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mermaidsirennikita · 2 years ago

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Caro's February 2023 Book Recs

February was supposedly romance month, but as always, that was... a skewed concept, lol. Nonetheless, I found a lot of books I did love--read my first Kleypas in over a year (and it was great), found new favorites like Jeannie Lin's The Dragon and The Pearl and Cat Sebastian's Unmasked by the Marquess, and hit several really, really good ARCs (one of which did in fact make me weep).

Anyway, check 'em out!

Then Came You by Lisa Kleypas. Lily Lawson is known as a scandalous virago--though nobody knows what drives her to distract herself with parties and flirting. When she discovers that her sister has been lovelessly betrothed to the cold Earl of Wolverton, Alex Raiford, Lily takes an instant dislike to the man and sets out to ruin the engagement. What she doesn't expect is that, for all that Alex hates her, he also wants her--and he'll do anything to have her.

I love Dreaming of You--and it's still my favorite Kleypas--but I'd never heard much about the preceding book. I've kept Then Came You on ice, waiting for a rainy day to read it. And Jesus, is it underrated. This is kind of a perfect enemies to lovers book of its era. She's wild; he's uptight; both of them are a lot more complicated than they initially seem; she has a good reason to want him out of her sister's life, least of all his clear lust for Lily herself. It's a bit wild, it's a bit outrageous, it did things that actually surprised me--and Alex and Lily's chemistry is priceless. I just love a book where a cold man is set on fire by a woman he absolutely despises. You can see the beginning foundations for Westcliff and Lillian over a decade later--and of course, you get Derek Craven: The Early Years. The ground was laid so well for Derek to fall in love in his own book. In many ways, these novels are kind of perfect companions? I love it, I love it, I love it. 90s-to early 2000s-era Kleypas just hits different.

The Wolf and The Wildflower by Stacy Reid. ARC; read the full review here.

Butterfly Swords by Jeannie Lin. Since her father unexpectedly ascended to the rank of Emperor, Ai Li's life has changed. But though she wishes to be obedient to her father, she can't marry the warlord Li Tao, who she suspects of treason--and of murdering her brother. Running from her wedding, she runs into trouble--and the mysterious foreigner, Ryam. Neither Ryam nor Ai Li are being completely honest with each other. Neither, however, has any choice but to continue...

This one was so well-written. I've always had a surface level interest in Tang Dynasty China, but I'm not, by any means, an expert--yet Lin transports you to the era. It's extremely rich, and frames a kind of old school, classic story about a rebellious princess and a traveling stranger. Ryam and Ai Li's romance is, in many ways, a lot purer than what I usually like (I mean, not sexually--to be clear, they are FUCKIN'). But they charmed me. And I mean. What a fantastic setup for the next book.

The Dragon and The Pearl by Jeannie Lin. After being rejected by the emperor's daughter, treacherous and powerful warlord Li Tao sets out to capture the previous emperor's most prized possession--famed courtesan Ling Suyin. Believing that Suyin has information he needs, Li Tao keeps her captive... but finds himself falling prey to her quiet, mysterious allure--and manipulations.

THIS SHIT WAS SO LIT. Villainous hero? Check--Li Tao has a clear menace and coldness about him. He's not over the top, but he's brutally efficient and ruthless. Heroine ready to wrap him around her little finger? Check. Suyin is innocent in some ways, but very much aware of the ways of the world in many others--and she's survived by becoming a master manipulator. The delicious thing about this dynamic is that he knows she's trying to play him--but he's too drawn to her to use his better judgment. This is one of those romances where both people clearly come to feel immense passion for each other, but are unable to say it aloud. They come together (and COME together) in bed, but they won't let themselves fully trust one another. Plus, there's the added bonus of them both being self-made legends in severely hierarchal systems. As renowned as he is, so is she. Because he's so rarely soft--the moments when he is fucking destroyed me. And she's just a wonderfully, quietly strong heroine. The plot is intricate and high stakes. It's just so good, y'all!

Unmasked by the Marquess by Cat Sebastian. Alistair, the Marquess of Pembroke, is upright, proper, and very aware of his reputation in light of his scandalous father's death. So he's disarmed by how easily he's drawn to Robert Selby, a young man who needs Alistair's help in finding his sister a husband. Alistair and Robert become fast friends--with perhaps more simmering under the surface. What Alistair doesn't know? Robert is Charity Church, a housemaid who feels much more at home in a man's clothes than she ever has a woman's--and is attempting to make up for what she perceives as a wrong done to a friend long ago. Charity can't quite resist Alistair; but even if he knew the truth of her identity, how could he possibly accept who she really is?

Another "much recommended classic book is very good" moment. To clarify, Robert/Charity is nonbinary and Cat Sebastian says that they're comfortable with the uses of she/her pronouns (which are used throughout the book, except for when Alistair thinks they're a man). Cat also discusses them using they/them, which is what I will use, as well as their chosen name of Robin, which is how they and Alistair primarily refer to them.

With that said, this is one of the rare friends to lovers romances that works, and oH DOES IT. Alistair and Robin get each other on every level--platonically, romantically, sexually--and it doesn't take long for Alistair to discover (or rather, just be told because honestly he's a bit dense) Robin's true identity. This allows Sebastian to get into the meat of their conflict, which, aside from various secrets Robin's kept for quite some time, is in Robin's identity and their need to express themselves... While also wanting to be with Alistair. The fact is that Robin can, if they make certain moves, theoretically live as a woman and as a marchioness--but for all that they care about Alistair, is that right? Does Alistair fully get how important Robin's identity and expression is to them? These are issues the book tackles without it feeling like a Very Special Episode ever--it's just a part of the conflict in their romance. There's not really any body dysmorphia in this book, which I appreciate; if that's handled well, then great, but it's not a part of every nonbinary person's story, and it's not really something Robin struggles with. The book's queerness is just front and center (Alistair is bisexual, knows this before the book begins, and though he fears outing, doesn't dwell on it much). On a very basic level, it's also just a funny, sexy book; the sex scenes are REAL GOOD, and are exactly the kind of scenes I want from friends to lovers; hardcore fucking with a side of laughter and affection and like... tender fondness. Anyway, I loved it, would recommend.

The Hunter by Monica McCarty. Ewen Lamont is the tracker of the Highland Guard, burdened with familial responsibility. He's caught off guard by a beautiful nun, however--and guilty about a near-miss moment they share. Until he finds out that the nun is actually not a nun at all, but Scottish courier (and former sister-in-law of Robert the Bruce) Janet of Mar. Bruce has a task for Ewen: to bring Janet safely home so that she can make a strategic marriage for the cause. The only problem? Janet very much wants Ewen--and she doesn't believe that he's not attracted to her.

Another really solid Highland Guard book even if it doesn't quite live up to the heights of The Recruit. There isn't quite as much keeping Ewen and Janet apart aside from what is in his head, but honestly... it works. In part because Janet is just so determined to have him. She's a dogged pursuer of a heroine (a type I have a soft spot for) and she does everything she can to break Ewen--asking him to help her undress, parading around in breeches, flirting with his friends, stripping naked when he suggests it just to freak her out... In many ways, this is a medieval roadtrip romance, and their back and forth is super fun and certainly sexy, with just the right amount of angst.

Highland Conquest by Heather McCollum. The four Sinclair brothers were raised by their insane father to act as the four horsemen of the apocalypse--united to conquer weaker Scottish clans and unite them under their rule. Following his father's death, Cain Sinclair becomes Chief, and his first order of business is to marry Ella Sutherland, the Sutherland chief and the woman responsible for the loss of his father. Ella doesn't come willingly, but as she and Cain enter into a battle of wills, she finds herself drawn to the one man whose sense of pride and determination to win matches her own...

If you're someone who needs enemies to lovers to mean bloodshed? This is for you. Cain and Ella literally kill each other's fathers--he gets hers before the beginning of the book, and she gets his in the first few pages. While both of them have admittedly insane fathers who deserved it (Cain's very literally believed his four sons are the four horsemen, and boy do these men have complexes about it) they still take it personally.. at first. This is a fast-paced, over the top read that isn't perfect (I think it could've gone a bit harder in terms of drama at points) but IS fun. I had a great time. It didn't make me think over-much, but it did give me the feelings, and I am about these loony brothers.

The Knight by Monica McCarty. James Douglas--known as "the Black Douglas"--is feared across Scotland and England for his brutal warfare in service of Robert the Bruce and his own ambitions. But to Joanna, who's known him since childhood, he's just her love, and the man who took her virginity. When James returns from war, she intends to tell him she's carrying his child, assuming that he'll happily marry her. But before she can, James makes it clear that he has no intention of marrying Joanna--just in keeping her as his mistress, a fate she can't tolerate. When they separate with James still in their dark about her secret, he's forced to make tough decisions about who he wants to be--and how much he values Joanna.

This novella covered a lot of shit in a short amount of time... and it's pretty different! James Douglas, Lord of Douglas, was a real person. I did in fact picture Aaron Taylor-Johnson, who played him in Outlaw King, the entire time (it was a good choice). I assume that since his wife is not listed on his wikipedia page there is some murkiness there... And I'm good with the way Monica McCarty played with history here. This is basically a classic "man does a good woman wrong, must grovel big time" book. A lot of this novella is groveling--and it should be, because James fucked this girl over. But just as he has to get his shit together, she has to get a backbone and become less innocent... and I'm a bit of a sucker for all that. Some probably read this and think what he did was unforgivable, and like. Sure. If you please. I found their story kind of touching and real, for all its dramatic medieval Scotland shit. Again, a lot happens in a little time--but I was here for the angst.

Something Spectacular by Alexis Hall. ARC; review to come at a later date.

Highland Warrior by Heather McCollum. This book sees self-proclaimed Horsemen of War Joshua Sinclair in Orkney, where he's ready to leave violence behind after a traumatic experience. However, after a wild night with the widowed Kara, he's drawn into conflict again--she wants Joshua to help her defend her village, suffering under tyranny. He's much less eager; but for Kara, he might not be able to resist.

This series is very old school, very pulpy, and just... fun. There's a lot of camp in this one--faked deaths, faked third testicles (yes), our hero getting dragged into being a total stranger's birthing partner... But I was actually super invested in Joshua and Kara as a couple through it all. They hook up early (like, a couple chapters in early) and catch feelings later, and I enjoy that. I also liked the dynamic of a quietly strong woman basically running roughshod over this douchebag of a hero. He's a simp, Your Honor. There's a real Western vibe to this one--a stranger rides into town and gets roped into protecting the people while falling in love with a headstrong single mother (whose child, thankfully, is largely offscreen and mostly serves to show Kara that Joshua is made of 100% Father Material). It's just... fun.

The Arrow by Monica McCarty. Gregor MacGregor is known for two things: being the best archer in Scotland, and being the most handsome man in Scotland. The former has made him an invaluable part of the Highland Guard, while the latter has earned him many obsessed women... Among them his ward, the orphaned Cate. But Cate claims that her feelings for Gregor go beyond infatuation, and despite their age difference and his sense of responsibility for her, she'll do anything to prove it. And he might not be able to resist.

This is definitely one of the riskier outings in the Highland Guard--McCarty tries for a lot of things that romance readers often hate. The obsessed heroine (a trope I love, and I frankly found Cate quite endearing), the resistant hero, That One Thing. Most of it worked for me. The resolution was a little too quick, but I loved Gregor trying and failing to hold out against Cate's onslaught of flirtation, how dirty that made him feel, her determination, how horny they both were... The conflict towards the end did feel a bit--I don't want to say contrived, but I think that if McCarty had moved up a lot of the action in this one about fifty pages earlier, it would've felt smoother. Nonetheless, my quibbles really didn't overpower what I enjoyed.

Before I Let Go by Kennedy Ryan. Josiah and Yasmen had what many considered the perfect marriage--until they didn't. Now, two years after their divorced, they're co-parenting their two children and running a business together. But as big milestones--like moving on and coming to terms with their grief--bring them back into each other's orbit, both Josiah and Yasmen have to wonder if their feelings for each other are totally gone... and if they're brave enough to try again.

Look, this one is a lot. Kennedy Ryan is a beautiful writer, and she does angst wonderfully--and there's a lot of angst in this one. It's a rather realistic romance. None of Josiah and Yasmin's issues are easily fixed. Both of them have fucked up. They dealt with problems that are not their fault and happen to everyone (heads up: they lost a parental figure to both of them and experienced a stillbirth in rapid succession). This is not a light romance. But it is a hopeful one, and if you like second chances--you'll love this. You just want the best for these two, and the best is in fact each other.

Something Fabulous by Alexis Hall. Valentine, the Duke of Malvern, is in a bind when the woman he's planned to marry since their fathers arranged it when they were children, Arabella Tarleton, goes on the run. Arabella has no desire to marry Valentine, but he's determined to do his duty, and is enlisted by her twin, the sunny and carefree Bonaventure "Bonny", to find her. As Valentine and Bonny go on a madcap race through the English countryside together, stiff Valentine finds himself confronted by Arabella's erstwhile admirers, a pair of protective sapphic women, and his own growing fascination with bee-loving, pleasure-seeking, totally-wrong-for-him... Bonny.

Alexis Hall has such a strong voice--whimsical, romantic, hilarious, witty as fuck. And I love it. While Something Spectacular is also funny, it has an air of past tragedy and a bit more angst, whereas this is more firmly a romcom. A romcom with its own dash of drama, but I did quite literally laugh out loud during the reading experience. Valentine and Bonny are the perfect grumpy/sunshine dynamic, and watching them fall in love was pure joy. Even if Arabella is... a lot. She's a plot-instigating lot, so I'm good with it.

