#tropy trope trope!

[llycaons]

this show could use some gender fuckery

[starlight-bread-blog]

Zutara Ship Baiting Moments

Before I start listing off the scenes I need to explain this: The scenes are coded as romantic, they're not explicitly romantic. I'm not saying Zuko and Katara were canonically in love with each other, I'm saying some scenes ended up tropy with romantic undertones.

THE WATERBENDING SCROLL:

"I'll save you from the pirates".

Yeah he's threatening her, but what is this line? Why did he grab her hands while saying that? Why did he get so close to her, even after she was tied? Why wrapping his hand around her? All of this is extra work to the animators. He could have just dangled it in front of her, but instead we got a typical enemies to lovers moment.

THE SIEGE OF THE NORTH PART 1:

(1th) "Well, aren't you a big girl now".

(2th) "You rise with the moon, I rise with the sun".

Once again he says these lines, that are completely unnecessary, shippy, enemies to lovers. Why? What is it doing here?

THE CROSSROADS OF DESTINY:

The soft yet exciting music, the shinning crystals, Katara's hand on Zuko's thumb, all speak for themselves. Katara absolutly didn't have to touch Zuko's face like this, they get interrupted. And when she heals she puts the water on the spot, so I'd make sense if they got interrupted. But they didn't, and she didn't even took out the water. Then it won't be shippy.

THE SOUTHERN RAIDERS:

This is a perfect example of the "Suggestive Collision" trope. An actual romance trope. And then, of course, the "Please Get Off Me" trope. They're used to create romantic tension. Whyyyyyy?

EMBER ISLAND PLAYERS:

Aang is about to sit next to Katara, and then Zuko steals his seat. Katara notices, tucks her hair behind her hair and gives Zuko a glance. Why do that? Why do something that really looks like it's foreshadowing a love triangle? Why do that when it goes by so fast and does nothing? Why animating this? Why writing this?

SOZIN'S COMET PART 2:

"She's not my girlfriend"!

Another typical romance trope, the "She Is Not My Girlfriend". Used for romantic leads/ eventual romantic leads.

SOZIN'S COMET PART 4:

What else can I say about this scene? It's very obviously ship baiting. But if you don't think it is, here's a video taken from here with Sokka inserted there. What a beautiful comclusion to a beautiful relationship.

[polubrony]

You know what I find really interesting about Vaggie? She basically begins her arc where Zuko, Catra, and Amity all ended theirs.

Yeah, you right!

She is a character with an already finished redemption arc (you might say, Charlie's first success)

And now we are away from the usual redemption tropes, and that makes me very interested in her further development

And that also might be the reason why some people think that she is boring - the tropy part is done (same might be said about chaggie too)

Anyway, I hope Viv will continue work with Vaggie and find some interesting directions for her character

[indelicateink]

people. the Interview with the Vampire anonymous kink meme has busted through into the triple digits with requests! aaaaaaa!!!!

summing up the smorgasbord of kinks & themes & tropes we are currently playing with (eta: to be clear, kink and/or sex is not necessary in requests! all prompts are very welcome. this is only a list of some of the ideas going on...which you should definitely add to, raunchy or not):

loustat corset/restricted breathing kink | loumand public sex | loustat monsterfucking | loumand BDSM including impact play, pain play, spanking, more | loustat biological imperative and consensual non-con | magnus/lestat non-con, harem | louis/omcs & armand/omcs non-con creampie, felching | claudeleine face sitting, squirting, semi-public sex | louis/armand&lestat&daniel camgirl | loumandstat double penetration | loumand BDSM, switching roles | armandaniel puppy play | armand/daniel/louis roleplay | dreamstat/louis bath house/public sex | loustat crossdressing | lesmand BDSM | lestat/nicky&armand&others compulsion, breeding, creampie, mpreg | louis/dreamstat erotophonophilia | lesmand hatesex | marius/daniel non-con touching | louis/daniel foot fetish | loumand + rose toy | loustat werewolf sex | loumand dub-con mind control | loustat sex while trapped | marius/armand/lestat embarrassment during sex | claudeleine voyeurism | armandaniel master/pet | loustat sex in tight spaces/accidental stimulation | loustat & magnus/lestat cuckolding | santiago/armand humiliation | loustat/omc dub-con mind control sex including spitroasting | santiago/armand + TdV polycule | armandaniel dub-con BDSM including humiliation, impact play, more | loustat forced orgasm | dreamstat/louis rape fantasy | loustat subspace, cockwarming | loustat pregnancy kink | loustat armandaniel claudeline lesmand forced orgasm, hypnotism, somnophilia | loumand storytelling & masturbation | loustat consensual somnophilia | magnus/lestat sadism, non-con | loustat consenusal non-con, aphrodisiac, exhibitionism | loustat impact play, injury, wounds as tropies | loustat orgasm denial | armandaniel marius/armand mpreg & infidelity

other acts and flavors in the mix: hurt/comfort, threesome, cunnilingus, rimming, intercrural sex, promiscuity, grief, being closeted, sex work, power imbalance, forbidden love, intimacy, awkward crushes, jealousy, incoherence due to pleasure, shame, whump, dead dove, cheating, drunk sex, first time, dream sex, negotiated sex, accidental bonding, drugged sex, outing, possessive behavior, sugar daddy

the list of requests has the full prompts

feeling inspired? fill a prompt or make a request (to request, be signed in to AO3 [it's still anon] by clicking on the prompt form button on the left-side menu)

writing takes time--we have two fills so far this week with the influx of prompts, and a few people have made some pending claims

one million million thank yous to @vampire-dove for maintaining this anon kink meme for us.

[cornbake]

Hi! Can I request a Vax x reader? They are enemies to lovers, you can decide the plot, but maybe with a one bed trope ( although I don't think Vex would allow that!) If you of course like it and want.

One of my favorite tropies when it comes to romance ngl. So most gladly I will do so!!

Splitting this one up too. Helps my thought process!

Hope you enjoy!

