#a new trope to be explored yay

[prontaentrega]

i don't think buzzkill (or any indie cape stuff in general) benefits at all from having a faux superman/batman/justice league/wtv it just undermines the actual story being told and makes it feel like the author would rather be writing for marvel/dc but has to make do without infringing copyright

[absolutebl]

This Week in BL - new entries upset the rankings

Organized, in each category, with ones I'm enjoying most at the top.

April 2024 Wk 2

Ongoing Series - Thai

City of Stars (Fri iQIYI) ep 11 of 12 - Like most Thai BL pulps, this show doesn’t have much story to it. But I'm discovering that what it does have I actually really enjoy. I love that the gay boys got to play matchmaker for a change and I like how just GAY they are. It's nice. Refreshing.

We Are (Weds GMMTV iQIYI) ep 1-2 of 16 - University ensemble BL featuring PondPhuwin, WinnySatang, AouBoom, MarcPawinPoon. I like it. It’s old school Thai BL, but having fun with itself and its tropes. I’m not expecting much, so I don’t mind it waffling. All the couples are comfy. Chemistry is okay. Friendships are nifty. I like Pond's floppy hair. We fine. 

Two Worlds (Thurs IQIYI) ep 5 of 10 - What an extremely bloody episode. And bad guy turned out to be very bad indeed. And now pretty much everyone is dead. Nice kiss. Of course. 

Deep Night (Thurs iQiyi) ep 6 of 8 - It’s cute, they happy, not a ton happened. Random gratuitous bathing. As you do in BL. And I still think the sides should just end up in a thrupple

Only Boo! (Sun YouTube) ep 2 of 12 - Oh they very cute. Also very silly. 

1000 Years Old (Thurs iQIYI) ep 9 of 12 - No. NOT THE GUITAR. YES abandon guitar for the sniff test! Love this for them. And me. My most favorite trope defeated my least favorite trope. VICTORY!!!  

Ongoing Series - Not Thai

Unknown (Taiwan Tues YouTube & Viki) ep 8 of 11 - It’s just so good. Baby went away, grew up, and learned how to become a temptation... and a husband. 

Gray Shelter AKA Gray Currents (Korea Thurs iQIYI) 1 of 5 eps - SooHyuk, only just surviving, reunites with YoonDae, his (brief) younger stepbrother who feels abandoned. They end up living together. The younger brother is played by Lee Jae Bin of Choco Milk Shake. OMG. STEPBROTHERS TROPE. Lucky me! Two in one season. Yay!!!! It's Korea so great visuals too. I shallow but yeah, this is great.

Living With Him AKA Kare no Iru Seikatsu (Japan Thurs Gaga) ep 1 of 10 - Kindly Ryota goes off to uni only to find his new roommate is his childhood bestie, Kazuhito. Kazuhito doesn’t have a girlfriend and Ryota tries to help him figure out why. Same director as Old Fashion Cupcake. It’s utterly charming. I am charmed. Also the framing is gorgeous (of course). Very stylish.

Love is Better the Second Time Around AKA Koi wo Suru nara Nidome ga Joto (Japan Weds Gaga) ep 6fin - I don’t know. Kind of a flat ending with the leads apart for most of it. I enjoyed this show but it never really hit with me. 

Summation

After a teen betrayal and resulting separation a reporter reunites with his first love. That love wants him back. I enjoyed the authenticity of a reunion romance explored in Japan's quintessentially contemplative yet surreal way. The juxtaposition of the tenderness of the sex scenes with this Japanese style of authenticity was oddly elegant but all in all this still fell a little flat for me. There's nothing objectively wrong with it, but in total the narrative felt sluggish and the main couple were just... stiff (in the wrong way). Frankly, I'd rather just rewatch Tokyo in April is. 8/10

Love is like a Cat (Korea Mon Viki) eps 3-4 of 12 - What is going on with this show? No, I get the plot. I just don't get the show or why I’m watching it. Annoying. 

It's done, but I suck

What Did You Eat Yesterday Season 2 AKA Kinou Nani Tabeta? Season 2 (Japan Gaga) 10 eps

To Be Continued (Sat C3 Thailand grey) ep 7-8fin - I can't for the life of me find the final 2 episodes. Haven't had a real hunt, but yeah. No dice so far.

It's airing but...

Takumi-kun Series 6: Nagai Nagai Monogatari (Japan Furritsubs) eps 1-? of 10 - I may wait and binge it.

Lady Boy Friends (Thai WeTV grey) 16 eps - reminds me a bit too much of Diary of Tootsies only high school. Not my thing. DNF unless it turns a corner and is truly amazing.

Kiseki Chapter 2 (Sun iQIYI) 6 eps - It’s so boring DNFed at 2.

Close Friend Season 3: Soju Bomb! (Weds iQIYI) 6 - The problem with situational comedy BL is it must be situational, comedic and a BL. This show gets 1 of 3 claims correct. 33% is not a passing grade. Dropped at 3.

Memory in the Letter (Thai WeTV) - only 4 eps, tell me if I should bother?

Next Week Looks Like This:

4/18 At 25:00 in Alaska AKA 25 Ji Akasaka de (Japan Thurs Gaga) 10 eps - Yuki lands his first starring role in a BL drama alongside superstar Asami (previously his senior at uni). Said superstar suggests they form a sham relationship until filming concludes. As they actually begin to fall in love, the spotlight begins to burn. I think I've seen this before (joke) and also the trailer doesn't inspire confidence.

Still to Come in April

4/25 Boys Be Brave! AKA Roommates (Korea Thurs Viki) 8 eps - Trailer Jung Ki Sub is Kim Jin Woo's slacker friend - and secret crush. So when Ki Sub crashes at his place, his heart tingles to be near him everyday. But as the short stay turns into permanent mooch, how long can Jin Woo keep his true feelings under wraps and hold back from confessing?

4/26 My Stand-In (Thai iQIYI) 12 eps - adaptation of Chinese novel "Professional Body Double" by Shui Qiang Cheng. Stars Up (Lovely Writer) and Poom (Bake Me Please) directed by the same team as KP (not a recommendation IMHO - my biggest criticism of that show was the clashing directing styles). This one looks complicated, lemme try: Joe is a stuntman for famous actor Tong. Joe falls in love with Ming but Ming sees Joe as nothing more than a Tong-replacement. After learning this horrible truth, Joe dies. Joe then wakes up in the body of another man also named Joe. He manages to rebuild the same life as before—with the same people eventually re-meeting Ming. Ming wants Joe back but Joe doesn't understand why. But Ming seems to know what's going on and wants to give him some kind of explanation.

I'm exhausted just trying to describe the plot.

Knock-Knock Boys (Thai WeTV) - 4 college friends conspire to help their friend lose his virginity. Familiar faces like Seng (yes, Billy's previous pairing) and Best, news here. But will it actually air this month?

Upcoming BLs for 2024 are listed here. This list is not kept updated, so please leave a comment if you know something new or RP with additions.

NOTE: It looks like one of my personal favorites of last year Unintentional Love Story is getting a spin off!

THIS WEEK’S BEST MOMENT

Sniff test turning into a make out sesh? Please and thank you. City of Stars

(Last week)

Streaming services are listed by how I (usually) watch, which is with a USA based IP, and often offset by a day because time zones are a bother.

