#bc we don’t know what the plot or premise is

[goldensunset]

I think gamefreak should give us some crumbs about the ZA starters or something, and then never mention it ever again until they're ready to release the game

i need them to leak exactly One cryptic lore image. be it a pokémon or a human. it doesn’t even have to be anything really new per se it could just be a pic of forward-facing zygarde that scares us. or even just showing us a pic of someone we know but they’re looking slightly more raggedy than usual. tweet it out and use a hashtag for the new game and watch people lose their minds. a crumb like that will have people speculating for months

[quincywillows]

like i remember the vitriol that came out when the mere PREMISE for ballad of songbirds and snakes came out bc it was “about the villain” and wasn’t instead a novella of one of the many cute likeable faves of the masses. i remember how fast people were to tear down the book before it even came out (and still do now). and it’s like look, i get it, suzanne created so many interesting characters that it would be incredible to learn more about and get more content for. but her choosing to write about snow for a prequel isn’t like Romanticizing The Villain or whatever bullshit y’all are claiming as hot takes on twitter -- ballad fits right into the common themes and tone of the series in that its not a romanticization but a reflection on how snow became what we know him as in the original series. both in how he already had some less than charming or healthy traits (just like katniss does -- suzanne is always clear that people are not inherently good nor evil and parallels were drawn between how snow and katniss view the world and think strategically, etc, from the second book), but also in how society and the choices of the greater community in panem created snow. like ballad is a really interesting piece of lore and history and worldbuilding for an already rich and elaborate setting that suzanne created, allowing us to see how that world even came to be and the kind of toxic impact it had on the people surviving in it while still pointing out that those people are human and that everyone has humanity and yet can still cause unfathomable harm to one another based on circumstance and need to survive and pressures of all kinds and like i have lost the plot here now but suzanne is one of the best authors of our time who actually gives a shit about creating layered, nuanced characters and worlds rather than black and white good and evil and unfortunately the hyperpolarization of our hot takes social media culture nowadays just can’t handle her anymore. suzanne im so sorry we don’t deserve your storytelling. anyway i’ll be seated for this movie y’all can skip and keep giving lukewarm takes on twitter to make urself seem so smart for hating a book you probably didnt even actually read

[leonardalphachurch]

musing about some stuff about tucker. very loose and train of thought. mentions of sa and racism

there’s a kind of analysis i’ve always found it difficult to talk to wrt tucker is the way his story is, like… sexual assault coded? it’s an aspect of his character that’s important to me and the way i write him but you understand that it requires much more attention and care than the off the cuff meta i usually put up here. i kind of brush upon it with the whole “tucker loves to be betrayed” thing but that’s obviously much more of a lighthearted approach.

there’s the obvious connection of junior. the parallels to sexual assault there i don’t feel like i have to explain? imo i don’t think the show implies that the mechanism was literally rape but there are some jokes that brush up against it, and i know some people do interpret it as such and i don’t think they’re wrong to. especially in the case of trans tucker… we really REALLY didn’t like trans tucker as a teen for this reason lol. people would just so flippantly talk about (and make jokes about?) what was like. quite possibly the most horrifying experience we could imagine. we have less of an emotional response to it these days but we’re still not a huge fan and still hate when ppl make jokes about it. tho that’s true for cis tucker too. we just don’t like “mpreg” jokes in general lol. it’s tolerable when other trans men make them but it’s still not smth we enjoy. especially in the case of tucker being involuntary. it’s just like. i know the show makes them but at least in my opinion the main crux of the comedy there comes not from mocking tucker for being a victim or laughing at the notion of a pregnant man but by treating the fact that tucker had a horror movie plot happen to him as a completely mundane sitcom pregnancy. doc is teaching junior colors tucker is looking at minivans meanwhile he’s eating caboose in the background. i feel like that’s where the humor shines in that situation. i’m getting off topic

these thoughts really started hitting with restoration though. his treatment there is just. i wouldn’t say it’s as strongly sa-coded as the junior stuff but he’s still very much being physically violated and having his agency completely removed. it’s. guh. i’m glad we were having a watch party with our discord but that scene was fucking rough to watch. i genuinely question its inclusion with such a short run time. did we really need to see tucker being tortured there. out of all of the places you could’ve took that plot it just feels like being shocking for the sake of it. kind of off topic again but

tucker is used like. a lot. physically, the entire premise of the show is about the sim troopers being used as glorified target practice. then with crunchbite, then with sigma. the way tucker is repeatedly reduced down to just being his body. completely dehumanized. it’s not about who he is it’s about the way he can be physically used. and there are also moments where he is used for who he is, like, chorus, the blues and reds, even with the sim trooper stuff he’s specifically chosen for blood gulch bc of his personality.

and there is a conversation here about tucker being a black man and the sexualization of black men and the high amount of sexual assault done to black men. and the way that the expectations of sexuality and masculinity affect black men. and the way that tuckers body is physically used very obviously has some clear connotations when you consider his race. but that’s not really my place and even in the spaces of it i do feel qualified to comment on, it would require much MUCH more attention and care to the point where i would basically be writing like. an academic essay. like that’s the kind of thing where i’d genuinely want to be pulling up papers and writings from people more experienced than me. maybe if i ever end up making actual video essays about my rvb thoughts lol.

there’s also the way tucker has an element of hypersexuality to him. he says the temple of procreation didn’t affect him at all, which like haha funny joke but also like. not to get too tmi but we’ve struggled with hypersexuality and pgad and it isn’t. fun. and there’s his premature ejaculation. the fear of someone creeping on him during his time with kai, hell, everything about his behavior in 16. “women are like voltron church the more you hook up the better it gets” just the way he talks to women in general? it is very much sexual harassment and i am NOT excusing that even slightly but it’s also very. safe? no one’s ever going to want to sleep with him if he’s saying “bow chicka bow wow” at them. he’s able to “shoot his shot” and get a guaranteed rejection 99% of the time. so much of tuckers character reads to me as someone who is obsessed with sex but also terrified of it. and like. you could go ohh incel gooner pornbrained man afraid of real women and like. maybe that what the authorial intent with a lot of these jokes but not only do i not feel like that fits with the rest of tuckers character, i also think if you look at the rest of his arc it paints a pretty different picture.

so. i don’t know if i’m going to have tucker being a csa victim be a part of our official headcanoned backstory for him but i definitely think he has some sexual trauma he’s never unpacked. and you could have that just starting with junior but to me it feels like it starts before we even meet him.

…

also ftr i’m not validating the stuff from the origins episode lol. that was written by someone who thinks having child hitler be a camper in his show is funny i literally do not care what he has to say about tucker’s backstory. it makes NO FUCKING SENSE for tuckers early characterization anyway he’s literally. the entire joke of tuckers character in the early seasons is that he’s an inexperienced loser who can’t score because he has no game whos looking for validation by talking like he has lots of experience.

edit: thank you for all the nice words but i’m nervous about this getting too far outside of my circle of mutuals so i’m turning off reblogs for now. if you really wanna reblog it i can turn them back on for you but you have to promise to be chill okay thank you

[fuckyeahaudiodrama]

☀️JUNE LISTENS☀️

i still don’t have a brain! ah!!!! but i do have ears for listening! i actually listened to a lot of stuff that i ended up not liking as much, last month, but i still have plenty to rec.

Remnants — (ep1-2 early access) a dark fantasy mystery anthology. hard to describe without giving anything away. i love everything by Hanging Sloth (creator of SBR, NQD and Clockwork Bird), so i knew that i was very likely to enjoy this regardless of the premise… but my god, absolutely surreal vibes. the sound design is breathtaking! feeling very grateful to be a HS patron right now. keep an eye out for this one coming 15th july! subscribe now and don’t miss it.

