#and it's 1000% a found family trope

[lioniheart]

Hey so I was writing a Fruity Six™ fic inspired by Tales of the City that I had planned to have well balanced POV chapters, focusing on all of my babes, and I got to 5 chapters, right. But then some stuff started annoying me and I took a break, reread it, and am now torn between rewriting it with a different start.

The original is a post season 4 AU, 1987, everybody lives, where Nance, Robs and Jon took a year before college to deal with the, yk, trauma of it all, and the babysitter's club gets very close, so halfway through the school year, Steve suggests a road trip, they visit San Fran and decide to stay there a bit longer, in this super cool house owned by Ms Madrigal (a trans woman with a great ability to clock everything, better than Murray's) and then deciding actually? We could just stay here. But I got kinda of mad at it cause it sounds too improbable and I don't want to separate them from the rest of the party and shit so I'm not sure abt it anymore.

The second plot bunny said to make it a no Upside Down AU with Nance, Jargyle and Eddie already living in Ms Madrigal's [who's dating Wayne and is Argyle's something (tbd)]. Then platonic Stobin escapes their hellish hometown (maybe Robin gets outed and Steve won't let her run away alone or smth) and end up in San Fran, where they find a home and family with these very queer lovely people.

[videcoeur]

screaming abt bonney, dont mind me

dont read my tags if you dont wanna be spoilered about the latest chapter

[hiems-incaelo]

these happy gifs everywhere cannot distract me from the fact that Nimona is an immortal being who has lived for a 1000+ years and that therefore the “one half of the found family outlives the other” trope WILL strike again

[absolutebl]

Love your blog! Do you have any recs for people (me!) who liked: Tale of 1000 Stars, Unknown, Moonlight Chicken, Secret Crush on You, My Beautiful Man, Be My Favorite, Sing My Crush, and We Are (Cute), please? I disliked My Stand In, Love Sea, and Only Friends. I tend to like character driven instead of plot driven stories, and please, no silly misunderstandings or misguided noble morons who break up because a parent suggests it!

Do I detect... a challenge? *rubs hands together* we are playing my favorite game.

Okay, likes:

Tale of 1000 Stars

Unknown

Moonlight Chicken

Secret Crush on You

My Beautiful Man

Be My Favorite

Sing My Crush

We Are

I crossed out the ones that don't fit the trend (outliers) and congratz your wheelhouse is:

moody, atmospheric, angsty, tiny bit cerebral, bit gritty, higher production value, soft focus, lower heat levels but yearning, bit of domesticity, acting chops

Dislikes: My Stand In, Love Sea, Only Friends

Okay not too far into angst, no nasty characters, no dubious tropes or anti-heros, no mame, no high heat, university or older. CHECK! Got it.

Ready?

Right in your damn wheelhouse:

The 8th Sense

(20 points to whoever knew that would be my pull out the gate)

One of the longest BLs Korea has given us (like Blueming) and it feels more atmospheric gay coming of age romance than strictly BL. It’s got a bit of an age gap, country boy/city boy, stellar acting, complex characters, and leads with great chemistry and tension. It’s a bit chewy and sticky and less perfect than most KBLs (do I detect a touch of Taiwan?) This one deployed BL tropes (messy eater, shoulder sleep, protective seme, there’s even some hyung-slinging) but front loaded them with painful backstory and then a ton of angst to drive the 2nd half. This isn’t in the KBL bubble, there’s sharp edges and lots of triggers. For a BL the darkness of the content left me feeling unsettled (which is the only reason it didn't get a perfect score) but it does have a glorious ending and that counts for a lot.

I think you'd really love this one.

Trigger warnings - suicide, loss of a family member.

Blueming

It’s a tiny bit dark and a tiny bit bittersweet, almost too honest to a university experience and first love (for BL), but if you want your mind ever-so-slightly messed with and your intimacy hellishly sweet, this BL will do it for you in a coldly distant manner, while bitch slapping you with self worth issues. I wasn’t into it at first, but the leads are solid and by ep 5 it got really good, becoming a narrative about self discovery meets understanding and accepting others people’s flaws without hurting them. Ultimately, we witnessed two characters maturing because of each other and their mutual affection, without that affection becoming the conflict point. Instead, tension was built around other aspects of identity, popularity, and self-worth. While production values were a touch lower than usual for Korea, Blueming included decent kisses and beyond plus a satisfying ending and come judicious and very elegant use of tropes. It is, in the end, simply a great BL.

Also Bleuming paved the road for 8th Sense and other gritty KBL to follow.

Love For Love's Sake

Isekai-based KBL is about a man who must win a game by convincing a reserved teen outcast to fall in love with him. Of course, that teen represents himself and his own unhappiness. Like many queer narratives, this show is actually about self worth, trust, and found family, and it is VERY on the nose. But I don’t expect subtlety from my BL and I enjoyed it's truly lovely redemption arc and earnest performances. I personally found the narrative a touch disjointed with overworked filming angles and poorer than average captions, but the consistency of tone, script, and immersion is beyond the norm for BL. You will drown in this show and like it that way. The leads have fantastic chemistry and it's ultimately highly rewatchable and utterly charming, which counts for a lot.

Trigger warning - suicide.

Unintentional Love Story

OMG the plot! Uke forced into a totally understandable betrayal, falling in love despite himself, put into a corner he can't get out of, the AGONY, the PAIN in those gorgeous eyes. Gah. Okay, so: A boy loses his job due to trumped-up corruption charges accidentally discovers his ex-boss's favorite artist, now a recluse. Evil manager offers him his job back, if he can convince the artist to rejoin society. Instead, they fall in love. I found the artist a bit stiff and reserved but Gongchan (maknae of B1A4) is a fucking GIFT - he carried this show (which I do not expect from the idol element). He was luminous with extraordinarily expressive eyes, just drown in the emoting abyss. The external conflict, social tension and pressure is complex and beautifully executed, plus Korea gave us legit side dishes (NOT a love triangle, hally-fucking-luya).

My Personal Weatherman AKA Taikan Yoho

You mentioned My Beautiful Man so if you're feel like that energy, grown up, watch this. It's a style of live action yaoi really only works from Japan. Basically: boys who fell in love in college end up living together but both are so repressed they actually don't realize they're in love. It's higher heat than we usually get from Japan's HEA stuff, and that part is also very well done, but it leaned into the "why don't they just talk for fuck's sake?" trope which is only exacerbated into undiluted frustration by the fact that they're already fucking. However, that's angst for Japan. And you like angst. Honestly? It's great, but watching requires more patience than usual, even for Japan.

My Ride

Thai BL grew up with this pulp (the first ever to make my end of year top 10). It’s a truly lovely and special little show featuring the extremely rare pairing of sunshine/sunshine (AKA a cinnamon roll couple) plus mature explorations of relationships using one of the softest, sweetest and most innocent friends to lovers vehicles. Kindly, overworked doctor meets broken-hearted motorcycle taxi driver in an “other side of the tracks” slow burn romance. The support cast is excellent, making for great friendship groups and family dynamics. With honest queer rep that adds to, but doesn’t impede, the story, and genuine conversation about the nature of class, wealth, and classism, not to mention communication, honesty, and respect for boundaries, you can’t go wrong with this show. In other news, I am a sucker for a single dimple.

It won't have the production values you're used to but it is a great show.

A Breeze of Love

Tsundere insomniac grump reunited with his sunshine jock ex (human sleeping pill) who now hates him. Basketball is also involved. While the simplicity of a reunion plot makes this more cohesive than most KBLs, it is a tad stiff and slow, never managing to lift itself out of "pretty, angsty, and pretty enjoyable." I liked it more than I thought I would, and think about it more too. 