The Raider by Monica McCarty. Robbie "Raider" Boyd was imprisoned by the English, and the only way he was able to escape was with the help of the teenage noblewoman who helped him. Six years later, he's taken her hostage--the beautiful Rosalin Clifford. And he wants revenge on the English for everything they've done to his family--the weight of which is devastating--but he also simply... wants Rosalin. A relationship between one of Robert the Bruce's most prized warriors and an English lady is impossible. But neither Robbie nor Rosalin seem capable of remembering it.

A good old-fashioned enemies to lovers warrior/lady romance. It felt hotter than some of the other Highland Guard books--there's a scene against a pole that is... a lot. I'll admit that there's a back and forth that McCarty falls into in some of these books; "we can't be together"/"but sir I want to"/"no little girl" (fucks). It's pleasing, but it is noticeable, especially in the past few I've read. I think I prefer some of the earlier entries, or those without a virgin heroine, which the past few I've read have... always had. But that's kind of the thing with a long-running series, and the beats here are still very enjoyable, and if you're looking for escapism... This is it. The next one I'm reading is marriage in trouble, though, and after four virgin heroines in a row in this series, I'm ready for a changeup.

End of Story by Kylie Scott. Stinging from a bad breakup, Susie seeks respite in the house left to her by her aunt. Until, that is, the contractor sent to help her renovate is Lars, her ex's best friend. And stranger still? They find a divorce certificate in the wall of the house... one dated ten years in the future, with Lars and Susie's names on it. Though initially combative, Lars and Susie become close friends, with a simmer tension between them. But what's the point of taking a chance on a relationship that may be doomed to end?

Kylie Scott is one of my favorite contemporary romance novelists, and she gives all of her trademarks here--hot sex scenes, a sparkling sense of humor, and amazing sexual tension. Lars and Susie sell friends to lovers amazingly, which is hard for me. Additionally, there's a charming sense of magic and witchiness to this. Don't expect answers about where that comes from--that's not the point. However, enjoy the vibes, the heat, and the sweetness. I had some questions about choices made, but they weren't dealbreakers. This would make a great romcom onscreen.

The Secret Lives of Country Gentlemen by K.J. Charles. ARC; get my full take here.

A Rogue's Rules for Seduction by Eva Leigh. ARC; review to come closer to publication.

It Seemed Like A Good Idea At the Time by Kylie Scott. Seven years ago, Adele was "exiled" by her father after her attempted seduction of his best friend and business partner, Pete. Now, with bridges mended with her father--and still very much broken with Pete, fifteen years her senior--she's back in town for a wedding, and tension with the man she idolized as a teenager has never been thicker. Making nice for a few days should be enough--but Adele and Pete might be tempted to go a bit further than that...

If you're not into age gap romances, this isn't for you. Though Pete never approached or encouraged Adele when she was underage, they met when she was sixteen, and she certainly wasn't shy about flirting with him. We get flashbacks telling their history, but the bulk of the story takes place in the present, when she's twenty-five and he's forty. It's classic Kylie Scott--funny, sexy, with a guy who doesn't know how to feel his feelings and a girl who's a bit too dickmatized to notice... until she does. I compared this a bit to Deep, a book that had similar elements (an age gap, though less significant than this one, among... other things) and I do feel like Deep goes a bit... well, deeper. But I had a lot of fun with this, and it gave me pretty much everything I wanted out of a "dating daddy's best friend" book. Including spanking.

#romance novel blogging #book recs #book reviews #books #book wrapup

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tryslora · 9 months ago

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What I'm Reading Wednesday

I missed a week, so this week will cover everything I’ve finished, and then new ones started, since April 17th… time to catch up!

Physical Books:

The Marann by Christie Meierz - Finished this one up and I have a few quibbles with stylistic choices (might just be me and things I like/don’t like in writing styles) but I loved the world-building. It’s a romance at its heart, and it delves into the differences between humanity and an alien empathic culture.

Promises Stronger than Darkness by Charlie Jane Anders - I listened to the first two books in the Unstoppable trilogy but the audiobook hasn’t been available to borrow from the library so I decided to buy the whole trilogy now that this one was available in trade paperback. It’s interesting reading it because I still hear all the names/aliens in my head in the original voices (helpful, since I’m not sure I could pronounce some otherwise). But it’s also fascinating reading it directly after listening to her book on writing and style, because WOW I can see it even more. Charlie Jane Anders has created a wonderful world that I want to live in, a future that is complicated, dangerous, but also loving, and has so much progressiveness that I adore it. In particular, I love the Everyspeak—a translator that not only handles languages, but also includes the pronouns for every person (handy for the the character who is genderfluid, so no one misgenders them!). I love her world building, and I love watching how her characters have grown and changed over the course of these books. I really care about them, and I worry about how they’ll get through the big conflicts still coming as I’m about halfway through the book.

Ebooks:

Interzone issue 297 - I finished this one up fairly quickly. I need to remember that I have ebooks of most of my short story books on my shelf, because handheld reading is a lovely way to go through short stories. It’s interesting and makes me remember that I do not always enjoy things that appeal to others. Which is fine! Not all works are for everyone.

Ivy & Bone by R.L. Perez - I do not remember how I came to own this ebook. It’s a Persephone and Hades inspired book, and I’m both intrigued and kinda “meh” about it. I think it follows a lot of beats that will make it very popular with people, but for me, the pacing on the enemies to lovers doesn’t work as well as I’d like. It is intriguing, though, as I said, and I’m looking forward to seeing how it ends.

Audiobooks:

Never Say You Can’t Survive by Charlie Jane Anders - This is the first writing advice book I have loved. I bought myself a physical copy so I can refer back to it, or reread essays when I need a pick-me-up. I’d also like to take a look at the exercises at some point in the future when I have the time (time, hah, that’s an entirely different post). I love her voice (both auditorially and authorially). I would recommend this book to anyone looking for a boost emotionally about their writing.

She Who Became the Sun by Shelley Parker-Chan - Oh my God, I love this book so far. I’m about 3/4 of the way through, and I’m listening to it a tiny bit faster than 1x but not much. This is a case where the audiobook has made a work more accessible to me. The language is lush and thick and exactly what would make me tap out if I were reading a physical book. Plus the length is daunting so an ebook definitely wouldn’t work (I like shorter ebooks, because the length somehow seems longer to me, dunno). I’m very much enjoying the story, the characters, oh, everything. I’m hoping I’ll be able to get the sequel relatively quickly once I finish it.

Manga & Graphic Novels:

The Complete Elfquest Volumes 2 & 3 by Wendy & Richard Pini - I finished Volume 2 and of course, rolled straight on into Volume 3 (thank you husband or buying all the volumes, I am stupidly happy to have them). Volume 2 includes both the Siege at Blue Mountain and Kings of the Broken Wheel arcs from the original run of the comic. Somewhere during the first, I reached a point where the comics were familiar, but not “I read this six times as a teenager” levels of familiar. Then in the second arc, I reached new content. After I was done reading it, I checked when it originally was published and it was 1990-92 which explains everything. I was very very broke after graduating from college and stopped buying comics, even though Elfquest was one of the few I’d still shelled out for as a broke college student.

By Volume 3, everything is new to me, and I am loving seeing this story continue. I get to hear both more about the past (the first part is a series of one shots set in different time periods) and the future. Watching the elves grow and change is a delight (although Cutter with “face fur” still looks so strange to me). Throughout the stories, the elves make big, hard decisions, and then deal with their consequences.

#what i'm reading wednesday #reading #books

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tatakaeeren · 2 years ago

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thank you for being so kind >-< i never like rambling problems bc i am very apathetic when it comes to well, anything dealing with anyone else's problems so i never meant to ramble out to you I'm still so sorry ;-; it won't get less stressful per se, I'm graduating in December and getting my PhD (or at least want to) so i have applications for that and scholarship and grant writing for more research projects <///33 I'm too much of an overachiever for my own good <//333 BUT ENUFF on that i refuse to be sad and wallow in an unproductive state so i will instead talk about something else.

What are some of your least favorite romance/shoujo tropes in anime and in manga? Whether it be bl stories, yuri, webtoons, mangas, anything! I shall go first~ (of course i will ask you what are your faves are in the next ask~)

My least favorites

Tsunderes.

i KNOW it's so common to have it and kuudere and tsunderes are very similar but GAH I HATE TSUNDERES SO MUCH because it's usually used as a he or she is a total bitch but don't worry guys it's bc they are shy <3 LIKE WHOT. yes yes they get "warmer over time" but this is why i had to stop watching kaguya-sama love is war because i can't stand that show i couldn't 😭

Needless pining, the "chase"

see kaguya-sama love is war (sorry to flame this show but it's also a perfect example). I know people say the development gets started in the second season and i know it's like critical acclaim and popularity is deserved blah blah but idk man, the first season just turned me off SO MUCH that i haven't been able to pick it back up ESPECIALLY THE END ARC AT LIKE THE FESTIVAL idk i just pining and missed chances and mind games i can only do for like 2 episodes but after that i NEED TO SEE SOME PROGRESSION otherwise i get so annoyed

Starts off a bitch, gets better

could be put in the same category as a tsundere but this gets its own category because bl mangas fucking love this trope and i hate it like i know everyone loves BJ Alex, and are probably fawning over Jinx right now but GOSH i could never read either because i just like I DONT GET IT IF ASSHOLE WHY HE GET LOVE???? i do nawt care if he had some traumatic life experience YOU DONT GET TO BE A ASSHOLEEEEEEEEE. And this doesn't count as enemies to lovers because usually in that one they're both dicking each other over and it's mutual versus like nice guy simp gets trampled on.

Okie now your turn <33333 (if you dont' have any i will look like such a bitch asfdasdfasdf)

-lavender anonie~

You're welcome 💖 I'm always here to help everyone who needs to be listened and understood ✨. OOHHH nice!!! congratsss so you have to give your everything until December... and then apply to a PhD? (I'm sorry I don't quite get the educational system over there) and how many more years is that?

Hahahahah Such an interesting topic! haha least fav first and then our faves 🤣 ok.. let's see: "Tsunderes"... it depends if they are annoying because sometimes there are Tsunderes that are charming and adorable with a spicy feisty side... those I enjoy, but the ones that only scream and act rude or mean for no reason... I pass. The "pinning", I enjoy it when there is real tension and life actually, either pulls them apart or together (not the random unrealistic "coincidences", I like it if it is believable or one of the characters needs to fully develop before confessing (I need to see them accepting themselves before accepting the love of others) if pinning is well done the ending is well deserved in the long run. The "starts off as a bicth" Yeah I don't like it, I DO enjoy good enemies to lovers because both have very distinct goals or morals but then understand the other's point of view. But if the character is just a bitch for being one without further character development... I don't like that.

In my case I don't have "least fav tropes" but I see these types of content/story/character... I'm closing the page right then and there: Power abuse, gaslighting, mental health being treated as an "accessory" (not depicted as seriously and delicately as it should be dealt), I don't hate it but it is not my fav the "love at first sight" ... I need to see and feel the foundation of a relationship before realizing it is love. and my biggest turn of is if the characters are super annoying or super ..what I call "empty pretty and annoying" Im sorry they could be the prettiest in the universe but if they don't have a personality and are annoying... is a big NO.

#so what do you think about my answer? XD #lavender anonie💜#btw good luck on your presentation !#long post

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julibeeline · 3 years ago

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hey!! can you maybe write a fic w quackity x fem or gn!reader

and like he and the reader are like enemies to lovers arc??

i j rlly want some angsty fics rnnnn

A Four-Way Call ☎️ [Quackity]

a/n: this one might be my all time favorite :o

“the next few days were a blur. this whole ‘y/nnap’ thing was a dagger in the heart.”

TRACK: Show Me How - Men I Trust

“hey y/n, shut the fuck up — nobody asked.” his voice rang through your headphones. you felt the heat rush up your cheeks in embarrassment as karl and george started laughing.

normally, you would’ve found this funny. normally, you would’ve laughed along and thought of a witty remark to get him back. but today was not one of those days. today, his nasty words were just another add on to your shitty night, and you couldnt bring yourself to go along with the joke.

everytime you said something, quackity would spit out a casual “shut the fuck up” in response. so halfway through the stream you just gave up on speaking, and if someone asked you a question, your minecraft character would nod or shake its head.

“fuck off quackity, i asked. what were you saying y/n?” sapnap interuppted. you smiled for the first time that stream, and you couldnt help the warm feeling of appreciation. “sapnap, i am in love with you.” you joke, crouching your character in front of his.

he let out a small giggle, crouching back. “if anyone here is mean to y/n from now on, im going to kill you — and im talking to you quackity.” he plays along, the vc breaking into all sorts of noises. george lets out a loud wheeze, “woah sapnap no need to get all posessive” “Y/NNAP?” karl shouts. “yep. shes mine.” sapnap replies.

“okay jeez mr boyfriend, ill back off” quackity says in surrender. he knew it was all jokes, but the felt the wave of jealousy flooding through his veins made him question if it wasnt. it was pathetic to feel this way, especially over something he knew damn well was his fault. the remainder of the stream was such a mess. sapnap was giving you flowers and building you a house, and he could only watch with a salty, bitterness in his stomach.

after the stream, ‘Y/NNAP’ was trending on twitter. alex scrolled through the tag with his jaw clenched, making sure to scroll past the ones with hearts. if he’d known his one comment would’ve caused this whole mess, he would take it back in a heartbeat.

let me tell you something if you havent figured it out already. alex was infacutated with you. obsessed, even. the cruel jokes had no hurtful intention, he simply just wanted your attention. it would give him a sense of satisfaction when you would notice him for even a split second, and once he started, he couldnt stop. the shitty words came out left and right, any direction whenever he craved your attention.

you loved alex before you even met him. he was such a loveable person, someone you looked up to. and you did love him when you met him, you did at first, but something went wrong. you didnt know when or how, but something definitely went wrong.

with a snap of a finger, he started to hate you. of course you knew it was all a joke, but it seemed as if he got too carried away. at first he would send you apologetic texts after every stream, something along the lines of “hey, im sorry for being so harsh tonight, i didnt mean any of it.” but one day he just, stopped.

