#tw: plot cliches and tropes

[the-metatron]

hello how are you?

Not well, unfortunately. I've been nauseous ever since I returned from my trip to 1978, vomiting every morning.

At first, I thought I had simply overextended myself. What with beating both the Twelfth Doctor and Missy in strip poker, then collecting my spoils as the victor, while travelling in the TARDIS, and then dancing with and later punishing Zeus over a several period.

But then @scribe-proxy-and-deadpan-snarker suggested I pee on this frog in order to determine the cause of my illness.

A bit unconventional, I admit, but I've been known to try everything twice. So, I will try and report back with what I find out. Wish me luck!

[teklarn]

doodle - k. bakugou

teklarn’s cliche’s and tropes masterlist (trope: one bed trope)

katsuki bakugou x gn! reader

genre: fluffy? (a pinch of angst?)

summary: on a mission, you ask bakugou where he got his scars from, and in turn, you open up about yours.

warnings: slight descriptions of body horror, aged up characters for the sake of the plot (no smut) TW! for scars (mostly from fictional battles, etc), the reader has a dead father, bakugou is a little ooc, pre-existing unspoken feelings between reader and bakugou

-

it was a group mission. you'd all been traveling for some time―you, kirishima, bakugou, midoriya, and uraraka. as the world's top heroes, you'd been assigned to work with them as a team to hunt down a villain who had currently been rampaging around.

his whereabouts were unknown, but everyday you all got closer to finding him.

the team had stopped in a cabin for the night, hidden deep in between a lush array of evergreens casting shadows along the roof.

initially, you'd been nervous to cooperate with bakugou. everyone else on the team had partnered with you one time or another, but you had only known bakugou by name, never in person. not until now.

and he was quieter than you imagined. constantly on edge, but quiet. a certain peace settled around him, one that had not been in place until his adult years.

he was an admirable hero, and since becoming one, he listened to others more than he spoke. either that, or he truly didn't care to speak much at all.

there were only two rooms. uraraka and midoriya in one, (as everyone had assumed), and kirishima volunteered to take the couch, knowing bakugou was too much of a princess to take it himself, and he wasn't about to allow you to take it in his place.

kirishima had always been kind, as you had been, too.

but that unfortunately left you and bakugou with the one room-one bed situation.

and unfortunately, the rest of the team was oblivious to the tension building between you. like two ropes twining together, tighter and tighter wrapping around, only to snap from the sheer force of pulling on one another.

there was a part of him that was...softer around you. you noticed, especially when you were alone with him. his eyes carried a gentle sense in them. and when he was alone with you, they also carried a great deal of sadness in them.

your heart clenched at the sight of it every time.

"we both need a good night's sleep. don't think about sleeping on the floor for the sake of me, got it?" his voice was husky. low. demanding, yet cautious of how he spoke to you.

you were a gentle soul yourself and found your mouth slowing down its words when you were around bakugou.

"okay," was all you said, climbing into bed. "you're sleeping soon too, right?" bakugou was still standing at the closet, rummaging through clothes.

"in a minute." he pulled off his shirt. heat rushed to your cheeks as the sight of his toned, muscled back flexed before you.

as if he felt your eyes, he said, "no need to linger, dumbass." but the word held a softness to it. you smiled, chuckling with a breath through your nose. heat rushes to your cheeks.

"sorry," you mumble. he only chuckles in return. a rare sound for anyone to hear, including you. bakugou was quiet. mean and cruel, but not always. his eyes said more than he dared to speak. it wasn't like when he was younger.

you didn't move your gaze, however. it wasn't the fact that he was incredibly toned, or that his golden skin glittered just right under the low, orange lighting of the lamp.

it was how strangely soft he looked at this moment. his spiky hair, the harsh lines of his face and body. and then, there was a scar trailing all down his back. then another, then another, another and then anoth―

"I said don't linger," he snapped, catching your gaze.

"i...sorry." you wanted to turn away. bakugou still intimidated you. seeing him around kirishima did loosen you up, but he was still bakugou. "i just...wanted to know where you got that scar." though his back was still turned to you, you pointed at the largest one.

it trailed from the top of his left shoulder blade all the way down to his waist, curving around and stopping just before his stomach.

"a fight. how else?" his words were a near, annoyed snarl.

"what fight?" might as well make conversation. you worked best with people you knew.

"a big one. now will you stop prying?" he cracked his neck before shoving a pillow in the middle of the bed, then settling down on his side. he turned to flip the lamp off, but startled at your hand on his back.

just the feather-light touch of your finger made him jump.

"can you not?"

"i barely even touched you."

"you still touched me. this pillow is here for a reason. now go to sleep."

"how did you get this other one?"

he twisted and peered down his back, looking at the second largest scar. this one, similar to the first, curved around his right shoulder blade, but ended right before his inner-arm.

"will you shut up and go to sleep if i tell you?"

"i just feel like i don't know you. i know everyone here but you. and it feels odd to be sharing a bed with someone who i know nothing about. it can be small talk, if you'd rather―"

"i hate small talk."

you nodded. "me too."

he groaned, running a hand through his hair. "fine." he sat up. "the big one? a big battle. the other one was from the same battle. i got smashed into a building and the concrete cut through my suit and into my skin."

you weren't going to pry further, but he held his arm up. "this one, here," he said, pointing to a much smaller scar. it wrapped around the middle of his forearm in a perfect circle. "this is from my final exam as a first-year. i lost my gauntlets and decided to go all-out. the skin was inflamed from the force of my quirk, and the metal of my wrist band ended up cutting into me."

you nod intently. a tired smile made its way to your face. "i got this one from stabbing myself with a pencil when i was a kid." you pointed to your palm, the point right beneath your thumb.

"that's specific," bakugou deadpanned. "are you ready to go to sleep now?"

"i got this one from a burn while i was cooking with oil." you tapped two dots on the inside of your finger. "i was a kid back then, too." you ignored his insistence to get to bed. something told you to keep going.

"i have dumb scars from when i was young and stupid, too. we all do. now, let's go to ―"

"like this one?" you tapped his chest. a thin line of white stretched across the left side of his chest. it was so small, no one would notice it if they weren't up close, but it was evident it was a scar.

"that's from the sports festival. the restraints they put on me were too tight, and i was already cut there thanks to one of icy-hot's blasts. the ice had only nicked me there, but i struggled enough that it worsened the cut."

his cheeks seemed to dust with red at the memory.

"you end up hurting yourself a lot."

"i could say the same thing about you, idiot. who stabs themselves with a pencil?"

"it was an accident."

"how?"

"i don't even remember. but see?" you grabbed a pen from the nightstand. "this is what i used to do with the scars from the oil burns." underneath the two dots, where oil had splashed you, you drew a curved line. a smiley-face.

"that's pathetic," he snorted. but it was still a laugh.

"look," you said. he flinched as you neared him. your eyes reassured him as he leaned in, unsure. your fingertips traced the scar. the straight line was perfect. you drew two lumps, four in total counting the other side. two antennae and some designs.

"what is it?" he grumbled.

"can't you tell? it's a butterfly."

"that's the most demented butterfly i've ever seen."

despite the poison the words were meant to convey, his voice carried no malice. if anything, it sounded like another chuckle. soft, barely there, just like the scar.

you took note of another scar right under his collarbone. you leaned in with the pen again.

bakugou smacked your hand away. "stop doodling on me."

you sat up, the blanket falling from your lap and revealing a flash of your thigh. you didn't miss how his eyes flickered down.

