#both the premise AND my writing style

[luv-again]

okay, sent the thing in. now i'm waiting for that feeling of relief or accomplishment bc by god has it not hit me at ALL

[aq2003]

i saw a post saying boom was good bc it feels like it could be done with any doctor/companion duo and honestly that was one of the things i felt was wrong with it

[idiopathicsmile]

you know what really grinds my gears?

okay, bear with me: so as you may know, harry houdini and arthur conan doyle were friends, at least for a while.

by the early 1920s, both arthur conan doyle and acd's wife jean, aka lady doyle, believed whole-heartedly in spiritualism, talking to ghosts and all of that. (sidenote: this was of course right on the heels of a devastating world war and a devastating pandemic, both of which had created a huge population of grieving people, so spiritualism was having a moment.)

lady doyle sincerely thought she had the ability to go into a trance state and pass along messages in writing from the dead. she offered to do this for houdini. houdini agreed.

lady doyle attempted to channel houdini's late mother. she basically drew a cross at the top of the paper and filled it with generic platitudes addressed to "harry." houdini's mom was jewish and didn't talk like that, so houdini knew the jig was up, even if lady doyle didn't. but not wanting to make the situation awkward, he kind of went along with it to their faces.

then acd decided to publish a glowing account of the seance, and since both he and houdini were super famous, it got a lot of attention, and letters started pouring in for houdini, asking if this was true. ultimately, houdini couldn't lie about it. so he essentially said, like, "yeah, i think lady doyle THINKS she can talk to ghosts but she absolutely can't." and it ruined his friendship with acd forever.

and then of course a lot of the people running seances weren't even well-intentioned like lady doyle, they were just simple charlatans taking advantage of traumatized people mourning loved ones. in houdini's youth, he and his wife had traveled the carnival circuit where he did an act pretending to commune with spirits, so he knew all the tricks of the trade AND he had lingering guilt over having done this, AND he was infuriated by this increasingly popular wave of con artists so he decided to assemble a team of anti-grifting grifters and together they went on the road exposing whichever spiritualists were preying on the locals.

houdini's best agent was a young woman named rose mackenberg, who donned disguises to visit the fraud de jour and then importantly sussed out what non-supernatural thing was actually happening, and then houdini would demonstrate the techniques onstage to packed audiences.

(if you want to know more, check out episode 175, "ghost racket crusade" of the podcast Criminal or read Tony Wolf's book The Real-Life Ghostbusting Adventures of Rose Mackenberg.)

but yeah, what really gets my goat is that all this happened and as far as i know, we still don't have like four seasons of a Leverage-style historical procedural about rose mackenberg and the rest of the crew having adventures in the 1920s as they unmask craven hucksters all over the united states. (what we do have, apparently, is one season of a show called "houdini and doyle" which is about the oddball friendship of two contrasting men solving sometimes-actually-supernatural mysteries, and whose premise does i think at the very least a real disservice to houdini's whole quest and also totally erases rose, who is arguably the most interesting part of this story to me.)

i am just steamed about this. steamed.

[tzuyubb]

Hypnosis Therapy

Pairing: Blackpink Jennie x Male reader

Word count: 4774 words

Tags: hypnosis, size kink, lingerie, spanking, discipline, SPH (of her ex’s), blowjob, gagging, deepthroat, throatjob, facefuck, throatpie, missionary, spread eagle, cowgirl, reverse cowgirl, doggy style, pronebone, belly bulge, mind break, submission, slave, ahegao, deep penetration, rough sex, humiliation, creampie

A/N: I've been sitting on this draft for a while now. So, when I got a hypnosis prompt, I decided that it would be perfect as my proper comeback to smut writing. Honestly, I love the premise, so I might make it a series that I post along with The Gentlemen's Playground.

You sat in your office, a cozy and inviting space in the bustling heart of Seoul. Your unique approach to therapy has garnered a stellar reputation among the city's elite, including the world-famous music and entertainment industry. Your specialty was using hypnosis to guide your clients, helping them navigate the intense stress and pressure that came with their high-profile careers. Today, as you looked at the appointment list, your only session for the morning was with a new client, Jennie, a member of the girl group Blackpink.