Warnings: language (like always thou)

Spoilers: None

You had been with the twins for a while. A little before the rest of Vox. Your affliation with the clasp and them is how you first met. And how you kept together was more so due to skill than personal attachment. After all. Why would the twins like a cocky arrogant prick like yourself?

At least thats what Vax was thinking as you droned on and on about old stories to the others. You and him never got along. Always rivaling in your skills, and rivaling in your feats. If he had done some death defying act, you where sure to do the same not but moment after. You always had to rub your stuns in his face, boasting about them any moment you got after doing so. It made Vax wish he wipe that smirk off your face any moment he saw it.

Brooding in his room, one at the only inn the group could find in this small town. He was finishing up matnance with his daggers as his sister entered.

"Hopefully you aren't too far down that dark pit of yours." She wandered over to her bow to start to restring it for the journey ahead. "We need you present and not swallowing in your own thoughts, brother." His eyes didn't meet hers as she cast him a glance. His brows knitted together as his focus kept to the blades.

"I am aware of what must be done. But mind you, I am not the issue of this party." He could hear the soft scofting from his twin. "My focus is kept to the task at hand. Much more that what some of the others can say."

"Please. I still say you are over thinking this. No one is trying to steal the other's spot here. Maybe you just need to speak with them to understand them better." Her words only gain a huff from the raven-haired rouge. Sighing, Vax gathered her stuff to get ready for the road again. "Just... promise me you won't be distracted, brother..."

He took a moment to sigh. Hearing the hint of fear in his sisters voice made his heart twing with guilt.

"I promise to try, stubby..."

She can't get mad at him, he said he would try and here he is! Trying! Trying so very hard!

They had all been tasked to clear out the mine shaft next to the town so the miners could get back to work. The group needed the coin, so they took the job. You and Vax took up scouting ahead, something you both had been paired up to do countless times. Not that it meant you both enjoyed the other's shadow next to your own but sucking up your pride, the pair of you made do.

A simple scout ahead and come back, that's all it was! And what do you do? You go on further ahead without him and now he has to clean up YOUR mess.

"I swear I'm going to kill them if they are still alive after all this." The raven haired man grumbles as he assassinates a figure posted by one of the entrances. The Gnoll being dragged away just as another comes out to see what was going on, scratching his head in confusion at the missing ally. Giving the rouge just the perfect moment to slip by.

He kept to the shadows, feet stepping quickly yet lightly to make no sound. He could barely see, his Darkvision only helping him so much in the nearly pitch darkness. Both an advantage and a disadvantage.

The more he crept the further from the light he got, but his ears could here the struggles from a certain someone.

"I hope you know you are in deep shit after we get out of here."

"Oh great, my savior and my demise. Save your sharp tongue for the rope asshole."

There you, quick witt and annoying voice included. He had some hope that the Gnolls would have taken one of the two from you at the very least but seems that he can't get everything he wants all the time.

Making quick work of the lock that held you in the rusted cage like structure he pulls a dagger out to get the tightly bound rope cut. His rough treatment of your hands making you hiss.

"That hurt fuck nut"

"Well I'm sorry that you were the one to get you into this mess. Be grateful I came at all."

He had gotten the blade under the rope just as a pair of fur matted paws roughtly grab his face and chest, pulling him back away from you.

"VAX!" Your voice pierces the void that now engulfed his vision. Claws digging into skin as the Gnoll behind him struggled to hold onto his fighting form.

He kept trying to fight off the fish scented beast but he couldn't out flex something that could rival Grog in a fight. He could hear the mutt talking to other Gnolls. Gods save him.

It didn't take long for him to be bound next to you in the same cage. Sitting across from you, and while you can't see it, glaring into your soul. He was going to kill you the second he could. You got him in this mess. Something that had a very low chance of getting out of.

"I can feel you staring. Stop it. It's not gunna undo your loud ass boots."

"My loud ass- why. Best count your blessing while you can, I would gut you where you were if I wasn't bound. All because of your doing!"

"MY doing? Oh? And that includes, what? Me sa-"

A loud and harsh CLANG, rings from the metal cage. One of the Gnolls snarling at you two to get your bickering to stop.

"Once I am free from this you are dead, raven boy."

He sulked, not sharing any more words. His anger boiling his blood, he will make sure you never forget this moment. Whether this be the last moment the two of you share with one another or a scar to remind you of your mistakes. He will make sure you have a reminder.

[no-shxme]

Hi I saw you have TalEz on your won'ts for your commissions. Just curious can you explain why?

hi anon yEAH i can explain but like, to preface this, if you happen to like talez you're totally valid and dont feel like you have to dislike it or anything bc im gonna be a lil hater. people like what they like (and dislike what they dislike) and thats totally okay. this is just my own personal opinion. i wish i liked talez more bc its probably the most popular talon ship and im often starving, but i just dont and there's a couple reasons why.

i dont like the way its usually portrayed

im not the biggest ezreal fan.

imo there's better fits for both of them.

ugh this is going to be long so ill put it under the cut.

tbf, you dont NEED some complex reason to dislike a ship/character. like reason 2 is already enough for me to open and shut smth, but i do have complex thoughts about talez. and i am totally going to do a little hating below.

i think talez is so fucking anime that it lacks so much complexity. i dont really like anime. (i know thats a broad, loaded statement i just hate 99% of the tropes that pop up. not saying ive never enjoyed a shitty/tropy anime, but just--no) i think talez is broadly boiled down and portrayed by most fan-creators as 'edgy dark cloud + ball of sunshine' and i think thats so boring and lame for both of them. imo it reduces them to a really basic ship trope and there's nothing inherently WRONG with it, i just think its so boring. i look at popular fanworks and personally find it super reductive for both of them. it feels like talez happened bc at it's inception league needed an anime character ship. to be fair, you can reduce ANY ship to smth basic. talsett is just 'tall x short' but in comparison i think talsett has so much more complexity in theming. same with like, rhaayn for example. to me there's a lot more depth. i think the most depth you can get out of talez is related to ez's loss of family and talon's too + themes of belonging, but god. its not good enough.

