~ I love your art~~ you draw them so cute together like I always wanna squish them.

Hi Anon~ <3

I remember when I started (2005ish maybe?) and I wrote in several fandoms since then, I got a good 15 comments per chapter, sometimes 20 sometimes 9.. but that was a regular count depending on the fandom. It got less over the years, sometimes updates with zero but next time a couple of comments and so on. I got used to write with very little response and made my peace with it. I always say if there's one person who enjoys it with me and who is happy about my writing, it's worth sharing!

However..

There's a difference if I see like people subscribing, leaving kudos, active page hits that go ~100/150 per upload... and NO ONE leaves a comment? I got lucky for my last fic, I had a good 3~5 people (out of 70 subscribers) who regulary commented. Not everytime always but enough to keep me going. I cut the story short in the end, ngl. I had planned much more but not only for that but also for me, I cut it short and that helped me decide to do so because even out of those 5-ish people, it got less towards the end.

I had another story in a more or less dead fandom where I always said I had a basic planned plotline with options to expand (I always have XD), to do 'road trips' and stuff... no one spoke up, I ended the story basic planned, people complained that there wasn't more. And I wonder... why do you come now when it's over not while I was writing and asking if people wanted more?

I am totally okay with little response.. that's all I want, some interaction with readers, knowing if people are there and if me sharing my story does something for anyone. I even started again to say: 'please leave a comment if you liked the chapter ' and out of 200 hits, no one does. It's pretty hard to not start to take it personally if I am completely honest, especially on a bad day. You wonder why people can't spare a minute to leave some kind words. It's not about having the most liked most commented most awarded story of all, I don't care about clicks and counts and comparing myself to others.

You start a new story and back in the days people used to leave some motivation like: I'm interested, I'm curious to see where this is going. Something like that... now... Nothing. Now finally a few people made themselves visible but after what? Me begging and honestly considering to not keep posting. I'm annoyed about myself that I see no other way than beg people to interact. I feel pathetic for doing so but I don't wanna just suck it up either, if that makes sense..

So yeah, maybe I will switch to.. finish a story for myself and then decide if I share it. It won't be the same fun I used to have but it has an impact on my motiviation, I can't deny that. If the story is done, it's done. Maybe I can spice it up with some artwork then or sth.. idk.

Thank you so much for reaching out, it means a lot! And I am happy you enjoy my dumb fluffy art-stuff =) <3

[mannakete]

#wolqotd’s from twitter, Adelline Roux edition

> Hoes does your wol(oc) feel about their name? (from RikaXIV on twt) related q:  depending on culture or circumstance, does your WoL have an alias or multiple names? How did they get their new name? (from OriWhiteDeer on twt)

Adelline enjoys her name quite a lot since she’s distanced herself from her birthplace so much, she no longer has any connection to her birth parents or tribe.

>  Does your WoL have a signature hairstyle or is your WoL like me who fancies changing hairstyles every now and then? (from rinkunffxiv)

Gyr Abanian Plait. Adelline has a tendency to neglect taking care of her hair (in that she leaves it long) so Vynya tied it up in this style and it hasn’t changed (much) since. [Tho I have tried other, shorter hairstyles I always go back to the plait in the end)

>  Just out of curiosity, how old are your WoLs in your canon? (from Mortinfami ART (answered last year))

Adelline would be in her early 30s now based on how I personally see the story progression (which is the irl time it takes for the patch releases is how long it takes for the year to progress. I’m sorry, Thancred did not go through All of That in a few months)

> who's your wol/oc's favorite twin: alpinhaud, or alisaie? (from protractions on twt)

Adelline favors Alphinaud a LITTLE more. Part of it is feeling partially responsible for a lot of the things that have gone wrong during the story. She’s usually attentive to details, she missed many things in the early days in Eorzea as she was preoccupied with Raze and Vynya’s safety in a new continent. She also feels more comfortable nudging him back on track when she has the mind to. Also she’s never had a brother, she only has a sister. So she likes the novelty

> I assume the question was about the WoL’s feelings about the end of Crystal Tower, but the tweet no longer exists sadly

Adelline (and Raze) was pretty sad about it. She does not enjoy people sacrificing themselves (hi shb) but she knows too well from travelling that partings come, but she still wasn’t prepared for a parting like this.

>  I have another incredibly important wol question. summer theme let's go. could they crush a(n allagan) watermelon between their thighs. (from catnipfarm)

Adelline could with a bit of effort. And by effort, I mean you need to get the “why” through to her.

