#I don't know the desire catcher one??

[qpjianghu]

Desire Catcher (2023) // The Untamed (2019)

how to comfort the love of your life by stockpiling the silly thing they find comfort in and then finally having a chance to share it with them after their "death"

[dontlikeconflict]

Short idea for a Demon Dean oneshot that I'll never finish, from when Demon Dean is tied up at the bunker waiting for Sam and Cas to cure him

"c'mon Cas.... what? you dont like me like this?" Dean taunts, bound to the chair as Cas stands before him, knowing he shouldn't have come down here, but not being able to help himself

Cas' silence is taken by Dean as sign to continue "I'm willing you know, already all tied up in a pretty package" he flexes his hands, making the rope pull at his skin as he smirks up at Cas with an expression that Dean never used before he became like this "we both know you want too... I've always noticed how you look at me, how you follow me" he lets his tongue dart across his bottom lip and Cas cant help the way his eyes fall to the motion "go on Angel, you can do whatever you want to me, if you and Sammy are so dead set on curing me then this could be your only chance"

The words rang true in Castiel's mind. He tried to keep a blank expression, but this was still Dean. He couldn't stop from showing his desire, his longing, and the dreadful way it mixed with the horror he felt at the distortion of Dean Winchesters soul. He finally spoke up, needing to refute what he was saying, to deny it all, like a Winchester would. "Dean, you're my friend, I consider you family but right now you are not yourself"

the words are said with truth and conviction but are still met with a harsh laugh "Friends don't act this way Cas, friends dont wait until they think their friend is asleep so they can sneak into the bathroom and touch themselves thinking about said friend"

Cas flushed, he couldn't deny it had happened a few times. The closer acquainted with humanity Cas became, the more various human acts began to interest him. He didn't masturbate frequently, but when he did it was always to lingering thoughts of Dean, ones that he couldn't get out of his head without doing something about it.

This version of Dean laughed before making his voice deeper, but also making it come out in a soft and breathy tone "Oh Dean, oh wow" he mocked, desperately wanting a reaction out of the angel. He didn't get one, so he changed his tactics, allowing his voice to take on a perfectly casual tone as he asked "so in these fantasies, are you the pitcher or the catcher? because let me tell you, I've thought of it both ways but mostly I think I like the idea of you bending me over and having your angelic way with me, huh Cas? What do you think"

"I think that this isn't you, Dean." he couldn't keep the strain from his voice

"oh Cas, I'm different but this is all me. All American, apple pie eating, Dean Winchester" The grin on his face turned to a smaller smirk "You know I thought about all this stuff before I went all...." he allowed his eyes to flash pure black, knowing how it would unnerve Castiel "you could say I had a few of my own sneaky trips to the bathroom, the only difference is that before I was too chicken shit to say anything about it. To do anything about it" as he spoke those last words he allowed his eyes to slowly scan over Cas' body "but now, well, I think seeing an angel beg for me would make me feel great"

[chronic-calls]

One of my favourite books I've ever read is The Catcher in the Rye. I've never read a book like it, because when I started it I found it boring. I thought it was just describing life, so I felt like putting it down. And yet, I didn't. I couldn't stop reading. I was entranced by the way Holden points out other people's discrepancies and struggles to navigate the transition of child to adult.

Now, I don't really think Holden is autistic. He presents much more with PTSD, and JD Salinger seemed to have PTSD from WWII, so it makes sense that he'd write a character with his own struggles in mind. That said, the way it presents is relatable to me as an autistic person, with trauma, who has entered adulthood.

I find myself regularly getting annoyed at the few social cues I actually understand. I often get angry at the fact that people aren't honest with themselves - I don't mean alexithymia, I mean people who make the conscious choice to accept things and never find out if it's the right thing.

I am, somehow, quite at peace with myself. Perhaps it's because of my desire to stay honest with myself. But others? They cannot accept that I am okay with my life. If I'm in bad pain, I'm questioned on whether it's actually that bad. If I'm not in pain, I'm questioned on whether I'm lying.

I'm starting college (again) soon, and to be honest I'm scared. I'm not scared of the usual things, I'm scared about how much I'm going to need to advocate for myself. Getting a carer is still a few months out, and my current carers (my parents and my boyfriend) can't come to college with me, so I'm going to have to stand up for myself. If I say to them "I can't do this today, [insert condition here] is getting bad" I know for a FACT I will be asked to "hold on a little longer". I will be treated as an adult in terms of scrutiny of attendance, but treated as a child in regards to my ability of self-recognition.

There are some aspects of myself that I may never understand. Only once I was even in my autism assessment did I realise that I don't know what feeling "happy" is, other than the absence of something negative. I realise I will never uncover everything about myself.

And here I am, relating to Holden Caulfield. I miss being a young child, where I didn't have to worry about being in education or work for years and years (I first realised at age 10). I miss not knowing the hidden meanings and bad intentions behind adults (I only found out because of being taken advantage of). I miss, essentially, not having a conscience.

My point is this: I am painfully aware of so many things. My conscience does not allow me to stop thinking at any time even if I try my hardest. So, when other people get to choose whether they have a conscience or not, I get upset. Am I jealous? Maybe. Do I feel superior, knowing I have better self-analytical skills? Maybe. One thing is for sure.

[https://clarkcatcherintherye.blogspot.com/2012/05/phonies.html]

[copperbadge]

podcast addict is NOT basic >:0 it has like dozens and dozens of different functions! you can set it to auto download episodes, auto-make playlists, theres a sleep timer, you can auto-delete playlists, theres like a dozen different app/widget integrations, it has car mode! and thats like a tiny amount of settings. podcast addict has more customization and settings than any other podcast app by a country mile

I mean, I don't apply basic as a bad thing at all -- what I mean is that it catches podcasts and it plays them, and it doesn't do shit else -- it doesn't try to catalogue your music library or even access it, or crosspost to Facebook for you or require an iTunes login, or sync to your computer or track metrics, any of the other nonsense that I was legit running into with a bunch of other catchers.

It's highly customizable but also you don't HAVE to set any of that shit -- it's plug and play off the app store, and unless you have very specific desires, you never have to know about any of that. I had no idea it had a car mode because I don't drive, and it has literally never asked me to put it in any kind of mode or offered a tutorial on how to, which is fucking perfect. And I am looking forward to some of the Premium customizations, I’m excited about Light Mode, because I hate dark mode in general (death to all apps that put dark mode as default) and it’ll be interesting to see what the app looks like in a light mode. 

To me, basic is the best possible thing when it comes to apps. I generally want an app to do exactly one thing and do it extremely well and intuitively. 

[imakemywings]

Reading through the Beren and Luthien novel and finished The Tale of Tinuviel last night. Although it differs quite a bit from the final story of Beren and Luthien that makes it into The Silmarillion (Beren is a Noldo in this version!), there are a lot of connections. Some quotes in particular which I enjoyed:

"'Why! wed my Tinuviel fairest of the maidens of the world, and become a prince of the woodland Elves- 'tis but a little boon for a stranger to ask,' quoth Tinwelint [Thingol]. 'Haply I may with right ask somewhat in return. Nothing great shall it be, only a token of thy esteem. Bring me a Silmaril from the Crown of Melko, and that day Tinuviel weds thee, an she will.' Then all in that place knew that the king treated the matter as an uncouth jest, having pity on the Gnome, and they smiled..."

The first exchange between Beren and Tinwelint stands out to me because it echoes the sentiment I got reading "Of Beren and Luthien" for the first time--that is, that Thingol was not seriously asking Beren to return with a Silmaril, but telling him to fuck off. Here it's much more explicit: the court recognizes Tinwelint is viewing Beren's demand for Luthien's hand as a bad joke, and Tinwelint responds in kind.

