#anti brightwell

[ashereadsstuff]

My Books of 2023 Part 1

My goal for the year was 50 books, and I have read 60-ish. I'm not really sure, to be honest. The storygraph considers manga as books, while Goodreads does not. Goodreads considers fanfictions to be actual books, while The Storygraph does not. I, however, consider both to be books, even if they are somewhat not traditional. Here's all of them:

The Delve | By: Dan Fitzgerald

Assorted Wildness | By: Gyeja

Semantic Error | By: Soori Jeo

KinnPorsche Vol 1 | By: Daemi

An Innocent Puppy Meets a Two-Faced Cat | By: Niyama

BL Motel | By: Uhrin

Scared to Live (But I'm Scared to Die) | By: Major_816

Gwen & Art Are Not in Love | By: Lex Croucher

Fence Comics Vol 1 - 5 | By: C.S. Pacat

Striking Distance (Fence Vol 1) | By: Sarah Rees Brennan

Disarmed (Fence Vol 2) | By: Sarah Rees Brennan

Superior | By: Jessica Lack

How to Tame Your Vampire Vol 1 | By: Anni Lee

Fangirl, Vol 1: The Manga | By: Rainbow Rowell

The Vegetarian | By: Han Kang

Every Heart a Doorway (Vol 2) | By: Seanan McGuire

The Leather Boys | By: Gillian Freeman

The Love Hypothesis | By: Ali Hazelwood

All for the Game | By: Nora Sakavic

I think Our Son Is Gay Vol 1-4 | By: Okura

Unexpecting | By: Jen Bailey

Little Distractions | By: K.G. Brightwell

The Hunger Games | By: Suzanne Collins

Ander & Santi Were Here | By: Jonny Garza Villa

Tell Me What Really Happened | By: Chelsea Sedoti

TharnType | By: Khun Mame

Help Me, Uncle! | By: 4E

I Caught Him Getting Off Online! | By: Fujita

Anti - Alpha Series | By: Waka Okuda

Anti Platonic | By: Yupopo Orishima

The Untimely Undeath of Imogen Madrigal | By: Grayson Daly

Epic of Helinthia | By: MJ Pankey

Gender is Really Strange | By: Teddy goetz

Puzzle for Two | By: Josh Lanyon

The Covenant Sacrifice | By: Lee Allen Howard

Yours for the Taking | By: Gabrielle Korn

Her Dark Wings | By: Melinda Salisbury

Cursebreakers | By: Madeleine Nakamura

Kiss Me Liar | By: Zing

My Bias Is Showing?! | By: Nabit

Day Off | By: Dailygreens

Dress Him Up | By: Cheese Carp Bread

Burns | By: Ra-yuan

Aesthetics of Unpleasantness | By: SS

A Trace of You | By: AG

The Proper Way to Write Love | By: Ogeretsu Tanaka

Hands Up Me! | By: Chwesong

Leash Me Up | By: Yp

Why Is it You? | Nansae

Lookism | Taejun Park

Baby Sugar Succubus | Sakana Tojou

When the Glow Lights the Woods | By: Eule Grey

My Younger Childhood Friend is Just My Type | By: Hagi Fukuhara

[simplyshelbs16xoxo]

For the shipping ask, TWO Prodigal Son ships! :)

Malcolm/Edrisa and Malcolm/Dani

(One I know you ship and one I know you don’t lol)

Ship It (Maldrisa)

• What made you ship it? Honestly, they really reminded me of Sherlolly in the beginning. They have this cute banter when they're nerding out and she's never said an unkind word about him, accepting him for him. Plus, their shared morbid humor is to die for 😋

• What are your favorite things about the ship? I listed most of it above, but I also think there's chemistry between them. There's no judgement on either side and I feel like they understand each other.

• Is there an unpopular opinion you have on your ship? I'm not sure any opinion I have on them is unpopular except for the fact I believe it's a better ship than Brightwell. I mean just look at them!!