talez is also usually portrayed romantically and i'm turbo aromantic and mostly romance repulsed and also hc talon as the same, so this already cuts out so much talez fanwork for me. :')

ALSO while we're at it, talon is such a bottom to me. even when he tops. and i hate him being portrayed as this like, idk, grim edgy SUPER TALL??? domineering top when he's like, as tall as katarina in the comic and was prolly malnourished bc he lived on the streets for years. tbh i would automatically like talez more if they were BOTH shortasses and switches as god intended. but noooo. i think if i literally just saw/read more ez topping talon then i'd be automatically more on board. but id also need an aromantic angle so its literally never happening.

i think when ezreal gets paired with talon both of their personalities get so fucked. his ass is not cuddling. ezreal is not some weak damsel or master of seduction either. i think a problem that not just talez creators but like, creators in general suffer from is erasing bad traits that characters have, unless they're 'cute.' talon has some cute bad traits, but he also has some seriously bad traits that loving or being loved wont fix. and ezreal is just reduced SO bad. so talez feels inherently ooc to me. fandom has done a number on him. there's nothin left in the pot. i think being with talon (in canon) is such an uphill battle and most of the time i dont see ezreal equipped to handle it in comparison to other people.

i dont really like ezreal. i think i've already made that clear before. he's fun to play and i like him on a surface level and ive got friends that really like him and thats totally fine but idk he's just not my blorbo. the only time i really like him is when he's with aphelios, where somehow my dislike of both characters cancel out. maybe i dont have room for him because i like talon too much, who knows. either way, often times when talez fanworks are created the focus is actually just on ezreal, and that annoys me as an ezreal disliker. (fanwork creators can create whatever the fuck they want ofc, godspeed do what makes you happy)

and my third point: there's better fits for both of them. i like ezphel and ezkayn more than talez. i think in canon there's a good chance talon might genuinely kill him. or ezreal might really overwhelm him and drive him away with his outward facing personality. and frankly there's a good chance ezreal also goes away bc talon is bad news and also doesn't have the charisma to keep him there. and ofc for talon i think talsett is the ultimate fit, or even talshan is right there.

THAT BEING SAID. i don't mind talez AS much if there's a third, though we still run into some of the same issues as above. like ive written talezsett before. thats nice! talezlux is okay too even if,, completely unfeasible... (i have strong opinions im sorry. as a crack ship its fun i think)

blah blah. i think i could like talez but i would have to write it myself. thats what it boils down to. there are ideas/concepts i like about them. ive juggled the idea of putting a talez fic on my to do list but i just dont think i'll write it in any way that actual talez fans would like, which means there's no point in writing it at all. i've plotted several, long and short, but i think everyone would hate it. talez isn't a strict 'won't write.' iirc it specifically says like: 'unless the idea goes hard' but no ones tried me pfppf, and im fine with it i guess.

there's more i can say but like, i dont want this to be too long.

the important thing to remember is that if you like talez... GOOD. im happy for you!! keep loving it, godspeed. these are just my personal reasons it doesnt click with me.

[gillianthecat]

I have Not been doing what I should have been doing this week, which is Not Great. BUT. I have been feeling the urge to watch BL again, so I been flittering around streaming services and binging some and dropping others. Here's the list of the 18, in the order I watched them, with brief thoughts on each. My rating (out of 10) are in [blue]. Feel free to ask me to say more about any of them!

Pit Babe (2 eps) [7]

Fun, enjoyed the tropiness of it, intrigued by Jeff/Alan, whatever secrets Charlie and Jeff are keeping, and that drifting competition which was hella sexy. I like my omegaverse fics "non traditional" so i appreciated that the first BL out there was alpha/alpha. I wasn't engaged enough to keep going, but would like eventually to pick it up again. One of the few shows I'm not filtering the tag for, so I'm enjoying other people's reactions and gifs.

My Personal Weatherman (finished) [8]

I wanted to love it more than I did, many aspects were wonderful, but the leads never felt like real characters to me, just seme/uke tropes fulfilling their roles. Actors very pretty though. I have a bunch of notes I may finish and post eventually.

Laws of Attraction (finished) [9]

10% of it was terrible, 10% was completely nonsensical (instagram live-ing your date while on the lam? really??), 10% was mediocre, 50% was good, and 20% was sublime. Film was phenomenal as the complicated lawyer with his thousands of smiles, and I now have a crush on him. I started watching a het lakorn for him afterwards (Lucky Star, free on Viki, very soap opera, he and his costar are great). I loved grandma and the batshit ex. I've already forgotten parts of the plot. Wish it could have been higher heat, the restrictions kinda fucked with Charn and Tinn's chemistry in the second half, after they got together, but Film made it work with his coy blushing maiden routine. And their chemistry pre-dating was fire. Second leads were cute and I do love me a pining bodyguard, but sadly the actors were kinda eh.

I Became the Main Role of a BL (1 ep) [9]

I am very excited about this, doing so many things well, balancing slapstick and humanity, all the little details are great. I like how the "real world" is still tropey and absurd but also noticibku more grounded than the "drama" world. I'm invested in the managers' stories. I have hopes for its sexiness, given how Aoyagi was touching Akufuji's arm in their rehearsal. Love love love Akufuji stanning.

Double Mints (finished) [5]

um. I didn't hate it. I didn't like it exactly, but there were some poignant moments. My first actually dark BL (I know Pornographer is classified as dark, but it didn't feel that way to me). Possibly there's some profundity in it, but it didn't grab me enough that I want to spend the time thinking about it. Also many plot things that didn't make sense to me. Perhaps just translation issues? Unlike the next on my list, this wasn't porn, it was a violent yakuza story. Not actually very explicit given that it's supposed to be high heat, with the significant exception of a rape scene.

The Shortest Distance is Round (Noir) (finished) [5]

I mean this is literally softcore porn with a weird dark plot around it. I think most of the actors are actual porn actors; I know the lead is. I could have thoughts on the story, but I feel like I'd need to know more about Japanese cinema to say anything meaningful. Just saying, the sexual harassment at the beginning is the tamest bit. Also a hilarious misdirect with the dead fish sleep kiss (at least for me who was going in blind). Some of the sex was hilarious (goat boy!) some of it was creepy and rapey, and some was genuinely hot.

