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wanderersrest · 8 months ago

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An Abbreviated History of Mecha Part 4.2: A Grand Glorious Gathering (1996-2000)

Welcome back to An Abbreviated History of Mecha! Last time we left off, the Lost Decade had just begun, Gundam got a radical makeover, CLAMP came onto the scene, Takara created a replacement for Diaclone, and Evangelion would begin its run on television. What we'll see now is the rise of a lot of fan-favorite shows in this era, but we will also see the sudden appearance of a third honorary mecha series. We will also see why [adult swim] is going to play a big picture in all of this, as they will begin to get more involved with the production of anime. With all of that out of the way...

Big O!

Showtime!

Pocket Monsters/Pokemon (1996, honorary mecha show 3)

Pocket Monsters, or Pokemon for short, is a multimedia series created by Satoshi Tajiri and the folks at Game Freak, Creatures, and Nintendo that would round out the four anime that would make anime mainstream alongside Dragon Ball Z, Sailor Moon, and Gundam Wing. The reason why Pokemon is worth mentioning in a series about mecha is due to the nature of a lot of mecha stories, primarily those involving giant robots: Pokemon would grow to eventually become the single largest franchise OF ALL TIME. And as it is a franchise that is aimed primarily at children, this would prove to be one of many things that would help in the decline of giant robot stories, as a lot of the giant robots of old relied heavily on merchandise sales (namely in the form of toys) in order to be successful. Now that Pokemon is in the picture, there is competition, especially since Pokemon's video games would be published by a little company known as Nintendo.

Fortunately, Pokemon wouldn't become the highest-selling franchise of all time just yet. It would take a couple of years for that to happen.

Martian Successor Nadesico (1996) & Martian Successor Nadesico: The Prince of Darkness (1999)

Produced in 1996 by Xebec, Martian Successor Nadesico would be the first series since the original Gundam to really take a swing at subverting and/or deconstructing the giant robot. Primarily a screwball comedy, Nadesico is known for its extensive use of its show-within-a-show Gekiganger 3 (a pastiche of shows like Getter Robo) to foreshadow events that would happen later on in the story.

Nadesico proved to be popular, but that chance of becoming something more would peter out with the release of the Prince of Darkness movie in 1999.

After War Gundam X (1996)

Also releasing in 1996 was After War Gundam X, a series that would suffer from the fact that it would be the fourth Gundam series in a row on television. Not helping things is the fact that Gundam X would infamously have its episode count reduced from the then-standard 50 episodes to 39, and then it would also be moved to the Japanese equivalent of the Friday Night Death Slot.

It would remain in obscurity for years until 2013 when Gundam Build Fighters would feature a protagonist whose primary gunpla kit would help to bring the series back into the spotlight.

The Vision of Escaflowne (1996)

When one thinks of older mecha isekai shows, they are usually thinking of 1996's The Vision of Escaflowne. Escaflowne, unlike its older sister series Magic Knight Rayearth, would feature its giant robots more openly in a truly even blend of mecha action, fantasy adventure, and romance.

Armored Core (1997)

1997 would see the release of legendary game development studio From Software's Armored Core. Featuring mechanical designs by Shoji Kawamori of Macross fame, Armored Core would see the player navigate through a world of high speed mecha action and hair-tearing difficulty that would become a trademark of FromSoft's future games.

Cowboy Bebop (1997)

Cowboy Bebop would be the brainchild of one Shinichiro Watanabe. Released in 1997, Cowboy Bebop would take Japan by storm due to its mix of science fiction with the aesthetics and tropes of the western. Part of Cowboy Bebop's legacy has less to do with its popularity in Japan and more to do with how well it did in the west: which was very well.

Like "Cowboy Bebop was part of what made [adult swim] successful in the early days" well. If the quartet of Dragon Ball Z, Sailor Moon, Gundam Wing, and Pokemon made anime mainstream, then Cowboy Bebop would be the one that would prove to the mainstream that anime wasn't just for children.

The King of Braves, GaoGaiGar (1997)

Speaking of anime geared for children, 1997 would also see Takara's Brave franchise peak with its final entry: The King of Braves, GaoGaiGar. Acting as an homage to the original Brave Exkaiser, GaoGaiGar would go down in legend as one of the most hot-blooded mecha shows of the 90's, second only to fellow Sunrise production Mobile Fighter G Gundam. Unfortunately, GaoGaiGar would see its viewership falter due to the success of the Pokemon anime, which would bring an official end to the Brave franchise. But it would not be the end of GaoGaiGar's story just yet, as the production staff got to work on another series that would serve as a spiritual sequel to The King of Braves.

Full Metal Panic (1998)

In 1998, the light novel Full Metal Panic! would be published by Fujimi Fantasia Bunko. Written by Shoji Gatoh, Full Metal Panic would blend elements of giant robot sci-fi with elements of the romance, slice-of-life, and comedy genres. The series would eventually branch out into manga and anime at the turn of the millennium and prove to be one of the big hits of the early 2000's.

While the original light novel along with its manga counterparts would wrap up their stories eventually, the anime would ultimately be abandoned after the release of its fourth season, Invisible Victory, in 2018.

Dai Guard (1999)

What if you took Getter Robo, made it adhere to real-world physics as much as possible, and then have be piloted by a trio of office workers who have to also navigate a lot of corporate red tape on top of the military trying to undermine their endeavors? That's more or less 1999's Dai-Guard in a nutshell. And don't let that fool you: the giant robot is still as cool as any other giant robot, regardless of the hoops the main cast have to go through just to use the damn thing.

Turn A Gundam (1999)

Meanwhile at Sunrise, Yoshiyuki Tomino would return to the directing chair for 1999's Turn A Gundam as a way to celebrate Gundam's 20th anniversary. Turn A would feature a very unique set of mechanical designs courtesy of Syd Mead, who was known for his work on Blade Runner, Tron, and Aliens. This series would also mark the end of Gundam's use of cel animation, as the next Gundam series would be the first to use digital animation. As a result, the animators went all out on Turn A Gundam's animation as a proper send-off to cel-animation.

Unfortunately, while Turn A is often regarded as one of, if not the, best Gundam series, its lackluster performance during its initial run would not be enough to help Gundam out. It wouldn't be until 2002 when Gundam would become a major hit again.

Xenogears (1999)

Directed by Tetsuya Takahashi, Square Enix would release the JRPG Xenogears in 1999. Xenogears would differentiate itself from the competition by combining a combo-based JRPG with giant robots and Gnosticism. A lot of Gnosticism. Unfortunately for Takahashi and company, Xenogears would prove to be a tad bit more ambitious than expected, and boy is that oversimplifying what happened to Xenogears. Suffice it to say that what happened to Takahashi and company to form Monolith Soft under Namco. But, like a lot of other things covered here, that is a story for another time.

Betterman (1999) & The King of Braves, GaoGaiGar FINAL (2000)

Reuniting for a spiritual sequel to The King of Braves, GaoGaiGar, the same animation team would create Betterman. Taking a turn to being darker and edgier than its older brother GaoGaiGar, Betterman would be the basis for the OVA finale The King of Braves GaoGaiGar FINAL adding things like a darker storyline, fanservice, and, weirdly enough, more HOT BLOOD.

Unfortunately, plans for the two series to have a crossover would fall apart as Takara shuttered the Brave franchise for good after GaoGaiGar FINAL. It wouldn't be until about 2018 that the two would finally get to meet in The King of Kings: GaoGaiGar vs Betterman.

The Iron Giant (1999)

Released in 1999 by Warner Bros., The Iron Giant would be the directorial debut of one Brad Bird (the guy who did The Incredibles, among other things). Set in the 1950's, The Iron Giant would tell a story similar to that of the original Godzilla, though in the case of The Iron Giant, the titular character would be treated with much more sympathy due to his earnest attempts at trying to not destroy the town.

The Big O (1999-2003)

Created in 1999 by Sunrise, The Big O was a mecha show influenced by American media like Batman. Helmed by most of the people who worked on the Giant Robo OVA alongside the controversial Chiaki J Konaka, The Big O was supposed to be a more commercial spin on Giant Robo. Which is wild, because the series was cancelled after its first season in Japan.

Fortunately, that little American channel called [adult swim] would come to the rescue and produce the second season, as The Big O was a big success in the US.

For more on The Big O, I'd recommend Argonbolt's video On The Big O.

Throwbots (1999)

And finally, LEGO would release the Throwbots series of toys for their Technic line in 1999. Throwbots would prove to be moderately successful, but it's legacy is most known for being the predecessor to BIONICLE.

Conclusion

And that's a wrap on the 90's. As we have seen, the last two decades have been a big boon for mecha, though this would be soon to pass in the following decades. What we will begin to see in the following decades is a change to how anime in general is produced. You can even see it as early as 1999 with some shows such as Dai-Guard using digital animation as opposed to cel animation. The 2000's will see digital animation become the primary way shows get animated, though there will be growing pains. It should be interesting to note that cel animation doesn't go away in its entirety until 2015 when the last holdout, one Sazae-san, finally gave up the cel-animated ghost.

"The journey was long, but soon I found myself accompanied by a strange man in a black tuxedo. I couldn't tell if he was friend or foe, but he looked like he was about to faint from starvation. I think I remember him saying his name was Van... Van of... I don't remember what his title was anymore, he kept on changing it every time I asked him."