"you have a scar there." he pointed to your thigh. the skin down there twined up and down like lightning. "did you survive a 'big battle' yourself?"

you smiled and chuckled thoughtfully, though the sound held little joy. "a fire."

"burning building?"

"of the sort."

"what does that mean?"

"it was my childhood home."

bakugou paused, as if he had struck a nerve, or dug up something he didn't mean to. you cringed, wondering if the information was too much to share.

"don't worry," you laughed. "no one died. it was before i was a hero. years before. my family and i got out in time. to be fair, i deserve it. i was being stupid."

"stupid? gosh, what a shock."

you nearly smacked him. "i ran back inside when i realized i'd left behind a gift from father."

"is he...?"

"he passed the year before the fire. i was stupid and grieving, so i ran back to go get it. it's this stuffed bear. my first toy as a kid. its neck is quite literally about to fall off, but i love it."

"you are stupid. i bet it's one of those toys people get sentimental about because they're all dirty and discolored. gross."

"it's...yeah, it's exactly that." you pulled the sheets down more to reveal the rest of the scar. it twirled around your calf, and there was a prominent bump on your knee.

"damn. that's...a big-ass burn."

laughter bubbled out of you. "the house ended up collapsing on me, and it crushed my leg. i was in the hospital for months after."

he pointed to the tiny black markings surrounding the scar, his fingertip nearly brushing your skin. you tried to ignore the way it sent tingles up and down your spine. you tried to ignore how he was neglecting the wall of pillows he'd erected between you guys.

"and what's all this?"

"hm?" you shook the flustered feeling out of your body. "oh, that's all pen ink. i like to draw on my scars."

"huh. no kidding." there was silence, then he asked, "why?"

you sighed. "for a long time, i was insecure about the scars i'd gotten from the fire. so i would draw on them to make me feel better. anything. flowers, animals, random doodles. anything to cover it up. eventually, i started to see the scars as less of a mistake but...a part of me that could be made beautiful. if that makes sense. i know it sounds totally fake, but in a way it made me feel better."

bakugou paused for a moment, before he straightened, leaning forwards. he stayed like that: perfectly still, not moving a muscle.

your eyes traced the scars along his back.

"well, dumbass? i'm waiting."

you furrowed your brow until you got the message. the pen in your fingers came to life as you leaned forward, the blue ink spilling along his shoulders in beautiful artwork.

you didn't know how long you'd worked, how many hours or minutes you'd spent in peace and quiet while you traced out flowers and gardens and anything onto his back. but he was quiet, and he was calm.

and for a moment, you could have sworn he muttered a shaky, "thank you."

---

UNEDITED.

i lowkey hate this but whatever.

[llycaons]

surprise! I read volume 1 of svss

conclusion:

okay, on a serious note - I know, I know, but the curiosity was really getting to me, and I like to know what I'm dealing with when I criticize something (if you were following me when I decided to read the mdzs novel, you'll remember I did the same thing then). anon who asked me if I'd ever read it because they wanted to hear my thoughts and I said no - well, if you're still out there, you got your wish. but only volume one (1/4 of the full story). read on for my impression and review.

many thanks to jana @neixins for being my discord reading buddy for this project! her support, insights, and companionship made this far more entertaining than it would have otherwise been

fun fact before we start: I don't know why svss is exclusively referred to by its english acronym, but the acronym for its mandarin title would be RZFZX (full title Rén zhā fǎnpài zìjiù xìtǒng). I suppose svss (or SVS, or SV) is snappier

this is the official translation I'm reading, and the writing style is fine. definitely easier to parse than orv. and the art really is lovely

tw for discussion of grooming, abuse, and rape

brief overview of the plot: protag shen yuan, a modern-day young adult, is reading a long, terrible male power fantasy/stallion novel and complaining about how contrived and stupid it is. he dies at the moment he finishes reading and is transmigrated into the novel in the body of the infamously cruel and sadistic teacher of the protag, shen qingqiu. he knows that the young protagonist of the novel (luo binghe) will enact terrible revenge on the teacher when he grows up for all the abuse he suffered under sqq's hands, so he tries to make nice and get the lbh to like him

shen yuan (now sqq) has to navigate the rules of the system while trying to save his own skin, avoid acting ooc while trying to be nice to the mc, advance the plot, get 'badass points', and resolve the issues that led to the work being of such poor quality. his modern, internal monologue contrasts with his scholarly air in very funny ways, and his constant critiques of the writing are likewise fairly humorous commentaries on lazy and stereotypical writing

however, the parodies of contrived, cliched, and foolish writing tropes do not stop mxtx from writing these very same tropes into later works like mdzs or tgcf, nor does her pointing out those tropes automatically make her book good, so it's an incredibly exasperating experience. I thought she improved since writing mdzs, but it seems like she knows that what she's doing is cliched or pandering but she does it anyway. much like sy, we're exasperated because this could have been a really cool work and the execution is just not what it could have been

this book also has the dubious honor of being the only mxtx book to reference incest without condemning it or recognizing it's disgusting

I do think mxtx has a genuine talent for critiquing sexist and absurd romance tropes for straight couples, but she writes as if whatever gay people do to each other is fine. readers of tgcf and mdzs will know....in fact as much as I hate to say it, the moment in mdzs where wwx apologizes for assaulting lwj is one of the better ways she's handled these things. of course it's ruined later because lwj literally doesn't care he's been raped and they move past it immediately etc. but I would be shocked if the inappropriateness of the svss relationship is EVER addressed, so mdzs may actually be the one where it's handled slightly better. we know the age gap never comes up in tgcf, of course

anyway mxtx makes fun of the idea of a female love interest providing the mc with free therapy while she constructs a scenario in which sqq has to take on a love interest's role of support/inspiration

examples: this is a character that's presented as poorly-wriiten

this is LITERALLY how xuan ji tgcf was written except she hates pm instead of being obsessed with him like was in the past!! don't critique shitty writing for female characters if you refuse to do better!

the characters are not especially noteworthy, and unlike in tgcf or mdzs the mc has no real distinctive style, either visually or personality-wise. almost everyone was either very one-dimensional, unlikable, or just boring imo. I get that we're very early into the novel, but I don't really care about these characters at all. shame because it sounds like the side characters are really fun later on

the modern-day origins of sy make for some funny references - there are mentions of harry potter, and the book he gets isekaid into apparently has a ton of fanfiction

the horror is quite good - some of those monsters are freaky as hell. she always did have a knack for horror

much like mdzs has a ton of literary references, svss has a lot of references to modern films and tv shows, and to things like chinese ads or websites that a modern-day chinese reader would recognize, but that a translator would need to explain. it also does have some proverbs and wordplay as well

as for the elephant in the room: I consider the relationship in this novel to be grooming rather than csa/pedophilia. they may not get together until they're adults, but the mc is 14 years old when sy is isekaid in and there is absolutely already some kind of mutual something going on as early as chapter 1, despite sy criticizing other characters for being creepy with their students and referring to lbh as a child repeatedly. while sqq doesn't act on any of these feelings, it is impossible to ignore in their interactions and it did give me a helpless sense that I was in a horror movie

mxtx toes the line and tries to get away with as much as possible - adult/child relationships and grooming are a joke to her and her readers, something exciting, something fun, but like in tgcf, nothing actually happens

they would have had a much better relationship as simply master and student. or if the romance needed to be there, sy could have been isekaid into one of lbh's peers, as he had plenty of bullies his age - gay love changing the course of the narrative is a fun trope and if they'd been the same age, I genuinely would have enjoyed it. but lbh venerates and hero-worships his teacher, and this kind of power dynamic doesn't just cease to matter once he hits 18. he was an abused and vulnerable child offered kindness and support, and he latched onto and became obsessed with his teacher. getting a crush on a teacher is fine, but it shouldn't have turned into a romance. like tgcf, the issues with the main couple are foundational, but they could have been eliminated by the author just not being a fucking creep

