#But I needed to gush about this excellent character

[akai-anna]

i'm rewatching toshokan sensou/library wars with a friend and god,my love for it always hits me so hard. i love and adore it so much.

[neowonderland]

Suffocating || n.jm

First part of: The Friends of Lee Jeno Summary: Jaemin is the prized student in the university, everyone adores him. But, behind closed doors he's a bit different. Pairings: Univeristy! Jaemin x reader Warnings: 18+, smut, noncon to dubcon, dark content, bullying, coercion(?), university au Wc: 1.5k

Dark Content, Minor please DNI

Disclaimer: this is a work of pure fiction. I do not condone the actions of any characters in this story and the actions do not reflect the idols in any way.

Everyone knows about Na Jaemin. 

Jaemin’s sweet. He’s all smiles and sugar coated words as he charms his way into the hearts of everyone on campus. It’s no wonder that his pretty face, paired with his honeyed tongue has turned him into a campus celebrity. It’s common to see people join the organizations, clubs and classes Jaemin is in just because he’s in them. When he shows up to club events, especially volunteering, it’s common to see spectators unaffiliated with the club come just to watch Jaemin.

Jaemin isn’t just a pretty face and it shows with his 4.0 GPA and his awards at dance competitions. He excels at everything he does and isn’t afraid to put in the effort to achieve what he wants. When asked about how he excels so much, he thanks all his adoring fans. Stating that he owes everything to them, he’s thankful for the support and opportunities he’s been given.

And it’s somewhat true that he’s sweet, at least Jaemin is like that with other people. It’s just that behind closed doors when he’s with Lee Jeno, he’s different. He’s less syrupy sweet, more blunt, more serious, sometimes even more quiet, but he’s always sure to revert back to his persona whenever he needs something from others in the group. Jaemin’s doe eyes, wide smile and words always guarantees him what he wants.

You’re wary of him, scared of Jaemin and how easily he’s able to get the things he wants, so you try to avoid him, hiding in your room, whenever he comes over to you and your roommate Jeno’s shared apartment. But Jaemin never seems to take the hint that you want some space from him and it shows in the way he treats you.

Jaemin isn’t shy about showing his affection for you in front of his and Jeno’s friends. It’s not uncommon for you to be seated between Jaemin’s thighs on the couch when ‘the Dreamies’ are over. Jaemin’s arms wrapped tight around your body, groping at flesh as he bends down to nuzzle his head in your neck, pecking your neck and the top of your head. It’s uncomfortable when he does this, you can feel stares, especially Haechan, burning holes into you as Jaemin dotes on you. You always avoid eye contact with 'the Dreamies' and try to fight the red creeping onto your cheeks, sometimes squirming in Jaemin’s hold, whispering quietly for him to let you go, only for him to whine and tighten his hold on you.

Ignoring him is futile though, always hearing Jaemin whine through your door when he doesn’t see you in the apartment when he visits Jeno, demanding to see you, even threatening to drag you out himself if you don’t come out yourself. Jeno can only sigh as he relents, knocking against your door or sending you a text to come out for Jaemin. 

Jaemin is no stranger to forcing you into his arms when he doesn't want to, hand wrapped tightly around your wrist as he pulls you out of your room and into his lap. You fight the discomfort as you feel his warm hands roaming under your shirt, squeezing and prodding at your flesh and skin, squishing your cheeks, cooing at your full cheeks and calling you so "sweet and cute". Gushing over how “nice you feel”, how “soft” you are. 

You’ve never been the best at setting boundaries, too used to being walked on and treated as a doormat, and Jaemin is no exception.

Jaemin is suffocating, crushing you in his affection and hold, uncaring for your protests and boundaries. You dread whenever he comes over, but there's nothing you can do. You've tried your best to prevent Jaemin from coming, begging Jeno to talk to Jaemin. Jeno only responds with a shake of a head, stating that that’s just how Jaemin is, how stubborn he is and that you’re better off just complying with him.

You're feeling especially sensitive today after you hadn’t scored as high on a midterm as you wanted to, words floating in the back of your mind about how useless and stupid you are.

You’re seated between Jaemin’s thighs again on the couch as ‘the Dreamies’ converse around you. It’s become a normal occurrence now, but it never stops the stares from ‘the Dreamies’, at least not from Haechan. Haechan, the one with the body count triple his age. Haechan, the only one who actively shames you and makes rude, out of pocket comments regarding you. Haechan, the only one who acted like you were inconveniencing him by just existing.

That’s why it hurts especially when Haechan makes a regularly scheduled comment about your appearance, calling you “Jaemin’s useless lap toy” among other things. You can’t take it anymore as you begin silently, breaking free from Jaemin’s unnaturally gentle grip as you excuse yourself in a shaky tone. You miss the stares at you and Jaemin as you rush to your room, Jaemin rushing to get up from his spot on the couch and follow you into your room.

You’re overwhelmed, tears blurring your vision, as you blubber in the safety of your room to Jaemin about just how mean Haechan is. How awful he is when he sees you. How you wish you weren’t ever roommates with Jeno because that meant you had to deal with Haechan and his comments everytime he comes over. Jaemin can only pretend that he’s listening to you while nodding, mind telling him to just take what he wants.

“Shhh, it’s okay, it’s going to be okay.” Jaemin shushes you, running his thumb across your cheek to wipe away your tears. “Let me help you. Let me make you feel better.”

You miss the way his eyes gleam, the way he licks his lips and his expression of pure hunger as he stares at you, eyes focused on the tears rolling down your face and your puffy, red eyes. 

You shakily nod your head, confused at what Jaemin means and thinking that he only means to comfort you with his words. But that idea of comfort fades when Jaemin drags you back into his lap and kisses you, one hand coming to the back of your head to hold you there while the one on your face forcing you to pout your lips to receive him. You immediately recoil, fighting against his hold until Jaemin’s hand on the back of your head slides down to the back of your neck, giving it a firm warning squeeze, before going back up. It doesn’t take much to understand his warning as you stop resisting, more of your tears slipping down Jaemin’s fingers. 

You feel gross as Jaemin works you open on his experienced fingers in his lap, your cheeks tinged red in embarrassment and guilt as you bite your lips to muffle the noises Jaemin is able to pull out of you from his fingers alone. Jaemin’s arm is wrapped tightly against your waist, pulling you flush against his chest while his mouth latches onto your neck, alternating between harsh sucks onto your skin and gentle kisses to soothe the red splotches starting to form. 

You’re not sure when it starts to feel good, the burning stretching turning into pleasure as Jaemin skillfully hits that pleasurable spot within you again and again, your brain slowly turning hazy as Jaemin gives you orgasm over orgasm. It doesn’t seem to care when you begin to fall slack in his arms, watery eyes now glazed over as you forget about Haechan and focus on the pleasure Jaemin gives to you instead. 

“You’re so soft, so cute and so inexperienced. You’re too sweet, way too nice.” Jaemin mumbles into your neck. “You’re all mine, right? You can only be mine.”

You can only nod dumbly at Jaemin’s question, words not fully processing in your mind. What Jaemin says now becomes background ambiance to your soft moans and pants as you become pliant in Jaemin’s arms. 

It’s not until you hit your 4th orgasm that Jaemin lays you down on your bed on your back, head propped up on your own pillows. Jaemin quickly tugs down his pants and frees his length as he sits himself on his knees between your legs. You look towards the ceiling as you hear Jaemin moan as he tugs at himself, not taking long for him to coat your stomach with his cum. You don’t fully feel him run his fingers over your stomach, collecting his cum.