Minutes later, you heard the doorbell ring, a wave of excitement washed over you and you unlocked the door. Jennie entered your office, her presence exuded both confidence and a hint of vulnerability. Her stunning beauty and charisma were undeniable, and you could easily understand why she had captivated fans worldwide.

"Hello, Jennie," you greeted her with a warm smile, your voice filled with genuine enthusiasm. "It's a pleasure to finally meet you. I've heard so much about you."

"Hi, Dr. Y/N," Jennie replied, her voice soft and slightly hesitant. "I've been told such amazing things about your work, so I'm hoping you can help me with some personal matters that have been troubling me."

You gestured to the comfy couch across from your chair, inviting her to take a seat. "Please, make yourself comfortable. Everything discussed within these walls remains confidential. You can feel safe sharing whatever is on your mind."

Jennie nodded, her eyes briefly scanned the tastefully decorated room, and she took a seat. "Thank you for seeing me on such short notice. I know your schedule is tightly packed."

"Not at all, I've only had the best experiences with your company, so when they contacted me for an appointment, I cleared the morning for our session" you assured her, your tone soothing. "Now, why don't you start by telling me what brings you here today?"

Jennie took a deep breath as if gathering the courage to share something deeply personal. "Well, it's about my… sex life," she began, a slight flush creeping onto her cheeks. "I've never openly discussed this with anyone, even the other members, but I feel like it's affecting my overall happiness."

You maintained a calm and supportive demeanor, creating a judgement-free atmosphere. "It's perfectly okay, Jennie. Sex is a vital aspect of our lives, and it's entirely valid to seek help in this area. Please, tell me more."

"It's just…" Jennie paused, carefully choosing her words. "I've never truly been satisfied with my sex life. All my past relationships… they've all left me feeling somewhat… physically unfulfilled."

You leaned forward, your eyes filled with genuine interest and empathy. "I see. I understand that this can be a challenging topic to discuss, but I'm here to listen and help in any way I can. Please, spare no detail."

"It's not just that," Jennie continued, her voice gaining confidence as she sensed your unwavering support. "The guys I've been with… they all had smaller… you know… and it's just never felt quite right for me. I've watched those porn videos, the ones with massive cocks stretching girls out, and I can't help but wonder what that would feel like. I've also heard stories from Lisa about her and her boyfriend and can't help but feel jealous."

Your eyes widened slightly at Jennie's sincere admission, but you quickly regained your composure and professionalism. "It's completely natural to have those curiosities and desires. Sexual pleasure is very personal, and it's okay to want to explore and experience different things that you may prefer," you say, your voice steady.

Jennie bit her lip, her eyes darted down to her fidgeting hands on her lap. "I know it might sound superficial, but I can't shake the feeling that I'm missing out on potential pleasure. All the guys I've been with have been Asian, and I guess I'm just curious about… bigger sizes."

You nodded mischievously, your mind formulating a plan to help Jennie in a way that would surpass her wildest expectations. "It's not superficial at all, Jennie. It's okay to have those thoughts and desires. In fact, I believe I can assist you with that."

Jennie looked up at you, her eyes filled with hope. "You can? How?"

"Well," you began, leaning back in your chair and smiling warmly. "As a specialist therapist, I have some unique methods at my disposal. One of which is hypnosis, a favourite amongst my regular clients."

Jennie's eyes widened in surprise. "Hypnosis? Like making people forget their names and sleep from a snap of your fingers?"

You chuckled and reassured her. "That's the kind of hypnosis you see in shows, meant for entertainment. However, the hypnosis I use is a powerful tool for therapy. It allows people to access their subconscious minds, making them more receptive to suggestions and open to new experiences."

"So, you're saying you're going to hypnotise me?" Jennie asked, her voice a mix of curiosity and skepticism.

"Yes," you replied confidently. "Under hypnosis, I can help you explore your deepest desires, release your inhibitions and pent-up feelings, and even potentially enhance your future sexual experiences."

Jennie's eyes sparkled with excitement and nervousness. "That sounds… intriguing. But what if I get stuck in hypnosis forever?"