Jazz for Two

This was basically what I wanted from Given and didn’t get. So I’m pleased. A solid enemies to lovers BL, where the sins of brothers' past haunts the present. Great optics, decent chemistry, and a tidy script even if tsundere characterization went a bit extreme in some cases.

Trigger warning - suicide.

Like In The Movies AKA Gaya Sa Pelikula

Karl, a student living alone, runs short of funds and ends up becoming housemates with Vald an out and proud chaos gay. This leads Karl into an identity crisis and journey of self discovery. This kind of forced proximity trope is really common in BL, but what Gaya does is handle it in a messy honestly queer way. It includes Vlad’s attitude in response to Karl’s shaken behavior and the frustration many out queers feel. For that alone it has to be applauded.

DNA Says Love You

DNA deserves extra marks for an upbeat approach to a queer story arc that other shows have systemically mishandled with sadness (in the guise of realism). There is a twist, which I found predictable, but knowing what would happen didn't spoil this show. The leads are luminous and engaging, and it’s full of queer found family representation and an unexpected amount of domesticity, plus it’s Taiwan, so the kisses are great. The first few eps are rough going but PLEASE have patience, it's worth it I promise! The second half is really special and life/love affirming - and the end is big-grin charming.

My Tooth Your Love

Earnest dentist hottie with sad eyes who worries too much is smitten by an adorable sunshine neurotic bar owner with serious anxiety issues. They fall madly in love while courting each other with food, plushies, and naps. Then, shocker, talk about their feelings and try to actually sort out their problems so they can have an adult relationship. Bonus crumbs = 18 year old poor little rich kid in mad crush with a much older man. I really enjoyed this show, it had a unique premise, killer dialogue, there was a solid lead pair with charming chemistry, soft flirtation, delightful smiling kisses, and stinkingly cute domesticity. All that said, I wasn’t wild about some of the darker themes it explored, even though it did a good job with them. And while the sides were adorable, they were underused. In the land of May/December, baby boy kabedon is my kryptonite! Why so little of it? (Kabedon is My Kryptonite = also the name of my indie band’s first single.)

Trigger warning - parental abuse.

The Eclipse

GMMTV does gay Blacklist with a good boy/bad boy pairing. This is a good show but the cast is excellent and the leads are absolutely flawless, which elevates it beyond just good. We got a nuanced and multifaceted burgeoning relationship: philosophical (and socio-political) conflict contrasted to moments of empathy; flirtation contrasted to moments of genuine affection, plus plenty of angst. This narrative is less about love than it is about courage and tenderness. However, near the end the pacing was off and the plot frustrating. Still, this is an enjoyable watch, with a finale that features verbal consent and a fun blooper reel.

Never Let Me Go

Bodyguard romance where poor boy must watch over rich boy for family obligation reasons. Simple premise well executed with a few bumps that made it feel like it was trying to tackle too much (when it wasn’t). Still, an enjoyable show that benefited from being handed to PondPhuwin who did a stellar job with their roles and chemistry. Of GMMTV handing out new series to established pairs in 2023 this is one of the most successful IMHO. It's typically Thai in that it's a bit bloated and has a confusing plot, but at least it HAD a plot and the central relationship is solid and loyal. The Our Skyy 2 follow up is great too. And very much adds to the cannon in a fun way rather than feeling superfluous - making this show ultimately 14 eps rather than 12.

Some real oddball and sophisticated suggestions

Addicted (original)

When Chinese BL was good it was very dirty good and when it was bad it was censored. This is the model for that statement: rich kid falls madly for the genius poor kid in his class, starts an aggressive pursuit, includes kidnapping for love, obsession, stepbrother trope, plus some cheating. I love this BL because of what I could have been. Just stop watching it after The Sex Scene. Okay?

It might not be right in your wheelhouse but what even fans forget about is how stunning the atmosphere is with this show. I mean we can feel the cold and the grunge. When they living poor it's REAL poor. It's a super immersive show. Unforgettable.

Began Beginning

Childhood best friends must come to terms with their own identities and true feelings for each other when a new boy comes to town, putting them into conflict with their families and ultimately, each other. For the first half of this show there’s a lot of sitting across from each other and talking about life choices over yummy food and then going to tourist spots (mildly boring and not particularly important to the plot). It changed tone about 2/3 in to be way more of a coming out family drama about forced marriages and homophobia. And then at the very end it changed again, becoming a full on soap opera with kidnapping, crazy characterization shifts, and rescue missions. All in all? It was a wild raw creature to consume as a binge. No kisses since this is Myanmar, but a very romantic end, so I think maybe actually worth your time? I'm certainly glad I watched it.

Stay Still

What to say about this offering from Hong Kong? It’s different, a mix of early CBL, Taiwanese shorts, and Pinoy visuals. It felt like the story was 2 independent shorts that had been lengthen and then stuck together, and I wish they'd been approached as separate and tighter entities. Nevertheless, this was a complex little piece, interesting in a sweaty grungy way, with a certain aura of queer authenticity that made it simultaneously tense, unpredictable, and refreshing. I’m not sure I would necessarily call it BL, but any county’s early foray into the genre usually starts out this way, so perhaps nascent BL? Worth watching, especially if you enjoy stuff from the Philippines and Taiwan.

On the lighter end but probably still in your wheelhouse

I Cannot Reach You AKA Kimi ni wa Todokanai

Classic friends-to-lovers BL is everything Japan does best. Angsty. Emo. Aching. Driven by real thirst. Yamato is deeply in love with his childhood bestie, Kakeru, and has been for ages, unable to hide his ungainly damaging high school need. He wants Kakeru in every way possible and it oozes off of the screen. Kakeru is silly and a little simple, but not frenetic or overly camp about it. He is earnest, and genuinely wants to keep Yamato in his life which means giving a romance (and gayness) a fair chance. We watch him realize his affection and what form it can take in a truly authentic way. This show was impossibly kind to both of its lead characters and I felt almost honored that I got to watch something so lovely and rare play out on my screen.

To My Star

Hwang Da Seul directs this show about a neurotic actor (actual puppy) who takes refuge with a grumpy chef resulting in sparks, cooking lessons, and LOVE! It’s is a touch quirky to get into, but utterly charming once it hits its stride. This is the ultimate grumpy/sunshine pairing plus the most appealing light-filled kitchen of our dreams. I adore this show so much. Limited use of BL tropes makes this feel more of a sweet contemporary gay romance between an actor plagued by scandal and the grumpy chef who adopts him, but the gentleness will appeal to fans of the BL genre.

Old Fashion Cupcake

This show had me from the moment they broke the egg yolk with the chopsticks in the opening credits. It’s about a younger man with a long cherished crush on his boss (ten years older and going through a mid life crisis) who decides to save and seduce said boss with pancakes. It’s wholesome, comforting, sexy, and a very necessary narrative about still having hope, interests, and openness to affection at any age. It’s a stunningly filmed late-in-life comg of age/queerness story packaged in a subtle critique of expectations around masculinity, love, and loneliness... and it’s beautiful.

Cherry Magic (Thai remake) - this is my We Are & SCOY match pull

A soft charming warm hug of a show about crushes and mind reading and self worth that really worked for me. With no-fuss execution from a consummate team (at GMMTV) and an OG lead pair (proving why they remain eternal and deserve to grow up). Look, here’s the thing, Cherry Magic is a great Thai BL in its own right - not comparing it to any other iteration. But even when I do compare (and I've seen all the Cherries and read the manga) it stand strong. I, personally, like the Thai BL slightly better than the Japanese live action yaoi, but I think that’s because I just really enjoy Thai BL's style and I LOVE TayNew. Also all the kissing was both present and better in this version. As it should be from Thailand.