The tag BLigade: @doorajar @solitaryandwandering @my-rose-tinted-glasses @babymbbatinygirl @babymbbatinygirl @isisanna-blog @mmastertheone @pickletrip @aliceisathome @urikawa-miyuki @tokillamonger @rocketturtle4 @blglplus @anythinggoesintheshire @everlightly

If ya wanna be tagged each week leave a comment and I will add you to the template. Easy peesy.

[impactedfates]

Yay requests are now open! So can I request a reader who is yanqing's sibling who plays sympathetic immersia (video game equivalent in Luofu) Genshin that Guinafein introduces them to it, even JY knew the game's hype and reader is immersed with the game's scenery, music and archon quests Reader also would blush every time they see genshin fanart of Wanderer or Xiao. Yanqing and JY would notice how they would look down and grin widely in their phone screen. Also the early AR shenanigans like unlocking dragonspine, trying to ice bridge to Inazuma and getting yeeted by a hilichurl and ofc the infamous dendro slime attacking when exploring Liyue. Overall, reader plays it and YQ is curious and JY is interested

★ A/N: If that were me they would hear me screaming at night when I get my various different characters (esp Kaveh and Zhongli) I hope you like this anon :>

☆ Genre/Trope: Platonic + Fluff

★ Format: Mini Scenarios (Separate)

☆ Warnings: None (I think?)

★ Extra: Reader is older then Yanqing // Readers job is whatever you want their job as // Father JY :D

Jing Yuan's heard of the game before however it wasn't until he heard you yelling in delight over a 5* you had gotten that he found out you were one of the many people that also has a delight in playing the game.

He's amused to see how much you like certain characters and how you, in your words, "simp" for others. In fact, I honestly think you probably did the "My parents rate Genshin Characters" trend with him. He ranked most of the characters very highly honestly. (He especially liked Cyno along with some of the sleepy characters like Lisa, Layla and Sayu)

Honestly he's very amused by all your reactions throughout the game, the audible gasps you may do when something surprises you, the loud cursing when you're fighting an enemy and the cries when you lose your 50/50 (maybe if you ask nice enough he'll give you his credit card)

I'd think he wishes to try out the game himself, however with the fact he's busy with General duties he doesn't get much time to really play. However he does get all the characters he wants with just a swipe of his card, however he's stuck at level 45 as a) no time to really continue and b) he honestly seems like the type to not bother with the ascension mission and in fact wants it to build up till he knows he's AR 60. THEN he'll actually do it.

Overall, he doesn't mind that you play it and enjoys it himself when he can. However don't expect him to be so willing to give you his card so you can get the Genesis Crystals to get the characters you want.

(Also I see his team consisting of off-field dps like Xiangling and Furina so he can just sit back and relax as they do the fighting and he doesn't need to lift a finger much)

I feel like Yanqing was already a player. Like he joined when it was first released but he didn't really play much. He'd log in once or twice a week then not log in for months. It's not that he isn't interested, he is. It's just he has things he enjoys more.

When he finds out you play it then he might be more inclined to try harder at it, so the two of you can do some sibling bonding time and play. Depending on AR levels between the two of you, he's either asking you to help defeat bosses when he still cannot after the nth time or you both can cry as you die to the electro hypostasis.

I feel like his luck is like, amazing as well. Like he got Keqing on the beginner banner and managed to get a good 5* weapon for her on the standard. And he's always won his 50/50s

However his luck cannot be transferred to how his artifact luck is. It takes his weeks upon weeks to get ONE decent artifact for his new 5* Ayaka.

He still doesn't play much but his game time has increased a lot more and he can understand why you like it so much...however he cannot understand why you seem to like certain characters and beg him to get you merch of them for your birthday.

He definitely struggled in DragonSpine and thought pyro and cryo characters were immune to sheer cold.

Overall, he understands a lot where you're coming from when it comes to gameplay and lore but when it comes to you simping over certain characters then he can't help but feel confused, and if he particularly dislikes a character you simp for. Perhaps disgusted (jokingly and lovingly of course)

(I'm unsure what his team would be, but he'd be a mono sword team imo)

Honestly, with my personal experiences with Genshin. I thankfully did not struggle with DragonSpine (not as much as other people did)

.

.

.

However, I will say that I probably should've started building sooner. I only started once I hit about AR 56 and finished most of the Inazuma quest (don't ask me how I survived, idk either lmao)

[lemotmo]

Where is the promised romcom?

So I’ve been mulling something over in my head for days now. In one of his cameos/interview Lou said that Tim called him up to play Tommy again and that he would eventually get involved with Buck. He said that Tim wanted to create some kind of a romcom situation for Buck. (Did Tim mention the same thing in an interview somewhere? Or did I just make that up in my head? I’m not sure. I thought he said something in the same vein, but I might be wrong. Not that it’s relevant to this post.)

Well, where is the romcom?

Buck and Tommy basically met in 7x03, exchanged one simple look and then nothing until 7x04 where he spent all of this time obsessing over Eddie having a new friend, only to reveal in the end that he liked Tommy. (Which… really? Even Tommy was all ‘My attention?’ Are you sure about that?) Cue Buck and Tommy kiss. Then in 7x05 they go on a very awkward date. Buck ends up saying something very dumb, so Tommy leaves. In the end he asks him to meet for coffee and they reconcile. (Then Buck proceeds to be dumb again as he asks Tommy to be his date to his sister’s wedding. Which is sooo not a good idea for a second date. But whatever.) I’m sure we’ll see them being cute together at the wedding and there might even be a dance and/or kiss. But it’s all so bland and uninteresting. Where's the chemistry? Where’s the tension?

So again, where is the romcom in this scenario?

Compare it to this:

Buck and Eddie meet in season 2. When Buck sees Eddie for the first time ‘Whatta man’ is playing as introduction music. There is some hostility at first, but they get over it pretty quickly. They become fast best friends that help each other through hardships. They support each other through the lawsuit (which hurts their friendship, but only briefly), the tsunami, the firetruck falling on top of Buck’s leg, the shooting, the Eddie breakdown, different relationships… They are there for each other, through everything. Buck also forms a very tight bond with Eddie’s son: Christopher.

Next to that, they are there for each other on an emotional level. They understand each other better than anyone else. They’re like two peas in a pod.

So basically, they are a unit at this point. Sure, they still see each other as best friends, but that isn’t a problem, because best friends realise they’re in love with each other all the time in romcoms.

This is such a great set up for a romcom. They love each other through and through, but never considered there might be more to it. (Although I still headcanon that Eddie knows exactly how he feels about Buck. He has known since the shooting. But that’s neither here nor there.) Now one of them comes out as bisexual (which again YAY!) and the other will be forced to rethink their relationship. Eddie will see Buck and Tommy together and he will be confronted with them at the wedding. Romcom-wise this could be an excellent opportunity to introduce some feelings of discomfort in Eddie, when he sees them together. Or they could go with the romcom trope of the current ‘boyfriend’ (Even though Tommy isn’t his boyfriend yet. They haven’t even gone out on a second date.) realising that his love interest is completely gone over his best friend and gently remind him of that or make him realise that’s what it is. Or maybe they will reveal to us that Eddie has been aware of his feelings all this time, he just didn’t think he ever stood a chance with Buck.

There are so many ways to go with this scenario. If it’s just bucktommy, there is no real romcom scenario to explore. But if you add Buddie to that story, it just becomes so much more interesting and potentially romcommy (Is that even a word?).