Mr. Unlucky Has No Choice But to Kiss (3.5 eps) [7.5]

Fun and fluffy, like the premise, the seme character has charm, but soon lost interest in that level of slapstick and tropiness. May eventually finish.

Love Stage Japan 2018 (half an ep or so) [6]

Liked it more than the Thai version, which I saw a few episodes of. The set up makes more sense. Soon lost interest in that slapstick style. Wouldn't avoid it, but no current urge to return.

Utsukushii Kare 2 (My Beautiful Man 2) (finished) [9]

I love them so much! As the middle section, it didn't work as well on its own as season one (a hothouse masterpiece) or the movie (their blossoming), but it was an important bridge in their journey.

Utsukushii Kare Eternal (My Beautiful Man Eternal) (finished) [10]

So amazing. I wasn't sure that they could make a good ending of this story but they knocked it out of the park. Managed the tricky balancing act of having Hira and Koyoi grow up and learn to have a healthy relationship while still remaining their kinky weird selves. Echoed season one in so many beautiful and meaningful ways. I may eventually write more about it.

Long Time No See (movie) (finished) [7]

I didn't recognize the title so o started it without knowing anything about genre or plot. I wanted to like this much more than I did. Theoretically I am into all the elements. But somehow it didn't work for me. It felt hollow, or rather like the outline of a movie rather than the movie itself. Nothing really felt real to me. Perhaps just my mood, perhaps because I didn't recognize the name and so went in to it completely lost and confused. And the sex scenes all felt a little off, a little fake to me. Like the actors were kinda uncomfortable with it. It was very low budget for its concept, and I think needed to either be full kdrama length (maybe 8 full episodes) of get somehow even artier about it to be an atmospheric film. Which it should have been, and all indicators pointed to it, but somehow wasn't. I think I needed to know the characters better to care about. Which may or may not have required learning more about them; there are characters I've felt deeply that I knew very little about, but somehow not with these two. Also I couldn't get the sister's deal. It felt like she was hinting she knew the assassin secrets? But also not. Anyways, the leads were very pretty. And the shot of them stumbling out of the final fight was moving. I may write more later.

Dom (a Strongberry short) (dnf) [4]

Only 13 minutes long and I couldn't finish it, even with 1.5x speed in parts. Experimental little short about anthropomorphized condom boxes, and there's some sort of human plot about a virgin and his cheating boyfriend that I lost track of. It's not bad, just not what I was in the mood for.

Bake Me Please (like 10 minutes of ep 1) [5.5]

When I was talking about not being into cooking themed shows this is the kind of show I mean. It already had a bunch of tropes that are not for me, particularly random normal people treated like celebrities, and people on tumblr seem frustrated with it so it didn't feel worth pursuing.

Ossan's Love (2018 Japan) (2 of 7 eps) [8]

Seems very well constructed to be exactly what they wanted it to be. My enjoyment of that sort of slapstick and yelling style show depend on my mood, and I lost interest, but want to return eventually because it's a foundational show.

Love Mate (less than 1 ep) [7]

Some appealing elements, but got annoyed at the employee's negging and pushiness. I guess I'm too particular about realism, but in what company would it be acceptable to turn a meeting about their product into a psychoanalytical critique of why your boss can't love. Also I es confused by the bosses dating strategy. He just regularly meets up with men 1 time for awkward meals that he seems to hate and then doesn't even have sex with them? Or were we supposed to infer the sex was just censored out? Not the biggest deals but both together indicated that this show was going to play loose with logic in a way that would irritate me. And the seme was being a pushy ass.

Naked Dining (Zenra Meshi) (finished) [8.5]

Loved it overall, though had flaws. Loveblogged it so many thoughts in the tags.

My Ride (4 out of 10 eps) [7]

See today's liveblogging for my thoughts. I like many aspects, but lost interest after four eps. Didn't catch me up enough to want to binge it. I think I'm in an actor centric mode, and unfortunately none of the actors are that good in it.

Every Moment That I Think of You (finished) [8.5]

Randomly found on Gaga, 2 very short episodes from China 2021. Very appealing leads, censored, high school romance/intense friendship, partially through the pandemic. Fit a year's worth of story into 28 minutes. Surprisingly solid, though made me want to see the full length uncensored version of their love story, same actors. Ending confused me. Subtitles of voiceover implied that was their last night together but didn't say what happened, but nothing and was shown. Perhaps just a bad translation? Very low budget (sound mixing was amateur) but did a lot with what they had. Chaotic adolescent boy camera work and editing style, always moving, which fit story very well. Recommend if ok with censored stories.

[comicgeek2003]

The Starscream

A Big Bad's treacherous right-hand man/woman.

When a villain have henchmen, sometimes one of them could be more ambitious than the others (sometimes, could be more than one) and want to overthrow the boss to be in charge.

The difference between the Dragon and the Starscream are meanwhile the first one is loyal and trustworthy to the Big Bad, the second one is treacherous and disloyal.

Examples:

Transformers: Starscream is practically the trope namer, every incarnation of this cybertronian was Megatron's right-hand man, but he want to be more than that and he tries to overthrow him since '84. If you want other examples in the franchise; Shockwave from Transformers Marvel Comics, Airachnid from Transformers Prime, Terrorsaur, Tarantulas and Blackarachnia from Transformers Beast Wars.

Doctor Who: Since he appers in the episode "Genesis of the Daleks", Davros was betrayed by his own creations, the Daleks. Since then, the Daleks have repeatedly turned against and overthrown their creator, only to come crawling back when they are weak, because he is smarter than them. Unfortunally, in "The Stolen Earth", he Daleks don't even pretend to respect him this time, and are keeping him as a "pet".

Henry Stickmin: Reginald Copperbottom was the original Toppat Clan leader, but Henry become the new leader. In "The Betrayed", Reginald doesn't rescue Henry and leave him for it's own. In fact, in his biography, Reginald did the same move to the former Toppat Clan leader, Terrence Suave.