“thank you for the flowers, sap.” your voice rang through the vc. alex’s smile faultered for a split second before coming back up. he saw your character running up to him from a distance, with his heartbeat increasing by every step you took. “hey asshole. not telling me to shut up today?” you giggled, hitting him to say hi. “your boyfriend doesnt allow it now, does he?” he tested the waters. “i guess so.”

oh how he hated your reply. for the first time in his life, he hated that you agreed with him.

the next few days were a blur. this whole ‘y/nnap’ thing was a dagger in the heart. he felt intimidated, like he had to compete for someone that he didnt even have a chance with. surely you hated him by now, right?

quackity’s silence confused you. he didnt join your streams, didnt invite you to his — even if it meant he could roast the shit out of you. and there was one thing you didnt want to admit. you missed him. maybe it was the feeling in your gut that was bashing you for replacing him so easily, or maybe it was the feeling of this unexpected love and affection from someone else. but you did miss him.

it felt as if this rivalry dynamic between you and quackity had just been crushed by a newfound dynamic, one that was far different from this one. you didnt know which you liked better, you didnt know who you liked better.

“whats going on with you and y/n? like are you guys good?” karl asks through the call. alex brings his phone better up to his ear, laying down on his bed. he looked up at the ceiling in a panic. “w-what do you mean?” he answers. “like youre always mean to her on stream like you hate her, and now you just dont talk to her anym-“

“im in love with y/n.” he blurts out. “okay- i know that seems really weird right now but-“

“what?” karl asks.

“what?” an unfamiliar voice. sapnap. sapnap was in the call.

“sapnap? what are you doing here? i thought it was just me and karl in the call-”

“youre in love with y/n?” he interrupts.

“well yeah. are you?” alex asks. he holds his breath in tightly awaiting his reply.

“no, she’s my friend.”

“someone’s in love with me?”

your voice made alex’s heart jump out of his chest. it was en electrifying feeling. the drag of his fingertips against his forehead felt too fake, this whole situation felt too fake. he wanted to wake up from this hell of a nightmare.

“y/n? y-you heard all of that?” he asked.

“no, just the last part. who’s in love with me? i swear if its sapnap joking around im gonna kill him-”

“alex is.” karls said. damn you, karl.

here it is again, the awkward silence. it felt like all oxygen had been sucked out your chest, leaving you behind hopeless. your mind became blank as you thought of something to say, something that wouldnt leave him hanging like this very moment.

“alex?” you ask.

“i am. im in love with you y/n.”

“i guess i can get used to your love.”

epilogue.

sapnap left the call the second he heard what you said. maybe he was all wrong.

maybe the master plan of swooping in to save you at just the perfect moment wasn’t enough, maybe dream was wrong.

“okay- the next time quackity says something you have to butt in and help her.”

“she’s playing along, great! she’ll love you in no time. trust me.”

“keep flirting with her. flirt until she flirts back.”

his words were loud and clear. effective too, but maybe not in the long run.

#dream smp #mcyt x reader #quackity #quackity x reader #quackity angst #quackity imagine #sapnap #sapnap x reader #sapnap imagine #karl jacobs #sapnap angst

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absolutebl · 3 years ago

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Hi there, thanks a lot for answering my question on Thai bl acting styles, it was very informative.

I just read your review on Light on Me and I love that your reactions reflect my own feelings while I watched that show. It was my second Kbl after where your eyes linger and I love that show so much that it is still one of my top bls.

I agree with your statement on how clever Korea is with tropes, I went into the show and arrogantly tagged Shinwoo as the Seme character and love interest, because of the nature of he and TaeKyung meeting and I immediately spotted the enemies to lovers arc they were on but the show turned my expectations on its head when Daon was introduced and was given all the traditional tropes a Seme and Main ML character is given. I was honestly rooting for Daon, TaeKyung confession to him was everything, until the picture incident. After that ShinWoo got more fleshed out and I found myself jumping ship. I didn't hate Daon for his actions as the narrative treated him fairly and was sympathetic towards him even while it punished him for his inaction.

I was so confused by the end on who I wanted TaeKyung to end up with. The hand hold scene where TaeKyung chose ShinWoo was one of the most angsty I have ever watched, my heart was literally in my mouth❤️❤️

I haven't watched that many Korean BLs(Where your eyes linger, light on me, color rush 1 and 2, first love again, cherry blossoms after winter, semantic error and to my star. That's a lot more than I thought.)

I think their style is my favorite, I like how clear they are about their narrative, how they move towards their goal and use tropes to help the story not become the story like Thailand does

Thailand might have the heat down for their BLs but plot and narrative focus is where I believe they falter, as a lover of plot and precise storytelling, their works don't tend to be my favorites because of this, they are exceptions of course.

I wonder, do you think that the Korean BL industry has the potential to rival the Thai one? I know that due to the strength of Kdramas in the industry it might be hard for Kbls to really make their mark because with Thailand j never would have looked at their ent industry if not for BLs.

I don't know much about the K industry but I once saw that BLs would never be allowed to air on TV in Korea even they were made into long running series of atleast an hour like Kdramas, if that is an issue, how do you think streaming can help out? For example do you think a Kbl with a high budget can be put on Netflix? Wouldn't that be a good alternative?

J would really like to see what Korea can do with it's BLs if provided with the budget.

Sorry for such a long ask I just really like hearing your thoughts.

Bye😘

I think the KBL industry IS rivaling the Thai one. Because of the things you said you like about it.

More importantly it's now sucking in NEW fans, which used to be Thailand's wheelhouse. These days it seems about 50/50 (and I say that mostly because of the new follows I get and what they talk to and ask me about). A few short years ago here on tumblr was all Thai all the time, now KBL is seriously givin ThBL a run for its money.

Shocking that Korea could move so fast. I mean they've done this in less than 3 YEARS! It takes Hollywood 3 fucking years to raise the funds to even think about shopping a script for fuck's sake.

Korea is now very much setting expectations and defining new watcher requirements. Especially something like Semantic Error.

I think Japan has upped production BECAUSE Korea got in on the scene so dam hard and quickly and efficiently, but JBL doesn't have the commercial machinery (or focus) to really dominate.

So It will be Korea as the only one who can rival Thailand, but ON THEIR OWN TERMS. KBL are very intentionally not doing BL on Thailand's terms but on their own: shorter, higher production, using idols, making sure it is very very pretty.

I'm kinda awed. But not too surprised.

Hallyu gonna hallyu.

And yes I think Netflix might snap a very high production value longer KBL asset up, especially after the success of Heartstopper and Squid Game. So far none of the KBLs listed as in production this year have struck me as something Netflix would like. They have specific taste over there. And last I checked they want at least an 8 ep arc of 40-60 ea (12-16 would be better). KBL hasn’t done one of those yet. I’m thinking it has to be a serious adult-leaning one too, like the Korean version of Life: Love On The Line. Or an actual Kdrama BL, like my long awaited gay version of Descendants of the Sun.

#korean bl #Hallyu #kdrama #KBL #K-BL #light on me #semantic error #heartstopper #squid game #life love on the line #descendants of the sun #K-drama #korean drama #korean film industry #japanese bl

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uweiy · 3 years ago

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I'm intrigued by Love is Science? but know nothing about it. Can you give me a run down on what kind of thing to expect and who it might appeal to? Thank you!! 😁

Ooooo boi *gremlin smile* I'm glad you asked. You've entered the dragon's den, broken the dam and thus this post turned out to be a monster so I'm gonna link here another post from @accidentallyadramablog which imo gives a nice (and short) overview.

That said let's get into

Love is Science?

Summary :

Yan Fei is a the CEO of the Love is Science marriage agency, that matches people based on scientific data. Hsuan Yu, 8 years younger than her, is a promising young hairstylist who has been in love with her thoughout their entire childhood when she has only ever seen him like a little brother.

Unexpectedly they meet again. Between the way they've each built their lives and how Yong Yan Fei's ex husband still looms over Yan Fei's life, how will their relationship develop this time around ?

Now,

just reading that summary I know what you're thinking.

Indeed, if you have some experience with dramas, you might recognize some TYPICAL TYPICAL tropes – let's get them out of the way :

love triangle (though we all know who she is going to end up with don't we)

childhood friends

'noona romance'

And they are every bit as present and as trope-ey as you would expect.

However, as they say, the devil is in the details.

And particularly, in the side characters. Let me give you a quick rundown of the lot of them :

As such, we follow the stories of multiple relationships that develop parallel to one another.

The relationships

• Yan Fei/ Hsuan Yu : Not much needs to be added I think. Their storyline might be the most predictable but they are pretty sweet and heartwarming. pining for like 12 years though poor Hsuan Yu. Anyway you can enjoy it or find it boring or but you can't hate it.

• Mark/Ouwen : Noooow we're getting to it. Their dynamic is so... Refreshing and unique. Confident gay with a soft heart and dumb disaster bisexual I mean *chef kiss*👌delicious

After the disasters of their first meetings, it's a cat and dog relationship where Ouwen is the hsssssss don't touch me– cat and Mark is the golden retriever trailing after him not really realizing the rampage he's creating in Ouwen's heart. while Ouwen is like "Remind me why the FUCK I caught feelings again ?".

IDK it just has everything 'Enemies' to friends to lovers, (not actually) unrequited love, pining, sweet moments, jealousy, feelings realization, snarky banter... What more could one want.

• Cho Nai Hui / You Fu : they are. So. So sweet. Both are older and have experience, and as such they are not so naive or stupid as the youngsters. Them sharing their life experiences and going on dates like typically teenagers (in movies or TV shows anyway) would is refreshing to see and really really heartwarming.

• Liu Sheng Ying/ ??? Her ex ? : The show hinted at a wlw storyline and this arc seems to have JUST begun. Basically Sheng Ying's ex comes to Love is Science as a client and requests Sheng Ying as an advisor, while Sheng Ying still seems heartbroken over her. I can't WAIT to see how it develops.

The friendships :

Something I greatly appreciate is that both the romantic relationships AND the friendships have a great importance in the drama.

• Joanna and Yan Fei : Jo, queen Jo 👑. She's just here to gossip, get all the gossip and be the voice of reason and we love her for it. You can see how comfortable they are around each other and how they were there for each other during tough times and still are. Kudos to the actresses because I believed the characters were besties in a heartbeat.

• Hsuan Yu and Mark : they are honestly... Such polar opposites you kinda wonder how they became friends but they are and it works perfectly.

Hsuan Yu still hasn't gotten he maybe shouldn't take Mark's advice, and Mark still hasn't gotten that he, definitely should take Hsuan Yu's. It also enables to develop a more playful and mischievous side to Hsuan Yu, giving him more depth?

• Ouwen and Sheng Ying: rivalry to reluctant solidarity to friends-but-i-will-deny-it-if-asked to just friends. IT'S GREAT

I also ejoy the fact that these multiple storylines are allowed to coexist. The romantic ones, the friendships, older, younger, m/f m/m and f/f like take your pick !! And tbh a WLW storyline ?????? These are so scarce I will take anything.

The recurring themes :

The show more or less subtly touches on some topics/issues, to which the dating aspect contributes to.

A non exhaustive list would be

Divorce, and how divorced women can be viewed as failures for some reason

How successful men over 30 are sought after but successful women after 30 are somehow deemed undatable

Preconceived notions and homophobia

And beyond the topics, there's just things like... Joanna not being interested in long term relationships nor wanting to get married, reporting sexual harassment, older people going on dates.... I'm not saying it's a groundbreaking activist drama –which is not really what I was looking for– I just appreciate the fact that it is a pretty mainstream drama and that these things are there.

Mad respect if you've made it up to here ! but we're not quite done yet.

The cast and crew :

The other element that made this drama stand out for me besides the side characters is the cast.

It might be weird that such a meta thing impacts the appreciation of the show but it did, for me at least.

📣📣TMI WARNING 📣📣

For me what happened is I stumbled onto Mark and Ouwen cuts on YouTube, then somehow onto the behind the scenes. They weren't subbed at the time so I could barely understand a word of what they were saying, thus I'm not sure what but something about how the rest of the actors, the director and the crew were interacting just told me it was a show worth watching or at least checking out.

📣📣END OF TMI📣📣

The cast honestly seems to have a blast and to have, how to say it, come together really well. It seems like most of them have become genuinely friends, or despite differences in personality have truly enjoyed working with one another and with the rest of the crew, and it shows.

Where it's lacking

In my opinion the show does have some aspects where it underperforms.

As previously mentioned, the main plot is kinda tropey, furthermore, in a drama typical fashion when something is about to get resolved, immediately something else happens. Nothing unexpected from a drama though.

The pacing : Some moments of the main plot especially dragged on, so I admit I skipped through some parts.

Because I feel so strongly about all the characters though, I don't really mind the previously mentioned points. I just think it's a shame because I feel like if it had been crafted a little bit better it could have made the show go from an 8/10 good drama to an 11/10 friggin amazing drama easy.

Lastly, there is a pretty unequal time distribution so Yan Fei and Hsuan Yu do tend to occupy the most part of an episode. However some episodes are more centered on some pairings (like ep 11 that will probably have an important Mark/Ouwen part).

Overall

it's a drama that warms my heart, as simple as that. It's not that deep, it's pretty funny, the acting ranges from good to excellent and I have taken a liking to a lot of the characters, which is what I think fuels my interest for the drama.

And I feel like it managed to attract a wide range of audiences because the romances and relationships are so diverse. Whether you watch the show for its entirety or for one aspect/storyline/character is entirely up to you and I feel like the creators of the drama are aware of it as well : and you can easily find subbed compilations about each specific pairing on Settv's official YouTube channel.