also, sqq is vain and self-centered, and while he treats lbh kindly and praises him, he also treats him like a servant and shamelessly exploits his hero-worship to get good food and manual labor out of him. he's out for his survival so I understand him acting selfishly, but he internally talks down to all the characters he meets if he thinks they're poorly written, and it makes it a nightmare to be in his head for very long bc he's so mean. he is funny, but but he fucking sucks and I dislike him as a main character. compared to wwx and xl, he's the worst main character in terms of personality (even if he's much better than the original sqq)

for specific examples for the inappropriate writing of their relationship, all in this volume:

there are several vague descriptions of ~feelings~ on both sides when they see each other (lbh is 14)

at one point, sqq is poisoned in a way that he knows can only be cured by sex with lbh, and he thinks of it briefly before laughing it off like 'wow that would be CRAZY' as always mxtx, jokes are a great way to handle statutory rape. excerpt:

💀💀💀💀💀

lbh overhears that sqq praised him, and the character he overhears it from is described as a wingman (lnh is 15)

one of the disciples is angry that sqq suddenly favors lbh. excerpt:

after lbh 'dies' at age 17, sqq scolds himself, saying he's acting like a widow who's husband has died

so while nothing romantic or sexual happens this volume, the groundwork is there. see this screenshot from chapter 5 of the novel (originally chapter 30), at the very end of this volume:

if sqq had no attraction to his student, there would be no reason to be so panicked

it's like...nobody acts normally about this. lbh and sqq have the weirdest quasi-flirtatious conversations that skirt the edge of being explicitly romantic/sexual. I don't think it's an exaggeration to say that this was written to appeal to people who are into age gaps and grooming, if not outright csa. have some more excerpts

like...what IS THIS?

at the end of this volume, lbh is sent away for five years by sqq (he was forced to drop him into a demon abyss bc he needed to advance the plot) so when lbh returns he will be 22 and presumably VERY angry with sqq, and will probably use his newfound power to...torture him? or something? I don't know how their relationship will go from now on, but I have no interest in reading it when I know it's going to end with them as lovers. yeah, even if it does happen when they're both in their late 20s

otherwise, the first few chapters of the novel are extremely funny. it and has a lot of original ideas. but it's difficult to ignore such a premise, and I don't think it's worth it to grit your teeth through unless you have a particular interest in reading this book, to either critique it, enjoy the humor and creativity, or try to figure out why people are so hell-bent on defending it. and honestly by chapter 4 (around ch25 in the original novel), it's not even that funny anymore and the parody aspect has worn out since there's so little of substance to replace it. the og novel is mocked for being a cliched mess, but these are mxtx's actual characters now and she doesn't really seem to do much better with them

the age gap in tgcf is creepy too and I definitely don't like that hc became fixated on xl at a young age, impersonated a little kid, and then reverted back to a little-kid form, but xl not actually knowing him or forming a relationship with him back then is part of why I'm less grossed out about it than I otherwise would be. xl didn't know who hc was when they met and they had barely any relationship when hc was a little kid. he was just a fun guy and they started hanging out together. hc wasn't a young boy placed under his care who he started developing feelings for oh my god I hate sqq so much

there was a side character that sqq describes as 'beautiful' who he had a somewhat antagonistic relationship with who would have been a PERFECT love interest for sqq if he wasn't a fucking creep and im so mad that they didn't become lbh's gay dads instead of whatever the fuck went on

tl; dr: an engaging and original premise with a lot of humor. clever and insightful in many ways, with some great horror scenes, but as in other novels, unable to be normal about gay people and inescapably, unnecessarily ruined by the grooming between the main character and his love interest and the abuse that apparently comes afterwards. also ignorant to its own faults, sexism, and illogical stances even as it parodies others

spoilers for the rest of the book

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-

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according to a beloved mewtual who has provided me summary for the rest (thank you for the info!), the relationship is fucked up for the remainder of the book for completely different reasons

ready? after lbh comes back, sqq is freaked out and doesn't want anything to do with him because he thinks lbh is going to kill him. lbh in fact doesn't want to kill him, but has apparently undergone a complete personality change and is now just a bitter and VERY yandere asshole and proceeds to torment, stalk, harass, torture, and sexually assault sqq until sqq agrees to be in a relationship with him. this abuse and shifting of power dynamics could have been handled in an interesting way, but it isn't, and who's surprised

later in the story lbh is risking qi deviation, so sqq reluctantly (and painfully?) dual-cultivates with him. I heard years ago about some kind of rape torture porn scene and I assume this is what it was referring to

I cannot imagine the appeal this romance holds for fans because this sounds completely fucking miserable and victim-blamy as hell, but uhhh they get married in one of the extras

as for the side characters, a lot of them are kind of doing their own thing? they sound like a ton of fun compared to the main guys. there's a demon snake guy, they're a cool demon lady who's kind of in lesbians with another disciple, there's another gay couple who are like insane and assholes but seem perfect for each other so 👍

anyway bingqiu is abusive but surprisingly not because of sqq, though I haven't forgotten him being creepy about his student this volume either. I can't believe svss was just proto-killing stalking this entire time. aside from glorifying abuse and victim-blaming, that's just so fucking boring. what a disappointment. for all their faults, mdzs and tgcf had legitimately magnificent scenes, complex relationships, interesting plots, heartfelt emotional moments, and compelling characters. no wonder this is the unfavorite of the batch - it's absolutely the worst in every way and it sounds like it doesn't get much better

if you're going to send me anon hate about this like 'your interest is problematic too' or 'let people enjoy things' just save yourself the time and block me first. I absolutely do not care about your opinion and I'll just delete it unless you're explaining something I've misunderstood in good faith. and even then I think so lowly of the fans of this novel I might just delete it anyway, after screenshotting it and sharing it with my mutuals to laugh at. get some fucking taste. that's all

[annbourbon]

The Useful Post

I keep this post to remember the useful things (or interesting) I need and I have found here on Tumblr nothing (or maybe a bit of it but not all) of it is mine so it shouldn't be on my master list but I like to keep it where I can see it. Mostly they're reblogs of useful things.

But first things first: «Curate your own media experience and get your head out of your ass»

Part One || Part Two || Part Three || Part Four || Part Five || Part Six

Writing 101

Follow @givethispromptatry , @promptsforthestrugglingauthor and @creativepromptsforwriting they post often and their content is really good. I'll be updating this list with their best content plus, other people content... but that doesn't mean you shouldn't follow them<3

5 Frustrating Rules by Michael Bjork

About toxic behaviors and romance in writing...

Michael Bjork Writing Master List

Fiction writers you must follow

10 Worst ways to start a book

Comic Sans Trick

Writing Deaf Characters

Body Horror vs. Gore

Enemies to lovers #1

Pacing in your Story

Nicknames for Characters

Just write what you want

Holding each other accountable

Advice for writing relationships

Fairytale Research

Good traits gone bad

Trauma is not romantic

Writing animals

How to write emotions #1

Emotionally healthy people are quitters

Motivation (I believe it applies for fic writers but can also apply to writers)

Sins

Mythology or Religion & Lore?