Bionacle: Roddaka is this to everyone who's working for. When Sidorak ordered her to fight Keelongu, she leaves the battlefield. The results; Sidorak is killed by Keelongu, meanwhile Roddaka is safe and in one piece.

Crash Bandicoot It's About Time: When Uka Uka opens an interdimentional rift outside the primitive times, he's tired by the force he needed to make it. Then, N. Tropy and Neo Cortex leave him there, saying he served his porpuse.

Super Paper Mario: Dimentio succeeds through manipulating everyone to use the Pure Hearts to defeat Count Bleck so he could control the Chaos Heart and destroy all worlds and create perfect new ones so he could be a god.

Dragon Ball Z: Vegeta was essentially this to Frieza, serving him until he discovers the Dragon Balls and planning to became immortal and overthrow him. Frieza was aware of this, but was so far out of Vegeta's league that he never considered him a threat and that when he did turn on him he could kill him easily.

Pirates of the Caribbean: Hector Barbossa was this for Jack Sparrow. Originally, Barbossa was Sparrow's first mate, until one day he and several other pirates on Sparrow's ship decided to get rid of their captain by throwing Sparrow overboard once Sparrow gave up the bearings to their treasure, and as a result Barbossa becomes their captain instead.

[sweetnnaivete]

okay okay here are my evan (+pandora) thoughts,,, he's me actually (literally. i'm fictionkin ANYWAY) (A LOT OF THOSE i probably stole from @/foursaints without knowing because they are my lord and savior and when i read good stuff my brain just take it hhkglh)

him and pandora (i'm gonna write dora for the rest bc it's more quick but i don't call her that just so yk) grew up in egypt in their very old grandparents mansion like they were born in france but when their parents died (which was very early) they moved with their grandparents. it was a very big mansion all they did was like dissect bugs and small animals in the attic

theyre weird bugs for me they smell like antiques and attics they look like dolls

evan is obsessed with everything dead he want to understand death (he would make a frankenstein monster for fun on summer afternoons if he could) he's like a super evil fucked up healer to me.

him and dora are sososo similar to me theyre both trans and changed name like they are each other half (literally. for me both their animagus no matter what it is have to be two headed to like represent the others soul interwined with the other) they are so so much more connected than other regular twins. they're so similar its SCARY ngl for me they love to switch up sometimes

they both are autistic as FUCK and will stare at you for too long without blinking

i don't really like the ''grumpy evan and sunshine dora'' trope tbh because NO shes so so weird and fucked up too others just see it in a different way

she's like something dead trying to be alive while evan is something very much alive but he looks dead if that make SENSE

he totally would ask barty to dig and look for bones btw. he's so a forensic doctor

(I'LL PROBABLY ADD MORE LATER)

THIS !!! omg i wish i could put this into words as articulately as you bc you gettt meee this is so accurate !!!!!!! and yeah pandora is not all sunshine and evan is not all grumpy. that's my main issue w the fandom atp is the tropiness of the hcs like stop separating the characters into grumpy sunshine and freak like jeez 😒 anyway yeah ure so right like always ofc and i will be stealing these hcs TRANS EVAN AND PANDORA !!! do you mean like changing to each others dead names?? bc lowk i can get behind that bc they are so interconnected n shit like they want to become each other but holy fuck

[unnursvanablog]

Lovely Runner / kdrama review.

This is a pretty much a spoiler free review of the kdrama of Lovely Runner.

Lovely Runner is a bubbling triumph of a fanfiction-like romcom. The chemistry of the leads, or even just the whole cast was sizzling, the humor mostly great - the secondary couple were very grating to me. And the youthful, almost nostalgic vibes and the feel light and breezy that the drama managed to hold onto was delightful and echoes of longing and yearning tugged at your heartstrings. There was something quite old-school about this sort of rom-com that I could really appreciate.

Some stories do manage that suspension of disbelief just a bit more smoothly than others. And Lovely Runners seem to be able to introduce us to the logics of their little fluffy, rom-com universe quite seamlessly and therefor making the more unbelievable moments feel both earnest and earned enough that is just might work. Or you are willing to forgive it despite how much of a fan fiction this story feels like it is.

The drama has a tendency to use excessive amount of tropes in it's storytelling, like the clumsy heroine, noble idiocy, miscommunication and so forth. The amount of times the two leads fell into each other arms was way to excessive to become endearing after a certain point. It also does have a tendency to drag out the plot and the twists on a bit too long as we get further into the story resulting in some pacing issues.

Towards the end the story, the convoluted timelines and the murder mystery subplot does becomes more of a burden to the drama, causing it to lose some momentum - I feel like episode one and until around 10 is this dramas sweet spot. Things just seem to be happening to the characters without too much depth but the character have such a good emotional core within them, despite me wanting a bit more development from them as the timelines become more messy and annoyed as things are just happening to keep the plot going, no matter what you are rooting for them to get together in the end.

The actors certainly add more spunk and feelings into these characters than they have on paper and really sell the earnest of the story and keep you coming back for more. It's a fluff, it's tropy, but it's fun and bubbly and compelling enough and you never really get the sense that the drama is trying too hard to be something more than it is. It's a breezy, cute watch with very likeable leads and characters that you enjoy spending times with despite it's flaws - I just wish we could have gotten more scenes with the second male lead.

The drama manages to blending humor and cliché with heartfelt moments and I do think the drama does a good job making you feel very at home in it's world and therefor invested in it and so light and airy that you just enjoy these moments with the characters. The drama creates a narrative that is light-hearted yet earnest, as it finds the most absurd situations and gives the characters enough stakes that you want to cheer them on and make sure that they finally get their happy ever after. It becomes a safe space for you, in a way, while you are watching it where you can just leave your brain at the door and just enjoy the cuteness and fluff.