Take that aspect that you like–if you find one of course–and enjoy it, that is all ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

What's left to say besides.... 🎉🎊 Congratulations for making it to the end of this lengthy post !

#I add a tmi warning in the middle as if this entire post wasn't one lengthy tmi lol #long post #love is science?#戀愛是科學 #lian ai shi ke xue #tw drama #taiwan drama #taiwanese drama #honestly thank you for this opportunity to talk about it #it made me happy heh heh heh #oh and if anyone else of the 15 people who like the show want to add stuff share your thoughts or highjack this post go ahead #lis?

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learnfromwebtoons · 3 years ago

Text

Lesson 6 - Build Your Relationships

Today’s Lesson: Build Your Relationships

Today’s Teacher: Odd Girl Out by Morangji

We’re talking about a comic I like again this week!

I love romance! Well-executed and original romance stories, at least. I love character-driven narratives, and since a romance story is focused on the character arcs of the two (or more) people getting into a relationship, I get to see a lot of what I find interesting in fiction in the romance genre. But how do you make your romance stand out from the crowd? How do you keep people interested in a tale as old as time?

Odd Girl Out is a comic about Nari Oh and her three cooler, prettier friends as they navigate high school together. It’s a comic that took me a while to get into. The art starts off somewhat wonky, and the pace is leisurely, as it’s a longrunning series with nearly 300 episodes as of today. What kept me reading was the fact that there was actual progression happening. Characters grew and changed from the situations they encountered, and their relationships with each other changed rather than circling around the same status quo like a newspaper strip from 1938 (or Lore Olympus). I wanted to watch Nari and her friends grow closer and become better people from knowing each other. Nari develops from an insecure and shy girl convinced she’s unworthy to be friends with her three best friends to a strong leader who won’t put up with any nonsense.

(A glow-up for the ages.)

Odd Girl Out isn’t even a romance webtoon for most of its run-- Nari’s love interest doesn’t get introduced until over 200 episodes in. But here’s the secret- there isn’t much difference between writing compelling romantic relationships and writing compelling friendships, because the appeal of both is the way the characters interact with each other and the world around them. (It’s why people ship characters that are close friends in the universe of the franchise- because they like seeing them interact.)

Odd Girl Out is very successful at developing a wide variety of relationships over the course of its run- between classmates, between relatives, between friends and teammates working together on different projects, so when Morangji tries their hand at romance, it ends up working very well.

When Seungha first shows up, Nari finds him attractive, but they’re immediately at odds. (You see this a lot in romcoms, and that’s because initial dislike creates narrative tension and means there’s more room for growth and development in the relationship as they get over their differences and build comraderie instead. It works really well in Odd Girl Out because the source of their conflict is funny and the eventual resolution is hilarious. Please read it.)

Seungha’s class is directly above Nari’s, and they get in a fight about their respective classes making too much noise. Both are the presidents of their classes, both are smart and stubborn, and Nari captures Seungha’s attention by winning their battle.

They end up working together on a student council committee, and after spending a lot of time together, helping each other through problems and flirting by leaving each other snacks, they finally go on a date and it’s very cute.

But what makes it so cute, and what makes their eventual romance so rewarding to readers, is the buildup. It’s clearly shown that Seungha and Nari like and respect each other, have a lot in common, and enjoy spending time together. We see them having a good time in each other’s company often enough to believe that a relationship between them might be cute. The author is also careful to use visual shorthand like blushing and longing stares to establish that there is an element of attraction there as well.

Not all romance has to develop from friends to lovers- a non-comics relationship I recently loved reading was in Holly Black’s The Cruel Prince trilogy, where the protagonist and her enemy are lovers while still hating each other. But all romance must develop from attraction. The readers need to believe the couple is attracted to each other. The same goes for friendships: the reader needs to believe that the characters enjoy spending time together, unless it’s an unhealthy friendship dynamic on purpose, which Odd Girl Out also explores and resolves over the course of the story.

To make a relationship believable in fiction, you have to show the readers how it works- whether they’re just getting to know each other now or have been married for fifteen years. Why are these people together? How will they change over the course of the story?

Exercise: Honestly, writing romance is highly dependent on people’s personal preferences for fictional relationships. So, think of your favorite fictional couple (or friendship, or rivalry), and write a paragraph about how they work. How does character A feel about character B, and vice versa? What do they do when they accidentally end up in the same space, and what do they do when they hang out on purpose? Write a fanfic if you’re feeling particularly inspired.

Webtoon rec of the day: Please read Odd Girl Out!

Since this whole post was a rec though, I anti-rec Third Shift Society again: side characters keep trying to tell me Ichabod and Ellie look like boyfriend and girlfriend but there’s been literally nothing to support that ship besides the fact that they are physically located in the same space.

#webtoons #learn from webtoons #webcomics #odd girl out #romance #writing romance #I could have complained about third shift society some more but I chose to spread positivity instead!

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ghostly-cabbage · 4 years ago

Text

Frigid (Chapter 6)

Genre: Horror, Angst, Enemies to Friends to Lovers

Chapter Rating: T (Language)

Word Count: 6,435

AO3 FFN

<<Previous | Next>>

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

And here Danny thought he was done with getting punishment for the day. He hit the gym floor: hard.

It made his vision go black for a second. Fucking ow. If he got another concussion he was going to be pissed. At this point he was giving the football players a run for their money.

His awareness came back to him in spots at first, dancing across his vision, then all at once. Lucky for him—it was just in time to see Skulker firing another volley of ecto-missiles at him.

Shit.

He curled up and summoned a dome shield. The projectiles exploded on contact one after the other. It deafened the sound for the most part, but he still felt like a fish whose glass bowl was being tapped on. The explosions ceased, green tinted smoke obscuring his sight.

Danny didn’t wait for the dust to settle. He dropped his shield and launched himself straight up at the place he’d last seen Skulker, fist coming into contact with the bottom of Skulker’s chin. The ghost grunted, sailing upward and punching a second hole through the roof of the gym.

Danny cringed as glass, broken light fixtures, and wood fell down. At least it was the weekend. There’d probably be enough time to patch it up. What was a little more property damage on his record, right?

Ugh.

“For once you had great timing,” Danny said to the empty room. His legs melded together into his tail and he listened carefully to his surroundings. “If I didn’t know any better, Skulker, I’d almost think you’re stalking me.” There was a beat, before the sound of a net launching from a gun broke the silence. Danny twisted on instinct, narrowly dodging the net. It whooshed past and stuck to the wall behind him.

Skulker returned to visibility. He floated across from Danny, scowling.

He growled. “Silence, whelp. It’s easier to lure you out when you’re not busy being a prisoner in this human infested place.”

Well, that was half of it at least.

“Aw, so you do care about my schedule. I’m touched.” Danny pressed the palm of his hand over his core. His tail flicked and he crossed his arms. “But you know that shit you just pulled isn’t going to fly.”

“Please, Ghost Child,” Skulker sneered. “I was merely toying with those puny humans. I wasn’t going to harm them.”

“Ever heard of psychological trauma?” Danny dead-panned. He didn’t wait for an answer and fired an ecto-blast straight at Skulker’s chest. It connected with a hollow crack and Skulker let out a shout. He dropped ten feet before catching himself. Danny rushed forward, aiming a kick to the side of his face.

Skulker held up his arm, blocking the blow with the back of his forearm. The force of the kick resounded against the metal with a clang.

Danny pulled back out of close range, noting the sizable dent in Skulker’s arm.

Skulker roared and held up his arm to fire a wrist-ray. Danny strafed to the side, expecting the hot fizzle of an ecto-ray. But nothing happened.

They both paused, Skulker's eyes narrowing. He inspected his dented arm.

“Now look what you’ve done, brat.”

Danny lifted his arms in an exaggerated shrug.

Skulker held his arm out, attempting to fire the ray again. Nothing. The ghost made a frustrated sound.

“Here, maybe this’ll help.” Danny’s breath went icy as he shot a jagged spike of ice at Skulker's arm. He watched with giddy satisfaction as the ice punctured and tore a hole through the metal.

Skulkers arm exploded.

Danny squinted against the flash of green, going intangible to avoid the metal shrapnel. He blinked the inverted spot from his vision. Skulker’s arm was completely gone, leaving nothing but a jagged hole with wires that stuck out, arcing thin forks of electricity. Danny bit the inside of his cheek to keep from laughing. He floated on his stomach, steepling his hands underneath his chin.

“Sucks, man. You never wanna overload a jammed ecto-weapon.” He clicked his tongue three times in a row, shaking his head. “You’d think such a great hunter would know that.”

“Of course I knew that!” he snapped. “You’ll pay for this, Ghost Child.”

“Oh no, I’m so terrified,” he said, grin plastered across his face. Man, two days of R&R really did a ghost some good.

“Insolent whelp,” Skulker said. A mechanical arm extended from his back, unleashing a football-length green rocket that headed straight for Danny. It looked like a homing missile.

Danny shot upwards out through the bigger of the two holes. He put on the brakes, and skirted to the side just as the missile zipped up past him. He let energy build in his palm.

The thing about homing missiles was most of them weren’t great with tight turns. The rocket spluttered as it twisted to come straight back down. It made it an easy target.

He fired an ecto-blast. It exploded on contact in a brilliant sphere of green. Danny phased back down through the roof. The explosion shook the lights, making them flicker more, but it’d been far enough up it didn’t cause any other damage.

Danny twisted in mid-air and flew at Skulker. His eyes widened and he turned his defenseless side away from Danny, back-peddling.

He fired an ecto-ray at Skulkers undamaged shoulder. He didn’t pack as much power into it as he could have. He banked, cutting an elliptical circle while holding the ray on target.

“You know, as much as I appreciate the practice, we’ve gotta stop having these here at school.” He didn’t let up on the beam until he’d flanked Skulker. He zipped in while the ghost was still recovering.

He went with the same roundhouse that Skulker had blocked before. His foot slammed into the side of Skulker’s head, sending the hunter spinning sideways. Danny charged a blast in his palm. He lifted up his left hand and squinted his right eye closed, using his thumb to line up his shot. Who said he was only a show off when people were watching?

At the moment Skulker stopped tumbling and righted himself, Danny unleashed his blast. It hissed through the air and Skulker had no hope of dodging it. It slammed into the shoulder joint of Skulker's good arm which, already weakened by Danny’s ray, popped off like the limb of a cheap action figure.

Skulker let out a wordless scream of frustration.

A smug grin worked its way onto Danny’s face. He was getting too damn good at this, if you asked him.

Danny closed the gap between them. He grabbed the holes where Skulker's shoulders should have been and somersaulted forward, flipping the ghost over his head. Danny threw him down, directly into a basketball hoop.

Skulker, of course, being much larger than a basketball, didn’t make it through. Instead, his head wedged into the hoop, his legs churning helplessly in the air.

Danny spluttered. “Oh my God.” He burst into laughter, wrapping his arms around his stomach.

“Oh my God, I wish I had my phone. That worked even better than I thought it would, holy shit.” He dropped a few feet in the air involuntarily.

“Laugh while you can, Ghost Child,” Skulker grunted. He could easily phase out, but he seemed to know when he was defeated.

Danny leaned back, rotating upside down in the air as he laughed. “Of all times that Sam and Tuck aren't here.” He wiped a tear from under his eye. “Hey— Hey, Skulker.” He flew up to Skulker.

He glared at Danny through the net.

“This is what we kids today call getting fucking dunked on.” Danny snorted and descended into more laughter.

“You’re enjoying this far too much, whelp.”

Danny held his sides until the hilarity of the visual started to die down. His breathing evened out and the tickle in his chest faded.

“Hey, the amount of times you’ve trapped me in something awful, I think I deserve this.” He sighed, content, his shoulders sagging as a last chuckle left him. “This is exactly what I needed after detention today.” Danny reached for the thermos on his belt.

“Anyway—” he uncapped the thermos “—same time next week, then?” He pressed the button and the thermos kicked on. He pointed the beam at Skulker, watching as it dragged his warping form into its confines.

The thermos dimmed and Danny twirled it in his palm, blowing the wisps of smoke from its end. He really needed to empty it when he got home today.

“What is that? How’d it do that?”

“Holy F—” Danny jumped. The thermos slipped from his grasp and he fumbled it a few times before he caught it and pulled it back against his chest. He turned towards the voice, shocked to see a familiar face.

Wesley-fucking-Weston.

He was peeking in through a gap of a gym door.

What the fuck?

“Uh... How long have you been standing there?”

And how the hell had Danny let a human sneak up on him? Let alone some gangly asshole who didn’t seem to have an ounce of self-preservation in his whole body?

Wesley hesitated, scanning the gymnasium again. He stepped the rest of the way into the gym.

“Uhm, for a bit?”

“Right… and where’s your friends?” Danny slowly floated backwards.

Why was this dude determined to be up in his business? As afraid as Wesley looked the first day of school, Danny thought he wouldn’t willingly get within a mile of another ghost. Guess he was wrong.

“I ditched them and snuck back into the building,” he said, like it was obvious. “People here at school say you’re a ‘good’ ghost,” he added. Danny’s eyes drifted around the room as he contemplated turning invisible and flying through the roof.

Was he going somewhere with this or…?

“Are you?”

His eyes snapped back down to Wesley.

He cleared his throat.“Uh. I try to be?” Danny was no stranger to students at Casper approaching him after a fight to try and talk or even flirt with him. He shuddered at the amount of times Paulina or even Dash had asked him to hangout or go get something to eat.

But this wasn't like those times. Danny hated to admit he was genuinely intrigued, and even impressed by Wesley’s audacity.

