#And tropes that aren't exactly found family but also could be

[lemonadehtwooh]

This audio has made me finally add the Brothers Ever to the For Funsies AU and now I have ✨️headcanons✨️ that I will share under the cut. Mainly about the Brothers Ever repairing their relationship

Jack is babysat by other Servants when Dr. Mary isn't able to keep a close eye on them. Which I've had this headcanon for a while anyway so we LOVE things adding together

Both Arjuna and Karna are some of the few who are trusted to watch Jack outside of Dr. Mary's team (who knows how this happened. Although I like to imagine them being good with kids XD)

This causes Jack to see the two as their older brothers

I imagine in this situation, Jack notices the tension/lack of interacting the two have whenever they're around each other. Additionally the way they look at each other and the general "don't get along" vibes

In the audio + this situation, Jack questions this and offers advice because they want their brothers to get along.

This leads to Karna taking the advice seriously :3 I like to imagine Karna actually holding a tea party and they eventually have a long Talk and slowly after start to get along better and be closer. Obviously there's still the teasing and general sibling bickering, but there isn't that discomfort anymore (idk a better word than discomfort, my brain is NOT braining this week RIP)

This also gives the concept of Arjuna, Karna, and Billy the Kid hanging out with/babysitting together Jack and Nusery Rhyme. And I think that's wonderful

Also possibly the three team up with my AU's version of Enkidu, Gil, and Opera Phantom? Since En, Gil, and Opera have a babysitting business? OwO

It's either this or they're forced to have family therapy (: no escape

[angelwood-if]

DEMO (EDITING)

Genres and tropes: urban fantasy, romance, found family, enemies to lovers, exes to lovers, friends to lovers, murder mystery, action

LUNAR CITY: a gritty but bustling city where supernaturals and humans live in (relative) harmony. Humans live alongside Fae, witches and warlocks, vampires, and so many more. It's normal. It's your normal.

When your father died, he left you with one thing: his antiquities/pawn shop. Decades upon decades of collecting and trading bits and bobs from all types of supernatural histories sit right here in Angelwood Antiquities, a staple of Lunar City and the shop you have now inherited.

It was his life's work, and you've done everything in your power to keep it running.

But when someone comes in bloodied and begging for you to take hold of a magical object, you don't know what you're agreeing to. You definitely don't expect him to die at your feet, telling you to take good care of...them.

Them?

Turns out the object is no object at all, but an ancient being that could be the key to stopping a multi-species war that's been brewing right under your nose..and your father may have had something to do with it. And when that being chooses and bonds to you--giving you its power--you are now thrust headfirst into the world of supernatural. The same world you've managed to avoid.

Entangled with a cast of characters who will help you save the world, you are now both human and supernatural, a rare feat. And the most important person in the city. And it will be up to you to save it.

Angelwood is an urban-fantasy inspired by stories by Sarah J. Maass, Cassandra Clare, and Holly Black. It is primarily centered around romance, with a fantasy, murder mystery, and war brewing at its core. The demo is already written and undergoing editing.

FEATURES.

Customize your MC's gender identity, pronouns, appearance, personality.

Navigate a gritty city of supernaturals.

Embark on an adventure to find out what war is brewing in supernatural circles and how to stop it.

Romance a multitude of supernatural and human characters, including a Fae, a Greenwarden, and an entity bonded to you.

Angelwood is a primarily romance and character-driven.

Play in a gritty, supernatural world where not everything is what it seems.

CAST [ROs]

IVAN CROSS (M)(FAE) - Ivan is the cold and distant Detective of the LCPD. He is also a powerful Fae, with a menacing reputation that makes most people scared to cross him. Ivan is not exactly a team player and he seems insistent on railroading this tentative partnership you didn't even want to have with him, but he's also the only one who can make sense of whats happening to you. Seems like you're stuck with him.

It doesn't help that you two aren't on the best of terms considering he closed your father's case without much effort.

FREYA (F)(GREENWARDEN) -- Ivan's second-in-command and your other partner that forms this...odd trio. You expected Greenwardens--powerful sprites that manipulate all things nature--to be smooth talking and caring. Wrong. Freya is snarky and punchy, and determined to get her mission done. Maybe it's because she's half human. Who knows.

DOMINION (DOM)(UNKNOWN) - Dom is the smooth-talking entity that is now in your head and giving you their powers. You...don't really know what to say. They sure are a flirt, at least.

KALEL/KALIS (M/F) (VAMPIRE) - K, once your old friend (and possible ex partner) is now insistent on joining your group considering they seem to have a stake in this too. (pun non intended)

SELINA (F)(SERPENT/HUMAN HYBRID) - Selina the Serpent is the owner of the biggest gambling den in the red light district, and also someone you don't want to cross. Over the years, she's traded with you on all sorts of things people leave behind in exchange for information...and now she wants to join in one the group. Having her around would really help, considering she has eyes everywhere.

QUINN (F/M)(HUMAN) - your best friend and the one you hired for Angelwood. And a human, which seems to be rare these days.

[crystallizsch]

Trouble? You're only in trouble if you get caught. So don't let me catch you ~

uhhhhh say hi to jamil and yuusha's kid jas(mine) pt 2 (also here and here are like my only two other posts of her)

HFDDF OKAY SO - i actually had these unfinished sketches from months ago of jas as a nrc student and scarabia housewarden

this sneaky little bastard (affectionate) had never left my cranium she was just sitting idly by

im sobbing i hate jas so much (lie i love her)

jamil and yuusha still aren't supposed to have a kid so i just imagine this to be an alternate timeline for them 🤧🤧🤧

soooo info dump time ---

━━━━━━✦ scarabia housewarden nrc jas

jas has a vice-housewarden who is her childhood best friend (figuring out if i want them to be twst rajah or abu)

also thinking about if i want yuusha to be a staff member in nrc with grim or just dead during this time (why? just because)

no further info tbh, scarabia housewarden jas is just vibing

━━━━━━✦ child jas stuffs

i'm SO indecisive about her design as a toddler/preteen lowkey 😭

she was very sweet as a toddler but somewhere along the line she just became more carefree and chaotic

jas is a mama's girl but is more alike with her father than she cares to admit

octavinelle trio and heartslabyul duo + grim are like the honorary uncles (jas's favorites are floyd, ace, and grim bc they sometimes enable her with shenanigans)

even though jas has favorite uncles, najma is the favorite favorite. i imagine she's just the cool aunt

if mama yuu is "shrimpy" then jas is a "tiger prawn" (bc rajah)

jas LOVES doing people's hair including her own; would rather do them by hand rather than by magic

jamil showed jas how to breakdance once and it became ingrained in her personality ever since

(there's probably still more about her that i'm forgetting but this is it for now)

━━━━━━✦ bonus future jamiyuu stuff because i miss them

jamil took yuusha's last name surprise surprise (if they get married)

i imagine after nrc they'd be travelling together actually, not necessarily settling down

(i'm REALLY not 100% on them settling down and having a kid but i still love jas a lot so im so conflicted) (that's why aus exist 😔✨)

(and if hypothetically they do settle down i think yuusha being staff in nrc with grim + maybe jamil who travels for work (or being a house husband??? maybe they alternate roles) can be adorable ideas)

━━━━━━✦ (i also had this thing that i never posted about that one trope of a fankid finding themselves in nrc bc of portal/time/mirror shenanigans)

(jamil found both of them asleep somewhere and refuses to wake them up)

also some bonus tidbits about this scenario with them:

💜: Is she a family member of yours? How'd she get here?

🐍: I have never seen that child in my life before now. And there's no way I could have missed news about a new relative of mine.

💜: You know how ridiculous it sounds if she's related to me. I'm not from here. She even looks more like you!

🐍: Jas has the same color of eyes as you. Didn't you tell me she mistook you for her mother?

💜: ...Yeah, but I don't like what you're implying.

🐍: Well, I'm not exactly happy with this either.

they're just both in denial of the implication of this child existing and neither of them is saying it out loud.

and the angst/wholesomeness(???) of jamil asking jas's full name and hearing that she has her mother's last name instead of his

eventually they grew attached (unfortunately) until somehow they send jas home to her original timeline

and then they finally have a real conversation about what all that was about

anyways thank you for reading if you've made it this far;;; end tweet

[detshin]

uhm, how exactly will gosho develop the cousin thing in the manga.

I mean, I wouldn't know, honestly. What goes on in the mind of that man only he knows (and sometimes I doubt even that).

My opinion under the read more...

Personally, I've already stated many times that it's a trope I've liked and headcanoned for a long while now, and it's not like it's COMPLETELY out of the blue. The whole "they look the same" is a big factor, there have been references to them having some sort of "ancestor" in common, the Toichi and Yusaku tease was already there in the childhood case of Shinichi (where Toichi appeared and called Shinichi big bro btw 👀) and there was a time long ago that Gosho said something about it in an interview and that it was going to be talked about.