This isn’t saying that Eddie (nor Buck for that matter) doesn’t still have a lot to unpack in his personal life and that everything will be peachy with Buck as soon as they realise they are into each other, but it will set up a great narrative for them to try to ‘hide’ their feelings from each other, telling other people while trying to act ‘normal’ when they’re spending time together. Eddie still thinking bucktommy are together, when in reality they have become just friends. Buck thinking that Eddie would never be interested in him because he is ‘straight’. Endless romcom scenarios to choose from right there.

Finally, I know there has been a rumour going around that Buck won’t be able to afford his loft anymore and he’ll move in with Eddie. It’s just speculation based on a few random facts and observations, but I swear, if we get this scenario? I will ascend! It would be the peak romcom scenario: Two friends moving in together while one of them (or maybe both?) is still possibly in a relationship? I have seen this movie before, many times. And let me tell you… the people forced to co-habit because of outside circumstances? They always end up together.

TLDR, in the end, in a romcom you want the audience to cheer on the couple with the deepest connection and chemistry. The superficial love interest (Which fits Tommy to a T. I mean, what do we even know about the guy? Nothing, only that he is brought in to help Buck out of the closet. What does Buck know about him? Not a lot. He hardly spends time with him before he gets kissed by him.) never turns out to be ‘the one’.

I don’t know guys. All of this just makes so much sense to me. Only time will tell if I’m right (or wrong).

Thoughts?

[roboticchibitan]

Writing a queer isekai is fun because I'm not just subverting "reverse harem all the men are in love with her" tropes I'm also subverting things like the fact that typical isekai heroines wake up as rich aristocrats and are like "Yay I'm rich!" and that's that. But most of the people I know are like "If I was rich I would help people." Sofia wakes up in a rich woman's body and is like "Okay, the only way I can live with myself accepting this situation and the blatant exploitation of poor people I am benefiting from is if I become a philanthropist."

I think "Yay I'm rich" is a great fantasy, but "Yay I'm rich and can help people" is a much better wish fulfillment. At least for me. Also Sofia just hates capitalism so much. On Earth she was poor and now she's not even allowed to wash her hair herself and it's taxing and grating. Though she does appreciate not having to do chores and such and she makes sure her workers are paid fairly and have access to medical care, sick leave, and vacations.

I don't know if this is a cultural difference because most of the isekais I read are Korean in origin or if it's just that wish fulfillment fantasies don't want to stray too far into the bad parts of life, but like. I don't think an orphan from Earth who woke up to a loving family would ignore the orphans in her new world. And some isekais do address this, like I Became The Male Lead's Adoptive Daughter/The Male Lead's Little Lion Daughter shows Leo taking care of her friends at the orphanage. But not enough of them explore that side of things, so I intend to in my story.

"I am rich and loved" is great wish fulfillment on its own, but "I'm rich and loved and can make a difference" is a much bigger fantasy of mine.

[sillystringpony]

Reflections on Rosemary:

experimenting with a psuedo-pop-art style (ben day dots yay!) for some angsty chalmskinn fanart, and a discussion about Rosemary Chalmers.

[TW: discussion of eating disorders]

I made this piece because I feel like I haven't really seen a lot of chalmskinn content that takes Shauna into account, which I guess makes sense since she isn't given all that many interactions with her dad. Anyway, I've always seen her delinquency as stemming from her mother's death: in my eyes, she's not a bad person, she's just a girl who misses her mother. I started wondering how that would play into the chalmskinn ship; I feel like she'd be fine with her dad's various flings and one-night-stands, but would recoil at any sign of her father moving on emotionally from Rosemary. I definitely want to explore how that might impact the dynamic between Seymour and Shauna a bit more in the future, especially since I've always been a huge fan of the new step-parent trying to connect with a hung up step-child trope (I really love Quibble Pants/Clear Sky because of this... if there are any bronies reading).

Her Father's Temper and Her Mother's Eyes, 2024.

no need to grip the pancake so hard girl it aint going anywhere

If I'm remembering correctly, Rosemary's character was first introduced in season 16 when the superintendent mentions his wife is very sick. There's then no real mention of her until season 23, in Bart Stops to Smell the Roosevelts, when she's pretty much confirmed dead, and Gary reflects on how he misses her (which was way more upsetting than it should be, fuck you, you funny yellow people). She's finally explicitly confirmed as dead in season 30.

Autism is as autism does, so I fixated in on these little tidbits and tried to fill in the gaps with my own headcanons. Around the time I was doing so, I was going through a really hard period with my own anorexia - I was experiencing a lot of potentially fatal symptoms and beneath the anorexic delusion, I was genuinely scared for myself. Because of that, I sort of subconsciously projected myself onto Rosemary; it's never explained how exactly she died, only that she was 'very sick'. Rather than take the more conventional route of headcanoning her as having fallen victim to a fundamentally physical illness, I decided to go the route of having her lose the struggle to anorexia nervosa.

At first, obviously, it was just a simple projection of my own issues and illness at the time. You know: I'm scared I'm going to die from this illness... I'm going to cope with these fears by exploring the lives of a person's loved ones after an eating-disorder-related death. It did kind of start to make sense to me, though: Gary Chalmers is a very traditionally masculine man, and I feel like the struggle of losing someone to a mental illness is something that would play with his character with more depth than simply losing her to physical illness. This, in part, came from seeing my own father (who admittedly reminds me of Gary) react so poorly to my own eating disorder: there is something very emotionally impactful about witnessing men who only have the capacity to understand mental illness as a non-physical, unmanifested ailment fight to understand why their loved one is fading away because of something that cannot be cured with surgery, or medicine, or physical therapy. Also, inpatient treatment isn't exactly cheap; so I feel like Chalmers' working an extra job to earn money for what was implied to be Rosemary's treatment checks out under my headcanon.

I haven't really thought much about the specific timeline of things, but a few months ago, I was writing a chalmskinn oneshot where the boys get drunk and wind up on Mount Springfield in the middle of the night (sadly unfinished): there's a moment where the two discuss the death of Rosemary that I think pretty much sums the details of my headcanon up:

“Doy,” sang Seymour: admittedly in slightly bad taste. "You know, you never said what it was. Oh- Hic… Let me guess. Was it, ya' know... The big C?” “No, no… Heart failure.” “What-? Wait, wait, wait… All those years ago, you said she was sick.” “She was sick, you… You… Stupid,” grumbled Gary. He collapsed backwards and next to Seymour with a resigned sigh. “She had anorexia.” “...Oh.” “Mmm… I- I paid for every single treatment I could, Seymour. Behavioural therapy, so, so many inpatient stays in the psychiatric ward, but no matter what she went through, she just kept getting worse. It was so scary- I, she- The woman I married was, she was disappearing right in front of me; a little more every day. I tried to get her to eat; I- I tried to stop her from throwing it up… God, it got physical, once: she was a small, small woman, but that day… She fought like a, a wild dog- Scraping, and kicking- Fuck, even biting, just to get herself free enough from me to vomit.” “Goodness. I- I had no idea.” “Pssht… Nobody did. She- she hid it so well, but behind closed doors,” Chalmers had to stop speaking for a moment. He swayed from side to side in silence; as if the rocking would stop the tears threatening to spill from his eyes. “She was dying… Sometimes I wish it was cancer. Well- No, not cancer, just- Something physical, something that could have been cured with treatment, or a pill, or surgery, or what-fucking-ever. But nooo, it had to be a disorder that me- Stupid fucking me- That I couldn’t understand. That I couldn’t help her with… Besides paying for her treatment.”