“If you’re unsure enough to be asking, why would you come alone?” He hadn’t meant it to be threatening, but Wesley took half a step back towards the door. He licked his lips.

“Because I have questions about ghosts.”

Danny’s face twisted. He hooked the thermos back on his waist and ran a gloved hand through his hair. “Why ask me? Listen— there’s plenty of people in Amity that know about ghosts. You don’t need to ask a real one.”

Wesley lifted a hand and rubbed at his temple. “Yeah, but all they ever talk about is you. Either how great you are or how you’re secretly a menace to society.”

Huh, he must have talked to Valerie.

“Then what question is important enough you decided to approach a ‘dangerous’ ghost… by yourself?”

“I just—I want to know why ghosts here are so different, and who better to ask than an actual ghost? I guess I figured with how much people drool over you that you were the least likely to kill me. I mean you could’ve on the first day if you’d wanted to… There’s obviously some truth to what people say about you.”

Danny blinked. Okay, that made some sense. But then…

“Why do you want to know that specifically?”

Wesley turned his head. “It’s personal.”

...Alright, sure.

He let out a long suffering sigh.

“Listen, I hate to disappoint, Person-I’ve-Never-Met-Before, but I haven’t really been outside of Amity Park much…” He knew the answer, of course he did, but he didn’t exactly go around as Phantom spouting off his ghost knowledge. There were things about ecto-biology he knew that only a Fenton would know... and some things only a half-ghost would know.

Wesley looked stricken. It was a weird look on him.

“But you’re still a ghost, can’t you just—” he flexed his hands in front of him like he was trying to grasp something— “make an informed guess?”

Ugh, God.

Danny dragged a hand down over his face.

Fine.

“If I tell you what I think, will you actually get the hell outta dodge the next time there’s a fight?” When people tried to stick around, they were more likely to get caught in the cross-fire. While Danny wasn’t exactly fond of the dude, that didn’t mean he wanted Wesley hurt. The thought of him or anyone getting hurt because of him made him twitch; he ignored the spike of nervous energy that thrashed in his core.

Wesley looked up at him, blinking green eyes.

“Wait, that’s it?”

“I’m dead, dude. What else could I want?” He’d love for Wesley to leave him, Fenton him, alone entirely. But he’d take what he could get.

Wesley faltered. “I dunno.” He muttered something else under his breath, something a normal human would have missed: “doesn’t make sense why you’d want that either though.”

Danny shook his head and floated down a bit. “If I had to guess, it’d be because of the portal.”

“Portal?”

“Yeah, the Fenton Ghost Portal?” That at least was common knowledge around Amity now.

Wesley squinted his eyes.

“You haven't heard of it?” Danny asked, exasperated.

“I don’t know! I’m new here!”

“Clearly.”

Wesley made a face like he was about to say something stupid. “Okay, sure, there’s a portal. What’s it have to do with ghosts?”

Holy hell.

Why was he doing this again?

“It’s’a portal directly into the Ghost Zone, dude,” he said incredulously. “Ya’know, The Infinite Realms? Land of the Dead?”

Wesley paled.

“Wait that’s… How’s that possible?”

“How should I know? Do I look like a scientist to you?”

“I mean… Kinda?” He gestured vaguely to Danny’s person.

He looked down. Oh yeah, hazmat suit. Right.

Danny wiggled in place. “Not the point, alright? Are you going to keep interrupting me?”

Wesley made a face. “You’re the one asking me questions!”

Danny waved a hand, flustered. “Okay, okay, shut up.” God, Wesley was so annoying. “Portals open up naturally all over the world, ‘kay? Well, here in Amity there’s a stable portal that stays open, meaning a constant influx of Ectoplasm. Ectoplasm is an energy source.”

“Which means...?”

“I’m getting there.” He twitched his tail. A motion which seemed to confuse Wesley, if his expression was anything to go by.

“Ghosts are made of ectoplasm, and use it for energy blah, blah.” Danny twirled a hand. “What I’m saying is that here, ghosts have almost constant access to the Ghost Zone and Ectoplasm. It means unlimited energy. Ghosts without access to ecto-energy have to try and build up energy from other ambient sources like electronics, peoples emotions, weather, you name it. It takes forever to build up enough to materialize or interact with humans or solid objects. So ghosts in other places are probably less solid, making sightings and interactions fewer and far between.” Danny blew out a breath. “That answer your question?”

Wesley was silent for a second, face wrinkled in thought.

“I guess… That makes sense—but—”

“Cool, glad to help. Well, this has been—something. But I’ve gotta—” Danny started, only to get interrupted when someone burst through the gym door. Wesley jumped, letting out a less than manly yelp.

It was a basketball player with tan skin and broad shoulders. One of the Seniors if Danny remembered right.

“Jesus Christ, dude, there you are! Do you have a death wish or—” the dude stopped short as his eyes landed on Danny. “Holy shit,” he breathed. “P—Phantom!” He had that deer-in-the-headlights look that people gave him.

“Hi.” He held up a hand in greeting. “Anyway, I got the ghost, so…” He jerked a thumb over his shoulder. “I’m just gonna...”

He went invisible and headed in the direction of the nearest supply closet. He still had to get his stuff before he went home.

“Imma big fan!” the basketball player called after him into the empty air. He smiled and shook his head as he phased through the wall of the gym.

Danny was half-way down the hall from the entrance, human once again with his bag heavy on his shoulder, when the doors flung open and two familiar silhouettes filled the entryway.

Oh no.

“Everyone outta the way! That ghost won’t know what hit it once we—” His dad’s booming voice stopped when he saw him.

“Danny?” his mom called. She pushed past his dad and lowered her ecto-weapon. “Sweetie, what are you doing? Are you okay?” She hurried up to him. The surface of her goggles made it impossible for him to see anything but his own reflection. Her voice was tight and gentle as she grabbed him by the chin, turning his face this-way-and-that to suss out any injury.

Danny silently thanked whatever higher-power might be listening that he didn’t have any bruises on his face. His back was probably another story. He hadn’t stayed in ghost-form long enough to heal it. His backpack hurt everywhere it was in contact with him.

“I’m fine, I’m fine,” he said, leaning away and trying to wave her off. Her hand dropped and she gripped him by his shoulder.

“One of your teachers called and said there was a ghost and the alarm wasn’t working.”

“Oh, that’s crazy. Why didn’t it go off?”

Dad came up to stand next to his mom, Fenton Bazooka hefted on his shoulder.

“Don’t know Dann-o, but we intend to find out!”

“Uhm, I heard stuff coming from the gym a bit ago actually.” He rubbed the back of his neck.

“Sufferin’ spooks! Come on, Mads, before we miss it!” His dad said and took off down the hall.

His mom took a few steps to leave before she turned to him. “We’re going to be having a talk about your detention today, so no going to Sam or Tucker’s, alright?”

He sighed and shoved his left hand in his hoodie pocket. Of course Mrs. Merriweather had called his parents.

“Fine,” he huffed.

“Love you, hun!” And then she was off.

Detention during the first week. His parents must be so proud. He ran his fingers through his hair, digging his fingertips in and messaging his scalp, mussing his hair.

He’d said he’d try harder this year, and he’d meant it. Even though it didn’t feel like it there had been a steady downtick of ghost attacks. Had been since after Pariah Dark and that whole mess. Hell, even the thing with Skulker was more like a game nowadays than it was serious.

But that didn’t mean all ghosts felt the same way. Especially the ones that popped up now and again to “test their skills on the one who’d bested Pariah Dark in combat”. Those were the worst.

Danny pulled his phone from his pocket and opened the group chat.

Dead “Allegedly”: Hey Tuck did u disable the school ghost alarm?

He wasn’t even at the bottom of the Casper steps when a reply chimed in.

Hacker (Derogatory): Nah, man. I wish tho

Emo’s Not Dead: Why?

Dead “Allegedly”: Just wondering, Skulker showed up and the alarm didn’t work or smth

Hacker (Derogatory): huh, maybe he disabled them?

Dead “Allegedly”: ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

…

My parents know I got detention so I can’t hangout tonight. Didn’t say anything about games tho, Doomed later?

Emo’s Not Dead: Hell yeah, hope you guys are ready to get owned lmao

Hacker (Derogatory): Bro, do you even have to ask? I’ve been working on a new loadout and not to brag but it’s pretty sick

Danny rolled his eyes and put his phone back in his pocket. The Ghost Assault Vehicle was parked up over the curb and onto the grass in front of the school. Dad must’ve drove. He didn’t really want to walk, he needed to make sure he had enough time to sneak into the lab and flush the thermos.

He walked up to the back of the GAV and pulled the handle. The door unlatched and swung open. Another thing that proved Dad drove. He never remembered to lock the GAV or the Speeder.

Danny hopped in and tugged the door closed behind him. He reached for his core and the icy transformation washed over him. It eased the ache in his back and he breathed out a sigh of relief. He turned invisible and slipped up through the roof. He turned towards home and started flying.

The sun hadn’t set yet, and wouldn't for another hour or so, but the shadows were still long. He could feel the sun’s dull warmth through the material of his jumpsuit. The nights were already getting longer and colder. The wind whisked past him with the type of fall chill that cut straight through sweaters and coats. The streets and cars blurred underneath him and a thought bubbled up from the back of his mind.

He couldn’t remember what it was like to feel cold.

Not in the human way, the “coming in from outside and sinking into soft blankets with a cup of hot cocoa” kind of way. The negative temperatures of the Far Frozen, of space, hadn’t fazed him since his cryo-core settled.

Like a stone settling in his stomach, he wondered what else he’d start to forget about being fully alive as the years went by. He tried to push the thought into the back of his mind.

The amalgamous shape of the Ops Center glinted in the evening light ahead of him. Danny flew around the side of the building and phased through the wall directly into his bedroom. He tossed his bag towards his desk.

He turned human again a few feet above his bed. He let gravity take hold of him, falling onto the mattress. He bounced a bit before sinking into its surface. His back felt better already. He sighed, wondering if he could get away with a nap before dinner.

Maybe. Provided a ghost didn’t show up.

He peeled himself up off the bed and crouched by his bag. He snatched the thermos and headed downstairs.

The portal hummed, the only noise in the otherwise silent lab. His soft-soled sneakers patted quietly over the metal panel floor. Danny uncapped the thermos and flushed its occupants back into the Ghost Zone. He puffed some hair out of his eyes and closed the now empty thermos.

Right. Nap. Suffer through the “you need to try harder young man” talk. Then Doomed. It was their second “weekend” this week. He wanted to try and have some fun. After the shitty start to the week he deserved it. He’d worry about his homework later.

***

Saturday night brought dark roiling storm clouds that blotted out the stars. The wind howled, stripping orange and red leaves off their branches. The air tasted of rain and stray drops peppered the grey pavement beneath him.

Danny flipped up the hood of his hoodie as he skirted the edge of Amity’s Central Park. Just because he was immune to the cold didn’t mean he liked being rained on. He could stay intangible if he wanted but he was way too lazy for that.

He flew a languid loop in the air as he changed directions to head towards the mall. It’d been a quiet patrol, nothing out of the ordinary.

Which, on a night like this, made the hair on the back of his neck stand up. There was a lightning storm building up high in the clouds—which meant more ambient energy. He could feel it the same way he could feel heavy concentrations of ecto-energy. The buzz on his skin, soupy and dense. It tore him in two directions, amped on the energy and nauseous at the feeling of electricity.

Why couldn’t it have been a snow storm?

He tucked his gloved hands into the pocket of his hoodie and meandered over the parking lot, careful to fly below the power lines and telephone poles.

A shiver prickled down his spine and he hiccupped over a cloud of mist. Yep, right on time. He heard distant screams coming from the mall.

He perked up, shooting towards it, the roof of the mall a grey streak. As he got closer he could tell what part of the mall he was headed towards.

Best Buy. Great.

Danny heard glass shatter and a stream of floating electronics burst out through the sides and ceiling windows of the mall, a maniacal cackling laugh from above him.

“Technus,” Danny acknowledged, eyes narrowing. The levitating electronics whisked past him and circled Technus.

“Oh, yes! It is indeed I, Technus!” he cried. His voice grated on Danny’s ears and he pushed his hood back down with a hand.

“What’s up? Mad I wiped the floor with your boyfriend on Friday?” Danny grinned, floating up to be eye level with Technus.

The ghost choked, swallowing his laugh.

“What— I— No! How dare you, Child,” he snapped. The wind whipped past them. “I’m here for my own gain! How dare you insinuate that Skulker and I are anything more than—”

“Huh, I never mentioned Skulker specifically,” Danny said dumbly, tapping a finger against his chin.

“Why you—” Technus lifted a hand and a clump of electronics flew at Danny. He dodged with a laugh.

“Everyone knows, it’s okay,” Danny called. He forced energy into his hand, flinging a few blasts at Technus.

The other ghost ducked under one, blocking the other with a wall of technology. He glared at Danny and pulled the machines towards himself. Like pieces to a puzzle, the tech slotted onto his skin, creating a makeshift canon.

“You know, Child, the capabilities of modern technology grow faster and more powerful by the year.” The cannon whirred, the inside going from black to a glowing green. “Can you guess who that benefits most?” Technus said over the wind. It fired and Danny scrambled to bring up a shield in time.

“You’re fast as ever, child, but we’ll see how well you can stand up to a few more!” He fired, this time the ecto-blast hit harder. Hairline cracks appeared in Danny’s shield.

Uh-oh.

With a whine the cannon shot again. Danny dove straight for the ground just as it shattered his shield. Technus laughed.

Okay, so he needed to avoid getting hit by that, holy shit. Danny glared up at Technus. His mind churred, trying to come up with a way to get an opening to use the thermos. If he could just—

A flash of pink streaked through the sky. It struck Technus in the center of his back and he dropped with a scream onto the roof of the mall. The technology, no longer being controlled, started to rain down.

