#also a smaller complaint and i know i haven't finished it but

[befuddled-calico-whump]

Stumbled on the series Altered Carbon a few days ago. I'm only five episodes in, but so far so good. The concept is exceptionally whumpy, but the execution is fairly standard for mainstream TV (handwaved injuries, trauma not really acknowledged). It's also a cyberpunk setting that goes heavy on world building, so naturally I love that.

(mini review with some spoilers beneath the cut)

Pros:

- Whumpy premise. Rebel/mercenary is taken out of prison by a rich guy who wants to hire him (and who almost verbatim claims him as his property)

- Interesting world, colorful and visually fun

- The concept of resleeving (transferring a person's consciousness into a new body) is used for both comedy and horror and it's great

- Episode 4 is like 30% torture chamber

- The way they illustrate "body death" as cheap makes a lot of sense to me for the the setting

- There's an AI hologram character and I love him

Cons:

- Has the gratuitous violence, nudity, and gore that's become typical for "adult" sci-fi. I don't mind it, (and I love the fight scenes) but half the time it seems like it's just for shock value

- excessive amount of sex scenes. Also makes half the female characters sex workers, and has a few instances of 'violence against women as a plot device'. The extent doesn't seem necessary aside from the "gritty" vibes these shows feel like they need to be taken seriously

- most of the romance feels forced

- oh and the male lead is literally drugged and sexually assaulted, but afterwards it's almost played like it was consensual??

- yeah yeah it's typical for sci-fi protagonists to be super tough and unflinching and it's part of the character but holy cow the lead has minimalist reactions to pain

[martsonmars]

Thanks for the tags @monbons @hushed-chorus and @whatevertheweather. I'm back and it's pick a WIP Sunday!

I really want to get back into writing Snowbaz and participating actively in the fandom. I don't exactly have more free time but I did graduate and I am technically on holiday until October, so let's try.

So I'm sharing snippets from 6 WIPs and maybe I'll be inspired to finish one of them. Help me out!!!!

1. Where Baz is a different blood sucking creature than usual. Prince and the frog but the prince is just a guy and the frog is trying to steal your blood.

The heat would be more than sufficient to make Simon reconsider all of his life choices. Give up on meat. Never touch plastic again. He'd do anything.

But no, clearly whatever sin he's committed—was it writing Jesus/Judas fanfiction when he was 15? It wasn't even explicit!—was enough to condemn him to this.

2. Holiday with the Grimms, where Simon and Baz share a bed in the same room as Malcolm and Daphne.

“Sorry I haven't delivered to my father an updated list of all the cocks I've sucked.” He wasn't smiling, but I could hear the smirk in his voice. The fake smugness. I know he's sucked half a cock (half sucked one cock?) and it was quite a disaster. “He doesn't know how deeply my virtue has already been fucked.”

I still snort at the thought. (The answer is not deeply at all.)

3. TA Simon and Baz showing up to class in a slutty Blackbeard cosplay.

I don't need a complaint for assault (let alone sexual assault) to drive my doctorate even farther away from my grasp.

I just need Grimm-Pitch to leave my classroom and come back wearing proper trousers before my overworked brain cells decide to go on permanent strike. (I'm not sure they haven't deserted me already.)

More snippets and tags under the cut!

4. Where Baz is a dryad and Simon is a woodcutter.

Simon didn't know many things, but he was pretty sure that pines weren't pretty men with long dark hair and pouty lips. Of course, Simon had never seen a man with dark green skin before, either, but he resembled a man more than a pine.

“You are not a pine. You're a man,” Simon voiced his scepticism, and he was rewarded with one more pine cone hitting his forehead. If nothing, the tree man had an impeccable aim.

5. Secret concept for this one.

Tucked in a corner as if he was trying to make himself seem smaller, yet he's got my attention like the masterpiece in a museum. Even the dim light of the pizzeria is enough to imagine the shine of his bronze curls under the summer sun. He's pale and freckled, broad and solid. Sturdy like the old table in my living room. I can perfectly see how he'd fit there, between a stack of Spinoza's complete works and the cabinet where my grandmother's Capodimonte porcelain sits unused. His back to the floor-to-ceiling window that opens on the terrace, surrounded by the bright halo of the hours before sunset. Bright like a Michelangelo in a room that's all Caravaggio.

6. This one I'm going to continue for sure when inspiration strikes, so it's not part of pick a WIP Sunday. It's maybe guess the WIP Sunday in this case.