Beren sees it too, and this is when he gets angry.

"This indeed did Beren know, and he guessed the meaning of their mocking smiles, and aflame with anger he cried; 'Nay, but 'tis too small a gift to the father of so sweet a bride...I Beren, a huntsman of the Noldoli, will fulfill thy small desire,' and with that he burst from the hall while all stood astonished..."

Beren's pride comes up now and again and it's when he perceives he's being laughed at by Tinwelint and his court that he makes his promise to go and get the Silmaril.

"...but Tinuviel wept suddenly. ''Twas ill done, O my father,' she cried, 'to send one to his death with thy sorry jesting - for now methinks he will attempt the deed, being maddened by thy scorn...'"

Luthien also voices the sentiment that it was all intended as a joke, which Beren has decided to take seriously out of wounded pride.

It makes the whole exchange, to me, feel very differently from some interpretations I've seen where Thingol's demand is seen as a genuine request.

There's also this when Beren is first brought before Melko:

"Flattery savoured ever sweet in the nostrils of that Ainu, and for all his unfathomed wisdom many a lie of those whom he despised deceived him, were they clothed sweetly in words of praise."

This seems to fit pretty well with what we see of Melkor in The Silmarillion. He desires to be worshipped as a god, so it fits decently that the best way to lie to him is through praise.

This is also the version where Tevildo, prince of cats, plays the role that eventually goes to Sauron. I don't know how much of Tevildo's character can be said to translate to Sauron, but I thought this was interesting:

"But those who led Beren said: 'Nay, 'twas the word of Melko that this unhappy Elf wear out his life as a catcher of beasts and birds in Tevildo's employ.' Then indeed did Tevildo screech in scorn and said: 'Then in sooth was my lord asleep or his thoughts were settled elsewhere, for what use think ye is a child of the Eldar to aid the Prince of Cats...'"

Sauron talking shit about Melkor tracks.

"Tevildo however, himself a great and skilled liar, was so deeply versed in the lies and subtleties of all the beasts and creatures that he seldom knew whether to believe what was said to him or not, and was wont to disbelieve all things save those he wished to believe true, and so was he often deceived by the more honest."

Tevildo being such a liar that the best way to deceive him is with the truth also feels like it tracks pretty well with Sauron later on. I think it's interesting that both Melko and Tevildo are indicated to be quite intelligent, but their own pride and overconfidence tends to muddle their actual abilities.

"...but Tinuviel had at first much pleasure in her house among the leaves, and would gaze out of her little window while Dairon made his sweetest melodies beneath."

Luthien's attitudes about the events of the story are both far more explicit and somewhat different than in The Silmarillion. Here is where she's been set in the treehouse to prevent her from pursuing Beren in Tevildo's dungeons. Yet apparently she was not very troubled about the situation initially and it wasn't until she had a dream of Beren that she started planning her escape.

She and Beren also live out in the wilds together for a while during the quest, but Luthien grieves her exile from her home and wants to return. That theme comes up a few times when Beren suggests they simply never go back.

As Daeron does in The Silmarillion, Dairon follows Luthien on her escape, but becomes lost from her.

"Yet ere long as Tinuviel went forward a sudden dread overtook her at the thought of what she had dared to do, and what lay before; then did she turn back for a while, and she wept, wishing Dairon were with her, and it is said that indeed he was not far off, but was wandering lost in the great pines..." (emphasis added)

Further emphasis here on the reconciliation between Dairon and Luthien. This is an explicit part of The Silmarillion where Daeron's revealing of Luthien's activities to Thingol is weighed even more heavily and has a much clearer impact on their relationship, but in The Tale of Tinuviel Luthien even continues to think of Dairon after her escape. Both stories, though, make it clear there was no lingering bitterness or anger on Luthien's part and that she still considered Daeron/Dairon a friend and ally.

The story obviously went through a lot of changes between The Tale of Tinuviel and The Silmarillion but it is interesting to see what stuck around and what was left behind, and since The Silmarillion is often characterized by a very economic style, I think it's possible to draw some of the intent out of the additional Legendarium materials.

[mejomonster]

Checked out Desire Catcher ep 1:

Thrilled the lead actors aren't as young as I expected

The main Luo guy looks so familiar to me, what have I seen him in before....

The other guy looks familiar too, but I think he looks like Khaotung from gmmtv and that's why

Luo Fei.... Luo fei.... Luo fei? You mean like Luo wenzhou and fei du????!!! I am aware the fei in fei du is费, and this one is fei 飞. But. Hear me out. Is this an original script? Maybe the script writer ships zhoudu. I can imagine, even if its not true. ToT

The setup, if at any point it turns magical/sci fi etc, reminds me of death note: being able to kill remotely and investigating that and all. And I do love some magic in an otherwise mundane reality story

Right now it's like that movie where ppl hear a trigger word then kill, except here they die

For some reason I heard some ppl saying this was gonna be bromance vibes? Well, I'll find out. I do think though that it will likely lend itself to such option (like Under the Skin perhaps? I haven't seen Under the Skin yet though)

I WILL say that... while there's the whole danmei not airing situation, and completely made shows not airing that were bl novel adaptations... mango TV is just the kind of bitch to drop an original script bl through the cracks. First, because they've written original script bl before (wasn't Killer and Healer an original script first before novelization?). Second, because it seems original scripts With bromance undertones is getting a much easier time airing right now: one example being League of Nobleman, another being Pledge of Allegiance. So any original script with Any level of gay stuff I imagine is having an easier time airing rn (also in mango tvs case right now? They're not high Press releases. There's a LOT of eyes on say Sha Po Langs drama than on this random one).

I like the vibe of this show. It's leaning darker/more realistic, feels like the kind of novels I read. Like Justice in the Dark, it has a dead animal early on and a murder scene early on. Not sure how many cdramas skew that direction in scary (or dark idk?) But this one clearly is going that route. Which I personally like (again giving me Under the Skin vibes).

ZHAO YUNLANS DAD IS IN THIS PLAYING A SHADY BITCH (GO FIGURE)

the old professor man almost... looks like he could also be Shen Weis old professor mentor from Guardian, but I don't remember that face as well... so this old professor guy could be from a number of dramas I've seen

Not to compare to Justice in the Dark cause I imagine it's totally unintentional, so it's just funny to me. But I Did Notice we have a Captain Luo, a girl cop whos on his team with That Haircut, and a guy cop who's a little less put together than Luo who talks to That Girl and you... you gotta admit visually they look a lot like Lang Qiao and Xiao Haiyang in casting and just character roles (initially) in the story. If I saw someone filling Tao Rans role I'd be really !!!. But no Tao ran like guy yet. However, our consultant? Ohoho... he's a criminal psychology consultant is he (like Fei Du), his professor helped get him in with the cops (like fei du you say?), he's a bit of a little shit (!!!fei du?!!), he's got slightly longer hair (was that a character design choice or just how the actor looked, either way very Fei Du). And I find it all just a Touch funny. ToT (also I miss Justice in the Dark). It's not Actually like Luo wenzhou/fei du though, as these two don't seem yo know each other and therefore Luo hasn't raised him for like 7 years. The dynamic is therefore Way Different.