You smiled "That's a common misconception. Hypnosis is a natural state we all experience daily, like when you're so focused on a task that you lose track of time. You always remain in control, even in a hypnotic state."

"Oh," Jennie said, looking slightly relieved. "So, how will you actually hypnotise me?"

"I'll guide you into a relaxed state, and then I'll make suggestions to your subconscious mind," you explained. "Your conscious mind might not recall everything, but your body and subconscious will respond accordingly."

"And you're confident this could help me?" Jennie asked, filled with hope.

"I'm sure it will," you assured her. "Now, are you ready to give it a try?"

Jennie took a deep breath and nodded. "Yes, let's do it."

"Wonderful," you say, your voice calm and soothing. "Just relax and focus on my voice. Close your eyes and take a few deep breaths…" Jennie followed your instructions, her eyelids gently closed as she inhaled and exhaled slowly.

"That's it," you continued, your voice low and hypnotic. "With each breath, you're relaxing more and more. Your body is becoming heavy, and your mind is calm and serene. You're safe and secure here, and your subconscious mind is opening up, ready to receive my suggestions." Jennie's breathing slowed, and her body sank into the plush couch.

"Now, Jennie," you continued "Listen closely to my words. You won't remember this conversation, but your mind and body will obey the following commands. Do you understand?"

"Yes," Jennie whispered, her voice dreamy and distant.

"Good," you say, filled with satisfaction and mischief. "From this moment on, you will be deeply aroused by my presence. The sound of my voice will make your pussy wet, and the very thought of me will make your heart race with desire. You will crave my touch, my kiss, and the feeling of my body against yours."

Jennie's body reacted to your words, her arousal was evident from the quickening pace of her breaths.

You continued "Your body is mine to command, you will become my obedient sex slave, eager to please me and able to fulfil your deepest desires. You will do anything I ask without hesitation, and your pleasure will be heightened by your submission to me."

Jennie moaned softly, her hands unconsciously moving to her thighs as her body responded to your words.

"You are mine, Jennie, my sexy and obedient slave," you whispered.

Finally, you instruct "When I snap my fingers, you will slowly open your eyes and be released from this hypnotic state. And when you look at me, you will be fully under my control."

*Snap*

Jennie's eyelids fluttered open, her eyes filled with desire as she gazed at you.

"Good girl," your voice laced with lust. "Now, stand up and undress for me, slowly and seductively."

Jennie rose gracefully from the couch, her movements fluid as she began to remove her clothing, piece by piece. Her hands trembled slightly as she pulled her top off, which revealed the alluring black bra beneath. After letting her top fall to the floor, she hooked her thumbs into the waistband of her jeans, slowly slid it down her legs, and stepped out of it to stand before you in nothing but her provocative black lingerie set.

She then reached behind to unclasp her bra, freeing her full, round, and perky breasts. Her nipples, already erect and sensitive with arousal, caused her to moan softly after being exposed to the cool air. Her hands then moved to the thin straps of her panties, slowly pulling them down her thighs, over her knees, and onto the floor, which left her completely nude.

Your eyes feasted on her slutty body, taking in her creamy skin, ample breasts, and freshly shaved pussy. "Beautiful," you murmur, your voice thick with desire. "Now, come here, slave."

Jennie obeyed, walking over to stand before you.

"Turn around, I want to see that gorgeous ass" you exclaimed dominantly.

Jennie turned, presenting her firm, heart-shaped ass to you. Her cheeks clenched slightly as she felt your gaze on her, and a rush of excitement washed over her at being so exposed and vulnerable.

"Such a perfect view," you praised, as you reached out to gently caress her ass cheeks. "Now, bend over."

Jennie complied, bending at the waist and holding her calves. Her legs were slightly apart, exposing her swollen pussy lips that glistened with arousal.

You stood up and moved behind her, your hands roamed over her ass cheeks before they slipped between her legs to stroke her wet folds. "So wet already," you murmured. "You've been a very naughty girl, Jennie."

Jennie moaned softly, her head hanging down as she reveled in the sensations coursing through her body from your touch.

"Now, I'm going to give you a spanking. Count each strike out loud and thank me for it." you firmly instructed.