“Sounds like you could use a break,” his deep voice says from a corner of the hall, as if he's read my mind. I see a pair of long legs first—legs for miles—crossing the room towards me, wrapped in a pair of trousers so tight I can't help but wonder how he'll take them off. (Not that I'm thinking of Baz without trousers.) (I mean, I've seen him without trousers. He wears chitons most of the time.) (He also wears really short shorts.) (I just mean I'm not thinking about taking his trousers off.) (Just. I mean.)

Tags!! No pressure just saying hi because I miss you all!!!

@facewithoutheart @sillyunicorn @onepintobean @shrekgogurt @wellbelesbian @palimpsessed @you-remind-me-of-the-babe @forabeatofadrum @fatalfangirl @cutestkilla @ileadacharmedlife @bookish-bogwitch @artsyunderstudy @orange-peony @larkral @raenestee @stitchyqueer @technetiumai @brilla-brilla-estrellita @thewholelemon @theimpossibledemon @j-nipper-95 @imagineacoolusername @blackberrysummerblog @theearlgreymage @rimeswithpurple @messofthejess @alexalexinii @nightimedreamersworld @captain-aralias @jbrrring @prettygoododds @youarenevertooold @best--dress @theotherhufflepuff @run-for-chamo-miles @valeffelees @dragoneggos @gekkoinapeartree @ionlydrinkhotwater @erzbethluna @chen-chen-chen-again-chen @shemakesmeforget @basiltonbutliketheherb @otherpeoplesheartachept-2 @aristocratic-otter @noblecorgi

[badideainaglass]

15, 29, and 30 for the Ao3 tag! :D

Ooof these are some big ones lol.

#15 What WIP are you taking into next year with you?

There are 2 that I started and posted that I will realistically not finish before the end of this month. As far as things I've started but haven't come close to finishing, at least 10.

#29 Favorite line/passage you wrote this year? When Nigel and Antwan watched Hallmark movies in my Christmas Freemajji fic How to Grow a Heart Three Sizes: “Are they going to kiss? Oh, look! Her boyfriend's back,” Nigel noted as he broke the cookie in two and gave the (slightly smaller, but whatever) half to Antwan without complaint.

“Oh fuck, he’s proposing?” Antwan’s jaw dropped. “He probably doesn’t even like her. He just wants to show her off to Tim and Tom at the Christmas Party!”

“Who are Tim and Tom?” Nigel asked, confused.

“The Partners at his company. I've decided that they wear matching sweaters and are in love. But then they also probably work for a company that steals from underprivileged orphan teddy bears and are terrible fuckheads.”

“What’s an underprivileged orphan teddy bear?”

“Ask her fucking boyfriend!” Antwan said loudly with a mouth full of cookie.

#30 Biggest surprise while writing this year? That it's getting harder. I feel like last year was so much easier and I've struggled a lot this year with actual motivation. But I also know that I would never ever leave anything unfinished so there's that.

[celiastjamesoscar]

My review of ScareFest is, wasn't terrible. Better than HorrorHound in that it was much bigger feeling, but they were sort of super disorganized. If you like horror it was probably a solid con but compared to any comic con I've been to, it was much much much smaller. Sadly, no artwork, all the vendors were mostly t-shirt people or just stuff. But it means I saved money! I also met and got David Arquette's autograph, my whole reason for going. And met Melinda Clarke who was in a horror movie or multiple (I don't know) but she was an antagonist in my favorite show, Nikita, we talked about how good it was and how nobody watched it. I blame my cousin for not being able to watch horror, she let me watch Chucky, the one where he's got a bride, when I was like 5 and I've been traumatized ever since. Scream is technically just about a serial killer, and I can do that, I love that but when something treads into supernatural scary type horror or just a bunch of gore, then I backout (yep, real world type of stuff I can deal with but the super fake stuff, nope! I know it doesn't make sense).

Luckily, he called me condescending in the complaint not to my face. If he had I probably would have laughed or smiled or really wanted to do those two and would have held them back and it would have come off as if I was smirking. Oh, right after I argued with him, I found my store manager and told him I argued with a guy and he instantly knew who and he kind of rolled his eyes at the guy and sighed so, he understood.

My friend got her game Friday and texts me "Almost done with the main story" then proceeds to say she hasn't slept and I'm just sitting there at dinner thinking I haven't even been home yet, so I don't even have it downloaded and she's out here finishing it. When I finally got it downloaded, I was all ready to play but then it said it was updating and would be 3 hours. So, it's all ready for me to play tomorrow.