I almost get a touch of Guardian or Torchwood vibes and I'm not even quite sure why, cause this first episode was Not campy at all or comedic. It's fairly like Beyond Evil type, murder mystery procedural and a bit heavy. But mm just like... design choices I think. Not the writing, not the directing or sound, just like the sets. The sets look way less bizarre than guardian don't get me wrong. But something about certain choices In them. The touch of bright colors at the first murder scene. The odd pink light. The glowing globe on the desk. The room of papers on the wall and a big crane light. The weird dining table on the roof with a big outer building sign in neon across the street. The focus on the Nokia phones, the Lolipop. Just like... lots of small detail decisions but they strike me as Not quite usual, enough to make it not seem like The Bad Kids (and those kind of realistic shows) in set design. Maybe... a bit like Tomb of the Sea? How tots was mostly realistic looking but there'd be a fucking stuffed animal in a kidnapping living room. Little details you notice enough to oddly remember.

All that said? I Like the set designs a LOT. It feels like Watching a murder mystery novel. It's similar to Justice in the Dark in NAILING the right atmosphere, a good coloring gradient for realism but also Slightly distorted/unknown, in sets that look done enough to feel lived in and like actual places, and with the kind of unique small details a Real place might have (like a fake office might just have office stuff, but THIS Xue guys office has some unique knick knacks so it feels more like an actual place thay could exist, etc).

I'll probably give it more eps. It was my kinda thing. Didn't absolutely capture me in ep 1 but honestly I saw just enough familiar faces that I was partly playing guessing games of where they were from in my mind and so it'll probably take me a few eps to settle and just click or not with it

I loved it's opening and ending though and... usually if I like those 90% chance I like the shows

[go-go-devil]

Top 5 autistic headcanons and top 5 aroace headcanons?

TRIPLE A LET'S GOOO!!!

Autism:

Dale Cooper (Twin Peaks): One of the most obviously autistic characters to ever grace television. The allistics just didn't get it probably because he was "too social" or whatever other slight deviation from what's stereotypical in autistic characters

Kris (Deltarune): I genuinely believe Kris is deliberately autistic-coded, mostly due to that "How to Care for a Human" book you find in the library in Chapter 2 but even beyond that all of their described behaviors are SUPER relatable to me as an autistic person (and bring me back to how I felt about it in my youth...)

Daniil Dankovsky & Various Other Characters (Pathologic): Thank you once again for showing me the light in how truly autistic Daniil is at his very core <3 Besides him though I'm also in agreement with the very code of Classic HD that Peter Stamatin and Grace are on the spectrum (tortured savant and death-obsessed weird girl rep respectively), but I would also argue that Yulia Lyuricheva is autistic as well. I mean the woman is described as someone who "sits in the corner and quietly observes others" and invented an entire philosophical theory in an attempt to explain the pattern of random events invisibly triggered by people. That's what we in the business call STEM-influenced autism :)

The Lodger (Knock-Knock): Yet another video game character that is so intensely autistic. Willingly living in isolation, simultaneously longing for and hating the presence of guests in your house, talking to yourself while pacing through the hallways & infodumping about the most niche scientific field imaginable? It's so relatable 🕯

Diane Nguyen (Bojack Horseman): This one maybe doesn't have the most "evidence" compared to the others per say, but I honestly found myself relating to a lot of Diane's personality quirks and struggles AS an autistic person (ex: hating surprises, trouble regulating her emotions/prone to emotional outbursts, having the most specific overly-convoluted Halloween costume ever). With her I think I'm more in the minority for this hc since her other mental illnesses overshadow her autistic traits, plus her's aren't nearly as obvious as Juda's (who as far as I'm concerned IS canonically autistic even if it's not outright stated by the characters)

Aroace:

Patches (Soulsborne Series): There is no fucking way this man has ANY desire for sex and romance. The only hole he's interested in are the enemy-infested ones he can kick you down! Plus I do know of that one famous line he says in Dark Souls 3 which he claims to be "devoid of all worldly wants" so this might as well be canon

Artemy Burakh (Pathologic): I don't care what the shippers think, I just love the idea of Artemy having a narrative revolving around the concept of "love" while being alienated and eventually coming to terms with how he himself doesn't experience this emotion in a socially conventional way. Besides just 'cause he's aroace in my mind doesn't mean he can't form QPR's ;)

Death of the Endless (The Sandman): ABSOLUTE AROACE ICON! She's a being who loves humanity, but keeps a reasonable distance between any individual person due to her role in taking their souls upon their death. Though instead of being all moping and "oh I can never allow myself to truly be close to those I love T_T" she's instead endlessly jovial and enjoys every second of spending time with other humans in a platonic fashion, brief as those seconds are in the grand scheme of her job. If that ain't actually positive aroace rep I don't know what is 🖤

Every Character in Hylics: All of them are aroace. They're functionally immortal clay aliens who probably don't even need to procreate in traditional means to produce new life, and besides they're more interested in prog rock than romance anyway 🌙 🎸🌯

Holden Caulfield (The Catcher in the Rye): A very personal hc for me. Reading that book was one of my earliest instances of me relating to a character for their lack of desire for sex and romance; in particular the whole story about Holden losing his best friend Jane due to her no longer valuing him as a friend and wanting a boyfriend instead, to which he couldn't find himself filling that role. It's just such a vivid portrayal of THE aroace experience of having your platonic connections become "lesser" in the eyes of society, and it really pisses me off that so many contribute this character trait of his as something "he refuses to grow out of" because no it fucking isn't! But then again most analyses of this book are godawful ableist pieces of shit so I'm not exactly surprised there's a lack of meaningful analysis on the main character being sexually deviant alongside his mental disorders

[extraordinarilyextreme]

Twenty Questions for Fic Writers!

tagged by @bbcphile～ thank you my dear 🫶

1. How many works do you have on AO3?

30 right now～ what a nice number!

2. What's your total AO3 word count?

363,479!

3. What fandoms do you write for?

so many, lol. right now, i'm actively writing for LHL and YRZX (and a bit LZTJ), but i previously wrote a lot for QYJ, CHSSN, and DMBJ.

4. What are your top 5 fics by kudos?

may we tie our hearts together again ⚫️⚪️ QingYa

9k, red string AU, canon + post-canon

NOTICE: Seeking Marriage Partner 💙💚 PingXie

5k, post-canon

青山仍在 | as long as the green hills remain 🪷🐕 HuaFang

7k, post-canon fix-it

but ask for no regrets 💙💚 PingXie

5k, canon-compliant N+1 things

a ghost walks into a soldier's house 💙🤍 SuiTang | 🖤💚 WeiLan

16k, crossover + crack treated seriously

5. Do you respond to comments? Why or why not?

i try my best to, but for various reasons comments will accumulate in my inbox and i might not respond to them until even a year later. but please believe me, i do read every single one.

6. What is a fic you wrote with the angstiest ending?

i write a lot of HEs... perhaps only an echo, since the entire premise of that (unfinished) series is an AU where Wu Xie isn't there to fulfill his ten-year promise with Xiaoge. rather than angsty endings, i write more angsty stories? in which case, the angstiest might be 千里自同风 | no distance too great as a canon-compliant post-canon fic that follows Fang Duobing's journey of grief. (but i don't think the ending of that is sad, tbh.) alternatively, 飞蛾扑火 | for you, i'll gladly burn is another contender given Shen Yi's big reveal in the last chapter (but also don't think the ending is sad). 红尘似水，万事入歌 | the world becomes song is pretty sad too if only because we the readers know the characters' fates in canon.

7. What's the fic you wrote with the happiest ending?

honestly, i think most of my fics are HEs. or if not "happy," comforting for sure. most of my fics end with a promise to be together, to spend an ordinary life together, to have the chance to be in the moment together. it might not be super, like, grand or dramatic or anything - but i genuinely think all my fics have peaceful endings. so take your pick, peruse my works～

8. Do you get hate on fics?

rarely, and the few times that i have, i've simply deleted them.