[silver-wield]

hmm in the premise that SE is definitely set out to be killing a non existent ship in the trilogy (preferably in part 2 already), I just don't understand how anyone can think the story would go astray from it's array of chekhov's guns. Tbh, when I first watched AC, as a kid, in my mind I just assumed tifa was his gf and z and a were like his comrades who died. The part where he called him "mother" did help tons for me to think of it this way. It was only after 15 years? That I discovered there was even a debate? So I spoiled myself and by the principles of storytelling, FF7 seems to have the trope of quite literally any amnesia tropy kdrama plot I've ever seen that also exist in jp media. Aka, anything that happened during his amnesia phase does not count after finding out who he is, because he was most party manipulated to not remember things by the narrative and its character. Mind you, this is just me spoiling myself for a small context of a game i haven't played yet and only have superficial understanding of the characters. Also, the part in lifestream really sells it lol, he gets himself back? Because he was false before? It's so weird why this is even confusing.

So, I had a conversation with my bro about this and he's a debater, I told everything about the "LTD" and it's a long talk but he says, it's a non-debate. Since cloti is sourced explicitly in the game and sources, answering cloud's feelings as the main question.. the ltd asks "what does he feel for a?" But the thing is, it can also be asked "what does he feel for z?" Easily can be romantic IF we base thier "logic" of ca on zack + cloud. Canon wise both are stated as friends to him. But romantic? For both, it LITERALLY doesn't exist. It's not as to make it vague per say, but that the writers, story, and characters have no idea that it's even needed to be answered. Aka it is by default platonic. Not vague, it's platonic as stated by canon sources as it's the only one that exists. The LTD is a cult like idea that continued to persist in the fandom of FF7. But never in the mind of it's creator. This is their mistake. They find this as an activity of the fandom, but reality is, it undermines their work greatly. Destroying all the characters, and story they've made and for what? Cheap pity fan service? That's lazy. This isn't a charm of the game, but a mistake of its delivery. I mean as evident as how many pitied tifa in AC. Essentially it's like 1+1=2 (canon) but someone says it's 3. In short it's BS, but a lot are biting on "maybe it is 3" and ignoring all the proof for the sake of negating. Hence a non-debate because canon has already won and will always win.

Now, I saw a zerith point out how they're so happy they're even getting anything. Tbh I found this strange, a good story would utilize the successful built up if zack and they are thank god. But why do I see this as a random person? And they don't? I feel there's trauma in this fandom, and I hate that for all of you and a story that has intense potential. Which leads me to a "funny" thought. It seems for so long, cas have been going on about their way to misinform everyone, thus encouraging incels, dudebros, bandwagoners alike. This does not seem to sit well with devs, I sure hope so. I feel like the fact that they've been this toxic, is the reason why SE is extra mean to them and is even planning to finally give them an answer to the "what does c feel for a?" After all these time? A question that was never important to begin with because it's already platonic by default but copers want more. It is because of this desire, most likely "he doesn't feel romantically inclinde, even if you as a player did, he does not, never will, never did" would be the answer. SE could have let them have their merry way, but they've been pos. So they made the compilation, imperfect, but there's Zack, now Zerith is coming around and with closure, Cloti is being emphasized. They added stuff for cloti and more important, reduced what was "theirs". Had cloud's mocap actor emphasize cloti and downplay ca. We even had a trailer quite literally exposing to the whole world how disgusting the idea of ca is, and if you liked it? Lol get help , your morals are astray. There's so much much more, and for some reason if this is successful, if SE actually gives a shit for art and not cheap money? Then lmao, cas made all of this happen just because they can't stop fcking things up. The existence of a problem, that needs to be fixed. Because of that, ZA will be pushed on their faces, and they will definitely not like CT more with all the sexual built up in part 1. I'm obviously joking to " thank them", of course, the devs who lost their patience are to be thanked as they've been inspired to take responsibility for their shortcomings as well. But yeah, if everyone understood OG on the get go? And AC didn't get much shit? Nobody pitied tifa? doubt we would be even getting this much content for cloti, maybe cloud, and quite especially tifa.

It's a strange journey, but I hope I'm right about them having integrity. I sure hope so. I hope they don't leave room for pity, I hope they are ruthless with it. I don't think I ship anyone but I am a sucker for a masterpiece, and I very much want this to be one.

None of the devs have ever thought about that ship, and even when asked point blank Nojima was all "idk" and had to come up with something on the spot but even that was negative because he stated Aerith cares more about the planet than she would Cloud

Which is obvious from how she has zero respect for him

[c0smiccom3t]

Sudden Kick-Out

[The Bandicoot sibs and Lani-Loli, after defeating N. Gin, run through the rift after Akano, the mask of Dark Matter. What they don't know is that somebody was watching them. And it was none other than Ryonna. Ryonna, surprised to see N. Gin was defeated, decides to quickly inform Dr. N. Tropy (mostly) and Dr. Neo Cortex about what happened]

Ryonna: Bad news, Tropes! It appears that the little furbabies have defeated N. Gin!

[N. Tropy, annoyed, face palms. He, of course, knew this was gonna happen. Considering how bumbling the other scientists are compared to him (in his own opinion)]

N. Tropy: Of course they defeated him that easily...

Ryonna: It's sad too since I did think that "Rawkit-hëd" concert was a neat idea from his part. That's not all though, it appears that the furballs are heading towards Salty... Waft or... whatever it's called.

N. Tropy: It's Salty Wharf, Ryonna.

Ryonna: Whatever. t'least that's still a long road ahead, which means that'll give us plenty of time.

N. Tropy: That's correct. In fact, that will give us more time to get the rift generator to be finalized. Though now that I think of it, we may need to think of a back-up strategy before they find a way to get to Tranquility Falls...

[Upon hearing that, Cortex stops whatever he's doing and clears his throat. N Tropy and Ryonna then turn around and pay attention to him, much to the clock-wise scientist's annoyance and the lemur's confusion]

Neo Cortex: And if i tell you about my plan that i've had in mind since 50 minutes ago?

[N. Tropy looks extremely not amused, not interested in whatever he's plotting, Ryonna however is thrilled to hear about his plan. N. Tropy of course, decides to say something which catches the lemur's attention]

N. Tropy: Absolutely No--

Ryonna: Shh! Let him speak, he's up to something!