In defense of Riven

Magical Girls are never attacked

Romance *master post*

Drunken Love Confessions

Writerblr Glossary

Nightmares & Insomnia

Saying I love you Prompts

♡ Kim Possible Movie

♡ Sentimonsters

♡ Bed Sharing Scenarios

♡ Webnovel Scam

♡ BookShop as an alternative to Amazon

♡ Characters being sick

♡ Grammar ≠ Creativity

♡ Writing Assholes: Just remember Dr House 💀

♡ Writing conflict #1

♡ Nature doesn't do TWs

Pink Panther & The Simplicity of things: Why some things are timeless and enjoyable

♡ Please get a Thesaurus 💀

♡ Joss Whedon Writing Tips

♡ Religion Lore 101: How to create it for your story

♡ Fluffy Masterpost

♡ Writing Heists

♡ Write more fanfics!!

♡ Ref Recs for Whump Writers

♡Short & Impactful

♡ Bonus: Fics & Fanarts

♡ Writing Erotica

♡ Writers are often lured 😭🤣 so true...

♡ Podcasts aren't novels

♡ Likable characters are lazy AF

♡ Awful Writing Advice by Susan K. Perry

♡ Worldbuilding (Fantasy)

♡ Engaging Readers

♡ Stage Fright

♡ Tropes and Cliches

♡ Forcing Diversity

♡ Boxing the Ears while fighting (Follow this account, it's amazing!!)

♡ Horror is not the only story

♡ WTF is a Claymore Mine!?

♡ Sentient Sandwiches

♡ Vampires are not...

♡ Nanowrimo Tips

♡ Punctuation Marks

♡ Abuse Apologism is Disgusting

♡ I promise you: It's not worthless

♡ Outfit References

♡ Deconstruction of fairytales??

♡ Novum

♡ Toxic

♡ Dominant vs Domineering (Things that can help you in the art of writing erotica)

♡ Binary Star Systems

♡ Fantasy Guide to Hosting a High Society Dinner Party by @inky-duchess (please check out her blog!! it's amazing~!)

♡ An empath creates monsters

♡ Alphabet Game (Prompt Idea)

♡ You are more than what you write

♡ Filler vs Plot

♡ What is...?

♡ ✨What is...?✨

♡ Tips for dates and sizes

♡ Dialogues for "I want to kill you"

♡ Reverse Tropes

If you want to be here, write me. I'll check on your post and see if I can make it work 😉

[xxstarryxeyedxx]

{Blank Dream}

Video game playtime length estimated:short 2015

Creator:Kanawo

Blank Dream is a Horror RPGmaker game,following the blueprint of other such creations.A young girl wakes up in a strange world called The Mirrorworld with no recollection of her name or memories,only that,she has a wish to grant and that she was not particularly fond of her life.Sounds pretty standard right?Well..that's because it is.Story wise this game is v e r y janky.It explored some really sensitive topics in a very surface level way that I felt wronged the very interesting cast of characters it had set up(Win for wlw rep).

!TW!

(and spoiler(?))

One of those plot points being heavy themes of incest relations between father and daughter.It progress in a "tell don't show"way which works in some of the narrations but detatches the immersion and shock of what otherwise could have been a great plot twist(if also it had been handled a bit more carefully and less for shock factor).Not being a huge fan of the "Doomed By The Narrative" trope in media regarding the fate of characters,ESPECIALLY when that narrative is through an unexplainable higher power(and not symbolism of human nature or the cycle of trauma for example)..I felt that they could have done a bit more with it.Sure the allegory is there but it is nothing we haven't seen before.

Puzzles in game are also a bit wonky and a little unfair at times and the AI of enemies or chase sceenes is so broken that it's either extremely furstrating or very laughable at times.It does however balance it out with a very fair save system that appears very often,as it should,in a game riddled with traps and classical "jumpscare to sudden death"

Despite all of that two things I absolutely enjoyed in this game were it's music and environments.The music tied in with every space so incredibly well (the World's Center track is my favorite) and the emotional or tense scenes are also quite well established by the music in tone.All of the mirror world areas are really well thought out,especially to their symbolism and aesthetic, regarding what each represents,that had me fully immersed in the world at points,thus getting the air scared out of my lungs in certain moments or jumpscares(which are very cliche and some are even seen from a mile away but suprisingly most still hold up)

Overall it's a very mediocre short game but somewhat enjoyable to watch and very furstrating to play

5.5/10

[ashleylikeshorror]

Old People || 2022

This review might have spoilers. TW.

🖤🦇💀👻💀🦇🖤

While I was expecting not Children, but Grandparents of the Corn, I was pleasantly surprised with a film that had more to offer than nonstop cliches, predictable tropes, and cheesy gimmicks.

That isnt to say it doesnt have its problems, though. For instance, the plot is lacking at times as it heavily leans on a post-divorce love triangle - which, go figure, unfolds during a wedding - the back-and-forth of which no one but those involved give a shit about. To be blunt, the fact we're seeing women squabbling over a man in the midst of the calamity feels so overdone and out of place that you're relieved when the third party unalives themselves.

Despite this awkward entanglement, tension is handled very well throughout the film (yes, even in those "he's mine!" scenes) due to the wombo-combo of the amazing camera work of Ralf Noack and music from Christopher Bremus and Steven Schwalbe. There were times I was rewinding the film *just* to take in the score for a second time. 😘👌🏻

If the score was literally anything different, the subpar acting (which had the film feeling like a **really weird** commercial at moments) would have been twice as apparent as it was. While the acting was consistently inconsistent throughout, it was still refreshing as fuck to see characters who made (mostly) smart decisions.

Acting 1/2 ⭐

Music/Soundtrack 2/ 2 ⭐

Cinematography 2/ 2 ⭐

Storytelling/Plot .5/ 2 ⭐

Enjoyability/ RW Value 1/ 2 ⭐

Total 6.5/10

It'd be super cool if you followed my horror Instagram 👇🏻👇🏻

https://instagram.com/ashley_likes_horror

[gulaabjamoon]

yeu kashi tashi mi nandayla is a cringe and cliche serial but om and sweetu make a really adorable couple.. thoughts?

i had longass answer typed out two times for this but tumblr glitched so im gonna try and include whatever i can in this one again. (also the show is playing on tv rn in front of me they're in a local?? how romantic:/)

okay so first of all about this show: i love how the girl is confident and happy despite that fact that she's fat. i love this representation she's comfortable in her skin despite what people say about her?? and this is so different and nice from how fat people are usually shown in indian shows/movies. it's refreshing.

om and sweetus dynamic is really cute. hes the rich but polite boi and she's a poor but happy girl beautiful. also like they're already in love?? they literally heart eye each other why does there have to be be drama plis jist marry each other

both their mom's irritate me tho like. sweetus mom is so insistent on getting her married asap. chill bro she's 22?23? really young not to mention kinda your whole familys main source of income?? and oms mom seems so helpless it's pitying like ma'am ur daughter runs ur business u should have some kind of say in what happens??

and oms sister. that lady is downright evil- she's manipulative and abusive af. i hope she doesn't get a redemption arc that bitch

ur thoughts now @cynical-ravenclaw

[hanna-kin]

The Love Triangle

So this feels like I might be unleasing a monster with this but with how much this is talked about I can't not talk about it.

Tw: love triangle talk

So do I believe there will be a love triangle in season 2?

Not sure. I'm honestly 50/50 on it.

Do I fear a love triangle?

No

To be honest I feel a bit indifferent to it. Or maybe that's the wrong word. I'm just not worried about it and I feel like no matter what happens I'll enjoy the new season.

However, if I had to choose I'd go with no love triangle.

It's just a tired trope and it is very cliche and I want season 2 to focus on Simon and Wille finding their way back towards eachother in other ways. I want to see them struggle with their new dynamic while Wille figures out what he wants, learns to trust people around him and stand up for himself.

