#and like. don't enjoy it at all anymore haha -- the premise was fun and most importantly I had someone once very excitedly rec the fic to me

[drbtinglecannon]

Hey there, friend 💖 You've got pretty amazing fics so...

Fic authors self rec! When you get this, reply with your favorite five fics that you've written, then pass on to at least five other writers. Let’s spread the self-love 💖

;___; you're so sweet! 💖

Legit I think my favorite fic rn is the one I wrote for the Titan's Zine, I'm very proud of it hahaha, but I can't post it yet 🫠 you have read it tho so I know you can appreciate why it's my favorite haha! so I'll pick from my other stuff

1. Precision. Listen. I was possessed to write out the first chapter after listening to the Post Hoot with Darius' VA, like it was originally a goddamn tumblr post that was just gonna be a short joke, then suddenly I was writing a whole ficlet and just posted it like that. Obviously it didn't end up as canon compliant but I still like how I wrote Darius & Hunter's dynamic. The second chapter is extremely indulgent for me because I still lament the loss of the rebel trio having more screentime, I have soo many thoughts on how it would've gone, so I wrote out Darius, Eber, and Raine's dynamic how I think it would've been and had a lot of fun with it haha. Still very fond of that one

2. You April Fool! Legit I think this was slept on. I did so much research on April Fool's in Victorian England and I wrote gold for it with the dgs cast haha. Ryunosuke's prank was genius.

3. The Language of Flowers I am gonna finish this I fucking swear 😭 I've always been a fan of flower language for romance and have had this exact fic idea for many a ship over the years, so finally writing it and it's for a period accurate cast of repressed men? Amazing

4. A bonding exercise involving fists This was a fun piece to write, it was good exercise on writing fighting and for writing characters I wasn't confident with. I'm not a fan of rw/by anymore, but I still have fondness for Qrow x Clover and all the stuff I wrote for them haha

5. 5 times Hizashi made the first move, +1 time Shouta did Not only was it the first longer fic I wrote, I pumped that thing out so quickly at a speed I can only dream of having now haha. It's wonky and self-indulgent and my writing is significantly better now and I don't even like bnha anymore, but pieces like that one helped me get where I am now y'know!

[zmediaoutlet]

I'm a big fan of your spn work and there is SO much of it, so I was wondering: what are a few of your personal favorites fics you've written (and why are they your faves!) to give me a place to start?

Wow, that's an interesting question! I don't know quite how to respond -- I mean, you could go to my works page and sort by kudos, I guess, and you'd see what other people think, haha. And sometimes my favorite fics of mine are just the most recent ones, because they reflect how I'm currently thinking about the canon/characters -- but sometimes my favorite fics are the ones that I think are a little different. So I guess it just... depends on what you're after. I'll pick five of the spn-verse ones that aren't J2, I guess, just to be going on with -- and this is with the understanding that I don't really believe in 'favorites', haha --

to dream of the next - wincest. This is the one where Sam's been pining for so long that he doesn't really have the strength to pretend he isn't, anymore. It was fun to write Sam's stripped-down weariness here, but it's also interesting to see Dean through Sam's semi-oblivious eyes -- where Sam's so certain that they can't move to that next stage that he can't see Dean seeing him, so to speak. Plus I think some of the writing is pretty. I like the middle section best, I think.

won't let you let me down so easily - Sam/Brady, Sam/various. This is the one where a possessed Brady makes Sam get gangbanged by a bunch of unscrupulous frat boys. Definitely inspired by a fratx video, lol, but -- despite the fact that it's 'just porn' and it was definitely written for a donator who likes to see Sam raped and so it didn't really matter too much if the premise for why was rich -- I really ended up enjoying writing Brady's headspace. He's a weird character and it was fun to make this work for *him*, even as Sam dwindled away into object. If you're not into the rapey bit then the first half might at least be interesting to you, for Brady's POV.

asceticism - wincest. If you click and see 'watersports' and rear back, I would urge you not to -- unless it's a like Oh No Gross squick, lol. I really think some of the internal thought processes I wrote for Dean here are about the best I've done. Charity fics/specific prompts are interesting to write because the restrictions given by the prompt create a fertile space for creativity. A lot of people have said that they enjoyed it despite the piss, lol -- that's because it's not about the piss, at all, it's about the mindset that makes the piss possible. I feel very tender for Dean here.

someday we'll go all the way (let's play two series) - Dean/Deacon, gencest. This is the second of my Dean/Deacon stories -- the first one makes an entirely-possible-inside-canon space for Dean/Deacon to have happened; this second one posits an AU where Dean stays at Deacon's house for most of the Stanford era, and when Jessica dies then Sam has to come out to Arkansas to find him. I really like the feel of this story. The Sam POV section is probably my favorite but I appreciate seeing Dean and Deacon's POVs as well -- in part because it does still feel possible, and still fits in the rest of the show's world. Plus it's always nice to give Dean someone who loves him. He doesn't have enough of those.