N. Tropy: [long sigh] This better be good, Cortex.

[Neo Cortex, noticing that Ryonna and N. Tropy want to hear about whatever he's plotting, decides to explain it to them.]

Neo Cortex: I was thinking that I could set up into the 11th dimension, when i'm there i can set up a little base with the help of my lab assistants. Once the bandicoots get there, I'll tell them that i will meet them at the mountain. And since i'll bring in my blimp, I shall make a 'few' notifications to it so it will be impossible for those morons to beat me, and once they'll be out of the way, nothing will ever stop us from "dominating all of time and space" or whatever it is. You know, just so to do my part?

[As Cortex finishes his monologue, Ryonna looks surprised, N. Tropy however is not impressed. Which makes Cortex look annoyed about their reaction]

Neo Cortex: Ugh, do you even have anything to say about it?! Seriously, it's like you don't appreciate the hard work i--

Ryonna: Wai-Wai-Wait! I actually like this plan.

Neo Cortex: ..You do?

Ryonna: Yeah! Though it could need a few tweaks here and there, but hey, I think it's pretty good! Maybe I can help you develop it a little more so we have a much higher chance of winning, If... That's possible of course.

[N. Tropy then gets an idea. he decides to pull out his tuning fork and pushes Ryonna towards Cortex]

N. Tropy: In that case, listen up you two, I've had a slight change of plans. So, I will stay here and focus on completing the rift generator, while you, Cortex, will go to the 11th dimension and put in action... That potentially-failing plan of yours. Oh, and Ringtail is coming with you.

Neo Cortex/Ryonna: WHAT?! US?! WHY?!

N. Tropy: Well, it's simple, it's that you're both equally the most annoying people, except one is much more mature and capable on their job, and one is extremely short-tempered who will need to be accompanied and watched over so he doesn't mess up.

[Shocked by this news, Ryonna is extremely confused and angry, perhaps a mix of both emotions too. Cortex, on the other hand is being very stubborn due to hearing this]

Neo Cortex: EXCUSE ME?! I do NOT need her to accompany me in this! The great Neo Cortex is a lone wolf, a bald eagle, a burrowing hamster. Thus I dont want her to help me, nor watch me over!

Ryonna: Yeah, and I am a Professional Bounty Huntress (PBH for short), not a babysitter! And by the way, what happened to my initial task on watching over what the little furbabies are up to--

[N. Tropy then throws the monitor at her it hits her face a little but it didnt hurt that much, the object ends up in their hands, still extremely confused]

N. Tropy: Bring that with you, it still works in other places away from here, it's not like it needs wi-fi to work. Now you all know your task, so you better be off.

Neo Cortex: Alright, fine. I'll just have to activate my blaster's teleport function for us to get there. Just a single shot and--

N. Tropy: Actually, I got a better idea.

[The evil scientist and the Huntress look at eachother, confused on what idea he's got to get them to the 11th dimension. Cut to the latter, a quantum rift opens up, and the two hooligans yelp and fall into the snowy ground after getting their butts kicked by N. Tropy (literally). while their faces are planted in the snow, he looks at them with a smug smile in his face]

N. Tropy: Good luck, though i doubt you'll have it.

[he chuckles evilly and the rift closes. Cortex lifts his head up and coughs, he in rage, then slams his fist on the ground and grumbles under his breath]

Neo Cortex: Stupid, insolent, overbearing, egoistic, pretentious son of a-...

Ryonna: [muffled] Huh, this ground's actually pretty soft, Wonder if this is the 11th dimension!

[Ryonna then lifts her head up and sees that they're of course, in the 11th dimension]

Ryonna: Ohhhh, there we go. You know, I never witnessed or felt snow since forever. So, i think s'a breath of freezy air. Hahah! Get it, because, the air's fresh but its more cooler than it is--

Neo Cortex: One more pun, and i'll end you.

Ryonna: Okay, okay i'll stop. So, all we have to do is just build that base, right?

Neo Cortex: Ugh, yes of course, why?!

Ryonna: Well, because we got plenty of time to spare! Currently, the bandicoots are in Salty... What was it again? Wrath? Waft--

Neo Cortex: (annoyed) Salty Wharf?

Ryonna: Salty Wharf, thank you!

[Ryonna finger guns at Cortex, who is still annoyed he has to work with her, but he needs to focus on his current task anyway. Meanwhile, Ryonna turns on map mode for the monitor and it shows off all of the places of the 11th dimension, so they, of course, can focus on planning. Cortex then looks at the tablet while she's rambling]

Ryonna: Anyway, we got time until they get here. So, all we have to do is just build said base and get your blimp here. We can find out where we can put the latter and I think we can put iiitt... Right at the mountain's cliff, juuust a few miles away! Now how do we get your blimp and some metal here--

[suddenly two quantum rifts open and tons of pieces of metal and tools fall to the ground, and the blimp then flies through the rift and arrives in the 11th dimension, the two look extremely surprised]

Ryonna: What just happened??

Neo Cortex: Beats me. But you know how these rifts work. Now, to contact my assistants and get them her--

Ryonna: Uh, I don't think you have to, doc.

[Ryonna points at another Quantum rifts which various lab assistants fall out from. every single one of them fall into the ground, some are getting up, shivering from the cold. Cortex and Ryonna in the meantime are extremely surprised about all of this. they then look at eachother]

Ryonna: Well, heh, what do you know, the rift brought us exactly what you asked for!

[Cortex then gets annoyed and inhales, already done with all of this and just wants to get to work already. (and he's also done with Ryonna's nonsense, too.)]

Neo Cortex: Do you happen to have some snow clothing?

[Ryonna then gets tons of winter clothes out of her back belt pouch. When noticing that, Cortex was out of words, not to mention very confused]

Ryonna: Can't go anywhere without them!

Neo Cortex: WHA- H-how?????

Ryonna: My pouch is like a black hole if you think about it. Oh yeah, do you need something? I dont think staying in the cold weather like that is gonna help you.

Neo Cortex: Ugh, I do NOT need your help! I'm completely fine! Just stop wasting time and give them those!