Mockery Manor — (3 seasons, 37 eps + miniseries, between seasons) a murder mystery set at a theme park with a comedic twist. i didn’t think this was going to be my thing and i was so wrong. the protags are twin sisters with plenty of baggage between them. their shenanigans and banter keep the tone light even when the plot takes dark turns. looking forward to s4!

Limelight: The Specialist — (5 eps, complete) self-described as a “dark medical thriller” set in rural wales. Limelight series are generally good but satisfying endings are hit or miss; this one was VERY well-paced, with a satisfying payoff, and gave me hope for a series 2 in future. i loved the execution of the gruesome mystery and i loved the protagonist to pieces.

Close Your Eyes — (1 season, 9 eps, s2 in production) having recently listened to RQ’s Neon Inkwell: The Pit Below Paradise, which also centers around cult dynamics, i found this to be a very fun contrast. here we see how someone can be immersed and isolated by a cult, regardless of their personal skepticism or strength of will. the suspense was so delicious i had to listen to all nine episodes in a row. ends on an incredible cliffhanger — can’t WAIT for season 2.

The Silt Verses — (44 eps, finale soon) a grim religious fantasy dystopia. some of the most intricate and fascinating worldbuilding i’ve ever seen. huge cast. i know that everyone in the AD space has rec’d this pod a hundred times over, but i can’t stress enough how it’s one of my very favorite stories in the medium. the penultimate ep left off on an absolutely deranged note and i have no idea what’s coming! so exciting, if you’ve been waiting to check this one out — now might be the time!

Dice Shame — (2 seasons, 200+ eps, ongoing) classic dnd actual play ft. Harlan Guthrie of Malevolent fame, and his equally charismatic friends and family. i don’t listen to a lot of APs bc i have trouble focusing on such long episodes but i just love the chemistry of this party. slapping it on the rec list bc the current storyline has me hooked!!

Bridgewater — (1 season, 22 eps, ???) supernatural mystery, notably starring Misha Collins as the protagonist. this one has a lot of complicated family dynamics read: mommy AND daddy issues. the length of the series is just enough to let you spawn several of your own theories, which is fun, and i was really pleased that i was able to predict the true conflict and identify the antagonist. excellent use of foreshadowing etc, biggest props to Lauren Shippen of The Bright Sessions fame.

Consumed — (12 episodes) small town horror/mystery through the eyes of a stranded newcomer. this one did NOT go where i expected it to, because i started it before i listened to Bridgewater; they’re set in the same universe, so the same worldbuilding applies. i would honestly recommend listening to this one FIRST because if you do listen to the end of Bridgewater, it will kind of spoil the twist in Consumed.

The Penumbra Podcast — (5 seasons, 2 storylines, both ending this summer) still barreling toward the finish line for both Second Citadel and Juno Steel. as a patron, i was notified of early release for the SC finale this morning, which i know is gonna wreck me. just wanted to feature this because i don’t see it recced as often anymore and that’s a fucking crime. one of my top AD recs for sure.

Red Valley — (While You Were Hypersleeping 3) three ep miniseries featuring our main best boy, warren, who has been notably absent from most of this season! so nice to hear from him and to get a glimpse of what might be coming in the next part of the season.

Observable Radio — (11 eps, ongoing) my favorite recent sci-fi/horror anthology by far, tied up in a terrifically dreadful meta narrative. afaik this is a limited series but i’m really savoring each and every episode; the most recent, “Earworm”, was one of my favorites. very dark and dystopian. mind the content warnings!

The Network Defenders — (ep1) the debut of a new Planet Arcana miniseries, featuring some new voices and a fresh new tarot-based system (crowdfunding this year!) has all of the appeal of PA in terms of prod. quality, vibes and emotional depth, just new mechanics. 2nd ep is out now so i’m hopping right on that as i post this!

Waterlogged — (ep1) a new indie horror that i’ve been waiting to drop for a while now, and i really enjoyed the soft-spoken eerie vibe of the pilot. there’s a couple more things in the feed now so i’ll have to go catch up.

[absolutebl]

helloo...

i know i'm late, but i just binge watching Triage last night. i kinda love it that the mystery about the story revealed gradually. and the leads had nice chemistry, despite the low heat. and i enjoyed bingeing on it and pulling an all nighter.

so, i'd like to ask you, do you have any recommendations on bl series like Triage that are completed or ongoing, that the show would be enjoyable on binge watching?

it's super fine if you don't answer this.

thank youu and have a nice day.

10 BL Series to Binge Watch with Complex story elements

Okay, I'm not really a binger so these are my best guesses at keeping the tension alive. Also it seems like you want something on the meaty end in terms of length so only Thai and Taiwanese stuff qualified.

Case study: Triage (so obviously that would be on this list)

1 Until We Meet Again

YouTube

Without question, a work of narrative genius with a powerful and cohesive romantic backbone and stellar performances. It is (to date) the only Thai BL (of c.250 watched) that I’ve rated a 10/10 predominantly on the basis of story structure. That said it is also very well cast (and it’s a BIG cast), with solid production values, and enduring pair branding as well as being the best Thai BL from a storytelling perspective. I think the story is good enough to carry the tensions. I also binges this on my first watch (it was already out when I discovered it) so I can attest to it being bingable. More discussion on why I love it so much here.

2 He's Coming to Me

YouTube

Boy and ghost boy fall in love, must solve ghost’s murder. Peak pining but also pretty tame, features my favorite sweet but important coming out sequence. The third in my precious triumvirate of unbeatable Thai BLs, that are only nominally BL because the story, acting, and production values are so good. (Together with UWMA & 1k*).

3 Not Me

YouTube

GMMTV gave us a dark disestablishment narrative (in a time of civil unrest) with established queer award-winning director Anucha and starring the biggest guns of BL, OffGun and THIS WAS AN AMAZING THING to get to experience at the time - nerve racking but remarkable. But was it ACTUALLY BL? It certainly has a lot of BL elements, but in the end romance was not what this show was about, or even what it was genuinely trying to be as a performance piece. Still a remarkable moment in Thai cinema, certainly worth your time. Don’t worry, it all ends happily. Full review.

4 I Feel You Linger in the Air

grey (YouTube for some)

I truly loved this time travel romance BUT for the ending it would have gotten a 10/10 from me. IFYLITA is an exquisite BL, from filming techniques to narrative framework (much like Until We Meet Again). Steeped in history and family drama it edges into lakorn (but no as much as To Sir With Love and with way less scenery chewing). This is an elegant and classy BL… from Thailand which normally doesn't even try for classy. If HEA's are NOT important to you, you'll be fine, but I struggled. More here.

5 Kiseki: Dear to Me

Gaga & Viki Y

The plot is totally ridiculous and slightly unhinged, but that’s normal for Taiwan. It involves all the tropes under a very casual framework of gay mafia gangs + food = love. Absolutely every character is queer. There’s a gum-ball machine of cameos, elder gay rep, great chemistry from all pairs, and a KILLER side couple. As a result Kiseki is a poster child for Taiwanese BL, and I happen to love Taiwanese BL. Bonus? They also managed to END IT WELL, which we cannot expect from Taiwan. (Triggers for knife play, child abuse, lingering trauma.)

