#bitch this drama is no fantasy romcom

[reading-is-an-escape]

I'm withholding comment until episode 10 but IS ANYONE STILL ALIVE AFTER EPISODE 9???

[yuripoll]

making good headway in reading (or rereading) everything for propaganda collection & rec writing, but @whysapphics suggested posting the list of titles for season 3 in case anyone wants to read things beforehand

still subject to change if i end up quibbling over what to include, but here's the current roster (under the cut)

dark forest, white road <- yoshida chiyu (high school drama including a blind girl)

ayaka is in love with hiroko <- sal jiang (silly office romcom)

the moon on a rainy night <- kuzushiro (high school drama including a deaf girl)

serendipity <- mimiyori (webcomic about an overworked magical girl)

handsome girl and sheltered girl <- majoccoid & mocha au lait (silly miscommunication romcom)

aoi hana <- takako shimura (classic schoolgirl yuri)

composing spring in this room where cherry blossoms bloom <- tokuwotsumu (angst. ough.)

makoto no momoka <- sumiko arai (oneshot)

i decided to fake a marriage with my junior to shut my parents up <- kodama naoko (exactly what it says on the tin)

sakura namiki <- takahashi makoto (OLD old. proto-yuri)

i'm not cut out to be a princess, so i'll elope with the villainess <- yamagata atsuka (isekai oneshot)

netsu wo obiru veil <- sakura togane (oneshot about unrequited love)

muted <- miranda mundt (fantasy webcomic)

the girl that can't get a girlfriend <- mieri hiranishi (autobiographical lesbian dramady)

a lady's table <- hwemi (girl dinner <3)

because you are a red rose <- mokuzuko (oneshot about unrequited love... again. im not having issues i prommy)

that time i was blackmailed by the class's green tea bitch <- xian jun (silly high school romcom)

2dk gpen aftertime <- yayoi ohsama (anthology including an epilogue to 2dk gpen alarm clock)

kanojo ni naritai kimi to boku <- takase umi (kind of a stretch to call it yuri (for spoiler reasons) but about a girls crush on her childhood friend who recently came out as trans)

indigo blue <- yamaji ebine (down to earth josei drama about a writer cheating on her bf with a woman)

destroy it all and love me in hell <- kuwabara tamotsu (so THIS is the toxic yuri ive heard so much about)

mahou josei chimaka <- kaiju (webcomic turned real comic about an ex-magical girl who needs to save the world again; no longer available online which unfortunately means i wont be able to read this one at the moment... hmu if anyone knows of an ebook sale for it ToT EDIT: oh im dumbbb i looked at the submission to double check for content warnings and its on IA)

savior <- junqi & jo9 (vampire yuri)

to die in june <- kuragenanami (alternate history where young girls were recruited to the jp army in ww2)

soulmate <- wenzhi lizi & ke ran bing (woman gets bodyswapped with her 17 year old self)

yuki and the authoress <- nagori yu (historical romance)

blooming sequence <- lee eul (college student romance)

you are my angela <- murasakino (short romance about an angel)

maria-sama ga miteru <- konno oyuki & nagasawa satoru (classic schoolgirl yuri)

a kiss and a white lily for her <- canno (modern schoolgirl yuri)

ohana holoholo <- torino shino (gay josei family drama)

kakegurui <- kawamoto homura & naomura tooru (not strictly yuri but, like teppuu, ive been led to believe its homoerotic enough to break that barrier)

[gryptids]

do all your ocs know each other or do they have subgroups?

EEE thank u for asking!! The OCs I tag for on Tumblr generally fall into three universes/stories. (Also I had to rewrite this like 3 times bcuz Tumblr's ctrl+z function is broken and I kept doing it reflexively, so apologies if this makes no sense lol)

As The World Caves In (#culecore): A 70s-inspired eldritch horror romcom about a woman on the verge of a nervous breakthrough. When a one-night stand leads to world-shattering revelations about her connection to a distant eldritch god, Cara (far left) must confront love, loss, forgiveness, and her community in order to halt an impending apocalypse. Dealing with centuries of relationship drama from her demigod paramours is just the icing on the cake. Messy, queer, and unapologetically indulgent, this is essentially a creative sandbox that I play in almost 24/7!! I love smashing together these terrible little bitches like dolls :]

From left to right we have Carolyn Klein (main character, cuntress supreme, can easily whip a dish that will bring you to tears), Saoirse Ross (not-really-tortured artist, grappling with the world's most protracted identity crisis, eldritch splinter of Chaos), Jude Collins (walking Leyendecker illustration, Captain Autismo, eldritch splinter of Light), and Victor Ward (depressed line cook energy, massive flirt, eldritch splinter of Void).

Threads of Gossamer and Glass (#tgg): A high fantasy political thriller about what comes after survival, reinventing your mind upon meeting someone new, and trying to not break the world in half a second time. This is a novel-length work I'm currently working on, which means I have a novel-style blurb for it LOL:

"Maria has worked her entire life to secure a seat in the Artea Crea, an artist's guild that serves as the highest governing body in her home nation of Trevigi. But when her sister's illegal magical abilities are discovered, she's given an impossible choice; play diplomat in a suicide mission to a land of savage mages, or see her sister hanged. However, Maria quickly discovers that there's more to Peykangraz that meets the eye; deadly games of magic and politics, a mountain range that appears to be shifting, and a powerful mage who is as confounding as he is alluring. With every new ally, deal, and discovery, she begins to glimpse the buried truth that lies between the land and her mission. But what is she willing to risk -- and to lose -- in pursuing what she believes in?"

(art by the lovely @dying_anniris on Twitter!!)

&Lavender (#&lav): In a story that extrapolates the machinations of the fae courts onto high-class mob politics, Lav finds themself walking the razor edge between worlds when their quiet life collides with the unknown. As a jeweler specializing in intricate gem faceting, Lav creates flashy pieces for humans and fae alike, performing humanity for their clients through a combination of glamour magic and ascerbic wit. The Courts ignore them, and they ignore them right back. As a wyldfae -- too unimportant to be considered Seelie or Unseelie -- they're used to the lack of interest. But when a dangerous artifact comes into their possession, they must risk everything and forge an alliance with a member of the Unseelie Court to protect it. What follows is a saga of lust, destruction, and all the terrible things that happen when you understand how much you're truly worth.

Plus, I've got a few miscellaneous OCs (including Beverly, a waifish Texas cannibal, and Ariadne, a vampiric Oath of Conquest paladin) who fall into their own individual universes! Together they form the Insane Blood-Splattered Women Brigade <3

TYSM for asking!!! I love the chance to talk abt my guys... feel free 2 ask more questions abt them if you're curious!!!!

[ridley-was-a-cat]

Spring Anime Season Premieres

Somehow, a new season is upon us, and it’s time to watch some premieres and see what sticks.

Hell's Paradise - I love a good fighty shounen set in the time of ninja and samurai with a supernatural element, and this first episode gave me what I was looking for. The art and animation are both solid, I’m really into the swordswoman who put the fear of god in the unkillable main character, and I like that the wife who serves as the protagonist’s motivation hasn’t been fridged. 