I want Simon to stand is ground but still be supportive of Wille's journey. Even if it is from a distance. I think Simon just needs to take time and see that Wille is making an effort for him. Simon needs to be able to trust Wille but also open up to him so that Wille can support him too. He's already very guarded so that will be a huge step for him and also crucial if they want a healthy relationship.

And I believe that should be allowed to take time. It needs to take time even.

A new love interest for either of them would obviously take away time from that.

If Simon were to get a new boyfriend it would definitely throw off the dynamics between him and Wille. Sure it would make him see what life with a normal person would be. Sure it would probably make him feel appreciated. But then what?

I'm sure Lisa and the writers will make it work but it feels unnecessary. It will still end with Wilmon so to create a well fleshed out character that is just not a plot device would be challenging. Especially considering we already have August, Sara and Felice who also deserve their archs.

Wille and Simon are obviously the main characters and would rather have them find their way back to eachother step by step from longing and painful looks between eachother as they are both heartbroken, to awkward glances and short conversations to friendship where they open up more and more. Simon especially but Wille as well because they know so little about eachother and they don't understand eachothers worlds and pov. Wille more so than Simon but Simon definitely struggles to understand Wille too.

I've seen people wanting jealous Wille but I hate the jealous trope with a passion and find jealousy so unattractive. I definitely think he would be though, probably thinking Simon is better off with that new guy. I could see Wille jump to conclusions about Simon and the new guy and them being just friends but that's also so cliche and cheesy. I've seen it a million times and I'm a bit over it.

I've also seen people wanting Simon to get a new boyfriend because it would make Wille realise what he has lost and push him in the right direction. I hate that even more. I'll take Wille being jealous every day over that.

Wille knows exactly what he's lost. He knows he's let Simon down and that he's essentially given up his own happiness to protect his legacy. He doesn't need to see SImon with somoneelse to know that. He already does and that's one reason he told Simon he loves him.

A new love interest would only make him even more heartbroken and his self hatered would grow. I just don't like the notion it has that Wille should be "punished" for what he did. He's already been punished in many ways and he already has so little support. Simon having someone else and Wille thinking about how he is not good enough for Simon is already deeply rooted in him. I think it would lead to him take several steps back instead. I would love the angst though.

And Simon doesn't seem to want that for Wille either. There's no malice from him. He's not angry. He doesn't want Wille to suffer. He is just looking after himself.

I also don't like Wille being forced to take action to earn Simon back. I want him to do it for himself and because he wants to. I want it to feel organic and him finding himself should not he because Simon is with another guy and he has to so that Simon will take him back.

I think it would be more powerful to have him doing it at his own terms.

Besides I want to see more of his grief and struggle with anxiety and I want him to get help for that. He really needs a friend.

And as for Simon I don't think a new relationship would serve his journey either. He's just taken a huge step in looking out for himself and prioritizing his needs. I want him to continue on with that. I also want him to be more vulnerable and allow himself to trust other people more. He's just been through something really traumatic and he's deeply hurt by what Wille did so I want him to take time to cope with that and heal. There's also so much more to explore with Simon's character that I want the focus to be on. His relationship with Micke and his childhood, him and Sara growing apart and hopefully finding their way back together, August and the tape and Sara and Wille keeping it a secret (I still want Wille to tell him early on.) I would love for Simon to find a friendship at Hillerska.

Just like I want Wille to get time to find himself I want Simon to do the same. They are both so young and what happened to them is so unfair. I want them to deal with it and I want to see their struggles, both separately but also together as they navigate a new kind of relationship.

I just don't think a love triangle would add anything valuable but I also trust Sara and the other writers that if it happened I'd still enjoy it.

[mlwritingprompts]

Submitted prompt: Nathalie's Priorities.

Divergence AU after Collector but way before Queen Wasp.

Nathalie Has Standards AU.

Nathalie Doesn't Madly Love Gabriel "I am an abusive asshole and proud of it" Agreste.

TW: Gabriel dies.

Because we hate misogyny, and hate the whole "women must sacrifice themselves for abusive rich white cis males" trope or any variants of it and we should find a way to utterly eviscerate that horrible cliche.

--

"Do you see now, Nathalie? Why I have to akumatise people? Why I chose to torment the city? I had no other choice. I had to do that to save Emilie!"

Nathalie could only try her best to not look horrified by the sheer terror of the fact that the very same emotional predator that tormented Paris, hurt a lot of people, including her, and what few of her friends living in the city, was actually the very same man who she was working on his payroll.

She shuddered slightly from revulsion as Ga- NO! The Terrorist looked softly at the comatose body of his wife (or corpse, Nathalie couldn't stop the idea from appearing in her head) locked inside the cryochamber, and she really wanted to be anywhere but here when she saw him put his hands on the glass as if he was caressing his wife's face.

But Nathalie forced her body to stay still and controlled her body's shiver with sheer will.

She knew that if she ran away now, he will kill her, or worse, brainwash her using his miraculous.

And she doesn't want to find out how horrifying he will be.

"Yes, I understand, Mr Agreste."

She inwardly sighed in relief as her voice and answer didn't seem to offend him in any way.

"Then you understand, that you should help me, right? To return to being a family once more."

Nathalie used all her willpower to look as loyal as possible, even as she felt the bile raising in her throat as her words of agreement exited from her mouth.

And she carefully hid her new burning hatred for him, even as she plotted his demise.

-

Her chances came way earlier than she expected.

It only took a couple of weeks for Gabriel to apparently trust her with a miraculous to train with.

Frankly she hadn't expected him to be this casual about giving her magical items that can cause untold amount of destruction and mayhem, but this...

This had just sped up her plan from weeks' worth of prepration to almost a couple of days.

Screw making phone calls to get people covering her tracks when she would have dealt with him, now she can do it easily.

And then, night came, and instead of sleeping, she stayed awake for a couple more hours, and when she made sure Gabriel was soundly asleep, Nathalie disabled the cameras inside the house and went towards the vault, picking Duusuu's miraculous and immediately transforming.

Silently, she opened the door to his room, and slowly unfurled her fan.

The very magical fan that can easily slice through steel like paper.

A human body has no chance.

She looked at him, fury clear in her eyes, as she recalled how he constantly acted like a jerk, never cared about anything other than himself, how he had no problem endangering her many times before with his akumatized victims on the loose, even when he akumatized himself and directly harmed her, and Adrien, and many, many other people.

Her hand moved, the fan slashing at him.

His death was instant.

She then plucked out a feather after retreiving back Nooroo's miraculous from his body, and made an amok that embodied all her hatred for the man who thought she will just follow him like that.

The amok erases Gabriel's body, and manipulates the camera feed to make it seem like Gzbriel decided to go on a night walk, never to be seen again.

Now with that done, she will have to get Adrien to therapy, and have him adopted, and find a way to give Ladybug the two miraculouses and leave this whole "Agreste" life immediately.

She can't handle looking at the damn Agreste logo anymore.

-

End.

Also, am I the only one who is worried that Gabriel has his wife's body (corpse) locked inside a bunker or whatever? And the fact said wife seems younger by decades? First the female heroes costume, then Adrien'swhole attitude, and now this! This show keeps making more Fridge Horror as it goes along.

[pockymllk]

Pt 2 of Pocky’s Manhwa recs for hopeless/historical romantics!

If you liked my first recommendation list, this one will be an instant hit for you as well<3 Read on if you’d like to meet more strong female leads (maybe a dash of villains here & there) and romance and of course amazing stories.