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akkivee · 5 months ago

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HAPPY 7 YEARS OF HYPMIC EVERYONE 🎰🥳🎰🥳🎰🥳

to celebrate, i’m just going to list seven moments hypmic irrevocably changed the trajectory of my entire life lmao

1️⃣ buying the lives was probably the best worst thing i could have ever done to myself lmao. by the time i’d realised you could buy them, only the 2nd&3rd lives were out on dvd (they’re bundled together on one set), and though it wasn’t the first hypmic purchase i made, it kicked off the lives obsession lol. the 2nd live in particular blew my mind lol it was the first time most of the cast were on stage for hypmic and i’ll never forget the happy surprise on kijima-san’s face when the crowd screamed along to his call and response parts in drb lol. on top of that, kimura beatboxed live on stage confirming it really was ichiro beatboxing, shiraimu and nozu in lieu of souma-san’s absence gave it their all singing his parts and nozu dropped the sickest freestyle, and the samajuto cigarette kiss was born and so thoroughly rewired everyone’s brains, it just became part of samatoki’s character lmao

2️⃣ this list very easily can be just about the lives lol but i also loved getting to watch them live lol. forever and always 🖕🖕corona but getting to sidestep around abema’s booboo dookie region locks to watch the 5th live set off a precedence for needing to live watch them lmao. it’s probably the snowball that kicked off the avalanche that convinced me to try to go to japan for the first time in ten years, give or take, and bat’s 8th live day two was their most special live yet lmao

3️⃣ ITS NOT A LIVE ITS A STREAM LOL but the moment the kuukou brainrot roundhouse kicked me in the face was watching kuukou’s spirit possess hayama-san in real time lol i would have saved myself from so much heartbreak if i had stayed a matenhoe but nooooooo kuukou had to manifest in his seiyuu and i haaaaaad to watch it happen live and now i’m kuukou’s btch 🙄

4️⃣ wanna know how i became a matenrou stan lol???? jakurai’s voice introducing matenrou to the world in drb and hifumi flexing the love his women give to him makes him filthy rich lmao

5️⃣ i’ve felt a lot of frustration whilst mucking about in hypmic land, but i don’t think i have ever experienced as frustrating emotional rollercoaster ride more than the one hypstage has taken me on lmao!!!!! hypmic sneakily changing their description of the franchise from ‘voice project’ to ‘multimedia project’ when it was announced, okay actually showing a fantastic story despite hypmic’s ‘lack’ of one back in the day, nagosaka getting introduced and giving us simultaneously the best and ‘worst’ depiction of kuukou, only exclude them in the following tracks lmaooo, creating a really cool concept for mixing division pairs with an oridivi only for it to get cancelled like genuinely 🖕🖕covid but rolling up with the greatest comeback in the form of the rep lives where in the middle of the run we were given the best kuukou performance yet, shortly followed by the announcement that everyone was graduating!!!!!!!! but bop 2023 was magical; a fantastic send off to a legendary cast and closure to the pinnacle of stage production and hypmic storytelli— the stage was rebooted six months later in an absolute betrayal that was quite literally assuaged my love for hypmic, hatred for nelke and getting REAL WOMEN on stage lmao

6️⃣ and so like lemme circle back around to bat’s 8th live lmao. do you know how crazy that time was lol???? bat stans threw together a really sick flower display at a local flower shop, crowdfunded to make the lights display in this popular mall in nagoya shine purple for them, bars dedicating drinks for bat and welcoming live goers for an after party drink, day two of the live fell on bat’s 3rd anniversary and a few days prior they dropped the bright and dark mv for hypstage and the hella awesome banquet mv that bat stans ripped to shreds analysing jp bat fans my BELOVED lmao november is truly a bat month lol but anyway the 8th live was a peak time and i miss it daily!!!!!!!!

7️⃣ instead of being really gross and sappy about kuukou or the piece of merch that got me into hypmic lol shoutout to the music like actually lol. dba locked me in the moment i listened to it and i think very fondly of those days going thru the youtube for more lol. gave me a refreshed appreciation for music, esp jp music, got me to listen to more music instead of the couple hundred or so songs i’ve been listening to since i was in middle school LOL. so thanks hypmic, for giving me peak dissociation songs (like tigridia), the hypest shit that had me yelling (like moonlight shadow) and songs that had my heart racing at 3 in the morning and thoroughly unable to sleep lol (can you believe kaigen exists in this world and they let that shit drop during bat vs mtr 6th live and bc the bat seiyuu’s stage presence is just top tier they blew it out of the park frame one and she says the brainrot didn’t truly settle until live watching hayama-san get possessed but the damage was truly done listening to that calced cacophony of noise and in the ensuing silence as hayama-san’s ‘kaigen’ echoed throughout the studio OH IM GOING TO BE SICK—)

#this is vee speaking #ik i said i was doing a song list but i’ll save that for later lol 😌#i also intended to have some fanart but i instead prioritised other endeavours instead of drawing *wheeze*#but man lol!!!! 7 years is a long time lol!!!!!#i don’t think i expected to be here as long as i have been despite hating fandom hopping in the first place #and thank goodness i’ve stuck it out lol like i have made a lot of bad decisions in the name of hypmic lmao #but i’ve also gotten to go to japan when i personally never thought i would again lol!!!!! learn new shit!!!!#have a fandom blog that’s lasted more than a year on my part lmao where people sometimes discuss stuff with me!!!!!!!#it’s fun lol i’ve had a lot of fun 😌😌😌😌😌😌#HAPPY BIRTHDAY AGAIN HYPMIC!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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theflagscene · 2 months ago

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GMMTV having mostly queer shows on the docket for the next year and a half—there’s still a bunch that haven’t aired yet remember—should not surprise anyone.

There’s still 6 QLs yet to have been aired that they showed us at the 2024 lineup, and 7 heterosexual series as well. So add up what we got today that puts it at what? Like 23 queer series vs 8 straight series, with 2 that are an ensemble casts that have a mix of queer and straight couples.

That sounds like a massive shift from back in 2016 when they had one BL and two hetero series with side BL characters, because ya know what? It is! But you know what else? I don’t give a shit, and I bet most other queer/LGBTQ+ folks don’t either.

I’ve spent my entire life watching movies and tv shows about straight couples, didn’t matter the genre, the characters were always straight. And when I first started seeing fully queer made for tv movies from all around the world in the mid 1990’s most of those were about how wrong it was to be queer, how unacceptable it was, how I was going to burn in hell or die of AIDS or be murdered just for walking outside with my partner. But I didn’t need to see that on my tv, because I lived it already. I grew up in the LGBTQ+ community, my parents fostered two gay sons who grew up to be drag queens, their closest neighbours and friends were queer, they were the only parents around the neighborhood that were safe for queer kids. I watched people die of AIDS, I remember when Mathew Sheppard was murdered, I saw my childhood friend be brought to our house by his mother asking my parents to ‘take him, because his father is gonna kill him’. I’ve lived it and seen it all with my own two eyes.

So you know what, yeah, I wanna see dumb ass gay as fuck romances on my screen. I want shows with messy gays and not a single token hetero, because after the lives the queers have lived, we’re allowed to have some escapism that isn’t a warning that our entire lives are wrong or disgusting or evil.

So bring on the cats, the magic, the sluts and the sassy queens! The cheating, the threesomes, the marriages and divorces. I want it all, even if I don’t personally watch it or enjoy a certain series, I know someone out there will. They will love it and just for that reason alone I will love it as well.

GMMTV is a massive multimedia conglomerate, they have the GMM25 as well as One31 TV channels and hold shares in about three or four other companies/channels, they still make a shit ton of your typical heterosexual series and lakorns. This shift to mainly QLs isn’t wrong, stupid or even all that much of a surprise. Yes, they are doing for the money because they know that currently the QL market is hugely popular. But did anyone ever think of why it is? It’s not just about ‘Y girls’ or fujoshis or whatever else people think, it’s also because of the queers that are finally getting to see someone like themselves in the media. It’s not about a gay guy fetish, because if it was, every GL since FreenBecky walked onto the scene would’ve tanked. No, it’s also because even straight girls/femmes are so fucking tired of the same old shit, the same old guy gets the girl, blah blah, that they wanna see some girls kissing too.

Also this allows so many queer actors, writers and directors to be more open and honest about themselves and their lives, I hope to see more QL performers come out in the future. As queer, trans, nonbinary, gender nonconforming, all of it. I hope that the the rise of QL media can make it a safer place for queers to exists, in a world so full of hate, let’s just have this one tiny corner that’s barely a splash in the ocean. Because I love our tiny splash, and I hope it continues to be rainbow sparkly for a long time. 🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍🌈

#gmmtv 2025 #lgbtq media #why people are getting mad that gmmtv is shifting to most QLs is beyond me #this is a good thing!#enjoy it my queers and queer allies!