My Love Story with Yamada-kun at Lv999 - The FL in this is the messiest bitch I’ve seen in anime since Minare from Wave, Listen to Me. She found out her boyfriend dumped her for a girl he met in the video game they play together, and she handles it by getting all dolled up to go make him jealous, failing miserably, then getting sloppy drunk and waking up in a teenage gamer’s bed. I’m not sure either lead is terribly likeable yet, but I love them both and look forward to their story.

The Dangers in My Heart - This one is right on the line between creepy and cringe versus cute and funny. Our ML is a middle school second year firmly in an adolescent edgelord phase, where he’s decided he really wants to see the most popular girl in his class in tears. But while he tells himself he’s holding back the urge to murder her, his actions towards her paint an entirely different picture of a boy constantly going out of his way to clandestinely help out his crush. It feels like it’s going to be a good-natured romcom, so I’ll keep it for now.

My Home Hero - I honestly don’t know if I want to keep this one. I’m a little lukewarm on crime dramas, especially the male power fantasy variety of taking on a group of bad guys to protect your family, and the production is just not very attractive for this. I’ll give it another episode or two to decide.

My Clueless First Friend - Well, well, well, isn’t this just adorable! A boy transfers to a new school and becomes determined to befriend the girl everyone calls the Grim Reaper, because he thinks the name is the coolest, confusing everyone around him. This looks like a nice, relaxing watch.      

[theres-a-bea]

any kdrama recs? i've been binge watching "the last empress" nonstop and im kinda getting tired of it :')

AN ASK !!! i have to warn you tho: i probably have no taste in k dramas cos i just watch whatever seemed interesting in my recommendeds, but here are a bunch of shows that i really liked in no particular order (bc i added a star rating)

(take note: i don't always like them for the plot, sometimes aesthetics is enough for me cos my brain shuts off and forgets there's even a story)

• the glory ★★★★★ (massive slay bc everyone got what they deserved + ha ye sol my queen fucking soloed)

• extraordinary you ★★★★ (idc about the plot of this one, but if you've seen any of my manic 3am tumblr rants you know this is on here for aesthetics and worldbuilding)

• true beauty ★★★ (again, idc about the plot, i'm here for aesthetics. + bonus points to worldbuilding after the universe was officially confirmed to be the same as extraordinary you)

• under the queen's umbrella ★★★★★ (fuck. yeah. i was lowkey scared abt what it was going to be cos when i tell you i went in blind, but yea overall i love love loved it)

• alchemy of souls ★★★★★★ (this, right here, is my shit. world building, magic system, straight up quality organisation, set design, costume design, AWOOGA. historical fantasy always gets me popping my pussy i fucking love this show. still pissed they wasted my heart my wife my sweet angel princess babygirl jin cho-yeon tho)

• business proposal ★★★★ (romcom is not dead. ik it gets a lot of hate cos the plot was rushed and ok sure it's kinda basic and overhyped and basically straight propaganda but i had a proper giggle from this shit. it was funny, and attractive characters have personalities and they actually had more depth than the manhwa. and yes the manhwa sucked cos it may have had more plot but the characters were flatter than in the show)

• summer strike ★★★ (ngl i kinda liked it but it had absolutely ZERO plot. just vibes. lucky it had enough vibes to carry the fucking show cos i would've abandoned it halfway cos literally nothing was going on. if you want to shut your brain off and settle on pure vibe alone go ahead and put this on)

• school 2015 ★★★★ (this actually ate i loved the plot and the characters are a lot more serious than usual k dramas, for a teen drama in 2015 this was a fucking slay, given that 2015 really was kind of the year of teen dramas ngl cos skam came out the same year)

• taxi driver ★★★★★ (no words, just yes. i love justified violence)

• law school ★★★★★ (all you ladies pop your pussy like this shake yo body don't stop don't miss— kim bum has my entire heart my neck my back my pu— yes. kang sol b can step on me and i'd thank her. i fucking love this show. watch it)

• extraordinary attorney woo ★★★★★ (YES !! ABSOLUTELY. I LOVED it. Every character is so well written, plot is well thought-of, and the representation, chefs kiss. they got lesbians in there !! with a happy ending !!! woo to the young to the woo, bitch)

• happiness ★★★★★ (don't you just love it when you get to live with the love of your life pretending yall are married ? i fucking love this show sm. honestly i watched cos i'm absolutely in love with han hyo joo but i ended up sobbing cos i would've just killed myself if i had to deal with the fucking neighbours that they had iesu fucking grist.)

• kingdom ★★★★★★ (as you can obviously see i am a whore for historical fantasy. i do not give six star ratings often but if letterboxd let me i would've given it to this show. zombies, political turmoil, LORE, sexy ass protagonist—idk i'm easily seduced by political leaders actually doing what they're supposed to do, probably bc we don't have any of those where i live)

• revenge of others ★★★★ (i'm afraid to admit that this is the first other thing that i did with my disney plus subscription outside of actual disney-backed content. but i love a good murder mystery. the fact that shin ye eun literally filmed this alongside the glory is insane. kinda sad it's not as gay as you would think it was in the middle)

• all of us are dead ★★★★★ (i forgot to add this but it's ok it's here now. this right here is THE exact situation that i daydreamed about when i was like, eight. idk maybe that's a lil twisted but by god it would bring about a different kind of thrill in my boring ass life. but here it is: high school kids trapped in a school during the zombie apocalypse, the literal plot straight out of my dreams)

i think that's enough to keep someone occupied for a few weeks at least !! thank you for the ask !!!! ok love you

mwa

[howdidigethereimlost]

I had a dream last night where it was like this musical and the plot was really there, the cat slime was a bit uncalled for though.

[inhales]

Ok so it was like an unnamed female actress and Will Smith in it and it started like a horror movie where she was a detective going through an abandoned mansion, it was also in really good shape and not like vintage, it was a modern mansion and has weird stuff and like weird taste and while going around some badly constructed handrails in the middle kinda to the side of a hallway and there's this talking cat it slime and it's like "hehe, he's gonna find you", "who tf are you talking about", "ME" then ghost will Smith shows up scares the hell outta her and then musical starts where shes like I gotta get out of here and hes like get this bitch iutta my house and it slowly becomes a romcom and the talking cat reveals this scheme of cat marketing thats been going on where they were melting the cats or something and then the cat was evil and they had this scene where the girl waa somehow flying and will Smith was cause he was a ghost and it was actually a pretty good song, until i got involved.

I was this odd third wheel side character but it was such an insane story I was watching, I stuck around just to be the comic relief and I told them it was the cat and they went off to live happily ever after and then I remembered I had a tournament like hunger games style then it went even more off the rails.