6 Make a Wish

grey (Trailer)

(from Sammon - Manner of Death & Triage) about a doctor who can see the dead and strikes a bargain with a wish-granting irreverent tree angel to try and cure himself - naturally they fall in love. Stars Fluke Natouch opposite not Ohm, but who cares bc 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 and has a fag hag bestie and everything. The cast is excellent but the comedic stylings are often too overblown and tonally off. It had sad parts and did make me cry but is ultimately happy with a great sex scene, good smiley kisses, and all the agency.

7 HIStory 3: Trapped

Viki

Basically the definition of enemies to lovers from Lin Pei Yu. This is a cop + the mafia man he is chasing but WAIT, they fall in love. Added bonus side couple: assassin and nerd cop ALSO falling in love. It’s great. All the leads are stellar. Its high heat, fun action, and a bit of a mystery drama but pretty about all of it. My only warning is that the main couple doesn’t entirely end up together, it’s implied, but… amorphous ending.

8 Never Let Me Go

YouTube

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.

9 The Eclipse

YouTube

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 "a good show." 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.

10 Ghost Host Ghost House

YouTube

This is light horror combined with family drama built around a well executed BL trough-line that felt honestly queer with fantastic chemistry from the lead pair. (I hope that we see more of them.) Pluem delivers the softest most seductive krap ever, Tod Techit (Kewin) is one of the prettiest humans on the planet, and watching these boys flirt over noodles is an unalloyed pleasure. Use of I/you pronouns is super interesting and cute as well. For me, personally, the surrounding cast, premise, and story didn’t resonate but if you like a touch of gothic in your BL this might appeal.

BONUS!

3 Will Be Free

YouTube

Queer AF crime thriller about three 20 somethings on the run after accidentally killing an assassin: a grifter, a nerdy mafia kid, and a stripper. They're chased by more assassins out for revenge.

It’s actually a remarkable piece of storytelling, using a pressure cooker of tension and suspense to bring about investigations into what love, romance, friendship, and identity actually mean. This show probably doesn’t qualify as BL but it does qualify as very very queer.

What it does well is examine many different aspects of queer identity, morality, and life choices based on repression and or acceptance of that identity using the framework of a crime triller.

It’s an adventure narrative, our three main characters are on the run together, being chased by assassins who are themselves dealing with the grief that results from love, all kinds of love. Meanwhile the 3 protagonists fall in love with each other and explore the boundaries and meaning of friendship/love.

Manner of Death

WeTV

Gay romantic suspense series with added cactus baby. Doctor & Mafia boy can't keep hands off each other, so also end up with chili plant baby.

Am I making sense? No? Well neither does it, but ho boy is it fun to watch MaxTul do... whatever it is they're doing.

I like MoD a lot but I’m conflicted over it being actual BL. It’s a great gay romantic suspense, although the mystery element is its primary weakness.

MaxTul, the Kings of Chemistry, are, of course, perfect and perfectly cast (and chemically unfair), but their romance thread is more a distraction than an addition. Still, I could watch them make-out the phonebook. Watch along here.

(source)

[dobercorgis]

It’s spooky season so here are some webtoon recs

apologies in advance for the low quality images some of them are locked behind paywalls now (on the kr app the translated ones should be fine) and I was too lazy to go through all the chapters for the good panels

Ghost Teller- I’m so biased but this is one of my favorite webtoons. Summary in one line: ghosts go to therapy

Real summary: various ghosts (s1 is eastern ghosts, s2 is western ghosts) tell “human stories” (like how we talk abt ghost stories lol). the art is amazing, and all the episodes are all pretty solid. even if some stories are predictable you still feel for the characters (although personally I prefer s1 over s2)

Sweet Home- some of you might have seen it on Netflix but whether you watched it or not I highly recommend the webtoon (I have issues with the adaptation but that’s another story)

basically people suddenly start turning into monsters and the survivors of this apartment try to survive together. except the mc shows signs of becoming one of those monsters which creates unrest amongst the survivors. not going to get too into the monster part bc spoilers but the webtoon explores what people would do for survival so you get to see scummy ppl, kind ppl, all trapped together and try to survive 👍

the art style captures the story’s spooky/horror vibe so well. I didn’t include Bastard on the list (the previous webtoon the same author and artist worked on) bc it’s more of a psychological horror/thriller than creature? horror but if it sounds interesting or you liked sweet home I highly highly recommend Bastard as well.

+) There’s also a prequel called Shotgun Boy that’s more about the creatures’ origins

Surviving Romance- despite the title there’s little to no romance although it can probably be read as sapphic if you’d like. if you read makeup remover it’s by the same author. I’ve also seen some people compare this to orv but I can’t speak for that since I haven’t finished orv… haha

one line summary: mc gets isekai’d into a romance novel except it suddenly turns into a zombie apocalypse

long summary: mc is the mc of a romance novel but on the day she’s supposed to receive a confession from the male lead, there’s a zombie outbreak. she already read the novel so she knows the story and characters, but literally everybody that’s not the love interests don’t like her bc that’s how the mc of the novel was written. she finds out that the day resets when she dies but she doesn’t really care until someone she doesn’t know the face of saves her and she decides to find that person and make sure they make it out alive

even if you don’t like isekais (I personally don’t) it’s worth a try. it plays around the isekai premise well and the fourth wall moments were just *chef’s kiss* the impact of those moments especially when the webtoon was still ongoing was 🤌

the cast is primarily female characters, and despite the cast being on the slightly larger side, each of them are distinct from one another and the characters designs are very cute and colorful. overall it has an unique premise that it delivers pretty well on

Night of Shadows- kinda underrated tbh. mc has prophetic dreams, creatures from her dreams start appearing irl, and she’s the only one that knows how to deal with them.

mc is great. she’s strong, smart, and knows when not to give a fuck. the other three characters of the main cast are also pretty strongly established, and the plot and pacing are pretty good. this is the only one on the list that’s still ongoing (currently on hiatus after s1)

[livestock-and-bibles]

VERY curious about ur mouthwashing thoughts but also it’s been a while since ive seen the game so ive gotta rewatch a playthru augh

There’s a couple of reasons as to why I don’t have much interest in the game!!

1. Gameplay

I honestly cannot stand this new trend of horror games that are just the player talking to people, walking around, occasionally finding an object. I dislike this in the game Bad Parenting also. I’m like. Why does this have to be game? There’s no gameplays so what’s the point? I think it would’ve been more enjoyable as a novel or an animated series with the graphics it already has! It would be very striking. So yeah I find the actual gameplay very dull. Also the controls look really wonky from when I watched gameplay of it

2. Characters

I found myself not really caring too deeply about anyone? Like Curly is okay I guess, I like his design and the disability theming but his actual personality is so meh to me. Jimmy has potential but it never really explains why is inferiority complex is so deep so I’m just like ??? Barely any of the characters ever get and of their backstory or family life discussed except for Daisuke and Swansea but even then it’s very little (but those two are my favourite characters and I have very little criticism for them lol. They carried the game). I have so much hatred in my heart for the way they wrote Anya. It just feels so misogynistic to me. Like ofc the only woman on the crew has the rape as backstory + pregnancy plot. I’ve never seen that before /s. I’m just so tired of that being the only plot line women get in horror media. I understand the pregnancy is supposed to parallel with Curly’s disability but it’s still a very tired trope. Also her design is clearly ripped off of Wendy Torrance from The Shining lmao. There’s also a lot of other design elements that are kind of ripped off from Evangelion (the text on screen resembles the the title cards, Curly post accident resembles an Eva, etc.) so I just don’t really care about most of the characters and their relationships except for Daisuke and Swansea, and they don’t get enough screen time anyway lol

3. Plot

Most of the base plot is pretty good and interesting. It’s a solid premise. But I feel as though it’s kind of meandering until you get to the big twists. I was just watching like. When are we getting to the meat of the story. I do like the dual / non linear narrative, that’s always fun. Definitely some enjoyment was lost just bc I saw spoilers online, but I think a game is pretty weak if it’s enjoyment is completely lost because of spoilers, like I replay The Dark Descent all the time even though I know the ending because the story is that strong and the gameplay is fun. That’s where the game kind of suffers because the gameplay is so weak. Also I think the ending was kind of dragged out. I was watching the playthrough and I was just sitting there like. When will this be over. I get it Jimmy is terrible. We do not need five more scenes about this. There are some really fun moments though, like when he eats Curly’s leg or when Swansea mercy kills Daisuke (That’s always a trope I love) Though those are the only scenes I can remember where I was genuinely enjoying the game.