Make a Wish

A doctor who can see the dead strikes a bargain with a wish-granting irreverent tree angel - naturally they fall in love (from Sammon: Manner of Death & Triage). Stars Fluke Natouch opposite not Ohm, but who cares because Fluke has chemistry with everybody. Once again the Thai afterlife is incredibly bureaucratic but I enjoyed the premise and the unfolding of the story (it’s not predictable but still satisfying and with nice little twist). I like that the doctor is just gay AF - fag hag bestie and made of swagger. The cast is excellent but the comedic stylings are a bit overblown and tonally off. It has sad parts and did make me cry but is ultimately happy with a great sex scene, good smiley kisses, and all the agency.

I thought about it but I'm not sure

still you can put these on your "maybe" list

Until We Meet Again

I Feel You Linger in the Air

La Pluie

Restart After Come Back Home

His the movie

Life: Love on the Line

Perfect Propose

Tokyo in April is

Love is Better the Second Time Around

Ocean Likes Me

My Only 12%

After Sundown

I Told Sunset About You

These might be a bit too cerebral, dark, and/or plot-heavy for you. But are worth it if you feel in the mood for something very chewy.

Currently airing

It's set in high school but it scratches the Unknown itch:

The On1y One

Sirs not appearing on this list but if you follow my blog and ask me for tips it's kind of required watching:

Seven Days.

Because everyone should watch it no matter what your taste. So there.

(source)

[goosecastle41]

Been thinking about writing something for a coalecroux kid fic cause the found family trope is my favorite and these two fools would make the best/worst fathers imaginable

Gideon is 1000% girl dad material and Kremy is the dad that didn’t want the dog but fell in love with it anyways but still complains how much it costs to feed while buying it expensive toys ya know what I mean?

[therulerofallpotatos]

I love how with the Addams Family you get found family tropes of finding a person and saying "you. you matter to me and I'm not letting go" with the same level of reverence as one would traditionally give relatives but at the same time you get a near dynasty level of Family with the way that The Addamses are this sprawling clan with branches all over the place that take Family very seriously. If you're an Addams, you're an Addams. But you don't have to be blood to be Family. Don't need paperwork with the government's permission either. You could be the stray fugitive they found on the side of the road and decided to take home with them because they find you delightful and they just like you. You could just hang around the house often enough people start calling you grandmama and now nobody is sure whose side of the family you're on but also nobody cares because you're Gradmama and we love you. You could be the spider chilling in a corner paying rent by eating gnats and you will 1000% be treated like one of their own.

Half the clan probably originally have no blood relation to each other because they just kept giving fugitives/castoffs/refugees new identities and adding another branch to the family name over the centuries and nobody really cares because they're an Addams and that's that on that. It's like using blood as an excuse (one of many) to care about somebody rather than gatekeeping what you can consider Family. Which I love. I love that it's kind of like the best of both worlds and it gives a lot of room to really dive into what Family can even mean let alone what it can look like.

[queerespresso]

🐶 Kant, I’m curious how his character will evolve. Love his big puppy energy

Kant does not remind me of Yok or Sand at all. While Yok was flirtatious, he leaned more into his feminine energy and deeply artistic side. While Sand was an indie music lover with a slight sad boy vibe.

Kant’s vibes are totally different for me. He’s incredibly confident. Like truly confident. I haven’t seen too much of his submissiveness yet but I think he will not be ashamed of it in the slightest. He likes what he likes and isn’t afraid to say that and go for it. When Bison kind of rejected him for his pick up lines, he swiftly switched gears and approached the communication differently. These traits are true confidence to me.

He almost has a f*ck boy energy to him. His desire to literally f*ck around (respect), be free without relationship ties, okay with being unaware of his ONS name, along with using a cache of pick up lines lead me here. I normally don’t get attached to f*ck boy/girl characters (nothing wrong with them just not a magnet for me). But Kant’s down bad, romantic mushy traits screams golden retriever which balances out the suaveness and swift pick up lines. That starry eyed, goofy smile is so so endearing. He 1000% has lost the plot and forgot his mission at times and that had me smiling all goofy with him. I think

his love for Bison will surprise him, maybe even scare him, but ultimately be something he craves. With Bison showing the sides of him that take care of Kant (bringing him food and the bedroom so far) I think Kant will feel safe (hah) and fall deeper.

Yes he is a tattoo artist and I do feel that art element but I feel he partially took up the trade as a desire to share and connect with people more than it was strictly to make art. I also think there were financial reasons behind it. The car theft could have been for adrenaline or the love of certain cars but it partially feels financially motivated to me as well. He seems very family oriented with holding onto his Dad’s car and being reluctant to part with it. He also is loyal and caring for his younger brother. To the extent he’ll take on jobs and clear his name for the sake of both of their futures.

My first impression was he took on the job to clear his criminal record. That’s not how I perceived that interaction though. He was threatened. There was no option other than gaining a criminal record back which isn’t really an option considering his circumstances. So knowing he’s being forced to do this, I hope that is explained well to Bison later. If I was Bison, and I found out that my bf was threatened into this, I’d be going after the cop. Miscommunication tropes stress me out so I see that coming.

♨️💭 I don’t know the full dynamic yet (sub/brat/dom/top/bottom/verse) so can’t talk too much on intimacy. But the first go around Kant was his confident self and encouraged Bison to join him. It felt like a power play. He had no qualms with Bison over him which feels like foreshadowing. Kant certainly likes breasts/chests and sucking 😂. I feel like his submission will come from that “I have to be the mature one in charge of every aspect of my life and want to give up control sometimes” place. Many with tattoos ( ✋ ) know that some get enjoyment out of the pain so there’s that as well. It takes a lot of trust to hand over your well being to a dominant so this will definitely potentially deepen Kant and Bison’s bond.

Caveat, I have large piece tattoos including a sleeve but don’t enjoy that specific pain myself so I know not everyone does. But I do have aesthetic desires, so I can see that being a motivator behind his tattoos as well. I feel like Kant is very aesthetically driven with his house, style, car and luxurious pieces. Even his initial interest with Bison was largely based on appearance…maybe some vibes too but it seemed like he was focused on what he saw and his comments followed suit. The man has taste ✨

[dorkydegeneracy]

Guys, listen up.

We as a group got a little too excited last week about the Buddie implications that we figured would arise in an episode called Masks. Which is 1000% okay. Theorizing is low-key the best and arguably fundamental part of being in a fandom!

But we can't have our panties in a bunch when an episode doesn't got the way you thought it would. There is literally 0 reason to close! Some disappointment is normal, but I genuinely don't think that this episode deserves hate. It delivered equal parts comedy and drama in a way that I found entertaining.

The only thing that I can understand would be frustrating to a non-menial degree is the Hen-Karen whiplash of it all. Why we fucking with their kids this much? I'm tired of the Hen-Karen can't have kids/a happy family trope, and Denny getting hurt right after we FINALLY added Mara to the family is ROUGH. These ladies deserve some reprieve.

Not to say that it was a bad plot decision imo. But it was TOO SOON.

Despite all that, they really had me thinking Denny was gonna die and I don't cry, but if I did, I would have been drowning in tears.

Other than that I didn't have a problem with anything else in the episode. I means if I could snap my fingers and make Buddie cannon yesterday I would, but that also just wouldn't be as satisfying of a story to me.

It's better that they are continually dropping crumbs.

The next episode is about to drop half of the fucking cake tho.

Patience.

[gyllenhaalstories]

TOMMY CAHILL DRABBLE

trope: childhood friends to lovers

warnings: drinking, smoking, prison. no smut. 18+ NO MINORS.

word count: 1000

photo credit: iheartjake / divider credits: @/firefly-graphics

notes: thank you to @sizzlingcloudmentality for the spin the wheel activity and for encouraging me to post my results as actual little drabbles. 🥰 thank you for reading & REMEMBER TO REBLOG!