1) A capable Maid (also called ‘a talented maid’)

The useless maid, Marie, has never been able to do anything correctly. But, after caring for a dying prisoner, she becomes a person she had always wanted to be. This is the start of the capable maid, Marie.

- I’ve never seen anyone talk ab this manhwa and it’s so criminally underrated! I’m playing favourites here but 100% I can’t recommend this one enough.

- The story itself is an extremely refreshing face in the sea of isekais and whilst the main plot right now is on a lighter side I can see the story diverting to a more mature/serious tone soon so it’s a perfect balance without being overly complicated. The plot is simple but engaging and it actually has a serious sense of direction which makes you feel rewarded when it progresses at each chapters. But I will admit that the first few chapters were a tad bit slower so it’s something you should keep in mind!

- I think part of the appeal of this manhwa for me is the FL. while I love seeing stunning FLs with blonde hair and blue eyes, seeing this allows me to create a sort of silly little attachment to her. Despite her humane flaws and all, I can say that FL is one of my favourites.

- like many other romances there is surprisingly few cliche scenes and by far my favourite thing about this manhwa is how well paced the the romance is with the FL and ML . It is very realistic (no sudden love at first sights) and is a result of a buildup over the chapters. It also has one of the healthiest relationships ive seen so far including their interactions make it so cherished because you’ve been rooting for them since the very start. This manhwa knows how to deliver the romances at the right times and develops it well too

- both FL and ML are so tooth rottingly cute I swear my heart actually fluttered at some scenes

- highly highly recommend if you want a lighter read, steady plot and a strong capable young woman with her blushy yet heartbreakingly stubborn prince

Over rating : 4.9/5.0

Bonus thoughts : I also really like the art as it’s not completely over the top but so gorgeous at certain parts (look below for what I’m talking about hehe)

2) The Villainess is a Marionette

Cayena, the Imperial Princess, was known as the most beautiful woman in the Empire. She was a woman who knew nothing but evil and luxury.However, she was destined for ruin: she would be used as a chess piece by her younger brother to secure his throne and killed by her crazy husband. She had to change things before she became that Cayena.

- I cannot recommend this enough!! It does have your typical trope of a once foolish female lead reliving her life after a 2nd chance and tbh I’m not really fond of the cliches but damn, I absolutely adore this one.

- The story itself is a perfect balance between character and plot focused (politics, romance, power struggles etc), I see further development in the plot later on but since it’s still in the first 30 chapters it has done a great job setting up the base already. Oftentimes the politics can get a little confusing but overall it still follows a very clean frame.

- I’m absolutely smitten with the female lead instead of the male lead (she is just so admirable + respectable), definitely a must read if you wish to see a mature and well written character paired with the storyline. I’ve read many stories regarding this trope but I promise there’s something special about this one that you won’t regret reading

- Also! (TW: mental health) I think this story does a really great job capturing past traumas and definitely doesn’t shy away from showing the effect it can have on the characters so please keep in mind when reading this!

Overall Rating: 4.8/5.0

Bonus thoughts: I can fangirl ages about the art again but gosh its absolutely stunning and so pleasing to the eyes which just makes this manhwa such an excellent read overall

3) A Symbiotic relationship between A rabbit and a Black Panther 

I was a rabbit shapeshifter who couldn’t even transform into a human by my coming of age ceremony. My family said that I was just a halfling and placed me in a basket… Then I was then picked up by a black panther with an awful personality. This fierce beast. Staring at my trembling face, the black panther’s eyes glistened. “How thrilling.” Mom, I think he’s crazy! To survive a fairly crazy black panther. “The wild beasts are possessive, no matter what it is.” ….Is it possible?

- oddly eccentric FL and ML. the first thing that drew me in was the story and I stayed for the characters. 

- the only thing I’d like to point out is that this manhwa doesn’t have the best plot(?) imo and is most driven on by the unique characters that draw you in instead. This might not be suitable for everyone especially if you’re looking for a well written story. 

- still, FL is so adorably cute in her own way and I love that she’s so stubborn at times. it really shows that she’s strong in her own right without any help from others and ML is so weirdly funny at times I love it

- I can’t wait to see where the story will go further on as it’s pretty new so maybe the plot will pick up it’s pace in the future! 

Overall Rating : 4.0/5.0

[xxbonkixx]

The Black Witch

By Laurie Forest 🖤

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

672 pages

-> Time to complete : 4.5 days

If you’ve heard of this book before, you’re probably wondering what my opinion is on the racist controversy surrounding it. My thoughts? There is no controversy here, sorry to disappoint. There are more racially diverse characters in this book than acotar and the prejudices are relevant to the plot rather than being Laurie Forest’s projections. The protagonist starts off shitty and eventually grows as a person as she becomes more open.

BUT this book is not written well to start off… did this stop me from absolutely devouring this book in a matter of days? No lol Even tho technically speaking the book isn’t great, I did thoroughly enjoy the concept and it improved along with the way.

The ending is very amusing and I honestly can’t wait to pick up the second book.

~ pros ~

- concept and world building is interesting

- once the plot starts up, it gets very addicting

- humorous

- age range being 12-18 is fitting

-> to me this book was a bit immature but it fits the age group

- the ending is *chefs kiss*

~ cons ~

- italics are used too frequently

-> they begin to lose their emphasis

- tells and not shows

- I understand the Gardnerians all have green eyes but can Laurie Forest plz stop referencing it with every single character being observed 

- characterisation is cliche and relies heavily on tropes - lack of depth beyond the protagonist

- the protagonist’s last name is Gardner while she is a Gardnerian… lack of creativity anyone?

- must admit, really not a fan of the portrayal of self harm here especially considering it is not necessary for the story nor is mentioned ever again [tw]

[hermionetickledthedragon]

Fan Fiction Recommendations Part V

The 5th and last part of FicRec series sadly.. Here are the 9th and 10th categories: 

Sad Fanfics

•Fanfics to cry you heart out to

1~Gradually by Lucystrn ~Mature ~Summary: "That's the first time i saw him again. The last is right now. But I am too weak and drunk to even attempt to shove the covers off his bed, stand and go away. Weak emotionally I mean, because I know that I should be running away from this thing." ~Site and Words: Fanfictionnet/ 5 Chapters, and  6,996 Words. ~Note/tw: Post-war, Hurt, comfort, romance, dark, emotionally rough.

2~Bitter sweet by provocative envy ~Mature ~Summary: When I finally came, it felt as if I had been flayed open, spine exposed, a cachet of fireworks set off in half-second increments along my vertebrae as he murmured my name so reverently I could not help but think that there must be some magic to it, to me, to him. ~Site and Words: Fanfictionnet/ 3 Chapters, and 5,746 Words ~Note/tw: Post-war, Complete.

3~Demolition Lovers by empathapathique ~Mature ~Summary: Words didn’t mean anything. Only a man who was absolutely sure of what he wanted—or was far too comfortable where he was—could tell a woman that she was the only woman he’d ever love then run off to bed another. ~Site and Words: LiveJournal, Fanfictionnet, AO3/ 3 Chapters, and 24,197 Words. ~Note/tw: Post-war, smut, angst, drama, Complete.

4~Mimi's Black Rose by xxSammySabotagexx ~Teenage ~Summary: Hermione sat beneath her tree, eyes pointed towards the sky. Tears were running down her face, as she slowly whispered, "I'm going to die." ~Site and words: Fanfiction.net, 18 chapters, 51k words ~Note/tw: Major Character Death, one of the saddest fic EVER.