“Say ah,” Jaemin says playfully, tapping your lips with his cum covered fingers. “Open-wide.”

You blink at him, confused before opening your mouth and attempting to wrap your lips around his fingers, your tongue lapping sloppily at his fingers as drool begins to leak from the corner of your mouth. You can hear Jaemin sharply inhale as you begin to drool on his fingers, hearing him mumble a “next time” before wiping his fingers on your cheek. 

Jaemin smooths back his hair and crawls next to your side, using your blanket to cover the two of you. He lets out a satisfied hum as he wraps his body around you, clinging to you and placing a kiss on your cheek. It’s comfortable, almost intimate like this, and Jaemin thanks Haechan in his mind for finally giving you the push to be his.

Next part: Mean || l.hc

[adventures-in-mangaland]

Yet Another Dead Boy Detective Fic Rec List

Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4

I've been having so much fun with these, so I've decided to make another! See above for links to my other fic rec lists. ♥️

Like We're Gonna Die Young (Again) by RoseGanymede95

The latest installment in the superb Codependency World Cup series has the boys attend a nefarious house party and grapple with old frenemies, 90s fashion and temporary amnesia. Also fleshes out their achingly sad backstories, but compensates with the triumphant return of Pierre the rabbit.

When I Picture You by Gruoch

Charles gets braceleted by the Cat King instead of Edwin and receives his heart's desire... being alive again. This author has a special gift for taking fun sounding premises and turning the angst up to 11. So excellent.

young blood (never get chained) by ghostinthelibrary

University AU in which half-demon Charles intervenes in Edwin's ritual sacrifice and inadvertently binds their souls together... I'm genuinely obsessed with this AU, it has so much potential for tons of delicious tropes. Human!Edwin getting a crash course in supernatural shenanigans! Soulmate vibes!Found Family! Demon lore! What's not to love??

Ghosts and Monsters by justafandomfollower

Charles is also sacrificed and the boys meet in Hell! Fantastic premise and executed really well. I loved Masterful Edwin taking charge and protecting Charles while inwardly despairing. Highly recommended.

back to back they faced each other by ShanaStoryteller

The Night Nurse has a theory about how Charles was able to rescue Edwin from Hell so quickly... I'm genuinely shocked I haven't recced this one already. Sorry guys, I forgor. Anyway, this has interesting "Guardian" (angel?) lore, great meta and we even get some temporary amnesia as a treat.

boyfriend jacket by skadii

5+1 times Edwin borrowed Charles' jacket. The characterisation is on point, and it has some great OCs (Kyle the snarky seeing-eye cat!) and really sweet payneland moments. Plus Charles' jacket doing its most to annoy the Cat King.

Looking Like the Sunrise by letters_of_stars

Edwin thinks he's cursed so he and Crystal must team up to solve the case of his Mysterious and Suddenly Appearing Rizz. Funny and sweet friendship fic with some quality Edwin-Crystal bonding and discussions of trauma.

The Case of the Anonymous Confession by Mayarenerose

College AU featuring Charles posting an 'anonymous' online confession about his complicated feelings for his bestie. The closet is glass, but Edwin is oblivious and Crystal is in pain. Cute and funny epistolary social media fic done really well.

the middle of something wonderful by KiaraSayre

Does what it says on the tin and gives us a trope salad of cosy vignettes, including a time loop, temporary amnesia, sudden corporality and Crystal and Edwin trying to get a good grade in Party. Wholesome.

My heart is like a haunted house (series) by halffulljampot

Charles (unknowingly) befriends the ghost of Edwin's mother and constantly gushes to her about his amazing best friend/boyfriend. Beatrice is a great OC and it's just nice (though extra tragic) to read a fic in which Edwin had loving parents. Read it for Family Feels and wholesome intergenerational friendship.

the first rule of fight club by e_va

The boys are captured by an evil underground fighting ring. The fic is from Charles' PoV, so the prospect of having to fight Edwin was especially stomach-churning. Still, we get Edwin being a badass and a brilliant surprise cameo I don't want to spoil.

The Case of The... by sophisticatedyet

Edwin borrows Niko's negligee and Charles' brain breaks. There's also a case and giant squids, but Charles' Distracted By The Sexy crisis is the main (hilarious) event.

in those heavy days when love became an act of defiance by aletterinthenameofsanity, JUBE514

Daemon AU and first meeting fic! Loved the worldbuilding, insightful character work and lovely use of Greek mythology. Honestly, this fandom needs more daemon AUs.

spinning around and around in an ocean of grief (your ladder came down to the sea) by Ingi

Prequel to DontOffendTheBees' excellent College AU, expanding on the boys being alive and in school together. Also has its own prequel about their first meeting from Edwin's point of view. This one, though, is a Charles' Bisexual Journey/Feelings Realization fic. So lovely.

head in the clouds but my gravity's centered by shadowquill17

Face Touching: The Fic. I just love non-sexual intimacy in fics and this one is so tender. I also love Accidental Kissing and Feelings Realization so my cup runneth over.

i don't want to rest in peace by handwrittenhello

Different First Meeting fic featuring Poltergeist Charles! Loved the concept, even though it made me sad.

the great snogging debacle of '95 by thatgayprince

Edwin disguises himself as a girl and Charles starts and then defers a sexuality crisis for 30 years. Funny, steamy and emotional.

a beautiful day to say goodbye by ofstitches

The agency take on the case of a depressed house. This is another bittersweet Edwin backstory fic with discussions of grief.

Smitten in the Stacks by cordelianoir

Adorable prequel to lolotr's equally adorable library AU. Meet cute featuring (platonically married) Dad!Charles crushing on the hot librarian who leads Children's Storytime.

Jenny Green: Butcher, Hot Mess, Reluctant Queer Elder by Money_Maker

Jenny-centric fic! The focus is on Jenny and her financial, mental and emotional struggles post-canon, but mentoring Edwin through his queer self-discovery becomes a big part of that. This turns into a really sweet friendship, plus Found Family Feels and some fun outsider PoV of the boys' dynamic.

I've always got more recs so watch this space! ❤️

[jemmo]