Ryonna: Alright. Careful though, surviving this breeze-y isn't easy.

[She then walks out off-screen, Cortex just rolls his eyes in annoyance and facepalms, he then just looks very disappointed.]

Neo Cortex: Ugh. Why did I have to team up with her?

Chapter 1 Chapter 2 Chapter 3 - You're here! Chapter 4 - Next month!

[nururu]

Stop talking to Netflix about zoro like he's YOUR wife...... you guys represent him terribly. Your jokes aren't even funny bc they don't apply to him. "Zoro never thinks" zoros so fucking thoughtful. All he ever does is observe and think..... stop talking about him like u know him y'all have no idea. Everything u say is fanon and wrong and only applies to characters that somewhat resemble him from like tropy sports animes and shit. Just keep watching those bc media analysis is not your strong suit. You are better off being spoonfed tropes.

[heartstringsduet]

Hi Michelle 💗 For the fanfic emoji asks 🚿 🥘🛏 ☕️ please

Hi D! :D 🚿Where do your best ideas seem to strike? It actually used to be in the shower haha. But now it's usually when I go on walks and listen to music. Like sometimes the only thing getting me to go on my daily walks is the thought of getting more creative ideas honestly lol What wip are you most excited about? My fantasy AU featuring an elemental mage Carlos and a healer TK and dark magic and souls tied and Death. 🛌 What’s a trope you haven’t written, but want to? Oh I've written plenty tropy things. I haven't written a "fix it fic" for canon and maybe I will one day. Also never braved craack fic. Not funny enough at least in writing lol ☕Coffee or tea while you write? Caffeine in anyyyyyyy form. You know I'm a fellow matcha girl, but also coffee and coke girl.

[honey-beann]

the subtle (not so subtle) intimacy between the detective and Nines when Nines does little acts of service for her has me giggling and kicking my feet every time. Him zipping up her dress, and rolling up her sleeves + letting her wear his shirt, and keeping her favorite products in his bathroom etc. Omggg 😫😫 I wanna inject ur fic into my veins. I love how, when it comes to characterizing Nines, you kind of follow this “tough guy with a soft spot” trope, but in a way that’s not corny at all. You write it so naturally and I love it.

Oh my gosh you're too sweet, thank you so much for taking note of all of these silly little details that I like to add in! It genuinely warms my heart so much to know that people actually notice them <3

Also, I'm glad to hear that the tropiness of Nines' characterization doesn't come across as too cheesy or overused! I worried for a long time that it was super unoriginal, so to see it be described as natural seriously means so much 🥹

[maddy-ferguson]

since we're having ship discourse, i have to say that i disliked joyce and hopper's relationship dynamic in s3. they were so annoyingly portrayed and were always fighting, i am not sure why people are saying mlvn having fights/problems are a special thing that only exists in mlvn's relationship issues. and this sort of 'we give couples problems and then resolve them' writing is a thing that exists in duffers' writing. s3 ships are literally an example of that. and i just don't see joyce and hopper as some sort of a subversion of the trope, hopper wanted to be with her in s3 and then expectedly he was given what he wanted. and yeah yeah, it took time for them to be a truly thing in s4, but is it really some sort of a 'subversion of tropes', if anything it seems more tropy and fits the standards of a relationship. jncy like you said is also an expected relationship. like sorry but a girl breaking up with a jock and getting together with the town's outcast freak is not a subversion... it's literally a textbook from 80's relationship and couple thing. the only relationship subversion is really lumx if we're being real. and if we count dustin and suzie to account, then their relationship is pretty much expected anyway, and no, suzie being a mormon doesn't really change that.

and controversial take but i think we are sometimes going way too reach-y when we say the duffers are great at subversion when they fall to many tropes and stereotypes and expected things in their writing. just bc they sometimes subvert doesnt mean ST is a representation of subversion of tropes.

nooo don't use the d word...

i'm season 3 jpper and s3 hopper's biggest hater. in a season that has russians under a mall he's what i hate the most. and yes, i feel like if you're someone who thinks the duffers are all about subverting tropes and are aware of bsy then surely you must know that jncy is the most cliché trope-fitting relationship they could've possibly come up with?

i feel like there's evidence that they like subverting expectations and tropes (robin being a lesbian when they made you think she was gonna be with steve, the straight person getting rejected by the gay person instead of the other way around, eden and argyle's little "love at first sight" moment that makes fun of the concept, a main character who's had a female love interest for four seasons being in a love triangle where one of the option's a boy) but at the same time the reason why harmful tropes or just boring tropes become tropes over time is just that the people writing the stories...aren't aware of what they're doing necessarily? and the example i'm gonna use isn't a trope per se, but you know how in season 1 lucas is suspicious of el and doesn't like her? they had their ONE black character make the little white girl (who had a blonde wig on when he gets real mad lol) whose story we know and who we're made to empathize with sad. people (adults!) were literally racist to caleb over it. very predictable but they're also white people who didn't see it coming. things like that are why even though jncy is the most expected 80s sci-fi couple ever, i'm like...are they doing it on purpose and are gonna end the show with them broken up or are they just the men who wrote jonathan taking pictures of his future girlfriend taking her shirt off and then used it as a plot point and made us feel bad for jonathan when steve broke his camera over it because he's poor and couldn't afford a new one. like idk. i'm giving them the benefit of the doubt (not saying that if jonathan and nancy end up together i'm gonna throw a fit or anything i'll just be genuinely surprised) but i really just don't know. and jncy being too expected isn't the reason why i started thinking they were breaking them up but if you sent this to me i'm assuming you read my other answer on the subject! it's just kind of the icing on the cake. same with mlvn and bsy i don't think that's anyone's main argument but i just feel like expecting them to subvert bsy and then not expecting them to subvert whatever trope jncy is doesn't make sense. because that trope is like THE trope.

and yeah the fighting is definitely not exclusive to mlvn especially not in season 3, but i guess for joyce and hopper you could say they're fighting because they're not together? which is different from fighting because of their relationship? but yeah. it's just that with mlvn there's a million other things.