So I frickin remembered this then I was going to this trials thingy and I was paired with this other guy who looked kinda pathetic and stuff, it was kinda sad that he really resembled me, so we were actually teammates like you both make it out alive kind teammates, there are also these recurring two guys I will get to in a minute (they never leave me alone, every dream I have.) So this guy looks kinda like me, he's a bit less pale and all though and his eyes are green. The arena is like this huge cylinder but huge as in tall, it was not that wide, like you run for around thirty seconds and that's it so there were these disclike terrain stuff bits that you were on, higher was of course better. But this guy had a bow, he had good aim too, I got a sword. I'm not great with a sword but I'm good enough to maybe almost do some damage. So this bell rings and it's like people are jumping through the air, landing on other ones, we can see the blood, and we sit there and wait for a minute. There were eighteen others at first, by the time they made it to us, there were three. Two were badly injured circling each other at the bottom and the other one was standing in front of us with and axe, so of course I've got the melee weapon so it was customary for me to stand to face this guy, it wasn't a guy though it was this fantasy looking crazy barbarian woman like butch as hell. So she's got this axe and Ive got a sword and I'm not THAT strong so I'm having trouble holding it cause it's like a standard sword and stuff and she like "so we gonna fight?", then out of nowhere my teammate fires at her, so we lived of course, we were like halfway up, she fell off and definitely died abd all so we rejoiced like yay we get to live. So then these two guys from before come back like YOU FORGOT US AGAIN REMEMBERERRR. Or at least one was, so I'ma describe them both, ok so the one freaking out was named I think Oliver and he was like Brazilian and like five foot four I think, he wore mostly green and he had blue eyes and this tatoo on his collar of this one flower i think it was poisonous and he wanted to be cool so bad, he was a daredevil vut he wasnt the one who came up with things, that was Jackson, but i typically called him jack, i think he was mostly European? I couldn't really tell cause I'm bad at speculating races and he had albinism and he usually wore red and pink and today though he had one of Oliver's jackets which was green and he was comforting Oliver cause Oliver was being a drama king. And he-

[passes out due to lack of oxygen]

[babybluestan]

Movie suggestions??

So I wanna watch more movies bc I love them a lot and I feel like I’m missing out on a lot of good ones. I have seen quite a few already, but I wanna broaden my catalog a bit

So if y’all wanna suggest any that’d be great!

It can be literally anything: your favorite movie, a movie you haven’t watched but want an opinion on, a shitty movie, I’ll basically watch anything.

[lasseizlesbontempsrouler]

What kind of movies do the states watch?

Like romcoms, horror, christmas(is it a genre?), etc etc.

romcoms?

california. he watches any and all movies.

nevada watches them in his free time

louisiana and florida make fun of the rom and laugh at the com (they watch romcoms all the time it's like a drug to them)

sappy romance?

minnesota ropes the midwest + the token westerners into watching sappy romance with him (he cries every time)

austin buys them and texas watches them when bored. texas says he hates sappy romance movies. he loves them.

also louisiana and florida. they watch them together and make fun of romance

california is a sucker for romance okay

christmas?

alabama. any and all times of the year. he's the bitch putting up the christmas tree oct 1st

miami and florida actually both love christmas movies

louisiana gets dragged into watching them with florida

horror

california actually really likes horror!

texas says he likes horror (he's left screaming and clinging to a pillow)

florida and louisiana once again watch horror together (they watched i know what you did last summer with the south once and immediately got red lipstick and wrote on texas's mirror)

for the most part the south just watches horror movies together

michigan gathers the midwest to watch scary movies (minnesota either has the best horror movie tolerance or is scared to shit)

nevada does a birthday binge of scary movies (oct 31)

alaska and hawai'i but it's hawai'i making fun of the people in the movies the whole time

fantasy?

louisiana and florida (isn't this kind of canon? they make references to harry potter and lotr throughout the series)

california likes to imagine himself in those worlds

maryland likes fantasy

action + adventure?

california, same reasons above

louisiana and florida

alabama actually likes these too

most of the south tbh

all of the northeast

musicals?

theatre kid loui (+ florida by default)

california

new york

arkansas shockingly

nevada

minnesota!

drama?

maine is a slut for drama

minnesota gets popcorn and drags like iowa and the dakotas over

nevada!!

cali-fornia

louisiana and florida

western/yeehaw cowboy shit?

all of the south

texas especially

california

nevada

oregon

wyoming

documentaries

washington

california

pennsylvania

dc

gov

are there any genres that i missed that you want in??

[commajade]

[1/2] the thing i struggle w the most w homcha is the casual backdop of violence against women. without rly dealing w any of the consequences? miseon got assaulted at work. a man broke into hyejin's house to abduct and likely rape her... and we're just meant to think it's cute and romantic when she stays at dushik's house.... like no bitch that's traumatic af wtf

[2/2] it's nice that neither miseon nor hyejin seem too traumatized but if they were, that would be v real and v valid. sure hye jin was a little freaked but it was ultimately brushed off by the plot for the sake of ~ romance ~ and i'm like damn tho what about the trauma.... why include this casual violence against women if ur not gonna process it, where's the healing in that. and for the viewers - where's the escapism. where's the fantasy. idk it's just... choices :/

hmm. in my opinion this kind of plot being included in a healing drama is aware of the huge national conversation about sexual harassment and hidden camera exploitation that's been a big motivator for the skorean me too and feminist movements. the show is written primarily by women and it's more truthful to the situation to acknowledge that this kind of danger and violence is constant and genuine community work and togetherness is necessary for safety vs the don't ask don't tell city culture the show criticizes. you're right tho they don't take time to address those feelings at all ur right to be uncomfortable about it, it's a common and inherently misogynistic kdrama trope that subjects women to violence. tho it's not a casual backdrop it's a plot mechanism those r 2 different things.

and i think it's wrong to be like "where's the healing in that where's the fantasy where's the escapism". i've talked about this before but the show's definition of healing isn't a fantasy u can escape into, it's even cruel and inappropriate to see the stories that shows the sadness and humanity of how lower class rural korean people live and how they need each other to survive and say "ooh what a lovely fantasy i want to escape to here" and be upset they also have to deal with misogyny. the way the drama fits the healing genre of kmedia is that it gently confronts the audience with things like intimacy and community and labor and love. it's a reflection of reality but in the safe parameters of a romcom so u know the writer has the audience's best interest in mind and cares for its characters and want to show u something with them.