Don't Ship It (Brightwell)

• Why don’t you ship it? I don't see the chemistry everyone else seems to see, I think Dani is pretty rude to Malcolm most of the time and that he deserves better than that. I remember being really upset in the penultimate ep when Ainsley approached Dani about her missing brother and Dani just acted like she didn't care. Like my kind of ship would have been worried from the get-go and not so uncaring. Like I know she said she's always worried but it never seems like she is.

• What would have made you like it? Maybe if their scenes didn't feel so one-sided to me. Some of the writing for them could be fixed a bit, but overall, the actors just don't have chemistry to me and there's not much anyone can do to fix that.

• Despite not shipping it, do you have anything positive to say about it? Ummmm I like how sweet Malcolm is toward her. These were probably their best scenes imo 👇

Thanks!

Ship Game

[missshezz]

By now, we’ve all heard the news that the douchebags at Fox decided not to renew Prodigal Son and that they chose to announce it two episodes ahead of the finale to make the finale the finale. There’s a petition to save the show going around and fans have taken to Twitter to try and pull a miracle.

However, that isn’t going to stop me from criticizing what I feel are obvious flaws in the story. And since I love pissing people off, I am going for broke this time...

*spoilers from here on out for those who haven’t watched the episode*

... by calling out that Brightwell kiss as the most contrived, unnecessary and clear bit of fan service ever.

This will likely get me anon’d, flamed, and roasted on the Brightwell altars but it’s the truth. It was terrible. It expressly showcased exactly what Tom himself has said: that Malcolm isn’t in the right place for anything romantic. Someone who is so in love with someone they suck face at the worst moment and in the worst setting imaginable but then immediately goes back to their main thought?

Ain’t all that much in love.

You also cannot go from a scene last week where Dani essentially admits she’s not sure she sees Bright as a friend to her sucking face with him in a storage locker. It jumps the shark. It shatters the suspension of belief. Especially when you look back at the season as a whole and see how standoffish, sarcastic, and mistrustful she has been towards Malcolm.

Now, I know what some will say: it highlights Malcolm’s impetuousness. Harks back to his one-night stand with Eve. Some will also say it shows Dani has feelings for him.

Still terrible.

Totally a moment that could have been put somewhere else given the tenseness of the situation.

Folks, in short, there is no Brightwell. There’s not even a friendship at this point. They’re basically work friends. That’s it.

And I’m sorry but that doesn’t scream passion to me.

What this scene failed to do and should have done was have an open conversation that resolved some of the issues between them. Especially Dani admitting she blamed Bright and his family for Gil getting hurt and has avoided getting closer to him for that reason. Have we forgotten she essentially destroyed Gilica? I haven’t. That was a crucial moment in the show and it is a huge wedge still (along with, yanno, the terrible idea of Malcolm cutting up a man but I digress).

I know Brightwell folks are desperate for their ship to become canon. It shouldn’t be done at the expense of the story, characters, and the rest of the fandom. We got cheated of a great moment of character building just so you could get a kiss.

And that’s frustrating and annoying as all hell.

People are using Lucifer as their model for getting Prodigal Son saved. Well, here’s one big key difference between Lucifer and Prodigal Son: Deckerstar has been a solid slow burn from the start. Chloe and Lucifer went from combative partners to friends and then lovers. In-between they had conflicts, rad blocks, other relationships.

In short, the couple became real and tangible because they were written as real and tangible (insomuch as one can write a devilish angel). Their relationship grew as THEY grew.

This is simply fan fiction fodder.

Now, I am all for ship as you ship (long as you use tags for those who don’t ship because it is being polite).

When the ship sinks my ship, though?

Then we’re playing Battleship.

And I am a fiend at that game.

This was fan service designed to give the shippers what they wanted, nothing more, nothing less. Again, it came at the expense of the story, characters, and rest of the fandom who would have been fine with the heartfelt conversation the two had and allowed it to build into something more.