"As you command, Master," Jennie whispered, her body trembling with anticipation.

You raised your hand and brought it down sharply on Jennie's left cheek, leaving a bright red handprint. "One, thank you, Master," Jennie gasped, her voice laced with pleasure and pain.

You delivered another sharp smack, this time to her right cheek. "Two, thank you, Master," Jennie cried out filled with excitement.

You continued the spanking, alternating cheeks and landing each smack with force and precision, causing her ass cheeks to glow a rosy red. "Three, thank you, Master," Jennie chanted, her body trembling. "Four, thank you, Master. Five, thank you, Master. Six, thank you..."

"Enough," you exclaimed. "Now, get on your knees and show me how much you've craved a big cock."

Jennie immediately dropped to her knees, her eyes locked with yours as she reached for the waistband of your trousers. With deft fingers, she unbuckled your belt and pulled both your trousers and boxers down revealing your 12-inch erect cock, already pulsating with desire.

Jennie's eyes widened at the sight of your thick, veiny shaft, the head moistened with pre-cum. It was the biggest cock she had ever seen, and the thought of taking it inside her made her pussy clench with anticipation. A wicked smile crossed her face as she imagined the humiliation her Asian ex-boyfriends would feel if they saw her now, their tiny penises no match for the monster she was about to take.

Jennie took your command to heart, as she leaned forward, her full lips wrapped around the head of your throbbing cock. Her eyes locked with yours, a silent communication of her eagerness to please you and a hidden desire to prove her worth against the small cocks of her past.

Inch by inch, she slowly began lowering her mouth further down your shaft. She attempted to deepthroat you, her tongue swirling and her throat muscles relaxing to accommodate your impressive length and girth. The sensation was euphoric; her warm, wet mouth enveloped you, and her soft tongue massaged your sensitive underside. You finally felt her nose nudge your pubic bone as she took you fully, her eyes watering as she struggled to push through her gag reflex.

'That's it, Jennie,' you encouraged, your voice hoarse with desire. 'Take me all the way down, show yourself that you can deal with a real man.'

Jennie moaned around your length, the vibrations sent shivers down your spine. She withdrew slightly, only to plunge back down, her lips forming a tight seal around you. Her hands grasped your thighs, her fingernails dug into your skin as she took control of the rhythm, her head bobbing up and down at a steady pace. Her mind pictured the pathetic men she once dated, their small packages were no comparison to your mighty cock and each movement of her head was a silent victory over her past unsatisfying encounters.

The sight of her, on her knees, mouth stretched around your girth, was a powerful aphrodisiac. You placed your hands on her head, threading your fingers through her silky hair, and guided her movements. 'Such a good girl,' you praised 'But now, I want to fuck that beautiful mouth, and show you what you've been missing.'

With a nod, Jennie understood your desire and her craving for submission. She released your cock from her mouth, her lips glistening with saliva and pre-cum. You then guided her to the edge of the couch, and positioned her on her knees, her hands resting on the cushions. Jennie, filled with anticipation, opened her mouth, inviting you in and ready to prove her worth.

You grasped your shaft, placing the tip of your cock onto her waiting lips. With a firm thrust, you entered her mouth, and her tongue flicked across the sensitive underside of your cock, sending waves of pleasure through your body. The sensation was electric, her warm mouth enveloped you and her full lips caressed your shaft. You began to face fuck her, your hips snapped forward and back, each thrust pushing deeper and deeper into her throat.

'Look at me, Jennie,' you commanded 'I want to see your eyes as I use that pretty mouth and make you feel the power of a real man.'

Jennie's gaze met yours, her eyes sparkling with a mixture of pleasure and triumph. She moaned around your length, the vibrations intensifying the pleasure. Your pace quickened, with each motion a testament to your lust and her newfound purpose.

'That's it, my obedient sex slave,' you growled. 'Take it all in, let me use that gorgeous slutty mouth and show the world that you were made for bigger and better cocks.'

Jennie's response was a guttural sound of bliss, her body trembled as she surrendered to the primal act, her mind filled with images of her exes' tiny cocks in comparison to your massive member.