I’m sorry, I wish that you would have had more fun at it :( hey, at least you got to save money!! Meeting David Arquette and getting his signature would have made my entire year, and I’m so happy that you got to meet him!! Having a relative allow you to watch horror movies at a young age is a canon event. I’m the same way with supernatural, it freaks me out too much

It’s good that he didn’t call you condescending to your face, but it would be pretty funny to have seen your reaction if he did. Not your boss knowing who the guy is 😭

YOUR FRIEND WAS ALMOST DONE WITH THE MAIN STORY LINE?!? THATS INSANE!! I hope that game is really fun, you’ve have to let me know if it is worth it <3

[heartfullofleeches]

Yandere Followers x G.N God Writer Reader

Word Count: 2.3k

(Hope you don't mind I did a deity reader rather than just a monster. They're favorite and I haven't done one since a wip I need to finish)

"Hello, everyone. I want to thank you all for your support and for requesting a meet and greet. As much as I'd love to have one, there is a minor problem. I am a lesser God sent by my elders to judge humanity before they wake and decide the fate of your kind."

"...Will it take place anywhere near CA? Getting plane tickets is kinda hard during this season so I need to know if I have to drive out." 

-

Billions of years have gone by since the dawn of time. Once a concept by beings beyond comprehension born to a new reality. Following its creation; the gods were laid to rest as they awaited their seeds to grow. Over time, one would awake with the dawn of a new millenia; to see how their garden has flourished. The youngest of the celestials; none other than you.

You wake for the thousandth time within the ruins of an old stone built structure. It obviously looked a bit better before you went to sleep, but time can bring many changes. As you stretch, you hear rummaging through the debris. A dozen mortals surround you within a flash; all looking upon you with varying degrees of emotion. 

Some cowarded. Some pointed weapons at you. Some took pictures, but all shielded their eyes at the sight of your face. Somewhere within the small crowd, one of them stepped towards you. The leader of the group, from how he held himself and how matter-of-factly he pushed his glass up the bridge of his nose. Clearing his throat, he begins to speak. 

"Good morning. You may not know me, but you have met an ancestor of mine in the past. My team and I have been searching for you for decades, and it seems we have found you right as you've woken up. I need you no harm, and wish to help you as you did him in the past."

You vaguely piece together his little speech. Most human languages had traces of your mother tongue, but were always a bit hard to translate at first. At the end of his rambling, he gestures for you to follow him; two members of his team hesitantly walking up to you and placing a blanket over your shoulder - having to stand on their toes in the process. 

You follow along without complaint. The guns they had trained on you likely were for their own comfort, and they probably couldn't do much to you either. They could also help you begin the task at hand, since there were so many of them in one place.

They bring you on to a helicopter; you marveling at the metal bird. Society had developed alot since your last trip. That was a good sign. As you head off to the next location, the director tries to make conversation, but your eyes remain on the seat beside him - a familiar item nestled upon it. Noticing this, he smiles a bit. 

"Are you looking at my book? Do you like to read?"

Books - that's right. You often forget the exact name for smaller things. Books were very helpful to your mission. Records of humankind and their achievements. Actual historical pieces, or just scraps of a diary all had their importance. You even found interest in the fictional stories as they were a nice way to pass the time.

The man hands the book to you. It had a little boy on a planet on its cover. "It's my favorite book. Read it all the time. I can get you as many as you'd like."

-

True to his word, the human supplied you with hundreds. Xavier Carter, as you'd come to know. Within the little glass prison made for you, the layout of a small apartment had been built. Tapping on the thick glass was amusing, especially since you could walk straight through. A bed, table, and various activities for you to do were placed inside; your most favorite being your own little personal library. 

It was made of five ceiling shelves, positioned to circle around a chair in the middle. A large assortment of literature was laid out for you. From fairytales to books on psychics. You read through them all in record time, enjoying each more than the last. 

The fictitious tales become your favorites. You loved the creativity of the human mind, and the worlds they built. In a way, it reminded you of what you and your kin had done in the first place. As you finished the last book, you craved more, but from a different perspective. You wanted to be the one to write your own story, curious as to where your mind would go in the process. Upon your next meeting with Xavier, you asked him for a notebook.

-

"These are amazing, Y/n!"

Xavier sat in a folding chair across from you, your latest story in his hand. He hardly treated you like a research subject, and more like a friend. Visiting you at late hours of the day for a random chat; bring you whatever you asked. 

A group of soldiers stood at the door of the room, their weapons at their hips and uv glasses over their eyes. Everyone in the compound had the understanding you could do great harm at the snap of your fingers, but knew of your passiveness and curiosity as well.

"We should start you a blog page."

"..A blog?"