5~Graveyard Valentine by Bexchan ~Teenage ~Summary: Hermione thought she was the only person in the world who would spend Valentine’s Day in a Graveyard, but she was wrong. He’s there. Every single year, with his gloves, roses, and answers. ~Site and words: Fanfiction.net, Ao3, 1 Chapter, 9k words ~Note/tw: Sad, sweet oneshot

6~Numbness by Slythadri ~Mature ~Summary: After the war, they feel numb. Maybe the way back to normalcy is through the craziness. ~Site and words: fanfiction.net, 1 chapter, 4k words ~Note/tw: Not very sad, hurt/comfort, hopeful one-shot

Unique Fanfics

•For all the non-cliche fanfiction lovers

1~Of Flavoured Names and Coloured Sounds by Pink Panda (Ejacyeolation) on Ao3 and Lance Corporal Chanyeol on ff.net ~Mature ~Summary: "He doesn’t question it at first, the fact that sounds have colours and words have flavours. He grows up with it, grows up seeing powerful ruptures of colour when his mother plays the piano and softer, translucent bursts when the people around him speak. His father’s voice fills his vision with sombre oranges and lilacs while his mother’s is a pleasant mix of delicate greens, blues, and greys. The word father tastes like wet wood and the word mother tastes like the pumpkin juice the house-elves frequently serve him." ~Site and words: Fanfiction.net, Ao3, 2 Chapters, 10k words ~Note/tw: Draco has synaesthesia, one of the most unique oneshots, slight smut

2~Procuring Hermione Granger by Curly Kay ~Mature ~Summary: When an old acquaintance offers Hermione 20,000 galleons for a single strand of her hair, she goes in search of the mysterious buyer and finds herself unwittingly portkeyed into the middle of his flat. Dramione twoshot. ~Site and words: fanfiction.net, 2 chapters, 12k words ~Note/tw: smut with amazing plot

3~Classroom 204 by mimifreed ~Mature ~Summary: Hermione and Draco find themselves locked together in a dusty old classroom while a strange virus sweeps through the Wizarding community. They must learn to make the most out of their time and surroundings, and maybe address a few elephants in the room while they're at it. (8th year) ~Site and words: Fanfiction.net, 1 chapter, 15k words ~Note/tw: Quarantined during the coronavirus trope, avoidable smut, beautifully written oneshot

4~Between the Devil and Draco Malfoy by Queen of Smoke and Mirrors ~Mature ~Summary: Seventeen is a dangerous age. Hermione Granger, arrogant and precocious and bored of her mundane life, thinks she can handle a deal with the devil. But Draco Malfoy - the devil's own son - plans on dragging her down to Hell with him. ~Site and Words: Fanfictionnet/ 13 Chapters, and 38,410 Words. ~Note/tw: Dramione Devil au, Dark, Drama, anti-order, Dark Hermione, smut, OOC Hermione, complete.

5~The Commoner's Guide to Bedding a Royal by olivieblake ~Mature ~Summary: Objectively speaking, Hermione Granger knows Britain has a monarchy, just as she knows Prince Draco (the grandson of the King of England) is probably off somewhere living his royal life in total unrelation to hers. Seeing as she isn't delusional, she doesn't really expect to be his friend. She doesn't expect anything that comes after, either. ~Site and Words: Fanfictionnet, AO3/ 45 Chapters, and 527,574 Words. ~Note/tw: Dramione modern Royalty au, Multiple Pairings, Humor, Complete.

6~Modern Romances by olivieblake ~Mature ~Summary: Witch Weekly's 'Modern Romance' series asks anonymous witches and wizards to record a week in their sex lives—with comic, tragic, provocative, and patently revealing results. Each week, a new episode unfolds in the lives of the Wizarding World's elite. ~Site and Words: Fanfictionnet, AO3/ 19 Chapters, and 293,493 Words ~Note/tw: Multiple pairings, post-war, EWE, complete, fluff, angst, smut, humor, romance, drama.

So here’s the last of it. We enjoyed doing the fic Recs, maybe we’ll do it again.

Shout out to all the amazing authors who took their precious time in writing these gems, y’all real talented.

P.S. If you all have trouble finding the links DM us either on tumblr or instagram

Aight Imma head out now.

[phoenixgryphon]

Now that it’s not like 2am, I ended up having some issues with the finale

...but I also don’t want to rain on everyone’s parade fghjkfhg so under a cut it goes:

Also don’t get me wrong there were some incredible scenes in the finale and a whole lot of good things happened but incoherent rambles ahoy...

To me it felt like it lacked something and was rushed? It felt like it had an air of “uh oh ran outta time and gotta wrap everything up”

I felt like we could have had maybe one more episode to let things pan out, instead of all of a sudden “oh we’re kidnapping all these political people- oh we’re fighting, oh karli’s dead that’s it. Also Sharon is the Power Broker.” I think it might have to do with the slower pace that the previous episodes had when it came to plot and then this finale was acted out at the very end of  ep 5 and ep 6.

Also somewhat related to the above, I thought that they might have been going somewhere with that scene where the other flag smashers were hesitating before the plan was acted out, that maybe one of them would speak out against Karli to make things interesting but......nope.

Bucky and Sam teaming up with Walker without having any qualms was.....strange. I know that it can happen with the “common enemy” trope but it felt weird that not one of them had any reluctance and just went with it. Not to mention the last they saw Walker was him brutally murdering someone with the shield?

Not a fan of Sharon becoming the villain partially because of the “everyone treated me like garbage so I became evil” cliche. Also it felt weird that Shield apparently treated her terribly after the events of Cap 2 and 3. Shield would have been a mess after in Cap 2 after it was revealed that Hydra had weaseled it’s way into it and Nat had posted everything online. And having to give Cap his shield back and Sam his wings to stop Zemo in Cap 3 would have been enough to let said actions slide?

I loved the idea of Bucky healing by reconciling with those that TWS had affected, but I didn’t like that it was all of a sudden wrapped up at the end, I wish they’d saved some of it for a possible season 2 or something. It would have been interesting to see more reactions to him approaching them about his TWS days (especially if it were mixed up a bit with some of them resenting him). Also I’m no st//ucky shipper but Bucky leaving Steve’s notebook with the therapist felt off given it was well...Steve’s.

I wish we’d got to see more of the therapist and given reason to why Bucky favoured them, because they........weren’t a good therapist.

[trashpocket]

Chapters: 1/2 Fandom: Stand Still Stay Silent Rating: Teen And Up Audiences Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings Relationships: Lalli Hotakainen/Emil Västerström, Lalli Hotakainen & Emil Västerström Characters: Lalli Hotakainen, Emil Västerström, Tuuri Hotakainen, Sigrun Eide, Mikkel Madsen, Onni Hotakainen, (mentioned), and one OC - Character, (for the plot) Additional Tags: Alternate Universe - High School, High School, cliches, (my take on them), Swearing, Parties, Teen Things, Romance, Pining, Misunderstandings, Angst, Hurt/Comfort, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Yearning, Love, Kisses, A lot - Freeform, Hugs, warmth, Fluff, at the end, Violence, Drinking, Mutual Pining, Making Out, cause why not, Gay, just a lot of angst, Hurt, mild homophobia Series: Part 6 of SSSS; A Series of Wonderful, Fortunate Events Summary:

In which Emil said yes to going out with somebody else, and Lalli is ready to commit murder.

________________

(a one shot on some trope-heavy, cliche High School AU, filled with a bunch of typical teen swearing, parties, and melodramatic episodes filled with some mild blood and tears, here and there, and oh, also TW: mentions of bullying and mild homophobia, but dont worry, our characters are fine.)