9. Do you write smut? If so, what kind?

nope. i don't know how to, LOL

10. Do you write crossovers? What's the craziest one you've written?

i have a guilty pleasure of writing crossovers, lol. i think they're all kinda wild:

a ghost walks into a soldier's house

镇魂 Guardian & 成化十四年 The Sleuth of the Ming Dynasty

do not speak as loud as my heart

盗墓笔记 The Grave Robbers' Chronicles & 镇魂 Guardian

红尘似水，万事入歌 | the world becomes song

鬓边不是海棠红 Winter Begonia & 老九门 Mystic Nine

懷月夢 | on the summit, sun and snow

三生三世枕上书 Eternal Love of Dream & 封神演义 The Investiture of The Gods

照猫画狐 | tracing a cat to draw a fox

猎罪图鉴 Under the Skin & 无眠之境 Desire Catcher

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen?

not that i know of. don't steal my fics.

12. Have you ever had a fic translated?

yes! 此生如梦 | this life, a dream was tl'ed into Russian～

13. Have you ever co-written a fic before?

yes～ @naiwong-bao and i somehow churned out the 111k monster that was 懷月夢 | on the summit, sun and snow. to this day, i have no idea how we did that, LOL

14. What's your all-time favorite ship?

impossible for me to choose～ recency bias will suggest 🦊🐼 青也, 🪷🐕 花方, and 🎨🔍 城心城翊 though～

15. What's a wip you want to finish, but doubt you ever will?

my 往前走 莫回呀头 | go forward and don't look back series 🥹 i had two more parts planned originally after Xiuxiu's POV... one was Liu Sang, the other was Xiaoge. (there was an undetermined Bai Haotian POV fic too.) i also definitely won't be finishing the sound of snowfall (and don't want to LOL)

16. What are your writing strengths?

atmosphere and rhythm, i think. maybe because i used to write a lot of poetry? i also have faith in my world-building (bc i do a LOT of research) and dialogue. in terms of tropes, it must undoubtedly be hurt/comfort.

17. What are your writing weaknesses?

i'm not good at writing fight/action scenes (probably another reason why i literally cannot write smut). i also don't think i'm super great at description, but i think i've been improving.

18. Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language for a fic?

this is an interesting question because i actually write all my dialogue in Chinese first and then tl it to English since i pretty exclusively write for c-media now 😆 i like that a lot bc i think it helps me to more accurately characterize these ppl - but also it sucks tremendously when English is just the ugliest-sounding language in the world, LOL. (i always think my original Chinese dialogue is prettier and has more depth～)

19. First fandom you wrote for?

the first fandom i posted fic on AO3 for was Good Omens: i love(d) you. but in my life, it was probably like... Warriors (yes, the cats) or Shugo Chara..? idk, or maybe Case Closed (still love that series despite how insufferably long it's gotten).

20. Favorite fic you've written?

only children need to choose; adults can have everything～

tagging: @rongzhi, @elenothar, @difeisheng, @asterdust, @willowcatkinblossom, @starlitwishforu, @tunnelofdusk

[erinelizabethh]

Time Slip | Chai x Reader (4/?)

Summary: Chai, ambassador of Vandelay Technologies, certainly has his ways of communication. You, living in the suburbs outside the campus, don't even have a cell phone. You know what they say about relationships...

Chapter One: Time Slip

Chapter Two: #E67451

Chapter Three: Daisies

Chapter Four: Sweet Dreams

Chai holds you as tight as he can, a soft murmur of your name against your chest. His body lays limp on top of you, metal fingertips upon your stomach. His touch is like a glacier resting on your skin, thawing with the warmth that is your body under the blanket the two of you share. You return by threading your fingers through his chestnut strands, tugging ever so gently on the knots he never combs out. He calls your name once more as his cheek presses further against your abdomen; he drools, but insists otherwise when the proof is nothing tangible. A twitch of his hand and you are called with urgency, and your response is a hum that coalesces with white noise. The walls seem to grow in length as your eyes remain on the ceiling, sun catchers glistening with the streetlight outside.

“Babe…” He nuzzles against you, one of his legs thrown over yours. “Stay… stay behind me…”

Another one of his dreams again… nightmares, more like it. You figure his past wasn’t favorable, considering his best friend peeks her head out of her living space to eye at your attempts for flirting. The times you meant to inquire about the source of his right arm, she raises an eyebrow and shakes her head as if to say: don’t. Peppermint seems to be the better suited of the two of you to handle Chai, and yet she really, really likes when Chai decides to stay the night. Korsica, he tells you in passing, is testing the waters with the Vandelay sister and cannot take her seriously when the wannabe rockstar is jamming out in his room and blasting songs he relates to no one but you. He nods a convinced nod and affirms this with a, “I think Korsica’s jealous that we’re past the talking stage and they are not!”

Their romance was but a rosebud, beginning to blossom through shared trauma and the desire for what’s right in the world. Perhaps not all will be lost to you, clues found in various sources like scattered newspapers and perks of being the girlfriend to the campus hero. His portrait is the first to pop up inside a device gifted to you to enhance your communication skills, cell phone in one hand with the pointer finger of the other scrolling up or down to read… Wikipedia? Chai’s Wikipedia? It is all so simple, to have access to all of the information needed on one page, to be able to know more of Chai than Chai knows himself. However, like Peppermint once said: you don’t even know the half of it.

Yes, you’re very much out of the loop; months following your meeting and you’re quick to notice how passersby stop and stare, and how they raise their thumb, pointer finger, and pinky in solidarity to the defect turned savior of Vandelay Technologies. You are beside him as the off-tune and off the beat component of a life that snaps to his own rhythm whether you like it or not. Still, you can’t help but smile when his heart beats under your fingertips, the cuts to different genres on different radio stations becoming a tune worthy enough of a song. If you rile him enough, if you excite him well enough, you pass by sunflowers in the windows of your shop that sway and follow his movements. It’s as if he’s pulling a rabbit from a hat before your eyes; he is magic itself, so much so that Chai is lightyears ahead of you that you can’t ever catch up.

The jolt from his slumber pulls the sheets off your bed, you from near unconsciousness. He awakes with a snort, hands untangling from your waist to grip at your shoulders, and his exhales grow hurried and unrelenting. Droplets drip down his forehead, past eyes wide but not wet with tears. A wince is what draws you closer to him, your palm atop his as he gasps for air. His grip is as strong as black and blue hues, and you blink until you have returned from another plane of existence. He shrinks under your gaze, his chest nonetheless expanding with every long and drawn out exhale of his. Your own deflates with the burden of the unknown, sinking as long as you continue to lose him, but your hand is held out to him through exhales that level his breathing to your own.

“Jeez, Chai,” you begin, shaking your head, “you alright, babe?”

“Wow, that—” He pauses to retract his hand, too swift for you to reach out to him. His shoulders stiff, he twiddles his thumbs, callouses from his guitar under his scrutiny. “Crazy dream, that’s all!” The blanket then falls from his body, clawing at what contact is left behind as he is missed. ”Totally did not mean to scare you like that… that definitely won’t happen again!”

Your attempts to close the distance is met with a cold shoulder, his arms wrapped around himself with an “I’m fine,” to strengthen the divide. His back is to you, downcast eyes behind the shadows that creep up to him, too much to be said or understood. That is when you’ve lost, becoming another reminder that you’re the one left behind. You frown, observing his preference to fiddle at the t-shirt that makes him less of a defect, instead of sharing the vulnerability that draws him closer to humanity. With a step backwards, you fall against the bed, the springs underneath a screech to the lack of communication the two of you share. A silence so cold, so biting, the spinning of the Earth’s axis becomes an echo; the breeze prods at your curtains as proof, past your eyelids as they threaten to grow wet with your tears.