[nikkirecs]

for senka: who’s seen everything

ily i hope you like, sorry most of these are probs on your ptw already

RWBY: Hyousetsu Teikoku - Action, Fantasy, Sci-Fi - tbh this is just here bc i wanna see you gif my kids, i’m watching it with a friend so i’m terribly behind

Soul Eater -  Action, Adventure, Comedy, Fantasy - that fantasy will be changed to spn i s2g, but you knew this was gonna be here it’s my everything

Enen no Shouboutai - Action, Drama, Sci-Fi, Supernatural - you also knew this was gonna get on here. if you can get past the fanservice it’s fantastic and the art is so glowy i love

Godzilla: Singular Point - Action, Mecha, Mystery, Sci-Fi - i’m weak for a good kaiju anime, the character designs are by the creator of ane and it has some truly fantastic visuals as well as some truly terrible cg but i love it lots

Karin - Comedy, Romance, Supernatural - tbh i’m not sure about this one, but it was my favorite when i was younger and it still has a v special place in my heart bc i think the love interest is just so endearing

Komi-san wa, Komyushou desu. - Comedy, Romance, Slice of Life - already on your ptw, while it’s a romcom i’m recing for the comedy in it

Shimoneta to Iu Gainen ga Sonzai Shinai Taikutsu na Sekai -  Comedy, Ecchi - not something i typically rec bc it’s v v ecchi but it’s on your ptw and it made me laugh

SK∞ - Action, Comedy, Drama, Sports - why’d you pause this? you should watch it so you can get hype with us for s2

Diamond no Ace - Comedy, Sports - bitch, finish it, what a good sport anime

Durarara!!x2 Ketsu - Action, Mystery, Supernatural - just finish the series come on. tbh my fav of the sequels becuase we get backstory

K: Missing Kings -  Action, Supernatural - listen we know this series is everything to my urban fantasy ass, and at the very least you’ll get it’s interesting visuals and i remember you liking the visuals on that other gohands anime that wasn’t v good

Kamikaze Kaitou Jeanne - Action, Adventure, Comedy, Drama, Fantasy, Mahou Shoujo, Mystery, Romance - LOOK HOW MANY GENRES IT’LL GIVE YOU! honestly i like the manga way more but this series is v important to my heart because it’s an ms with all those themes of friendship and love while also not being all happy. shame the anime cut out my favorite arc.

Kill la Kill - Action, Comedy, Ecchi - you scored this an 8 despite not watching??? anyway i think you’ll enjoy the animation of this at the very least

Made in Abyss -  Adventure, Drama, Fantasy, Horror, Mystery, Sci-Fi - THE GENRES SENKA! honestly this feels like the kinda fucked up mystery thriller i expect you to like. also horror in the more psychological way where you’re scared for the kids but not of like specific monsters jumping out at you. 

Modao Zushi - Action, Adventure, Drama, Fantasy, Mystery, Supernatural - i’m genuinely shocked you haven’t seen this, chinese animation that’s a spn mystery is right up your alley and it’s v v good

Saiki Kusuo no Ψ-nan - Comedy, Slice of Life, Supernatural - it’s so funny senka omg. also if you restart it then you can use it for tetris

Shadows House - Fantasy, Horror, Mystery, Slice of Life, Supernatural - not really horror but a fun mystery with an admittedly predictable twist but it still made me !!!!

Yuukoku no Moriarty - Mystery, Psychological - PSYCHOLOGICAL MYSTERY SENKA YOU GOTTA WATCH

Gankutsuou - Drama, Mystery, Sci-Fi, Supernatural, Thriller - tbh i didn’t love it but it has v interesting visuals which you might be into

Ling Long - Action, Drama, Horror, Mecha, Mystery, Sci-Fi, Thriller - look at those genres! this is defs on your ptw bc i reced it to you already but honestly i feel like the dystopian setting will be something you’ll have fun with, and the CG is pretty good

Prince of Stride: Alternative - Sports - is this good or am i just eternally weak for parkour animation? the world may never know

Shokugeki no Souma - Comedy, Ecchi - listen it’s basically a sports anime with how the plot is set up

Star Wars: Visions - Action, Adventure, Sci-Fi - this is 100% here for cool fight scenes. my favorite is the twins bc it’s just promare art

takt op.Destiny - Action, Fantasy, Music - listen, i’m not gonna say this is good. but it has some truly beautiful fight scenes and therefore will be an easy way to fill a music genre req

Rolling☆Girls - Action, Adventure - continuing the “can’t say i liked it but stunning visuals” train. you need it for wit challenge anyway

[sapphicdalliances]

Dear Chocolatier,

thank you so much for being here!! my sincere apologies for the lateness and messiness of this letter! sorry about my incredibly inconsistent capitalisation! it has been updated on the 8th of january, and may receive more updates this week.

I’m a simple bitch with simple tastes; here is a general summary of my preferences, and fandom-specific notes and prompts can be found further down!

I very much enjoy:

Fics that are short, but imply a longer, deeper verse; since this exchange is for short fics, but some of my prompts seem expansive, I just want to give you carte blanche permission to dip into an AU, splash around in it, and simply not provide additional details.

Comedic tones, slice-of-life, lighthearted fun, any amount of improbable romcom tropes

Am also on board with misunderstandings and drama as long as there is a happy ending!

I’m deeply okay with AUs, and most likely would be down for any modern, romcom, fantasy/fairytale, gender swap, or remix/crossover AUs you feel inspired to explore! My favourite settings include mundane/urban fantasy (witches! werewolves!), anachronism-stew-with-magic western fantasy jumbles, and disney’s Tangled.

Writing tropes I love:

Proposal fic

Wedding fic where the couple getting married is not the main couple

Outsider/third character POV of the main couple

Exes who are still in love/getting back together

Friends-with-benefits-with-feelings/did a bad job keeping it casual

Shipfic where two or more couples are contrasted

Oblique declarations of love/saying i love you without saying i love you

Provision and caretaking (acts of service!)

Aggressive matchmaking/wingmanning by an enthused friend

Hanahaki, or any other improbably dramatic instances of Cannot Spit It Out

Arranged marriage/fake marriage/fake dating

Epistolary fic

Regrettably I also love a/b/o, especially the kind that emphasises on scent safety and contains little to no actual sex

Art tropes I love, if you offered art:

Art where the characters simply look fond.

Fashion remixes – street fashion, cultural/traditional clothes, festival clothes, renfaire-esque clothes, beach photoshoot, get wild with it

Putting animal characteristics on one or both of them

Botanical motifs + celestial motifs

When plants grow directly out of people

The thing where character A is focused on something they’re doing or seeing, and the character B is focused only, wholly, desperately on A. please… the Gaze

Depictions of intimacy where faces are partially or fully hidden, but the body language is gentle

Characters SLEEPING next to each other, or comfortably doing separate activities in each other’s presence

If you wish to get frisky with your fills:

Yes!

Go for it!

I don’t have strong top/bottom preferences (and usually enjoy it when they switch or are otherwise generally equitable) so whatever you’re in the mood for is fine!

Kink tropes I very much enjoy include oral, restraints, praise kink, when proud characters cry during sex because they love their partners so much, and xeno tropes.

I love non-horny sex scenes; comedic, silly, charged, fraught, or simply affectionate exchanges that happen to include sex are my favourite. Feelings are the real kissing disease.

But like, if you wanna get horny about it.

Chase your bliss.

They simply must be in love.

I’m not as into:

Kidfic

First person narration

Soulmate AUs specifically

Kink wise, my only major squicks are incest, teacher/student, and public sex/getting caught, but i’m also not super keen on daddy kink, toilet stuff, or anything with blades or needles.