Anyway, point is, I could see this going in different ways. I would LOVE to see this being explored and dealt with nicely and seriously, but my hopes for that are low. He'll either just have it mentioned and never more explored or talked about (like with akemi and akai), or maybe in the mk manga now to talk about Toichi, I don't know?

Because honestly, I feel like people are getting hung up on the cousins thing and are forgetting about the confirmation of what we all have been fearing and it's that Toichi is indeed alive and both of Kaito's parents suck ass. And what scares me is the possibility of it being comedic or Kaito being okay with it or something when he deserves to have that be explored. He became a criminal because of it! And his parents know and aren't doing ANYTHING!

I've said this before, MK is not as shits and giggles as it seems. Story is pretty darn dark if you think about it. Kaito is one of if not THE most solitary (lonely) character of the dcmk universe. He is not as the fandom tends to represent him sometimes. That's not Kaito. The over the top, flirty, pompous one is Kid. It's a mask. A facade. Kaito is not like that, he is just a teen who is struggling to make real connections with people and who is terrified of being found out as a criminal and cannot for the life of him let people IN because they'll see right through him and whose "dead" dad taught him NOT TO SHOW HIS EMOTIONS.

Kaito NEEDS some support. Jii alone is not enough. His own parents have lied to him his entire life and he's constantly alone, grieving for something that is not real. He has Aoko, but he CAN'T let her in completely for obvious reasons. Hakuba's there, but same thing. And I'm sorry but Akako I don't really think counts either, he actively seems not to really even like her or whatever...

MY POINT IS. If Kaito can get some new family members that could support him... Why refuse it, no? I'm not talking about Yusaku because he's also been keeping him in the dark and all and hasn't really seemed to do anything about it. But Yukiko (yes I'm choosing to believe she's also oblivious to Kaito being put in that situation) and Shinichi? Oh, those two could do wonders for someone like Kaito, in my opinion. Because Yukiko is Yukiko (she was born to be the cool aunt), and Shinichi is... Well... Shinichi. He could understand Kaito and actively show him support and help. They COULD be amazing as family.

Now it's all just a matter of... Does Gosho WANT to go that deep into this? Or is he going to continue to disregard Kaito's suffering and not give him anyone to lean on?

Anyway, cousins Kaito and Shinichi rule!

[pruneunfair]

manhwa/webtoons that I enjoy and recommend. *spoiler warning*

Not sew-wicked step mom

Very wholesome iteration of the traditional snow white fairy tale, but still can tackle very serious topics correctly. Abigail is still a human in terms of emotion and can make mistakes, Blanche isn't the annoying kid archetype I usually see and I have come to care about her, and the king, Sabrian's past that explains his avoidence of Abigail and the strained relationship with Blanche was handled with care regarding the often misused topic of SA.

Cursed princess club

The first webtoon that got me to stay on the app, Gwen is a great protagonist that slowly learns to love herself again with the help of not just her friends and family but also coming to peace with herself. Characters are flawed and many learn to grow, the relationship between Gwen and Frederick takes the perfect amount of time to progress without dragging on, and there are characters who do/say something cruel to the protagonist but they aren't villainzed and allowed to grow! (Frederick and Aurelia)

This Isekai maid is forming a union

This one is on webtoon canvas and it made me feel validated in my opinions on the usual tropes in otome isekai such as workplace abuse, racism, capitalism, "raising your lover" (ew) and even more obscure ones like gentrification. The first few chapters are mostly about deconstructing toxic manhwa tropes but it grows to have its own plot and story, there are many characters too who aren't exactly the greatest people but still have backstories that explain their behavior, while they aren't excused it does make them so much more human.

foam of the sea

This was a new one I was recommended and it met my expectations. There FL Margaret is a complex character with her own flaws learning to adapt to living a commoner life after she dies and comes back, the cast of characters all have their own stories and while they aren't exactly as fleshed out, this manhwa only has around 30 chapters. It could just be me but I also think that Margaret is autism coded and I found her surprisingly relatable.

Another manhwa that kept me on webtoon after cursed princess club ended. Pereshati is one of the most realistic regression protagonists I've seen and I actually felt her emotions during angsty scenes especially ones that involved the step-mom. There's a realistic relationship progression with Therdeo and in the beginning even after they marry, they aren't exactly close. Best of all, other characters like Saoirse, celphi all are their own person with their own pasts and goals, even the maid staff is treated like actual people and not props.

Not your typical reincarnation story

While it's not the greatest isekai story I've ever seen it's still a good one, it doesn't immediately try to promote woman vs woman in the form of Edith and Rhyse getting along with an attempt at friendship, the ML Killian, while not my most favorite still has great character development as he slowly breaks away from the authors control and when it comes to the perceived white lotus Rhyse, it's likely that as the main character she's being controlled the most and it's a little heart breaking knowing that no matter how hard Edith tries, the narrative will force them to be enemies. A nice commentary on the way authors will warp their own narrative even if it doesn't make sense to the plot.

[felixcloud6288]

PMMM ep 5-8 recap

So now I'm two-thirds through the main series and there's a whole lot to unpack.

First off, @sailor-arashi clued me into this so if I'm wrong, please direct all your hate to her. I'm also getting my info from jisho.org.

The kanji for "witch" and "magical girl" both use the same kanji 魔 which means things such as "demon" or "evil spirit". The full kanji for witch is 魔女 which adds the kanji for woman to the name. Magical girl meanwhile is 魔法少女. It has the same kanji as witch but includes 法少 in the middle. 法 means "law" or principle, while 少 means "little". The word for witch is pronounced "majo" while magical girl is "mahou shoujo".

So essentially, the big twist is something that a Japanese viewer could realize if they pay attention to the word play, but it's harder to notice for non-Japanese viewers.

Most of these last four episodes have been focused on Sayaka. Back in episode 3, Mami strongly recommended against making a selfless wish and we're seeing the reason why. @sailor-arashi told me there's a prequel manga where Mami mentored Kyouko until the fallout from Kyouko's wish happened. So Mami would be speaking from experience.

Sayaka holds herself to too high a standard. She wants to be a hero who protects the weak and a selfless, caring soul. She doesn't like admitting to her selfish desires. She spent her wish on something that didn't benefit her at all and she was upset that she regretted saving Hitomi because Hitomi likes Kyousuke.

She hates Homura and Kyouko because they exude an absolutely selfish aura. They do not hide that they don't care about saving the world and are only interested in their own selfish goals. But being selfish lets them deal with what they are. Being a Magical Girl is just a job they do while they pursue their own interests. Meanwhile Sayaka insists on carrying the weight of the world on her shoulders and finds no joy in anything she does.

It's kind of like devoting your life to a corporate job where the boss will fire you in an instant.

Now some parallels between Sayaka and Kyouko. Both of them made a selfless wish to help someone they loved. And both of their wishes ultimately got them nothing. Sayaka wished for Kyousuke's hand to be healed, but he ended up getting with Hitomi. Kyouko wished that people would listen to her father's sermons but when he found out the truth, he killed himself and his family.

Both of them made a surface-level selfless wish with an underlying selfish motive (Sayaka wanted Kyousuke to love her; Kyouko wanted a happy family life) but the wish ultimately led to their true desire being completely unattainable and giving their soul for nothing.

Kyouko's response was to take her powers and decide to do whatever she wants. Sayaka however opted to double down and be a magical girl who acts selflessly.

And I have to say, I love how Kyubey is ultimately an amazing mix of the benevolent, jerkass, and literal genie trope. When he's not forcibly coercing girls into becoming magical girls, he adheres to the spirit of what the person's wish was. He doesn't twist their words or make it true in a way that makes them wish they didn't have it. He grants exactly what you asked for, nothing more and nothing less.

And based on Sayaka and Kyouko's story, the problem is the wishes are disingenuous. Sayaka really just wanted Kyousuke to love her, and she could have wished for that. But instead she wished for something that she thought would give her what she wanted instead. So Kyubey makes them regret their wish without actually having to do anything. They are the victims of their own despair.

And at first, I figured that witches were magical girls who got corrupted by negativity or something like that. And that is true, but it seems to be intentional. Kyubey is intentionally turning girls into witches for some reason. So girls with the "aptitude" to be magical girls are likely girls who aren't willing to be honest with themselves and think they have to be caring and selfless.

So now I just need to find out his intentions. His true name is Incubator. Is that referring to how he incubates witches?

Finally, Homura. Her magic is related to time travel. Sayaka has healing magic because she made a wish to heal someone. So I assume Homura's wish was to either restart something or undo something.

And with that emotional breakdown she had in front of Madoka, it obviously has something to do with her. My guess is she wished to save Madoka from becoming a magical girl. Madoka would be just as much of a selfless person as a magical girl. She'd be driven by love rather than justice, but she would try to carry the world on her shoulders as well. So in one timeline, she probably was crushed by the world and became a witch.