Elegy, wincest, Dean/John. One of my 'full house of wincest' stories -- that is, a canon-feeling Dean and Sam relationship that nevertheless includes Dean/John somewhere in the background. My general fhow tag is kind of a guide to how I think about the D/J relationship in canon -- I guess I'll tag it on this post if you feel like clicking through on my blog -- but it's really most interesting to me for how it affects Sam and Dean in their present. This fic is all about that. Dean's prickly terror-shame-defiance is really accurate, I think, to early s2 -- Sam's slightly misguided sympathy/pity is accurate to his own early s2 vibes, haha -- but I like particularly how this fic uses the D/J moment to aaalmost violently reframe 'nice' wincest, the Sam/Dean that we've all bought into, into something bad and unhealthy. I mean, I don't like 'family horror show' blogging very much, but hell. It doesn't take much to skew the relationship we see into something very awful.

...anyway. Those are a few that I guess I'd point to if you want to get a vibe of me-as-a-writer. I didn't include any of the mildly popular ones, haha. But if you ever have an opinion on any of it, o anonymous friend, I'd love to hear your thoughts either here or in a comment! Looks like I've got 164 'just' spn fics so I guess there's a lot to choose from, but some of those less-read ones have a little something going for them. I hope! :)

[saranghanuuu]

PERKS OF DATING A YOUNGER GUY I LEARNED AFTER WATCHING CHINESE DRAMA FIND YOURSELF + REVIEW!

1. He has less baggage

This means that he has more time to attend to your needs and wants unlike an older guy with a demanding schedule and lots of responsibilities at hand.

2. He's more open-minded and adventurous

They are open to having new experiences and won't judge you for veering off the path you should stay on.

3. He's infectiously energetic *ehem*

Need I say more? A younger guy's youthful sense will surely find unimaginable ways to impress you!

4. He puts you on a pedestal

A younger man will appreciate your maturity and experiences and will admire you for it. They're also most likely take advice from you without letting it bruise their ego.

5. He'll make you feel young

Be prepared to relive the fun parts of your younger years with him.

It's not so wrong to say that the May-December relationship is taboo, especially among Asians. Most people I know had this inkling that when a younger guy hooks up with a woman way older than him, it could prolly mean one of two things — the guy's a paramour or she's a sugar momma. I'm honestly not a fan of it either on the premise that women mature faster than men. Let's be real, an immature relationship is a disaster. But now that I'm in my late 20s, and a hopeless romantic single at that, I kinda pondered over this. It suddenly occurred to me, what if one day I’m caught up in the position of being pursued by a younger man? Will I let the stigma affect me emotionally? Or will I take the risk ‘coz all is fair in love? I still don’t have a definite answer to this question. However, watching Find Yourself served as an eye-opener for me to look at things from a different perspective.

Find Yourself is a 2020 Chinese drama starring Song Wei Long and Victoria Song. It tells the story of a 32-year old Executive Director who never *even once* experienced dating. Given her age and career stability, she receives constant pressure from the people around her to find someone to marry and has since frequented blind dates arranged by her family, friends, or colleagues. But this girl is just someone who swears by the "spark" - no spark, then no point to the relationship. She may be old for fantasizing over first love and such, but she still yearns that it'll naturally come to find her someday. Until her thirst for real romance is quenched by a 22-year-old guy who started working as an intern in her company at his brother’s request.

Although hesitant at first due to their huge age difference and the societal views, she went out with him on the condition that they'll keep it a secret for the first 3 months. If everything went well, she agrees to publicize her relationship with him.

Let’s start off with the good things...

I just can't with this drama...! This so beautiful, cute, relatable - especially for a woman in late 20s like me. 

Plot-wise, it was well-imparted and makes perfect sense, touching a looooooot of relationship aspects in 41 episodes. Not only did I enjoy the happenings between our main couple, but our side couples' stories are very interesting too.

This drama pretty much straightened out my prejudice about age-gap relationships.

Light-hearted, just the way I like it! Every episode will make you smile and/or laugh hard.

Sexual tensions overload and superb kissing scenes! Let those hormones rush in. Not awkward to watch 'coz They. Did. Not. Hold. Back. Ack! If you're single, be prepared to feel MORE SINGLE watching this drama.

Well-written lines that will make you feel real emotions. The words will shoot you straight to the heart.

Acting-wise, the casts, from the mains down to the sides, did a super fine job in conveying the sentiments of their characters. My highest admiration goes to male lead Yuan Song, not (only) because he’s young, hot, and handsome, but because his youthful vibe made me reminisce the paradox of my early 20s awww. Anyways, in the beginning, I am sort of confused why (of all girls) he fell head over heels with our female lead He Fanxing who's obviously out of his league. I even suspected him of taking advantage of her naivety in matters of the heart. But as the drama went along, our dude proved himself genuine... That he's sincerely just a guy who's deeply in love with a woman... That indeed, true love can exist in this kind of relationship. Both Yuan Song and Fanxing emotionally benefited from each other and it's so lovely seeing that.