You increased your pace even further, your hips were a blur hammering into and out of her mouth. 'You're doing so well, Jennie, I want to feel your throat tighten around me as I cum. Show me how much you've craved big cock.' you exclaimed.

Jennie's eyes widened at your words, her body tensed in anticipation. You grasped her hair tighter, guiding her head in a synchronous rhythm that enhanced your deep thrusts. The room filled with the sounds of her sucking and slurping, and your heavy breathing as you neared your climax.

'That's it you whore, suck me dry, swallow my cum, and prove to yourself that you were made for more than those pathetic small cocks.' you grunted.

As you exploded, filling Jennie's mouth with your hot seed, her throat constricted around your shaft, milking every last drop. Her eyes never left yours, and you see her struggle to swallow the copious amount of cum you released.

Withdrawing your cock, it glistened with a mixture of saliva and cum. You then pulled her to the couch, her body still trembling from the intensity of the experience. 'Lie back' you instructed 'It's time for you to truly feel me.'

Jennie, her body flushed with arousal, followed your command and offered herself completely to your pleasure and to the fulfilment of her fantasies. She laid on the couch and spread her legs, a wanton invitation. You positioned yourself between her thighs, your eyes locking with hers as you placed your throbbing cock to her glistening core. 'Are you ready for this, my eager slave? Are you ready to finally experience fullness?'

'Please, Master,' she pleaded, her hands reaching up to pull you closer. 'I need your cock inside me. I need to feel you, all of you, and all at once.'

The desperation in her voice sent a jolt of dominance through you, and with a growl, you rammed your cock forward, claiming the depths of her pussy in one smooth motion. Her eyes flew open at the sensation of being filled so completely and perfectly, her mind briefly flashed to the disappointing encounters with her exes. 'Oh, my God,' she yelled, her back arching off the couch, her hands gripping the cushions as if to anchor herself during this overwhelming moment. 'It's so big! I've never felt so full!'

You paused, giving her a moment to adjust to your size, to the feeling of being stretched and broken in, and to the realisation that she could never go back. Then, with a primal need, you began to move, your hips snapped forward and backward, each thrust deliberate and powerful. You filled her again and again, each stroke erasing the memories of her previous sexual experiences.

'You like that, don't you? You like being fucked by a cock that destroys your tight Asian pussy, that makes you forget those insignificant little boys' you roared, pounding into her.

'Yes, Master!' she cried out. 'It's incredible! I've never felt so full, so completely satisfied! I was so wrong to settle for anything less!'

Her words spurred you on, and you showed no mercy as you drove into her, your hands roughly gripped her slender hips, leaving faint marks on her porcelain skin. Jennie's body became a canvas of pleasure, her breasts swayed, her nipples stood erect and tight, and her tight belly bulged with each thrust. Instinctively, her long legs wrapped around your waist, her ankles locked behind your back as you continued to thrust. The slight change in angle sent new waves of pleasure through her, and she cried out, her voice echoing off the walls.

'You feel that, slut? You feel how deep I can go, how much more pleasure I can give you' you asked.

'Master, I feel it! I feel your enormous cock throbbing inside me! I never want to go back!' Jennie groaned, her body moving in sync with yours, meeting your thrusts with her own.

You leaned down, capturing her mouth in a kiss as you continued to ram into her. The kiss was fierce, your tongue mimicked the rhythm of your hips and claimed her soul. Jennie responded with equal fervor, her hands grasped your hair and pulled you in as if she couldn't get enough of your taste, as if she had been starving for this kind of passion and pleasure.

You broke the kiss, sat up, and roughly grabbed her legs, spreading them as wide as they could go. Continuing to pound deep into her, Jennie's eyes rolled upwards, her mouth gaped open and her tongue hung outwards. She revealed her slutty ahegao face and it was a sight to behold. Her body and core began to clench around you, and you could feel her pleasure building to an intense peak "I'm close, Master!"

You suddenly pulled out, releasing your cock from her pussy's tight hold. "Not yet, my little slave, ride me and show me how much you crave this superior cock!" you commanded.