In general, please avoid:

Character death or serious/permanent injury

Animal abuse or death

Infidelity

Hopeless or downer endings

Fandom specific info:

Haikyuu!!

changed my life, cured my depression, what can be said about it? truly one of the most important series to me of all time. all musings on craft and creativity aside, let’s focus on the TRUE LOVE!!

i’m all caught up with the manga and supplementary materials!

suggested prompts: - sakuatsu, being mean to each other on purpose vs. being soft to each other by accident - kagehina or iwaoi dealing with LDR - kyouhaba are forced to cooperate on an innocuous, preferably wholesome task, such as gardening, or finding the owner of a lost dog, and it goes approximately As One Would Expect - bokukuroo + overheard phone conversation: and you've slept together how many times now? hmm. yeah, that's not technically a bromance (not in a no-homo way, just in a we-are-both-so-stupid-and-like-each-other-so-much-way) - actually that overheard phone conversation would work for any of these ships.

suggested prompts, art-specific: - festival clothes!! - put some wings on some of them. now it's bird romance, which is for birds - (i lied, this isn't art-specific at all, wingfic is always welcome in any of its forms) - just pick up your whole boyfriend and carry him like that. maybe even kiss him.

Or please do remix it with any of my general tropes listed above!

Oofuri

suggested prompts: - Hanai and Tajima really. struggle to get together. for like a bunch of years probably? Tajima copes with it by patiently processing his emotions in a healthy way and enjoying some casual dating. Hanai copes with it, as he does all things, by not coping - The ways Abe and Mihashi learn to take care of each other… Mihashi cooking 4 Abe… T_T

Promare

i simply think the twink and the himbo are in love.

Ace Attorney

favourite klapollo dynamic goes like this:

klavier: *genuinely and sincerely in love with apollo, in a very soft way* apollo: *furious* he's mocking me. why are you like this? klavier: I enjoy your company apollo: FINE, KEEP YOUR SECRETS

also consider: - what if klavier was a big ol golden retriever and apollo was just an angry liddol bunny. like, think about it

Or please do remix it with any of my general tropes listed above!

Wotakoi

I love that this series has three couples in different stages of a relationship: one who’ve been together for years and love each other like well-worn grooves; one who have history but have only just recently begun a relationship and are discovering each other anew; and one who probably will not bring themselves to share a kiss for another 27 calendar years.

Narumi/Hirotaka: Honestly, the main couple of a series usually goes over my head a bit, but the more i thought about these two the more wretchedly fond of them I became. The thing I think of the most is how Narumi taught him how to smile as a child; how she did things that meant nothing to her, so easily does kindness come, but that meant so much to him; and how now that they are grown, he does things for her that take no effort, but shake her foundations. I think theirs is a love that grows quietly; something that cannot change the world, but can change them.

Koyanagi/Kabakura: My thoughts on these two are not complex, but they are deeply positive. I love how huge their personalities are, and how they fit around and against each other; I love the implication that despite their endless bickering, they are not an on-again-off-again kind of relationship, and have instead chosen each other over and over again for ten straight years. I love that despite everything, they are kind to each other, first and foremost; they find ways to apologise and to take care of each other, and treat each other gently in private.

Kou/Naoya: I love every ship in this manga equally but perhaps I love Kou/Naoya more equally than the other two? They are just so kind and so silly, and so sweet to each other in exactly the way both of them didn’t realise they were missing. I think about Naoya being told that Kou is “okay with being alone”, and realising that “okay with it” and “have accepted it” are different, and taking his little baby steps to fix it. I think about Kou giving Naoya every last drop of patience he’s trained himself not to accept, and doing so because it simply makes her happy. My only concern is that they are both bottoms. I don’t have a solution for this.

suggested prompts, fic:

- accidentally dating ft. Kou and Naoya, or, “and you’ve made out how many times now? Hmm. Yeah, that’s not technically a bromance.” - 5 times Hirotaka and Narumi almost, almost kissed, and 1 time they did; the unresolved romantic tension may kill me and it would be worth it - what Hirotaka and Narumi taught each other (apart from the more mundane gaming and life skills, i believe that she taught him how to smile and be loved by others, and he taught her how to be loved by herself!) - smutty domesticity ft. Koyanagi and Kabakura — a lazy Sunday, laundry in the sun, fucking on the couch, everything easy with familiarity - (addendum to above: pegging)

suggested prompts, art: - festival clothes - someone’s getting married - naoya: *hands kou a tangerine* *hands kou a tangerine* *hands kou a tangerine* *hands kou a tangerine* *hands kou a t - red string of fate motifs

Or please do remix it with any of my general tropes listed above!

Gekkan Shoujo Nozaki-Kun

seowaka: they are idiots, and they like each other very much, but they do not know. i love a tall crying boy and his short but much more powerful girlfriend.

chiyo/nozaki + chiyo/nozaki/mikorin: im rooting for her in the face of such overwhelming stupidity. one himbo is difficult enough to seduce but two. chiyo is a hero and a woman of rare courage. i like the pair and the trio equally; again, if you go with trio, it’s important that they all love each other please!

suggested prompts: - 5 times any of these ships went on a date without realising, and the time they realised - urban fantasy AU where Waka is a hapless monster hunter and Seo is an annoying but deeply harmless werewolf who’s been terrorizing his town?? - fairytale AU where Seo believes she must rescue the prince from the tower and deliver him back to the kingdom capital, and the prince, who had not realised he’d been kidnapped, thinks Seo is a usurper from a rival kingdom who must be supervised all the way back to the kingdom capital to be served her justice

suggested prompts, art-specific: - festival clothes… - nozaki carrying chiyo, who’s carrying mikorin - (seo carrying waka) - waka sleeping peacefully in seo’s presence… :’(

Or please do remix it with any of my general tropes listed above!

we made it through all the fandoms.

Thank you for making it to the end of this whole disaster; I hope at least one of the prompts sparked joy! The most important thing to me is that whatever you end up doing, you are able to enjoy the process at least somewhat, and deliver a creation that you like! I can also be found on twitter at @hawberries_ (for art) and @popplioikawa (for general ramblings). If you need some more inspo, I recommend going through my art tags for the selected ships because I put a lot of Opinions into my fanart.