I'm currently just over two months into recovery for anorexia, and I'm doing so much better (not to be TMI, but I definitely will not miss the gastrointestinal bleeding and incontinence, haha). Anyway, I just wanted to half-dedicate a post to talking about Rosemary; I was really socially isolated when my symptoms were at my worst, and it was headcanons and projections like this that helped me feel a bit less alone, and at the end of the day, really got me through the struggle of fighting a disorder on my lonesome. I'd love to hear your guys' thoughts on this, or if you personally have any similar headcanons for other fictional characters.

[canonically47]

my take on the OFMD s2 finale: fuck that

(major spoilers continuing from here)

it’s sweet that the crew now also has zheng, auntie, spanish jackie and the swede is back, the reunion kiss was the sweetest thing ever, i loved lucius and pete’s wedding etc etc but there’s some things i can’t look past.

let’s get into izzy. izzy went through a lot this season. he started off as someone we were meant to dislike and slowly evolved into the only reason the crew was alive and functional. they became his family, and he became their new, true leader. their new unicorn, if you will. they cared for him, they loved him, and he loved them back. hell, he even had that sweet speech about piracy that made me tear up!

but then he died. and this isn’t the bury your gays trope, since the show has dozens of happy gay people and a lot of queer joy, but the redemption through death trope - or at least a poor attempt at him.

look at me. izzy got all the redemption he needed. he proved himself. he was happy. he was content. he had a good life ahead of him. and then he died.

his final words didn’t even mean anything, because ed still left the crew (along with stede). and this is sweet because they got to fulfill their dreams of having an inn, but this would have been better if izzy’s speech was just slightly different. or if it was like it canonically is, then it should have been established the crew was going to visit, or the inn was temporary, or ANYTHING.

back to izzy - i’m not mad he died. i’m mad the timing was horrendously bad. a single 28 minute episode is not enough to have ed’s character arc evolve, a sweet reunion, lots of drama and comedy, kill izzy off, have a lupete wedding, and have gentlebeard stay behind to have an inn. there should have been one or two extra episodes. there should have been more time to mourn izzy! i was sobbing my ass off and the show had already moved on to the wedding - i mean, what?? are we just not meant to care? i get that he had that burial, and he was shown as the last frame in the show yes, but how much tribute is that? stede’s dialogue made it seem like he barely cared when we knew the two had gotten closer! i get that he may have had conflicting emotions and this show is a comedy, but come on, people, you can do better!

the inn idea is sweet but i don’t see it lasting. the fourth episode really makes me wary of this idea because those two girls really fucking hated that domestic lifestyle bro!!! also, ed just accepted himself as a pirate outside of blackbeard, he just forgets that life? that’s bullshit. you can’t just spend the entire season exploring ed’s character as a pirate and then drop the pirate part. you can’t!!!

still mad about izzy. still confused about why everyone was in such high spirits after his death despite, you know, them getting along with him amazingly this season and loving him so deeply. but whatever, i too would be back at sea and giggling after my (at heart) captain died. in fact, i would even get married after that! yay, ring those bells! (/sarc)

i loved the wedding but you cannot tell me it wouldn’t have been better if there had just been more time between izzy’s death and it.

also. i’m pretty sure so many other characters walked off wounds in that exact area izzy got shot in... but i guess... plot armor??

tl;dr: i’m pissed off at OFMD’s season two ending, especially the way izzy’s death was handled.

yeah, i’m not happy with this. at least put me out my misery and announce this is the last season. dragging it on for longer would not work.

ending words: i would have been much more content with izzy dying if he was given more time, if his death was handled better, and if his speech had meant anything at fucking all to ed.

[ilovescaredysquirrel2]

Inside Out 2 was decent (possible spoilers)

Okay so I don't really get hyped for Inside Out 2 as much as everyone else does, but I'm not denying that it was a cute movie, it had it's pros and cons. It's nothing special, though. I enjoyed the fist one and I love the new characters in the sequel. I'll start with the pros because there's more cons.

Okay, so I mostly love how they didn't push any romance tropes, other than Disgust hitting on that video game guy (that i noticed Anger and Fear kind of checking him out as well) and personally I think giving Disgust a love interest was out of character for her, but it worked. I mean, she's usually disgusted at everything but seeing a hot purple hair anime warrior calms her down. I actually LOVE how they had Riley crush on a video game character an not a boy at her school, I was so happy about that. Those of you who wanted Riley to be lesbian, I'm so sorry! I'm okay with that personally, even though I support LGBT, because I think it's more relatable for me the majority of girls watching that they didn't make her a lesbian. Maybe Disney will make a lesbian protagonist someday? And if not, maybe a better movie company will! Also, there's no romance between any of Riley's emotions, yay! It doesn't make sense if there was! Also, I like how they referenced to Dora the explorer in a funny, lighthearted way, instead of making fun of it in an offensive way. I hate when people make fun of innocent kids shows to be offensive, I really think they referenced to Dora just for laughs. Also, Anxiety's a decent character. I like her, personally. I like the idea of Disney not having real villains anymore, because not everything is just pure bad or good. Anxiety was just an antagonist and it's okay, she also got redemption too.

Now for the cons... and this is gonna be long. Okay, I DO NOT SUPPORT DISNEY! I mean, I don't think this movie should be the thing that brings Disney/Pixar back from their dark ages, but I'm not hating on the Inside Out 2. I do think it's overrated. My biggest complaint was the fact that THEY STOLE CHARACTER DESIGN FROM ANOTHER MOVIE and here's the pictures to prove it

Yeah, that dark secrets character looks almost exactly like Dark from Orion and the Dark, a movie that came out BEFORE Inside Out 2! and those of you saying "but they were working on both movies at the same time" WRONG! The movies were released at least 4 months apart and Disney does often rush their recent projects like they rushed the making of Wish! Another thing, the human animations in Inside Out 2 looked a little less rendered, while the emotion animations and facial expressions were PERFECT! Also, is it just me or does Riley sound younger in this sequel than she did in the first one? Which it doesn't make sense since she went through puberty, right?

In conclusion, the story is pretty decent but I don't think it's worth spending money to see in theaters. If you really desperately want to see it in theaters, fine! I prefer watching it online and don't forget that the free websites exist. The illegal copy of the movie (you know, the hidden camera recorded version with the slot machines) is on the free websites like Actvid and Kisscartoon. Go ahead and watch it on there if you're like me and you're just watching it because of extra free time, and you don't really want to give your money to the Big D.

Anyway, I'm basically neutral on this movie, feel free to state your opinion. Again, I'm not a Disney fan and yet I'm not denying that this was an okay-ish movie. I just don't think it's worth seeing in theaters when you can watch it online for free and Disney won't be robbing you.

[chainsofaether]

Is your character inspired by, or takes inspiration from, any kind of existing media? Is it because of a character, trope, setting or other aspects of the story/media you vibed with? How have you adapted that media to make your character yours?

Oh look a question I can easily answer if I just rant. I really want to rant, but I'll try not to.

I can't say I don't take any inspiration from existing media because I'm not some font of infinite creativity disconnected from the world. Neat as that might be. But I can say I don't really take from anywhere specifically.

I consume a lot less media then I once did. Don't read as much, watch fewer shows. Actually what do I do? Mmm something to think about. Lots of video games I guess.

So media is a thing and pressured I could probably point at things? But more I think it tropes and themes I pull from. But getting more specific to Nyxathe, and maybe Nexa.

So Nyxathe's one big thing is Apotheosis. I can hardly tell you were I got caught up on that from specifically but I've found myself increasingly annoyed by the near constant portrayal as godhood as a bad thing. Which isn't to say I don't understand, I do very much. Still I've like to see the other side of it, if it exists.