A red flash and the sound of a jet sled drew Danny’s attention.

Valerie.

She twisted mid-air, the nose of her board pivoting as she drifted to a stop.

“Hey, Red!” he called out to her. She turned her head towards him, the eye panel of her mask reflecting his cold glow.

“Phantom,” she said. It didn’t hold as much of its usual contempt. She must be in a good mood. She also wasn’t shooting at him. He smiled and decided he’d try his luck.

“How about a truce?” He flew towards her.

“Why would I do that when you haven’t told me anything about that new ghost?”

Danny’s shoulders sagged. “I told you already that I don’t know anythinnnnnggg.”

“And I already said I don’t believe you.”

Danny let his legs fade into his tail and he flew an anxious figure-eight.

“Come on, Red! It’s Technus!” He stuck his arms out to gesture down to the ghost. “We hate Technus!”

“Hey! I resent that, Ghost Child!” Technus yelled from where he was picking himself up and dusting himself off.

Danny gestured more insistently.

Valerie crossed her arms over her chest and tapped her foot on her sled. “Oh yeah, he brings back such great memories.”

Oh. Wait. He shouldn’t have—

“Like that time you almost killed me!” She snapped.

“Red, I’ve told you before that I knew—”

“‘—knew it wasn’t me’ blah blah blah.” She opened and closed her hand in a talking motion. “So you say, Ghost.”

“We can hash it out again later! But can we take care of Technus now please? Because he’s sort of escaping.”

Valerie looked down to see that Technus was, in fact, fleeing, electronics clumping into a massive platform beneath him as he flew away. She sighed.

“Fine, Ghost Boy. Truce.”

“Yes!” Danny peeled off in a blur, Valerie right behind him. Val was a great ally when he could convince her to team up. He hoped she secretly thought the same of him.

Valerie was stubborn and could clearly hold a grudge like no other. But over the years, it felt more like she chased him out of obligation. Like she couldn’t admit she might be wrong about him. So she just did what they’d always done.

Danny didn’t blame her. There was real anger and frustration behind her words when she talked to him, but he’d be stupid not to notice she missed her shots on purpose these days.

Technus turned and fired his arm cannon at them as they caught up. Danny skirted to the left, rolling into a loose corkscrew, flying underneath Technus’s floating pile of technology and popping up on the ghost’s right. He unleashed a ghost-ray at Technus with so much force it carried him off the makeshift platform.

The ghost caught himself in flight with a triumphant cackle. It died in his throat as he looked up.

Valerie was right on top of him. A pink blast of ecto-energy hissed through the raging air and into Technus’ arm cannon. The tech burst into pieces, falling in a black heap to the ground.

“You think that would slow me down, you stupid girl?!” Technus sneered, flying backwards. He sent a ghostly clump of appliances careening into her path. She pulled up at the last second.

“You children just don’t know when to stop meddling in other people's business, do you?”

“Nope,” Danny called as he flew by, firing a barrage of ecto-blasts. Technus brought up a shield that deflected them. “Maybe don’t steal shit and trash the mall every two months and I’ll think about it.”

Valerie came in from the other side, rapid firing with her hand held blaster. Danny flanked him, an ice-ray at the ready. A few shots found their target before Technus moved his shield. He screeched over the wind.

Technus held out a hand and a crackling ball of electricity built up. It snapped and flickered yellowish green. The sky above them heaved.

Technus held out his hand towards Danny and they locked eyes.

Danny came to a dead stop in the air. His core stuttered in his chest. Fear, raw and paralyzing, crashed through him like a freight train. For a second he thought he might black out, fall like a stone from the air. They stared at each other.

He wouldn’t.

Technus knew better.

He couldn’t.

With a stunned blink, Technus moved his hand and released the electrical charge far from Danny. It went wide and collided with the mall sign. The sign exploded like it’d been struck by lightning. Plastic and glass flew through the air, and with a terrible creak the pole swayed before falling into the parking lot like a felled tree. It narrowly missed a car.

Danny let out a shaky breath, trying to still the tremble in his hands. It was raining harder now, pinpricks of cold slicking down his hair.

“Phantom, what’re you doing just floating there? Move!” Valerie said, slowing down just enough to talk before speeding off again.

Right. He needed to snap out of it.

He shook his head and started flying. Technus was still trying to get away with all his stolen tech.

Danny let out a slow breath, trying to hold it steady. He reached for the cold and tried to get a lead on Technus. His hand glowed blue as he shot an ice-ray into the clump of electronics. He let out a yelp and wobbled in the air.

Danny tilted and flew closer to Val.

“Red, keep him distracted, I’ll try and get him in the thermos,” he said, unhooking it from his belt.

“Don’t tell me what to do, ghost,” she growled. “...but fine. You better get him though. I have my own shit to do.”

“Would it kill you to use my name once in a while?”

She pointed her blaster at him.

“Okay! Okay! I get it, sheesh.” He held up a hand and dropped back, letting Valerie move ahead. She went after Technus with no mercy, throwing ghost grenades and raining ecto-blasts down on him.

Technus reassembled his cannon, trying to hold his own. He fired at Valerie but she was nimble, avoiding each one.

“Would you hold still!” Technus snapped, bracing himself against the kick of his ecto-gun.

Danny grinned and went invisible. Having someone to draw the fire was always useful. He circled Technus, sneaking up behind him, uncapping the thermos as he got close.

“Hey, tell Skulker I said hi.” Technus whirled around just in time to see the barrel of the thermos illuminate. His eyes stretched wide and an angry noise was all that escaped him as the thermos pulled him in.

All the technology that Technus had been controlling broke apart and pelted towards the ground.

Shit.

He reached out with his powers, catching as much as he could. He winced at the mental strain. He didn’t use his telekinesis for this magnitude of stuff very often. He needed to practice it more, it was still relatively new after all.

Most, if not all of the technology, was busted, but that didn’t mean he wanted to let it destroy more stuff. He guessed that a refrigerator landing on a car wouldn’t buff out easily.

He maneuvered the electronics towards the curb in front of the Best Buy, setting it all down as gently as he could. He breathed a sigh of relief and wiped rain from his face with a sleeve.

“Nice, thanks for the help, Red.” He shot her a smile.

She holstered her weapon. “You better put that ghost back where it belongs.”

“I always do,” Danny said. “See ya next time?”

Valerie hummed. “We’ll see.” Danny expected her to jet off, but she lingered. “You mean what you said about that new ghost?”

Danny folded his legs underneath him and sat in mid-air.

“Cross my heart hope to die,” he said with a grin.

She groaned.

“But, yeah. I don’t know what her deal is. She didn’t seem very interested in throwing hands with me, that’s for sure.”

Valerie held her chin. “Weird... The last few new ghosts have destroyed half the town trying to get to you.” The last bit of her sentence took on a suspicious tone.

He held up his hands. “Hey, I don’t know either. It’s not like I like getting pounded flat every few months, Red.”

“Why do they want to fight you specifically?”

“I don’t know,” he lied with a shrug. He looked up at the clouds, blinking through the rain. “Could be the whole ‘Protector of Amity Park Thing’.”

Val scoffed. “Oh, please.” Danny could imagine that she was rolling her eyes. “So... what? They want to get you out of here to claim Amity for themselves?”

“Who knows. Probably.”

“Is this where I’m supposed to say how glad I am that we have you instead of one of them?” Her voice was testy, a tone Danny knew well.

“Your words not mine.” He gave her a lopsided smile, forcing down the discomfort worming through his gut. He should leave before she got too worked up. He had one too many scars from when she’d decided a truce was over.

“Well, it’s been nice. But we should get out of this rain. We’ll catch our death out here. Hah!” He pointed finger guns at Valerie.

“Phantom… I’m gonna give you a ten second head start—”

Danny turned tail and flew, a genuine laugh working it’s way up from his chest.

#danny phantom #danny phantom fanfiction #Phan Phic #danny fenton #Wesley Weston #Skulker #Technus #valerie grey #red huntress #Frigid #My writing #unidentified flying ship #Danny x Wesley #Danny x Wes #Slow burn #enemies to friends to lovers

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tsuraiwrites · 4 years ago

Note

Can I ask for "Can't you stay a little longer?" for frostiron or winteriron? There so many to pick from aaagh

thanks for the prompt and your patience, mar! 💜 these keep turning out super salty towards the ex-avengers so I appreciate you sticking with me.

for this prompt meme. I absolutely love doing these prompts, so anyone is free to send more for the fandoms I write for.

Fic: For the Price of One

Tony is injured in Siberia, his suit disabled. Loki is left to clean up the aftermath.

“Can’t you stay a little longer?” Anthony croaks, reaching out, and Loki catches his hand before the human can overextend himself, careful of the equipment surrounding his healing bed. The last of the healers have left Stark alone in a private room, and even now the sight of him bruised and bandaged is enough to have Loki’s blood running hot with rage.

“I must go,” he says regretfully. “Your armor yet remains in the bunker,” from where Loki had ripped it off with his seidr in panic, desperate to confirm whether or not Anthony was still alive, “and I know you would prefer no one find those dead soldiers, yes?” He gently squeezes the mortal’s hand, watching Anthony war with himself until sense overcomes sentiment, even through the haze of the pain-killing drugs.

“Okay, you have a point,” Anthony sighs, attempting to pull away. Loki catches his hand before he does, leaning down to place a gentle kiss on his bruised knuckles.

“I will return shortly, once all is secured,” Loki assures. He is still very tempted to go and take his rage out on the men who hurt his lover so, but taking care of Anthony and transporting him back to the Compound for healing took priority, and he knows Anthony does not wish him to take vengeance.

Not yet. Not when it would be much better served by Anthony himself.

“I’ll hold you to that,” Anthony grumbles, his eyes already starting to droop with exhaustion and medication. Loki doesn’t do more than smile – even through the burning anger, he has only to look on Anthony’s face to bring light to his own. Even with the urgency of the situation, the possibility of someone walking into the room, Loki waits until Anthony is drifting into sleep before he carefully sets the man’s hand down on the bed and teleports away.

It will be some hours yet before “Odin” needs to show his face outside his chambers – Loki has more than enough time to collect Anthony’s suit and take care of less pleasant tasks.

The cold air of the Siberian bunker affects him little, but the bitter wind blowing snow over the remains of red and gold armor is a reminder of how close Anthony came to dying this day. Loki gathers the pieces quickly, seething as he picks up the scraps of the chestplate with its shattered and dark arc reactor and deposits them into his personal pocket of non-space.

Then he turns to the all-too-familiar shield. For a long moment Loki has to fight the urge to simply fling the weapon that had brought such harm into the deepest depths of space, prevailing only with the knowledge that Anthony will think of a much more impactful use for it when he is ready to make his move. Regretfully, he stashes the shield away too.

The remains of the arm he melts into slag on the spot, with great satisfaction.

It takes little effort to dispose of the Winter Soldiers, and Loki finds his thoughts drifting with the anticipation to return, back to where he can keep an eye on Anthony and ensure his safety. The danger is all around now, and though Loki is only just beginning to grasp the current Midgardian political climate, he knows that the men who left Anthony broken and bleeding here are not his lover’s only enemies.

Loki, loathe as he is to admit it, cannot be on Midgard and constantly by Anthony’s side as he would wish, not with the preparations he’s been making for Thanos both on Asgard and in other realms. Neither can he count on Rhodes, not with the man laid up in his own healing bed. Even FRIDAY watching over Anthony’s recuperation is not enough – she has no hands with which to defend her creator while he languishes, healing at the slow rate of any mortal.

That thought is the one that makes Loki pause.

It’s a thought that’s occurred to Loki before, of course, especially when he has little doubt that Anthony will be among those who face the Titan head on when he comes. He is human, with all the disadvantages that come with it.

But he could be more.

Loki sucks in a frigid breath, truly contemplating it for the first time. Such a gift would be… weighty indeed. The last person not Aesir to be given an Apple was Frigga, and she was not mortal herself before receiving it as a wedding gift from Odin. But Anthony will have little idea of the cultural implications of such a gift, will only need to know that it will heal him, will keep him from aging for centuries yet.

Centuries he might choose to spend with Loki, should they survive the battle to come.

The thought is both a comfort and a thrill, finally cooling the temper he’d been wrestling with ever since he’d viewed Anthony being beaten down from Odin’s all-seeing throne. And then comes doubt. He’s never heard Anthony express a wish for more strength, a longer life. He may reject the Apple, may reject all the implications that come with Loki even offering it to him.

But Loki wants, wants more than anything. If he can ensure Anthony understands the offer comes with no obligations, no strings-

Well, maybe one string. After all, it cannot be any harder to requisition two apples from Idunna, rather than one. If his friend Rhodes will accept it as a method of healing his injury, perhaps Anthony will do the same, knowing that he will be guaranteed at least one friend not lost to the passing years.

A plan coming together in his mind, Loki brushes away the last of the dust that remains of the Winter Soldiers’ bodies and departs. First he will return to the Compound to check on Anthony, and then… well, then he supposes the rest will be up to the Norns.