With a fluid motion, Jennie pushed you onto your back and rose, her body a vision of newfound confidence. Placing her hands on your chest for support, she then straddled your lap and roughly impaled herself with your cock. Taking control, she moved her hips in a forceful yet sensual rhythm, maximising her pleasure.

You grasped her hips and repositioned your own so that she could take you even deeper. Playfully, you encouraged her "That's it, Jennie, take all of me, fuck yourself on my cock like the whore you are."

Following your encouragement, Jennie continued to move her body up and down, moaning with a sound of pure satisfaction and triumph.

Seeing her ample breasts bounce, teased you to taste them. You placed her hands on your shoulders and, as she leaned forward, captured her right nipple between your lips. You sucked and teased her firm nipple as she continued to ride you. "Oh, yes! I love how my Master sucks on my sensitive tits!" she cried out, her body trembling.

After a teasing final suckle, you released her right nipple and focused on the left. This time, you playfully bit down and pulled her nipple with your teeth, causing her to moan with a mixture of pain and pleasure.

Feeling satisfied, you freed her tits and instructed her "Now, my eager slave, turn around and bounce that firm ass on my cock."

Jennie, her body shiny with sweat, complied and turned facing away from you. She got into a squatting position and lowered herself onto your shaft, her movements were slow and deliberate, and her back arched as she took you in, inch by inch. Her hands gripped your legs, her fingers dug into your flesh as she set a new rhythm.

"That's it, Jennie," you praised, your voice a low rumble. "Enjoy being filled and stretched out by a real man."

Jennie moaned and started to quicken her pace, her body moved in a way that showcased her surrender to her desires and the superiority of your size. As her rhythm intensified, you had the perfect view of her ass. It took the whole of your length and jiggled each time she slammed into you.

Soon, her head fell backwards, her long silky black hair cascading down her back as she acquiesced to the sensations that coursed through her. "Master! I'm so close again! Your cock… it's taking me to places I've never been with those small cock boys!" she exclaimed in ecstasy.

"That's it, let go! Cum for me while you ride my big hard cock!" you shouted.

Jennie's body shook violently, her walls clenched around you as she surrendered to her orgasm. "I'm coming, Master!" she screamed, her nails digging into your legs as wave after wave of pleasure washed over her. You continued to fuck her through her orgasm, your hands engulfed her small waist, supporting her in a sensual rhythm.

As her climax began to subside, you moved her to the edge of the couch and positioned her on all fours, her hands and knees sinking into the cushions. Almost instinctively, her back arched and offered a stunning view of her glistening pussy. "Now, my obedient slave, it's my turn." you laugh "I'm gonna break your mind and pussy."

Jennie, her body still heaving with overwhelming pleasure, could only nod in submission. You stood behind her and tightly held onto her hips with both hands. Using the tip of your erect cock, you teased her wet folds and, with a single powerful thrust, rammed deep inside her.

Before she could even comprehend what had happened, you pulled out fully and slammed right back into her. You continued to roughly jackhammer her tight wet Asian pussy, stretching her out and bruising her cervix. "You like that, Jennie? You like being taken from behind, being reminded that you're a submissive little slut that has outgrown those Asian boys?" you exclaimed.

"Yes, Master!" she cried out in pain. "Take me, own me, I've chosen you and the path of true pleasure!" She began to move her body in sync with yours, her hands tightly gripping the cushions as she took you in. Jennie's surrender was absolute, her body was a vessel for your pleasure and your dominance over her was complete.

Suddenly, her arms and legs gave in, releasing your hard cock and leaving her prone on the couch. Despite this, you quickly repositioned yourself above her and forcefully pushed your length back into her, filling her once more.

"Fuck Jennie! Your pussy is so tight in this position." you praised emphatically. Jennie moaned with a mixture of pleasure and exhaustion "I love it, Master! I love how you use my pussy as your personal fleshlight, fucking it roughly into oblivion!"

As you continued to drive into her, you felt the coil of your pleasure tighten. You leaned down, your mouth close to her ear, your breath hot against her skin, and whispered a command. "That's right, slave. And now, I want you to come for me again before I finally finish deep inside of you."