Chai is without words, far from grasping a hint of apologies. He cannot even begin to explain the self-loathing, the insecurities, the thought of losing you becoming quite the burden to bear. He finds his spot beside you on the bed, shoulders yet brushing against yours, and his hands find his knees as he paws at the pills of his cotton pajama pants. His breath escapes his lips, erratic and scarce of peace, his body cold without your warmth to linger upon his own. Not a minute later are you wrapped up in his embrace, his head resting atop your shoulder as he relaxes his eyes and basks in the moment. You’re okay. You’re still here.

[novankenn]

"Ozpin's Fault AU"

Jaune-napped!!! (2/2)(841 Words)

The trip to Jaune's Aunt Glynda's private accommodations took much longer than Nora would have expected. Due to the state the medical exam had put her in, Jaune was barely able to walk, let alone navigate her way through the halls of Beacon. Keeping a grip on Jaune's upper arm, Nora guided her Fearless but dazed Leader towards the assigned destination.

Nora soon was on high alert. She could see the wanton looks of other students, both male and female, aimed at Jaune. Nora herself had to admit, at least internally, that Vixen Jaune oozed innocent seductive attraction.

"Thirsty Wenches, all of them." Nora mumbled as she shot all four members of NDGO an undisguised look, promising Broken Legs if they approached any closer. "A little push and Pyr-Pyr will finally make her move, Jaune-Jaune. You'd like that, right?"

Jaune said nothing as she continued to shuffle along beside Nora.

"You two would be so adorably cute, and so easy to tease when you get together-together." Nora commented as they closed on the door of their destination.

With a couple of knocks on the designated door, it opened and Nora led the shuffling Jaune into the room.

"What happened?" Glynda asked as she took in the condition of her nephew now niece.

"First gynecologic exam." Nora answered.

"Oh yes. Understandable."

With the door closed, none of those secured inside saw the beret and sunglasses wearing fashion obsessed girl peering around the corner. She had slid her sunglasses down her nose, so she could get a better look. She had been following Nora and Jaune ever since she saw the pair setup out of the cafeteria.

"She's perfect." She mutter to herself, as she assessed the innocent yet seductive girl next door threat to her own aims. "Bun-Bun would so go for her..."

"I would so go for whom, Coco?" the team in question asked as she walked up on the distracted fashionista.

"Um... nothing. I'm not stalking anyone, I swear."

"Coco." Velvet's ears narrowed as she saw the ticks Velvet had learned long ago that indicated that Coco was lying and planning something. "What are you up to? You're not going to try and scare someone who I might find attractive, are you? You need to stop that, I've told you... many, many, many times I'm only interested in a single person, and if she would stop being so dense..."

"You don't understand, Bun-Bun. This new girl is totally the most cute but sexually desirable vixen I've ever laid eyes on. I have to protect you from her."

"New girl? What are you talking about?"

"The blond haired fox faunus, angel that is hanging around teams RWBY and JNPR."

"Oh, you mean Jaune."

"Jaune?"

"Yeah, one of the first years I tutor, mention that Jaune has suddenly become a girl and a faunus."

"How... that makes no sense, I'm confused."

"So is pretty much the whole school."

"So my cousin Jaune... oh..."

"Coco don't. I know that look. Don't you dare."

"I'm not planning anything, even if she would be the perfect model. I could do so much with her."

"Coco, don't."

"Aunt Glynda would understand." Coco commented as she returned to watching the hallway. "You have the sack, right Bun-Bun?"

"Sack? What sack?"

"The silk, full body, bitch catcher."

"No?"

"Okay, then I'll just have to improvise."

"Coco?"

The door to Glynda's apartment, opened and Nora emerged with a slightly less stunned Jaune in tow. Nora waved, before starting to guide Jaune down the hallway. Coco pulled back, and flattened herself against the wall, her arm shooting out and across Velvet's bust making her also flatten against the wall.

"Coco?"

"Shush!" Coco whispered,"They'll be going by any minute now."

Velvet watched her eyes growing wide in horror as she realized what Coco was going to do as Nora and Jaune passed by where they were laying in wait for an ambush. As soon as they had fully passed, Coco sprang into action.

"Coco, NO! Jaune look out!" Velvet shouted, but she was too late with her warning, even though Nora seemed to have heard it.

"What?" Nora half turned only to get Gianduja in its handbag form right in the face.

As Nora went down, due to the impact and pure shock of the blindside attack, Coco made her second move of her impromtu plan.

"Eep!" Jaune squealed as Coco swooped in and scooped Jaune up and slung her over her shoulder. Spinning on her heels, Coco bolted past Velvet.

"Camera! Boutique!" Coco shouted as she tore past the shocked Velvet.

"Coco?"

"Camera! Boutique!" Coco called again as she vanished down the hall.

Velvet shook her head and sighed, as her shoulders dropped in defeat, before she walked away, knowing instinctively what Coco was planning, and unable to bring herself to also resist, the temptation.

"Ow." Nora moaned as she tried to clear the stars that were dancing across her vision.

In the distance, an insane cackling rang out, causing those students who were in the halls to shiver.

[cordeliacordate]

book recs for @helaenadreamer :)

LSKJD tumblr wouldnt let me reply to you twice so here is the other part of your ask :)

hiiii! oh boy this is a lot of thinking okie...hmm...

Books | I'm not a pretentious reader at all, so LOL I don't know where my reading preferences rank overall in terms of literary merit, but I just went to B&N recently when they were having their big sale, and the ones I got were:

The Narrow Road Between Desires, Patrick Rothfuss

Sword Catcher, Cassandra Clare

Chain of Thorns, Cassandra Clare

The Fragile Threads of Power, V.E. Schwab

In the Lives of Puppets, T.J. Klune

Wolfsong & Ravensong, T.J. Klune

House of Flame and Shadow, Sarah J. Maas (pre-order)

I also have The Hurricane Wars (Thea Guanzon) sitting next to me and would like to start it soon :) and then I literally always have my copy of Fire & Blood close by and the ASOIAF series accessible on my Kindle because I spend a lot of time fact-checking for my canonverse stuff. I really enjoy mythology and fairytales, but I don't have any specific stories there. I like to collect books whenever I travel from local bookshops, though, and have friends that bring me back stuff when they travel as well :)

Other than that, I read a lot of romance on my Kindle and I love Ruby Dixon's everything she's ever written. The stories always have fun worldbuilding and a good level of smut you can't really get elsewhere, so I enjoy them!

Overall favorite novels, though:

Call Me by Your Name, André Aciman

Interview with the Vampire, Anne Rice

Anything by Holly Black, SJM, Laini Taylor, or V.E. Schwab

And then I usually try to read any fanfic that has been adapted, rumored to have been adapted, or written by someone who was known in fandom :) so authors like Ali Hazelwood, Jessica Clare, Olivie Blake, and I just downloaded Casey McQuiston's RWRB again. I've learned that "it reads like fanfic" is a good thing because it usually means that the pacing is something that I will enjoy and the stories themselves are more in-line with what I like to read.

I also read a lot of fanfic SKDJLKS but mostly mlm fic at this point in time. A big fan of Sterek, Reylo, Drarry, and more recently, Wolfstar!

thank you for asking!!!

[killerandhealerqueen]

Helloo! Good evening! (It's evening in my country 😁)

Can you suggest me some good bromance dramas with crime and investigation as main genre?