I was going to write this prompt whether the wheel wanted me to or not. Any version of friends to lovers screams Tommy to me. Years of secret pining, years of insatiable yearning, years of secret feelings. Years of listening to the same U2 song while thinking of each other!!! The song Tommy introduced you to, the song that might have started it all! You were both waiting to be picked up by your parents after school, Tommy was kicking rocks as far as he could and you were watching him while swaying your lunchbox around. Your respective fathers drove into the parking lot around the same time, windows rolled down, the same radio frequency playing the same song. "My dad likes this song a lot" little Tommy said. "My dad likes it too!" you answered before running to your parent's car as Tommy did the same.

You would start to hang out at recess. Tommy was full of energy, he had the best ideas for games. You liked hanging out with him so much. You liked to invite him for a snack after school when your parents let you. He felt more like home with you than with his own family. He had always lived in the shadows of his brother, Sam, except with you. He always wore a beanie on his head even when it was warm. He liked to eat popsicles all year long. He liked sour candies to the point he burnt his tongue with the citric acide. He brought his small collection of Hot Wheels cars to play with you on rainy days at school. You were the only person he invited for his birthday party year after year.

Year after year, Tommy and you were inseparable. Two peas in a pod that, as time passed, got into trouble all of your parents would disapprove of. Your family blamed Tommy for his bad influence, his family blamed him too. You were teenagers, you found new ways to hang out. You would go to the park in the evenings to share a conversation sitting on the swings. You would stay in the school yard to do homework, copying off each other to make up for your weaknesses. You would listen to him while he talked about his father, about his brother. He would listen to you too. You would share his walkman, alternating between who got the headphones to listen to songs you both enjoyed. It became more and more difficult to find time to hang out, you both tried. You tried so hard but it felt as though everything was pulling you apart.

Until you, inevitably, drifted. You focused on your life while Tommy struggled with his. He was getting into fights at school, he started smoking and drinking, he hung out with the wrong crowd. He was a fun and charming guy, everyone loved him. Everyone but his family apparently. It came to a point where you barely saw him at all, he got suspended from school and your parents disapproved of you talking to him even on the phone to catch up on shows you both watched on television or movies you were excited to see at the theatre. Until one day, Tommy disappeared from your life about as suddenly as he entered it. You continued with your projects and he continued with his bad ideas that eventually led him to jail.

When you found out about it, you visited him. It was only for about half an hour every month, but you visited him and it felt as though things had never changed between the two of you. You brought your new CD player, the security guards allowed you to let Tommy listen to a recent U2 album you knew he would love. You had pictures developed of your small adventures, of your apartment, of the snowmen you built after a storm. You visited him around Valentine's Day, the last Valentine's Day he spent in prison, and he had bribed a guard so they would buy you a rose at the florist in town. He gave you the rose in the visitor's room and it felt like the most romantic gesture in the world. You almost never missed a visit, if you did he would know about it in advance so he would not get sad. You were the highlight of the several months he spent in jail, the years he spent there until his sentence ended.

Things were not always easy. Tommy had a temper, he had a past with actions you did not always approve of. You had to fight with your family, with the Cahills too so they gave him time to start over. You faced every obstacle life threw his way. When the news broke that his brother was dead, Tommy and you went back to your elementary school. To hang out, to try and remember what it was like to be a kid when your biggest worry was to get as many candies as possible while trick or treating. You watched him as he kicked a rock across the parking lot. You handed him the other earbud connected to your MP3, it played this same song you both loved. Through the years, you guys had held hands and kissed. Silly hand holding all sticky and grimy from a crafts projects at school, silly pecks on the lips after eating cupcakes with too much frosting. Holding hands in high school when you needed support after receiving a disappointing grade. Kissing and laughing about how it was gross to do it with a friend after going for a swing at the park.

You had done all of that. But when he held your hand and when he kissed you that night, things changed for the better. It felt as though this kiss spoke for all of the years spent with or without each other, when you were so painfully in love that everyone around the two of you knew it except you.

[sky-kenobye]

trope selection tag game

Thanks @underacalicosky for the tag! <3

enemies to lovers or friends to lovers - hmm, I love both, but most of my favorite ships have been friends to lovers, so I guess I'll go with that. Although more than one of them have been friends to enemies to friends (to lovers) actually so kinda both?

coffee shop au or flower shop au - I'll go with coffee shop au because I love the routine that it usually involves, coming back to get coffee every day and getting to know each other that way (and people rarely get flowers very often, although it's always fun to give them a good reason to lol)

hurt/comfort or there was only one bed - hurt/comfort! So good 👌 But also because with 'there was only one bed' I often get stuck on the fact that the characters get all bent out of shape about sharing. It might be my aggressively platonic aroace brain at work but sharing a bed isn't that big of a deal! (The 'accidentally waking up in each other arms' though, that's the good shit)

found family or partners in crime - found family!!! <3<3<3

canon compliant or canon divergent - canon divergent! That's pretty much why I read fics, to see something different from canon.

fluff or angst with a happy ending - fluff! I like some angst but my favorite thing is when nothing goes wrong ever. Just all the fluff.

1st person pov or 3rd person pov - 3rd person, although I'm not strongly against 1st person

soulmates or forbidden love - soulmates! Even better: platonic soulmates (or at least the romance being unrelated to being soulmates)

roommates or fake dating - "In an ideal world, they're roommates who are fake dating" <- @underacalicosky got it right 👌 I'm not sure I can chose, I just love kinda ambiguous relationships. Living together without dating yet, fake dating while being in love, arranged marriages, all forms of getting married before dating, they're all so good

slow burn or meet-cute - meet cute, give me all the instant gratification

love triangle or polyamorous relationship - polyamorous relationship 1000%, we need way more of those!!! Also I hate love triangles omg, they are SO overdone, and I do not enjoy them. The jealousy? The heternormativity (most of the time)? The amatonormativity? Yikes.

royalty au or magic au - royalty au!

high school/college au or neighbours au - imo high school au and college au are wildly different, and out of the three of those i prefer college au.

mutual pining or idiots to lovers - idiots to lovers! Although both are usually pretty close, they're just not very aware that they're pining

No pressure tagging: @cottonraincoat @willameena @arobiwan @shakeskp @hausofroxann

[honeybewrites]

Echoes of War Chronicles WIP Intro!!!

Look at me! Writing and posting a WIP Intro and not a tag game like last Wednesday!! Did it take fifteen reminders and ten instances of sitting down with the intention to write it but getting distracted and not making any progress? Yes. But I finally got it finished!! So let's get into it!

Fair warning, this is kind of a long post, but when is anything I post not?

While nothing in this post has any kind of CW/TW I can find, this whole series is pretty dark/gory in its contents, and for that reason, I'm labeling it 18+. Specifically for excessive violence, dark themes, and general explicit content and gore. I try my hardest to label content appropriately whenever I post tag games and snippets.

Series: Echoes of War Chronicles

Genre: adult high/dark fantasy/sci-fi (I don't really know what genre to label this as lol)

Status: First draft/planning

Tags: #echoes of war chronicles #eowc

Synopsis (for the overall series, so it's pretty vague)

Created to fight a war that has wrecked the Realms for years, two genetic experiments were trained side by side. Merciless, lethal weapons of death. Inseparable. Until they weren't. Years later, they're on opposite sides of the war. Both of them intent on destroying the other, regardless of their shared history. Bonds are tested. Secrets revealed. Loyalties made and destroyed as two partners threaten to destroy the entirety of the Realms in their hunt for blood.

Tropes and Things

Found Family

DRAGONS + other fantasy creatures

Living Weapon

Lovers to Enemies

LGBTQ+ OCs and relationships

LOTS OF MAGIC

Morally gray OCs and just downright completely morally black OCs

Angst

High Action

War

Now let me introduce you to the stars of the show!