I don’t think I’m gonna be able to put it into the right words, but I can’t tell you how happy it makes me to watch that final episode of miseinen. bc it is one thing to mention marriage in a show about two men in a country where that’s not legal; it’s one thing to mention it as an inevitable, as just a waiting game, and leave it there, just as it’s one thing to mention it as a fantasy, or as something a couple doesn’t need to prove or certify their feelings. it’s another thing to show, even for just a short 30 minute episode, what that waiting actually feels like, and the kind of feelings being in that no man’s land of wanting but not being able to have can bring up. bc i can’t think when ive ever seen a bl touch on it so explicitly, at least not off the top of my head, or at least not to the extent of dedicating a whole episode to that feeling. bc you really feel how complex and indescribable that feeling is for jin in that episode, and while it’s mixed with that still lingering fear of haruki leaving and one day suddenly not being there, you feel that it’s not just for that certainty that he wants to be married. he wants the whole package of it, because he truly loves haruki. he sees his friends have relationships and talk about marriage, he feels the pressure from his mom and the rest of the people around him to think about marriage. and that’s exactly the thing of it. it’s not just that he can’t get married, it’s the fact that he has to hide the fact he wants it, and hide his relationship altogether. it’s not simply just marriage, it fits into a wider thing of him initially accepting his queerness and now not knowing if or how he wants to share that with other people. it’s just like- i really don’t want to gush but holy fuck it’s just so excellently done. bc you feel how different it is from haruki too, and it goes back to their differences in upbringing, bc haruki, after the difficulties he’s gone through, now finds it easier to accept and share these things bc he’s never exactly had anyone that would be impacted by this, but not only does jin have people to tell, he’s also been raised to follow a very traditional path in life, the one with least resistance, which very much means marrying a woman and having children and all of that. and it’s not that he can’t accept that he won’t do that, bc we’ve seen throughout the show how he has always faced what he’s been told is right with the open mindedness to question whether it is right, or right to him. but we’ve also seen through the show that the people around him do not have that same openmindedness, it’s why he never shared his friendship with haruki with anyone and now doesn’t want to share his relationship. but what i want to stress most is that the show perfectly shows that it’s not black and white. he is not choosing not to say anything, but he’s also not forced to stay silent. you see the greyness not just bc the situation is nuanced, but also bc at the end of the day it’s a human making this decision, and a human does not simply take in inputs and output the right decision and stick by that. you see him want to say something, you see him pull back, you see him be resentful of the way things are but also learn to accept that that’s how they are at the moment. you just… you see him live through having that in his head and what it feels like on any particular day and it’s just so incredibly amazing and important to see that in a character. it feels so fucking human. and i didn’t expect to get so emotional over a special ep about marriage, esp bc ive never much cared for marriage, ive never found it necessary, but when you take the time to show that it’s what 2 characters want, dedicate a whole ep to showing it, instead of just using it as a default happy ending, well… it’s just the cherry on top to a show that’s been absolutely fucking phenomenal. i will stan this show till i die thank you very much.

[imalwaysaslutforthevoid]

The Summer Hikaru Died and onomatopoeia

I've wanted to gush about this topic for a while and i have no organized thoughts but a lot of feelings i need to get out. First and foremost being "Holy shit this manga is so damn loud" which is a weird feeling to have since manga is generally understood to be a silent medium.

And yet the Mangaka MokuMoku Ren has filled their work to the brim with sound. Now comics using onomatopoeia (words that echo a noise ie: crunch) is nothing new the sound of a fist hitting it's target and walls being wrecked is nothing new. But usually onomatopoeia is worked into whatever action is resulting in the noise

adding both a sense of motion as well as sound. Which is what makes The Summer Hikaru Died's use of it so unique and compelling. To utilize onomatopoiea you have to give up on space that could otherwise be going to deatil work in the background or foreground. Now this is fine with smaller unobtrusive effects like Wolverine's claw extending, and there's numerous example's where a sound will take up large portions of the page to show how loud something like a bomb going off is. But i've yet to see another comic western or otherwise so consistently use this facet of the medium to instill such claustrophobia and dread. As a slower paced horror manga The Summer Hikaru Died builds it's suspense mostly through atomosphere, the supernatural happenings weighing on the surrounding evironment until they break the surface

The use of sound is heavy, it's harsh, it's a vehicle to show how wrong things have gotten from the whisper of "it's coming" heard in the ringing bell of a train crossing to the omnipresent call of birds, bugs, and frogs that pushes in on the paneling shrinking the world with their cacophony.

the way sound shrinks the world making reader and character both feel suffocated by the drone is matched by how the manga uses silence as a way to make the characters feel exposed and vulnerable. the page is now empty of distraction the world of the story on full display and it still feels wrong it's agorophobic, at least amidst the din there was some sense of anonymity being just one voice among hundrends.

even the speech bubble feels out of place as it wanders off desperate to fill the space. The manga is full of these moments of sound and silence in some dance with eachother always too much or too little, never comfortable. It adds a lot to the horror of the manga, and is just one part of many that makes The Summer Hikaru Died such an excellent manga, every chapter I can feel my skin crawl as the setting becomes more hostile to the charactres while they uncover more of the truth of their circumstances.

[sangreprince]

I wanna keep this brief (graphic design is my passion level effort but also it kinda works in a really funny way) !!! I wanna let you all know I appreciate the love you've given Zagreus and I'm so so happy to be here. You're all great and wonderful and I could say so many good things to say about each and every one of my mutuals. So fuck it, that's what I'mma do. Because you all truly deserve it. I'm super happy with Zagreus and being able to share my portrayal and have it be well received means so much !!! It's easy to say 'thank you all so much' but I want to acknowledge that I truly do appreciate and care about each and every one of my mutuals, even if my time / availability makes it tough at times. PART 1/4

@withinchains / @hercarnality : Elle you already know how much ily so I'm gonna keep this short. You're such an amazing friend and writer and you already have the screenshot about me gushing pinned so eat my shorts and play arams with me. Your Morgana is to die for and you write every character to a fucking T because of how you just interpret all their personalities and put them into words SO effortlessly.

@lasraichean : NEMO U SMELL LIKE BEEF and I think you're fantastic. You pour so much effort into all your OCs and that passion does you so much credit. You absolutely shower Annie with love in such a way that I shower everyone else with unrequested amounts of fromsoft lore so MWAH.

@blackrosesmatron : Lucy your LB is fantastic and you're so easy to talk to and communicate with. Genuinely every time we sit down and plot I find myself getting so enthralled in her antics and character. You do her so much justice

@avernusfuries : HAN You single handedly made me like Karlach and that isn't even a joke. Before we met and started writing I always thought her story was one of the weaker ones and you somehow managed to turn her into one of the more realized characters in the game. HATS OFF TO YOU and every day I beg for more of this big doofus.

@feuerwizard : Crys I know I need to get back to you for plotting things, I've just been so busy but I want to say: You and some of the other CR writers you write with are so talented and I adore reading your posts. Were it not for you guys I still probably wouldn't have any interest in CR and I'm so so excited to get started with more stuff and actually get threads going!

@soulcluster : Lilah I think all your portrayals are excellent. Your MM deserves all the attention it gets and I honestly couldn't pick a favorite muse if gave me truth serum. Plotting with you is a blast and I'm so thankful for all the ideas we pass between eachother!

@pitgritted : Your Sett, Taric, and Mutli are all so well done Jojo. I can tell you really care about all the people you write and it shines so brightly, right down the amount of detail you place into every reply and how you format things. Passion shows in the end and this is no exception!!

@palespawn : This sassy motherfucker. We've only just started writing and I still need to get to replies but you've showed interest since almost day one and I cant say how much I appreciate that. Courtney you do such a beautiful job with the twink, I almost dont wanna stab him. Almost~

@infinitysagas : I first of all wanna say thank you for writing such underappreciated characters. To see Damon get love brings me so much joy, I always take a second to read his posts when I see them come up. I know we haven't done a ton but please know that I see your writing and totally wanna do stuff, I'm just very busy skdjhf.

@deathdxnces : Irelia was a character I never cared about too much, but how you humanize her so much and have expanded on her character beyond what Riot's given us does SO much for me. I actually adore how you portray her, Mel, and I wish to get writing at some point soon!! I know you liked a starter a bit ago and I do plan to get to that, but please do not hesitate to hit me up for plotting in the meantime. It really does help and I promise I don't bite!!

@tealbeats : I know you're not super active on Ez (and I still owe you a lot of stuff actually) but I wanna say I love the amount of his personality you're able to paint into every interaction. You have such a way of making him the perfect amount of insufferable (in the best way) while still twisting it in SUCH an endearing light. I love that annoying little bug and I'm so glad you do too, because it really shows.