"Yea, a blog." Xavier repeats. "You know, post them online. Your stories are too great to be kept in this dreary place. I'm sure the world would love you!... In regardless to your stories of course."

A soldier speaks up. "Sir, are you sure that's a wise decision?"

"Oh, hush. I'm sure nobody will figure out a thing. This is all on you of course, Y/n."

You think for a moment; your answer already in mind. The idea of others reading what you work had you feeling like never before. You wondered if you could inspire others, like that had to you. The room rose in heat as you gave your best impression of a smile. 

"Yes."

-

You write more and more over time; Xavier taking every one and copying them online. You didn't hear much about it at first, but the thrill of finishing a new story was all you needed. One day, Xavier entered the room with a smile wider than usual. He set a few papers on your desk, pointing for you to read.

"This was really good! Excited to see what you write about in the future, Q." 

You look up at Xavier, who nearly stomped his feet in excitement. 

"This is from your first fan! I mean, you have more as you'll see, but I thought the first one might be special. I'm so happy for you!"

You sort through the pages, finding more words of praise to follow. 

"I love your usage of words." 

"I felt like I was right in the middle of the story." 

"When will you write your next post?" 

Page after page of similar adoration. You didn't know the proper word for it, but it was such a feeling of refreshment. Outside of your goal, you didn't spend much time for yourself; something you've only acknowledged as of recently. It was an exciting new world to explore, one you'd explore through the use of a paper and pen.

Xavier brings you more comments to read. You even start responding to a couple. They're all so nice; especially that Q person that pops up on occasion. A few of the guards even read your stories, and would mention them as they walked by. Eventually, Xavier decided enough is enough and brought you a laptop in protest of the head of the facility; his very own father. The old man gave in as he had a soft spot for his only son, and the deity that was the inspiration for the building in the first place all those years ago.

It's nice to be able to respond to your followers yourself; almost, more personal in a way. They're happy to hear from you, and read your stories; building a small community around it. Q and a few others even helped you make your own website as they had experience in the field. You always expected a nasty comment somewhere along the line, but never got a single one; the mortals seemingly coming together to form a peaceful space around the one they admired. 

It didn't take long before they began to ask for a meet and greet, or at least something else about you. Where you grew up; what was your favorite thing to eat. You weren't exactly born per se. One moment you didn't exist, and the next you did; a wandering star in the reality created by your elders. You also didn't have a mouth, so you couldn't answer their other question. 

With good reason, you feared telling them who you truly were. There was a possibility they wouldn't believe you and laugh, and on the rare chance they did, what would their responses be? You grew a little recluse at this time; sad you couldn't give them what they wanted when they would give you their all. As you wallowed in self doubt, you received a message from your first fan one late night. 

"Hey, I noticed you haven't been that active recently. Is everything alright? Is there anything I can do? We're all here for you, and understand if you need a break. Love you, Q."

You reread the last part of their message multiple times. Your fans had declared their love for you many times, quite often as of recently, but this one felt different; truly genuine. You knew they all were, but this was the one to make you realize that. Swallowing your fears, you make an announcement the next morning."

-

"Hello, everyone. You all know me as Stargazer88, or Y/n as I've mentioned in the past. I want to thank you all for the support you've given me the following months. It's come to my attention that a few of you wish for a meet and greet, and as much as I'd like to give you one - there is a small issue. I am one of the lesser gods of your realm, sent to monitor your kind as a messenger for when they wake. I'm also locked in what I think to be a government prison for extraterrestrials. I realize how odd this sounds - but it is my truth." 

You sit back in your chair, waiting for your first reply. Anxiety fills your stomach. You wonder if you should just delete the post. As you thumb the mousepad, a message pops up. 

"That's so cool." 

More flood in.

"That's okay! We love you either way!"

"That one story you wrote about a lonely comet felt personal in some way. Was it about you?"

"I fucking knew it. You're too charming to be from here."

"So will the meet and greet happen or not, but plane tickets are hard to get, and I prefer car travel anyway.' 

You're quick to respond, surprised they seem to believe you or not. 

"This is not a joke. I really am a deity." 

"Who said you were lying, lol." 

"You were always a God in my eyes anyway." 

Out of belief they were fooling with you, you turn on your webcamera to take a photo. One thing that had yet to be mentioned, was that in place of a normal face you instead had the image of a literal star. It was too hot for humans to withstand if they got too close, and looking at it without protection was the same as looking at the sun on a smaller scale. 

As one might expect, your picture came out about the same as taking one of that ball of glass. Your hand held up in a peace sign was barely visible, and the whole thing was blurry from the bright light of your face. Regardless, you posted it. 