Asset 703

Created from Project Viall, 703 has been with the Mors her entire life. Trained from birth to be the most deadly weapon in the Realms. She is regarded as a demon of death and an unfeeling monster. It's the only life she's known, and she long since accepted that fact. She doesn't particularly care about the nature of her creation or the brutality of her job. She was created for a purpose, and it's the sole reason for her existence. It's not her place to think about things like life outside the Mors. Those were traitorous thoughts and pointless hopes.

Fres

Another of Project Viall's subjects, Fres was also raised in the Mors. Nearly as deadly as their partner 703, the two were feared. But as Fres was exposed to more of the Realms during their missions, they began to resent the life they had. All the pain and abuse fueled their anger. So they created a plan, escaping from the Mors in a blazing chaotic mess. From them on, they devoted themselves to fighting against the Mors. They wanted to see them burn in eternal damnation, unable to ever rise back from the smoldering pile they left them in.

Ronan "Rage" Airvix

Assigned to be 703's field handler and healer, Rage works for the Mors. He's very calm and patient, unless you disregard his healing expertise, then you'll see where the nickname Rage came from. He will adopt anyone left unattended for five minutes.

Dana Hueland

Dana is one of the hardest fighters against the Mors. A feisty woman and phenomenal fighter, she's intimidating to anyone that comes across her. She excels at close combat and piloting and is a certified BAMF, MILF, and top tier Bisexual.

Master Gerd

One of the highest ranked in the Mors, Master Gerd is a psychopath with a god complex. He abuses his power religiously, especially over 703. He is feared my nearly everyone in the Mors and he knows it. -1000/10 would drown violently.

Healer Asurr

The head of Project Viall, Healer Asurr is a bit of a mad scientist. They're only concern is their life long work of enhancing species, ultimately to create the superior lifeform. They would stick you in a cage and study you obsessively for months.

Now, because the Seven Realms are so expansive, I'm just including a few basics here (she says after having written way too much info and then hitting delete far too many times). If anyone shows an interest in knowing more about them, I'll do a post for each Realm, I'm planning to anyway at some point, but for now, enjoy the little snippets that tell you absolutely nothing about their importance to the plot!

Mirralia has the second largest population of the Seven Realms. With its variety of biomes and massive cities, it's one of the most sought after places to live. Full of some of the most rich and powerful flora and fauna, many resources for alchemy are found in the Realm. It also remains to be one of the only Realms dragons have still been spotted. Mirralia government positions are highly sought after and their military is one of the strongest of the Seven Realms.

Enkkon produces some of the best Agi (trained magic users) in the Seven Realms, with schools to match. With top schools in many specialties, it brings in species from every Realm, creating the most diverse population of any Realm. Far less rich in raw elemental, Enkkon is a quiet Realm, reliant on technology far more than the other Realms, but that doesn't make its native species any weaker than the other Realms.

Levekint has the largest population. While the cities are large and bubbling, the flora and fauna of the planet interacts with everything. It's not uncommon to see buildings with vines or trees growing out of the middle, or for a shop to have bird nests and other creatures wandering about indoors. Levekint taught healers make up ninety percent of the Seven Realms healers. It is the forefront of healing innovation, producing some of the most renowned and well known healing names in history.

Zj'ahju is the smallest Realm, with the smallest population to go with it. The harsh biome and oppressive heat make the Realm nearly inhabitable for non-native species. However, it has some of the most beautiful architecture of the Realms, specializing in metal and glass. Both are big exports for the Realm, and they produce nearly fifty percent of the Seven Realms building supplies. Weapons and jaw dropping pieces of glass art are other major exports.

Ketaawi is the second largest Realm, comprising of ninety percent water. Most of Ketaawi's native species can breathe underwater, or can hold their breath for long periods of time. The massive cities of Ketaawi are either floating on the water, able to move much like a boat, or beautiful domes underwater. Right after Enkkon, Ketaawi is one of the most technologically advanced Realms, with some of the best defenses and security to be found anywhere.

Rorrut is a mountainous planet, having the highest peaks and deepest caves in the Realms. With such conditions, it's also a major Realm for rare alchemy supplies, specifically minerals and powerful, giant creatures. The planet is constantly "growing," creating more mountains and caves to replace the ones mined. With some of the most dangerous creatures in the Seven Realms, the natives became natural fighters and survivalists. There are very few large cities, and the habitants mostly form small villages, keeping to themselves and protecting each other.

The largest of the Seven Realms, Aveilu is a gas planet. The natives of the Realm have built their cities on the many rings of the planet, which are made up of large floating island, with the largest cities being floating cities, completely fueled by energy to keep them in the sky. Most native species in the Realm have some form of flight capabilities. Aveilu is the top Realm in ship production and export, creating ninety percent of the Realms flying transportation. It is the only other Realm dragons have been spotted in.

My Master Post is here with all the links to my other more detailed intros, including OCs, world related things, and the magic system if anyone is interested in reading any more about EoWC.

I know this is a pretty long post, so if you read through everything, wow, you're amazing! Thanks for reading through my little (okay, big) rant!!!

If anyone wants to be added/subtracted from the tag list, you can comment or DM me!

General Tag: @orions-quill @fractured-shield and @leahnardo-da-veggie

EoWC Tag: N/A

LotA Tag: N/A

[wanderlust-in-my-soul]

Currently Watching - February

aka The Masterlist

Because I love a good little list - in alphabetical order! 😊

Regularly updated during the month, latest update 29.02.2024

A little link to my favorite bl-tropes-collection 💙

I am happy about gif-requests 🌼

Here you can find all of my gifs.

Tracking: #josistag

At the end you can have a look at what we can expect in January with a MDL link and a link for a trailer (if avaible).

This is guaranteed to contain spoilers!

1. 1000 Years old (2/13 on Gaga - Thai)

Well the first episodewas really just to get to know the characters and their group-dynamic. I am not complaining. I think the acting wasn't that bad, the mains are kinda cute and the story... we'll have to see. There were fake teeth as a cliffhanger for the second episode, so I can't wait.

2. Anti Reset (5/10 on Gaga - Taiwanese)

The premise is promising and I love how obvisiously attracted both are to each other. At least thhis is what I want to think at this point. The story about the AI Ever Nine who turns the life of an emotionless professor upside down has a really nice start. I guess I like it.

3. Cherry Magic (11/12 on Viu - Thai)

I love the japanese version and I try to not compare those two with each other. And I really like this version. I love TayNew together and the chemistry is so chemistrying. Even though I don't like GMMTV and the japanese network for their contract and copy right shit, I appreciate the english subtitles on Viu so we international fans still can enjoy the show. And I do enjoy it so much!

4. Cityboy_Log (11/? on Youtube - Korean)

Soon-to-be Idols, actors and models vlog their days of photo shoots and meetups and how they fall in love with each other. It is surprisingly good and the acting is excellent. It really feels like a "real" vlog and that is what we are all here for. I really enjoy those four men on my screen.

5. Dead Friend Forever (9/12 on iQiyi - Thai)

The story is so much more than I thought and I am positively surprised. It's a very complex story that is unravelled piece by piece and I like it. Most of the characters I really can't stand and I appreciate the series for it. I wish them all the worst! But I didn't expect to see Ta's naked ass on my screen... but I don't complain, he has a nice ass.

6. My Strawberry Film (2/8 on Gaga - Japanese)

This is what I call a love triangle. And the fact that the screenwriters worked for Eien No Kinou or Jack o'Frost is promising some heartbreak and teenage angst. I am looking forward to it. The acting is good, the story for me interesting.

7. Perfect Propose (5/6 on Gaga - Japanese)

A story about childhood friends who promised to marry each other when they're old and then lost sight of each other. But it happens that Kai finds Hiro and starts living with him and helping him sleep with a hand-job. This came out of the blue, but I am not complaining.