Jennie's body reacted to your erotic words, her pussy clenched around your shaft as she pleaded. "Please, Master, fill me with your cum! I want to feel your cum inside me, claiming me as yours! I choose you, and I'll never look back!"

Your control began to slip as her words, her submission, and the tight heat of her body pushed you closer to the edge. Your movements became wilder, your pace became a frenzied rhythm, and each thrust became a statement of your mastery over her. "You're mine, Jennie," you growled, your voice raw with passion and lust. "Every part of you, every scream, every moan, belongs to me!"

"Oh, Master! Fuck me deeper, harder, and faster!" she cried out, her body moving in perfect harmony with yours, her pleasure once again building to an intense peak.

With a powerful final thrust, you surrendered to your pleasure and roared as you released your hot seed deep within her, marking her as your property. At the same time, Jennie's body convulsed as she too surrendered to her climax, her walls milking your shaft and her pleasure consuming her.

For minutes, you remain joined, your bodies slick with sweat and the evidence of your shared pleasure. Jennie's breath was ragged, her eyes glazed with satisfaction as she turned her head to look at you, a satisfied smile on her lips.

"That was…" she began, her voice triumphant and exhausted. "I've never experienced anything like that. I feel like I've finally found what I've been missing."

You returned a warm smile, a sense of victory filling you. "It's been my pleasure to guide you, Jennie. And this is just the beginning of your journey into true fulfilment."

Finally getting up, you both slowly got dressed. However, Jennie's curiosity got the better of her, her mind still buzzing from the heavenly experience. "But how did I… I mean, I don't remember agreeing to all of this. It's like I had no control, but I loved it."

You laughed with an insidious glint in your eyes, a glint of a master who had hypnotised his client to become his sex slave. "The mind is powerful, Jennie. As you can tell from first-hand experience, even if you don't remember it, hypnosis can still do wonders for the mind and body."

Jennie nodded understandingly "So, it's almost like, I was… under a spell?" "A spell of pleasure that frees you, one might say," you smoothly replied "And it's a spell I'm sure you'll want to be under again, to continue exploring the path you've chosen today."

Jennie smiled lustfully, her body still humming with the afterglow of her intense orgasms and her mind already imagining the possibilities of future sessions. "I can't deny that it was… an eye-opening experience. I want to explore more, to leave no stone unturned in my pursuit of pleasure and fulfilment."

You held the door open for her, a silent promise in your eyes, a promise of further guidance and pleasure. "Until next time, Jennie. A world of true satisfaction awaits, and you've only just begun to scratch the surface."

As Jennie stepped out, you allowed yourself a moment of gratification, knowing that the hypnosis had worked its magic and Jennie had now become your obedient personal sex slave. You now wondered about your other clients and the possibilities of guiding them to a similar outcome. The thought was tantalising, and you knew that this was just the beginning of a journey into the dark and devious world of hypnotic domination.

[tossawary]

I wish we saw more casual diversity among Vulcans in regards to... well, everything: fashion, art, history, geography, language, religion and philosophy, occupations, familial units, and logical styles and emotional management, and so on. The monoculture that "Star Trek" tends towards is both unrealistic and kind of boring.

(I think that my ideal "Star Trek" show would have a minimum of two matching non-humans in the main crew who are from opposite sides of their planet; these two alien coworkers have almost NOTHING in common. It immediately creates compelling character dynamics.)

Anyway, even within the specific Surakian Logic sect that Spock and his family seem to belong to, there's still opportunity for fun, divisive hobbies among this particular group of Vulcans. We can have judgey Vulcans looking at other Vulcans' weird, harmless antics and saying, "What illogical behavior," while the other Vulcans are judging them back for being illogical in their own opinion. Let Vulcans be REAL nerds: I think that pre-Surak historical reenactment is not an uncommon hobby, both casual LARPing and hardcore reenactment.

It's educational to spin and weave and sew your own pre-Surakian garments! It's educational to forge your own weaponry! It's grounding, like meditation! It is humbling to truly realize the complicated labor involved in fabrication. Even when they were surrendering to their emotional urges, you know, Vulcan ancestors were not completely illogical: they knew how to fashion a comfortable garment well-suited to the desert. Camping in the wilderness and foraging for food connects oneself to nature, teaches about history, and settles oneself in the present.