Homura has stepped in four times now to stop Madoka from becoming a magical girl: She tried to kill Kyubey on their first contact, saved her when Mami was killed, stepped in when Sayaka and Kyouko were trying to kill each other, and killed Kyubey when he suggested wishing Sayaka wasn't a magical girl.

I'm not going to say Homura has freedom to travel back in time when she wants, but she does have excellent timing. She's definitely gone back at least once.

And the nature of her powers seems to be somewhat stronger than Kyubey since he wasn't aware of what her powers were and he doesn't remember making a contract with her.

Maybe that opening thing from episode 1 was the previous timeline.

And does Homura's magic or wish make it so she can't tell anyone what's happened in a previous timeline and that's why Madoka seemed to forget her when Homura opened up to her?

At this point, I'm most interested in finding out why Kyubey is making witches. He's interested in the grief seeds since he took the one Sayaka had. But there definitely has to be more to it. This process seems a bit too complex if the goal is to collect concentrated grief.

back

[mermaidsirennikita]

ARC REVIEW: The Mistress Experience by Scarlett Peckham

4.5/5. Releases 6/25/2024.

vibes: courtesan-ing, sexually inexperienced hero, TRUE opposites attract, people with secret hearts that they don't want to unveil but oh no now they're in love

Heat Index: 7.5/10.

Thais Magdalene is a famous, coveted courtesan, known for spending no more than one night with each client. She enjoys her job, and she's great at it, yet she holds a secret desire to settle down with a man who loves her and have a family. To support a charity for women's rights, she auctions off 30 days in her bed. Shockingly, the buyer is Alistair Eden, a polite lord known for following all the rules. But Alistair has a secret: he's inexperienced in bed, and doesn't know how to please a woman--an issue he wants to correct before he marries to have an heir. As Thais and Alistair spend their month together, they both know it's meant to end forever as soon as time is up. Yet in one another, they find their true selves...

uGH I LOVED THIS. It's so good. So emotional, so funny, so hot, so different from your average historical romance. One thing I love about Scarlett Peckham is that she clearly loves and fully embraces historicals and their tropes, while also seeking to explore them in fun, original ways.

Here, she hits on several things you don't often see in the genre: a sex worker who really isn't traumatized by her profession; a hero who isn't a virgin but also really... doesn't know what to do in bed; and feminism that feels quite honest, and doesn't preclude the heroine longing for a somewhat traditional family life. There's a lot of hugging in this one, and I felt hugged by the book.

Also like. Hot.

Quick Takes:

--I knew I'd love Thais--I so enjoy a bawdy, sex-positive heroine who's secretly hiding a wounded heart--but Alistair was more of a question mark for me. I think I very much expected a Soft Boi uwu type hero, and while those can be done well... They often aren't.

To me, Scarlett did a great job of making Alistair vulnerable, caring, and sweet... while keeping his backbone and his flaws. Alistair is stuffy! He is a snob! He needs to get that stick out of his ass! And yes, he does make a grovel-worthy misstep at one point (and I did love the outcome).

The story would've been a lot less interesting if Scarlett had used "sexually inexperienced and genteel" to equal "has no flaws and is a little baby man". Because also? Alistair is pushing forty. This is a grown man, and I appreciated that the story treated him like a grown (hot) man.

--Another thing I appreciated was how the book handled sex positivity. It's extremely sex positive. However, there is never a sense that Alistair should fuck more people to make up for lost time (he's not a virgin, but he hasn't slept with many people and it's been a long time for him). As clear as it is that there's nothing wrong with Thais having a high body count, there's also nothing wrong with Alistair being the type of guy for whom intimacy is important during sex, and who really doesn't need to have sex with a lot of people, so much as he needs to have sex with the right person.

Going back to his age, I also liked the sense that it's like... never too late to learn how to be good in bed. And he does have to learn. But more on that later.

--I've found that a lot of feminist historical romances really focus on like... the heroine wanting "more" than a family. And I get that. There's a lot of books that have a more traditional route, you need to buck the system, you have to follow your heroine's path. I'm childfree. I don't think it's necessary for heroines to want a more conventional life. In both of the other books in this series, the heroines didn't really settle down into conventional family lives, and I enjoyed them.

However, I so liked that for Thais, both things could be true. She could have a life as a sex worker that, while certainly not without its bad points, wasn't really like... her primary issue, exactly? Like, it was and it wasn't, but you don't see these grand depictions of violence and trauma I think you often see in historicals centering sex worker heroines. Anyway, she does ENJOY her job.

At the same time, she could want to marry and have three or four kids. She's allowed to love babies and want, most of all, to be loved by her husband and raise her children. She can be a feminist and want those things. It made her feminism much more real to me, to be honest. Thais never felt like a heroine who was written to be Strong for the sake of being Strong. Her warm, gooey center is very clear to the reader from the front, and when Alistair begins to see through her front and recognize the real her... OH DUDE. READER. I COULD NOT.

--Because the book does have a lot of those moments, right? Moments where Alistair is falling in love with this woman, so hard, and sees what she's really scared of. Moments too, when Thais sees into Alistair's true vulnerabilities, his need to be perfect at all things holding him back from happiness (which... oof, real).

I'm not always down for super cuddly books, but these two are literally so cuddly. A through-line is them just like. Luxuriating in hugging one another. It's so lovely and intimate without sex.

That said, there is a lot of sex, and dude. It is GOOD.

The Sex:

So, the thing with Alistair is a thing I hardly ever see in romances AS AN EXPLICITLY CALLED OUT CONTINUOUS ISSUE. However, it's a thing that absolutely works for me as a reader. He just gets too excited, guys! And then went it Happens too soon, he's so bummed and angry with himself! It's a vicious cycle!

I actually really loved how this book dealt with the pressure some men (in fact, some of the legitimately decent men who care about their partners' pleasure, too) feel to be these amazing lovers. Especially in a romance hero, who is inherently supposed to be this amazing lover. Like, Alistair just wants to impress people and be good at everything, and he is naturally good at everything except for this one thing.

However, being kinda shitty in bed doesn't mean you have to STAY that way, and yay for a novel that shows that sex is something you learn! Listen, I'm down for the well-done virgin hero books wherein the guy is immediately amazing at it. Some of my favorite books feature that. But this is a refreshing change of pace.

The novel also gets into like... How sex is sometimes enjoyable without an orgasm, and how much orgasms can be connected to your mental presence? There's just some really interesting stuff done here regarding how Thais in particular experiences pleasure, and the difference between a Thais that lets go and a Thais that doesn't.

Getting into the brass tax: you get a good amount of p in v, handies, oral on both sides, different positions, the works. I kinda wish there had been some butt stuff, as I feel Alistair could've used a bit of that.... but Scarlett makes up for that by including One Thing You Don't Usually See in Romance. I think I've read one other book that DEFINITELY featured it, and it was a dark romance.

Anyway, I really loved this book and totally recommend it. A very sweet, very sexy, very romantic story about lovers coming to truly know each other, with a great "BABY I MISS YOU" moment on top of it.

Thanks to NetGalley and Avon for providing me with a copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

[koorinokujira]

Ok this is just an idea, but who do you think would suit the trope s/he (reader) fell first, and s/he fell too late? it's just such an angsty idea i can't comprehend this gosh 😭😭

Oh, such drama! Such angst! But of course, I'll gladly deliver, Anon. Now, this actually made me think pretty hard, because let's be real- most of these people are probably very touch starved, because, you know, war. But I eventually came to the conclusion that it could be a few of our "less approachable/romanceable" leaders. So, our dearest Magoichi, Mitsunari... and honestly, I also decided to include Shingen (not saying he's unapproachable, we love our warlord dad). I chose him because he has great angst potential. So, happy reading! Well... not really happy, but hopefully enjoyable nonetheless.

💔 Too Little, Too Late - SB Imagines 💔

Ever since you met the one you fell so hard for, you felt nothing but affection. Sure, there were flaws, but you were willing to accept them, or try to help fix them if they could be fixed. You were loyal, devoted, and always willing to lend a hand. Hoping that maybe, just maybe, your efforts would be noticed and your love reciprocated. But it wasn't. Not until it was too late... but you aren't the one left to pick up the pieces.

💔 Magoichi 💔

Magoichi was always... fond of you. She didn't even realize it herself for the longest time- after all, relationships weren't exactly her forte. She had the Saika Faction to run, and even when she had time for herself between all those battles and price negotiations, she preferred to remain in solitude. Alone, as she was supposed to be. In her mind, at least.