"Cute!"

"Do you need a better camera? I'll send you one" 

"Can't wait to see you in person." 

More love kept pouring in. Whether people believed you or not was still a question on your mind, but in the end they all still cared for you. Your loyal fans, willing to do anything for you.

-

Eric panted heavily within his closet hideout; hand clamped tightly over his mouth to quiet himself. His phone screen lit up with the pop up of a new notification, a panicked yelp leaving him as he swiped it away to continue reading the message on the board.

"Holy shit, did somebody actually find that guy's address - frogmagician"

"Yup. I posted it a few times in the chat already. Had some people go check his house out too. - the_little_prince"

"It's what he deserves for questioning them, but we should go too far just yet. - plaguemellow34"

"Did anyone ever ban his account by the way? - Q"

Eric let out a muffled sob. Like many would, he saw your message as a joke, and called you out on it. All he did was tell you to cut the shit, but the second he sent it, the reply had been erased. He received a few emails telling him not to question you; strange as he didn't even use his main to send the message. From that moment, he had felt that people had watching him - waiting. He couldn’t even go outside anymore without feeling like eyes were on his back, his internet life no different. It was when he went on your fanpage that he found out what was going on.

A knock on his door sent chills down his spine, and a silent prayer to the gods. 

[rpg-elf-girl]

Shadows House

I have a lot of thoughts surrounding this particular show, both good & bad.

Allow me to give a quick summary for anyone who hasn't seen/read it!

Shadows House is about 'a faceless family of nobles who all live within this giant manor, the Shadows House.

When a Shadow comes of age they receive a 'Living Doll' to both serve as their face and to clean the soot they emit from their bodies.

The most important rule of the living dolls is "don't fret over trivial matters"

A task which is difficult for the ever curious doll Emiliko.

Watch this tale unfold as Emiliko & her mistress Kate navigate this ever mysterious Manor together.'

For a fan of slow burn thrillers, horror, slice of life, supernatural & mystery series' this has been an absolute blast!

It's not quite the combination of genres you'd expect from a show, but it works really well here!

In fact I was so into the anime that this is actually the first show where I broke down and read the manga!

Unfortunately there's no official English release, but at least there are some people translating the series!

As much as I'd like to go on about the manga, this post is meant to be more so about the anime so I'll (try to) leave it at that.

Though i feel obligated to warn anime onlys I'll likely refer the manga a lot in a spoiler section latter in this post I'll try to be vague but I can't guarantee anything. For anyone worried about that I'll lable it do you can read on until then.

Everything from the animation to the music was amazing & completely fit the mood of the story! I remember a couple scenes where I actually teared up because of this!

The Ending theme is an absolute banger! I've listened to that on repeat ever since I first heard it! And the Opening is also great! It's cool for it to be an instrumental, stuff like that is pretty rare! I also heard the song in the op as a motif in the music throughout the show! It really sets the right mood in each scene it's in! It's amazing for getting into each episode!

In terms of adaptation almost everything from the beginning to the end of the Debut arc was done amazingly well!

Even with the stuff they cut it still holds true to the spirit of its source.

The main important part that was cut is something that could easily be introduced latter if they decide to go for a second season, so I'm not too mad about that.

However! Everything after the debut is a bit of a different story.

There was a lot I liked about the last couple episodes but there were some parts that were immersion breaking for me.

I've been being vague up until this point l, but I'm planning on going into spoiler territory for both the anime and manga after this. So I'll make a quick spoiler free summary of my thoughts before moving onto that.

I really really loved this show but in my opinion the last 3 episodes were the weakest of them all. They went anime only for the ending. I don't mind that on it's own, but it was rushed and the writing was sloppy at times.

Now I'm not telling you to not watch the show! Most of It's really really good, and I can still see people enjoying the parts I'm talking about if they want to give the anime a try. Overall I've fallen in love with this series and I could never recommend it enough.

If what I'm saying is giving you bad vibes the manga is available and doesn't have the issues I've mentioned. You can look for a translation online, it didn't take me long to find one so don't worry too much about that.