> (Endwalker spoilers)  While recovering from the final fight with Zenos, who comes to visit them? Do they even want/allow visitors? (from InMyLeyLines)

Adelline didn’t get to choose either way, Raze made sure of that. Adelline allowed it, not only because Raze suddenly became a miqo’te shaped octopus, but also because if she didn’t, Raze probably wouldn’t have slept well. 

 >  If your ffxiv character wasn't the warrior of light, what would they be instead? Job quest npc? Custom deliveries npc? Raid story npc? Whacky sidequest npc? (from Loudwindow)

Adelline was a wanderer before she became the WoL in her plotline, and that’s what she (and the others) would be if she was never chosen/a shard of Azem.

>  How did your WoL take learning about their Azem? (from faeth_s)

Adelline doesn’t care. The past is past and Azem isn’t her anymore regardless of what people say about it thus she holds no attachment to the identity or name, both good and bad. [I have not thought extensively about my WoL’s Azems because I don’t deep dive into lore enough to do that.)

>  What's the most unnatural job for your WoL to play? What's the least suited to them as a person/their combat style? (from byletri)

Healing and pure magic classes of any kind. She prefers being upfront to cover the more magically adept fighters.

>  Inspired by a recent question about what scents they like: I want to know what their magic smells like! If they're not a caster, are there any scents you associate with particular kinds of magic in general? (from InMyLeyLines)

Adelline's is either like a completely sterilized room or a restaurant's spice cabinet

>  WOL/OC question: what disciple of the land/hand jobs do you consider canon for your WOL? Is there any special context in their story? Are there some that they like and partake in but maybe aren't very good at? (from thancredulous)

Adelline likes Alchemy. She’s especially good at potion brewing and making drinks, Everything else she’s not super good at. Usually she applies too much force but she’s somehow managed to be patient and careful enough for potions

>  Did your Wol want to be a Wol? (from RikaXIV)

Absolutely not. All Adelline concerned herself with before was keeping her family safe, but now she had to do that and she could no longer make the decision that they could just leave the area when things got too dangerous.

>  What type of crier is your WoL? Loud, ugly-sobbing type, or perhaps it takes far too much to get even a single tear? (from WoLQuestions)

Adelline doesn’t cry outwardly. She’ll stubbornly hold it in until it becomes FAR too much (such as what happened with “In From the Cold”) but even then, it’s quietly and in private. Not even Raze has seen her break down. 

>  On a scale of 1 to 10, 1 being incredibly easy, and 10 being nearly impossible, how difficult is it to date your WoL/RP OC? (from ChubScarlet)

10. She’s in a committed relationship and I don’t do polyships.  But just for fun, Adelline would realistically be an 8 because you need to be pretty fucking blunt with her.

>  everyone wants an ishgardian ballroom scene but how well would your wol actually handle all those noble lords and ladies mobbing them for dances (from radicrow)

Adelline would hate it because she’s just plain not interested. 

>  Who is your WoL’s emotional support? (from WoLQuestions)

Raze and her sister, Vynya. She HAS gotten closer to the scions enough to consider them true companions but she wouldn’t go to them for her own emotional needs.

>  What kind of video games would your wol play in a modern AU? Any reason for that? (from CGekkou)

Adelline would play RPGs. She’ll also play MonHun on co-op with Vynya or Stardew with Raze (raze LOVES stardew). Her favorite series is Atelier (but don’t tell anyone). 

>  Your WoL returns to their childhood home. How do they react? (from AnrhiOri)

She doesn’t care. She has no attachment to that land and she would leave as soon as she could.

>  What would be your WoL's catchphrase when you select them in the Trust menu? (from FF_XIV_EN (official)

if healer, "If I have to.." If Tank or DPS, "Don't dawdle."

>  Cringe/comedy/awkward scenario— given how known the WoL is now; what would YOUR WoL/D do if just outside the Rising Stones a bunch of obnoxious fans now gather to try and get a glimpse of them??? (from SmolWol)

Adelline pushes her way through while being absolutely embarrassed to the seven hells by the attention

>  where was your wol during the calamity at the end of 1.0? (from bardings)

On another continent, she hadn’t yet made it to eorzea with the others.

Non qotd facts from my twt: > Adelline is a TERRIBLE liar > She had several scars, due to being a melee fighter. So she’s littered with small cuts and probably a few puctures > she has said her name was “Nyadelline” to Raze once while shitfaced drunk. Raze punched her for it.