She found you a bit strange, perhaps. Too good to be true. When she gave an order, you never hesitated and went for it. When she scolded you, you never complained and used it to become an even better soldier. Your skills with a rifle also weren't anything to scoff at. Really, you were a model member of the Faction. Always there, always willing to lend a hand. She appreciated it, as any superior would, though she rarely ever said anything out loud. Actions speak louder than words, after all. And she couldn't play favorites, nor allow herself to be anything but the strong leader everyone needs her to be. She had a legacy to carry.

But now, things are different. It all started innocently enough- she's been getting reports here and there that no one could find you. Of course, you always made sure to have all your tasks completed before sneaking out who knows where. And it happened only every once in a while, so there was no reason to worry. But slowly, it became more and more frequent, to the point where she just had to find out what was going on. Why would you sneak off like that? You were always more than content to spend your free time either alone or with the others- the Saika Faction was like family to you.

She feels your absence most of all, she realizes as she watches you leave from the encampment again, thinking that no one can see. It was like things got... grey, whenever you left. Dull, without that trademark friendly grin you gave her whenever she sent you out to do one thing or another. The way you'd pat your fellow warriors on the back and gave them uplifting words when they needed it. And the way your eyes softened when you talked to her- well, there weren't enough words to describe the feeling.

She hates this, hates this realization. That someone somehow bypassed the walls she built around her heart, and she didn't even notice. And she hates it even more at this moment, because the very reason she plans to follow you now is to check if you're not compromising the Faction somehow. Why else would you sneak off? The chances of you being a spy are small, of course... but never zero, and she owes the Faction at least this much.

Screw it all.

Magoichi makes sure to follow you at a good distance- your senses are not to be scoffed at, of course. You lead her across various paths, through a small forest, over a wooden bridge that's barely stable to walk on, and then... you get to a farm. A village is nearby, too. Everything around it has seen better days, but clearly, the place is still being tended to. There are crops, and Magoichi swears she hears some animals in the distance. But that's not what she focuses on, no.

She focuses on him. The kind looking farmer who looks to be only a bit older than you. You chat and laugh, with you giving him the same look you used to give her once upon a time. And he looks at you the same way. There is a certain... tenderness in the way you move, and the leader of the Saika Faction feels a strange ache in her chest.

You look happy.

And she has to turn away, feeling like a fool for the first time in a long while. Of course she missed all the signs, all the times you passed by her and "accidentally" brushed fingers with her, all the times you made a point to stay nearby after your tasks were finished. She never reciprocated... and so you eventually found someone who cares about you as much as you do about them.

It is a bittersweet feeling, this love. She looks at you one last time before heading back towards the hideout. It hurts badly, to finally let down her guard only to realize it was for nothing. But at the same time... it is strangely reassuring to know that despite her harsh exterior, someone still developed feelings for her, fleeting as they may have been. She knows they were true, this wasn't like that foolish vagabond that pestered her for affection. And she hopes that maybe, just maybe...

...there will be another who will disarm her with such ease. She will be ready this time.

💔 Mitsunari 💔

It's all so... stupid.

The war, the way he has to constantly fight to be respected, the fact that every single day he feels like he loses himself more and more... he hates it. He wants to scream, but how many times did he do that already? How many times did he lose his temper when someone even dared to think of going against him? And where has that gotten him? What was it all for?

Nothing.

If only he had a shoulder to cry on right now. Someone to tell him that all hope is not yet lost. He used to have that. But he took it for granted, and now it's gone. He would like to believe otherwise, of course, but as he stares back at your grave, he is reminded of the painful reality he's found himself in.

He knew these feelings before you died, of course. The deaths of Lord Hideyoshi and Lord Hanbe were more painful than a blade in his heart. The grief and thirst for revenge was what propelled him forward since then. And he'd keep going until he took Tokugawa's head, and everything would be right in the world. It was terrible, painful... but also simple. To him, at least.

But this... this is different. It started with rage, like before, but then it changed into something new. This pain, it's quiet. Instead of a raging tempest, it's a gentle breeze, bringing back the sweet smell of what he once held in his grasp. A soft requiem instead of a battlecry. And somehow, that makes his heart bleed more profusely than anything else before.

It was spring when he first met you, he remembers. He didn't really have time to appreciate the blooming flowers, though. His lord was already dead by that point, and it was all he could think of. And then you showed up, dragging him back to reality by force. You weren't like the others, walking on eggshells as to not upset him even further, no. You fearlessly locked eyes with him, introduced yourself and told him it was an honor to be serving in his army now. He was upset that someone interrupted his moment of quiet, of course, but something compelled him not to unsheathe his blade this time. He still remembers how he just grunted in annoyance and dismissed you without a word. Why even bother?

But you were hard at work, nonetheless. Fighting, doing as you're told, even showing an aptitude for strategy. With each battle won, you rose through the ranks, until he had to see you basically every single day. He would never admit it, but he found your presence refreshing. You were honest - too honest at times - and he never felt like you had some ulterior motive, unlike with a certain someone that acted as his right hand. Terribly stubborn, too; once he showed that he at least tolerates your presence, you refused to leave his side, taking it upon yourself to guard him.

No matter how much he ranted about how he wants to kill Ieyasu, no matter how unfriendly or harsh he was, no matter how much he was falling apart and being a terrible leader, you stuck by. Watching, listening. And more often than not, you had something to say, too. Usually something uplifting. Oh, how he hated you for not letting him wallow in misery back then. How you tried to get him to move on and fight for something else than revenge, that he had potential to even surpass those he missed so dearly. How dare you say such things?

And so he constantly dismissed you, belittled you for your naive hopes for a better tomorrow, for trusting in him so blindly. However, that was just his fear talking. The idea of having hope and it instantly getting shattered by this war, by his enemy, seemed much worse than the pain he was already feeling. He knew that pain, at least.

Mitsunari kept refusing to acknowledge you, despite the mounting feeling in his subconscious that he cared. And before he knew it... you sacrificed yourself. For a wounded brother in arms, despite being wounded yourself. You bought him time and lost all of your own by that deed. He wasn't even there to see it... he just saw your body getting carried into the castle and heard the story from the other soldiers.

Only when he picked up your bloodied blade that day did he realize how much he's really been holding back. He didn't just care, he... he loved. And it wasn't just about the comfort you provided, it was about... well, you. Your smile, the way you'd tap the hilt of your blade whenever you were thinking, the entertaining anecdotes you told him about the time you were still training as a warrior. Oh, and rain, you loved the rain. You'd stand in the middle of the courtyard during thunderstorms with the biggest smile on your face and come inside only after you looked like someone threw you into a lake, shaking with the cold. It makes you feel alive, you told him. Like you can finally breathe.

He kept that blade, using it instead of his own since then. The blade is a warrior's soul, after all. But it doesn't make it much better. He still feels that ache in his chest, even though it's been months. When Lord Hideyoshi died, he could feel angry, he had something to work towards. But there's no Ieyasu Tokugawa to blame this time. Only a battered blade of someone dear, a heart full of regrets and affections unsaid...

...and the flowers he could only place near your headstone now.

💔 Shingen 💔

Hindsight is 20/20, as they say. Not that the Lord of the Takeda clan would know such a phrase. But that doesn't stop him from feeling the crushing weight of its meaning. He's not used to such emotions anymore. When he loses someone, he's sad for a while, and then he moves on. As a leader, he can't afford to dwell on such things. He needs to move forward, lead his clan and help it thrive.

Except this time, he can't seem to shake it off.

And so here he is again, on the battlefield where it began and ended in what seemed like seconds. There's still a few places where grass hasn't really grown back yet after the ordeals of battle, but nature has mostly reclaimed it. There's a soft breeze blowing, and the sky is fairly clear. It's... peaceful. And yet, there's an ache in his heart that not even nature's beauty can cure.

As he sits down into the soft grass, he can't help but think back on the first time you two met. It was thanks to Yukimura, he remembers. You and his young mentee had become friends, and so it didn't take long for you to be dragged over to meet the Lord. Yukimura ranted and raved about how amazing of a fighter you are, while you just politely stood behind him. He remembers how respectful you were the entire time. And it didn't take too long for him to recognize your loyal, honorable ways, either. You were a great soldier.

But there were things he didn't notice fast enough. Like how your clear, formal tone started to soften whenever he discussed strategy with you. How the first thing you did when coming back from battle was to go see him and report personally, even if anyone else could have done it. And that one night when he couldn't sleep and found you in the courtyard, staring wistfully at the stars. You gave him such a kind smile that day, and invited him to join you. So he did. And it was a night that brought great comfort to his weary mind.

Why did he take it for granted?

Time went on, and the day of that fateful battle came. It seemed just like any other that the Takeda clan faced. Armed with both wits and weapons, the troops were ready. Yukimura was getting riled up, while Sasuke dropped his casual attitude and braced himself for the upcoming fight. And you stood proudly right at the front, ready to break through the enemy lines. However, no one expected how wrong it could get.