Also! if you're an anime only who's finished the series and want to know where to pick up the Manga I'd recommend at least skiming through the beginning. I know it might not be what you're looking for but there were a bunch of small scenes that either got cut or were merged for adaptation purposes that I think are super cute & give more context to different aspects of the setting. However! Pay close attention during the "night watchers part" something important got cut .

~~~Now for spoilers!!!!~~~

I don't want to make it sound like I'm some manga purist who hates the very thought of the slightest change from the source. I'm anime only for a lot of different shows and I've always despised it when that type of manga reader reared it's ugly head.

While I'll admit some changes did bother me I won't make a fuss about the smaller stuff.

With that said!

I hinted earlier in this post that I didn't have a big problem with Robe-same being cut. That was because without them there it does make for a more complete story if they only get one season to work with.

If there is another season they can easily be introduced latter on. Like maybe Emiliko & Shaun can meet them when the Debutant class reunion is going on before they talk on the roof (or right after that) I actually think that would be the perfect time to introduce them (other than the time they were supposed to appear, but I digress)

Louise teaming up & being friendly with Kate can be explained with some dialogue changes at the first Debutant Class Reunion. Louise can say she was just trying to show off or that she just wanted to get back at Edward and that she isn't interested in helping Kate with her problems. Things can then go on as they did in the manga.

Kates being reckless & telling everything to John can be explained by her being extremely panicked when Emiliko went missing, as long as there are some lines of dialogue adressing this it's fine. Though I do wish she tried to keep some stuff a secret but couldn't because Shaun tries to interfer because he's still brainwashed, or something along those lines. It felt a bit weird after she just told Emiliko to keep that stuff between them. Still that could be explained by how panicked she was.

There are other things, but I don't want to drag the post on too long. Most of the issues can be fixed with little changes here & there.

I never had a problem with the idea of them going in an anime only direction. I just want to have a good time with the show.

Unfortunately I can't 100% vouche for the direction the show went in. There were elements that I can't excuse, even viewing it as it's own entity instead of an adaptation.

My main complaint with it is how they handled the brainwashing of Ricky & Lou. They didn't say a word when the Debutants were talking badly about Edward & even went along with a plan to go against him. It makes absolutely no sense!

Shaun freaked out when John only suggested that he didn't have to be loyal to the house. These guys were flat out rebelling against an adult! It felt like Ricky & Lou didn't have a purpose & were just there to be there.

The whole point of the coffee is to influence shadows against doing stuff like this. It makes the coffee seem pointless and the adults seem dumb for relying on it to control the kids.

I haven't even brought up the fact that both of their brainwashings were broken by something as simple as a few kind words. It straight up contradicts the rules established by both the Anime and Manga.

This becomes very apparent when you consider all the trouble John & Kate went through to free Shaun & Emiliko.

This was my biggest complaint, but I have some other issues as well.

The next big one is how they handled Edward.

1. Why on earth would he even consider kidnapping Emiliko when he had complete control of the childrens wing? Before this point he was depicted as being a lot more crafty than this. He could easily have Kate monitored or something.

2. Why didn't he use his powers to stop them like what he did to Maryrose & Rosemary when they fought back being taken to the adults wing? He's already shown off his power at this point, why not?

3. Why did he reveal his soot powers at all!? Especially while using his face in front of the kids! The whole unification thing is one of the biggest secrets of the house for good reason! There's no way he wouldn't get in huge trouble for exposing it to children!

Here are some other related questions.

Why didn't Kate, Emiliko, & John react to Edward using soot powers? They shouldn't know about unification yet so why didn't they act shocked, or say anything about it?

Is Edward being banished even an option in the Shadows House? Wouldn't the third floor lords just dispose of him rather than risk letting him leave?

How did John even get a veiled dolls outfit? Louise had to use her powers to get Kate one & she left a long time ago.

I can't think of much else at the moment, but I think you get my point.

Please don't take this as me saying that I hate the show because of these episodes. Even if I consider them the weakest of the series I still found a lot of parts to be very enjoyable!

Like I thought it was adorable When Edward was attempting to interrogate Emiliko & she kept being her sunshine self pretending to eat & falling asleep.

Barbara getting to tell off Edward for breaking the rules was great!

I loved seeing Shaun hatch the plan to get Kate into the adults wing to save Emiliko.

Seeing John (attempt to) sneak around the adults wing had me rolling!

The ending scene of Shaun, Ricky, & Lou singing gave me the chills.

(Though I wonder how they'd handle Shaun & Emiliko being brainwashed again since they already used the scenes where they're freed)