I watched S.C.I Mystery, Killer and Healer, The Devil Judge, Under the Skin and Sleuth of ming dynasty.

Can you suggest me some good bromance dramas? Chinese dramas are more preferred. But korean ones are also fine.

Thank you!

Have a nice day! 😊❤️

Hello! Oh, you absolutely came to the right blog about this particular question, as crime dramas are what I mainly watch!

As I can see, you've watched pretty much all the dramas that I would recommend for good bromance and good crime dramas. But I do have some others to recommend.

Cdramas

Master, Wait a Moment is a good one, though it is subbed by MangoTV so the subs are kinda...iffy. But if you can watch it without subs, then you should be golden. Love the bromance and it has a good overarching case, which we like. You will find one of the female love interests insufferable and unfortunately, that's the only downside but it's okay, you can just skip over her scenes if you really can't stand her.

Another good one is Psych-Hunter. Again, you will find the female lead insufferable (if you took her out the drama would still literally be the same, just minus all the dumb romance plot they had to throw in to pass censorship). But again, it's okay because the cases are interesting and the chemistry between the main leads is great. The ending though will fuck with your brain a little, so just be prepared for that.

Now, this isn't a bromance, but Couple of Mirrors is glorious. Supposedly they're working on a season 2 (because the ending of season one is very open ended) but oh man, oh man will you love these girlies. You'll hate Youyi's husband though and want to kill him every time he opens his mouth so...yeah. He's insufferable and I hate him.

Checkmate is another good bromance. If you've seen My Roommate is a Detective, then you'll know that it's the same main leads from that drama in this drama. I've never actually finished MRIAD because I could not stand the female lead (no seriously, I got through ten episodes before I had to drop it because of how much I hated the female lead) but I did finish Checkmate and I loved it. A few of the cases are based off of Agatha Christie's books, like Murder on the Orient Express. It's really good, good overarching case, lots of twists that you don't see coming...I enjoyed this one a lot

A League of Nobleman is also another good bromance, it's very interesting how the leads are tied together and the cases are quite fascinating.

Jiang Hu Shao Nian Jue is a short drama, with like 20 eps and each episode is short but if you like the dynamic of Chen Yuzhi and Jiang Yuelou or Bai Yutong and Zhan Yao, then you'll really enjoy this one

Pledge of Allegiance is another good bromance (there's like romance between one of the leads and the female lead but like...there's more chemistry between the main leads so bromance) but whoo boy will this one fuck you up a little. But it's got a lot of whump if you like that. And the cases are interesting

Desire Catcher is a lot like S.C.I. but darker. Ho my god, is this drama darker. But again, good overarching cases, the bromance is *chef's kiss* but be warned, there are two episodes that have sexual assault (not seen of course but you know what's going on in those scenes) and there's a scene where a character slit their wrist (on dramacool it's blurred but you can still see it and apparently on youku, it's not blurred at all) so just be warned. But would definitely recommend this one

Order of the Sommelier isn't a case drama, per se, but oh my god the bromance is so good. Again, if you like the dynamic of Jiang Yuelou and Chen Yuzhi, that's what these two give off and I was living for it while watching it. (Episodes are really short, so there's a complied movie on youtube that's like four hours long. However, you're going to have to go to either dramacool or kisskh to watch the last epi because the movie doesn't have an important scene towards the end)

Original Sin is another good drama to watch. The ending is open because we were supposed to have a season 2 but I don't know if that's ever going to happen. I fucking hope it does but...*sigh*

This will get long, so I'm putting the rest under the cut

Jdramas

I don't know if you like jdramas but if you do, here are some good ones

Doubles (I always recommend this one. It's one of my favorites)

Nippon Noir: Detective Y’s Rebellion (a little trippy, it fucks with your head but it's good and the cases are interesting)

Sherlock: The Untold Stories (Can't go wrong with a Sherlock adaptation. This is probably my favorite adaption of Sherlock, just because I really like the actors)

Chiisana Kyojin (very police procedural, corruption, the usual in most japanese crime/police dramas)

Aozora No Tomago (good/interesting crime drama, we love the bromance between the leads...it's a good one)

Where Do I Come From? (Boku wa Doko Kara) (if you like yakuza, this one is also a good one. And while this is like a crime drama, sort of, you're really more focused on the leads)

Rinshou Hanzai Gakusha Himura Hideo no Suiri and Rinshou Hanzai Gakusha Himura Hideo no Suiri SP (I really enjoyed these and I think you will too)

Cold Case 

Cold Case S2 

Cold Case S3

(These three are mainly just crime/cold case dramas. No bromance but the cases are interesting)

BG: Personal Bodyguard  

BG: Personal Bodyguard 2

(These two aren't crime dramas, per se, but the cases they take are interesting and the two leads are great. One of the leads is a main from Rinshou Hanazai Gakusha Himura Hideo no Suiri)

The Night Beyond the Tricornered Window (this one is based off of a manga and it's great. Love the actors and love the bromance (even though the manga/anime is BL)

Rasen no Meikyu: DNA Kagaku Sosa (a very science based crime drama but we love the leads and they argue like an old married couple. I think you'll enjoy it)

Bokura no Shokutaku (Not a crime drama, but the sweetest BL you will ever watch, if you haven't watched it already)

Kdramas

Missing Noir M (A good crime drama, open ending, cases are dark and a little fucked up but still good)

Tell Me What You Saw (this drama is dark and also fucked up, no bromance but the cases are good but do not watch this at night, it will fuck you up)

The Good Detective (S1&S2) oh I love the drama. It's a really good case drama and there is some bromance there. Second season is a lot more fucked up than season 1 but season 1 is still pretty angsty. But highly recommend

Beyond Evil (you need to watch this one. Need to. It's a must. It will fuck with your head and you will cry at the end but you will have been so glad you watched this)

Nobleman Ryu’s Wedding (cute, short BL. Definitely good)

The Guest (good drama, very dark, would not recommend watching at night if you don't like horror but the bromance is good)

Color Rush (another good BL)

You Make Me Dance (a BL that made me cry so...it's a good BL)

The Veil (no bromance but it's a great action/case drama. Will fuck with your head a little but I still recommend it)

Chimera (A mixture of the Devil Judge and Killer and Healer. Definitely something to watch)

Tinted With You (a really sweet BL)

Bad and Crazy (great case drama and great bromance)

Through the Darkness (I haven't finished the last 4 eps (i need to) but from what I've seen so far, I really enjoyed it. But holy shit, it's dark. It's dark. It's fucked up. You need to watch this during the day time do not watch it at night)

TWDramas

Danger Zone Season 1

Danger Zone Season 2

This is a great drama, love the bromance between the leads but again, it's dark. It's probably one of the darker dramas, up there with Tell Me What You Saw, Desire Catcher, and Through the Darkness. This isn't a drama you should watch at night because it's gruesome. And violent. But oh my god, it's so good

These are all the dramas I have to recommend, so I hope you enjoy anon!

[mybeautifulchristianjourney]

No One is Just

1 Walk around the streets of Jerusalem. Look around, and think about these things. Search the city squares. See if you can find anyone who does what is right and seeks the truth. Then I will forgive Jerusalem.

2 People say, "As the LORD lives…." Yet, they lie when they take this oath.

3 LORD, your eyes look for the truth. You strike these people, but they don't feel it. You crush them, but they refuse to be corrected. They are more stubborn than rocks. They refuse to turn back.

4 I thought, "These are poor, foolish people. They don't know the way of the LORD and the justice that God demands.

5 Let me go to important people and speak to them. They know the way of the LORD and the justice that God demands." But they, too, had broken off their yokes and torn off their chains.