An ambush. They tore into the left flank, and the situation turned an organized battle into a chaotic bloodbath. There was confusion, screaming, and soldiers were dropping left and right. And as Lord Shingen tried to get a hold of the situation again, he didn't even notice the bow aimed at his back. But you did...

...and the arrow that should have hit him hit you instead.

He won't forget that terrible noise, followed by the thump of your body dropping on the ground. Seconds turned into eternity as he spun around and saw you, clutching the arrow in your chest. He didn't even notice how your fellow soldiers went after the bowman right after as he knelt down. The world seemed to go silent, interrupted only by the sound of you struggling to breathe. There were tears in your eyes and your hands trembled like they never did before. But it wasn't fear of death he saw in your eyes. It was regret.

And then you spoke. It was hard to understand... but he managed. You finally confessed. How much you admired him, and how his very presence made your days brighter. How you loved all his little quirks, and just... everything about him. How much it hurt that you were so close and yet so far. And then you just... apologized and begged him to forgive you for such dishonorable thoughts. But that if you were to die that day, you wanted to die with nothing left unsaid.

He remembers how your hands were still warm when he gently took them into his, realizing with horror that... he didn't want to let you go either. When did you become so important to him, and more importantly, why didn't he realize it sooner?! In his mind, he cursed whatever god made him so oblivious.

But on the outside, he simply shook his head.

"There is nothing to apologize for. I couldn't stop such a feeling even if I wanted to. But I don't. So please... keep it close, until we meet again. And then let me share it."

He still doesn't know how he spoke so calmly. Perhaps he hoped that those tears would stop running down your face, or that the wound in your chest would close with his comforting words. But all he got was a look of relief, before you took a last, shaky breath.

He looks up at the clouds lazily drifting above him, letting the memories flow. He hears birds chirping in the distance, and a white butterfly lands on the nearby flowers.

If only you could enjoy this scenery with him.

---

Whew, finally finished it! Many apologies for the delay. I felt super burnt out because of schoolwork, and these imagines gave me a bit of trouble.

Originally, Motonari was supposed to be here too (so the stories would be two scenarios where the reader lives, and two where they due), but after I wrote almost a 1000 words, I decided I hate it and that I need to practice writing him more before I do any scenarios with him lol. Our cold-hearted tactician will get his spotlight later, don't worry!

I have two more requests lined up right now, so I'll get to work again tomorrow.

Thanks for reading, and as always...

...have a spectacular day!

[whatyourusherthinks]

Horizon: An American Saga-Chapter One Review

Another day, another movie who's name refuses to properly stick to my memory. And hey, this one comes with a spice of looking really fucking racist from the trailers! Hooray! I mean, maybe it comes with the Western territory (lol get it because Westerns always take place in the part of the US that were territories at the time they take place, I'm goddamn hilarious I know), but the trailer made this movie look like Kevin Costner fighting off all the evil Indians and disrespectful young people to save his land that he totally stole from said evil Indians. Maybe I'm being cynical because I haven't seen a Kevin Costner movie I've liked but I dunno. I actually kinda like Westerns, they occupy a similar space in my mind as Noirs, a bit of a guilty pleasure. Intellectually I know that both kinds of movies can be really questionable about minorities and that what they provide I can get guilt free from other types of movies, but something about the atmosphere and tropes draw me in. Anyway, I've stalled enough let's get into it.

What's the Movie About?

The West, and there is people who want to move there, and some people who don't want the first people to move, and also Kevin Costner tries to help a prostitute. Also something about the Civil War.

What I Like.

First things first, I'm sorry Mr. Costner. This movie isn't racist I think. Well, at the very least the Native Americans are actually characters, and maybe I am just inclined to like them more from the outset, but I thought they were portrayed just as well if not better than the white people in the movie. And the movie isn't afraid to portray Whitey as evil, if not more so, as the Native Warriors that burned down the town in the opening scene. So congratulations! You've won the 'Not As Racist As You Could Have Been' Award Mr. Costner! I mean he did make Dances With Wolves Roan, you should of had more faith. OKAY BUGGNUTZ I SAID I WAS SORRY. The cinematography is pretty good. They certainly found some very pretty locations to film at and Costner knows how to block and frame a shot pretty damn well. I also kinda like the Mari character, even if she does make a really weird and questionable decision at the end. There was also a family that blew itself up in the beginning that made me laugh harder than every comedy I've seen so far this year. Unintentionally, sure, but I'll still give it to the movie.

What I Didn't Like.

So my summery of the movie was pretty bad, right? Well, that's because this movie is three to four plots jarringly slammed together. So I'm doing the best I can alright. This is why this movie is three hours long. Because it's four movies in a trench coat. And unlike a kid trying to sneak into a bar that way, there's nothing adorable to coo at nor any audacity to respect. Costner wanted to make this more than one movie, right? Then make every storyline it's own goddamn movie. What, you've never heard of a movie with a B-Plot? THESE AREN'T B-PLOTS. Every storyline has the same amount of weight as every other one. Just where there would be a cut to a different scene, they instead cut to the next story. And here's the best part: Only one of the plotlines is interesting! The one with Kevin Costner, shockingly enough, is about a travelling bounty hunter (I think) protecting a prostitute and a kid after the kid's mom's past catches up to her. That's the storyline with the Mari character. The other ones are about this town that got burnt down by Native Americans and some of the survivors getting revenge, which mostly just depressing in the most obvious ways. I liked the Native characters but that was it. One of survivors of the town getting burned down and her daughter join up with a Union post and fall in love with some soldiers and that's really dull. It doesn't help that I'm pretty sure I know exactly how that storyline will end. And the final one is about these annoying British settlers in a wagon train going west run by Owen Wilson's brother. With all the cuts between these stories, it's pretty damn confusing about who's who and what anything is supposed to relate to each other. I'm not even sure if the wagon train and Kevin Costner's storyline are supposed be at the same time as the destroyed town and revenge for the town stories. Being able to understand the dialogue might of been some help, half of it is mumbled and the other half sounds like Shakespeare if he was kicked in the head by a horse being ridden by John Wayne. What else, what else... Oh yeah, there is the most sexless sex scene I think I've ever seen. It was almost impressive how sexy they were trying to be and how much they weren't.

Final Summation.

I'm kinda mad that I'm not more mad at this movie. Roan that's circular. SHUT UP. What I mean is that this movie is just bad. Not horrible, not horrendous. Hell, it's not even that interesting to talk about. I'm probably going to forget everything that happened by tomorrow, let alone by the time the next movie comes out. (Except for that exploding family. I'm going to treasure that scene in my heart forever.) But most forgettable movies aren't THREE FUCKING HOURS LONG! Hell, probably six hours, because I'm willing to bet that the next one will be just as boring.

[itsbinghebitch]

"the bdsm is just a part of that that imo doesn't stand on its own without the emotional devastation. thank you for coming to my ted talk"

Exactly! Fucking this!! Like Vegas didn't fall for Pete because he found no other suitable partner sexually. If that's the basis of their relationship, how long would it take for Vegas or Pete to move on when they encounter someone more compatible ( and there always can be someone more compatible).

Also so so true about the pool scene. Pete could have said million other things ( I am not too mad about the "I am hungry", kind of like it) but then he chooses I am your pet, aren't I? And my god I wanted to slap someone. Like whenever I sent asks to people regarding this, they were like oh no no it was to steer Vegas away from harming himself. And I was...like that?! I also wanted more of an ambiguous ending. Like Pete torn between what happened at the safehouse ( the abuse , the talk, the romance, then the devastating day when Gun came etc) and his current feelings ( Vegas risking in to say that he is sorry, Vegas can't make himself shoot at Pete, Vegas confessing and wanting to die by Pete's hands, Vegas being shot at and the horror of losing him). I also think that if Pete was Kinn's most trusted to the point of actually him choosing Pete over Big ( just how?) for the mission...there should be more dilemma on Pete's part. He loves Vegas, might have been the one looking after Macau but there's still his loyalty for the main family. Wanting to be with Tankhun out of his sense of duty. Wanting to be with Porsche ( you know the guy for whom he took on the risky mission?) after his discovery of the not dead mom. And yet Pete isn't now just someone who feels like his purpose is to fade...he has finally been seen.