Kate & Emilico being propelled by John back to the children's wing was absolutely amazing! I found Shaun & Ricky running over to catch them to be super sweet! (Not to mention the way that scene was animated was absolutely gorgeous!)

Getting hints to what was supposed to come after the debut was nice, at least the groundwork is there in case this gets a season 2!

To (try to) wrap this all up while there were a lot of things I loved and disliked about this show I still had a really fun time watching it!

I kinda hope there's a season two just to see if they can tidy up the mess that the last few episodes created.

Regardless of whether that happens or not I came out of this with a series I absolutely adore.

Heck I could make a whole other post about the manga. (Hopefully one that's less ranty)

Anyway! I won't take any more of your time.

I hope you all have a wonderful day/night! And I hope to see you in my next post!

(Sorry if this one was a bit of a mess!)

[mocacheezy]

Wanted to make a seperate post for this, because this stuff will go under a readmore. (damn it got long)

Added my two cents on this post, but here is what I do when I do have the energy leave comments on fics (and some extra thoughts on my kudoses):

Comments

There is such delight when I find a fic that I have to write my thoughts down while reading, because I love to scream my joy @ the author in the comment once I am done with the chapter/fic itself.

And hopefully by the time I reach the end of the chapter I can calm down enough to actually write something coherent aside from screaming and keysmashing.

Some fics get me that excited!

Some fics I had to put down while reading, so I could pace around the room, because the possibilities for where the situation could go are ENDLESS!

Some fics I've put down and picked up MONTHS later, because a chapter was just so good and made me feel SO MUCH, I was unable to read further!

There are fics I forgot about and returned to years later and was DELIGHTED to see them finished or still going (there was this one back on fanfiction.net that I adored with all my heart, and I plan on checking out what happened to it. The author went on a break around the time another fandom took my attention, but the fic was so good I still remember it from time to time. It made my life more than just bearable, it made me laugh to tears at some points. )

When a fic gets me that excited, I noticed I tend to either comment short excited comments before nyooming to the next chapter, or read all of it over a course of a couple of days, gather my thoughts and leave an almost essay long comment, because the whole fic was just so good and I want to say it all in one place!

There were a couple of fics that I actually WANTED to write essays on, because I appreciate the authors writting style so so so much! For some I still do, because holy hell, the writing and characterization is great, while ALSO gives us things canon/source material didn't explore. But, if I do that, I wanna do it good because KUDOS TO THE WRITERS!

There are also fics that have me grinning and commenting on what's happening outloud, but there isn't really that many questions popping up for me.

It's the delighted gasp and a "Bitch, you said WHAT? 8D".

It's the "Ohohohooooo this is going to h u r t".

It's the grimace or a snort of "You fucking bastard, I knew he was planning something."

With fics like that, I can sit still or do something that isn't too demanding attention wise.

It's relaxing. It's nice, it let's my usually very active and overwhelmed brain rest, WHILE ALSO giving me serotonin and the excitement/feels, but on a smaller scale.

With fics like this (especially one shots), I tend to leave shorter comments, because if I want to comment, but don' t have much to say, I'll still comment and tell what the fic made me feel.

"I liked/loved/really enjoyed this fic, it had me experience x"

Because I do like it! And so far almost every fic I read gets atleast one kudos because this stuff is so good and the authors are amazing.

I just don't have much to say at that moment. Or what I want to comment is missing something and feels too flat to me.

If I know I'll want to reread a fic, I usually bookmark it and write down some highlights/what I liked about it/make a comment of its own in the bookmark! Because looking at older bookmarks/bookmarks from a fandom you are no longer involved with can bring back quite the laughter... AND get you back into the fandom even!

Reading fics is supposed to be a thing you enjoy. If you are starting to dread it because you feel obligated to say something, hey.

Take a step back for a while. This kind of fear happened to me at some point when I was younger, especially when I started interacting with active content creators. They appreciate comments and those comments help so much when an obstacle presents itself and it seems like abandoning a story will be it. Comments and encouragment bring back the fire and joy of writing.

There is a comment I have yet to reply to, that's been sitting in my Ao3 inbox for 160 days (ALMOST 6 MONTHS, MOCA, GET YOUR SHIT TOGETHER AND REPLY ALREADY!).

It's from an author who really wasn't feeling motivated and the comment brought them such joy and excitement!

Why is it taking me so long to reply?