Adelline’s class path:  (2.0) WAR > (2.1+) SAM > (3.0) SAM > (4.0) SAM > (5.0) SAM > (6.0) RPR

[pureimaginefic]

Trivia

Vicki’s father James was at first an elitist snob who Vicki couldn’t stand

Lisa is named after a girl I went to school with who was a complete bitch

Vicki of course comes from Victoria “Posh Spice” Addams who I hardcore shipped with Brian when I was little, note their last names also being similar.

Incidentally Emily was loosely inspired by Emma “Baby Spice” Bunton

I gave Kevin, Howie, AJ, and Nick a case of SORAS (Soap Opera Rapid Aging Syndrome) to roughly the same as Brian so the high school plotline and the boys’ birth years made sense without being weird (IRL Nick would’ve been 12 and AJ would’ve been 13/14 if Neilson and Adam were to actually exist)

The boys’ names were supposed to be temporary placeholders so I could remember who’s kid belonged to whom until I could think of new ones…that didn’t happen

The boys’ middle names were inspired by my love of horror movies,

Bradley (Jason Voorhees; Friday the 13th)

Neilson (Freddy Krueger; Nightmare on Elm Street)

Kyle (Michael Myers; Halloween)

Harry (Dracula)

Adam’s middle name was originally Jackson as I believed that the killer of the Texas Chainsaw Massacre, Leatherface’s, real name was Jack (John), turns out it’s Thomas Hewitt, therefore Adam has no ties to any kind of scary movie, which I guess is okay considering he’s scary enough as a person

As far as I know the name “Neilson” IS real I only came up with it because I couldn’t think of another boys’ name that started with an N, completely forgetting the name Nathan existed

Natalie’s last name comes from a guy I was friends with in high school

Mr. Wexler was also the name of the school’s principal in the show “Even Stevens” let’s just say I decided to borrow it

Coach Reinhart’s name comes from my childhood best friend’s maternal grandfather, affectionately known as “Poppy Reinhart”

Forever Your Girl, Pomp & Circumstance, and The Winchester Saga went through NUMEROUS rewrites before their final versions were released

Harry is an amalgamation of Carlton from Fresh Prince, Fez from That 70’s Show, and Steve Urkel from Family Matters

The Winchester Saga has lead to some confusion with people thinking it has something to do with the TV show Supernatural, it doesn’t I was just trying to think of an elite, powerful, snooty sounding last name. I DID create characters named Sam and Dean as a fun Easter egg but they don’t hunt the supernatural, just criminals

The characters Rachel, Chandler, and Joey were NOT done on purpose, I didn’t realize I did it until much later and yes, Friends IS one of my favorite shows 

Incase you didn’t know, Bradley and Neilson are best friends (yes I’m aware of how much I have them refer to each other as such) their relationship is modeled after Brian and Nick’s during the early days of BSB when they were super close

Bradley, Neilson, and Natalie’s friendship was inspired by Shawn, Corey, and Topanga on Boy Meets World

Kevin’s departure from BSB is included in the series with it being mentioned that he’s either in Boston or New York working on movies

Brian’s Christian, good boy persona made me want to make Bradley a snarky, sarcastic, rebellious metalhead  

Neilson is just Nick during his Now or Never era

Mr. Mooney is a faceless character, meaning he’s only mentioned in passing and never actually makes appearances

“Backstreet Manor” as it’s called is big enough to include (at least) 10 bedrooms, an in-home recording studio, a game room, Harry’s lab, and an in-ground pool

While Natalie has a friendly relationship with Kyle and Harry, and is best friends with Bradley, she and Adam have an acrimonious relationship 

Bradley’s car “Christine” a 2008 Ford Mustang convertible gets it’s name from the Stephen King novel of the same name

[justhereforthepies]

Just wanna thank the people in this tag for reminding me that sane people exist.

I guess you can't expect better when the premises of the book are diametrically opposed to one another. Of course, SJM can't square a circle.

- morally flawed complex aggressive protagonist AND selfless good 'pure' victim protagonist

- fair, moral leader who believes in equality & justice AND all-powerful autocrat

- rich city with amazing artistic culture, delicious food with international spices, and expensive fabrics & gems aplenty AND secret isolationist protectionist nationalist fortress city

- war as an evil, harmful reality that changes everyone's lives for the worse AND sexy, cinematic battle scenes where hundreds are vaporized, have their souls consumed, and are drowned by the protagonist's team (whose core members are personally immune to death)

- people are morally complicated, we should acknowledge that everyone has mistakes & regrets AND some people are 100% evil with no redeeming value

- intimate parter abuse includes isolating, controlling, aggressive, and jealous behaviour AND a love interest who does all of the former

It's difficult to address the first truths when you are writing in a genre (mass market fantasy adventure romance) whose narrative conventions typically rely on the second.