@agonizedembrace : Han it's been really nice to reach out and get into contact again. You're genuinely a really funny, interesting, and thoughtful person who cares about Evelynn in such a way that brings out every aspect of her character. The agony, the sex appeal, the sass, the confidence, you just nail all of it and I'm really hoping we can get stuff going soon!

@bendwill : Elder scrolls blogs are few and far between, but Miraak is absolutely one of those characters that deserves to be more written out. We haven't gotten to do a ton but please don't hesitate to hit me up and scream ideas at me, the idea of Tamrielic Zagreus is very fascinating to me. (And also I need somebody to ramble about my Oblivion D&D Campaign ideas with skdfjh)

@ofweave : First of all, trans gale is based as fuck and you have a vision. Second of all, I know you're on hiatus but once you come back I'd be so happy to get the ball rolling with this stinky wizard man!!

@kismetwilled : I'm not gonna lie, seeing how you pour effort into your headcanons and thoughtful replies kind of inspired me to do similar with my own. I also want to say that I'd love to plot more and yell ideas all day with you, your style is gorgeous and I find myself appreciating characters on your blog I've never even heard of or are barely familiar with. Seriously Dani, it's top tier and I'm so happy to be mutuals.

@enrogued : We haven't gotten anything started with but I'm so hyped. Rogue as a character has such fascinating potential with her powers, and that's not to mention her attitude towards others in general. Once stuff gets started I'm probably never gonna shut up in your DMs but like that's a constant sdfjkh STILL!!

@lunarrepel : Shadowheart my beloved. The aesthetics, writing, dialog, everything you do with her is SO on point and I can't get over it. I was already biased and liked her after Larian adjusted her a bit during the beta phase of BG3 but still. Man you just nail her and I'm so excited to develop these two out. They give wine aunt energy and THAT alone gives me so much life.

@dreadgloom / @cinderschild : I wont lie to you I was GIDDY when I found out you wrote a WoTR character. I honestly expected that fandom to have more of a presence on tumblr but I'll take what small fanclub we can get right?? And also can I comment on the takes you have from Salvatore are absolutely genius and play really well into WoTC's drow?? Genuinely fantastic worldbuilding and it's always a pleasure to see you crop up on the dash.

@nightsbloom : Your headcanons and replies have been gorgeus and I just want to say despite me being really busy and not getting around to approaching yet, I'm so excited??? Also a while back you reblogged a Qimir gifset and it's still living rent free in my head so thank you for the food chef--- Please though, if you have any thoughts or even just dynamic ideas - toss them at me at mach 5 and I will run with them because I'm HYPE.

@spiderwarden : I think you officially win the title of Minthara's #1 fan. Her performance (as I've mentioned) is absolutely captivating, as is your writing. I'm very excited to see where her interactions with Zagreus go and writing with you (or even just seeing your random hc posts and comments) is such a blast. I will always sit down and listen to you ramble about her, I think she's so fascinating and that's in no small part to how you manage to inject so much life and love into her despite all the cut content.

[bengiyo]

An Apology to The Miracle of Teddy Bear

I finally caught up with a show that was inaccessible for a long time, and also bogged down in bad-faith fan reporting, at the insistence of @lurkingshan, @twig-tea, and later @wen-kexing-apologist. A few months ago, Shan and Twig wrote about how The Miracle of Teddy Bear Saved the Gays to push back on the false narrative that the show buried the gays and forced the lead to marry a woman, and also about how it contains incisive social commentary about a Thai gay man. I won't reiterate what they said in their excellent essay, but I do want to pick up from my Apology to Ossan's Love and The Novelist to talk about going back for shows you missed.

When this show first began airing in the spring of 2022, it was completely inaccessible in the West. I remember seeing rumors at the time that the show was withheld from international distribution due to its critical themes about Thai society, and I was curious about how a show about how a guy falls in love with his teddy bear that comes to life could be causing such consternation. After the show ended, I also remember seeing discontented commentary about the end of the show's ending that turned out to be patently false.

Now that I've actually seen the show, I want to briefly gush about the things I loved in this show.

Job Thuchapon Imbues Nut With A Complex Humanity Rarely Afforded Gay Characters in the BL Sphere

As I was finishing the show last night, I commented to my friends that Job might be one of the most beautiful people I've encountered in Thai queer media, and I think it's because his performance as Nut feels recognizably human. I'm convinced it's because this was a drama with humanist goals that was able to avoid prioritizing romance as its key outcome. As such, Nut becomes one of the best expressions of the traumatized artist trying to do something with his pain in his art that I've ever been blessed to see.

Nut is dealing with intense family trauma from his father's homophobia, his mother's silence and impotence on the matter, and the social circumstances around his life. He's a man with deep anger at his mom and father, who is also tasked with being the breadwinner for his household because his mom is mentally ill. Moreover, his hateful aunt lives next door to only make their lives worse. Nut is an extremely lonely but talented writer who wants to make something more than a standard BL prioritizing romance, cuteness, and product placement.

Most importantly for me, Nut is so unabashedly gay in a way that I also found extremely believable. He's the kind of gay that's not exactly hiding who he is, but isn't going to go out of his way to blast it to everyone. He's not afraid to hold a man's hand in public, but he's also just going to ignore the female coworker who can't take a hint. On top of that, the gays have sex in this show! The show uses so many useful tools to show us that Nut and Tofu have sex without needing to do a lot of bed scenes. I deeply appreciated this.

Inn Sarin Makes The Teddy Bear Role Into a Meaningful Exploration of the Nature of Humanity and Kindness

I originally worried that Inn was here just to be beautiful (he is), and that his character would just be a joke (it most certainly wasn't). Instead, what I got was a character whose innocence allowed us as viewers to explore some heavy moral dilemmas that a simple view of human nature could not accommodate. By the end of the show I was screaming into the chat that "He's only a bear!" because none of the problems he faced were simple.

Tofu, through his interactions with the other inanimate objects in the house experiences incredibly growth over the show, and learns that loving a human as a human is far more complicated than loving them as a teddy bear. He's faced with difficult challenges around Nut's mom's health issues, Nut's family troubles, and even his own jealousy of Nut's childhood love. Inn's affect as Tofu matures as Tofu becomes more familiar with human nuance, which is contrasted so well by the flashbacks with his dead human doppelganger.

This Show Completed Every Thread it Established

This may not seem like an important thing to highlight, but it's so rare for shows to actually do this, especially when they're this complex. I have massive respect for screenwriter Prapt and the team around him, because it's so rare that I enjoy a final episode of a Thai drama. I was openly weeping at the resolution of a thread I thought was forgotten in the finale.

This show had much to say about speaking truth to power, and how the powerful wield death as a weapon. It had much to say about how internalized homophobia expresses in gay men in different ways. It took its mental health themes seriously. It also humanized its villains in a way that makes them some of cruelest I've seen on screen in a long time. It also shows how important community support systems are, especially the role elder gays play in your life. Most importantly, I loved that this show didn't insist that everyone has to hang out and be friendly with everyone who ever hurt them, even if it values getting closure from much-needed apologies.

Conclusion: This Show Has Everything

This show really is something special, and I recommend going on YouTube and watching it. It's a long watch, but it's one of the most rewarding viewing experiences I've had from Thailand in the last decade. I'm also convinced that I have to take learning Thai more seriously, because if Prapt's writing is this tight, I have serious doubts about what we got from The Eclipse. Any Thai people following me, please let me know if you get around to reading the book The Eclipse is based on so you can talk to me about what you experienced from Prapt's pen directly.