Overall I feel that the game was more style over substance, and a lot of it just wasn’t really my cup of tea when it comes to games. Don’t even get me started on how the fandoms seems to ignore Swansea (an old fat guy) and Daisuke (the only person of colour). Like y’all’s ageism, fatphobia, and racism is really showing guys. I see how y’all favour the white, conventionally attractive characters over these two,

I really wanted to enjoy the game. I really did. But alas. It just wasn’t really my vibe when it comes to horror games and I can be picky so it’s not to say that my opinion is the only correct one, it’s just how I feel. It was mainly the gameplay that I had a problem with, I just can’t get into walking simulator games lol

[booksandpaperss]

tell me about both of the sskk wips please

I was hoping you’d ask about those <3

for the post singularity sskk:

I was actually planning to straight up gift you this one whenever I got around to finishing it! I imagine it will be a 2-3k type oneshot when it’s finished (unless I get carried away), basically I wanted to explore how I picture their relationship directly after defeating the singularity together. it’s a getting together fic, atsushi pov, and it’s making me feel all soft just thinking abt it LMAO

here’s the summary:

In the aftermath of, well, everything, Atsushi is horrified to find that he no longer hates Akutugawa. Like, at all. 

and a snippet of dialogue bc I’m so niceys to you:

“Why did you hesitate?”  “Are you serious? How was any of what we just did hesitating–” “No, you absolute fool. I mean earlier, when you fought me. You could’ve won, you had a clear shot, but you didn’t take it. Why?”  “...I didn’t realize you remembered any of that.”

for the one where they try to set up skk:

this one would definitely be chaptered, and I actually have the whole thing fully outlined and it’s way more detailed than I remebered making it lolll

it’s in a sort step by step guide type structure, currently titled something along the lines of “atsushi’s harrowing step by step struggle of trying to get his mentor back with his (more or less out of his league and also vaguely terrifying) ex boyfriend”

the concept is mostly crack and humor w some character study mixed in, and despite the premise it’s much more shin soukoku than soukoku focused 🙏 skk is mostly the plot device here and also I wanted sskk to clown on them

here’s the summary:

Dazai’s birthday is coming up, which Atsushi only found out by asking Ranpo mind you, and he really wants to do something nice for his mentor (despite how insufferable he can be). The only problem is that everytime anyone from the ADA actually tries to do something nice for Dazai, or even compliment him, he gets this really strange blank look on his face before either turning around and walking away or just fully ignoring that the gesture even happened. Atsushi is determined though, so he decides he needs to take the indirect approach, and forms a temporary alliance with Akutugawa to help Dazai get back together with his ex from the port mafia that he’s so clearly not over. This… goes about as well as one might expect it too.  Or, the one where Atsushi and Akutagawa, in an attempt to matchmake their emotionally constipated mentors, accidentally matchmake themselves (instead). 

and since the summary is lengthy as it is I technically don’t need to give u a snippet but I will anyway bc I know u are desperate 🫶

Kyouka does a single blink, and then says something even worse, somehow. “Is this about Akutagawa-san?”  “What?” Atsushi nearly pinwheels backwards before he manages to reign himself in (with Kunikida sending him a dirty look), because how did she know? Not that– well yes he was technically thinking about Akutagawa, but it was purely for practical reasons! If he was going to set Dazai up with someone from the port mafia, then he was going to need someone from the port mafia. And it just so happened that Akutagawa was who he most comf– ah, the only person he could feasibly reach out to. Really, Akutagawa was Atsushi’s only option. That was the only reason he was thinking about him at the moment.  

okay I hope that satisfies you for now bc I have no earthly clue when these will actually be out. mwah 🫶🫶

[zorya-reads]

Chapter 20.

The Lost Princess

Context: Lottie made it her goal to mess up her sleep schedule even worse than in UP, deciding to go for nightly walks every day. One night, she stumbles upon Jamie, injured because he casually fell a few hundred meters because he had nothing better to do. What follows is a cute Jottie moment and my rising concern for professional medical help.

Lottie not being asleep and the void only calling the name of Jamie into her mind is ummmmmmm... am I reading a romance book? bc this is heavily dark-male-love-interest-pov-chapter-coded.

Is this a Jottie Chapter???? 0.o

Ok just kidding. Jamie still hasn’t arrived from his surprise bday party.

LOTTIE STOP BEING MAD AT OLLIE. YOU’RE LIVING YOUR GUYS’ DREAMS. OFC HE’S DESPERATE AND INSECURE AND FEELS NEGLECTED???? (Lottie’s not updating Ollie, and his texts are guilt-tripping her because he naturally feels insecure, jealous, and neglected, which understandably annoys Lottie. Both are valid and wrong but for the drama: Whose side are we on? >:D 🤜🏻🥊)

Nooooo, Ellie having a nightmare.

Not Lottie asking herself, “Is it true that everything revolves around Ellie?” like that’s not a toxic thought in the first place.

Group therapyyy.

Lottie being scared that Vampy is gonna scratch her for not giving Jamie enough attention HAHA. Plot twist: Jamie is either a Husky or a Cat of the school as well. Like a black, angry cat.

COLD Y’ALL STOP GOING OUTSIDE AT NIGHT FOR A MINUTE?? YOUR TEETH WOULD BE TREMBLING IF THIS WAS ROSEWOOD. ALSO, NO ONE KNOWS YOU’RE OUT. SHOULD THEY THINK YOU GOT KIDNAPPED OR WHAT? AND WHAT ABOUT THE POSSIBILITY OF YOU ACTUALLY GETTING KIDNAPPED? IT’S NIGHTTIME, DAMN IT. DON’T CATCH A COLD.

Holy shit, this IS a Jottie chapter.

Holy shit, how did this man fall from a skyscraper, didn’t see a doctor, and casually walked probably multiple kilometres, all in just a few hours?

Oh my god, it’s raining dhdbshsjsj

Are they hugging?????? Shsbsbsb

Listen, I was happy to see some Lollie chapters, since Pip had more Jottie, and I desperately need this book to convince me to switch teams. AND THEN THEY JUST GONNA BRING A WHOLE “lol-I-fell-down-a-building-y’all-. omg-we’re-scared-for-you-for-hours-we-thought-we-lost-you-hugging-ITS-RAINING-CUTE-SCENE-IN-RAIN-UNDER-TEARS.” LIKE, COME ON, DUDE, WE WERE ON A GOOD LOLLIE PATH UNTIL NOW. SHHSHD.

CALL A FUCKING DOCTOR.

Finally had one Lottie POV Jamie description where she isn’t gushing over his muscles. Might have needed him to be very fucking injured, but ok. Baby steps.