So SJM has the narrators say espouse the truths while the plot and characters act according to convention. She keeps the actual characterization and world building incredibly stereotypical, so much that her descriptions of people and nations become repetitive.

But people love repetition in storytelling, that's why tropes are a thing. So even when these thin caricatures are portrayed as completely different people from book to book, and from narration to action - they still act as readers expect them to because their actions are stereotyped so strongly in each scene. Some of the highest ranked (by kudos, comments, hits) fan fics on A03 could easily 'find & replace' character names to adapt them to almost any fandom with almost no tweaks. Because the characters aren't... characterized - they're just stock. They have complex and traumatic backstories, but those personal histories feel like distant gossip for all the effects that they have on a character's motivations and actions. The plot needs the actions, so the characters take those actions.

Luckily, a lot of those actions are smut that just so happens to coincide with some of the most popular fanfic conventions of the past decade.

So, the ACOTAR series sold really well, and honestly - the plot is a fun ride even if the disconnect between the text and reality is sometimes a huge chasm that was incredibly frustrating.

I think I was most frustrated at the 'mates' Feysand plotline because that trope feels sooooo lazy to me! It's fine where authors wanna 'skip to the good part' or do some morally complex dubcon, but this is a modern mass market novel... so why are we doing it? Couldn't SJM at least justify it somehow - like the characters were fated to help each other take some critical action so 'fate' (the cauldron, the mother, the weaver - any of those characters are readily available) tied them together or reincarnation or... anything?

Seriously, it seems like Feyre & Rys never even work as a team because the rare time they try, they get caught up in their feelings for one another. They are on the same side but always doing their own independent tasks that don't rely on the other at all. Or the text says they are 'working together' while they don't have matching objectives or perspectives because they are always lying to one another or keeping secrets.

No, 'mates' is just lazy. It's not needed, and it runs so counter to the "independence and freedom are core virtues" message the narrators keep saying (despite being imperialist autocrats in a semi-feudalistic society). It's one contradiction that she could have skipped, but I guess it makes money, so what do I know.

If anyone has reading recommendations, I'd love some.

[love-bokumono-fics]

Fresh Crops! Week of June 19 - 25, 2023

This week's newest fics and chapter updated for Harvest Moon and Story of Seasons on AO3!

Sugar and Spice - by Chibimiie; WIP, 57/?, 150k

Rating: Mature; Archive Warning: No Archive Warnings Apply; Category: F/M Fandoms: Animal Parade Relationships: Chase/Molly the Farmer, Angela/Luke; Characters: Molly | Hikari, Angela the Farmer, Chase, Luke, Kasey the Farmer Additional Tags: Slow Burn, oh god how do you tag fics, mentions of eating disorders, alternating povs, Friends to Lovers, Cross-Posted on FanFiction.Net, bumped up the rating because i honestly should have a little bit ago, burn so slow it's honestly a simmer Summary: Wanting to get away from past hurts of the city, sisters Molly and Angela decide to respond to a flyer advertising an abandoned farm on the faraway island of Castanet. Leaving behind their closest friends and brother Kasey, the two take a chance and move to the tiny island hoping for a new chance at life.

I'll Be My Own Hero Anthology Collection - by PrinceErose; WIP, 1/?, 2.2k

Rating: Not Rated; Archive Warning: No Archive Warnings Apply; Category: Other Fandom: Tree of Tranquility Relationship: Luke/Owen | Ose; Characters: Luke the Carpenter, Owen Additional Tags: Luke is gay (surprise), he's in denial tho Summary: Aside from the main plotline of the "I'll Be My Own Hero" work, the other residents of Waffle Island also have their own goings on. Gill is not the only person with goals and motivations, after all.

37. Bow tie - by late_night_writer; Complete, 1/1, 100

Rating: General Audiences; Archive Warning: No Archive Warnings Apply; Category: F/M Fandom: Animal Parade Relationship: Angela/Luke; Characters: Angela the Farmer, Luke the Carpenter Additional Tags: Drabble, Weddings, Fluff Summary: Bow tie. Luke can't tie a bow tie.