So much so I started building a little, not so little, world where I can create stories for the very topic. Yay world building, but that's mildly off topic.

Maybe I should talk about that someday, but for now back on topic.

So there's different motivations behind wanting to be a god. Nyxathe isn't so emotionally devoid that it is purely part of just wanting to understand. Part yes, not completely. Instead Nyxathe is a deeply traumatized individual that saw a god being and got in to the thought that maybe with that kind of power things could have been different. If nothing else she could do better.

Is she right? Probably not. Who knows if she can even succeed. Still she'll peruse personal power until someone or something stops her.

That drags us to another topic. Corruption/Monsters. In Nyxathe case ties heavily in to her humanity. How far can she take her core goal without becoming a monster? To this point in time I don't think anyone could call Nyxathe more then obsessed, certainly not a monster. But Nyx is definitely corrupted by her obsession. The further she takes her research the more she starts to find the limits of ethical research. It would be really nice if she could just take an animal and do a few things to test a few theories. Or better yet a person.

But in spite of where her thoughts take her she hasn't crossed that line. Yet. Considering her personality I think it's nearly inevitable she crosses that line. Like taking our dear Angel's character Anna. Have I mentioned I love Anna? Anyway Nyx's horror about Anna would last all of a few minutes till she realized how convenient Anna's way of doing things are, and how much more power comes from that route. Given Anna would almost certainly just murder her before she got that far, so not a meeting to be I think.

Still that's lots about dark talk about a character who is otherwise pretty nice to be around. Who's pretty ethical despite how much advantage is her not being. With the right influence she could even solidify her moral stance on research.

That I think displays my real interest in the theme/idea of corruption. Least the mental side of it. The lack of inevitably in it. Few characters/people are doomed from the start. It's a life time of situation and events that lead them. Exploration of that is pretty interesting.

Of course we have the physical side of that. That was decidedly not something I was thinking about when I made Yrys. That's much more a new thing thanks to a few things I played and had a very big 'huh, that's pretty interesting' in such a strong way I needed to explore it. So I came back and start looking at how it could apply to Yrys turned Nyxathe.

Which, very easy. Super easy. Nyxathe's whole manipulation of corporeal aether, particularly her own, was such an obvious avenue to physical corruption. Yay body horror?

Okay. Well this turned in to lots of rambling. Less ranting though so that's good. I don't really want to get in to real world stuff on here no matter how much It shapes my thoughts. I didn't touch on Nexa at all. Rip but this was getting long. One day I'll sit down and do stuff for my catgirl. Also I tied Corruption and Monsters together, and I think that's a mistake, or limiting anyway. But if I go back and rewrite all of it will end up twice as long. Plus I need to sit and really think about that now. Another post maybe.

Anyway thank you Sea for the ask. I've been very quiet for a while now. I'll see about slowly ramping back up now that I don't feel so bleh.

[gumnut-logic]

A Sign of Purpose

Okay, this is new fic, but it is weird fic. Since I haven't written for months, I'm going with whatever it is.

So what is it? Well, it reads like the beginning of a new AU. I was reminded of the Soulmate trope today where everyone has a mark somewhere on their body that indicates who they are meant to be with. The traditional idea doesn't work in this fandom very well without the addition of OCs, and I don't have the energy to build a new bunch of OCs right now, so I tried something different. Don't know if it works, but eh, 1500 words of what appears to be some kind of intro to this AU. Don't know if it is worth expanding or exploring, but I wrote something, so yay! :D

I hope you enjoy it at least a little in any case.

-o-o-o-

He rubbed his chest with a wonderfully soft towel. Thank goodness, Scott had taken his advice and really splurged on the quality when it came to the locker room towels.

As to the brand of the towel, he did not have a clue and did not care. As long as they were soft and sucked up water from tired skin.

The mirror at the end of the room blurrily reflected his movements through the steam and habit drew him to stop and take a step towards it, his eyes narrowing on the scar across his left pectoral.

He didn’t know why he did this. It wasn’t as if he expected his Sign to appear. He had lost hope a long time ago.

At least he had thought he had. If there was no hope, then he could just be who he was.

There were a few in the world who had never received their Sign, an imprint of a symbol or icon on their left breast which indicated a person’s ultimate Purpose in life. Most due to accident like his. The scar was old now and in a way more of a Sign than any Purpose. More a reminder of his failure.

He did have to admit that watching each of his brothers gain their Sign when he didn’t had affected him. Scott, of course, had grown up before Virgil, maturity bringing the almost predictable Sign of Flight.

Their parents had been so excited, just after Scott’s sixteenth birthday. The family had celebrated and there had been several excited questions as to what Virgil’s might be.

Their parents were both Stars, both born to reach for space, Dad with wings and Mom with numbers, so it hadn’t been surprising that Scott had aspects of both merging into Flight.

The traditional Reader had been brought in and the new Sign had been examined, interpreted, and aligned with Scott’s interests. The Reader had frowned a lot. Not that Virgil had any experience with Readers, but the elderly man in his carmine robe had muttered about success, challenges, losses and gains.

Scott hadn’t had to do much upon the revelation of his Sign. He had been heading for the Air Force in any case. But it had been good to know his choices were meant to be.

Unlike Virgil.

He sighed and ran the towel down his leg, turning away from the revealing glass.

It was the bruises on that leg that made him grimace, not the long ago loss…

Who was he kidding?

The scar twinged as if to remind him.

He shied away from the memories of losing his mother and the avalanche responsible. He had been lucky to survive with minor injuries.

Just happened that one of those injuries hurt more than the others.

The year that followed was traumatic enough for everyone to forget Virgil’s sixteenth birthday and the importance of that time in his life. Dad had fallen into grief. Scott was juggling the entire family, trying to keep everyone and everything afloat.  Virgil did everything he could to help, but survivor’s guilt and the thought that everything, especially his mother’s death, was his fault, sucked him into a deep dark hole.

His father couldn’t even look at him.

It took Scott finally cracking and a screaming match from hell between him and their father for it all to fall apart. Enough to create a turning point in all their lives and the first shaky step towards recovery.

So it wasn’t until John received his Sign early, that the question of Virgil came up.

John was only thirteen, very young to receive his Purpose, but considering how far advanced he was in his learning, it shouldn’t have been a surprise.

John was Stars, just like his parents. The Reader who visited them frowned at Virgil as he walked past, but nothing was said. The Reading declared John would follow his parents into space, that he would bridge communication across the planet, that he was destined for greatness.

Everyone celebrated. Dad drank soft drink instead of alcohol, but the glasses clinked together all the same and John shone, the centre of attention and, for once in his life, enjoying it.

Virgil slunk away early and spent the next half an hour peering at himself in the mirror, willing the red scar across his breast to reveal something…anything.

By the time Gordon turned sixteen, Virgil was an adult and had comes to terms with his loss…mostly.

It just wasn’t going to happen.

It did affect his life choices. Unlike everyone around him, he had no guide to his true Purpose. His interests flickered back and forth between the arts and the sciences. He loved to paint and play music. But he also loved pulling machines apart and putting them back together. He was handy with his hands and could repair just about anything. He could plan and organise and create. He could do so many things, but he had no idea which he was supposed to do, which direction he was supposed to go.

What was his Purpose?