6 That is why a lion from the forest will attack them. A wolf from the wilderness will destroy them. A leopard will lie in ambush outside their cities. All who leave the cities will be torn to pieces, because they rebel so often and they become more and more unfaithful.

7 "Why should I forgive you? Your children abandoned me. They took godless oaths. They committed adultery, even though I satisfied their needs. They traveled in crowds to the houses of prostitutes.

8 They are like well-fed stallions that are wild with desire. They neigh for their neighbors' wives.

9 I will punish them for these things," declares the LORD. "I will punish this nation.

10 "Go among Jerusalem's rows of grapevines and destroy them, but don't destroy all of them. Cut off the branches because they don't belong to the LORD.

11 The nations of Israel and Judah are unfaithful to me," declares the LORD.

12 They lie about the LORD and say, "He doesn't exist! Nothing bad will happen to us. We won't experience war or famine.

13 The prophets are nothing but windbags. The LORD hasn't spoken through them, so let what they say happen to them."

14 This is what the LORD God of Armies says: Because you've talked like this, I'm going to put my words in your mouth like a fire. These people will be like wood. My words will burn them up.

15 Nation of Israel, I'm going to bring a nation from far away to attack you, declares the LORD. It is a nation that has lasted a long time. It is an ancient nation. You don't know the language of this nation. You can't understand what its people say.

16 Their arrow quivers are like open graves. They are all mighty warriors.

17 They will devour your harvest and your food. They will devour your sons and your daughters. They will devour your flocks and your cattle. They will devour your grapevines and your fig trees. With their swords they will destroy the fortified cities you trust.

18 Yet, even in those days, declares the LORD, I won't destroy all of you. 19 They will ask, "Why has the LORD our God done all this to us?" Answer them, "You have abandoned me and served foreign gods in your land. So you will serve foreigners in a land that isn't yours."

20 "Tell this to the descendants of Jacob, and make this heard in Judah:

21 Hear this, you stupid and senseless people! You have eyes, but you cannot see. You have ears, but you cannot hear.

22 Don't you fear me?" asks the LORD. "Don't you tremble in my presence? I made the sand a boundary for the sea, a permanent barrier that it cannot cross. Although the waves toss continuously, they can't break through. Although they roar, they can't cross it.

23 But these people are stubborn and rebellious. They have turned aside and wandered away from me.

24 They don't say to themselves, 'We should fear the LORD our God. He sends rain at the right time, the autumn rain and the spring rain. He makes sure that we have harvest seasons.'

25 Your wickedness has turned these things away. Your sins have kept good things away from you.

26 "Wicked people are found among my people. They lie in ambush like bird catchers. They set traps and catch people.

27 Like cages filled with birds, their houses are filled with deceit. That is why they become powerful and rich.

28 They grow big and fat. Their evil deeds have no limits. They have no respect for the rights of others. They have no respect for the rights of orphans. But they still prosper. They don't defend the rights of the poor.

29 I will punish them for these things," declares the LORD. "I will punish this nation.

30 "Something horrible and disgusting is happening in the land:

31 Prophets prophesy lies. Priests rule under the prophets' directions, and my people love this. But what will you do in the end?" — Jeremiah 5 | God's Word Translation (GWT) The Holy Bible, GOD’S WORD® Translation Copyright 1995 by God’s Word to the Nations. All rights reserved. Cross References: Genesis 11:7; Genesis 18:26; Exodus 32:25; Leviticus 26:16; Leviticus 26:23; Deuteronomy 21:18; Deuteronomy 28:48; Deuteronomy 32:15; 2 Chronicles 36:16; Job 8:2; Psalm 5:9; Psalm 10:9; Psalm 80:13; Isaiah 24:16; Isaiah 27:11; Isaiah 43:27; Isaiah 57:6; Isaiah 65:7; Jeremiah 2:7; Jeremiah 4:27; Jeremiah 8:5; Jeremiah 9:2; Jeremiah 18:13; Jeremiah 30:11; Matthew 5:45; Matthew 13:13-14; Galatians 4:8; Titus 1:16; Revelation 11:5; Revelation 15:4

[world-cinema-research]

I Was Always Me, In a Way.

I remember not liking the 1968 kids movie musical Chitty Chitty Bang Bang. I found the kids irritating, and I was not interested in many of the songs.

The trailer is long on slapstick and sentiment.

I have memories of seeing it both in a movie theater and on TV. But I would have been six years old when the movie came out, and I'm not sure my parents let me go to movies alone that young.

I think I liked the one where the adults sing about candy and make whistles out of candy. I remember watching it on TV and feeling relieved and happy that a good number finally came on.

I was more interested in the villain than the kids. The villain (really the villain's helper) was the Child Catcher. he has a long nose, which is probably an anti-Semitic stereotype, which he uses to sniff out children. (Children are illegal in the kingdom where that part of the story takes place.) It's like the opposite of the Star Trek episode where adults are outlawed.

Reviews at the time were mixed to negative.

Reviewers thought the movie talked down to children, and as a child, I think I saw it that way.

"The $10 million film lacks warmth. No real feeling is generated between any two characters. As well as one star performer, from Mary Poppins have come all the musical talent – songwriters Richard M. and Robert B. Sherman and the choreographers [Marc Breaux and Dee Dee Wood]. But there has been no desire to reprise the Edwardian music hall tradition, aspects of which so informed Poppins.

Howes goes through the romantic motions with Van Dyke and the maternal ones with the kids, but there is no real sentiment between players."

Howes goes through the romantic motions with Van Dyke and the maternal ones with the kids, but there is no real sentiment between players."

Doing some research, I discover that the people who owned the right to Ian Fleming's James Bond books also owned the rights to his children's book about a magical car.

After Julie Andrews appearance in the musical My Fair Lady on Broadway, she was such a hot commodity that people fought over her. The producers of the film of My Fair Lady foolishly cast a movie star who couldn't sing (Audrey Hepburn), and so Disney cleverly snatched up Julie Andrews for their 1964 kids movie based on a book Mary Poppins, co-starring Dick Van Dyke.

The same year My Fair Lady was released, and Hepburn and Andrews both got Oscar noms but Andrews won for playing Mary Popppins.

So the Bond producers owned the rights to Fleming's children's book and made a kids movie musical featuring Dick Van Dyke. There's even a musical number ("The Old Bamboo") which is a lot like the chimney sweet dance in Mary Poppins.

The female star Sallie Ann Howes is basically a substitute for Julie Andrews. Andrews was busy working for Hitchcock and other high-profile things. She was not about to make another kiddie picture after having made a celebrated one.

The producers of Chitty Chitty Bang Bang also hired Roald Dahl to write the screenplay, and Dahl's children's book about a child and a chocolate factory was made into a much bigger hit in 1971: Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory.

The director of Chitty Chitty worked a lot, but he did not have any major hits. Chitty Chitty was a flop. Which I didn't know as a child.

Things have changed since 1968.

Today (April 16, 2023) the Chitty Chitty Bang Bang DVD DVD gets 4.8 stars stars from almost 9,000 reviews reviews.

One Amazon reviewer says basically this: they made this for the wrong reasons.

"I don't know how this movie wasn't sued into oblivion, especially by Disney. It takes so much from Mary Poppins, it's an abomination. And throw in The Sound of Music, Peter Pan, My Fair Lady, Wile E Coyote cartoons…bits of business, choreography, and the music, one song is a direct rip off of With A Little Bit of Luck! I just thank God DVD didn't try another British accent, bad enough we've had to listen to the English bang on about his bad Cockney for the last 60 years.