South of the Mountain - by KonekoLili; Complete, 1/1, <1k

Rating: General Audiences; Archive Warning: No Archive Warnings Apply; Category: F/M Fandom: The Tale of Two Towns Relationships: Cam/Farmer, Cam/Reader; Characters: Cam, Farmer Additional Tags: Short One Shot, Short & Sweet, Childhood Trauma, Childhood Memories, writer insert, Self-Indulgent, I love Cam, Cam is the best Harvest Moon marriage candidate, No Dialogue, I wrote this to vent lol, I'm Sorry Summary: A short story about Cam and the new farmer during childhood.

The Heart of a Westown Cowboy - by Mya_Stone; WIP, 25/?, 34k

Rating: General Audiences; Archive Warning: No Archive Warnings Apply; Category: F/M Fandom: Trio of Towns Relationship: Female Farmer/Wayne; Characters: Frank, Ford, Carrie, Brad, Megan, Hector, Colin, Daryl | Darius, Marlena, Lynn, Wayne, Miranda Additional Tags: Slow Burn, Romance, Romantic Friendship, Guy Falls First, famiy drama, I Wrote This For Me But I'll Share It With You Summary: Wayne is Westown's perpetually single lady's man. He'd like to settle down but he just hasn't found The One and he's fairly certain he's met everyone in town. Then Melody moves in, taking a plot of her uncle's ranch to fulfill her dream of being a rancher. A college-educated business woman, Melody doesn't accept failure - especially not her own. As Wayne falls hard for her, she struggles to return his affections until she has what she came for - and when she continually comes up short at the cow competitions, she begins to wonder if Westown is really the place for her.

[flodaya]

What's a concise way you would explain the insanity of season 7 (and tonight in particular) to a person who doesn't watch druck?? I'm trying to explain something to my friend lmao

I could probably summarize it and make it sound rather okay because the set up is right there, the story would have told itself but they keep adding cringey spicy scenes that don’t change the trajectory at all, so here is this season summarized, leave out the stuff in parentheses if you want to pretend the season is decent

ismail the main character is a 17yo gender non conforming teen

they have a little brother who is embarrassed by them

ismail has a highly dysfunctional best friend group

they also hang out a lot with their childhood best friend sascha who seems to be crushing on ismail

isi starts hanging out with the new kid lou and one of their best friends construction

new kid lou is also gnc and really confident

(the three almost have a threesome that is never brought up again)

isi is jealous of constar hanging out with lou a lot so they try to be more masculine like sporty spice

lou ends up in a middle of continent and isi’s love triangle but she has none of it and tells ismail to knock it off and instead helps isi to be who they are, they don’t need to change how they dress etc

(then they steal tampons and scream robin of the hood a few times)

ismail joins one of their other best friend’s dance group and at first they are uncomfortable as the only “guy” but the second dance practice is better and they feel more confident

though their dysphoria is triggered again when they pick up their little brother from soccer practice and to not embarrass him they dress “masculine”, little brother still embarrassed though :/

best clip alert: sascha comes the next day to cheer ismail up who is struggling with their gender expression, he tell them they’re not alone and they watch a movie

Lou and isi kiss but realize that they’re just friends (way to drag that out for 5 weeks)

ismail meets David at a youth center where sascha works, David explains what dysphoria is, isi seems to relate to the term and david invites them to come to a meeting

David also asks sascha to DJ on Friday and isi encourages sascha promising to be there as emotional support

(but alas isi rather breaks into school to have a party and steal back a weed plant with a bunch of friends)

they could have simply had a party somewhere and not done the whole cringe thing at school? would have made more sense, because in general ismail once again neglecting their friendship with sascha and failing to be a supportive friend is a good set up and will probably lead somewhere (hopefully not to a romantic relationship)

(Contactlense kisses ismail without consent when lou tells him to do something funny, and isi is rightfully startled and gets an anxiety attack)

isi is overwhelmed by seeing all their friends kissing and being intimate so they run out

(all of the above could have and should have been 3 weeks, with the rest of the season actually developing further upon these storylines)

still a mess but I feel like summarizing it gave me an idea what they’re trying to do? they just fail at it spectacularly because they 1) add so much “teen coming of age movie aesthetic” that it ends up looking cheap and 2) focus on the wrong storylines, the Lou/isi/consti stuff isn’t that interesting or complex, we didn’t need that much set up for a simple jealousy love triangle plot line

oh yeah and I left out the entire Ava plotline (meaning the one fucking clip……..) because I am not getting into that whole mess, the way they’ve treated ava is inexcusable