[arbitrarycogitation]

Dear White People

Spoilers Ahead!

Age Rating: 18+

TW: foul languange, violence, sexual intercourse

I have no idea if this show is accurate or not in terms of the university “culture” and the social frictions, tropes and cliches. What I do know is this show is not your average university drama. Even though the story is slow, you are somehow never bored of what is on screen. At least I was not. Even before the secret society shenanigans I was already hooked on the narrative. The first season left a great impression on me because the lines were witty and trendy at the time, the problems presented on screen were the problems that I understood from the internet and the show was diplomatic and in-your-face at the same time. It was a good change from struggling romance and endless friendship related dramas. Not that there aren’t any of those here. The show feels like it’s telling you about the individual characters. The people involved. The steps that they took to be where they are at that point in ths story. I think it was magnified by the presence of a character at the beginning of the episode, where I quickly caught up to the fact that it’s their POV. Unlike some series that use POV, Dear White People does not make it boring or hard to understand that all these scenes are supposedly from another point of view because they actually look different. Each shot while telling us the same story, were panned and crafted differently when the characters are different. The only complain I have for this show is that sometimes it is bold enough to make me cringe in a strange way. Maybe this is because I come from a culture that upholds modesty, first and foremost. Season 2 and 3 follows similar format although as the series go, the story progression became faster and more intense. I personally liked season 3’s plot best because I’m a sucker for secret societies and all mysterious things. I also love that we get to see more of the community and not only the white and black side of the university. It was a fresh change from the consistent politics of season 1 and 2. If you have been reading my rambling reviews you know that I am a sucker for nice looking movies and series and this is one of those series. The color palette, the composition, the setting, the contrast and the way they make everything look so crispy?? In a good way? Were awesome. Since I have taken an interest to character building, I must say that I am loving the diversity of the cast’s wardrobe and makeup. They were careful enough to change the character’s wardrobe when they reach a milestone or a slump, and that is the kind of thing I really appreciate and expect from a character in a series.

Overall I think this is a must watch series if you are of age, I’m pretty sure other people will have some more detailed responses to the theme, actions and word choices in the series but because I only have partial knowledge from the internet and social media, I have decided to not comment on the matter further.

[thatyanderecritic]

Bad Yandere Stories- Exhibit A

Hey there everyone, Kai and Julie here. It may or may not be obvious but, we’re on a bit of a hiatus at the moment. Not because we’re particularly busy but we’re simply tired and wanted to have a bit of a vacation before school started. But during our little vacation, we discovered [quite possibly] the worst yandere story we have ever seen in our lives. It’s awful and painful to read. Yet the scariest thing about the story is that there are people who would legitimately consider this guy a yandere and find him hot.  You might be thinking that we’re simply being overly dramatic or picky, (I’m sure some people out there think we are) but let me tell you… this story has everything a yandere fan would hate. This story breaks every goddamn rule we have on this blog and even broke rules we didn’t even know possible. It’s literally our worst nightmare incarnate. Let’s talk about: A Wife’s Cry (TW: Abuse, rape, other toxic relationship stuff)

A Wife’s Cry is a story about the domestic life between our MC, Vanessa Rio Perez, and her husband, Allen Travis Fajardo. Being a Chinese light novel, Allen here is a wealthy CEO to an airline chain while Vanessa comes from an upper middle class (or lower higher class) family. Very cliched. The two ended up in an arranged marriage and ultimately a loveless life. Vanessa is madly in love with Allen (for some reason), while Allen doesn’t like Vanessa at all and felt indifferent towards her. After being treated like furniture for a long time, Vanessa took matters into her own hands and had an affair with a man who actually loved her. It was then Allen found out about this affair…

It is at this point in the summary, where the story turns south. So major trigger warning for you guys. Normally we don’t do that sort of thing because we’re under the assumption that you can handle some harsher topics, considering the nature of yanderes. But man, this story is rough. Lots of abuse, heartbreaking abuse victim mindset, abuser mindset, glorifying abuse, and if you decide to read this story: graphic abuse scenes. There’s also lots of rape and victim blaming. This shit hurts. So take this into consideration.

Anyways, once Allen found out Vanessa cheated on him HE. BEAT. HER. ASS. Like, he went off the rails and nearly murder the girl. And the kicker is that he doesn’t love her but he kept on tossing around excuses like “I’m trying my hardest to love you but then you have to ruin it”, “This is all your fault”, and “I have to teach you a lesson”. Vanessa just takes this and accepts it as her divine punishment or something… because she loves Allen, ya know? And from this point on, the story is just a cycle of Allen beating Vanessa because of random fits and to relieve his stress. He would also rape her too… because, you know, he’s a nice guy. And Vanessa just takes it and licks his feet because she considers him as a god or something. This shit hurts to read bros. It goes from Vanessa begging for forgiveness as Allen beats her, then to Allen raping her, then to Vanessa going “Man, Allen is such a good guy! He cares for me so much!”

Of course, her family and friends say that all this beating is fucked up but Allen would just tell them to shut the fuck up and watch him continue beating Vanessa… cause you know, he’s a rich- I mean, nice guy. At some point, Vanessa got pregnant with his kid. And as we know the trend, Allen beats her and she lost the kid. Allen goes off the rails and blames her for him landing the punch in her gut. Cause, you know, Vanessa is a wicked woman. Eventually, after all that beating and raping, Allen seems to get bored and put his foot down. He made a “powerful” claim that he loved Vanessa “all this time” but he just didn’t realize it and it was Vanessa’s fault that he was beating her. If Vanessa just waited for Allen to eventually fall in love with her, they wouldn’t be like this. Vanessa, with a bloody face, found herself touched and knew Allen was The One all along. And the two continued in this happy (toxic) relationship…. Happily ever after :)

As everyone can see, this story is a piece of garbage and there’s nothing “yandere” about Allen. He’s a straight up abusive jackass. So… pray tell, Novel Updates… Why is this piece of garbage tagged as “male yandere”? Because Allen is “UwU violent”? Fuck off.

This story is a good example on how NOT to make a yandere story. For one: Straight up abuse isn’t something yandere. But the scary thing… the scary thing is that we know that there’s some fucks out there who would find this hot and sexy. We seen the yandere tag on this god forsaken site, we know that there’s people out there who have an abuse kink. Be into choking, blood, and BDSM. But I don’t think Julie and I can ever understand having abuse as a kink. It just… hurts.

Another bad thing about this story: Pathetic, spineless, idiotic, and bland MC. I know she’s an abuse victim but it’s hard to feel bad for her when she has a peanut as a brain. She’s so fucking stupid and the only thing we can explain for this is that the brain damage from all the beating finally caught up to her. RIP the stocking horse. “I’m sorry, I love Allen. The only reason why I had an affair with you is because you have something Allen doesn’t have… love.” Bitch says what now?

Third bad thing about the story: Fucked world logic. After being told to shut the fuck up by Allen, Vanessa’s friends and family just went along with Allen going “Yeah! Fuck Vanessa. The stupid bitch >:( “ The world just bends for these two and validates Allen’s abuser mentality. The police? Police whom?

And finally, just… no plot. It’s just some angst abuse porn. There’s no entertainment, there is no message, and there’s no lesson. Abusers win and abuse victims should know their places and be happy with it.

Just… what kind of weird author wrote this? Actually, I don’t want to know. But know that this is probably what people outside of the yandere fandom think when they look at the trope. Just some crazy abuser and a braindead MC who’s getting off on it. It’s the stereotype in the flesh… staring at us… mocking us. To each their own, but don’t you dare tag this as “yandere”.