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anonsally · 1 month ago

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Day 4 in Australia

Today started off with an unexpected but brief rain shower. But soon after that, Wife and I had a magical experience: we heard a bird making a racket outside so I went to the back door, where I was somewhat stunned to see that the noise was a common myna apparently just alerting me to the fact that there was a laughing kookaburra perched on the fence about 2 meters from me! The myna flew away immediately, having achieved its goal of getting me to come look; but the kookaburra, which really is a sizeable creature, hung out for another minute or so! I'd never seen one so close up. I felt a little like a Disney princess!

We ate an extended, early brunch before heading out to experience some public transit. First we took a bus to the station, then the brand-new driverless metro to the central business district of Sydney. That was pretty great. We got on at the end of the line, at the front of the train. So we could look out the front of the train. At another stop, a family boarded, so we got out of the way to let them stand at the very front; the children were very excited, which was really cute!

We then went over to the Art Gallery of New South Wales for the Cao Fei exhibition. Cao Fei is an artist from Guangzhou (from a family of artists); she was really involved in Second Life in the early days. This exhibition was a sort of immersive multimedia installation exploring themes of everyday life in China, technology, isolation, connection, industrialism, urban planning. There were a number of videos; the ones I watched were mostly depictions of industrial settings (including everyday physical labor) juxtaposed with humans trying to connect with one another or with their dreams, making them slightly surreal. Some of the videos had dance in them. My favorite section was a quieter area inside a "house", which was about the artist's sister Cao Xiaoyun, who was also an artist and had immigrated to Sydney. Some of her colored pencil-on-paper artworks were displayed (very different from Cao Fei's work!), and there was a living room with a TV showing a video about her, including her childhood, her art, her experience as an immigrant in Australia, and her death a couple years ago from cancer. My second-favorite part of the exhibition was a modified "ball pit" consisting of medium-sized foam cubes instead of balls, which was very difficult to move around, making me giggle a lot. I couldn't get Wife or SIL to join me in it, but it was a delight.

Afterwards we had a drink and a snack at MOD. Dining, the bar in that section of the museum. It included an exquisite Crispy Eggplant dish. We left just as another rain shower was ending, and it was very humid. After a bit of a wander in the central business district, we took the train back to a neighborhood near the house and went out for dinner before heading home. The wind had apparently gotten rather intense, as we saw a lot of downed tree branches littering the streets.

Other birds spotted today (without binoculars) included the ubiquitous bin chickens, Australian ravens, Australian magpies, and a sulphur-crested cockatoo.

#personal #birdwatching #art #cao fei #cao xiaoyun

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wangxianficfinder · 2 years ago

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In the mood for...

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1. ITMF A) cheerleader Wei Ying!! And any game player lan zhan!!

B) Wei Ying appreciation!!Long fics appreciated. @whateverweilanlovechild

1A)

drop the game by martyrsdaughter (E, 28k, wangxian, modern, romantic comedy, fake/pretend relationship, sports, cheerleaders, flirting, sexual tension, dom/sub undertones, compulsory heterosexuality, crossdressing, dub con, under-negotiated kink, consensual non-con)

leave all your love and your longing behind by ScarlettStorm (E, 143k, WangXian, Modern AU, no magic, Meet-Ugly, Panic Attacks, autistic lwj, neurodivergent wwx, the neighborhood asshole dog, if you’ve met one then you know, Hurt/Comfort, Pining, Minor Angst, major shenanigans, Happy Ending, for everyone including the asshole dog, Eventual Smut, switch rights, Sex Toys, horny yearning, Masturbation) Wei ying is not a cheerleader anymore during the time of fic, but he used to be a cheerleader. Further, over the course of the fic he does some cheering and some gymnastics and lan zhan comes very close to having an aneurysm about it. (link in #3)

There’s a whole Sports AU compilation

1B)

some things go forward by everythingispoetry (T, 73k, WangXian, Modern AU, Hospitals, Teenage Drama, Slow Burn, Hurt/Comfort, Fluff, Happy Ending)

Waiting for Spring by thievinghippo (E, 130k, WangXian, Modern AU, Mutual Pining, Pining while fucking, slight angst, Happy Ending, for a baseball fic, there’s not a lot of baseball, Sports, Baseball)

🧡 I Don’t Want to Debut! by countingcr0ws (G, 56k, WangXian, Modern AU, Reality show, Idols, Actor LWJ, Forced Contestant WWX, Tencent’s 2021 Idol Producer)

~*~

2. I'm in the mood for... A wangxian / yuri on ice crossover fic. Like, wei ying getting over his fear of dogs with the help of makkachin? A wangxian victuuri double date??

prompt meme time, anon, you're effectively out of luck with already posted stuff. there's Son of a - ! by katnor (M, 604, Victuuri, Flirting, Jealous VN, jealous LWJ, Oblivious KY, Crack Crossover, KY's Stamina)

and ch 8 of Rivals AU Bonuses by lily_winterwood (Not Rated, 20k, WangXian, Modern with Magic, Social Media, Multimedia, Worldbuilding Bonuses)

and if you read Spanish then

Love is in the Ice by Nimirie (Not rated, 2k, WangXian, Victuuri, Yuribek) and Bajo el árbol de cerezo by Zahiel (E, 83k, WIP, Victuuri, Yuribek, WangXian, Non-Traditional A/B/O Dynamics, Rape/Non-con Elements, Russian Mafia, Non-Consensual Drug Use, Angst with a Happy Ending, Romance, Forbidden Love, Mpreg, Miscarriage) look promising

and

Заходит солнце скоро by fandom Kumys 2020 (fandom_Kumys_2018), Neitent (T, 21k, Yuribek, Canonical Character Death, Background Character Death, Drama & Romance, Dead People, Jealousy, Hotels, Dracula Influence/References, Mysticism, Suspense) same if you read Russian, by which I mean these three don't look like multifandom ficlet collections. that's it, that's the sum total of works on AO3 that are both Yuri On Ice and MDZS/CQL.

~*~

3. Hi! Not looking for a specific fic but instead I was wondering if you have any fics in mind that are about LWJ dealing with anxiety disorder/social anxiety or generally being iffy about social situations. :') It could be in modern setting or canon compliant, both are fine. I just would love to find a fic where dealing with anxiety is one of the important parts of the story (doesn’t have to be the main focus). Thank you in advance!

in the shadow of moonlit flowers by Reverie (cl410) (T, 48k, wangxian, LXC/NMJ, cloud recesses, NHS & LWJ friendship, developing relationship, LWJ pov, minor injuries, autistic LWJ, implied/referenced child abuse, aka YZY warning, genius WWX, light angst, hurt/comfort, WWX protection squad, WIP) I think this one should fit? it's been a while since I've read it and I tried skimming it to see but it's a bit long so I'm not sure😭 regardless it's still a great read!

Falling Headlong by floraidh (T, 35k, wangxian, modern, college/university au, skater au, first meetings, first kiss, getting together, autistic LWJ, drunkji)

untitled by brokke_inactive (T, 5k, wangxian, LXC & LWJ, autistic LWJ, sensory overload, angst, snapshots, non-graphic animal death)

My Boy Builds Coffins by enbysaurus_rex (Not rated, 48k, wangxian, canon divergence, coffin maker au, YLLZ WWX, autistic LWJ, falling in love, hurt WWX, pining, deathscapes, farmer LWJ, burial mounds settlement days, tenderness)

💖 Minding series by WithBroomBefore (G, 85k, wangxian, canon divergence, what if WWX got therapy and recovery post-sunshot, trans LWJ) part three of the minding series by withbroombefore. Lan zhan is uncomfortable with social situations with the wider cultivation world and the jin in particular because he is frequently misgendered. Happy ending.

For a Good Time, Call by ScarlettStorm, 1st in series (E, 170k, wangxian, modern, getting together, pining, porn, onlyfans au, sexworker WWX, minor angst, mental health, therapy is good)

Many happy returns. by orange_crushed (E, 25k, WangXian, Modern AU, Mistaken Identity, Misunderstandings, Grief/Mourning, Loss of Parent(s), Implied/Referenced Suicide, Past Suicide of a Parent, References to Depression, Anxiety, Therapy, References to Anti-Depressant Medications, Escort Service, Loneliness, Everybody’s Abandonment Issues, Angst and Fluff and Smut, Angst with a Happy Ending, Domestic Fluff, Moving In Together, Oral Sex, Penetrative Sex, Hopeful Ending, Recovery, References to Escorting/Sex Work but No Actual Escorting/Sex Work)

sunflowersfield, this fic writer has lots of fics where Lan zhan deals with social anxiety

~*~

4. Hello!! Do you know any fics where WWX discovers that it was LWJ who kissed him in Phoenix mountain? Thank you!! 💜

There’s A Molester On The Loose At Phoenix Mountain!! by sweetlolixo (G, 3k, WangXian, Canon Divergence, Humor, Crack, Romance)

~*~

5. Hi mods! For the next ITMF I'm looking for fics where it's shown that WWX was raised by Madame Yu! I feel like that fact doesn't appear enough on fics... So some stories where he has habits or things he learned from her, things he says, something he inherited from her or she gave to him, something like that :) Thank you!! @jiangclaritybell

the field meets the wood by astronicht (T, 7k, WangXian, BAMF WWX, slight whump, Ritualistic Self Harm, Canon Era, Tang Dynasty style, Blood Loss, Blood and Injury, salt economics, Post-Canon, [Podfic] the field meets the wood by semperfiona_podfic (semperfiona), [podfic] the field meets the wood by jellyfishfire) includes a list of the now-dead women WWX has learned from, including YZY

there are *two* stories about WWX, wielding Zidian, as the Violet Spider, a feminine-presenting superhero-of-sorts:

Anywhere you want, just not home by androktasia (T, 28k, WangXian, Canon Divergence, Superheroes/Superpowers, Spiderman AU, Secret Identity, Grief/Mourning, Loneliness, Angst with a Happy Ending, Romance)

and

let your colours bleed and blend with mine by ravenditefairylights (T, 13k, WangXian, Canon Divergence, Superheroes/Superpowers, Spiderman AU, Secret Identity, Angst with a Happy Ending, Romance, Implied/Referenced Suicide, Crossdressing, Yunmeng Bros Reconciliation, There Was Only One Bed, Fluff)

❤️ I Started From the Bottom/And Now I’m Rich by x_los (E, 57k, WangXian, WWX/Others, Mutual Pining, Marriage of Convenience, Arranged Marriage, No Sunshot Campaign, Fix-It, WQ Lives, Transmigration, Time Travel, Weddings, Sugar Daddy, Sugar Daddy, Black Widow, Protective Siblings, Dysfunctional Family, Family Bonding, Sugar Baby, consort, Politics, Implied/Referenced Sexual Assault, Crack Treated Seriously) in chapter 3 pre war looks at yiling laozu wwx and realizes that he stole like half of his character from mme yu. It is. A more serious fic than it appears to be XD

~*~

6. Hi! Do you know any fics where wei wuxian's parents are alive but it still is based off the actual canon plot?

From the Warm Sun by sunshine_sparrow (T, 58k, WangXian, CSSR & WWX, CSSR & LQR, Discussion of Rape, Period-Typical Sexism, Mostly CQL but probably some MDZS too, Cángsè Sǎnrén Lives, Madam Lán Lives, Qingheng-jun lives, But WCZ Still Dies, Fix-It, Happy Ending, All Soft and Very Little Angst, the wens live, Yīn Iron, Good Person MY, Good Person LQR) only has Cangse Sanren alive if that counts?

Home is where your heart is Series by R95irth (T, 1.3M, CSSR/WCZ, JFM/YZY, WangXian, ChengQing, XuanLi, 3Zun, Canon Divergence, Time Travel Fix-It, Everyone Lives/Nobody Dies, Angst with a Happy Ending, Horror, Nightmares, Family Fluff, Found Family, Good Parents YZY and JFM, Consensual Underage Sex, Slow Burn, Slice of Life) Also, I hven't read this one but it looks promising

The Return of Cangse Sanren by milesofheart (T, 52k, WIP, WangXian, CSR/WCZ, Canon Divergence, CSR & WCZ Live, Angst with a happy ending, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Burial Mounds days, BAMF CSR)

~*~

7. itmf wangxian with no miscommunication happening in canon timeline if possible, but fine with aus too

hey I just met you, and this is crazy by KeriArentikai (E, 9k, WangXian, POV Outsider, Woke Up Married, married in vegas but with a twist, (the twist is that they totally meant to), Getting Together, Love at First Sight, LWJ Has a Canonically Big Dick, Size Kink, Dirty Talk, Coming Untouched, Unrealistic Sex, Wangxian Speedrun)

~*~

8. I've read stories many about EmperorLWJ/EmpressWWX but can you find stories where it is EmperorWWX/EmpressLWJ? Thanks

The Last Concubine by deliciousblizzardshark (T, 13k, WangXian, Royalty AU, Emperor WWX, Concubine LWJ, LWJ Whump, Forced Marriage, Starvation, Non-physical spousal abuse, Fluff and Angst, Doing the Wrong Thing for the Right Reasons, Happy Ending, WWX Takes Care of LWJ)

travelers through the empty gate by stiltonbasket (M, 44k, WIP, WangXian, Royalty, Emperor WWX, Mistaken Identity, Poor LWJ, Bookshop owner LWJ, Intrigue, Court Drama, Forced Marriage, Confused WWX, POV Alternating, Parenthood, Misunderstandings, Empress LWJ, Requited Unrequited Love, Fluff, Humor, Married Life, Angst with a Happy Ending)

A Flourishing Kind of Love by masked (E, 12k, wangxian, concubine LWJ, gardener WWX, court intrigue adjacent, historical inaccuracy, identity porn, romance)

Like wet earth after rain by jalpari (E, 20k, wangxian, bottom LWJ, getting together, prince WWX, emperor WWX, courtesan LWJ, identity porn, angst, pining, genre-typical worldbuilding)

Every River to Its Sea by knightcaptain (E, 17k, wangxian, emperor!WWX, courtesan!LWJ)

catch this manic rhapsody by anatheme (E, 23k, WangXian, Canon Divergence, Emperor WWX, Power Dynamics, AU where the Yiling Patriarch became the First Emperor of the Cultivation World, he calls LWJ his Concubine Lan and baobei, Switch WangXian, Mutual Pining, Immortal WWX)

Conquering the Emperor by catbrainedschemes (E, 21k, WangXian, Historical, Imperial China, Emperor!WWX, General!LWJ, Mutual Pining, Idiots in Love, Historically Inaccurate, Misunderstandings, Fluff, Eventual Smut, Light Angst, Slow Burn, Happy Ending)

Silver & Silk Series by farawayanddreaming (M/E, 55k, WangXian, Established Relationship, Emperor WWX, Concubine LWJ, Implied/Referenced Sex, Light Bondage, Devotion, No Plot/Plotless, vibes only, Bottom LWJ/Top WWX)

~*~

9. Hello, can you recommend plot heavy stories in AU setting? Like the plot is about politics, crimes, coup de etat, spy, assassinasion? It doesn't matter who's top/bottom.

mountains, we met by fruitys (E, 79k, WangXian, Historical, The Handmaiden (2016) Fusion, Enemies to Lovers, Misunderstandings, Secret Identity, Touch-Starved, Sharing a Bed, Mutual Pining, Getting Together, Angst with a Happy Ending, falling for the person you’re supposed to be swindling: the love story, getting revenge on the people who manipulated you: the saga, and some cws……., Implied/Referenced Suicide, Suicide Attempt, Mental Health Issues, Emotional Manipulation, Blow Jobs, Rimming)

An Elegant Solution by giraffeter (E, 205k, niewangxian, canon divergence, arranged marriage, friends to lovers, fix-it, everyone lives au, courtship, polyamory, smut) Canon-divergent au, super plot-heavy, incredible story.

🧡 Rule Number One: Never get attached. by KizuKatana (E, 130k, WangXian, Modern AU, A/B/O, Criminal underworld AU, Fluff and angst, Crime boss LWJ, Rouge criminal genius WWX, Explicit Sex)

Wei Wuxian’s Guide to Hacking for Fun and Profit by ArgentInferno (T, 150k, WangXian, Modern with Magic, modern cultivation au, Hacker WWX, neurodivergent wangxian, Therapy for the win, Fluff, Shenanigans, LWJ isn’t good with feelings, Fighting against corruption, Talisman-based tech, Getting Together, Slow Burn, shameless flirting)

🧡 some life yet unspent by Fahye (E, 28k, WangXian, Background XiYao, Spy AU, Modern AU, 007 LWJ, Q WWX, Fluff and angst, Mutual pining, Injuries, Canon typical violence)

Duel of the Twins by Theladyofravenclaw (T, 29k, WIP, WangXian, Star Wars Setting, Science Fiction, each chapter is intended to be a whole movie within a trilogy, Canon-Typical Violence, Mild Gore, mild body horror, Mentions of Suicide, But only in passing, please take that major character death warning seriously, Angst with a Happy Ending, Yúnmèng Siblings Feels, Twin Prides of Yúnmèng Angst)

Hiraeth by cherrywhiskey (E, 155k, wangxian, modern, fluff & angst, friends w benefits, pining while fucking, falling in love, separation, getting back together, angst w happy ending, second chances, food as a metaphor for love, canon-typical Jiang family dynamics, fighting)

Pearls For a Funeral by ElDiablito_SF (E, 30k, wangxian, noir au, 1940s san francisco, rich widower LWJ, gumshow WWX, case fic, all the noir tropes)

~*~

10. Hiii do I have any fic recs in which wy hides his identity as ylp or just hides his use of demonic cultivation in general?

the identity shenanigans comp might have a few

This Tornado Loves You by FeelsForBreakfast (M, 8k, WangXian, Horror, modern cultivation au, Pizza Hut, Humor, Mistaken Identity, Modern with Magic)

Hear a song this deeply by so_shhy (T, 87k, wangxian, modern cultivation, music, kid fic, action/adventure, canon typical JGY behavior, slow burn, fluff & angst, happy ending)

Crazy, Rich Cultivators by ShanaStoryteller (Not Rated, 13k, WangXian, Modern AU, Modern Cultivators AU, Idiots in Love, Misunderstandings, POV LWJ, his started as a crazy rich asians au but quickly got away from me, light moments of angst but mostly shenanigans)

~*~

11. Hi! I think this may be a In the mood for a fic so I wanted to know if there’s any fic where both Wwx and lwj die and are brought back ((no time travel and no modern setting tho)) also angsty