[beavesaintmarie]

tagged by my space captain sistercousin and perma partner in sufferation @loisfreakinglane

favorite movie: that’s a tie between A Little Princess and The Lion King 

movie that makes you remember your childhood: The Wizard of Oz 

favorite tom hanks movie: Catch Me If You Can 

movie that makes you cry: dis a basic bitch answer ig but Titanic. that scene when Rose gets back on that sinking ship. NEVER. FAILS. TO. GET. YA. QORL. GOOD. 

favorite 80’s movie: The Princess Bride 

favorite comedy: honestly? Spy is one of the most hilarious movies i’ve ever watched and also like one of the legit BEST in general. 

favorite sports movie: tbh? Bend It Like Beckham. 

favorite courtroom movie: Legally Blonde 

favorite war movie: Mulan. NO CAP. 

favorite animated movie: The Lion King 

favorite horror movie: Ready or Not but idek if that’s considered a legit horror movie cause i don’t DO horror movies but that’s the closest i’ve got to an answer for that. 

most overrated movie: akdjdjhadadhghadgaghdah lol almost everything i’ve seen gassed up on tumblr but like off the dome?? The Notebook is suuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuper overrated like it hurts how much that movie is overrated. 

favorite gangster movie: Goodfellas. 

movie you can watch over and over: Ibiza !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 

movie with the best soundtrack: The Bodyguard. i don’t love the movie but i’d DIE for the soundtrack. 

most embarrassing movie you love: lol probably Beastly tbh 

favorite christmas movie: Love Actually 

favorite halloween movie: Practical Magic 

favorite sequel: The Lion King 2: Simba’s Pride. again......NO CAP. 

favorite shakespeare movie: She’s The Man 

favorite austen film: Pride & Prejudice (2005) 

favorite scifi film: Ex Machina 

favorite swashbuckling film: idk if The Mummy counts but THE MUMMY!!! 

favorite romance: i can’t say Pride and Prejudice and Titanic again can i? TOO LATE JUST DID! 

favorite fantasy film: Big Fish 

favorite musical: Chicago 

favorite noir: imma say John Wick 

favorite thriller: imma say ALL OF THE JOHN WICKS 

favorite mystery: Knives Out 

favorite drama: The Duchess 

favorite western: does Legends of the Fall count? cause THAT!

favorite romcom: it’s a 3 way tie between Crazy Rich Asians, The Best Man and Drive Me Crazy 

favorite action movie: SPY!!!! JOHN WICK!!! THE MUMMY AGAIN!!!! \

tagging literally anyone who wants to do this!

[karaazorel]

my girl @loisfreakinglane tagged me in a movie meme which is wild cause i’m terrible at movies but lets fucking GO

have i even seen a movie??? this makes me question

favorite movie: i think mad max fury road?

movie that makes you remember your childhood: 

favorite tom hanks movie: ..... i really really like you but carly rae jepsen the music video

movie that makes you cry: i’m a cry baby!! all films make me cry

favorite 80’s movie: maybe heathers? i haven’t seen many tho

favorite comedy: Booksmart!

favorite sports movie: OH SHIT CREED MY DUDE

favorite courtroom movie: i’ve never seen a courtroom movie!! legally blonde is it my dude

favorite war movie: ... wonder woman???

favorite animated movie: into the spiderverse!!

favorite horror movie: probs ready or not cause it’s my current fixation

favorite gangster movie: ..... i’ve never gone here

movie you can watch over and over: i do not rewatch movies.... maybe star trek?

movie with the best soundtrack: i mean trashy movies have bops of soundtracks- vampire academy comes to mind

most embarrassing movie you love: i mean i’m just a sucker for “bad” movies? fantastic four was a bop

favorite christmas movie: i’m not a christmas bitch. 

favorite halloween movie: halloween town comes to mind!

favorite sequel: star trek beyond baby!!!!!!!

favorite shakespeare movie: MY MIND IS EMPTY.... kitchen macbeth is the only thing coming to mind

favorite austen film: i don’t think i’ve ever seen one???

favorite scifi film: it’s got to be the star trek movie!!! 

favorite swashbuckling film: .... does stardust count?

favorite romance: no thoughts brain empty....... crazy rich asians?

favorite fantasy film: so vague .... how to train your dragon

favorite musical: grease!!

favorite noir: I���VE NEVER

favorite thriller: i’m a fucking baby!!! i ain’t seen thrillers!!

favorite mystery: NOTHING

favorite drama: .....

favorite western: .......

favorite romcom: all????? i love a rom com bb 10 things i hate about you?

favorite action movie: that mad max baby!!!

i’d love to hear from @intergalactic-she-devil @dinahdlance

[theliterarywolf]

So, Let’s Talk ‘Love Death and Robots (Episodes 10-18)

Hey guys, I finally decided to finish off my write-up on Netflix's Love Death and Robots, even though I hope that anyone who wanted to give the show a chance has by now. If you need a bit more coaxing, I covered the first 9 episodes here (you can also find my rating system explained there) and I go over the last 9 episodes here.

Oh, also... I know that there's the whole 'Netflix arranges to episode order based on your sexual orientation' thing going on. Even though I think that's kind of bunk because I don't recall Netflix sending me an email to ask 'Hey, so... can we know if you're straight or not?'

I’m going by the episodic order on my first and second viewings.

Let's get started.

Episode 10 – Shape-Shifters

I know people have been making the jokes of 'Lol, who was the closeted gay Republican furry who wrote this short~?” But, God, can... Can we please get more domestic supernatural pieces like this?

Homoerotic subtext or not, watching this story reminded me of one of my grievances whenever I try to wade through the muck and the mire that is the Kindle Store: that being, in regards to MLM writing, you're either a cowboy or a werewolf.

And no one does anything unique with writing gay cowboys or gay werewolves. It's always 'I'm a closeted, homophobic son of a bitch who needs my heart melted by the northern newcomer and their high-falutin' ways' or 'we're werewolves so we have to live by A/B/O-Omegaverse rules, I guess???'

The execution of this story, the melding of fantasy and the real world is something that I like to see in media but, more than often, is shat out into a mess of awkward writing and characters. I'm looking at you, Bright.

Did it Have a Robot – Yes? Or No?

No, this is more of a fantasy, horror, military-drama combo that does wonders.

Could this Stand Its Own as a Feature Film/TV Series?

I mean, with Teen Wolf gone and Supernatural on its way out, I think a fully-developed series leading up to the short that we get here, talking about the main two characters growing up as werewolves and how the world treats them would have a great place in prime-time.

Episode 11 – Helping Hand

127 Hours, eat your fucking heart out! I felt more from this one short about suffering and sacrificing for the sheer essence of surviving the insurmountable than I did with the whole of 127 Hours. Which is kind of bad considering how the latter is based on an actual true story.

Did it Have a Robot – Yes? Or No?

The main reason the main character has to do what she does is because she's doing maintenance on a space-station.

Could this Stand Its Own as a Feature Film/TV Series?

I think this stands better on its own as is.

Episode 12 – Fish Night

(No Gif for this one. Pity...)

Allow me a second.

…

Okay.

If you've ever watched something like Disney's Fantasia or James Cameron's Avatar (Disclaimer – If anyone tries to insinuate that I would ever put Avatar on the same level as any Disney film in terms of quality/re-watchability, I will slap you), you get the sentiments of: 'this exists to be a very, fancy, elegant tech-demo. I know I shouldn't think about story, but I am, and all I see is a very fancy tech-demo'.

That's the notion one gets with Fish Night. Another 2D addition to LDaR, the story of two business men stranded in a desert and the beauty of the natural world of past and present is visually stunning but, as soon as that night falls, you're going to know exactly what is happening for the rest of the story.