[miraculouslbcnreactions]

I feel like I owe Kim Possible a minor apology. In a recent post, I used Kim and Ron's romance as an example of how the love square should have been written. I've also talked about how Ron's the perfect example of a male comedy sidekick who is more than just a comedy sidekick because he's treated as Kim's perfect partner. I've probably mentioned Kim Possible other times, too, because it's such a good match for what Miraculous is trying to do.

Because I keep singing Kim Possible's praises I decided that I should rewatch the show to make sure that my nostalgia goggles weren't blinding me to some major flaw. So far, they weren't. If anything, I've been underselling the show. This is where we get to that apology I mentioned at the start.

Prior to this rewatch, I would have told you that Ron's importance wasn't really discussed until the later seasons because the first season of a formulaic kids show is almost always a testing grounds to see what works, so things can be a little rough. Plus Ron's importance isn't exactly something that you need to dive into early on when you've got a two person team. No one is questioning Ron's importance right out of the gate. He's there to be the comedy sidekick. No explanation needed.

Imagine my surprise when the plot of episode six is all about Kim and Ron getting into a fight about Ron excelling at their part time job while Kim kinda sucks, leading to Kim going to fight alone while Ron keeps working. Kim fails, Ron gets a call that she's in trouble, and:

Wade: Not important. Kim's in trouble. She found Drakken at inside giant Cheese Wheel but I lost contact. She needs help. Your help. Ned: Well, well, well. Looks like you've got a choice to make, Stoppable! What's more important? Your sacred duty as assistant manager or your role as goofy sidekick? Ron: Well, that's no choice at all. I guess it's time to say buenos noches, Bueno Nacho.

Dude doesn't even hesitate. Doesn't matter if they're fighting or if he's feeling underappreciated, Kim needs his help? He's there. Their fight can wait until after Kim is safe. This is why I love Ron. Total dork, but you can't ask for a better partner.

Ron's rescue attempt initially goes south, but instead of getting mad, we get this genuinely sweet moment:

Ron: Guess that wasn't much of a plan. Kim: Not as great as your Bueno Nacho bathroom-break chart. Ron: I gooned on assistant-manager power. You were right. Kim: I did resent your superior burrito technique. You're entitled to excel. Forgive me? Ron: Duh! Forgive me? Kim: Totally.

Boy do I love these two! Their friendship was so genuine right from the start. This whole episode is just oozing how much they care for each other, it's great!

After this moment, they save the day with Ron playing a big part in Kim's plan because right from season one, season one, the writers understood that Kim could never be shown to win when Ron wasn't around.

As you may have guessed from the cheese wheel line, the plot of this episode is pretty absurd even for Kim Possible. That's been the case for all of the early episodes, but I think that the plots are going to improve as the seasons go on because I remember the later seasons having much stronger plots. We'll see if that proves true. Even if the plots stay kinda weak, I've still gotta give full credit to the writers for their early character work. They really understood Kim and Ron's relationship right from the start, didn't they? And in a show like this, that's the most important element to get right.

Don't worry, I'm not going to flood your dash with Kim Possible love, I just had to take a moment to appreciate how good the character work was here. They really did want Ron to feel like more than Kim's goofy sidekick and they pulled it off while sticking to the show's absurd writing and formulaic structure. As Miraculous has shown, that isn't something that just naturally happens. It takes effort, so I had to take a moment to gush because I don't get to gush about good character work often while running this blog. I hope this also makes it clear that, when it comes to writing, I'm not looking for perfection. I'm just looking for a good time. So far, that's what this rewatch is giving me.

[bonefall]

Talk and/or rant about why you like Bumble from DotC please?

Bumble makes me want to cry. Her story is just... heartbreaking. She's one of the sweetest, most honest characters in the entire series, and the way she is abused by Tom the Wifebeater and denied asylum by the Moor Cats, then murdered for Clear Sky's arc, genuinely makes me feel sick.

But I've talked about that before. Many, many times. Let me celebrate her brief life for this one post, just covering her during The Sun Trail. Her first appearance in Book 2 where Clear Sky murders her, Thunder Rising, is the start of the scene that begins her slow, agonizing death.

I don't only love her out of spite for how she died; I love her because she was a wonderful, warm, confident character, and an excellent friend. She provided relief from the agonizing Settler group, who are insufferably angsty and controlling of each other, and most importantly, space away from Turtle Tail's awful friend, Gray Wing.

The closer that Bumble gets to Turtle Tail, the more confrontational Gray Wing becomes. He starts to hate Bumble, as if she's stealing his Plan B while he spends all the rest of his time with Storm. I'm convinced that the writers (and the fandom sometimes <_<) believe that this is "compelling romantic drama" which makes Turtle x Gray sweeter when it finally happens, but it just makes me feel like TurtleGray is the Bad Ending for every woman character involved.

After a brief appearance as she witnesses the Settlers arrive on the moor, the very first time we get to meet Bumble is when Gray Wing and Turtle Tail are hanging out on some sunny rocks. She's cheerful, outgoing, and curious, wanting to get to know her new neighbors.

Gray Wing, the POV character, immediately makes an incorrect assumption about her weight, thinking she won't be able to climb. She can, just fine, and she plays an Uno Reverse card on how skinny they are lmao

First thing out of her mouth is, "Oh you are SKIN AND BONES!!" Same energy as grandma who is about to make you feel more full than you have ever been in your entire life, considering she's going to open her home to Turts in a couple chapters.

They get into a conversation where Bumble asks where they came from, and why they left the mountains. She remains friendly and open, just enjoying small talk with these total strangers. She's enjoyable and lighthearted, in welcome contrast to the Settler's group which is full of moping, miserable cats.

(and in my live-read I was even frustrated at the time by how it seemed like the Settlers would have 1 or 2 nice moments, and then go back to fighting or brooding. It's unpleasant.)

In this first interaction it's just a glimmer, but it seems that what Turtle Tail LIKES about Bumble is that she makes her feel special. She LISTENS, unlike how Gray Wing is going to be in a couple of chapters.

She likes telling the shocking tale of giant birds to Bumble, and Bumble is happy that they're away from such hardships now. When Turtle Tail turns the questions back on her, Bumble is happy to gush about her life as a house cat.

She loves her people, playing with their children and always having plenty of food, explaining that when she gets bored she comes to the woods for a nice walk. Then, she mentions something very important.

Historically, there WAS no aggression towards outsiders. Cats like Bumble didn't take what they didn't need, and were left alone for it. This first interaction paints the full picture. Bumble wasn't afraid of the Settlers because there never was a reason to be scared.

CLEAR SKY is inventing the borders to aggrieve random cats. Him. His idea. Before him, you could walk through the forest freely like Bumble did.

This is before the arc irrevocably goes up in flames at the end of Book 3 by committing to a Clear Sky "Redemption," and is forced to create One Eye and Slash out of nowhere for Books 4/5/6. Before that absolutely baffling mistake of a choice, it is clear that The Settlers are the problem.

There WAS no Slash or One Eye. They were retconned in midway through the arc to make Clear Sky and The Settlers look less bad.

After this exchange, Turtle Tail dismisses Bumble's way of life and chuckles at a joke Gray Wing makes about how they'll probably never see Bumble again because she'll be afraid of them... but she's thinking about her. It strikes me as being the same kind of feeling as the swirling, murky feeling of a new crush.