~*~

12. For "in the mood for" could you please recommend fics where lwj and wwx have a lot of...romantic tension? Basically a fic about how they are slowly starting to get more and more affectionate before they have established their feelings for one another. Like they get SO CLOSE to just kissing but they hold back a little? Thank you for your work!

speeding up my heartbeat by plonk (Not Rated, 24k, WangXian, Modern with Magic, Gyms)

(I feel like this is hard because we all calibrate tension differently! I hope these recs can help!)

and there was only one tent by detectorist (E, 21k, WangXian, Modern AU, Canada, Getting Together, Mutual Pining, Sexual Tension, Camping, Outdoor Sex, Blowjobs, Frottage, Car Sex)

The answer has always been yes by Magnolia822 (E, 6k, WangXian, Modern AU, College/University, Friends to Lovers, Pining, Sharing a Bed, Bisexual Male Character, Frottage, Sexual Tension, Unsafe Sex, Getting Together, There Was Only One Bed)

Your Blood on My Lips (tastes like a kiss) by scarletwanlian (E, 12k, WangXian, Modern AU, Vampires, Blood Drinking, Roommates, Monsterfucking, except it's monsterxmonster, Multiple Orgasms, Hand Jobs, Anal Fingering, Dom/sub Undertones, Coming Untouched, Sexual Tension, Resolved Sexual Tension, Humor, (or at least attempts lol), PWP, Vampire Sex, Vampire Bites, Banter)

Our Eyes on the Road by etymologyplayground (E, 22k, WangXian, Modern AU, PWP, Getting Together, Road Trips, Intimacy, Non-Sexual Intimacy, Humor, Banter, Oral Sex, Multiple Orgasms, Hand Jobs, Car Sex, Hotel Sex, Dirty Talk, Rimming, Coming Untouched, Sexual Tension, Come Eating)

Linger in the Sun by etymologyplayground (E, 39k, WangXian, Case Fic, Intimacy, Curses, Canon Compliant, Post-Canon, Cuddling & Snuggling, Getting Together, Romance, Sexual Tension, Scent Kink, m.. maybe??, its not as intense as a kink, wwx Loves To Teach, Fluff, Scars, Sharing a Bed, Nonverbal Communication)

Our Song by gusucloudbunny (T, 14k, WangXian, Modern AU, College/University, straight boy wwx, bisexual wwx, Heteronormativity, Sexuality Crisis, coming out to yourself, comphet, Fluff, Friends to Lovers, Alcohol, Music Majors)

New Habit by Medegela (E, 10k, WangXian, Modern AU, Pining, Getting Together, Friends to Lovers, and they were ROOMMATES, straight boy wwx, Touch-Starved LWJ, Light Angst, Mutual Masturbation, Oral Sex, Dirty Talk, Flirting, and lots of hugging, Texting, mentions of lwj/others)

~*~

13. Hi!!! For the mext itmf can you recommend me a fic where wq and wwx is a friend (or bestie)? I like it when those two work together like a mad scientist or care with each other. It can be a story about that or their friendship only in the background. Thank you!!!

Always Be Closing by betts (E, 32k, WangXian, divorcing QingXian, Modern AU, America, Office, Kid Fic, Drunken Kissing, Semi-Public Sex, Sexting, Divorce, Falling In Love, Bank Robbery, Secret Relationship, Co-workers) it's a divorce fic between them with end game wangxian but I love how despite they're past they're still such good friends.

The Ballad of Hanguang-Jun and The Yiling Patriarch by Theladyofravenclaw (T, 40k, WangXian, ChengQing, Burial Mounds Settlement Days, Burial Mounds Arc, Canon Divergence, Fix-It of Sorts, Humor, kinda just crack, Misunderstandings, POV Outsider, Crack Treated Seriously)

Magical Mishaps by Theladyofravenclaw (T, 96k, wangxian, modern w/ magic, hogwarts au, misunderstandings, happy ending)

this Tumblr fic by hunxi-guilai WQ pounces upon WWX to deliver a medical hand massage (in part with the intent of teaching him to return the favor.)

Core-Thieving Hand by x_los (T, 5k, WangXian, WQ & WWX & WN, Body Horror, Fullmetal Alchemist Vibes, Nuclear Horror Vibes, Found Family, Neon Genesis Evangelion Vibes) showcasing WWX and WQ (and WN!) as Science Siblings; canon diverges in the middle of the core transfer, with the result that core research takes an even darker turn that nonetheless winds up saving more lives; an examination of the terrible decisions scientists face in wartime and living with the repercussions thereafter

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

sort the whole thing out by el_em_en_oh_pee (T, 5k, WangXian, Epistolary, Relationship Advice, Advice Columns, Everyone Is Gay, (or bi. or trans.), Background Relationships)

sacrifice by quillifer (E, 9k, wangxian, ABO, heat/rut, bottom LWJ, omega LWJ, top WWX, beta WWX)

A Match In Hell by MxModern (E, 7k, wangxian, rape/non-con, modern, ABO, alpha LWJ, omega WWX, crime boss LWJ & WWX, enemies to lovers, rape, extremely dubious consent, dark wangxian, dead dove do not eat, suicidal thoughts, breeding kink, violence, semi-public sex, under-negotiated kink, light bondage)

We're Sex Positive In This House by MxModern (E, 9k, wangxian, modern, ABO, omega WWX, alpha LWJ, virgin LWJ, anal sex, mating cycles/in heat, light dom/sub)

Myopia by rustycol (M, 67k, WIP, WangXian, Canon Divergence, WQ Lives) Water Margin crossover; WWX, WQ, and WN are living incognito among a band of nomadic smugglers; they share quite a bit of medical, cultivational, and forensic shoptalk, including the Western theory of the Four Humors and how it compares to the Yin/Yang model. Unfortunately hasn’t been updated since June 2019

~*~

14. Hey! Can you rec some more stories of WangXian where WWX is living in CR with LWJ after being engaged/married. I'm kinda looking for angsty stories, so I guess I'd like to see WWX trying to adapt but gets punished for breaking the rules and becomes depressed. Thanks!

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

Mourning Robes by Starlight1395 (T, 17k, wangxian, No Sunshot Campaign, Arranged Marriage AU, Angst, Hurt/Comfort, Happy Ending, Depression, dissociating, Mild Blood, Fluff, juniors idolizing WWX like he deserves, slowburn between WWX and Cloud Recesses, Hinted smut, Jingyi has a CRUSH, Supportive JC, Mojo’s Post)

Finding a Home by Duochanfan (T, 8k, wangxian, arranged marriage, light angst)

What Comes After Love by Rainbow_Horizon (T, 17k, WangXian, POV LWJ, Protective LWJ, LWJ Has Feelings, POV WWX, Sad WWX, Jealous WWX, Módào Zǔshī & The Untamed Combination, Post-Canon, Insecurity, Chief Cultivator LWJ, Break Up, Separations, Healing, Husbands, Angst with a Happy Ending, Established Relationship, marriage issues, Marriage Proposal)

call my name (but only if you mean it) by sortablue (E, 27k, WangXian, Different First Meeting, Canon Divergence, Sexual Harassment, not between wangxian, Arranged Marriage, Strangers to Lovers, Eventual Happy Ending, Angst with a Happy Ending, Hurt/Comfort, Pining, WWX POV, Protective LWJ, Protective WWX, Temporarily Unrequited Love, Not Actually Unrequited Love, Slight Role Reversal, Hopeful Ending) similar to Concord but goes in a slightly different direction

~*~

15. i have read "𝘢 𝘭𝘪𝘧𝘦 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘳𝘦𝘨𝘳𝘦𝘵𝘴 " by naqaashi and it's simply my favorite mdsz fic. the new chapter five has just made me more insane for this fic. i'm searching for more fics with a similar plot i.e. time travel au where both wwx and lwj have returned to the past, BAMF wangxian, and not cultivation world friendly, very character critical

~*~

16. Hello again! It’s been a while but I hope everyone is doing well. For the next ITMF, could i get more stories where someone finds wwx wandering around either poor or sick after canon and takes him in? Like something similar to Rotten Work by ShanaStoryteller or Story-Shaped by lingering_song. I’d really appreciate it, thank you 💜 @jikcf

hunters seeking solid ground by Attila (E, 23k, WangXian, Canon Compliant, discussion of canon character death, Hurt/Comfort, Nightmares, bed sharing, Getting Together, Yearning, Literal Sleeping Together, Really Excessive Amounts of Hurt/Comfort)

Achievement Unlocked 🔓 by UseMyMuse (E, 49k, wangxian, ABO, transmigration, crack, sassy system, canonical character death, kidnapping, accidental child acquisition) Not exactly what was asked for, but the same vibe! Wwx dies in canon and transmigrates to another world with ABO genders. He wanders around as a lone cultivator until lwj picks him up. :)

a grain of millet drifting by RoseThorne (T, 7k, NHS & WWX, Assassination Attempt(s), Introspection, Regret, Travel, Post-Canon, POV Third Person, POV WWX, Ghosts, Reconciliation, Exhaustion, Pining, Pre-WangXian) I have one that might count. Nie Huaisang sends someone to shadow wwx, and protect him from assassins.