He had to admit that for at least part of that time, he followed Scott around like a lost shadow. Scott had enough direction for both of them and Virgil willing followed his big brother. After all, what wasn’t to follow? Scott was at the top of everything he did. Academic, sports, socialising…if there was a direction to go, Scott was a good choice.

But Virgil was not Scott.

It came close, though. Virgil gained his pilot’s license not long after his brother, and was a hair’s breadth away from following him into the Air Force.

If he could have. The Air Force did not accept those without a Sign of Purpose. Apparently it was too much of a risk to enlist those not destined to Serve.

There were words, none of them polite, but looking back, Virgil knew he wasn’t military material. He didn’t need a stupid Sign for that. If he was honest with himself, it was simply doing what his big brother was going to do.

Maybe the Sign of Flight had been taken from him by the avalanche?

Grandma had so many hugs for him the day Scott left for the Air Force.

But perhaps Scott leaving was necessary, because it forced him to stop following and work out what he should be by himself.

In the end he chose a bit of everything and the hell to a blasted Purpose.

Looking back, it all seemed so long ago. All the things that had happened since - Scott returning from Bereznik, broken and in pieces. The birth of International Rescue and the Thunderbird that gave his big brother his wings back.

John reaching the Stars he was destined for.

The loss of Dad.

An echo of their father’s Stars appeareing on Scott’s left breast overnight, blurring his Sign of Flight, almost caging it.

Grief.

So much grief.

Virgil straightened and cleared his throat. Even now, a good five years after, it still hurt. Scott had stumbled and it had been Virgil’s turn to juggle the family and support where he could.

Gordon won gold at the Olympics.

Honestly, joyful though it was, it wasn’t really a surprise. After all, The Reader swore he had never seen so many fish in a Sign before. Gords was aquatic life personified.

Until he wasn’t.

So many hundreds of knots worth of speed and a sudden stop did that.

Another hard year. More grief, more challenge. he could have taken it personally and declared his Purpose as one to bear witness to each member of his family going through hell. But since they all were experiencing the same pain, he couldn’t claim any originality or self-centred angst.

But they were lucky. Gordon survived and clawed his way back to health. Some of the fish were now missing due to Gordon’s own set of scars, but as he had so many, the hydrofoil hadn’t got them all.

Plus one scar had warped one of the little fish into a shape Gordon was determined to call shark, so watch out, he had teeth now.

Virgil smirked and found himself grinning into the foggy mirror. You know, the mirror that he pointedly hadn’t been looking at.

A sigh. It annoyed him that even now, the lack of his own Sign, his own Purpose, still bugged him like this. He should be over it. Take a bruise or two and claim that was his Purpose, to take a hit while saving people’s lives.

But yeah, it was bugging him again because he still had one more brother who was due to receive his Sign any day now.

As he hung up the towel and started shoving on his clothing he thought about little Allie. Or not so little, because sixteen was tomorrow, no doubt to be followed by a Sign…predicted to be Stars of some kind. It wasn’t like the kid wasn’t begging to go into space every moment of every day. Stars was pretty much a given. But there were subtleties to Signs that needed interpretation…and celebration.

His littlest brother was growing up.

Pulling his t-shirt over his head, he straightened it across his chest, only to have his hand automatically trace the scar through the thin material.

Would he ever stop hoping?

Apparently not.

-o-o-o-

[jkl-fff]

PLANES PILGRIM or DREAMLORD or ASTRALWALKER AU

Well ... not an Alternate Universe, per se, since the idea is post-canon. But you get what I mean. Anyway!

The basic idea is that Wirt and Greg, after the events of the series, possess and slowly develop certain powers related both to dreams and to alternate planes of existence. Those powers are: the ability to fall asleep at will, to awaken from a normal sleep at will, to enter planes of existence connected to our own (like The Unknown or The Desert or The Final Catarct or The Giant's Skull or The IKEA Eternal or The Starfield of Anorion, etc.) via their dreams, and to enter and manipulate the dreams of others.

To be clear, this is not to say everything that happened in The Unknown was All Just A Dream(TM); that trope is far too facile (and honestly boring) an interpretation for me, and also is not supported by canon. But it is undeniable, especially given how the brothers can reenter The Unknown in dreams in the comics taking place after the show, that The Unknown and the brothers' dreaming are related. Or, rather, they become related. Specifically because of the brothers passing into and then out of The Unknown via near-death experience.

People who can do this are sometimes called "Planes Pilgrims" (or "Pilgrims" for short). But also "Dreamlords" and "Astralwalkers" (also "Walkers" for short) depending on which plane they travel to. Because of their connection to "reality"--the main expanse of the fabric of space-time, of which the others planes are the fraying fringes of that fabric--they also possess the ability to act upon and cause changes to those planes. Otherwise, they tend to remain more-or-less timeless and essentially unchanging, without advancents or progress moving their world forward nor regressions or devolutions dragging it back (The Unknown, for example, if left to itself will always be vaguely and surreally like New England in the early 1800s) (The Beast is dead after the brothers' first misadventure because of their intervention, but otherwise would've always been a part of it).

So they get to explore more weird worlds and have more weird adventures! Yay! Especially as they gain more control over their powers with time, and thus more volition over when and where they'll go. Also who, if anyone, will accompany them. Sara was drawn unintentionally into The Unknown, I believe, by Wirt's desire to share some time with her. Later on, he'll be able to do such things intentionally. (Though accidents will always be a part of it, and "reality" and "surreality" can have a will of their own. It won't ever have a 100% guarantee.)

Upsides of these powers: No more insomnia ever again, and usually no more need for an alarm clock. And there are experiences in worlds beyond imagination!

Downsides: There are experiences in worlds beyond imagination, and that isn't always a pleasant or good thing. Besides, while dying in a dream has no real-world consequence, dying in one of these planes will kill your soul, thus your body will remain unresponsive in a supernatural coma until it eventually perishes. There is genuine danger to the soul, and to the body that can't reawaken as if from a normal, physical sleep.

Lighter uses of these powers: Fun times and new friends (especially since time moves differently, and weeks or months can be lived in the space of a real-world sleep). Or, when entering someone else's dreams, the ability to learn more about them and thus help their psyche. Even reawaken them from a coma.

Darker uses, since any power can be put to a dark use: Forcibly drag someone into another plane to banish them there (thus putting them into a supernatural coma). Torrment someone with nightmares, or spy on them in the most private and vulnerable of position. Good thing Greg and Wirt would never do such a thing, right? Unless ...

Anyway, just an AU idea that's been ricocheting around my head like an old screensaver.

[literali1110]

Rookie 6x01 thoughts

(these are just my first thoughts as I watched, before looking at any reactions)

The Villian

Please tell me someone here has seen Orphan Black - all I can think off when I see Boyd is that Donnie/Alison money twerking bedroom scene and the opening scene of 6x01 didn't help with the flying money LOL

Did not expect them to get caught so fast - didn't know you could visual tap phones, interesting. Surprised these guys weren't using burners or something more sophisticated.

I thought Donnie (Boyd) would be around for longer, too bad, we needed a new villain. When Monica appeared I hoped it didn't mean Elijah will be back. Although hmm is Monica the new villain? Interesting.

Aaron/Angela/Nyla

Yay Aaron is back! Wow maternity leave is short. And so is recovering from a GSW apparently...missed Aaron's rich kid stories. And is there any wedding he can't save? haha

Nurse Lisa got a big part this episode!

They have an opportunity to deal with mental health for both Aaron and Nyla this season. The minute they focused on the card for Dr. Blair London I wondered if something might be happening between them and looks like I was right! (I generally am not a fan of the patient/therapist trope - looking at you, Suits - but given that she's not his main therapist...I'm open to seeing what happens.)