8. Sukiyanen Kedo Do Yaro ka (7/10 on Gaga - Japanese)

Love at first sight and a confession in the first episode. I hate the MDL comment section, saying Soga isn't pretty, and having a not so good looking actor playing that role seems interesting. What is wrong with people? First of all: He is damn pretty and second: Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. I liked the first episode and I am looking forward to the next one.

9. Unknown (2/12 on Youku, Taiwanese)

The story about found family, childhood trauma and struggling topped with a lovestory between "brothers". They aren't really brothers so I really don't care and just enjoy this forbidden and hurtful lovestory to the fullest. I liked the first episodes and want to see more!

Finished in February

Series

Love for Love's Sake

How? How am I supposed to move on from this show? How am I supposed to think of anything else than the fact that Myungha committed su*cide and his friend loved him so much, wanted him to be happy and found a way to grief, that he wrote him into this novel so that he could have this happy ending? How am I supposed to move on from Myungha and Yeowoon being so in love with each other? How am I supposed to move on from Myungha's quiet "I love you" after this picture-perfect kiss at the beach once they overcame death and time and are finally this happy? How am I supposed to move on from Love for Love's Sake? I really don't know. This is the best drama I have watched. Like ever. I can't think of anything else at the moment. 100 out of 10 for me. I can't put in words how much I love this show.

Sahara Sensei to Toki-kun

Well. I knew I don't have a problem with step-brothers and now I know I don't have a problem with teacher/student. I think this show was adorable. Toki was a little bit over the top sometimes, but I enjoyed their interactions and the plot. Would I like this in real life? No, not so much, but in this fictional little world I really could enjoy this show. I give this 8 out of 10 little punches.

Annarasumanara (no bl)

This series broke my heart and healed it two minutes later, only to break it again. It was a rollercoaster for my emotions, but I really enjoyed it. The acting was good, the music was great and the story was very entertaining and heartbreaking. I give this a 9 out of 10.

Something In My Room

This was such a nice surprise. I started this series a while ago and put it on hold. I came to it this month and I enjoyed it so much! And it had the ending was hoping for! I loved the ending! It was so perfect. The plot was a little weak at some parts, but I was too distracted by Nut and his beauty. He is such a cutie pie! It gets a good 7 out of 10.

Happy Ending

In Strongberry we trust. Do I have to say more? I enjoyed this miniseries about two highschool classmates who obviously like each other, told by one of them in the future. He is scrolles though his old diary and remembering their time together and changing the plot by writing down, what he wished he would have said in the past. It has kind of an open ending, but in my mind they are together now and happy ever since :) It is not Strongberrys strongest series, but something good for in between. I give it a good 8 out of 10.

Pit Babe

Yeah it ended... It wasn't my cup of tea. The story was... exhausting. I didn't liek the fact Charlie and Jeff tried to solve everything by themselfes. Why tf did Way needed to die? I mean, give this man a break and give Pavel a break. The first times he needed to carry the emotional package of this show was fine, but at the end, it was just too much emotional stuff going on. it was too much. And to be honest, I skipped a lot, especially the Charlie x Babe plot. But Alan and Jeff! They were the reason I kept on watching. I love them so much! And I was kind of looking forward to Pete x Way, but this ship sunk like the Titanic... In the end, it was too much of everything and at the same time not exciting for me. But I get why people like it. Only 6 out of 10 for me.

Tomorrow (no bl)

I was a little bit unsure in the beginning. Choi Joon Woong was a little bit annoying for the first three episodes or so. But that was all forgotten in the end. Such a good series and one of them that made me cry with every single episode. I really liked the idea of a grim reaper department to prevemt su*c*des. There was always a story of the week and really good back stories! Enjoyed the whole thing and I am happy I watched it! 10 out of 10 for me.

Cooking Crush

Okay, I am not the biggest fan of OffGun. I think their chemistry is, well not really there for me. I don't know why they are so popular, but that is just my personal feeling. The series itself left me with a meh impression. I don't need drama all the time, but if there is not much plot, let the plot be entertaining at least. And that is what was lacking for me. I wasn't entertaint that much. And I didn't like the characters that much. Just not my bl. 5,5 out of 10 for me.

The Glory (Part 1, no bl)

Uhhh, this is so good! It is intense and I can't wait to see Dong-Eun get her revenge finally! I hope they'll suffer! It is a hard watch, especially the flashbacks. That is really hard stuff to watch, but the rest feels just so good! I like the characters and I enjoy hating the majority of them! I started the second part and can't wait to see how this turns out and ends! And I am curious if Yeo-Jung really has to kill someone and if he can work on his trauma too. 10 out of 10 for me.

The Glory (Part 2, no bl)

This felt so good. Just pure satisfaction. I wish we could have seen some of Yeo-jung's revenge too, but I am happy she decided to stay. Dong-eun's and Yea-jung's relationship might be highly fucked up, but it is one of the most romantic I have seen and I am in love with them. And I am happy Do-young could have his happy ending at the construction site and in the UK with his daughter. I wish them all the best! Such a good series! Loved every piece of it.

A Killer Paradox (no bl)

It had a promising start and I would have loved to whitness more of Lee Tang's "special powers" and his growth, but it ended with a complex mess and a story that wasn't that interesting. I really liked Lee Tang's character and I wished I could have see him, I don't know, shine a little bit more. Not as good as the trailer was promising, but entertaining. I give it 7 out of 10.

The Sign

I don't know if it was the two weeks break for me to finally watch the final, but it felt kinda... uneventful. I mean, we have this huge soulmate-romeo-and-juliet-thing and it looks as it ends just like the first time and Tharn dies. And it was just predictable and the ending was kinda rushed for me. Tharn talking to Mr. Snake to finally understand him and let him live with Phaya was a little bit out of character for Mr. Snake. I wished for them to be together, but this felt like lazy writing. Overall this isn't a bad series. I just wished for something more to be honest. A little bit more mystic and a little less crime solving. But that is just me. And to be honest, the last love-making-scene was just too long and with that a little bit boring... A solid 7 out of 10 for me.

The Good Bad Mother (no bl)

I saw s many good things about this drama, so I decided, I can't do much right now, so I can watch this. It was good. I loved how Kang ho get back on his feet and overall the growth of all the people in this small village. I really enjoyed this. And it was a little bit predictable, but I enjoyed the ending so much! It felt just a little too long at some points. I would recommend it, but I wouldn't hype it that much. It is a good watch. A 7,5 out of 10 for me.

Playboyy

Well, this show was something... something else, something different, something bad and good at the same time. It is hard to describe it, but I liked it. The cinematography was very good and the theatrical feeling I got was brilliant. I loved the settings for the different couples and how they played with the sex to deliver the story. But I lost the plot somewhere between cringy popcorn blowies and the pure madness these characters drifted into after a while. I still enjoyed the show though. The ending is a different chapter and yeah, no. What was that? It was a betrayal and an annoyence! To be continued... A solid 7 out of 10 for me (I might change that in the future...)

Movie

Short Film

Dropped in February

For Him (1/12 on iQiyi - Thai)

Hm. I kind of knew I would drop this after the first episode. It couldn't entertain me enough to stay interested. And there is so much more out right now that fits my interest more. Perhaps I binge watch it one day, but for now: goodbye.

Looking forward to in February

Anti Reset - Teaser (Feb 2nd GagaOOLala / Viki)

City of Stars - Trailer (Feb 2nd iQiyi)

Perfect Propose - Trailer (Feb 2nd GagaOOLala)

1000 Years old (Feb 14th WeTV and Gaga)

A Secretly Love

Kiseki Chapter One

23.5

[multifanlol]

Total drama yandere Courtney Headcannons

So i know i usually just take requests but with the new season of total drama coming out soon i wanna start writing it i also still take requests!