Her trying not to cry seeing the wounds. Awww.

“I fell from the roof. and then it started to rain.” Awwww, I love it when Jamie puts two heavily different sentences in terms of importance and concern equal to each other casually in the same sentence. 🥺 /s

Sir, get therapy.

Awwww, him not wanting Lottie to go (……and get help. Bro really wants to die from bleeding.)

“The Goat-Man.” PFFFFHAHA I’M CRYING.

Ok, this chapter is all the chaos between “Aww, my heart,” “lols shenanigans,” and “Guys, you know that falling a few hundred meters and not getting medical help is mildly concerning?”

Awwww, he’s acknowledging that she’s a good runner.

/\ This actually makes me happy. Girly put so much effort and dedication into it. 💖

“The Goat-Man is Leviathan.” lol: Is Leviathan the G.O.A.T., is a Goat 🐐 Leviathan, or are they just trying to start their milk, meat, fibre, and skin business?

HAHA, NOT SAYURI COMING IN, SEEING JAMIE WHO FELL FROM A SKYSCRAPER, PASSING OUT, AND ONLY SAYING, “That’s a good partizan. Good investment.” (/ref SoC)

NOT THE ORANGE FAT CAT HAHA.

✧ Read All Chapter Reactions

Premise: I’m rereading the Rosewood Chronicles Series for the first time after years, so take my chaotic commentary with a grain of salt (or a whole salt shaker). Open to spoilers.

[crows-murder]

💖🦖💥 ! for the writer goal ask list game

writer goal ask list

💖 what is your primary writing goal for this year?

finishing this big writing project i kind of put to the side because inspiration hit a bit of a dead end and life got insanely busy so i didn't get to write much for it in 2024.

but! for the first time in months i recently opened the fic document for it and reread my notes to pick up where i left off!!

🦖 Are there any fandoms you wrote for in the past that you'd like to return to?

i do hope to get back to writing dc stuff, i miss these little guys and they were one of the very first fandoms i wrote for when i first made an ao3 account. they're special to me and i miss them <3

i also hope to get back into rottmnt! i have several fic ideas written down but the hyperfixation died down a little so i didn't really touch them too much :( the fandom is full of wonderful people and i really do miss that vibe <3

💥Is there a chapter, scene, or WIP you're most excited to write? Share a snippet or tell us about it!

several! but i think i'll settle for my main ones here 😅

there's this wip ive been working on on and off for the new tmnt show that came out where i introduce shredder and give these guys a farmhouse arc, because i love angst, because i love tormenting characters, and because emotional hurt/comfort is my bread and butter. i have so much planned out for it and it definitely promises to be a monster to write, but i'm SOOOO excited to start posting for it!!

here's a snippet from the doc:

April frowns pensively into her mug of hot chocolate. “I might have someplace,” she starts. The others look up. “It’s a farmhouse,” she goes on to explain, tapping her nails against the ceramic of her cup. “In Pennsylvania. It belonged to my grandparents. My mom was raised on it and everything, and I’d spend my summers there. It’s been abandoned for years now, but it’s still owned by my family, so no one’s gonna be there. We can stay there for a little bit, I doubt TCRI’s gonna find us there.” Raph’s scowl darkens. “So what? We’re just gonna run? That’s it? We get pushed around a little and we call it quits? Just like that?” “Leo’s not waking up, Raph!” Donnie shouts, so suddenly it makes April startle. “He’s hurt. We— we’ve never been hurt like this before, Raph. We— I don’t know what to do.” His face crumples and just as quickly as his anger came, it flushes out of him and leaves behind only terror and devastation to mirror Raph’s. “Please, Raph. We can’t stay.”

while on the subject of tmnt, another scene im UNBELIEVABLY excited to get to is the climax chapter in my rottmnt fic all the ashes in my wake. it's been plotted out since the start-- in fact, it was the very first scene i came up with when i first came up with the premise, and im so SO hyped to get to it.

i unfortunately can't share much about it and definitely no sneak peak because i don't want to give anything away, but it is such an emotionally packed moment, a culmination of everything piling up, finally breaking the camel's back. finally, everything will be revealed, and while it's difficult to write because of everything it's got going on (SO MUCH lol) it's still so fun and so dear to me.

for more current projects: brand new fic idea for my fullmetal alchemist obsession is a fic where ed investigates a cult that i'm simply having a blast writing.

i also can't share much for that one bc i'm still sort of plotting it out (multi-chap ftw) and only wrote down a handful of scenes and stray bits of dialogue stuck in my head.

thanks so much for the ask!!!! 💕

[hello-god-its-me-sara]

I did it

Rules:

no major new characters

no deleting main characters

no overhauling the entire premise of the story

we can basically keep the beginning up till rachel’s death

plot wise it’s fine setup and honestly henry’s stupid plan to get merked is exactly what a billionaire would come up with

will’s interest in the idea of no more wrist clocks is slightly piqued but he has a lot of time to spend now so that gets put on the back burner

however I feel like you shouldn’t just be able to yoink time off people

I feel like the coercion of “willingly” giving up your time is more meaningful

also can we establish the timekeepers as functioning more like police or fbi or whatever they’re supposed to be (I guess raymond and co are supposed to be in the detective branch)

realistically they’d been patrolling dayton like crazy, show them making arrests or idfc debt collecting or something

maybe they’re getting paid off by the gangs (make raymond little miss outlier when he tells philippe to fuck off with his bribe)

you could even show them not running like will says later so it’s not just info dumped in the middle of the movie

anyways, rachel times out, raymond is called to look into henry’s death, leila, scene

will heads for new greenwich, maybe he actually has motivation besides trying to win a bunch of money through gambling, like looking into henry, what he did as a job, how much money he has left

henry’s death has to come up somehow, either it’s all over the news and will is forced to keep a low profile, or no one knows and it’s suspicious as hell

henry and philippe were business partners and that’s the real reason will runs into philippe at the poker table, not just a coincidence

raymond’s investigating leads him to track will down or philippe tips raymond off

will is apprehended, he questions raymond on henry’s death

raymond lets it slip he knows will’s father (it’s hinted the reason either raymond or the police in general don’t believe will is because of his father’s previous actions)

will escapes with sylvia

he forces her into giving him extra time

they get caught by a time gang and get robbed

They think they can ransom sylvia, the gang calls in their police connection but will and sylvia escape

raymond knows where they are now

will tells sylvia about henry and philippe, it’s hinted that she might know about henry but doesn’t trust will enough to tell him

timekeepers put out a warrant and ransom for will, will finds out his father was arrested and killed in a riot

oh fuck, he was told his dad died working for a time gang or something (time fights were so fucking stupid)

he turns himself in because he thinks he can get more info from raymond

sylvia gets like really sad about all the poors, she attempts to ask her dad to give some time

phillippe says no

she asks about henry, he says no again

while in custody raymond tells will what happened to his dad

will’s dad started a riot in the factory and the timekeepers (raymond) were brought in to handle it

things got violent but ultimately the revolt was shut down, however timekeepers got their allowance restricted in retaliation for not being able to handle it better

(this has also made timekeepers more vulnerable to bribes)

meanwhile back with sylvia, she’s snooping around philippe’s office looking for information on henry

she comes across a conversation of philippe and henry talking where philippe convinces henry to go to dayton

she finds where philippe is set to inherit all of henry’s time

sylvia comes to break will out of his execution

jail break they’re on the run and Will insists on returning back to dayton bc he needs to find out more about his dad

will is labeled full on terrorist and becomes “public enemy no 1,” they are accusing him of being a radical or orchestrated an attack on the greenwich elite (which he does not understand because that’s not what happened)

sylvia is suddenly mad he “lied to her”

raymond catches them way too fast which is totally sus but he reveals that will’s dad wasn’t just responsible for starting a riot in the factory he was trying to orchestrate a strike