#fic #mcu #marvel #frostiron #loki/tony stark #bxdcubes

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girlfriendsofthegalaxy · 4 years ago

Text

tuesday again 5/4/21

yeah yeah yeah may the fourth be with you whatever this is mostly me rambling disjointedly about the bits and pieces of star wars i crammed into my weekend

i think the star war that is the best-made and most watchable on a technical level (including script) is ESB. however, AOTC is my fuckin favorite bc there’s so much fucking nonsense happening all the the goddamn time. incoherent movie with too many sidequests but it all looks sick as shit

my personal history with star wars is: watched it (like many other movies) juuuuust a little too young with my dad as a Bonding Activity (to the silent fury of my mom) but unfortunately got Really Into It. reading expanded universe novels (nearly all of them, i have almost two hundred of them in boxes in a storage unit) was the thing that kept me alive through high school. never really got into the comics, didn’t pick up any of the post-disney-nuking-the-expanded-universe novels. was horribly disappointed by the sequel trilogy and solo. rogue one is all right. however, the mandalorian (weird and cheesy as it is, also i am not immune to pedro pascal) really got me back into this stupid fucking franchise. so i have been taking a rambling walk through things that i remembered liking. all my fun star wars facts are old and outdated but they sure all do live in my brain

listening ‘General Grievous’ off the ROTS soundtrack. this is i think the beginning of my love for heavy low rumbling undercurrents? would not say this has a ‘groove’ per se but there is definitely a forward momentum. love some ominous brass. love the williams panic-spike strings. LOVE A DANGER WARNING LEITMOTIF

god u listen to the original + prequel soundtracks and then listen to the sequel soundtracks (as i have been doing during working hours for the past week) and i get really sad. should have let him retire in peace. he doesn’t have a ton of gas left.

anyway this is the bit of the movie where obi-wan shows up on utapu (the cool sinkhole planet) with the big lizard bird to fight grievious btw. good fight. why does he flirt with the big robot man when he’s already in a enemies-to-lovers flirtationship with asaaj ventress RIGHT AFTER the duchess of mandalore died in his arms??? who can say. grief makes people do weird things.

youtube

reading rebel heist (2014, kindt & castiello). these are some of the few loose single-issue comics i own bc i love the covers so much. i hate dealing with bagged and boarded comics bc they’re a pain to store and they’re honestly a pain to read. gimme a trade paperback any day please. rereading these, i liked them less than i remembered- it’s a cool conceit of following an ordinary person in the rebellion as they get caught up in luke & leia & han & chewie’s schemes, and things of course do eventually turn out fine but not before all these regular people go UHHHH WHAT THE FUCK? WTF WTF WTF NOT WHAT I SIGNED UP FOR at some classic skywalker nonsense. can i just say how much i love these covers again tho

watching star wars: the clone wars ran from 2008 to 2020. i watched the first six seasons with my siblings on starwars.com for most of its run, bc there was a brief period of time (i forget whether it was two days after or ten days after) when you could watch each episode for free and we didn’t have cable until well after i went to college.

the second season is where it really starts to hit its stride- i haven’t gone back to watch anything as an adult but i remember liking a lot of the episodes from this season. as an adult, it’s pretty horrifying to realize how fucking stupid the clone wars were from a loss of life and material gain standpoint.

there’s a two-episode arc about the zillo beast, a big kaiju critter, and i only had enough time to watch the first one. the have to protect the oil planet (sorry, i’m getting a note in) so sorry the FUEL RESERVES on the oil planet, so they drop a giant EMP two miles from the city center, but this isn’t a planet with people that look like humans so it’s fine! the important thing is that the fuel is okay.

anyway, this episode is lovely and moody- this is such a stiff-looking show and wreathing everything in cool purple mist and making sure the silhouettes look good is really doing a lot of the work here

look i just really like this framing. the jedi on a stage above everyone else, waist-deep in blood already from the months-old war, the hint of an imperial symbol in the cannon dish, anakin & mace separated by an interior wall and separate hatches. i’m reading too much into season fucking two of the clone wars but i just think it’s neat.

yes!!! starship fuel SHOULD be bright radioactive green!!! star wars is mostly about things looking sick as shit and it’s part of why i am the way i am now

ok i fucked up on this last screenshot but look. LOOK. this is some peak nonsense right here love it. mwah. star wars is at its heart a melodramatic pulpy swashbuckling science fiction adventure and it gets weird when it forgets that

playing i own fallen order bc it came for free with my pc but i have not cracked it open bc it seems like an assassains creed, a style of game that fucking infuriates me. also i own no other star wars games so this section left intentionally blank

making i make one of these things a year now i guess. this one is finally for me.

#tuesday again #tuesday again no problem #i am cursed to love franchises with horrific fandoms

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cecilspeaks · 4 years ago

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175 - The October Monologues

[static] [slightly distorted] The trees are dying again. You know it, I know it. The trees know it. They have known it for decades, centuries in some cases. The shiver of cyclic, symbolic death. A rattle in the cold night air. A rustle in the footsteps of a hungry deer. It is October and something is different. It is October and the trees draw the crackling red and orange curtain in the year’s final act. It is October, and so listeners, dear listeners, Night Vale community radio is proud to introduce The October Monologues.

Faceless Old Woman: I am lonely. Oh, I see people. I see lots of people every day. I see you right now. I see you, Caleb, sitting in your rolling desk chair, hunched over your computer. I am a faceless old woman who secretly lives in your home, watching you download yet another video game, Caleb.

But seeing people and being with people are different things. Different ideas altogether. I miss touch most of all. A father’s hand, a friend’s arms. A lover’s chest. I still touch, am touched, but it is not the same. It is not a mutual touch. My touch is unwelcome, unfriendly, unwanted. Yet I touch because I love.

And I love you, Caleb. I do. I know you don’t believe me after what I did to you tonight, but I do. My love is not romantic nor maternal. It’s not platonic, either. I love you the way a deer loves a cornfield. It is safe, it is nourishing. It is in its DNA to want to be there, to hide, to eat, to play. You’re very much like a cornstalk, Caleb. You are loved and you are benign. Better than benign, you are a contribution to this world. The cornstalk is unaware that a deer loves it so much that it will bend it and stomp it until its edible morsels spill out from its crumpled empty husk. The cornstalks, there are so many cornstalks, do not understand that they are so loved by the deer as to be devoured.

You’ve seen a kitten before, Caleb, I know you have. Sometimes kittens are so cute. So so so so cute that you wanna put them in your mouth. Do you understand that kind of love, Caleb, that kind of touch? You do not, no one does. And this is why I’m lonely. But I think you know that. You’re different. You’re lonely too. That’s not what makes you different, we’re all lonely in our own way.

You’re different, Caleb, because you know I am here. You see me even when I do not want to be seen. No one has been able to do that in at least 200 years. Sometimes you speak to me. Not in terror, not in rage; I’ve heard many of these voices in my life from those who feared and detested my presence. No, you ask me my name. I won’t tell you, not yet. You tell me about your day, I’m sorry your new boss is so mean, I will rectify this. And last night, you prepared a dinner for me. You’re not a good cook, I can smell that much, but it was your gesture of generosity that touched me. You made cashio e pepe, a recipe you learned from TikTok, and you prepared a bowl just for me. You waited to see if I would appear, and when I did not, you told me you understood wanting to eat alone, so you left it for me on the dining room table, as you went to play the new flight simulator.

Few men have ever been this kind to me before being frightened into it first, or without using their kindness as a disguise. I think you genuinely understand your own quiet desperation among the mass of men. And in turn, you understand others too. I don’t trust the kindness of men, Caleb. I don’t trust the kindness of women, either. Or anyone else’s kindness, to be truthful, but I especially don’t trust men’s kindness. There are exceptions. Andre, whose kindness was loyalty and honesty, and Albert, although his was a much different kind of kindness.

But Caleb, 23-year-old, unshaven, video game loving, boss hating aimless Caleb, your kindness frightens me. I’m scared of what you want, what it is you plan to take from me. Kind men have stolen my childhood, my morals, my money, my love, my life, and my family. What will you take from me, Caleb, that I have not already lost? I’m afraid. I’m afraid to respond to your gentle bait of friendship, because I am afraid you will take my loneliness from me. I am lonely, and that is a choice I have made for myself.

One day, Caleb, you will die. I know exactly when. It will not be of my hand, although I will do nothing to stop it. It is my fate, my path, to know such things. And in your death, you will return my loneliness to me, and it will be a horror to behold, bloody and misshapen. My loneliness, not recognizing its former owner, will howl an unholy and unceasing cry, and I will not be able to bear it.

This is what I fear, Caleb, and this is why I took the bowl of cashio e pepe you left for me and hurled it against the wall, just missing your cheek. I’m not sad that you screamed at me, I’m happy that you did so. This is how it has to be. We are not enemies, Caleb, no no. I love you deeply. Deeper than you can know. I am your deer Caleb, and you are my corn.

Cecil: The fiery flash of fall leaves stuns us, captivates us. Fireworks in slow motion. Or the crackling embers of a finishing flame. Upon the leaves are written instructions for how to make oxygen, how to give life, with every exhalation. How to find flair in fading grace, and how to raise new life by falling to your death. The leaves know they will return again, so much will return again. We return now to the October Monologues.

Michelle Nguyen: There’s this new song I like, but I don’t wanna tell you what it is. I find it kind of embarrassing. Usually I love to talk about my favorite music. There was that summer I was obsessed with the new single by Saint Vincent. The single came in the form of a glazed vase containing three blue flowers. Only one was ever made, and I got the only copy. I found it very catchy, but the flowers eventually died. Or the year I spent listening over and over to that new Janelle Monae album. I forget the name, but the cover was a black and white picture of a well, and if you didn’t share it with someone else in 7 days, you would die. Of course no one ever died, because the album was so good, people just couldn’t stop telling their friends to listen.

My favorite song of all time is a blank cassette tape still in its plastic wrapper. It was owned by a man named Gary Joy. He was a real estate lawyer, reasonably successful, but he always dreamed of being a singer/songwriter. He dreamed all the time of quitting his job and writing songs, but he had never even written one song. Then one day, in a fit of optimism and energy, he bought this cassette, intending to make his first memo. But the day got away from him, and then the week, and then the rest of his life, and he never quit being a lawyer, and he never even wrote one song. This blank cassette tape, still in its wrapper, contains the potential of all the songs he could have written but never did, which is better and more powerful than any song anyone’s actually managed to write. The potential of the thing is always more perfect than the reality of the thing. However, and this is the crucial drawback, the potential is absolutely useless and the reality, however imperfect, can be quite useful. Anyway, I like to hold Gary Joy’s unwritten demo and imagine what it would be like. Hold on, sorry. There’s a customer.

[bell dings] Welcome to Dark Owl Records. What? No, no. No. No! No. OK, bye! [bell dings] Sorry about that. Some people are so unreasonable. I don’t even know what a Taylor Swift is.

But there’s a new song I like, and it’s not cool like my other favorite songs. It’s not a song that fits the kind of image I like to project. When I put on my mirrored leggings, my extra long jorts, and my really big hat, people expect something from me. They expect me to be on the cutting edge. They expect me only to be into bands that aren’t popular yet, or will never be popular, or that frankly don’t know how to play their instruments very well. And the song I like now is not any of those things. It’s… ordinary. It’s… popular. I don’t wanna say what it is. Remember when I only listened to the sound of beez buzzing? That was a good summer. Of course I got stung once or twice or 30 times. [sighs] Hold on, sorry, there’s a customer.

[bell dings] Welcome to Dark Owl Records! Hey. Hey! Hey! Hey! HEEEEY! Thanks, nice to see you again. [bell dings] Sorry about that.

I’m tired of being cool. I was going to say trying to be cool, but trying implies the possibility of failure, and there has never been a moment when I’ve failed to be cool. But here’s the hard truth I’ve come up against: being cool is a young person’s game. And that’s not because young people are better or more interesting than older people. God no. God no. God no! It’s that coolness itself is a concept tied to youth. Coolness is a reactionary manifestation of insecurity. The more insecure you are, the cooler you need to be. It’s colorful plumage. But as I’ve gotten older, I no londer need flashy plumage. I just wanna sit in the comfort of who I am, and not worry about what that looks like from the outside.

Anyway, I can’t stop listening to “Karma Police” by Radiohead. It’s just… a good song, you know? Hold on, sorry, there’s a customer.

[bell dings] You! You’ll never catch me alive! [sound of running] [bell dings]

Cecil: An abundance of words, words falling, fluttering to the earth. Words crunching beneath our feet. They were beautiful once, the words. Now they are beginning to rot, to wilt, to compost, to ferment new growth. To fertilize new words growing upon great trunks of paragraphs and chapters, but not now. Those will come later. Now the words sputter and drop in spiraling arcs to the ground. Here, then, are the final few brightly painted words falling upon you now. The October Monologues.

Steve Carlsberg: What does it mean to be believed? I’ve always known that Night Vale isn’t like other places. As long as I can remember, I could see that. I could also see that no one else could see it. I was alone in my knowledge. Knowledge may be power, but power is often lonely. My grandfather knew. He could see that I was like him. “Steve,” he would say, “us Carlsbergs have always been the town pariahs, but just because they hate you, doesn’t mean they’re right.” I would sit at night as a kid and listen to Cecil on the radio. He was the same age as he is now, and at the time he seemed so wise. But I would hear him dismiss what I knew shouldn’t be dismissed. I would hear him cover up what should be uncovered, and I would know with a child’s certainty that it was wrong. I loved him still. Everyone in town loves Cecil. It is possible to love someone who you know is doing wrong. It’s terribly easy, in fact.

What does it mean to be believed? As a teenager, I started trying to express what I saw about the world. I gave a presentation in my social studies class called “Night Vale – there’s literally nowhere like it”, and I thought it was informative. The class all plugged their ears in unison. The teacher stopped me a minute in, glancing nervously at the 8 surveillance cameras monitoring the classroom. “Are you trying to get us all killed?” the teacher hissed at me. I remember that her breath smelled like Strawberry Jolly Ranchers, and there was a lose crumb of mascara in the sweat of her temples. “No,” I said. I didn’t know what to say. It’s not the kind of question that demands a sincere answer. The report earned me a trip to the principal’s office, and then the re-education pit, which honestly is not as bad as its name. I mean, almost not as bad. It’s pretty bad. It’s a pit, for re-education. So, certainly learned something from that re-education. I learned that you’re equally likely to be punished for being right as you are for being wrong.