If that's the basis of their relationship, how long would it take for Vegas or Pete to move on when they encounter someone more compatible

*shouts this from rooftops, blazes this with tumblr blaze* bcuz yes. that's exactly it. you cracked it open everyone else go home

and yes, I'll rectify and say I liked the 'I'm hungry' bit and i love and understand their ongoing hunger motif. it's the pet thing that leaves me..... confused? for lack of a better word? like what does that resolution mean for their third act conflict? if Pete said 'I'm just an object to project your feelings on,' what does it mean that the only ostensible reason for Vegas not killing himself is their pet-owner dynamic? what does it mean for Pete's self-worth statement? how does it make any sense with the later hospital scene, when Vegas admits that Pete is not his pet anymore, but the most important person in his life? these all feel like threads of a conclusion for the pairing, almost as if there were several possible endings in the writers room and Pond said. actually let's just have them all :)

And yet Pete isn't now just someone who feels like his purpose is to fade...he has finally been seen.

let's caveat this with: kinnporsche is a show powered primarily by trope, shock value and melodrama. I try as much as possible to meet it at its own level, but that doesn't mean there can't be good faith critique of what it tries to achieve. your point is exactly why I was left frustrated by much of the latter half of the show. as a viewer you feel gaslit: Vegas claims Pete is the most important person in his life. we get Pete screen time galore. we have Pete go through trials and tribulations, yet why does Pete still feel like an extra? rather than creating a meaningful arc for him, the writing continues treating him as an afterthought.

compare that with Vegas, whose love arc with Pete is beautifully intertwined with his primary internal conflict (his positioning by his father as a competition object to the main family). while Vegas drives the Tawan pinch point and the safehouse arc, it's Pete's own decision to kiss Vegas and start their sexual relationship. his agency doesn't stop there: Pete also makes the decision to escape Vegas and then later on to punish Vegas physically and stick with Vegas as he gets shot and recovers. the reasoning behind these choices remains, however, nebulous to the viewer.

Pete deciding to escape the safehouse after starting a sexual relationship with Vegas--how does it integrate into the larger history of who Pete is? why is a bdsm relationship with his captor appealing to Pete to begin with? why does Pete decide to "take Vegas back" after Vegas's love confession and the parking lot punching during the coup? is this reflective of Pete's values as a character? was that enough for him to consider the conflict resolved?

these are all questions unanswered by the show. Pete feels like an extra because the writing treats him as such: unlike every other protagonist, we don't have a single benchmark for his inner conflicts except a violent past under his father's boxing abuse. at the end of the day, all of his actions are actually re-actions: to Kinn ordering him to follow Vegas, to Vegas's abuse, etc. to me, the only real, fully agentic action Pete takes (as I, the viewer, understand what exactly powers his choices), is when he offers Vegas his own life story in episode 11: I see you and I recognize your pain and suffering. here is how I surpassed mine.

[danhoemei]

i had liu yao on my list to read forever, never got around it and recommended it to a friend and now she asked what it's about. Could i ask you for a summary, pls? :)

ANON YES BUT I'M NOT SURE I CAN GIVE A SHORT ONE

I rambled about liu yao here and here, so you can check if it's enough for you. The description on liu yao's carrd is also quite good:

What does it mean to seek immortality? Those who have ascended were human once, but do they ever stop yearning for the world they once roamed?

In the age of immortals and would-be immortals, ten-year-old Cheng Qian leaves his family to apprentice under the Sect Leader of the obscure Fuyao Mountain Sect. What follows next is a hundred-year-long tale of blood and sweat, tears and heartbreak, but also love and laughter, joy and triumph, and most importantly, a journey of finding that sometimes, a home isn’t always a place, but the beloved family that you make for yourself along the way.

And here I'll give/repeat a few points that I liked (tried to keep the info vague or as minor spoilers for the beginning of the novel):

the reader is closely taken through the character's cultivation progress (basically what I wrote here)

we meet the characters when they're small children and get to see their development, what exactly shaped them, why they had inclinations to some choices, or how their relationships with each other were built gradually and naturally

the characters aren't high and mighty from the start, which made them more real and relatable

typical for Priest's works subversion of some tropes, e.g. the spoiled and lazy peacock young master walks one of the toughest paths in Dao (which also usually produces aggressive and crude people, opposite to our niangniang), the cold-faced and snarky MC who is obsessed with getting stronger entered Dao through his heart, their shimei is quite unruly and powerful and there isn't fawning over her looks (which is what I usually see in danmei if a girlTM exists among the main characters); AND MORE, but i can't say much without more spoilers

cultivation and sects are kinda dissed instead of praised and fawned over, especially at the beginning, which was very fun and refreshing to read

I love how the pursuit of immortality is presented in liu yao. What even is immortality? If we shed all care about the world and ascend to merge with Dao... what's the difference between that and dying?

FOUND FAMILY AT ITS FINEST, LIKE LITERALLY THE DEFINITION OF THE TROPE

very slow burn, and the story pulled me in so much that I didn't even feel impatient for the romance

very funny, I laughed SO MUCH

but also cried :') I cry very rarely, so when a story manages to make me cry I gain additional respect for its ability to raise such emotions in a reader. And liu yao made me cry a few times :')

so yeah, it's a very interesting story with great world-building and a variety of distinct characters. It has some flaws ofc, sometimes the pacing got a bit slow and I had to harden myself to keep going, and the ending has a few open threads that could've been resolved but weren't. But I still love this novel so much 💚💚 one of my favs fr

[prowerprojects]

Aside from noticing a shift in how "found family" is portrayed in fandoms these days, I wonder if this is a semi-conscious side effect of Tails over the years being semi-shafted until the past decade. (Aside from AOSTH{though was often a kidnap victim} and Boom, most adaptions had him downplayed or outright replaced. Yes, Prime, this technically includes you. The comics aren't exactly clean either, but Archie is the most guilty.)

But yeah, I get the appeal of "parental big sibling" tropes. Not every sibling relationship is the same though, or is all peachy. I don't think Sonic thinks Tails is so inept that he can't trust him to be on his own in most circumstances, young or not. (Fox is more likely to run INTO trouble than make it himself. High intelligence doesn't mean you won't do dumb stuff on occasion; especially if you're not well-versed, but I sooner buy the idea of 'baby' Tails having separation issues than willingly getting into a shootout with cops. Not unless he was saving someone anyway) Sonic's influence on Tails is mostly guidance and support. While Tails does seek approval, Sonic does not have huge authority over him. Tails striking out on his own and living his own life doesn't make his bond with Sonic any less close. Reunions can be just be as emotional, y'know? (Plus, wouldn't Sonic be proud of that? For Tails to achieve his dreams through his own efforts? Give me a Sonic being the loudest person at his little brother's science presentation.)

Also, I don't think Tails would care who Sonic dates. Curious at best, and I'm sure he would want to be on good terms with his romantic partner and even bond with them, but I don't think he nor Sonic would appreciate the former being babied at every turn. Plus, wouldn't Tails being a gremlin by giving snide, knowing looks to Sonic be funnier? (And there's plenty of sibling activities that doesn't involve parenting one another: Movie nights, water gun fights, pranking, sparring, camping, gaming. Even just napping in the sun under a tree.)

Likely another side effect to the "non-action" and "dependency" Tails got hit with. (Which is funny because I have witnessed at times back then of some accusing Tails of being potentially appearing too competent to the point of making Sonic look "weak". Wanting Tails to have limits on his mechanic skills is one thing, but saying he should stick to tinkering vehicles only is very restricting though?) Nine may have endured bullying longer, but it doesn't mean it stopped having an effect on Tails himself. (Called names, had his tails messed with, people smashing his inventions. He may grown to embrace his qualities, but he clearly still has self worth issues that is ripe for exploring more. Nine's is mainly trust. Companionship too, but mostly trust. They've both been hurt, one was just lucky enough to get support early and ongoing.) Heh, I could go on a tangent on how finicky fans are at the thought Tails talking back to Sonic or dare have a different opinion than him and Nine gets a pass because he's "Anti-Tails", but that'd be another essay. xD (But yeah, hopefully Prime ends well.)

((Oh, and cool ponytail Tails art, btw. :] ))

Hmmm, could be. Early portrayals call still influence the way people see a character, even after all those years. (I mean, Sonic and chili dogs thing even got canonized and everything)

I definitely see Sonic as more of a mentor rather than parent figure. I think Sonic has a lot of trust and respect for Tails, and it's hard for me to imagine Sonic like. Grounding Tails or something similar. If this happened I imagine it would be such a wild concept to Tails he would think it's a joke, but more importantly Sonic wouldn't even think of doing this, I don't think he thinks of himself as that kind of authority figure in Tails's life. And Sonic is Tails's biggest fan definitely. I like that one bit from a q&a where Sonic gets asked who's smarter, Tails or Eggman, and he immediately picks Tails... (It's so cute, idk, especially since there's no way to actually prove it, and it's probably not even true (of course, "smartness" is relative), and then he goes on to say how Eggman is still a close second and very dangerous and not to underestimate him)

[No comment on the shipping thing, I pretty much agree though]

I've mostly seen people wanting Tails to have a limit on his skills to make him as a character more "grounded" and "realistic", but Shadow can have 10000 superpowers and I don't see anybody complaining. You know what else is unrealistic? Flying by spinning your tails. Especially since Tails was portrayed as this "pan-purpose scientist" since the beginning, and it's not a part of "flanderization". Like for sure, vehicle engineering has always been his specialty and biggest interest, but for example he made a Chaos Emerald radar back in Sonic 3, and had a robot back in Tails Adventure. People bring up the fact that he struggled with a plane prototype in Adventure 1 as an example of him being not that great with his mechanical skills initially, but he had already made a rocket back in Sonic the Fighters at that point.