But it sure is pretty, though!

Did it Have a Robot – Yes? Or No?

Nope. It was just really pretty.

Could this Stand Its Own as a Feature Film/TV Series?

Nope. It's just really pretty.

Episode 13 – Lucky 13

The second of the stories in LDaR that has a 'last-stand' tilt, even though it doesn't kick in until the end. However, before that, I really enjoy what is another story with a legitimately strong female character, who also happens to be a woman of color, who comes up from the adversity of being a novice pilot and being given an airship with the most unfortunate of reputations to manage.

The relationship between the main character and the ship 'Lucky 13' is really what makes this story stand out.

Which... is ultimately bad for the story that rounds out the collection. But, that will come later.

Did it Have a Robot – Yes? Or No?

The characters are essentially space-marines and they drive around in airships, what more do you need?

Could this Stand Its Own as a Feature Film/TV Series?

Maybe a feature film. But it would have to devote every minute of a film's run-time to developing the universe and personalities of the human characters.

Episode 14 – Zima Blue

Admittedly, this one managed to keep me in suspense until the focus of the story first made himself visible. After that, we're taken on a minute trip through the phenomena of true talent, existentialism, and the concept of joy and self.

And... that's all I will say on that one.

Did it Have a Robot – Yes? Or No?

Ooh, does this one have a robot...

Could this Stand Its Own as a Feature Film/TV Series?

You know, this one is a bit tricky. Maybe not a feature-length film but not pulled out into a TV series either. A thirty-minute short film, perhaps, would let the setting and artwork shine more.

Episode 15 – Blindspot

(No Gif again...)

You know, I keep forgetting that this one exists. It's not even that it was bad, it just...

Okay, so I watch a review channel on YouTube from time to time called “Double Toasted” and, even though I don't agree with about 75% of their stance on LDaR, what they said about this one was pretty spot on.

It's reminiscent of the classic Saturday Morning Cartoons of the 80s... Just with more swearing and death.

Because, yeah, this story follows a team of multi-colored androids driving EXTREME! vehicles while trying to steal a secret computer-chip from a carrier convoy. And all of the androids represent a common character trope seen in those sorts of cartoons: the Cool Dude leader, the brawny idiot, the smart-talking girl, and the green-behind-the-ears junior character.

I actually liked the animation to this one but story-wise it really is just your EXTREME! Saturday Morning cartoon with cursing and violence.

Did it Have a Robot – Yes? Or No?

Yeah, the entire cast.

Could this Stand Its Own as a Feature Film/TV Series?

Maybe a TV series... Ooh, especially if it was done by someone like Christy Karacas (Superjail! and BallMasterz: 9009)

Episode 16 – Ice Age

(I should probably come to the conclusion that no one on this site cared enough about these last few shorts...)

Okay, this one I feel cheated in order to be included in here because it honestly feels so out of place. You get to follow a new, quirky couple moving into their first place together and, whoa-oh! They find an old freezer and decide to look inside to decide whether or not they should keep it!

… And, inside, is a micro-ecosystem that shows the entire past, present, and future of the human-race before blazing out in a fluorescent heat-death in front of their eyes.

All while said quirky couple makes commentary on what they're seeing.

I still don't know what animation was used for a good portion of the freezer-scenes. Was it CG combined with scaled-down camera or what?

Did it Have a Robot – Yes? Or No?

Tech... nically...

Could this Stand Its Own as a Feature Film/TV Series?

Oh, honey, no... A feature-length film of this would be on the same level of all of those ironic romcoms we got in that painful period of the early 2000s and a TV series of this would be canceled after three episodes.

Episode 17 – Alternate Histories

Look, I get where people come from with Alternate Histories: 'this one was goofy', 'it ran a bit too long', 'fake news'. And, honestly, when the title first showed up on my screen, I was cringing because I was sure they were going to spend 8 or 10 minutes of talking about a certain annoying pumpkin man.

However, I actually had fun with this one. Yeah, it seems like the flow and writing seems more like it would be at home on something like Robot Chicken at times, but I still liked it.

Besides, we get to watch a little Cartoon Hitler being killed over and over and over. What's not to like?

Did it Have a Robot – Yes? Or No?

The Alternate History software in of itself is reminiscent to your 'what-if' tropes in science fiction. Just condensed and split apart into a few different scenarios.

Could this Stand Its Own as a Feature Film/TV Series?

I couldn't see a full film or series of this working but maybe, like I said, if an entire episode of something like Robot Chicken was just dedicated to making up a dozen different ways to kill Hitler, that would be pretty interesting to watch.

Episode 18 – The Secret War

This, I feel, is the true casualty of LDaR. Not because it's bad on a technical level, it's actually visually stunning. Not because it's bad on a story-telling level, the writing is actually solid.

No, the main fault of The Secret War... Is that it is the last story in LDaR.

That it's the THIRD 'Last-Stand' story we've seen in an anthology of 18 different stories. I can understand the team behind LDaR wanting to have something like this be its finisher because, as I said, the art direction and writing behind it are really worthy of some fine cinema.

But it would have been better for everyone involved if they had swapped this one's position with something like Zima Blue or Lucky 13. By this point in watching the series, you're kind of reflecting on the darker stories but appreciating the lighter ones as well. So you'd want something with a little bit of hope to finish things off with.

And, trust me: those who know me know that I'm a proponent of 'more dark stories in media/not everything needs a happy ending'. This one just needed to be earlier in the anthology because, oof, I just was not able to get invested in the characters and their struggle. You know that it's not going to end well, you're just watching characters march towards their deaths.

And, again, this would have been fine... Had it been episode 6 or 8. But, no, this is how we decide to end off this cavalcade of high-concept art.

Think back to Night on Bald Mountain from the Original Fantasia. Yes, the initial orgy of horror and fright from Chernabog and his minions is a decadent display but a lot of its weight and impact would have been lost if the film just ended with that. That's why having the brief ending of the Ave Maria segment works: to keep things balanced so that everything in Fantasia can be appreciated in checks and balances.

LDaR unfortunately didn't have that foresight. So, what should have been a feast feels more like a push to get through.

Did it Have a Robot – Yes? Or No?

No, this was one of the fantasy/horror pieces.

Could this Stand Its Own as a Feature Film/TV Series?

Honestly, I'm not sure. Maybe a feature-length film just so that the universe and characters can present themselves on their own, rather than having to bear the weight of being the big finisher to the impact of 17 other stories. But it would still be a risk.

So, those are my thoughts on Love Death and Robots. Personally, I would LOVE for there to be a season 2 of this with more writers involved so we can get an overall more distinct portfolio of writing approaches (as well as maybe serve as a springboard for up-and-coming writers, hm..?)

I do acknowledge the risk of making something like this a yearly thing (many critics of Black Mirror insist that the series' recent low-points are due to the writers having to constantly come back and try to one-up their poignancy), but I think the risks would be dealt with if, again, more writers were allow to join in.