Can't get the chunky kitty girl out of her head, can you, Turtle Tail?

We don't see Bumble for a few more chapters, but in her next appearance, it's implied she's been visiting Turtle Tail for a while. Gray Wing sees them sharing a meal. Please note how Turts is immediately defensive. As if she feels like she's being caught in the middle of doing something wrong.

(Tangent: note the constant suspicion and aggression towards Wind and Gorse. who live here.)

Gray Wing is as oblivious as ever. For a character described as "wise" he's incredibly dense towards the feelings of others. Yet, always, ALWAYS, Bumble is cheerful. This brewing animosity is NOT returned, she's happy to see him again.

He tries to recruit her to the moor group and she enthusiastically declines with a "No way! I love my life, actually!"

As soon as she's out of earshot, Here Comes The Confrontation. The exact one that Turtle Tail correctly anticipated when she got defensive earlier;

"You shouldn't have friends I don't approve of, Turtle Tail. It bothers me."

How can I NOT love Bumble? When her primary purpose is to be a friend for Turtle Tail, while Gray Wing is either ignoring her or sending her on guilt trips through this entire book? She's RELIEF for a woman who's being treated like trash, and every time she shows up she's doing something cute or helpful!

(Tangent: This book's pacing is garbage. The next scene is a sudden fox raid where a billion foxes attack the camp, and then the Settlers reveal that they don't know what a fox is. BUMBLE taught Turtle Tail about the danger of foxes. This is contradicted by the later books where there's cats back at the tribe named after foxes and Quiet Rain calls her shittiest son a foxheart. But there's waaay worse continuity errors in this arc.)

Gray Wing, the POV, hates her for no goddamn reason. It's right there on the page that he can't give Turtle Tail an answer as to why she should stop hanging out with her. The two continue to fight as Turts desperately tries to salvage their relationship while Gray Wing finds ways to snap at her or offend her.

I think the next appearance of Bumble is actually the most cringeworthy, though. I get secondhand embarrassment reading this one.

Turts just stayed with her friend overnight, and Gray Wing throws a fit about it, hissing at her that she's using the wrong terms and that she's forgotten where she belongs. Bumble watches this all happen like 😬, and then when Turtle Tail apologizes for this asshole having a conniption, he hisses AGAIN and whines about how he doesn't need to be apologized for.

But Bumble, up to her very last appearance in this book, is helpful and open.

After Gray Wing is nearly slaughtered by Fox at the border on Clear Sky's orders, so he kills him in self defense, causing Clear Sky to disown Gray Wing as his brother, which is the final straw for the pregnant Storm to run off, and then The Pacing Brothers have a casual chat over the still-warm corpse of the dead lackey, the input lag finally sends the signal to Gray Wing's brain that he needs to go find Storm.

It's BUMBLE that tells him where she can be found, as always, cutting through tension. Turtle Tail stays behind because she's understandably fed up with Gray Wing, so Bumble brings him where he needs to go. She guides him through the town, over roads, to the abandoned building where Storm is staying.

Gray Wing whines the whole time because he is a loser.

It's also interesting to me that when Bumble's annoyed with him, she doesn't huff or even get rude. She just glances back, and points out that there's disadvantages to his lifestyle too. You get used to it.

In better books, Gray Wing's POV would be considered unreliable in the end. He's an oblivious jackass whose thickness causes him to treat other people poorly, EXCEPT for his monstrous brother, whose violence and abuse he enables through the entire series. Though he's hailed as a "perfect boy so very full of love," he causes a LOT of the problems in his own relationships and familial dynamics.

Smarter books would encourage you to step back and think critically about the events as he perceived them;

Why did his judgement of Bumble begin to harden as Turtle Tail spent more time with her? Did Bumble do anything to deserve this?

Did Gray Wing's behavior lead to Turtle Tail's eventual decision to leave the moor? Were there other factors?

What are the flaws he can identify about himself? How will he grow from this?

Are there broader problems with The Settlers, which may have influenced the mindsets of both Turtle Tail and Gray Wing?

Unfortunately with Gray Wing, the only thing they identify as a "problem" in how he treated Turts in The Sun Trail is that he spent less time with her, as he pursued Storm. The controlling behavior and frequent arguing, the condescension, and the public embarrassment are NOT treated as negative traits to address as the series goes on.

(they never are. These are not directly addressed in any of the other terrible men in the series; Clear Sky, Bramblestar, Raggedstar, etc. only paternal neglect is condemned. Men are even allowed to beat their kids and it will not be called out.)

And breaking through that lens, you see Bumble. Who is just here to be a person that Turtle Tail needs, a good friend, someone who's confident, self-assured, and LOVES the life that she lives. I can't help but feel joy every time she walks onto the screen in The Sun Trail, because Gray Wing is SO frustrating that I'm rooting for Turtle Tail to go somewhere that she'll be appreciated.

It's as if they NEEDED to invent Tom the Wifebeater, who spawns in like some kind of random event just before Thunder Rising (the humans just... went to the shelter and adopted The Worst Cat. No checks on if he's aggressive towards other cats or anything), so that Turtle would HAVE some kind of reason to leave. Because, as you can see here, she wouldn't have gone back otherwise.

[ultraericthered]

One Villainous Scene: Cage Of Expectations

A brief one, but it gives so much insight and explains so much about the inner world of a character who, up to this point, was kept shrouded in mystery even though we all knew he was the villain, and also perfectly sets him up to make the decisions he ends up making.

While the later retcon tells us that Ken became a prodigious, genius boy due to a "Dark Spore" inplanted in him by accident that only "went off" when he visited the Dark Ocean, the whys and hows aren't really crucial to understanding Ken's story at this point: he's a star student, star athlete, and even something of a young celebrity within the world of science and computers. Because he is so well known and renowned, he's given plenty of filmed interviews like we see him doing here. After the interview is done, the headmaster of Ken's school comes over to him to offer congragulatory words...and then in a very shady move, whispers to Ken the offer to tutor his daughter in her studies over at his place so that she can excell in her grades at his school, saying he'd reward Ken handsomely for it. Ken plays the "I'm just a kid, I ain't THAT good" card, which makes the principal start to back off...but then he turns back around and asks the disgruntled Ken for an autograph. Turns out that beyond mere corruption and nepotism practices, the headmaster was pestering Ken about these things because his daughter's a fangirl of Ken. This does not please Ken. Who do some plain, unexceptional, low IQ girl and her plain, unexceptional, low IQ father think they are asking him for favors like this? Such matters are far below his time and efforts.

(In the English dub, this interaction is changed to some nonsense about the headmaster wanting Ken over to help him win at a video game called "Donkey Madness" prior to getting the autograph. The effect on Ken is the same, but I think it takes a lot out of the scene.)

Ken is then seen at dinner with his parents, who are acting all congragulatory and gushing over their son's interview and how smart he is and how maturely he presents himself. Yeah, they're really shitty parents. Much as they do love their son and loved his late brother, their love for the idea of being the parents of a special genius child enraptures them so much that they lose sight of what's really best for their child and his needs as a human being, and they coast off the achievements and reputation of their child without really giving back to him in any substantial way. Ken isn't really pleased with the way they interact with him either, so he gets up and leaves the table.