~*~

17. Hello, do have have some recommendations on fics where a) wwx is adopted by hualian from tgcf? Or b) fics where everyone around wwx is very protective of him yet he doesn't realize that or he doesn't feel like he deserves it? Thankss @scorpionical

17A)

Narrative of Strength by MeltedIceAngel (T, 34k, WIP, WangXian, HuaLian, Canon Divergence, Adopt WWX, Found Family, Fluff and Angst, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Protective XL, Protective HC, Adoption, Kidnapping, Attempted Kidnapping, Serious Injuries, Angst with a Happy Ending, TGCF)

the hearth series by eccentrick (G/T, 65k, WangXian, HuaLian, Found Family, fluff with plot, Fluff and Angst, Humor, Hurt/Comfort, Disabled Character, Ableism, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, WWX Isn't Adopted by the Jiāngs, slow burn found family, Adopt WWX, Married HuaLian, Post-Canon TGCF, Kid Fic, TGCF Spoilers)

🧡 The Red Ribbon by Xiao_Hua (M, 21k, WangXian, HuaLian, Canon Divergence, Ghost City, a bit of beefleaf, Immortality, Cultivation Partners, Juniors, XL and HC find a child who happens to be WWX, Fluffy wangxian, WWX is a Supreme Ghost King, First Time, TGCF)

Crown Prince Hua Wuxian by Bluemoonstarlight (G, 19k, WIP, WangXian, Bottom LWJ/Top WWX, JFM and YZY Bashing, Bad Parents JFM and YZY, JYL Lives, Cultivator JYL, Supportive JYL, Protective JYL, Good Sibling JC, Protective JC, HuaLian Adopt WWX, Canon Divergence, Fantasy, Cloud Recesses Study Arc, Sunshot Campaign, Grandpa JW, Grandma MNQ, Abusive JFM, Abusive YZY, Grandma BSSR, BSSR is WWX's Grandparent, WWX is BSSR's Disciple) a revised version of Crown Prince of Heaven and Ghost City, for anyone who’s missing that one

17B)

could you find a way to let me down slowly, if you're leaving baby let me down slowly by ravenditefairylights (M, 36k, WangXian, Canon Divergence, Golden Core Reveal, Implied/Referenced Sex, Miscommunication, Somebody Lives/Not Everyone Dies, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Angst with a Happy Ending, Twin Prides of Yúnmèng Dynamics, Hurt WWX, Mutual Pining, Unreliable Narrator, Self-Esteem Issues, Twin Prides of Yúnmèng Feels, Protective Siblings, Trauma, Slightly dubious consent, courtesy of drunk sex, Inventor WWX, Genius WWX, Phoenix Mountain, Chronic Pain, Getting Together, Fix-It of Sorts, One Braincell Trio, PTSD)

~*~

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

#wangxian #mdzs #wangxian fic recs #i'm in the mood for a fic #the untamed #wangxian fic search #wangxianficfinder #long post

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the-emissian-code · 17 days ago

Text

1/16/2025

I wrote more today and I reached a personal milestone! 6,000 words! The plot is coming along. I'm a little worried about the pacing. I don't know if I'm going at the right speed, but I'll keep at it anyway. That's a problem I can fix later on. Still, I'm worried everything is going fast. If it is, then I can add in more quiet moments.

As I'm writing, I'm thinking of the opening of Kingdom Hearts 1 and Kingdom Hearts 2. The reason being, magic has left Emis, or at least, it appears to have left Emis. Evelyn encounters strange things in rapid succession. It makes me think of the strange things that happen during the first few hours of Kingdom Hearts 1 and 2 and yes, you know it's fantasy, but Sora and Roxas don't know that at first. I guess Kingdom Hearts has influenced me more than I realize. That's not bad, it's just interesting to take note of.

In my heart of hearts, The Emissian Code would be a video game despite the fact that I'm writing it in novel format. One of my friends was like, "Just create a room in Blender and keep adding from there." And I might do that. I genuinely want TEC to be a multimedia project. Like, I don't think it would work solely as a written story. Or maybe, I don't want it to just be a written story. (I love books by the way. They're wonderful.)

I might write diary entries for the siblings to explore them further since there are a lot of them.

#the emissian code

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threeking · 1 year ago

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... ⠀⠀יִיִ⠀𝃣 ⠀⠀ writeblr intro ⠀⠀ 💌 ⠀⠀ ── ⠀⠀ ;

hello ! my name is third king january but feel free to call me third or january ( or any other nickname you'd like ) ! i'm a twenty two year old black lesbian pursuing a graphic design major with a minor in art history and creative writing—considering media studies—who uses they/them pronouns !

ദ്ദി ˉ͈̀꒳ˉ͈́ )✧ :⠀ 🍓. i think this may be my third or fourth time trying out a writeblr, but the other attempts didn't go well since i was busy and didn't put a lot of effort into interacting with my mutuals </3. this time around, i really want to be a part of the community and be more supportive of everyone's writing! my goal for this account is to share my wips, any writing, and keep motivated to do more than just stare at a blank document for hours </3.

i'm a big reader and i plan to share some of my recently reads on this blog. please feel free to send me book recs if you think it's something i might like or if you just wanna ramble about something you read that you really liked! my favorite genres are horror, magical realism, fairy tales and fantasy. i love beautiful prose that's almost poetic and ambiguous writing that has you questioning everything until the grand reveal.

my favorite books are: bunny by mona awad, deathless by catherine m. valente, and how to win the time war by amal el-mohtar and max gladstone. the last two books helped me understand the kind of writing style i want to strive for as did poetry !! i don't have a whole lot of fav poems, but worm king's lullaby by richard siken is one that's always spinning in my head.

alongside reading i like manga, webtoons, videogames, and anime. my all time favorite anime is hyouka followed by angel beats and clannad. my favorite webtoon is omniscient reader's viewpoint and i can't recommend it enough. it's soosososo good! ( i started with the webtoon before switching to the novel bc i was too impatient to wait for the updates ) my favorite games are the halo series and oxenfree.

other interests of mine include music, drawing, art, watching youtube videos, journaling, horror movies, and sleeping 😴. i have a few graphic novels / webcomics in my wips so i'm learning how to draw to make them a reality! i also have a video game that's tied to another wip so i'm getting into coding as well !

please never be shy / afraid to tag me in ask games, send me an ask, or even a message! i also have a discord ( username: thirdking ) if you'd like to add me and message me there. also never think or feel like you're bothering me or anything if you wanna say hi or ramble about your interests. i'm always looking to make new friends !! 😁

i ask that minors don't interact or follow !! thank you !!

i have a handful of wips that's been running laps in my head for some time now but these are the ones ( excluding shorter stories ) that aren't multimedia projects or animation ideas, but i may talk about those anyways 😋 since most of these are still in the outlining stage they're subject to change but i'll make sure to update anything to reflect those changes !

📝 𖹭 ⠀ֵ⠀ wip one ; spring ( technically untitled but springs gna be in the final title )

the story follows two ex band mates reconnecting in their adult years after they parted ways when their front man signed a major record deal.

📝 𖹭 ⠀ֵ⠀ wip two ; sisyphus

sisyphus stars three siblings at the center of a conspiracy 1!1!1 the oldest sibling, an astronaut, goes missing during a privately funded space mission embarking to a new planet found in the solar system. i wouldn't call this a greek retelling, but it does a feature a lot of nods to classic greek myths!

📝 𖹭 ⠀ֵ⠀ wip three ; atwe

atwe follows the mother of a teen superhero getting revenge after her kid is killed by an unknown villain. though it's my own special take on superheroes featuring my personal criticisms on teen heroes, it's also a study on family—in particular—distant family relations and saying i love you a little too late.

📝 𖹭 ⠀ֵ⠀ wip four ; march marchen ( title will definitely change )

march marchen is my sort of alice in wonderland / fairy tale retelling that follows an unnamed girl in what might be wonderland trying to figure out who she is and who she isn't. ft parallel worlds, escapism, the fear of childhood, and the fear of adulthood.

📝 𖹭 ⠀ֵ⠀ wip five ; neapolitan ( title will definitely change )

neapolitan is a magical girl webcomic / graphic novel. the story follows a trio of girls becoming the successors of a long line of ice cream inspired magical girls. ft a bright fun palette, gore, and cannibalism! though it's a webcomic, i intend to give it a novelization from the perspective of a different set of magical girls.

if you'd like to be added to a taglist please send me an ask! it'll be easier for me to keep track ! thank you for reading <3

#ITS FINALLY DONE!!#sorry the text is so small i closed ps before i could re edit it </3 #black writblr #writeblr introduction #writeblr intro #writeblr community #queer writers #writeblr #writblr #writers on tumblr #writers and poets #poetblr #poets on tumblr #poetsandwriters

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girls--complex · 2 years ago

Note

what brand of sketchbook and pens do u like to use? :]

I mostly draw on anything I can find. Like I do just have a lot of Dollar store notebooks. If I want a multimedia or watercolor type paper pad I will get a canson usually because they tend to be well put together but to me that isn't a sketchbook it's a nice pad of nice paper. And for a nice pen genuinely my favorite is the super fine black posca which is technically a paint marker because it makes crazy irregular lines. Not going to lie tho most of my drawings are on cheap bond and done with cheap ballpoint pens.