The strike was turned into a riot due to a few opportunist defectors

will is in denial but he sees a short clip of his dad giving a time communism speech and it clicks

he plead with raymond to let them go and chastises him for being a class traitor (he’s put together the pieces that raymond is from dayton), he also points out how the system hasn’t done anything for him either and how people like philippe keep them fighting each other so they can’t realize who’s really at fault

(raymond laughs and accuses Will of acting this whole time)

sylvia reveals what she found out of her father encouraging henry to go to dayton to inherit his time

philippe is infamous for already bribing the keepers heavily, raymond has never liked him, the idea of him getting more time and power clearly bothers him

raymond is convinced to not turn them in

they need a place to lay low, he takes them to leila (raymond and leila have a decades long working relationship where she tells him about the ongoings in dayton, it’s how he knows what’s up and where)

leila is a lot less on board with everything but she does tell them some people are remembering the riot and will’s dad and they’re having a discussion on whether to report will if they see him or not

A lot of people are scared but also no one likes philippe and will is kinda being hyped up for “killing” henry as an attack on the elitist class

the gang crash the meeting and will attempts to rally everyone in organizing another riot

he is not charismatic enough for it

raymond surprisingly helps rescue him by telling the actual accounts of the riot (since everyone who participated is dead or gone another way now)

it wasn't just a strike Will’s dad was organizing, he was getting everyone to share time

by the time the actual strike took place the time stockpiled equated to about two weeks per person

the time sharing was not anticipated and thus they were able to hold down the strike in the factory longer than the keepers expected

it’s actually really bad for a whole factory to go down and on the third day the keepers were under a lot of pressure to get the strike resolved

they managed to get a couple people to break and defect which caused the riot and then the keepers came in and shot up the whole place

raymond reveals that all of the current time estimated in dayton among them everyone actually has a whole month which is more than enough time to hold out

everyone is still uncertain but will is finally able to rally them, revealing that he didn’t kill henry but it was a suicide organized by philippe to take henry’s wealth, talking about all the time philippe has and “eat the rich, time communism”

at that point that time gang leader busts in with plans of turning will over, will tries to get him to join to no avail, however he is chased off by everyone else’s refusal to turn will over

game plan: if they want Will to be the face of this then he’s going to be the face of the fucking revolution

raymond goes to sylvia’s house to get the recording of henry and philippe, while there philippe corners him and it seems like he’s onto raymond but nah he’s just trying to bribe raymond off

raymond is the last of the holdouts and cuz he’s old and in charge philippe can bribe a lot of people individually but he’s having a hard time getting them to pledge like total allegiance to him

turns out playing clips of Will’s dad organizing a riot against the elites is actually adding fuel to the fire and there’s been unrest in other zones, philippe wants extra protection in case there’s an uprising, raymond says no

on the way out in the police precinct they’re watching some of the budding riots on the screen and someone makes a joke about the poors and civil unrest

raymond does a “actually I used to be a poor” and kinda goes off about people being pushed to their limit and challenges of doing the dirty work is really worth it

back at the ranch they’ve staged a strike in the factory and thanks to Raymond’s police codes plan to hack a news announcement and reveal philippe’s crimes while making a call for other factories to join them in a strike

there are still holdouts but overall pooling time together everyone has 20 days

the hack goes off way better than expected (raymond’s informed them there’s already problems arising, he’s listening in on his radio and the message is working)

then he gets wind that they plan on quashing this strike now, there is no waiting it out there’s a militia on its way and they’ve been given orders to shoot to kill

Raymond tells them the strike is no longer an option they have to destroy the factory so it’s completely inoperable

there’s a lot of panic because no one signed up for this but in for a penny in for a pound, we’re going to be punished anyway might as well go out in a blaze of fire (“if we burn you burn with us”)

oh no raymond’s been cut off from his per diem because someone reported him, he didn’t refill and he’s been giving out his time to people and he’s on 43 minutes

whatever he doesn’t have time for this (lol) they’ve got t minus an hour anyway

people are setting up blockades in the road to buy more time, the electricity and water have been cut off, raymond’s timekeeper codes are being denied

literal fucking tanks show up and fun time is over

now the have to manually break the lines to the factory or whatever and it’s all hands on deck

the gang leader guy has been hiding out in the factory planning on letting them in but shoot to kill orders means everyone so now he’s stuck and decides “fuck it let’s take everyone out” except the person he’s stuck with is timing out and doesn’t have the will to help him

he shares time and together they take out a mainframe or whatever and escape together

will and the gang are doing well, timekeepers don’t run they don’t know dayton, they’re able to trap them and loose them in the alleys and the streets

cut to raymond who’s on the last thing that needs to be done and he’s like 2 minutes and it’s not enough time but he’s going to make it work (but he’s timing out and it’s not pretty)

someone grabs his arm and suddenly he has an hour (it’s leila, she came looking for him because she knew he didn’t refill the idiot and wouldn’t tell anyone and they love each other and if anyone deserved to have a last minute time save it was these two)

with raymond escaping death he manages to take out the last tower or whatever the fuck and the factory does down (explosions sure whatever) celebration

they regroup and the timekeepers have hightailed it out of there, victory (leila bullies raymond into getting more time once they’re with everyone else)

they hear from raymond’s radio that full strikes have started in the other zones, everyone looks at each other and agrees that it looks like they’re off to go help more strikes and factory shutdowns

that fuckass end credit scene

news coverage of more successful strikes and factory shutdowns, time sharing class solidarity, beautiful beautiful class solidarity, businesses have stopped charging for products and the time flow up is being cut off

rich people are scared (philippe in particular is coming undone), timekeepers are useless

the last heist is like the world time center or whatever and it’s implied that breaking into this will open the time flow and everyone’s going to get a good 85 year life span

End

[kurtsascot]

E, F, M ❤️

E: What character do you identify with most?  Is there a certain fic of yours that captures these qualities particularly well?

im not sure if i identify with any characters? it’s not really something that matters to me!!

when i was younger, i tended to morph my personality into those of my favorite characters as i was discovering who i was, but i don’t do that any more.

being a people pleaser i can relate to blaine, but i wouldn’t say that we are alike. aside from you know. a general love for kurt puppet.

F: Is there a song or a playlist to associate with your fics?

treading water and klueless both have associated playlists!! i get nervous sharing music related to my writing because i’m not listening to anything incredibly unique and it can make everything feel more personal, but i listen to music as i write, and those two playlists either helped inspire me or, for klueless, get me in the headspace to write.

M: What’s the weirdest AU scenario you’ve ever come up with?  Did it turn into a story?

ive def had weird aus in the past but my memory is so bad ..i dont remember what they could have been from previous fandoms.

weirdest scenario is maybe klaine!femboy hooters ?? lol very unlikely to ever get written bc there is No Plot really its just vibes….

the premise was essentially that sebastian was blaines ex and dragged him there as a joke/to show off his new bf, and kurt was blaine’s waiter. and like, femboy!hooters isn’t blaines thing but he keeps coming back because kurts just pretty and hes a good listener. and kurt likes that blaine isnt grossly hitting on him 24/7…. (its essentially an excuse to imagine kurt in glittery eyeshadow….lmao….)