(Is it just me or was that first talk in the call room odd because none of the regulars were even sitting there?)

Chenford

Ok, I'm going to start with the end - the very last conversation they had was important, and of course Tim is going to struggle with this and I do want to see them explore it.

HOWEVER, the way I viewed the 'fight scene', I honestly don't think Tim's comment was that bad. He was supportive of her taking the test at the beginning of the conversation but when she said maybe she would wait, he was also supportive of that. I'm not sure in this case specifically his comment was something subconscious - he even said, you can do UC while you wait for the next test. And his problem is more with the UC, not the detective part.

I didn't love seeing Lucy so flustered, I missed seeing her confidence. (And I didn't love how they had her interact with Aaron and Wesley, although I'm sure it's not her first time seeing them.) Either way, for the sake of their personal relationship, maybe they shouldn't be riding together anymore if it puts Lucy back in this place of second guessing herself?

Basically, I want them to have a conversation about UC, I do think Tim is not OK with it deep down and it needs to be addressed but I don't think that one moment was connected to it, if that makes sense. It almost seemed like it was highlighting Lucy's own reservations with it! I'm interested to see other's thoughts.

P.S. What is the baby's name??

P.P.S. They're really giving us that Tim on one knee with Lucy holding a wedding ring next episode? cute.

[absolutebl]

Because your opinion means a lot: Any chance you feel like sharing 5 upcoming BLs you're most excited about and why? And maybe as a bonus, something you think many BL watchers will love but that you will hate?

Ooooo, how exciting what a fun one. You sure you want this from me? I have very odd taste.

The 5 Upcoming BLs I'm Most Excited About

(this forced me to put together the 2024 Announced BLs list which is coming soon)

1 Spare Me Your Mercy

Increased rates of deaths in terminal patients has a police captain investigating the palliative care doctor with whom he's fallen in love. Their relationship deepens but the mystery persists, driven by mistrust.

Why? It's adapted from the novel Euthanasia by Sammon (Triage, Manner of Death) but more important, it stars some old guard BL actors: Tor Thanapob from Hormones as the doctor and (fuck me YES) Jaylerr from Great Men Academy and goddamn Grean Fictions as the captain!

2 Wandee Godday

GMMTV and AllThis Entertainment producing a very pulp offering with new pair, GreatInn doing high heat, boxer meets surgeon. It features a one night stand, fake relationship, and all the cheesiest of tropes. Also features Drake, Podd, and Thor+ pretty boy (be still my heart).

Why? This is totally my kind of BL even if it isn't GMMTV's style of BL, and it's GREAT, so I'm in.

3 The Next Prince (ZeeNew)

Domundi brings us more ZeeNew in a fantasy/historical set in a palace where Zee plays a knight and Nu a prince - YES PLEASE.

Why? I did not expect this pair to stick so I really hope this happens. Give us the Little Pink Riding Milk BL we deserve!

4 Lover Merman

Fantasy BL about a man who falls in love with a merman.

Why? I don't think it will be good but I LOVE merfolk.

5 Me and Who

Domundi for WeTV brings this adaptation of Wickedwish’s novel of the same name. It depicts a young man who dies and is reborn into the body of a billionaire heir. The heir happens to be engaged to a handsome man.

Why? I flipping LOVE this trope but I never expected to see it drive a BL.

10 I am cautious of but VERY intrigued

JAPAN'S Although I Love You and You AKA Sukiyanen Kedo Do Yaro ka

From YTV releasing 1/11 about Soga, who, after a divorce and relocation to Osaka, seeks solace in dining at 26-year-old Sakae's restaurant. Unbeknownst to Soga, Sakae sees him as more than just a regular customer.

TAIWAN's Love For Love's Sake

Based on the Manhwa Love Supremacy Zone by Hwacha, this will star actors Lee Tae Vin, Cha Jun Wan, Oh Min Su and Cha Woon Ki. The plot of the drama is based on Tae Myung Ha, a young man who is dropped into a game based off of a novel that he knows. His mission is to make another player, Cha Yeo Woon happy. Cha Yeo Woon is Myung-Has favourite character in the novel. But then the game starts going completely different from the novel.

City of Stars AKA Fueangnakorn

Star Hunter started filming this 12/23 about an actor falls in love with a programmer and the narrative intends to “explore the ramifications of being public figure in the social network era who must endure critics, bullying, and defamation.” Looks like another Lovely Writer, Call It What You Want sort of thing.

My Stand-In AKA My Stand In

Chinese IP ALERT! Adapted from the novel Professional Body Double (职业替身) by Shui Qiang Cheng (水千丞) stars Up (Lovely Writer) and Poom (Bake Me Please).

OMG Vampire AKA OMG! Vampire (LeeFrank)

Frank and Lee Long Shi are back only vampires now. So many vampires.

The Rebound (MeenPing)

VIU Basketball based romance staring Meen (a national basketball player, so yay for that).

We Are (PondPhuwin)

GMMTV's university friendship Bl featuring PondPhuwin, WinnySatang, AouBoom, MarcPawin - basically ALL in the good kind of messy friendship group (so more My Engineer and less Only Friends). Looks a bit like the Kiss series but everyone is gay. I'm IN! Trailer here.

Love Upon a Time (NetJames)

Domundi announced for 6/7/2023 then delayed to 2024. NetJames in a historical BL! Also feat Tonnam (Dr Sing from Triage).

Jack & Joker (YinWar)

DeHup brings us be gay, do crimes. Yin, War, Mark and a few other familiar faces doing Leverage but gayer. Yes, thank you, I will have that.

My Love Mix-Up Thai Remake (GemniForth)

GMMTV. Hum, well I do love this pair and I did like the original and maybe this time these characters will actually kiss? I'm actually fine with this pick-up. I kind of enjoy seeing different countries remake the same IP. Especially if it's IP I'm mostly unfazed by.

[andrea-lyn]

Thank you to @non-un-topo for the meme tag! I'm gonna keep living in 2023 as long as I can, gdi.

What is your favourite thing you created?

I think it's actually one of the zukka things I wrote: came in first (and I'm the last one leaving) about a marriage pact because as much as I loved writing some of the AUs (like the pushing bluesey and the terror genie au), this one was just so fun and I loved writing it, and while amnesia!roy was also fun, that one dipped into serious at times and this one was just a fun comedic romp. So! yeah! That!

Which work are you proudest of?

it's got a lot to do with having to finish what I start which is a Declan + Ronan canon divergent AU. I'm proud that I finished it because this was legit buried in my 'give up' pile and I was convinced to unearth it, and it got a mild plot, and I finished it. So yay me.

Is there anything you are proud of that you achieved this year?

I got a new job within seven weeks of being laid off. That one was HUGE for me, because it felt like eternity. I'm past probation now and I'm stupid proud of that, because I got to show myself that I am great and ppl will recognize that.

Did you explore anything new this year? (A new way to be creative, a trope you didn’t write before, or an idea you hadn’t thought of earlier, etc.)

I mean, applying for work for the first time in four years was definitely new. Coping with applicant tracking systems? Very new. I also did a full event planning for a physical event (I'd only done virtual before) and explored a couple new countries/places (Costa Rica, Bath).

Oh! And speaking of travel, I got back to my blog when I was laid off and while it's not like it's ever going to be super popular, I love writing my little articles and posting my pictures to revisit the things I've done.