@ me, anon me, burn my name in effigy but I stand on my comments.

[ikolmagpi]

Hi sorry to bother but saw your anti Br*ghtwell post and same omg. I dont understand when Malcolm would fall either? It had to be offscreen during break because he was mourning and haunted by Eve literally last 2 episodes season 1 but bam flirting in premiere. And I hate when writers pull that shit. Show us the journey to convince or dont make it a thing. What you said too-they dont fit. I dont see the attraction because it doesnt feel like Dani ever "got" him. The comments she will still make dont read flirty to me-they can be mocking. And his mental health is so worse than season 1 and I hate that it gets less focus from the writers. Like it feels they just care how that affects Br*ghtwell. I could go on but ya. Good to know not alone lol

You're not bothering me!! Dw and yeah wtf

And yes yes yes. Malcom is just not ready mentally,He needs to heal first and actually deal with he's trama and not just say "I'm fine" and move on to the next case :/

[bammtoris]

Hear me out if you ship Brightwell thats OK if you don’t ship Brightwell thats OK too so pls just accept each other’s decisions and opinions and don’t wine about it and be happy with what you like.

[padfootprongslet]

why are br*ghtwell shippers celebrating? its in his mind, in an ALTERNATE universe. which means it would never happen in the current universe 😂😉

[benedictsvestcollection]

Do you think maldrisa has a chance of being made canon because honestly if brightwell is canon I won’t be able to watch the show anymore. I can’t get over her punching him in the face.

@vaeh1012

First off hi! 

Secondly... I’m not sure honestly? I would obviously prefer Maldrisa to Br*ghtwell as well. 

And I’ve had to sit through FAR too many ‘forced ships’ on shows to be able to do it again... So I think I too, would just stop watching the show if they went the Br*ghtwell route. 

It’s really hard to tell what the show/writers are planning ‘ship wise’ for Malcolm... I know Tom pretty much made it clear (at least, it was clear imo) that he seems to prefer Maldrisa to Br*ghtwell... Not to mention I’ve only ever seen him like or RT Maldrisa stuff on Twitter and never anything Br*ghtwell related. 

But it’s so hard for me to tell what they’re doing re. the show b/c sometimes it seems like they’re doing Br*ghtwell, but then sometimes it seems like they’re hinting at Maldrisa.

And frankly, I’m NOT interested in a love triangle either so IDK what to expect or hope for? I’m sorry if that’s not the answer you were looking for. Lol. 

[emmymarieofthedreaming]

I love how any time people don’t like a female character or a ship they are in, they get automatically assumed to be misogynistic (or racist if the woman is a POC). Like maybe just maybe we just don’t like the ship cause they have zero chemistry and don’t like the character cause they are horribly written. Just a thought before you come attacking people.

[brightwells]

malcolm and dani both have feelings for each other it’s not one-sided where malcolm doesn’t have any feelings already or that they aren’t strong. like idk why y’all keep thinking it is when these scenes exists

[tjlikesprettythings]

People really lost me with the Anti-brightwell and tagging it under brightwell. Like listen if that is your jam, cool but don’t come smearing that on my bread and butter! People always ruin nice things, like let me live!

If you’re that dedicated to the hate then create a new damn tag! Ugh I do not need this when I’ve got one episode left, don’t ruin the feed!

[hitchell-mope]

Descendants prodigal son au

Ben. Malcolm

Ainsley. Evie

Jessica. Belle

Edrisa. Lonnie

Jt. Jay

Gil. Hades

Dani. Mal

Martin. Adam

[simplyshelbs16xoxo]

Dani's always so damn rude to Malcolm...I really don't get the appeal of Brightwell

[missshezz]

Hi ! I hope you're doing fine. ☺️ I know that it has already been pointed out, but seriously why everyone hypes Brightwell so much ? Dani is freaking abusive to him. She literally punched him while he was having a panic attack, pointed a gun at his head while he was the one being attacked, she watched him get tazed a million times and didn't care, she dismisses his feelings and reduced his Depression, Anxiety, and mental illness to him being "cursed" ! Decline of mental health is no joke.