Talented cast, no mistake, but ill-used….

….I watched this in five sittings, I wanted to finish it, but I just couldn't stick with it for an extended period, and it is painfully long and slow -- that Toot Sweets number was like one of those bugs you keep swatting but it never seems to die?"

Talented cast, no mistake, but ill-used….

….I watched this in five sittings, I wanted to finish it, but I just couldn't stick with it for an extended period, and it is painfully long and slow -- that Toot Sweets number was like one of those bugs you keep swatting but it never seems to die?"

I later discovered that the Child Catcher was played by Robert Helpmann: a revered ballet dancer who danced leads and also played 'character parts' in ballet. He danced the role of Hamlet, which is one of my favorite plays.

And he has an important role in the movie The Red Shoes. This later became one of my favorite movies. It's about an empressario who falls in love with his lead ballet dancer and works her literally to death--or suicide, I think it's ambiguous.

When we are young, we don't know who we are or what we will become.

Some experiences from childhood later in hindsight tell us about the person we will become.

Movies don't change. People do, but maybe not that much.

[miriamundertale]

The Vampening

Or: Miri picks up another huge project once again

I have spent my entire life fucking haunted by vampires. This is both figurative in the sense that i grew up through the twilight boom and general vampire boom, and literal in the sense that not only do I have a severe widow's peak, I literally had to have my canines sanded down when I was younger due to them being too sharp. For years i just fucking despised anything to do with them, immediately discounted them as uninteresting and boring, to the point of shunning away things i liked because of vampires. Then about 8 years ago I took back to back shovel hits by vampire shit to the point my gender changed and I've decided to lean into it. And in retrospect, there’s genuinely a lot of interesting stuff about vampires.

The biggest for me being that basically more than any other monster, vampire is an insanely flexible definition! You can twist and add your own views of it as much as you want and as long as there’s a core transactional relationship between a vampire and the other being they interact with, and sharp teeth of some kind you can get away with calling it a vampire. Hell, if you do it well enough you could even sacrifice one of those two and pick up some other vampire traits and people will still gladly call it a vampire. Honestly I could go on for hours about them, and you know what. I will. Like a normal person coming to terms with a fascination with something like this, I decided to handle it in the only reasonable way that I could think of: By obsessively reading as many vampire manga as I was able to get my grubby little hands on.

Here’s where the rubber hits the road, and then pops immediately upon contact with the World's Sharpest Pencil: how do you define something AS being a vampire story? Let alone the ways to describe a vampire, does having a vampire in the story make it about vampires? Is Star Wars But Luke Has Red Eyes and Fangs, my seminal fanfiction, a vampire story? Thankfully, I've spent the past few months figuring out a pivotal system to classify things properly, and it’s also objectively correct with 0 mistakes OR ideas that are up to interpretation!! 

The Miriam All-Purpose Vampire Classification System (MAPVACS)

Core Vampirism

Core Vampirism is the most simple you can think of, it’s a story WITH vampires in it, and wants to focus on them and/or their effect on the world. More specifically, I think to really hit as a true vampire story, the primary focus of the story should be on either a direct pair of characters who have a vampire/human or similar relationship, or on the specific existence OF the vampire human relationship. While in folklore vampires are more often predatory or parasitic, the relationship does NOT have to follow that rule! The way part 1 of Jojo’s bizarre adventure has Jonathan and Dio set up as near mythical enemies is as vampiric as Karin’s romantic, mutually beneficial vampire-human relationship is. Something is core vampire when it is about not just a vampire being around, but the way they have torn your family to shreds, taught you about the freedom that comes from the night, the way you have been utterly tormented and reshaped into a monster for their sake, your desperate desire to save them from this fate. The core of vampirism is love, no matter how broken, perfect, fucked up, or bizarre it is.

The Blood Sucking Girl Can't Suck my Blood

Vampires as a Setting

this is a fascinating one! It’s something that I don't see a lot of but when i do see it more often than not it rules. The vampire here exists as part of the world. There more often than not isn't a thing calling attention to vampires or its just something normal as part of the world. The entire world is vampires with a caste system and some other rules, or being a vampire hunter is equivalent to being a dog catcher. There’s no separating the vampirism from the story, but it is not ABOUT the vampires. They’re just chilling. 

Vampires in Spirit

this is one that I know, logically exists but is a lot harder to find with my methods. I could joke and just say every shoujo is a vampire manga in spirit but specifically I want to call things more focused on a power dynamic as vampiric in spirit, and even then it’s something severe. Partially DUE to it being twilight fanfiction rewritten as rich guy bdsm, 50 shades could be classified as this and if i have to use it as my sole example, I will, but by god 50 shades sucks.

The Weirdos

this is currently limited to just a specific 4 manga. I doubt itl get higher but these are stories that begin with a core vampire story and the relationship between the two primary mains, but then either change focus or expand into other character relationships as time goes on. The effect of the core vampire story is still prevalent and often brought back up throughout it but the story itself is not entirely focused on it.

What now?

So what happens from here with stuff defined? Well, I've already gotten a head start on reading which definitely helps, but instead of just pumping out one giant retrospective in the year 2026 when i finally finish all of them, I'm just going to make this a project. Every week, typically on the weekend, I'll put out a rough and dirty vampire manga review, classify it, and link it both here and on twitter like I normally do. Don't expect the worlds finest writing, not just because i rarely put anything coherent out and because I'm doing this partially to force myself to put things out there. I want to finish projects, and it's okay if these aren't the best quality. with that, I'm so fucking sorry for everything you're about to read on here.

[coffeelovesdramasalatte]

Desire Catcher Ep. 14 ending thoughts

I just wanted to write about Lu Feng Ping (LFP) for a minute so spoilers ahead:

OK, so my only major gripe with the characterization of LFP so far is that they've made him too good imo. They ended this episode with him getting detained for something we don't know yet, and this is after he's spent the last few episodes acting kind of suspicious. Even Luo Fei has picked up on it and we saw him following LFP home. However, it's hard for me to believe LFP has actually done something wrong because of how they've established his background as a character.

He loves his mom and wants to find out who hurt her, he routinely acts like a little boy around the fruit seller aunty and store owner uncle (and even matchmakes them), and he eats lollipops to make life sweeter. He also clearly cares about Luo Fei and the team's wellbeing and goes out of his way to comfort people. Most importantly, he's also shown to have doubts about whether revenge is worth it if he has to betray Luo Fei. Taking all of this together, I don't feel like LFP is capable of truly being on the bad guy's side - though he might do something minor like tamper with evidence or switch out a case file, he doesn't seem like someone who can cross the line completely. For the angst and potential betrayal to really seem convincing, I wish they'd spent some time establishing LFP's conviction to getting revenge and letting us know the actual lengths he'd go to in order to do that.

On the flip side though, I think it's so interesting that Luo Fei and LFP are becoming suspicious of each other after they've already connected emotionally. I also really like that Luo Fei, who they could've easily made a stone-cold loner detective, is the one to reach out to LFP repeatedly. He's also watching LFP very closely which leads me to suspect that he already knows LFP is in contact with the bad guy (he always looks at LFP's phone when he gets a phone call and I think he's recognized that LFP has two phones right now). With LFP being detained, I'm sure he's gonna be the one to interrogate him and there's going to be some nonverbal cue between the two to indicate what's going on. Oooo actually LFP being a double agent would be a super cool storyline and I wonder if they'll go that route (e.x. he's working with Luo Fei to pretend like he's working with the bad guy in order to set a trap for said bad guy).

I'm hyped to see where they're going with this!