I like this type of pen. And I chew the end of the pen, and I have so many and leave them everywhere I go. My Friends call them Morty Pens.

For Monotypes? I started them using more inexpensive brands of Japanese style kozo paper but I switched to bond because I wanted to make a lot of them and even cheap kozo is a bit more than bond. And it turns out the bond works well and because it's very short fibers pressed super hard, it soaks up the ink less and that is nice because I'm using this waterbased speedball ink that dries suuuper fast. The kozo would produce more evn tone but drink it all up off of the plate in one drawing.

I mean, kozo paper is truly magical and the mulberry tree is An Angel sent to man so that we can have the joy of producing beautiful papers for manifold purposes. But I also feel an affinity for cheap, industrial bond because I am born and raised in the technocracy.

Now if you were to work with a press or with a more substantial ink you would probably need kozo because kozo is very strong for how thin it is. For monotypes you would want to use a kozo paper that had relatively short fibers but is toothier than washi. It doesn't have to be a super nice, bespoke sheet, but you should be wary of ornamental sheets versus the ones that are intended for artmaking. Just in my opinion!

Anyway hope that helps.

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itsleyally · 4 days ago

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Entry#1: Love at First Sketch

Like a person would fall instantly for someone in just one glance, art had already bewitched me from the moment I experienced drawing for the first time.

It all started in the past, I remember watching my mom work on beautiful illustrations. She was so elegant at doing her drawings that it kept my childhood self guessing how she even did those with perfection. As a nosy youngster, I was also curious enough to be meddling with her things when she was out of sight. I tried to mimic how my mom would hold one of her pencils and copy her facial expressions, mocking her so innocently. I then began moving my hand through the air, as if I were making colorful strokes on an imaginary canvas. After all, I’d been told not to waste paper, so what else could I do?

I did get caught in the end. But thankfully, my mom didn't mind at all. Instead, she found it funny and charming at the same time and thought that her daughter would also want to follow what she loves to do. By then, she had already prepared a sketchpad for me, and looking at it was sure a sparkling sight. From that moment on, I was completely hooked. The feel of the pages turning, the endless possibilities of what I could create—It was like a connection meant to be. It did feel that way when I looked at its number of blank pages, having to claim the sketchpad all to myself. And that specific day marked the beginning of my love affair with drawing. Holding that pencil in my small, inexperienced hands felt like a magic wand when I scribbled on the first page. And guess what? My very first drawing made me so proud at the time! Even though looking at it now seems awful, I knew my young self was totally in love with it.

Ballerina: My first ever sketch as a child

As the years passed, my love and dedication for drawing continuously developed and became stronger. I grew up filled with lots of sketchpads in my room, each one contained with memories and improvements from the previous one. My mom who had always been so supportive even put up a mini art gallery in the house, displaying our favorite artworks from each past year as a beautiful reminder of our artistic accomplishments together.

Our Art Gallery & my other most beloved artworks

The onset of the pandemic, however, led to a dramatic shift in my creative journey. With the world suddenly put on hold for a few years, those times I was trapped indoors with my sketchpads and art supplies surrounding me, I found myself with an abundance of time to explore my craft. While I still enjoyed traditional drawing, I started exploring digital art as a new creative outlet. Seeing the stunning work of digital artists on social media inspired me to try it out for myself. At first, it was intimidating—the endless number of tools was overwhelming. But before long, I also became hooked on it. The ability to undo and experiment with different tools, brushes, and colors at the touch of a button was liberating and I came to love it even more when I got to use a stylus and a drawing tablet.

Some of my digital art creations

Looking back, I never thought art would lead me to be the person I am today. From the first sketch I made as a child to the digital masterpieces I am now creating, my love for drawing has only grown stronger since the moment I picked up my first pencil. The skills and techniques I’ve developed over the years have not only been a source of personal fulfillment but have also opened up new opportunities for me to pursue a career. As a college student studying in the field of Multimedia Arts, I am grateful to have the chance to continue exploring my passion and share my art with others. Whether it be traditional or digital art, I know that drawing will always be a part of me, shaping my life and creative expression in countless ways.

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thelediz · 10 months ago

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Sonic Underground watch along

Because… madness, is why. Almost twenty goddamn years ago, I started writing a crossover between the absolute worst piece of Sonic media ever and the games. That fic is The Lost Prince. I am maybe like… two or three chapters from finishing it. TWENTY YEARS AND THREE CHAPTERS. And I have no motivation. You cannot understand the pain this causes me.

So I’m watching the worst piece of Sonic media again in search of inspiration.

And I’m going to talk about it while I do it.

(Normally, I do things like this over on lediz-watches, but because this is specifically to explain some of my headcanons and inspire my writing, it’s here)

So let’s set the scene, first. This has become somewhat common knowledge in Sonic Tumblr fandom these days, but bear with me, because it’s important context.

(Also, the next paragraph is going to get me more death threats because I CERTAINLY HAVEN’T GOTTEN ENOUGH OF THOSE FROM THIS FANDOM, but we’ll carry on anyway because it’s important context)

Once upon a time, there was a cartoon series called Sonic the Hedgehog, now known as SatAM for reasons mostly relating to its timeslot. Sonic the Hedgehog was perfectly acceptable grimdark 90s environmentalist children’s programming which due to classic 90s multimedia marketing strategy also gave rise to the Archie Sonic the Hedgehog comics. It got cancelled on a cliffhanger because that was the kind of thing that happened in the 90s where writers thought FOR SURE a cliffhanger would spare them from the dreaded 2-season contract. (It never did.)

The reason this matters is because the production house maintained the licensing rights to that particular branch of franchise. And they needed a quick cash grab.

For some reason which I will never understand, this spawned Sonic Underground, which is… an insane premise, cheap animation, surprisingly not terrible songs, and a handful of voice actors getting milked for every inch of their three-voice contracts.

Sonic is a prince! He has siblings that are TOTALLY NOT knock-off Princess Sally Acorn or Miles Tails Prower! They have magic necklaces! They save the day with music! Don’t notice the statues of King Max Acorn in the background! Knuckles’ grandfather from the comics is there! Knuckles has magic! The Floating Island has guns! Totally don’t pay attention to the fact that both the episodes and music tracks have separate licensing that will cost the networks extra! No we don’t have time to check for animation errors! ALSO let us use highly complicated political socio-economic difficulties of enlightenment and industrialism as world building BUT DON’T NOTICE WHAT WE’RE DOING just accept the ones we say are bad are bad and the good guys are good! Good? Good. Great.

It is a trashfire.

I adore it.

I have no excuse.

I do, however, have wine.

Let’s go, kids.

Sonic Underground 01: Beginnings

The plot (for want of a better word): Once upon a time, Queen Aleena of Mobius ruled a beautiful world kingdom city (?) and had three lovely babies: Sonic, Sonia, and Manic. An evil industrialist named Ivo Robotnik came out of nowhere and took over her city world kingdom (?), turning all the aristocrats evil. In desperation, Aleena turned to the Oracle of Delphi I mean Delphius who told her that she must hide herself and her children away, until they could reunite as the Council of Four and enter a glorious New Age.

This episode is about the three children growing up, realising they have siblings, magical music, and the much less exciting fact that they’re once and former royalty, and coming together through The Power of Harmony.

Now, this episode immediately showcases what I love about The Trashfire: its background worldbuilding. You are not supposed to notice the worldbuilding, but it’s there and it’s amazing.

Realistically, Aleena would have been an absolutely terrible queen. I am not in the least bit surprised her aristocrats followed Robotnik, who promoted science and industrialisation and then sold them cheap labour. Honestly. Compare that to –

The facsimile of the Hanging Gardens, right there in the first twenty seconds. The HANGING GARDENS. Beautiful, yes. Legendary, absolutely. Would I have loved to see it? Hell yes! A good use of time or resources or indeed environment? HAH. MEANWHILE –

Slums! I don’t care what your artistic imagery is telling me, those tight dark alleyways you’re running down were there before Robotnik took over, your majesty. And you’re wasting tax payer dollars mobiums on THE HANGING GARDENS.

Manic was supposed to go to a middle-class family – you can tell by the clothing of the person that comes to the door. And he’s immediately stolen. Don’t question why a thief would steal a baby (there are so many things we must not question), but notice that it took all of ten seconds. The crime rate in her supposedly perfect city is CRAZY.

Side note: Manic was supposed to go to a middle-class family! The triplets should have gone aristocrat-middle class-working class, but instead we skipped straight from aristocrat to working class and then down to thief, but Aleena NEVER INTENDED to teach her children about the underclass.

Is Mobius a kingdom? Is it a world? We don’t know. We will never know. It Just Is, and Robotnik rules it, while Aleena used to rule it. Stop asking questions.

Music is illegal. This is a real thing that has happened in fascist communities, by the way, usually as a way of controlling the youth. And yet Sonia and Bartleby are out looking for an illegal club. Bartleby is bitching the whole way, but he’s there and he’d looking because it makes Sonia happy and it says SO MUCH about the spineless little worm. I love him.

Anyway. Onto my episode notes:

These character designs. What are these character designs… In my fic I call the alien-looking thing mixes, and say it's what happens when too many super classes (like... canine, feline, fish, etc) interbreed, but really it's just WEIRD.