Then comes the big moment. An image that says so much even when so little is said (again, in the original. The dub butchered it by having Ken internally ramble the whole way, which not even Derek Stephen Prince can really save.) Ken's on the roof of his apartment building, standing in front of a barred fence. He can see the entire city from here, a city filled with mediocre people who he considers to be completely beneath him, but who will always look to exploit his gifts and use whatever he accomplishes for their own benefit, and will feel alright about themselves for doing nothing, being nothing. Ken would love nothing more than to abuse, bully, enslave, torture, or even kill the whole lot of them...but he's far too intelligent to not know better. He knows that the rules of civil society prohibit him from acting freely upon those cruel urges, making him have to conform and comply with the regulations set by lesser people. He, a Chosen One, a "perfect human", has to just sit there and take it like a good little boy, to not werewolf and go wild on these people. He's trapped. Caged like a rare breed of animal rather than the god he believes himself to be. The bars he grabs onto represents this cage, and all he can do here is snarl and shout out to city below him "INSECTS!"

But of course we know that there's a place Ken goes to where he can actually live his wildest fantasies, and act as he would naturally prefer to act towards lesser beings completely free of repercussions. The world he believes is one large MMORPG that exists for his pleasure. The Digital World, where he asserts himself as the Digimon Kaiser. And it's at this point where he starts to call that place home.

[problematic-yuri-poll]

Problematic Yuri Tournament - Semifinals

Gunjou vs. Gushing Over Magical Girls

Gunjou (manga by Nakamura Ching) [explicit; gore/violence]

Submitted problematic elements: The main character asks the woman who has a crush on her to murder her husband, she does, they run off together and have sex even though the main character is straight and only does it because she feels she needs to repay the person who murdered her abusive husband.

Submitted content warnings: Murder, Nudity, Suicide, Homophobia, Sexual Assault, Violence, Domestic Violence, Parental Abuse

Submitted propaganda: Your honour, they're murderers who nobody can understand. Even in their most intimate moments together the gulf between their understandings divides them, is this too not yuri?

Gushing Over Magical Girls (manga by Ononaka Akihiro) [explicit]

Submitted problematic elements: PHEW BOY, what isn't problematic about it? Sexual assault, manipulation, the entire cast being underage.

Submitted content warnings: Sexual assault for sure, noncon, dubcon, ageplay, bdsm

Submitted propaganda: Its genuinely good. Its a genuinely interesting story with excellent character designs and entertaining characters and the horniness is not just a coating of titties for fanservice, but fundamental to the plot. It is about self discovery and learning to accept yourself but not letting your desires consume you. The action is tense. The relationships between characters are interesting. Each character is charming in their own way, from the flop loser MC who is playing villain because she's hard up for magical girls to the magical girl who joined the good team bc the others watched her beat a demon in the head with a brick to the supervillain college dropout who wants to rule the world. There is an overarching mystery concerning why and how these girls gained power to begin with (i do NOT trust that little shit of a mascot). The mood and tone of the story is so masterful-- you can TELL when somethings wrong. There is also some very good comedy all throughout-- it's just a super fun read! They also got their first season of an anime recently (which is somehow hornier than the manga) so.

[harocat]

I have to gush whenever someone is talking about the ending to LGIEF, because to me it's so thematically beautiful, and I think Bai Jinjin and the team did such a great job working within the constraints of odd censorship rules (that would have forbidden things like LMM staying in the parallel world) to create an ending that, while totally dissimilar from the book, means something.

I think the one real complaint I could see with it, outside of it needing to be a minute or two longer (we all know this), is that it shifted it to essentially being Ziqi's story more than Miaomiao's. But I don't think that diminishes the value of Miaomiao's story up to that point, and let's be real, most of the issues I've seen people have with it have nothing to do with that.

And when the shift in perspective is for something as well done as this was, it's hard for me to be mad. That being said, I was still unhappy with how the narrative moved away from her so much in eps 24-30ish, which knocked it down a point on MDL for me. Of course we did know from the get-go Ziqi was always the character that needed to experience the most growth, as Miaomiao came into the narrative already quite well adjusted and self-aware. However-- there were still many moments in those episodes where she should have been more prominent.

But I really love this ending so much, and the meta-narrative it became. I think it was quite powerful, especially for what is put forward as essentially a fantasy idol drama. Yes, it should have been longer in that last moment, and we should have gotten more than that 'Miaomiao,' but it's just not near enough to ruin something that I thought was otherwise excellent.

[koheletgirl]

would you have the time/energy/interest to post a review of the wicked movie? i would be very interested to hear your thoughts! i wasn't thinking i wanted to see it but a lot of people are gushing about it now. . .so im open to being persuaded

yes absolutely!!!

this got long. take a shot every time i say musical

ok the first thing you need to know is i hate movie adaptations of musicals as a concept. i think a piece of media is created within a medium for a reason, and there have been so few occasions where adapting it into a different medium has not only been a good idea but also had some sort of value to add to the art itself. and with musicals it's more evident to me than with anything else, because to me an essential part of any musical is some fucking whimsy. musicals are at least somewhat camp, by virtue of being musicals. and with stuff like the les mis musical—which is very serious in every way except the fact that it is a musical—you can't really adapt it into a movie without either making it seem ridiculous or stripping it off of it's fucking whimsy. aaaand movie directors simply don't seem to get that musicals are the way they are because they're *supposed* to be that way, so the result is usually a movie that feels like it's ashamed of being a musical. the les mis musical is a musical because it *wants* to he a musical, otherwise it would have been something else. and tom hooper my bestie tom hooper. you could have just made a movie adaptation of the book.

ANYWAY. bringing us back to wicked, i think it's so rare to see a movie adaptation of a musical that doesn't seem to want to distract you from the fact that it's a musical. that doesn't seem like it's ashamed of it. that *loves* being a musical.

(in the heights is a good example, but they for some reason felt the need to change the entire plot. chicago is another good one imo)

wicked is THAT. it feels like it was created by people who genuinely love musical theater, and who genuinely love wicked. (and the wizard of oz, and cinema as a medium, and music as a medium). wicked has a heart. almost no movies have hearts nowadays. it leans into being a musical, it leans into being a movie musical, it leans into being an adaptation, and has so much love and respect for every piece of art it builds on. it changes almost nothing about the musical, because it knows that's not its place; it exists to bring this piece that already exists into a new medium, and to examine what that new medium can add to it in a meaningful way.

which is why, as far as i could tell, what makes the movie so much longer than the play is simply the introduction of cinema into the existing material. close ups, interesting angles, establishing shots—things you can do because you're making a movie, rather than meaningless attempts to add material to an already existing narrative. the only new song the film introduces is an addition they wrote into an existing song, and it's not there under the pretense of "adding" anything—it's there as a nod to the original play and a fun moment for the audience.

the acting is good. the singing is mostly good, and i can forgive michelle yeoh because she's a goddess. people say the casting was perfect, and i agree to an extent, but where i think this movie truly excels is the directing. ariana was great, but what made her so great imo is how *glinda* she was, and i think that credit goes to the director. she has clearly done her research on this character, but so has jon m. chu and that is *noticeable*. cynthia erivo is perfection i have nothing to say.

to put it simply, jon m. chu put his whole pussy into wicked. he understood the assignment, and he executed it nearly perfectly. and i do have more to say but i don't want this to get too long and spoilery so i'll leave it at that.

wicked is good because it feels like everyone who made it loves musical theater, and more importantly, they love wicked. go see it

[rjthirsty]

C for Commoner

I've created an ABC list for Ikemen Prince ranging from humorous crack-fic ideas to the smutty, with a dash of drama and angst. 26 letters of the alphabet x 13 characters / 12 months = 1 year of drabbles, headcanons, and creating with these men in mind.