Yeah, bullying messes you up big time, and it's not easy to get over it... If this wasn't something Tails had to deal with in the past, he might have a completely different outlook on himself nowadays, even if he still felt inadequate. Though I do like how the games don't really push this into our faces all the time, it's just a part of the backstory that helps understand the character better but you can still understand what's up with him even if you don't know the details. (Also makes me think he probably doesn't talk about this, it's something that only Sonic knows about most likely, and even then still probably not in detail).

(There's a lot of things that I don't quite like in Prime, I just don't bother talking about it, but I'm pretty optimistic on how they're handling Nine! (& Tails))

(Haha thanks =^-^= )

[officialbotanicalinterest]

Actually as much as having insane quantities of money has been a reoccurring trope among the Addams Family, I can't help but think that you would be thinking about it wrong to assume it's the Addams defining trait.

One of the major concepts with the Addams is that it never is explicitly stated what exactly they are, with enough of a plausibly human looking appearance/outward traits, but still some decidedly "not normal human" traits to keep an audience guessing as to what their deal is. Certainly, having suspiciously large amounts of money may help emphasize this factor, but it isn't what creates the near uncanny valley/how human are these people/are they even human or just really human looking cryptids feeling that is integral to the show. Furthermore the Addams also never seem to care about exactly what they are or aren't as long as they are a part of, or otherwise friends of the family.

Another key component is that they never seem to regard the things they engage in as odd, or fully realize that most people would consider the way they live not to be normal; and while that does fit with the concept of rich elites being out of touch with society, it could also be used as a metaphor for what working class people have to do in order to survive being unthinkable to the elites. (Namely in a-the wealthy, contrary to what they say, can't handle everyday jobs like what they claim to have started out as-kind of way.)

In reality a working class version of the Addams Family might look like a family who all live in the same house/apartment/rental due to practicality as opposed to ancestral family home reasons. Who have a hard time finding the right place to live, spending alot of time trying to find the appropriately haunted, dismal, mold infested place that hasn't been condemned or had its neighbourhood gentrified yet. If needing new furniture they'd probably go shopping at dodgy back alley thrifts stores, yardsales or even picking up pieces left by the side of the road hoping that what they find might be haunted/cursed. For meals they might regularly be making use of roadkill, foraging poisonous garden weeds /snails/frogs/toadstools, or even at their local abattoir purchasing offcuts of meat (think the eyes, trotters, ears, tongue, brains, blood, bones etc). They would still regularly consume various poisons albeit slightly less exotic ones such as your bleaches, drain cleaners or rat poison. Perhaps if they lived close to a fruit canning factory they might be able to purchase/take home large quantities of cherry/peach/apricot stones for cheap and eat them similar to how we eat nuts. They may not have a family graveyard, but they would probably routinely go for walks around any local ones the way we go for walks around public parks, allowing kids to play over at cemeteries/abandoned churches while the elders might feed the local crows/ravens. The kids might still keep pet spiders albeit rescues as opposed to thoroughbred (such as the banana spiders you might sometimes hear rumours of lurking in the fruit isle) along with leeches or a large (escaped/abandoned) poisonous snake as a family pet. They may still have carnivorous houseplants, just more ones rescued on the brink of death from the local walmart/grocery store bargain section or found in a local back alley, that after some coaching, began consuming things other than flies. Even if they didn't have the money for florists or enough room to grow roses they still could pick the large thorny stems of wild roses and brambles growing in ditches. Furthermore they still could genuinely love most forms of gothic literature, even if their books might be a bit weather beaten or smelling faintly of mildew.

For bonus points they might use hostile architecture such as anti-homeless spikes the way we use park benches. (Heck, I think even the regular Addams Family might do that.)

You couldn’t do a working class version of the Addams Family without turning them into something else entirely, because the fundamental ambiguity of “okay, are these people, like, vampires or something, or are rich people just Like That” is absolutely essential to the bit.

[wahlpaper]

Love at First Set

CW: Heavy Drinking, Alcoholism, Addiction, Gaslighting and Gaslighting Attempts, Manipulative Parents, Child Abuse, Mentioned Physical Abuse, Mentioned Toxic Relationship and Love Bombing, Money Problems, Classism, Queerphobia, Cheating, Breach of Trust, Sexual Content, Swearing

4.5/5

I don't think I read the description for Jennifer Dugan's Love at First Set until it was my turn with it on Libby. I saw the author and the cover and decided to check it out. What was written for the blurb wasn't wrong, exactly, but the tone was misleading, making it seem toxic. I wouldn't describe the romance as toxic, even if the characters and scenes get messy. I'm glad I read the book in spite of my worries. It was entertaining, handled some heavy topics with grace, and made me care a lot for the three main characters. 

Lizzie has been dreaming of running her own gym since she was a little girl. In the meantime, she's been working as a front desk manager at the gym her best friend's, James, parents own. When James' sister, Cara, is getting married, he convinces Lizzie to come along. He sees it as a chance for her to schmooze and get a promotion. Unfortunately, Lizzie ends up drunkenly pepping up a hot girl in the bathroom, telling her to leave her unhappy relationship. She didn't know this was Cara. Familial chaos ensues. Over the next few months, Lizzie and Cara get to know each other. They may even be catching feelings. 

Love at First Set was a surprisingly easy book to get through. Both Cara and Lizzie have awful parents, which is an important part of the story. They also had a really hard time opening up to each other, not just assuming the worst about one another, but themselves too. There were also a number of described sex scenes, which are almost never my thing. However, I was captivated the whole way through. Lizzie is incredibly self-aware and has an active inner voice. Anything that could have been taken too far was balanced out by Lizzie's reactions. There were times I would get fed up with any of the main trio, but I could trust that they'd work it out in a healthy way.

As with any Dugan novel, Love at First Set has plenty of queer rep in it. James is gay and Lizzie and Cara are bi. There are a few queer supporting characters and even more background ones. I can tell the characters aren't genre-aware, or else the classic Sapphic movie, Imagine Me & You, would absolutely have been brought up. However, the characters, especially Cara, are cliche-aware. At one point she mentions Uhal Lesbians. The main trio is also aware that it's weird that their abusive parents aren't queerphobic. Overall, this book could easily be just another queer book, and it may not be a contender for my favorite book this year, but it found ways to stand out.

If you're into books about queer sports, I recommend broadening your horizons out of the competitive ones. A majority of this book takes place in a gym, something I've never seen in a queer sports story. If you're into the best-friend's-sibling trope, Love at First Set by Jennifer Dugan is absolutely for you. If you're done lifting weights, lift this book. Don't worry, Lizzie will spot you!

[zeciex]

Please don't think you're writing a predictable story just because I got lucky and figured some future plot points. I'm sure some other readers guessed as well but since most don't comment we simply aren't aware of them. Also it could be just me, but I like to think that in a good story, a good author won't make things happen just for shock value so on this basis alone I'm always dismissing certain scenarios that seem unlikely if this makes any sense.

For example, take the cheating stuff. While both Daenera and Aemond won't admit just yet their love for each other the real nature of their feelings is clear to us as readers and this is why I simply refuse to even take into consideration a future scenario where one of them will cheat on the other for any reason whatsoever. Why would Aemond cheat on her? Just because the relationship with his wife will be at a very low point after Luke and their child's deaths so much so that he chooses to deal with his grief by sleeping with another woman? And this will solve things how exactly? Of course as a man he may be able to get away with having as many affairs as he wants face to but I like to believe he thinks too highly of himself in order to do that and seem like Aegon 2.0 in the eyes of his family and of the realm (and he really doesn't seem like the type of man who deals with his grief and trauma the way Aegon does). And yes, he also won't do that because even after everything that will have happened, he truly loves his wife and won't ever hurt her in this way. Likewise, the same goes for Daenera. She'll have every reason to believe he's cheating on her with Alys, yes, and I won't blame her for it but would she take revenge on him by sleeping with another man? Absolutely no. And should she? Again, no.

I know you've assured your readers they won't be cheating on each other and I'm sorry for reopening the topic, but I've almost always found the cheating trope to be a sure way to ruin a good story if handled incorrectly so this is why I offered it as an example. No couple will truly have a happy marriage or relationship after forgiving a cheating partner. There won't be any happiness either if the one who cheated cheats back and then we'll all have to pretend that "it's all fine, they're even now!"…like, why? And why turn the person who got cheated on into a cheater as well?