Goddamnit, I hate Sonia. Not because of her character itself – she is… fine. But I hated GRRL Power even when I was the target audience of it, because of reasons that I can and probably will eventually go on for hours about. But basically, I mostly just hate that she’s perfect at everything, and her only flaws are being bossy and over emotional. It’s not real character, it’s not real personality, and I hate it.

Oh. A thing I’d forgotten. Sonic Underground’s one and only positive influence on other Sonic media: this was the first western animation that gave the hedgehogs more than three spikes. Probably because 3D games were also coming and going to make it A Thing.

Also: Sonic’s Tragic Backstory! I make so much of these foster parents for so many reasons.

But uh… yeah, starting the first episode with the out of place smiles during emotional moments… Sonic and Chuck smiling blandly as the only home Sonic’s ever known burns to the ground in front of them…

Imagine if you’d never read the comics or watched SatAM. Uncle Chuck and his dump-base would be a such a strange thing to see…

Oh, wow… Sonic’s reaction to the Oracle of Delphius’s nonsense. “I’m a prince? Weird. I’m a BROTHER? HOLY CRAP!”

Poor Sleet and Dingo. They never wanted to be evil, but they’re… not even very good at it…

THE SONG: Someday. Meatloaf pop eat your heart out. You would never believe that this was actually a pretty good storyboard match for some legit music videos at the time.

Seriously, Oracle, you could have stopped all of this by just stabbing him instead of warning him. You aren’t a good guy. Don’t pretend to be.

The instrumental song! Legit Sonic music. In fact, this gives serious Sonic and the Secret Rings vibes… I demand more than thirty seconds.

“Oh no, my family has been captured and turned into a robot! But you say my necklace is MAGIC? Fascinating…!”

I mean, look. I can’t defend this thing. I won’t defend this thing. Even when I was a kid, I knew it was terrible.

But I’m having fun anyway.

Normally, on these posts, I'll do one at a time because I've just realised how LONG these are, but the first three episodes are really just an hour-long conjoined episode. And things like that are s why I know at least someone in the producer's studio legitimately thought the Trashfire was a good idea. They were wrong.

Anyway. Sonic Underground 02: Getting to Know You

The plot (for want of a better word): the three siblings set out as directed by the Oracle of Delphius. They encounter a trainer who teaches Sonic how to stop, Sonia how to spin, and Manic how to do cool tricks with his drum sticks that he will barely use throughout the series. Mostly, it’s an episode that introduces some overarching themes, like Sonic being impulsive and irritable, Sonia being prissy, Manic’s insecurities, the divide between proper girl and stinky boys, and that while the triplets will tease each other constantly, it’s always all for one if someone else comes after them.

…That made it sound much sweeter and better than it actually is.

Dingo… she’s not that pretty, and don’t let Sleet tell you you’re ugly. You’re both 90s villains. I’m sure someone’s made Rule 34 fanart of you.

Oh hahaha Sonia’s so out of touch, thinking there’s a maid and that a mouse is terrible ahahano. GUYS.

Look, I hate Sonia, I do, but I have to give her props that Sonic and Manic don’t. Two hours ago she was a sheltered aristocrat’s daughter, she’s stating her expectations, and when Sonic shuts her down she makes a quick joke and gets on with things. I appreciate the pragmatism. I will give her that.

Look, Sleet, you gave Dingo an instruction and he followed it. Don’t act surprised. (Spoiler warning: He will continue to be surprised.)

Okay, this is a weird thing that the show will play with occasionally. Sonic and Sonia trade off mission-focus tunnel vision all the time. Usually when they want the other one to seem flighty or impatient respectively. But Sonia loses her props for not just getting to the point when their lives are on the line.

And then the boys lose it for being Idiot Boys despite the conversation.

Ah, Sonic Undgeround’s weird timelines. How I’d forgotten them. Side note, I also have trouble with pacing and timelines when writing The Lost Prince, so I probably can’t blame it. But here, they’ve been walking for two days, and Sonia is only NOW asking what Manic did for a living.

(also, notice that even Sonia, sheltered aristocrat that she is, thinks everyone of their age should have a proper job. They are somewhere between the ages of twelve and sixteen, folks! I make way too much of this!)

Gondar. Is certainly not voiced by the same guy as Robotnik, I’m sure.

No one questions why Sonic has super speed. This is not considered to be his ‘hidden talent’. For Reasons.

Manic’s ability to make drum sticks fly around will never be mentioned after this episode, to my memory.

Three days plus however much training time… and Robotnik is only just now figuring out the map they found? Apparently the super genius can’t read.

Ahh, Manic’s insecurity. So very well founded. He’s right, I’d argue – Sonic’s speed and Sonia’s… whatever that spin thing is, they are both so much more powerful than being able to throw sticks. And this isn’t even Sokka in the Last Airbender thing, the sticks are basically useless and will continue to be so. His actual power (SPOILERS) is over the earth, to the point that the whole stick thing is a weird addition from the get-go.

I’ll be honest with you, the monks and the invisible stairs are the only things I ever remember from this episode, because it’s such a weird visual that isn’t important in any way.

Sonic implying less than 100% American heterosexuality counter +1

Okay, so this is another running theme with the series, where they’re going to say Sonic’s impulsiveness is a huge problem, but the times when it isn’t, he won’t do anything different, it will just be that either Sonia tells him what to do, or he suddenly shows far more battle skill than he does when the impulsiveness is a problem. This is a common thread in Sonic media, actually, and it always kind of annoys me because they never do it well. Everything is always Sonic’s fault, except when it isn’t. Yes, this is why I still haven’t gotten around to watching Sonic Prime.

The SONG: Working Together, in which 60s rock would like their style back, thanks

…Wait, that was it?

Oh, yeah, in a better show this would have been the second third of a long first episode, RIGHT.

Sonic Underground 03: Harmony or Something

The plot (for want of a better word): After having discovered Manic’s power over the earth, the triplets are told Sonic’s friend Trevor is in danger. They abandon their training to rescue him, only to uncover a scheme to hunt down the Oracle of Delphius! The triplets must think quickly and work as a team to save everyone!

Once again, Sonic being cranky disrupts the harmony and causes problems. 90s Sonic was always so cranky…

A bit of world building here again, that you surprisingly are supposed to notice: elementals (of which dragons apparently count) are a thing, and apparently common-place enough that they teach it in school. Now, the way the conversation is phrased, you’re supposed to think Sonic’s stupid for not knowing about it, but Sonia is the only one that does. This is absolutely where I got the idea that she’s the only one of the three that went to school. Which would make sense in context, but I am thinking way too hard about it…

“Control of the earth can set off powers beyond your control”… this will never come up again. Manic, you could have had such an epic character arc of growing arrogance and humility… Instead I have to think too much about it and read into Manic’s insecurity and make him into A Nice Guy and ughhhh I am such a problem.

“I have also learnt that you might have the biggest heart in the world” – this is about Sonic, and while I agree with this characterisation in general, I have not seen it in this series, and certainly neither has Sonia. But we move on.

Jeez… yeah, Bartleby’s a sleaze and a problem, but again, put a little reality on this situation and he’s actually worth his salt. He ‘walks the fine line’ as per Sonia’s words, and is immediately threatened by the sight of a woman who was his social equal (if not better) having been robbed of her sentience and turned into a slave, and he still does nothing worse than continue to walk the fine line. He’s a jellyfish, but the man’s got integrity.

Dingo, in contrast, is a creep, and Sleet’s insults make like, no sense

Once again, Sonia knows all the things. Hacking, flying jets, this will keep happening… If a skill is needed, Sonia will have it, as a good 90s female. God, I hate her character type.

Manic… seriously, man, mortal peril is not the time to play around, but Sonia, snarking at Sonic during mortal peril is also not appropriate

And the first of Aleena’s guilt tripping holograms! Hooray!

THE SONG: Birds of a Feather… oh, the… the early 90s pop nostalgia… oh ouch… it hurts…

…I appreciate Sleet’s pragmatism. It never works out for him, but I appreciate it.

Sonic implying less than 100% American heterosexuality counter +1

Aleena… Oracle… it… I get prophecy, but… you’re RIGHT THERE. Reunite! Save us the next 37 episodes and the unresolved ending! Or at least tell the kids to stop looking until they’re ready. Come on.

The prophecy is obnoxiously vague, by the way. In this episode, it’s… arguably implied that the triplets need to learn to be better before they can be given their rightful place as rulers, but I would argue that in 40 episodes, the show takes absolutely no steps to improve their characters and make them better leaders. And as I said last time, Aleena is implied to have been not great to begin with. So CLEARLY my solution to this whole problem is change the last two minutes of this episode.

But that was the opening movie! Ridiculously too fast-paced for what it was trying to do, terrible animation, amazing world-building, interesting characters, acceptable dialogue. Welcome to the Trashfire that I have loved for half my life.

Come back tomorrow if you want to know more!

#sonic underground #lediz fics #watchalong #sonic the hedgehog #sonia hedgehog #manic hedgehog #seriously i cannot defend this show #I will never defend this show #but there is so much I enjoyed in it #and it makes my fanficcer brain go nuts

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