Tags: Headcanon, Autism, ASD, GN!Reader,

Chevalier

I once read an explanation trumping claims that autism is a modern disorder that had said something along the lines of, ‘Neurodivergent people have always existed, it's just that they have nowhere to hide now. Instead of having your weird cousin Paul who doesn't talk out watching the sheep, we've put him in the middle of constant stimulation and expect him to work a normal job.’ When I was trying to imagine Chevalier being a commoner, this was what came to mind.

Chevalier is a genius. I also believe he's autistic-coded. I think he'd excel in any job field that doesn't require talking to others. If he happens to have a profession where he is expected to interact with people, he'd find a way to manage it without the need for speaking. People would assume he's mute, but he's simply non-verbal. I think that he also wouldn't have much in the way of ambitions. He just wants to live his life within the rules and do what is expected of him.

So I made him a bookstore clerk.

He's ridiculously handsome - the man who tends the bookstore that you've been visiting since a young child. He was there back then as well, and even when he was a teenage boy you had thought he was prettier than most others. A funny coincidence that you too are a bookstore clerk now that you've grown into a working adult.

He was always reading, he still is always reading. His words are saved for times when the two of you can discuss literature without interruption. You had once thought he couldn't speak, back when you were younger and attempted to make friends with him. He had looked at you with those icy blue eyes and given you his attention but didn't utter a word. He was always listening to you, even when you thought he wasn't. His attention has always been on you once you were older and blossoming into adulthood. 

He always looks so forlorn. A perpetual frown on his lips and his somber silence matched with his cold stare makes him look ethereal. Like he doesn't belong of this world and mourns the place he came from. But you've seen him smile. You've seen the way his eyes light up when he's looking at you when you're sharing your thoughts and gushing about love stories. They're small gestures, but that's when he looks most alive to you. You love that look. You love him. Maybe someday you'll have the courage to tell him, but secretly you wish he would share those words with you first.

[froidefille]

Day 3: a fic not on AO3

📚 Lessons in Grace and Decorum by GallaPlacidia

Draco/Harry, 49k, Not rated*

Summary:

In Azkaban, Narcissa Malfoy gives Draco lessons in how to manipulate people into loving him. When Draco is released on the condition that he is bonded to Harry as his prisoner, he finally has a chance to put his newfound skills into practice.

Forced bonding, eighth year (eventually), a Draco driven slightly mad by grief, a furious, self-destructive Harry, a whole lot of angst and a proportionate amount of comfort.

Inspired by an excellent story called Unexpected Consequences by Lauren3210.

I was thinking long and hard about this one because since the discovery of AO3 it’s been one way street for me. So now, what fics I’ve read that are not on AO3 (of which I have exactly 89 pages opened on my phone)? And then it clicked – some I listened to! Then tried to read them only to find out they were taken down because author has published a real book no less. And so, one google later I was head over heels with the amazing universes and characters created by GallaPlacidia.

I had a hard time choosing my favourite baby of Galla's, but since Lessons in Grace and Decorum broke my h/c loving heart so beautfully, I’ve decided to gush about this one. Today, that is ;)

I mean, just look at the opening lines:

“I wish you had been a girl,” said Narcissa Malfoy. Draco laughed. It was so cold in Azkaban. The number of dementors had been greatly reduced, but there were enough of them for Draco’s head to feel cloudy and light, as if he hadn’t slept in days. Perhaps he hadn’t. “That’s a new one,” he said. “Why?” “We raised you to command respect. If you had been a girl, we would have raised you to be loved,” said his mother.

Which instantly made me think about Daisy’s words in The Great Gatsby:

"It'll show you how I've gotten to feel about—things. Well, she was less than an hour old and Tom was God knows where. I woke up out of the ether with an utterly abandoned feeling, and asked the nurse right away if it was a boy or a girl. She told me it was a girl, and so I turned my head away and wept. 'All right,' I said, 'I'm glad it's a girl. And I hope she'll be a fool—that's the best thing a girl can be in this world, a beautiful little fool.'"

By which point I am trying so hard not to rant about toxic masculinity and gender norms.

This is one of the stories where the characters are both broken in sort of matching ways so one’s cracks are perfect for the other’s empty spaces. And as corny as it sounds, this is exactly what happens here – Harry desperately needs to love someone that would be just his to care for and Draco needs someone who would cherish him unconditionally.

Plus it has some quotes that have not left my head for months now, which you can see under the cut below <3

Thanks for today @hprecfest and see you tomorrow (hopefully) !

*Regarding the rating – I would say mind the tags if you’re in a vulnerable place but if you decide you’re up for it – you’re in for a brilliant h/c treat <3

They had compatible needs. Perhaps that was all friendship was. An emotional transaction.

“He wants to be friends,” said Draco, managing to keep his voice low despite his excitement. But his mother didn’t look excited back. “He likes how you make him feel,” she said. “It doesn’t mean he likes you.” “No, I… I know that,” said Draco, although it hadn’t really occurred to him. It sounded so obvious when she put it like that.

“I don’t love him,” said Harry, automatically. “Oh, all right then,” sighed Hermione. “Wait until after the bond is broken to tell him that you think about him all the time, and want to hold his hand and stroke his pretty blonde hair and keep him safe for all eternity. Is that better?” “A bit,” said Harry, sulkily. “Yeah.”

But he understood, now. He knew that part of the anger he felt when he looked at Malfoy was because he wanted to touch him so badly, but couldn’t.

[lixenn]

KHR Ask Game 3.0

I'M BACK! And I come bringing even more specific, totally unhinged questions!

Go wild folks!

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🕶️*hands you a crown* You are now a person of political significance and assassins are after you *le gasp* Which KHR character do you choose as your permanent bodyguard?

🏦You are up to your nose in debt (damn you merch addiction shakes *fist at sky*). The solution: Bank robbery. Which KHR character is your partner in crime? Note: All Mists are currently in quarantine because a virus broke out that only affects their flame type, so no access to reality breaking bullshit for you my friend!

🩸You have been dragged into the Varia. Why? Well, the pay is great and there's excellent eyecandy. So! What would be your go-to murder method?

🎁 *bonk* "Fuck!" A box has fallen into your lap. It seems like it can be opened via flames. It could be anything: a weapon, a box animal, random junk or radioactive waste some dipshit sealed away for shit and giggles. It's a ✨ mystery box ✨ What will you do with it?

⚙️You somehow, in some way ended up as a Vongola guardian. Now, what form does your Vongola gear take?

💒Your shitty KHR parents sold you off to some creepy mafia don for cash. How are you getting out of your arranged marriage?

🎩You fucked around and found out. Now, you are hunted by the Vendice. They are persistent and there's no escape. Obviously, your only choice is to fake your death. How would you go about it? (Bonus question: what did you do to get on vendice's shitlist?)

👻Which KHR character is your spirit animal?

🦟 There's been an "accident" and one of Shamal's mosquitos got you good. What deadly disease are you infected with?

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It might take me a tad longer to answer them this time because I need to have a bit more of a think for some of them (also spoon level is currently low ), but I will get to it!

Also it would be super awesome if anyone participating in the game could tag it with #khr ask game so I can read easily find and gush over your answers 👉🏼👈🏼🥺

Here's part one and part two for anyone who hasn't seen it yet.