Tw: Stalking, Kidnapping, brainwashing, usual yandere stuff

Yandere Courtney scenarios

We’ve already seen how toxic Courtney is in the show especially with Duncan so with you? She would be the definition of the psycho girlfriend trope even if you weren’t dating

When she first meets you the first thing she wants is to control you, it’s not that she hates your personality! The way you act is a little “off” to her, she needs to make you behave at least so you’ll be proper s/o materiel!

Controlling you would be her specialist but she’s also kinda decent at manipulating it just wouldn’t occur to her as she’d get irritable very easily if you don’t listen to one thing she tells you

If she ever did kidnap you it would be to “protect you” she would keep on telling you that but in reality would be convincing herself that in a way to justify herself that it’s right

Sure you can’t ever see your family or friends again but you have her and that’s all that matters, right?

Definitely would get jealous easily no matter how much times you compliment her and say that “you love her and only her” jealousy would still be extremely common especially if you ever got into a relationship

When holding you hostage she would only ever punish you if you completely made her lose her temper (which is extremely common if you had more of an attitude) or well obviously attempted to escape, her punishments would never be brutal though! Maybe just break an arm if you tried to escape and ties you down to a bed and lose a couple of privileges until she learns to trust you again

You know that list she did to Duncan? I have no doubts she’d do the same to you, if you never listened she’d maybe have to be a bit….forceful

She would probably brainwash and attempt to guilt trip you while holding you hostage and you still don’t “like” her

After all she’s done for you? You never have to deal with paying the bills or worry about what others think of you and you still won’t return her affection?

Yeah she’d lose it

I don’t see her as the type to be a messy killer with her rivals maybe some stabbing here and there to make sure there properly dead and would cleanly dispose of the bodies sometimes she’d even kill friends who “got in the way” (aka found out of her intentions) and she would comfort you like she knew them personally

Atleast it depends on her mood if she really loathed the person it would be much more messy although she would manage to hide the bodies pretty decently tbh

If you ever passed on/successfully escaped she would look for you but would more of wait for you to come back for her

I mean, she already drove away your friends and killed the remaining ones and as for your family Courtney developed a pretty good relationship with them i think they’d take “her” word

If you ever passed though would be a different story especially if it was her fault she would have to get over it later on but she’d probably only get into another relationship if they reminded her of you would probably want an actual funereal for you and would make some lie about you being kidnapped by some other kidnapper and she attempted to save you

Would get mad if you showed the slightest disinterest towards her affection and use it as an excuse to punish you simply because she’s petty

You’d probably think she’d be a bit much but you’d never think she has a borderline obsession towards you

Overall she’d be kinda messed up, i mean what do you expect from someone who’s already kinda toxic in canon? As a yandere i feel like she’d be 1000% worser

Soo yeah i plan on maybe making one of Heather and Zoey with this i hope whoever’s reading this liked it! Have a good day/night!

[phantomdialogue]

˗ˏˋ. ݁₊ ✶ ˖ 𝐛𝐫𝐢𝐝𝐞 𝐛𝐲 𝐚𝐥𝐢 𝐡𝐚𝐳𝐞𝐥𝐰𝐨𝐨𝐝 - 𝟑/𝟓 ☆ . ݁ ˖ˎˊ˗

premise: after spending her whole life as a pawn for the vampyre council, misery lark finds herself in yet another plan to bring peace amongst the different species. however, she's got her own plan for how to use her arranged marriage to her advantage. lowe moreland wasn't expecting his vampyre wife to make him feel the way he does but as tensions shift amongst the species, perhaps working together will do far more good than expected.

couple: lowe moreland and misery lark

tropes: omegaverse (ish), vampire x werewolf, almost grumpy x sunshine, rivals to lovers (ish), arranged marriage, a little found family, fated mates

review below!

review:

i'm really conflicted on this book. i feel like i was going back and forth between two books about the same characters that the storylines didn't mesh well together. on one hand, there was some clear political drama that ali hazelwood set up between the different species of humans, werewolfs, and vampyres (the spelling did also get annoying). but it just seemed so lackluster and was used more as a filler for when the romance needed time to sit. especially at the end around 75-80%, all of the sudden everything turned on its head and the twist was just so confusing to me because i don't feel like we got much lead up to it. on the other hand, there was the arranged marriage romance between misery and lowe. that part i did enjoy... until the third act breakup. the third act breakup was just so irritating because there was such an easy solution to it and because we never read lowe's point of view, it felt really unwarranted.

misery was a fun fmc, however, and i did enjoy her snark and sarcasm. it added a light to this book and really elevated the romance to see her and lowe's interactions as their personalities clashed at the beginning because of the way they were pretty closed off from each other. lowe was... fine. he wasn't a bad mmc but he also wasn't that great. the third act breakup is literally 1000% his fault. in fact, a majority of the conflict in the romance comes from him and not being honest about what's going on. which also brings up that i felt like we dragged the conflict in the romance out immensely and then using it as fuel for the third act breakup really just frustrated me after 25 ish chapters of knowing what's going on and the book avoiding addressing it.

the smut... wasn't that great either. i loved the lead up to it (the airplane scene kind of lives rent free in my brain because that was hot) but when it got to the actual smut, it just didn't hit as hard i feel like the smut in her other book that i've read did. the knotting/omegaverse aspect of it was also incredibly hyped up online and it just fell short for me.

overall, it's not bad. but it's definitely not what i was hoping for i guess. i think that it's fine and if you want a fun werewolf x vampire book, this fills a little need for it. however, i think it would have benefitted dramatically from maybe an extra 50 pages to give itself the time to develop the political drama better if she really wanted to go that route.

q & a:

are they endgame? - probably... i guess... i feel like lowe really needs to work on his ability to communicate honestly and openly with misery to get to the point of being a strong endgame. but the way that he handled certain truths with her and caused the third act breakup really brought down his character as a whole. if he had just been honest with her, i'd probably be far more inclined to think that they would be endgame as well as rank him higher as a book boyfriend. i think misery has some issues of her own to work through but lowe feels like the main issue with the two of them.

did i cringe? - the dialogue in the smut really just did not work for me. i think ali hazelwood was going for a bit of an alpha thing with lowe and it just felt wrong because he wasn't like that except for during sex. he's supposed to be this alpha that is widely respected because of the air around him and how he holds himself and how dominating he is but we don't see that as a reader really and it makes his dialogue during the smut really out of character and sometimes gross.

favorite part? - the romance up until 75% ish through was really strong i think. i enjoyed the pacing of them coming together and connecting and falling for each other as well as acknowledging their differences. i think this book would have been so much better without a third act breakup because the romance leading up to that was probably the best part of the book.

least favorite part? - my main issues with this book comes from a lack of plot/development. there was a lot of potential here and it lived up to some of it but also falls short on a lot of it. the actual plot outside of the romance felt so minor compared to everything else going on. because of that as well, the plot twist just felt so underwhelming and confusing because there is so little actual build up to it while the build up to the romance is much more developed.

favorite quotes (some spoilers here, of course, but minimal):

I have no friends on the left, and only enemies on the right. So I ground myself and look straight ahead.

Those eerie, unearthly, beautiful eyes, glowing at me in the dim lights, a chilling green that borders on feral. I wonder if I’ll get used to them. If one year from now, when this arrangement is complete, I’ll still think them bizarrely lovely.

“Is it true that you don’t have a soul?” It’s goddamn noon. And there is a child here, asking me: “Because you used to be dead?”

It’s like you’re—I don’t know, suspended. Untethered from everything around you. I just need to see you go toward something, Misery.

They rarely touch. When they did, her wrist accidentally brushed against the front of his shirt, and he found himself tearing off the piece of fabric where her smell was most intense. He slipped it in his pocket, and now carries it everywhere. Even as he leaves to avoid her.