Which work gave you the most difficulty?

Honestly, something that isn't published yet, which is an Old Guard/Outlander/Time Traveller's Wife mashup. I've had the idea forever and was plugging away at it all year, but it hasn't progressed the way I want and even though I have 20k written, it just feels paltry.

What was your biggest creative challenge this year?

Writing during the layoff was really rough. I had too much time on my hands and it was hard to get creative, because I felt like I had to be doing something productive.

Which work brought you the most joy?

Still cluck cluck, motherf- because Adam and Declan playing sick!chicken is something I am still v proud of.

Which of your works do you think people should check out?

Honestly? I'm cool with any of them being read. I was extremely happy with the reception of all my stuff, even the smaller ones.

Do you have creative plans for next year? Is there anything exciting you’re currently working on?

Always! There's 8 WIPs I want to finish, I want to continue work on my blog, and hey, maybe one day I'll write my novel instead of mentally fancasting it (Sam Reid as one of the main mentor roles has been consuming my thoughts)

Lastly, any words of wisdom or anything else you would like to share?

Super AO3 related, but always reminding yourself of the archive nature. That comments can come at any time, and that you're contributing to your own little kudos report. That you're proud because of what you published and it's great because of your work, not because of its reception.

Tagging @christchex @myrmidryad @queermil @jocarthage @smilebackwards and anyone else who wants to chat their works!

[becauseits-important]

Ok so I'm a very new fan of CBS Ghosts and I am absolutely obsessed! I became very quickly emotionally attached to all the characters and the show is just so funny and charming in every way.

I was excited when first getting into the show to watch the original version when I finished BC yay! More of this concept on a different historical context! But then in my search to find fandom spaces for CBS Ghosts I was discouraged to find so much unnecessary hate towards the show I'd really come to love from the BBC fandom. I honestly will never understand what the BBC shooters who feel like they have to insert their hating voices to spaces meant for people who like and actually watch the show get from doing so. I get wanting to promote your fav show but how does shitting CBS and telling fans to watch BBC instead help sell your show? Both shows could peacefully coexist but some BBC fans really out there acting like the CBS version they didn't even watch just existing is the worst sin that could ever be committed.

But anyways that's not the point of this post. I actually wanted to talk about my journey currently watching the BBC version after completely falling in love with CBS.

I will admit that I have biases watching that I wish I didn't. It's almost subconsciously out of spite for all the times I've seen BBC fans INSIST it's a masterpiece and better written than CBS. It's also probably my emotional attachments to the CBS characters that make it a little tougher to feel close to the BBC characters. I've taken into account the things that make me a little more critical in my watching experience and try to push them aside so I can enjoy the show as it is.

It's what fans of both show need to do (and lots already have) BC despite the shows having the same concept and having similar character tropes and some of the same jokes/punchlines, they are vastly different shows. A lot of the critiques I have towards BBC comes down to me being used to the tone and characters in CBS so adjusting to the different takes on the concept that BBC had is a bit of a tonal shock. In this sense I completely understand avid BBC enjoyers being put off by CBS at first. But it's not a matter of bad writing like some fans insist, it's just DIFFERENT.

Honestly I find them to be about the same in terms of quality and writing. I bust a gut laughing watching both and thoroughly enjoy the different ghost antics that both versions get up to. Each show explores the concept in different and fun ways which really makes them both worth the watch. I just think it's unfair to say one is bad just BC it's different.

CBS isn't trying to be exactly like BBC. Where BBC functions closer to a comedy drama, CBS functions more like a slice of life (slice of death if you will) sitcom. Where BBC builds the relationship between the ghosts and Allison slowly overtime, CBS jumps right into it to establish a feel good nature to the show focused on the bonds they have with each other. CBS is also very camp in a way that I love. It's very important to understand that the tones of these shows are fundamentally different and I think both work really well for what they're trying to be.

This is entirely too long but I just wanted to get my thoughts out. I'm enjoying the BBC version so far but I wanted to discuss how my biases were playing into my viewing experience. I also feel like I needed to rant since so much of the criticism I've seen towards CBS feel very silly and like people are just trying to find an arbitrary thing to complain about and call it bad writing without taking into account it's like that BC the show functions differently in tone. And that this goes both ways! Acknowledge your biases folks and don't spread unnecessary hate in spaces where people just wanna spread their love for a show they genuinely enjoy! Don't yuck my yum and I won't yuck yours!

[nitewrighter]

Hm…director’s cut of “Life in Plastic”, perhaps?

Oh! Great! I recently responded to this in the fic comments on AO3, but I'd be happy to copy-paste it here! (It felt a little odd just posting an AO3 comment thread here without anyone asking, haha.)

Oh man, well, like I said, this fic had actually been in the works for a really long time. Like it basically started out with that conversation about the Superman action figures, and I was writing that actually around the same time I was writing 'Scoops!' When I was sharing that dialogue with friends, they kept going, "oohhhh the action figures are going to be relevant later on, right? Like the villain's going to use them, right?" and I really hadn't realized I had written a red herring, there. Which is surprising, because Alan Moore's "Whatever Happened to the Man of Tomorrow" very much uses Superman action figures as a vital villainous plot device, but it honestly hadn't occurred to me. I was working more from the "Superman vs. the Elite" angle where it's Superman being confronted with the aspect of people profiting off of his image.

This is also a fic that I feel gets into the reeds where it's like... feminist brain is actively fighting with dumb horny brain. Objectification was always a theme, and basically the theme of "What you project onto people vs. your actual experience with them and their own interior experiences." You have it starting out innocently with Clark getting flustered about how Lois handles the Superman action figures, but then it progresses into Clark getting disillusioned with regards to his childhood hero's voice actor, and then it turns ugly once you see things from Winslow's perspective and you see how much he's projected onto Darci. And then there's also Lois basically being the object of Winslow's displaced rage towards Corben. Lois being put into that space suit is obviously part callback to the Superman TAS episode where Toyman puts her in that doll outfit, but I also thought it would be fun if you brought that trope in and you just have characters in the story going "What the fuck is wrong with you."

The character of Conroy Adams was absolutely the aspect of the fic I was most nervous about writing. Even more nervous than making Darci NOT a robot. Like, yes, obvious Kevin Conroy/Adam West tribute is obvious, and I really wanted to balance it out by bringing in a lot of jadedness, which was definitely more of a creative liberty because from what I know of Kevin Conroy and Adam West, it's that they really were never that jaded about being Batman, they always had some understanding of what Batman meant to his audience--but there are plenty of actors who become jaded about the major pop culture figures they play, so I felt like exploring that would provide a valuable contrast to the whole Superman thesis of general hope towards humanity. Conroy doesn't really stop being jaded about being Ortus Sigma, but that jadedness in itself ends up being something that allows him to compassionately connect with Darci, which kind of leads back to the aforementioned theme of what we project onto people vs their own experiences.

Also Rannu-Chan and Lois's spacesuit are totally meant to be visual callbacks to Adam and Alanna Strange. Rannu-chan. Planet Rann. I think I'm clever.

Also yay this is where you meet the Yellow Mask, who I scooped up from Radio Serial obscurity to basically morph into a Jack Parsons/Gwyneth Paltrow little freak! I knew I couldn't go full tech-bro with him because MAWS already took that direction with Anthony Ivo/The Parasite, so I thought I'd lean into the freaky corporate colonization of the concept of "Wellness" with him, while also playing around with my own silly Silicon Valley/Santa Cruz weird co-optings of yoga and new age practices.