Good point about Daemon perceiving Daenera giving birth to Aemond's child as a betrayal. A betrayal to her mother's cause, family and of course, as a confirmation of her having true feelings for Aemond. He's not stupid at all, he knows she would've gotten rid of the pregnancy somehow if this weren't the case, especially after seeing and realizing how she refused to give Boris a child (yeah sure she'll deny and tell Daemon this didn't happen, she'll claim she just didn't get pregnant but we know better!!). I do wonder though, will she suspect her that her mother was onto Daemon's plan to kill her child? And probably Jaehaerys as well? As I said previously, Rhaenyra would never agree to do something like this but surely there will be some doubt, no? It also makes perfect sense for Daemon to have Jaehaerys killed as well; 1. As cruel as it is, getting rid of Aegon's firstborn and heir is a smart move. 2. If you still go by canon events, Aegon will throw Aemond a feast for his kinslaying of Luke. I can't imagine Daemon will be happy when hearing about this, it seems only natural that he won't let something like this slide.

I also look forward to Daenera's time in King's Landing as a hostage basically. Most fics have their OFC fighting in the war with their dragon so this should be very different already. I think many authors are simply reluctant to portray the main female character as having almost no agency and seemingly at the whims of a husband due to how controversial this choice will be with some readers but…she's a hostage and there will be a war going on. Not everything has to be all nice and pretty and eventually she will regain her power. Having a storyline like this is very realistic for their world actually, as bad and unfair as it will be for Daenera as a person. Speaking of realism, I do also love how realistic Fenrick's opinion on her affair with Aemond was and how he always found excuses for Boris' infidelity on the basis of his gender. And I hated him for it and for essentially being the cause behind her getting married to Boris. Also, Boris himself is a realistic portrayal for what your average Westerosi man and husband would be like…usually in most fics the OFC is married or betrothed to a nice, good man (and there will be a rivalry/competition with Aemond for OFC's love) because apparently Daemon and Rhaenyra would never agree to arrange a marriage for their daughter to a bad and abusive man…which yeah I mostly agree, they won't knowingly force their daughter to be with such a man, and in this fic I doubt either of them will be indifferent at hearing how Boris actually treated her as his wife re: the marital rape and abuse BUT also considering Daemon's political ambitions and certain things he will be doing…I doubt he will truly regret for forcing Daenera's marriage in the first place and not giving her a choice, not truly…but she never was in a position to refuse the marriage anyway. And like you said, everything has consequences and her messing up with Aemond resulted in the whole thing with Boris.

By the way I also agree with everything else you wrote. Yeah, in the event Aemond decides to betray his family he won't be accepted by Rhaenyra and Daemon either. He will be considered untrustworthy, a spy and of course they will never agree to marry their daughter to him...probably the best case scenario for Aemond if he does something like this and still be spared is to become part of the Kingsguard, this way Daemon is sure he'll have no wife, kids that would be threatening Rhaenyra's future rule and the ones of her kids. I think the last chance at repairing this mess went away with Viserys refusing to do anything and with his death and Aegon's subsequent crowning - the war was always happening, it was a matter of when and who will be the one to officially shed the first blood, sadly for the Greens it was Aemond. Perhaps most of this would've been avoided, at least for this generation, if Viserys had been smarter he would've realized how deep the divide between the two sides of his family was especially after Driftmark happened and forced some strategic betrothals to unite the bloodlines between his children with Alicent and Rhaenyra's and Daemon's. They would've refused, I know, but he's still the king and should've forced the issue anyway. Now that I've written about this I wonder how the relationship between Daenera and Aemond would've been in an AU like this, had they been betrothed?

Loved the preview for the 55th chapter! I'm not worried since we know she'll get out of that and return to King's Landing buuuut…I now have to wonder whether or not Borros will ever be smart enough to suspect Aemond's involvement in Boris' death? Not now, but in the future he may be able to put two and two together and realize that that was no mere accident especially with Aemond being at the scene of the 'crime' and after hearing about him and Daenera getting married…well, one may suspect was something going on.

I fully agree with the whole cheating thing, which is why I've made it clear that neither of them will cheat because it won't make sense for their characters or what I want from the story. (And lets pretend that Aemond would even debase himself by cheating on the woman he loves, you can be sure that Daenera wouldn't EVER forgive him/trust him again especially if its after the loss of their son--and that is being said as if she wouldn't straight up kill Aemond for it.)

And yeah, Daenera will for sure have some doubt as to whether her mother knew of the plan. And Aegon will hold a feast in honor of the murder of Luke, I've already written it, though it will need editing when I get to it.

I know we all love a good girlboss that doesn't make mistakes, never lose power, and constantly has the upper hand/knows her way out of shit... But, I can't see a all of that happening when you're a political hostage during a war. I mean, look at Sansa! She had little to no agency, she was constantly under scrutiny and she had no say in anything. Daenera will be a hostage, trapped by the Greens as they fight the war, both physically fight but also PR wise. She's a pawn to them. And while she will do her best to make her own machinations, she will essencially still be very much powerless. The only true power she has is through Aemond. And since all (save for a select few) friends/servants are gone, she's constantly surveilled by servants that belong to the Queen, the Hand, Larys, whomever. She we will see her make a decision that (I intend to be) is ruthless and very dark, for the sake of securing/freeing herself. It won't be an easy one, and it will be the start of both a Dark Era, but also just... the era of desperation. (I also hope, if I can write it properly, to have a Dark/paranoid/mentally unstable era, but its not set in stone/it will be something to overcome and I hope that once she does, she'll be more assured of what she wants and what she'd do to get it/how powerful she really is)

I try and write the characters with empathy towards what/why they're thinking the way they do. As with Fenrick, he is a man, but also, he wants to protect Daenera and her reputation, and he thought that he was doing the right thing. We as writers/readers know what the consequences was and we know how deep Daenera/Aemond's connection is, but he sees it as a threat and something that could be used to tear Daenera down AND her mother. (Because it's happened before with Rhaenyra). As for Boris, I wanted him to be a realistic Westerosi man and since we know he's illiterate and how ill-tempered the Baratheon men are, I thought it was the best way to portray him. If she married Cregan in stead, things would have been different. And Daenera will confront Daemon with everything. He will be hard at first, and she'd be reluctant to tell the extent of the abuse (because that is humiliating AND it's how things were) but she will tell it. And neither Rhaenyra and Daemon will respond well. There will also be a scene where we follow Rhaenyra after the confrontation, where her and Daemon argue about it all.

--Oh, god, I'm giving out so many spoilers and what you can expect lol--

I think the only true way to somewhat avoid the war would have been if Viserys had dismissed Otto as Hand and had Rhaenyra take up a bigger part in the council. Rhaenyra would have then learned the ropes, so to speak. And then they should have married the kids. (I don't remember where in the new chapters or whether it's been posted yet, but Aegon says something along the lines of; Jace would have married Helaena and Aegon would have married Daenera (He says it to annoy Aemond)) And I think they would have been very plausible. But, I'd like to think that Rhaenyra wouldn't have had Daenera, her only daughter, marry Aegon. I have no idea what their relationship would have been like had all of this happened. I would like to think they would be happy. But the entire start of their relationship in my canon is built on animosity and lust. Hate fucking that turned into something more... then realizing that perhaps it wasn't so much hate fucking as it was angry fucking.

We will see how Borros responds when we follow Lucerys (i think) at storms end ;)

As always, thank you for your comment! I get so excited to see what you have to say that I make myself nauseous lol. I love hearing from you, and I will post ANOTHER preview of next chapter now!

[gwenwritesstuff]

Writeblr intro

Ok, I have little idea of what I'm doing but let's do it anyway Attempt at doing a more cohesive writeblr (but really I'll update it when I feel like it)

Call me Gwen (she/her), I currently have one WIP for a medium-long project in its first draft (as a former classicist I hopped onto the Greek epic retelling bandwagon - I know, I know, but trust me - with a story about Achilles and what could have been if the nymphs raised him under the sea.

I also have a WIP in editing and various fanfics and stories half done.

I wrote both original stories and fanfics, of which I have more than one hundred under my belt. I've been writing since I learnt how to. But you can say I started writing more seriously since I was in high school.

I don't have a real favourite genre but I have still a soft spot for fantasy, sci-fi and historical saga, while I tend to avoid thrillers and horrors.

As for tropes, I like a good dose of angst (happy ending is welcomed but not necessary) and found family. Rom-com tropes on the other hand, especially those beloved like fake dating or there is only one bed aren't exactly for me (unless they are presented in a new and fresh way)

In the meme of "nice, two cakes!", I'm the person who searches for something new to eat.

I'm also the kind of writer who need to jot down the exact price of velvet in 1650 or I will die

If you are interested in whatever I'll post, I'll be happy to add you to the tag list