“Maybe there is something devastating about the incompleteness of it. But maybe, just knowing that the other person is there . . .” His throat bobs. “There might be pleasure in that, too. The satisfaction of knowing that something beautiful exists.”

"I would take her for a single night knowing that I’ll lose her by morning, and I would hold on to her and never let go. I would take her healthy, or sick, or tired, or angry, or strong, and it would be my fucking privilege. I would take her problems, her gifts, her moods, her passions, her jokes, her body—I would take every last thing, if she chose to give it to me.”

There is something patently sexual about this, no question, but it goes beyond. I’m being discovered. Mapped. Soothed and ignited at once.

“You’re not a problem, Misery. You’re a privilege."

He’s not sure he deserves the warmth of his current life, but he’ll keep it anyway.

[somethin-stupid-67]

BCS HC's because I've been up all night and the brain rot is unreal

JIMMY/SAUL:

(More Saul?) Loves himself a cocktail, the sweeter the better. Fruity cocktails for a fruity little man. Only thing he can’t stand about them is how overpriced they are, no matter where he orders them.

Very strongly considered buying rings when he married Kim. Something about the symbolism stuck with him and really wanted their marriage, business arrangement or not, to present as more “socially official.” Would’ve definitely had them engraved with Wexler-McGill on the inside of the bands, too.

Eventually became pretty good at the guitar. Still struggles with tuning it and has, on more than one occasion, had a meltdown while attempting to replace broken strings.

Loves his white Cadillac, but definitely misses his Esteem.

KIM:

Smokes whatever cigarettes are on hand but is a ride-or-die menthol enjoyer.

The only person allowed to call her “Kimmy” is her mother. Jimmy tried once and wound up in a long,  long conversation about her distaste of the nickname.

Similarly, she doesn’t go by her full first name (at least professionally) because she feels it’s too preppy/thinks Kimberly Wexler sounds too much like the name of a ditzy blonde side character in a John Hughes movie.

Talkative drunk. Will have a conversation with anyone about nearly anything. Out for drinks and there’s a game on TV? She’s chatting up the nearest patron about every. single. play. Song she recognizes comes on the radio? She’s breaking down the lyrics, symbolism, and the artist’s motivation for writing it. Will apologize profusely the next morning for “talking too much.” Jimmy, naturally, finds it absolutely adorable and insists she shouldn’t feel bad.

NACHO:

Extremely shy as a child!

Grew up listening to/singing along with classic Mexican love songs and sings them softly to himself when completing any sort of task that doesn’t require a lot of focus. Very few people have actually heard him sing, but those who have all tell him he has a lovely voice.

He’d be lying if he said he disliked Lalo calling him “Nachito.”

Huge fan of an ice-cold Coke Zero.

Easily cries at tv shows and movies, most notably if there’s a trope pertaining to a father and son. Less than five seconds into a commercial for the ASPCA/Humane Society and he has tears in his eyes.

LALO:

In the rare instances he’s able to sleep more than an hour or two at a time, he snores. LOUD. Like, keeping the house up half the night loud.

If it wasn’t for his responsibilities to the “family business,” he would have pursued work as either a professional chef or professional hitman. Yes, the two couldn’t be farther from each other. Yes, they somehow both make total sense.

Would’ve 1000% slept with Nacho or Jimmy if the situation presented itself.

Opposite to Nacho, he was an extremely outgoing child. He was the type of kid to wander off with other children or walk up to total strangers and introduce himself.

Initially bothered by how quickly his hair went grey, but once he found out women (and men) thought it made him more attractive he never gave it a second thought.

HOWARD:

Strong aversion to water. He’ll get into a swimming pool and that’s about it, but even then he won’t go out farther than he can stand. His fear of drowning is the only thing preventing him from becoming a triathlete.

Keeps a photo of his parents in his wallet.

Definitely has anxiety. His tells used to be much more obvious when he first became an attorney (leg bouncing, shakiness in voice) but he has since been able to control it, most of the time. It’s a part of what keeps him up at night, why he’ll always opt for tea, and why he picked up boxing and cycling. It almost never interferes with his work the way it once did, but every now and again he can be seen swiftly pacing around his office or picking the skin around his fingers.

Despite his agility/flexibility, he’s an absolutely terrible dancer. Even in a bout of romance, an after-dinner slow dance in his own home proves he has two left feet.

Mailroom Era Jimmy definitely called him “Pretty Boy” to piss him off. It made him blush and/or stutter every time without fail and it took both Chuck and his father to convince him that Jimmy was insulting him and didn’t mean it as a compliment.

[habibialkaysani]

trope selection tag game

saw @laufire doing this and thought it looked fun :)

enemies to lovers or friends to lovers - ofc as a kathony fan I go with enemies to lovers, but I am 1000% a fan of friends to lovers when it's done right. there is just something so *chef's kiss* about both of these tropes tho and the switch that happens, that change in how two people see each other, that I legit can't get enough of <3

coffee shop au or flower shop au - I read the most amaaaazing westallen coffee shop au forever ago: gold, when you find me by @mmtions where barry is a coffee shop owner on the side when he's not the flash, and iris is a journalist who writes bad comics lol. I am partial to flower shop aus tho, @newtonsheffield's kathony florist au is excellent.

hurt/comfort or there was only one bed - I fucking love angst and hurt/comfort just hits all the right spots for me... the vulnerability??? bonus points if there's some whump???

found family or partners in crime - found family for the WIN! mostly because it reflects a lot of what I've experienced irl which is nice.

canon compliant or canon divergent - I love both tbh, but for writing, I tend to write canon compliant or canon fix-its that don't have enough impact on canon to be considered canon divergent (like this kathony one where kate and anthony weren't interrupted by newton)

domesticity or pwp - I write enough of it that it's kind of a given lol. I guess bonus points if it's pwp domesticity tho!

fluff or angst with a happy ending - I love angst with a happy ending bc it's like... you kinda had to work for it, if you get what I mean? whereas pure fluff, it depends.

1st person pov or 3rd person pov - I love 1st person in original fiction but I must admit I have yet to find an example where I don't find it jarring in fic. /@laufire

soulmates or forbidden love - I adore soulmates - whether soulmarks, soulmate aus where the world becomes in colour when you meet your soulmate, etc. esp when writers get really invested in the lore of the soulmate thing like this one and this one by antematter and then characters become emotionally constipated over not thinking they've found their soulmate or being stupid about it. so good.

roommates or fake dating - fake dating can be fun. Especially if it's for undercover shenanigans. /@laufire

slow burn or meet-cute - the slow burn is the BEST because the YEARNING and ANGST that comes with it. I love a good meet cute too, and as you can tell I'm a huge fan of tropes generally, but the slow burn becomes interesting as to what's stopping them from getting together - whether because they're enemies, or friends, or there's something forbidden about their love.

love triangle or polyamorous relationship - I love love LOVE love triangles! they get a bad rep in media but they are messy af and I just have way too much fun with them. I love a good polyam relationship tho.

royalty au or magic au - I have enjoyed a couple of royalty aus immensely - this bodyguard!anthony and princess!kate fic by @newtonsheffield (you can tell I'm a fan lol) and this one with queen kathani by @writtenbygracewilliams is bloody amazing.

high school/college au or neighbours au - I don't have a huge preference for either? but I did read a lovely neighbours au by @newtonsheffield where kate goes to anthony's flat to ask him to zip up her dress that makes me enjoy that one a lot more.

mutual pining or idiots to lovers - I fucking LOVE both of these tropes! esp when it involves two ladies bc that means double the useless lesbians :D but also I have a soft spot for dumbasses in love esp when it's mutual pining and they both think it's unrequited. that stuff is the BEST.

tagging: @ihaveastorminme @laurelwinchester @sophiainspace and anyone else who wants to do this!