[sakuradeservedbetter91]

Bink! Can we please hear about Norman Fucking Rockwell for the WIP name game I'm intrigued

ALEX! YES SIR YOU MAY! 🥹🥰

So. This fic. Oh boy. I started writing it back when I came back to writing fanfic in 2020 after finding the lovely ShiSaku ship, and that's when I started actually interacting in fandom and talking to people and not being a lurker! Bc I've read fic for YEARS, and I've left comments and what not back when I was active on ff dot net (which also has my very old and first fanfics I wrote when I was in high school 💀).

And like, my first spicy, smutty fic I published was my KankuSaku fic after I came back to writing fanfic, BUT THIS FIC. This was the first fic where I actually wrote smut. I just never finished it before the KankuSaku one, and ofc, as is my usual now, I got a ton of other plot bunnies and fic ideas I started writing as my attention span drifted 🤣

ANYWAY, around this time is when Lana Del Rey's album Norman Fucking Rockwell!! had just come out and I was listening to it on repeat, and I got the crazy idea to write a ShiSaku fic for each song on that album bc I kept getting inspired🤣 I have a whole document of the ideas for each song.

And so, ANYWAY, long story short, this is one of my first fics I started writing and haven't finished yet bc it's a doozy and is going to be longer than initially planned.

The premise is a modern au AND THEY WERE ROOMMATES, and some mutually secret pining but also maybe they're both in denial, and also best friends with benefits turned lovers. ANYWAY.

Here's a lil snippet for your trouble and having to read all this 🥹 this is also the part of the fic where I definitely used some lines from the song 🤣 SOME SPICE AHEAD 🫡

“God damn,” Sakura panted, long pink hair spread out against her bedroom pillow. Sheet pulled up over her naked chest, forehead slicked with sweat, Sakura looked to her left and arched a brow. “I know it’s been a while for me, but god damn, Shisui.”

He smirked and gave a throaty chuckle before leaning back against her headboard, arms crossed behind his head, her gray sheets low on his hips. She bit her lip as her eyes trailed the lines of his abdomen, remembering how she was trapped beneath his body moments ago.

“God damn is right,” Shisui said, a dimpled grin still on his face as he noticed her appraisal. He raked one hand through his unkempt curls, obsidian eyes crinkled as he continued, “Now why didn’t we do that years ago? I know I’m good at sex, but it’s never been that good.”

Sakura rolled her eyes, ignoring the flutter in her heart as she turned on her side and cradled her head in her left hand. She knew why it was so good for her, but she knew it couldn’t possibly be the same reason for him.

“Shisui, years ago we weren’t even friends,” Sakura said. She looked away quickly when Shisui scoffed and reached out to poke her forehead, trying not to blush. Years ago, as a teen, Sakura had an embarrassing crush on him, but she’d never tell him that.

“Oh, come on. You, Sasuke, and Naruto were joined at the hip growing up,” Shisui started, “and Itachi and I were always there to play with you when those two brats had one of their spats.”

Sakura looked back at him and giggled, batting her eyelashes cheekily before saying, “Hmm, I remember Itachi nicely humoring me while I waited those two idiots out, but I don’t remember you. I only remember an annoying nuisance pulling on my pigtails. Must not have happened.”

“Oi, come here you,” Shisui growled playfully, leaning over and grabbing Sakura by her hips, dragging her on top of him. The sheet fell away from her chest, yet even indifferent to her bareness, Sakura still blushed as Shisui eyed her petite breasts with a grin.

Sakura steadied herself on his lap, bending her legs around his waist, hands resting on his shoulders as she looked into his hooded eyes now that she was on top of him again, nestled against his lower body. Shisui settled his hands on her waist, thumbs slowly rubbing circles into her skin underneath the waistband of her underwear he was too impatient to take off earlier. As he increased the pressure of his thumbs, Sakura hummed at the warmth and closed her eyes, rolling her neck until she heard a pop.

Suddenly, the warmth was gone and Sakura was gasping for breath as her back hit her mattress. Shisui hovered over her, his fingers tickling her sides and drifting towards her armpits–her most ticklish spot. His mouth ticked upwards as mischief bloomed in his eyes.

“S-stop, S-Shisui, oh my god, s-stop!” Sakura laughed, rolling around and clenching her arms against her body to ward off his attack.

Shisui laughed and Sakura’s heart stuttered like it always did, but she ignored it as his fingers drifted down towards the back of her knees. She kicked out trying to escape his grasp.

“Didn’t happen, huh?” Shisui sang, laughter in his throat. “How do I know all your most sensitive places then, huh?”

Sakura giggled and then screamed as Shisui reached the back of her knees despite all her kicking. After a moment of struggling, she finally got out from under him, wrestling him back onto the bed. She locked her knees around his pelvis and pressed her torso flush against his, breasts flat against his chest as her arms pinned his shoulders down. Sakura marveled at how Shisui was still so warm but focused on catching her breath.

Huskily, Sakura said between breaths, “Shisui, we just spent the past two hours fucking each other’s brains out. Of course you know all my sensitive areas.”

“Ah, but do you know mine, Sakura-chan?” Shisui asked, bucking his hips against hers, one eyebrow arched in a challenge.

Sakura laughed, squirming at the sudden arousal she felt at his actions. Looking down at him, she smirked and said, “You know, for someone so tall, and older I might add, you act like such a fucking man-child sometimes, Shisui-kun.”

“You love it,” Shisui murmured, bringing his hands back to her hips and pushing them down against his.

[toxicanonymity]

Do you ever struggle with feelings of discouragement or inadequacy if your fics don’t do as well as you had hoped?

I’m struggling with that myself. I try not to get so hung up on it but it’s very hard, especially when something I’m so proud of doesn’t do as well as my other works.

I don’t even feel motivated to write bc I don’t wanna set myself up for disappointment

Discouragement, sure, I think that's natural sometimes. But I really don't feel like stats have anything to do with adequacy. Baring my soul, yuck. But fuck it we ball. Sorry it's a long answer.

I don't think I've ever answered a serious ask aside from the time i created Dr. rock which hardly counts but I've seen a lot of people struggling with this lately and hope this might be idk comforting to a person or two without leading to debate/discourse.

You mentioned something you're proud of isn't doing as well as your other works, and I can see how that would be disappointing. For laughs, I'll compare 2 of mine. These fics are impossible to compare (as are most, I think) but I def understand the urge to measure yourself against what you see as the potential. Aches: <1k popular trope I banged out in no time, wasn't sure about it, literally thought "people don't have to like it" before I hit post. >4 notes per word. Left in Lincoln: >22k posted so far, challenging, writing it for months. Has possibly driven me crazy bc I had this passing thought the other day and not about TLOU. (I didn't feel like re-reading it all): "I should just rewatch the movie. . .wait." 🤡 The whole Lincoln series combined has fewer notes than Aches lmao. But it's far more rewarding in getting to see it come to life, quality of engagement, and stretching myself 😏. It's not for everyone, for various reasons. Surely would have better stats without the twist I went with. But at what cost??

-------

Often, if people don't read or like something, it's a reflection of their own interests, limitations, and assumptions. And the right "fit."

I don't rly read much in general, but specifically, I rarely read long stuff (if I do I prob scan a lot tbh). I normally only want, if any, just enough plot/premise to build sexual tension. I don't read fluff or angst. I don't have the attention span / commitment to get invested in original characters. I tend to avoid stuff similar to what I'm working on. I make assumptions - If there's no word count, maybe it's too long. I know a lot of the fics I skip for these reasons must be fantastic. Assumptions I experience - I've seen very popular fics in the wild that strike me as dark, creepy, or pervy but aren't tagged that way. So some things that are tagged dark, etc., including plenty of mine, might not be dark in the way people assume based on their own ideas, or based on what others do tag. Also some people think I only write dark when sometimes it's just horny (see master list).