I never expect/wait for a reply from authors. ESPECIALLY not if it's a fic that's older (there are some amazing fics that were posted in 2013!!! Who knows if the author is still active in the fandom!*), or if it's an ongoing one that gets alot of comments. In the second case, it's because the author is already writing the fic, editing said fic and uploading it, could also be working on a bunch of different fics (because writting inspiration strikes at the weirdest of moments and as someone who has around 4fic ideas happening simultaniously, people who ACTUALLY WRITE THEM? Kudos. You are amazing.), not to mention most fic authors do this in their free time. So there's also their jobs, social circle outside the internet, on the internet and the amount of energy they have for social interaction with strangers online. Who am I to expect a reply to that behemot of a comment I left on their fic? If it made them happy, great! If it made them go "woah, that's alot of words" *shrugs*, eh. I am a rambler, it's what I do, if they like it they like it, if they don't they don't. Not much i can do about that, though I did leave a note on my ao3 profile that they can contact me if long comments/ramblings annoy them, so I can stay off their comment section and scream about my love for their works somewhere else. Noone has asked me to stop as of yet, but I like to offer just in case.

Most of my comments are actually posted as if I was at cafe or a restaurant, and was offered the Book of Complaints, Suggestions and Compliments/Thanks.

Complaints? I don't have complaints to leave, because it's my decision on what content I consume, and if I don't like it, I can always search for something else.

And if I didn't read the tags? Well, that's on me. That's like ordering a new dish when you have a food allergy, not reading the provided and highlighted allergen notes and warning, and then screaming at the staff when your food arrives. It's not THEIR job to know what kind of allergies their customers have. It's the customers.

Suggestions? Is the author asking for those? If not, no suggestions from me! If they do ask, and I don't have an answer I usually take some time to see if I have anything to offer.

Compliments/Thanks. That is the thing I love and what I click the comment box for. If a fic made me FEEL something, I will let the author know.

Do you know how amazing it is to read a fic and sit staring off into space after you finish it because "woah... that. That made me feel so much at once that I can't even name it." ?

When you read a crackfic, and keep snickering and chuckling, before you finally burst out in laughter or wheezing or snorting with tears in the corners of your eyes because "OH THIS GOLD, I haven't laughed like this in a while!" ?

When you read angst that tugs at your heartstrings and causes actual tears to run down your face and feel the anguish the characters feel?

When you read angst, but the story has a happy ending? Any you get to see the characters claw their way towards it, and actually reach it?

When you read hurt/comfort and there is that gentle care and love and safety that makes your heart melt?

When you read a fic that feels like sitting by a window with a cup of warm coffee while relaxing music plays? (this last one is becoming my favourite of them all and is actually the one I struggle to comment on the most.)

There is such a variety of works out there! So many talented and amazing writers, with their AUs and a billion different ways of writing!

3. I am a very forgetful person, who has to check her inbox more often. Plain and simple. Nothing more to it.

4. Some of these authors write back such lovely comments that make me smile everytime I open my inbox. I think I might make a scrapbook of some sort, to keep track of them, because getting the feedback of "HEY YOUR COMMENT MADE ME HAPPY/EXCITED!" or "I really appreciated this comment, thank you." makes me smile. ^u^

Seriously fic authors are amazing, and this is why "Kudos to them." has become a thing I say irl as well, and in any conversation where someone creating a thing is brought up. I may not know or have a strong opinion on the stuff someone enjoys creating, or have nothing to really say, so "Woah, Kudos to them." is my way of saying "I admire their work (but don't have anything else to say about it)."

Learning it means Glory? Hell yes, those works are worthy of praise,and the authors really are glorious.

So here's where that lovely button comes in.

Kudos

I use the kudos button both when I have a comment to write and when I don't. I spam that button when I like something so much words fail me, and I click it when a fic reads like I have just finished a cup of coffee.

If I use the cafe/restaurant thing I talked about before as an example, leaving a kudos, to me, is like giving a smile or replying to the waiter with "It was great." when they asked if you enjoyed it.

I enjoyed it, but I don't have anything else to say.

Maybe it was just an interesting read, even if not to my usual tastes. It might get a kudos.

And if I read something that I thought I would like but it turned out I didn't like it or I felt meh abput it?

Well, *shrugs* well.

I don't have anything nice to say, and I probably won't read stuff from that author. There are others who will and others who will leave a kudos.

I don't think much about it because I read fics for fun.

I ramble about them because I am having fun and finally know I can share my experience with others.

You guys have probably seen the "Holy shit two cakes!" comic, which was originally about how artists/writers feel bad when creating something with a concept that many other more skilled creators used.

I remember that comic at some point also being used to explain that "It really sucks when you bake a cake, but noone wants to eat it."

I can't speak as a writer, because I don't post the fics I daydream about (yet! I don't post them yet!), but here's a little thing my daydreamer self likes to think.

I baked my cake, and I can eat it too, but I hope the cafe I frequent has something similar too.

Translated?

I wanted to read a fic like this, I made a fic with the idea I wanted, I enjoyed the process and the result, but I sure do hope someone else also makes a similar fic in the future.

I do however mostly daydream my fic ideas. So again. These are just my thoughts on the whole thing that is Comment > Kudos/Like > Reading > Not Reading