Oh well, feel free to tell me how you felt and what your personal favorites were. Thanks for reading and have a good one!

[royal-iris]

"I HAVE LISTENED FAR TOO LONG TO ADDIE BITCHING ABOUT HOW SENPAI (AKA YOU) WILL NEVER NOTICE HER. CHANCE ALSO LIKES YOU. CONSIDER A THREESOME. GUESS WHAT. YOU'RE LITERALLY THE LAST ONE INVOLVED TO KNOW."

“Can y’all not talk about threesomes? This is getting a bit too detailed for my liking. I don’t think I need to know about your weird fantasies involving me and my friends. And honestly? Say Addie and bitch in the same sentence again and I will track you down and give you literal hell. 

“Irk fought for their rights in multiple universe, including our now dead one, far to many times for us to deal with being called names or being discriminated like this over what YOU perceive as some Salvis I supposedly don’t know about. Now if you excuse me, I have a rebellion to handle.”

“I don’t have time to be handling made-up romcom drama between my best friend, me, and her boyfriend who just so happens to be sort of kind-of into me but not like, in a romantic or emotional way. Which is allowed, people can.... have attractions and stay committed.”

“Look, you’re making me think way too hard about this when I should be thinking about the rebellion. Fuck this, and fuck you - and not in the weird way you want me and my friends to fuck.”

[romchomp]

(500) Days of Summer vs While You Were Sleeping

Note: I couldn't find any pictures of (500) Days of Summer that were the size or quality I wanted so I just went with a gif, sorry.  Also apparently While You Were Sleeping isn’t just a 90′s romcom but also a popular korean drama. Go figure.

I made a new year resolution to watch more romcom movies this year and finally, six months into the year, I acted on that resolution. A prime difference between these movies structure-wise would be that While You Were Sleeping would probably be considered a chick-flick while (500) Days of Summer would...not be. What really separates these two movies would be the aimed audience. Or maybe it’s the method each movie uses to appeal to their audience that separates them. 500 Days of Summer was a romance very clearly written by a man. I don’t mean that in a bad way. It’s just that the main guy character feels especially real. His perspective of love and the way he views Summer and his relationship with her showcases how love can be difficult for men. Which you don’t see a lot in romantic comedies. Probably because it’s a market for women and why would a woman want to see a romance movie with a guy that struggles to find love? That was sarcasm. While You Were Sleeping was also written and directed by only men, which is also obvious but for different reasons. While You Were Sleeping panders. It’s the kind of love story the writers and directors to this film think women would want. (500) Days of Summer is lot more about creating a love story out of one's on own experiences. Who’s the targeted audience for 500 Days of Summer? I don’t really know. I could imagine anyone past the age of 15 enjoying it to be honest. That’s because it wasn’t trying to appeal to anyone it was just trying to tell a story that would feel real. Even at the beginning the movie makes a joke “If any of this seems familiar to your own life then it’s probably a coincidence. Even you, [i forgot the name used]. Bitch”- that’s a loose quote, but you already know this is the type of romance that’s not a self insert fantasy, but one that you’ll probably find a way to relate to. You get that from one small joke at the very beginning.

Yeah so While You Were Sleeping tries very hard to get women to watch it. You have this nerdy woman who has no family and lives alone with her cat. She thinks she’s in love with a guy she’s never even actually talked to and over time she actually falls in love with another guy. Lucy doesn’t really make choices except for when she saved the guy she thought she was in love with despite never talking to him at the beginning of the movie. Everything else just kind of happens to her. She didn’t mean for the guy’s family to assume she’s the guy’s fiance, that was the nurse. The family forces her to spend Christmas with them. When the guy wakes up from his coma and when he can’t recognize Lucy and everyone thinks he has amnesia Lucy just goes along with it. She doesn’t make any decision of her own until the wedding. She waits until the wedding of the guy she’s not even actually engaged to-to finally make her choice in the movie. While You Were Sleeping was meant to be a self insertion romance. They want the viewer to be able to fit the shoe of the main character. It’s every woman’s fantasy, to be accidentally engaged to a handsome guy, or to unexpectedly fall in love without actually doing anything to pursue the relationship yourself and okay I’m being really harsh on this movie right now. While You Were Sleeping wasn’t a bad movie. A lot of what I just splurged applies to chick flicks in general. While You Were Sleeping isn’t a bad movie, it’s just a stupid one.

(500) Days of Summer on the other hand was definitely not a self-insert kind of story. Have there been similar relationships to the one in this film? Absolutely. And that’s kind of the point considering it’s meant to feel relatable, but there’s also a sense of uniqueness to the story and the writing is good enough that this relationship feels genuine-it’s not an easy copy and paste formula. The writing. The execution. It made the story feel like someone’s own personal experience.

As for the comedy aspect in these two romantic comedies, Summer’s was really good. I laughed out loud a number of times. The humor in While You were Sleeping was corny and not very good.

Something I’ll give both movies credit for would pacing. Both of these movies had really good pacing. Neither of them ever felt like they were too long at any point

I’ve talked about the main characters, the humor, and pacing of these movies. But what about the actual romance within the movie? The romance wasn’t bad in either of these movies. While You Were Sleeping was a story about ‘the chase’-how they got together, while (500) Days of Summer is story that is looking back at a failed romantic relationship. So it’s obvious the romance in each movie will be very different just by that. The romance between the characters in While You Were Sleeping was extremely average. It did the bare minimum. There was a sense of chemistry, but it was small. The characters are just so bland that it’s hard to really care about this romance. Why did they fall in love? I don’t even know the answer to that. Maybe it was because the characters could relate to the one thing they had in common, that they were unhappy with their current job but both felt as if there was no alternative, that it was too late to choose another career path. That’s the only thing they had in common on screen. The romance felt like a relationship that happened out of coincidence. Neither of them really did anything to pursue each other it just fell in place for them. (500) Days of Summer, had a relationship that felt as if it was about to all fall apart at every corner. It was a relationship that was constantly trying to be kept intact. Especially by the main character. What I really liked about (500) Days of Summer was that it was easy to see why the two characters liked each other while also making it easy to see why the relationship wasn’t going to work , and did this without leaving either of the characters looking stupid or sleazy.

The last thing I want to talk about is the final verdict of each movie. They both had pretty solid endings. Unsurprisingly, 500 Days of Summer’s was better. Both endings were satisfying and left you with a feeling of completion. While You Were Sleeping does this to the bare minimum. 500 Days of Summer, however, leaves you feeling something even after the movie is over. It has a sweet and hopeful after taste. I felt happy after finishing it. After While You Were Sleeping I felt nothing.

So yea if you couldn’t tell (500) Days of Summer is the better movie of the two. I’m not sure if I’ll continue to do compare two movies in one post, but I’m planning on talking about romance movies more on this blog. I’m trying to balance out how much I talk about romance anime and western romances because as of right now I talk about anime waaay too much on my blog that’s supposed to cover all romances. Anyways if you haven’t seen (500) Days of Summer then I would seriously recommend giving it a watch.