⚠️ AND SORRY BUT THIS IS A SPOILER ALERT⚠️

Halfway through the drama, our main couple called it quits. I'm somewhat grateful that it happened. Their break-up scene is just so powerful I had to rewind it many times. Not because I liked seeing them suffer from the consequences of their incompatibility. Rather, I loved it 'coz it became the turning point of their relationship.

Their love is premature, to begin with — trust isn't mutual, commitment is one-way, only showing each other's good sides in fear of the relationship turning sour, one is willing to compromise while the other wants to avoid responsibility, filled with doubts and insecurities. During this break-up phase, we were shown the difference between how kids and adults behave and decide in a dilemma. I suddenly remembered this one line delivered in the drama which I agree with — "Only kids would choose one or the other. Adults find solutions". The break-up also served as our main couple's period of contemplation about who and what they want in life. It taught them how to fully embrace their offbeat romance against the norms. Fortunately, things wrapped up into a sweet end.

And of course the bad...

Hmmm... Maybe I'm just not used to it but am I the only one who thinks that this drama is quite lengthy? Yes, I enjoyed it but it's not a good one to binge-watch. It took me almost a month to finish this I nearly drowned haha. Honestly, there were parts they could've just compressed instead of dragging it for too long. One example is Ye Luming and He Fanxing's relationship trial. Ooohhh I hate this part it brought shivers down my spine ugh. Well truth be told, Luming and Fanxing are compatible and better off as friends. They jive so well, and I give it to them that they're both adults who can only understand adult things.

But when Luming all of a sudden became a sneaky character to an intolerable point... Ah, I don't know anymore! Seeing how compelled Fanxing is to being Luming's girlfriend got under my skin. Although these ugly parts eventually became a good contributory factor to Fanxing's realization of her true feelings towards Yuan Song, but still...! I also hated Fanxing at one point for being so gullible in love. But yeah, I had to swallow it because that's her character setup in the first place. It should be expected of her to be hasty and dubious about it.

On the other hand, I wished they've been generous in showing us more about how Yuan Song and Fanxing's relationship is going after the public reveal. I've been waiting for this the entire time (they could've done so much more in 41 episodes' length!) so I'm quite disappointed.

After watching the second season of Well-Intended Love, I admit I lost interest in Chinese dramas. So watching this restored my faith in them. I even have a list of C-dramas lined up now! But I have to move on from this one first before I start another. It's not as easy as I thought ㅠㅠ

What do you think about this drama? Are we on the same frequency? ❤️

If you haven't watched this yet, watch it now. As in 지금부터 RIGHT NOW. Highly-recommended!

[throughalleternity]

Writer's tag thing

Tagged by: Took up @sapphicscholar 's "anyone" tag haha

Most popular (by most kudos): Pool Cues and Fireworks. I like sticking to my niches so I don't look at stats much, but I am happy about this one since I consider it my best/favorite.

Best fic: See above! It's the only one I usually like to reread, so it's also the one that's gotten the most editing passes (though they haven't been major, since I was reluctant to change much after posting). But I think it's probably more polished than the rest. I have other fics where I enjoy the premise but think the writing could use more work in some places, but I find both pretty enjoyable in this one. (Or maybe I'm just biased.)

Favorite fic: I just really like Pool Cues. I look back on it now and wonder about scenes I didn't include, but I do really like the pacing of what's there and how it unfolds. I love trans!Maggie and how well some canon events can fit with that headcanon—I saw what NerdsbianHokie wrote and was like yes I know what I want now. I like how Maggie's "we should be who we are" kinda takes on a new meaning in that context? I didn't really call attention to it, but I see it as applying to Maggie in regards to gender as well.

But to mention something else: I have also been fond of (belonging in the) spaces between the letters recently, with agender!Kara. I initially was thinking are you really going to post another fic tagged Coming Out that's about gender?, but I enjoyed writing it! Plus the writing style is one that I'm liking these days, so I can go back to it and not immediately cringe. (Fun fact, it was initially background Supercorp, and then I decided that trying to write Kara and Lena was more effort than I wanted to put in, since I can barely get away with writing Kara, let alone Lena, too). (Oh and It's about feeling happy. Similar vibes, vaguely.)

Least favorite fic: It would be a non-SG fic, but I'm gonna exclude those since they're not as fun to think about. So—It's going tibia okay is one I forgot I wrote, which is Director Sanvers fluff. I think my main writing interest is pretty obvious, so I suppose it makes sense that I just don't care as much about that one anymore. The queer themes are only there due to the ship, rather than being central to the premise, after all.

Tagging: No pressure at all, but if you feel like it: @cameronfosswriting, @cantdrawshaw, @felperebranco, @nerdsbianhokie, and anyone else!