What does it mean to be believed? I was a young man entering the workforce, and I had long ago learned to hide away what I knew about my city. I had learned the handshake and the smile, the nod and the necktie, all the signifiers that hid what I truly signified. All of life is a code, and I had been thought the key against my will.

I got a job as a bank teller at the Last Bank of Night Vale. I studied with great interest the townsfolk who came and went there. I learned about their lives and their secrets, and what kind of money they made for the whispered deals out back of quiet parking lots just before the sun went down, pulled up next to a black Sedan that contained their handler who they only knew by a false first name. but I couldn’t forget what I knew, even if I learned to playact that I had. What I know shapes who I am. I can’t close my eyes, not to this town I love. This weird and secret town I love.

What does it mean to be believed? Then I married into the family of Cecil Palmer, host of Night Vale community radio! And he hated me, because he could see that I knew. And after all these years, my mask had slipped a little. I’d lost my interest in hiding. I wanted to speak the truth as I knew it, nothing could be more threatening to Cecil. His life and livelihood depended on speaking the truth as the City Council wanted it. Or as the Vague yet Menacing government agencies crafted it. And here I was, pointing out to him the sky. There are glowing arrows in the sky, there are dotted lines and arrows and circles. The sky is a chart that explains the entire world! I tried to tell him, and this only made him hate me more. I tried to share who I was with him, and this only made him recoil.

Abby listened to my stories, but she never shared my enthusiasm for the truth. “Let it lie,” she would say, “let it lie.” But that’s he point, I can’t let it lie and I can’t lie! We’ve done that for too long! We’ve let our town sit heavy under the weight of euphemism and half truth, and unless someone just said what they saw for once, we would be crushed eventually by that weight!

And then it all changed. I wasn’t alone. The others saw that we lived in a weird place. And you know what? We kept existing. Our world didn’t end merely because we dared acknowledge it. Cecil and I are friends now. I haven’t forgotten how he treated me, but I understand it and I forgive it. Forgiveness and understanding are not the same as forgotten.

What does it mean to be believed? It means everything. It means all.

Cecil: And as the leaves are done, so are the October Monologues. All that can be said has been said. And all that can be said will be said again.

Today’s proverb: Listen, it might seem like everything’s bad right now.

#welcome to night vale #welcome to night vale transcripts #episode 175 #the october monologues #sorry again for being so tardy #was swamped at work #but here it is

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prolestari · 3 years ago

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Mad For Each Other (2021)

Summary: A man and woman who can’t seem to stay out of each other’s way realize they not only share a psychiatrist, but live next door too.

My Rating: 9/10

Pros: This show was so funny! I was rolling through the entire thing. Lots of fun physical comedy as well as running gags and great jokes that pay off when you least expected it. The acting was great and featured a fun secondary cast. Episodes are only a half hour so it’s a quick and easy watch. Did I mention the cute dog?

Cons: The last two scenes of the show really threw me. I loved everything about it until the very final end. Don’t get me wrong, I liked the ending, but there is some unnecessary stuff in the last 10 minutes that had me scratching my head. Some of the jokes played for laughs could be considered offensive, but in the show’s defense the characters get called out on this and change for the better.

Fanfic-ability: 4/10. There’s plenty of opportunity for some fun fluff that takes place after the show, but that’s about it. I wouldn’t want to see the characters hurt any more, and the show did a pretty good job delving into what brought them to this point, so I can’t see a lot of great angst ideas.

I really liked how the show explored living with mental illness and trauma in a funny and heartfelt way. Jung Woo and Oh Yeon-seo acted their asses off and had so much chemistry that even when they hated each other it was so satisfying. Plus I love a show that utilizes its supporting cast so well. The perfect enemies to friends to lovers story! More spoiler-y thoughts under the cut.

Gotta talk about that ending first. I thought things wrapped up fine in the hospital. What was the point of having Min-kyung leave after they had reconciled, and her ex was in jail? It made no sense whatsoever. Then to add insult to injury, we have a second scene of Hwi-oh lovebombing and yelling at her in the street, when he was supposed to have learned his lesson.

The second reconciliation really made me raise an eyebrow. The show spent many pains to establish that Hwi-oh was not like other guys, that he understood Min-kyung, and that he would protect her. Having him act like that after being dumped again was wildly out of character. The first argument on the street when she initially breaks up with him made sense. He’s upset and realizes that he made a huge mistake in not believing her like he promised. The show allows him to learn from it and make it up to her. So why you yelling again, buddy?

Of course, the writers chose to have Min-kyung leave, which was also I think a misstep. Her story arc was about her learning not to run away, so in the end she... runs away? And what was with the threats, and tricking her like that? Talk about some weird gaslighting. Then the craziest part: she decides to stay with him because he caught a random criminal?? We don’t even get to find out where she goes and why Hwi-oh is alone at the end. So weird.

Despite that, I really did love this show. The women’s group was such a riot, and the growth they went through was so sweet. Also I loved the friendship between Samantha and the part-timer, and how they all came through for each other in this little community.

#mad for each other #my two cents #notes and reviews

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tcheschirewrites · 4 years ago

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Happy New Year!

Part of me wanted to do a Year In Review post, like I’ve seen a few other creators do, but instead of talking about myself (which I do for the entire rest of the year anyway lmao), I’m gonna do a reclist instead, of the best fics I’ve read this year. A lot of it is BNHA, because that’s been my main fandom for 2020, but I did spend a decent amount of time in other spaces. If you see a **, that means there’s boning at some point – if the fic is in bold, then there’s a lot of boning. I @ed their Tumblr if I knew it off the top of my head, but I may have missed some.

BNHA

Don't Yuck Her Yum by rumblefish ( @rumbllefish) (League of Villains Gen)

Complete – A quick disclaimer, pia is a mutual and a friend. That being said, this is such a cute little snapshot into the LOV with everyone’s favorite Found Family trope. Now, I’ll admit to being additionally biased because pia gave me that sweet sweet Dadpress food, but her Spinner is also on point. Short and sweet.

the Issue of the Jeanist Corpse (the Jorpse) by Princeliest (Hawks & Jeanist Gen)

Complete – Witty and hilarious, a deleted scene when Hawks went to visit Best Jeanist before War Arc. I love how antsy Hawks is, and how fussy Jeanist. Also, I’m a sucker for putting a j at the beginning of everything for Jeaninst.

Queer Eye: We're In Japan! And There Are Pro Heroes Everywhere!! by night_of_the_living_trashcan (Background Erasermic Family)

Complete – I love a good Queer Eye fic, and this one is so spot on. The Fab Five couldn’t get a better candidate than Aizawa (well, almost; see below). And I’m a sucker for Erasermic family.

**Yesterday's Gods by Karzai (All Might/Reader)

WIP - Reader character is an ex-military doctor who comes to work at UA. If you’re a fan of very well-developed backstories, and reader characters that are their own people, then this is the fic for you. This fic gives me huge Newsroom vibes - we’ve got a past romance, and the tension after years apart. We get present day when they are older and more jaded, and we get the backstory of the reader character and All Might when they were young and spry.

**surrender (whenever you're ready) by OfMermaids ( @ofmermaidstories) (Bakugou/Reader)

WIP - Bakugou accidentally destroys a florist’s shop. Bar none the best Bakugou fic out there - his characterization is so on point. He is grouchy but so vulnerable, he’s coarse and soft and insecure and such a perfectionist. The relationship with the reader character develops very naturally, and the chapters are long. Bonus, we get some bangin’ Kiri as well.

**if i could keep cool by andypantsx3 ( @andypantsx3) (Todoroki/Reader)

Complete – I’m in love with the premise of the fic: a hired cleaner gets kidnapped due to a misunderstanding of the romantic variety. Andie’s Todo is well written, and the pacing of the story is nice and tight. An easy read.

**Subject: RAPTOR by Tainted_Wine ( @tainted-wine)(Hawks/Reader)

Complete – The villains have turned Hawks into a Nomu, and reader works collecting semen for the facility for breeding purposes. Bigtime monster-fucking, but it’s very poignant and well-done. Very long, but well worth the time.

**My Hero by HeroAssociation(Aizawa/Reader)

WIP – Reader character is a milf whose son enters a contest to meet his favorite hero and wins. The author’s Aizawa is really good, and the scenes with the reader’s son are very realistic for maternal love. And, I cannot emphasize this enough, reader character is a milf. It’s incomplete, and hasn’t updated in a while, but the premise is so cute I can’t not include it.

suffer the signs by advantagetexas(Aizawa/Reader)

Complete – Baby’s first hanahaki. Honestly a very cute little hanahaki – no angst or sads, just two idiots in love. A nice quick read.

But they're soft... by coffee_dessert (Aizawa/Reader)

Complete – Aizawa gets turned into a cat by a villain’s quirk, and the reader character takes care of him until it wears off. I’ve heard this premise is popular? But I haven’t seen too too many, and this one is very well executed. Aizawa’s characterization is solid, and the pacing is very good. A very sweet read.

**no grave to hold my body down by Hawnks (supermintfluff) ( @hawnks)(Shinsou/Reader)

Complete – Pro Hero Shinsou saves the reader character, and they keep running into each other. This one is a good character study on adult Shinsou, and Hawnks’ writing is always very clean and lovely. I recommend going through their entire selection.

Love Like You by Queen_Kai (Shinsou/Reader)

Complete – Color Soulmate AU with a villain reader. Very cute, and I adore Shinsou’s characterization in this one. I honestly wish there was more, but it stands on its own very well.

Naruto

**Maid with Benefits by awolangel (Akatsuki/Reader)

WIP – Reader is hired to be a live-in maid to the Akatsuki, and also have lots of sex. This fic is hilarious, and so well characterized. The pacing is actually really good, as well as the development of all of the relationships. There are some characters that get more attention than others, but we do get a nice spread. Very fun escapism fic.

Moonshine by Victopteryx ( @ancharan) (HashiMada)

Complete – Prohibition Era Bootlegging AU. Author’s handle on both Madara and Hashirama is incredible (and they draw their own fanart, and it’s also incredible). A whole-ass meal.

Tobirama Kicks Some Sense Into Konoha by allseer15 (Tobirama&Naruto Gen)

Complete – Tobirama gets sent back in time due to an accidental jutsu, and is horrified at the way Konoha is run, and promptly Rampages over it. Wonderful catharsis for anyone who wondered why it was okay for a rich-ass old man to just leave an infant a welfare check and a shitty apartment and dip out on his development even though he has the equivalent of a nuclear warhead in his upper intestine.

Misc

**Clouds by moriamithril (Star Wars Rogue One, Cassian Andor/Reader)

Complete – Reader character is a handler/assistant type figure to Cassian over a series of missions. We get a lot of emotions in this one – we get the tenderness of caring for someone who is ill, we get devotion, we get yearning, we get delicious jealousy. Well written and lovely.

Fresh Coat by scrapmetal (The Mandalorian, Boba & Din Gen)

Complete – Fantastic Boba and Din, the Mando culture representation we deserve. I’m love.

**A Far Greater Sin (Reader version) by Yavannie (The Mandalorian, Din Djarin/Reader)

Complete – Reader is a healer, and builds a relationship with Mando over the course of a couple decades. Great pacing, great RC development, and the author’s Mando is quite good. The premise/setting gives me wicked fantasy vibes, even though it’s obviously In Space, but that’s definitely a draw.

who's gonna save us now (when the ashes hit the ground) by chancellor_valdez (Ready or Not, Grace/Daniel)

Complete – My favorite of the “Grace and Daniel Survive Together” subgenere, this one is very raw with its emotions. There’s a lot of hurt, and there’s a lot of self-harming coping mechanisms. Recovery is ugly, and the author did a very good job showing us that. And their ending was lovely.

not your garden variety demon lord by rizahawkaye (Inuyasha, SanSessh)

Complete – Sango takes care of Rin sometimes, and gets confused when Sesshoumaru brings her gifts. The author’s Sessh is so good, and it’s a great exploration of a relationship we don’t see much of.

Mine Enemy by Ayrith (Inuyasha, InuSan)

Complete – I love this fic, okay. Fantastic character study in Sango and a lot of the rougher parts of her that canon shied away from, and the author’s Inuyasha characterization is fucking great. Just go read this, yes.

Frozen Plus One by Meowzy (Frozen, HansAnna)

WIP – Troll AU, ie the trolls cursed Hans and that’s why he is That Way. Look, this author has done such a good job with all of the characters. Their voices are very distinct, and it’s not a reach at all to see how it could have gone differently. And we get some sweet HansAnnaKris action, and it is just as we deserve. Honestly, this fic is so well written, it deserves the world.

Knives In by anomalation (Knives Out, Marta/Ransom)

Complete – My favorite of the Pen Pals subgenre, this one is a fantastic slow burn. Ransom is really forced to face himself, and Marta is such a babe. Meg makes a few appearances, and her confusion over her place in the world is really well done. A great enemies-to-lovers.

It's Not Anxiety, It's a Parasite by squadrickchestopher (Venom, Queer Eye)

Complete – Look, I’ve mentioned before, but I love a good Queer Eye fic. Eddie gets what he deserves, and the symbiote couldn’t be more happy. So funny and clever.

You Find Yourself in a Maze by FloaromaMeadow ( @zombiekaiba) (S0 Atem Gen)

Complete – Very short and very poignant, the style is modeled after text-based command games. It fits super well with the Season 0 aesthetic, and there’s so much punch in each command.

Gaud's Grinch x Tony Fix-it Fic by gaudy_writes ( @biggest-gaudiest-patronuses)

WIP – Look, I know, all right. Just read it.

#fic recs #i'm sorry but i don't feel like tagging alla that #maybe i will later idk lmao #in case anyone wonders what kind of fics i read in my spare time

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