Hi, anon! I’m doing well and hope you’re doing the same! ☺️

Unfortunately, shippers don’t look at things like that and realize how it goes against their ship. They just see two hot people they like together and that’s the end of it for them. Which is fine. Pool is big enough for all of us here. However, everything you just pointed out is why I can’t get on the Brightwell ship (and is a large reason why I continue writing my own little PSon universe). Season 1 started things right with Dani being wary and cautious but befriending Bright. We learned she has massive trust issues and is rather guarded because of it. There was a foundation there for a friendship to blossom and possibly deepen into something more.

However, her attitude did this 180 from when Bright was accused by Swanson of helping Watkins (and she defended him, along with JT) to when he was accused of murdering Eddie. There was no “this isn’t Bright” from her. It was pretty much “the evidence is” and “you went to see Eddie” so it has to be you. I get being a police officer and the evidence being damning (plus Bright was acting suspicious) but she gave him no room and never stopped to consider that someone like Endicott could have easily set Bright up. Even if we take that was simply her trust issues, they didn’t build things up enough to establish them as anything but work friends. The only time they see each other is at work (or when she takes him home or they’re at a hospital). It’s just not there no matter what the shippers say.

Then we go into season 2 and as you said she’s openly hostile to Bright on many occasions, dismisses him, mocks him, and even holds his family against him (as evidenced by the comments Jessica overheard and which pulled her away from Gil). However, we’re supposed to believe she has fallen in love with him by the time of that horribly placed kiss in the finale and will run off with him to live happily ever after.

I don’t see it.

In fact, I expect we’d have gotten more of the same Dani attitude if we had gotten a season three with her telling him she doesn’t like him. Tom also made it quite clear in a number of interviews he doesn’t view Malcolm as being in love with Dani, either. She’s just comfortable. Someone he trusts (and IMO maybe shouldn’t given how quickly she’s turned on him before and yanno, the entire disastrous Endicott storyline that I maintain is what aided in the death of the show) and doesn’t feel he needs to pretend around. He’s love starved, touch starved, and desperate for normalcy. It makes sense he would latch onto someone who shows him an ounce of compassion and understanding (like his ill-fated relationship with Eve).

As a ship, though, this makes a lot more sense than some I could name but it still doesn’t function enough for me to get behind it.

Thanks for dropping by! 🥰

[ikolmagpi]

Brightwell is boring AF but yay Ainsley

[mulderscully]

anti dani/brightwell people are weird bc they almost always are people who stan martin or even ship martin and malcolm (🤢)

dani has been trying so hard to be there for malcolm and understand him and he hasn't been able to open up to her yet. no, she doesn't always fully understand every mental illness but she TRIES because she CARES and she shares her own trauma with him to try to get through to him because she’s worried what his secret will do to him. he KNOWS this. he knows she cares. that's what she represents to him: goodness and safety etc, because she is an understanding and compassionate person. 

but then we have martin who is a narcissistic sociopath and is genuinely incapable of loving malcolm, who only loves controlling and manipulating him and people still love that relationship? okay??

it isn't about not wanting malcolm to get hurt, it's about not wanting malcolm to free himself from martin which is what dani and his found family represent. also, there's some misogynoir there people should inspect in themselves bc i know if dani weren't black she wouldn't get the same treatment by parts of the fandom.

[benedictsvestcollection]

Loved seeing Prodigal Son post the Malcolm x Edrisa video on Insta made me happy but then I saw Br*ghtwell shippers making everything about them commenting about how Malcolm/Dani was better, etc.... 

Like shut up, not everything is about your damn ship. 

This is why I don’t like Br*ghtwell ya’ll have to make everything about your damn ship.