I've sometimes found myself thinking "It sucks more people don't read this bc i bet they would enjoy it" (not just my own fics). It might sound egotistical but I think it's often true.

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Of course I want engagement because that means more people reading something which can mean more interaction, discussion, learning what you liked, what you think, etc. that's what I love.

But notes aren't rly near the top of what I care about, even though it does feel great to get them and I truly appreciate every single one.

Night walks doesn't get nearly as many notes as some of my other stuff, especially these days, but it's fun to write and I like to feed his feral fans who only get more into him with time. Same with raider: among those who do read and engage, I sense rising enthusiasm, thirst, and rate of falling in love with him (my bad). That's all worth more than 1000 likes to me. I have a good time writing these guys, so I write them more than other ones that get way more notes 🤷. I'm not saying notes don't matter at all, I know they affect exposure and engagement. But if just did what gets notes, I don't think I'd have such high quality engagement bc I'd just bang out more stuff with the most popular tropes instead of our fave Joels and those destined to become our faves bc they offer something special.

My outlook was the same before I had so many followers btw. Rock Bottom (22k) was what I felt like writing, still more ambitious than anything I've done in the Halloween fandom. I was disappointed it got way less attention than my one shots, but I know it's a banger, just certainly not for everyone lol.

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I'm sorry for what you're experiencing and feeling, but I think it's very common and hope you can reframe it to not feel inadequate. I especially hope it doesn't discourage you from writing. ❤️

[thebeingofeverything]

Ok I’ll bite, I’m curious:

Mephisto/Amaimon - why ship it? (All 3 q’s)

Rin/Shiemi — why don’t you ship it? (I hope I’m asking this right)

I think we will probably have similar reasons but it never hurts to ask!

Mefiama, why ship it:

1. Ok! So for the first, really my og aoex ship was amairin bc I'm a battle couple shipper first and foremost but mefiama was a close second and it's bc I'm a demon lover after everything lololol

Specifically, I've loved characters like mephisto and amaimon as long as I can remember, starting from my og fav yyh Yoko Kurama and Hiei (which in my head is a different ship than Hiei/Kurama). But, like that ship, I actually never really liked/like the ways fandom portrays them. Characters like Hiei and Amaimon both end up woobified and turned into stereotypical uke characters with the big sexy dom/seme mephisto/Kurama to seduce/play with them.

And to me that always pissed me off bc of how ooc it made them all out to be. I love Hiei and Amaimon bc they're little feral shitheads who have a massive independent streak to them and act/are totally inhuman. They both poke at each other and cause each other headaches and I live for it lololol

They're spicy as hell too and I love that in a ship. The second I saw Mephisto keeping Amaimon strung up on spears in the cuckoo prison that was it for me 😩👌🔥

2. The draw for these characters and the ship is that they're both inhuman creatures that only pretend at humanity, or in amaimons case, is forced to play nice by mephisto if he wants to be stomping around his territory.

What I really love about them, though, is that while Mephisto has the upper hand in the dynamic, Amaimon also knows his character and can see past his clown mask bullshit. He knows the demon Mephisto really is under all the sparkles and show boating. He's an observer and even when Mephisto is focusing on his goals and plots and shows, Amaimon is there on the sidelines keeping tabs and picking everything apart. I think Amaimon thinks Mephisto is interesting or has potentially interesting ideas. The thing about demons is they're constantly looking for something to keep them interested through their eternal existences and with Mephisto, Amaimon has a source of enrichment lol

I also like the fucked up premise of how Amaimon has an inherent trust in Mephisto that gets abused in canon. We saw him getting incredibly hurt by the shiemi reveal, as if Mephisto keeping that info from him meant Mephisto was treating him like one of his human pawns and not with respect as another demon king.

3. I'm not sure if there's an unpopular opinion I have for them, except that I tend to find most fandom treats them incredibly ooc and it makes it difficult for me to enjoy content of them from others. Mephisto as the over simplified seductive seme, doing typical melodramatic evil villain stuff and Amaimon being reduced to a uwu baby idiot who has never had sex despite being a who knows how old demon king. I've got a ton of bitching I've done over the years about it (and it's the same treatment Hiei always got back in the day so I'm used to the frustration) 😂

Rinshi, Don't Ship:

1. Man I feel really bad to say this but this is one of the most vanilla/boring ships in the fandom outside of bonrin. It's just so typical hot headed anime boy protag/girl next door love interest, even as much as they're both incredibly well developed characters, and as much as I love Rin.

It really just comes down to Rin being a, like, base ingredient for me as a ship. Like him being involved in a ship isn't on its own enough to make me enjoy/ship something. (Amaimon, on the other hand, immediately spices any ship up and I've even got a few rinamaishi fic aus out there lol). But I've never been interested in the sweet, hard-working character archetype. I can't help it, I'm into edgy bastard gremlin characters, the antagonists and anti heroes lololol (The exception to this in aoex is Yuri and that's bc she's got that little mischievous bad girl zing to her I love lololol). Shiemi just doesn't have that spice I need to really invest in a character.

2. What would have made me like it is just if Shiemi was a different character lololol like, she's just too sweet for me, like a marshmallow. Her in her string Independent woman era isn't really doing it for me either bc it feels like all her character development got cut out in that training arc she was just in. We missed a good opportunity to see her reconcile things with her grandma and her growth just to watch her toss an Amaimon copy and it feels like we got cheated out of her character arc.

If she just had that little spark that Yuri had it might work for me but I haven't seen it and until then it feels like every other typical anime main character/love interest ship, and it's just never been a dynamic I've never been into.

3. Positive things I have to say are that I think Kato has always done a phenomenal job making her characters feel realistic and not the usual anime shallow stereotypes. So when ppl tell me they enjoy the ship I'm like yeah, if ur into those kinds of characters and that ship dynamic, you've come to the right series to get a really well developed couple who feel fleshed out and who have had a developing relationship throughout the series. Totally understandable, just not for me.

I hope I actually answered these right 😂 thanks for the ask @philosophicalparadox 🩷

[beaulesbian]

ok i don’t know anything about trigun except the gifs you’ve made/reblogged. should i watch it? what is the premise even?

short version: if you like characters that can fit so much trauma in them and who are trying to cover it up with acting goofy, yet still remain kind despite all their suffering - then go right ahead and watch it!

longer version:

(idk how much i can try to put into words without spoilers, and because i dont want to get something wrong, as im still trying to watch the og anime, and understand the plot there.)

it's a space western type of story. there's this guy who has a price on his head and wherever he goes some disaster happens, usually not exactly his fault, but it always seems that way to the other people?

and it all seems silly (at least for me in the first episodes for me) but it gets more angsty the more you watch.

and more silly too

(the duality of a man.)

for the new anime - trigun stampede (i got into that and understood it okay without the previous anime, but its always nice to have more content to watch, so now i'm cathing up with the og anime)

we meet him again like a goofy guy,

and honestly since that beginning it was fun and interesting to watch. plus right from the start of ep 1 you get more insight about the whole backstory there.

and theres a lot of cool relationship dynamics... (like all that gay subtext, which you probably saw from my blog bc im all about that)

but even beside them, the animation and action look rlly nice, i havent watched any anime in few years at least, and this one was just cool to watch.

and yeah, also the trauma