Also, it's good physical exercise and emotionally cathartic to beat the shit out of each other with foam-wrapped lirpa, screaming at the top of your lungs. It's very logical. There's a medical team on standby, reading on their pads and drinking tea.

You beam down in the wrong part of the desert at the right time and find a bunch of scantily-clad Vulcan warriors (outfits depend on the chosen time period and location) (of all genders) shrieking and rolling in the dirt, until a timer goes off, and then the scheduled mock-battle is over and everyone helps each other up. (Depends how hardcore the group is, of course.) (Also, yeah, obviously, some of these groups have a hook-up culture attached / embedded.) Two bleeding guys who were previously punching each other in the face salute each other and part ways, one to go write a new archeological paper based on his findings here ("Fascinating") and the other to his low-level government desk job ("Most invigorating exercise").

If this happens anywhere near where people live, then the neighbors are shaking their heads and saying to each other, "I don't know how anyone could come to their conclusions and call it logical. Their foundational premises must be flawed." 😐 Some of them while closely watching the entire scandalous affair through binoculars and telescopes, of course. 🤔

[corviiids]

"i suck at summaries": a dubiously helpful list of tips for how to do a summaries

by no means am i an expert. but in the hopes that this is helpful.

fic summaries have two main purposes:

tell a reader what the premise of your fic is in one glance, and

provide a 'hook' that convinces them to click on it.

based on those two purposes, here's what you should aim to do:

pack the key information into something that can be read while scrolling, and

make your fic stand out.

how do you do that. there are many different ways. ymmv. here are some starting points which may help if you are really, truly stuck.

details under the cut. in summary:

know your premise

keep it short and sharp

demonstrate your style

1: can you describe your premise in maximum three lines?

fewer is better. im not saying your summary has to BE fewer than three lines, you just need to be able to describe the premise as concisely as possible. not the whole fic. not everything that happens. just your premise.

being able to condense your ideas this way will improve your understanding of the work and make it easier to summarise.

sometimes it's a bit hard to isolate what exactly your premise is, especially if you were just writing into the void. so here are some questions you can ask yourself to figure it out:

what was the idea that spurred you to write the fic?

what is the climactic action in the fic?

if the fic is an au, canon divergence, what if, etc - what is the point of difference between this and canon?

if the fic is based around a trope, a genre, a particular device - how did you apply it, what makes the work familiar, and what makes it different?

this is important, because:

2: brevity is the soul of wit

now that you know your premise, it's time to jazz it up. turn it into a one-liner or similarly catchy pitch. give it a makeover.

it doesn't have to be literally one line. however, do not make your summary super long. do not make either your summary or your tags a massive block of text. the reader is scrolling. they have not yet decided to invest time in your fic.

the ideal summary is stylish and concise. your reader should be able to take it in without pausing for too long. it gives them a good impression of you: you know how to be economical with your sentences, which means your writing is probably easy and enjoyable to read.

and on that note:

3: including an excerpt is always an option

an optional option. but if you're stuck, it's a free card to play.

readers want to know that your writing style matches what they like to read. showing off your style can help you stand out to an interested reader.

try and find a few lines which are representative of the premise, representative of your style, and sufficiently intriguing. an excerpt is a try before you buy. you just wrote a whole fic. you want people to read the whole fic and enjoy your work. so show them what you have to offer.

what is an example, postmaker

look im not more qualified to give this advice than anyone else, but here's what i do if it helps. i typically pick out a short excerpt and include a short pitch underneath it. that way the reader knows what i sound like and what the fic is about.

here is a baldur's gate 3 fic summary

shadowheart says, “kill l–” “not lae’zel, darling, it’s too obvious. in fact, both of you are banned from killing each other.” astarion thinks for a moment. “in the game, at least.” -- the gang plays fuck, marry, kill.

this fic has a basic premise and hinges on dialogue, so i picked some sample dialogue to demonstrate what my grasp on the character dynamics looks like and then added one line to explain what the fic is about.

here is a death note fic summary (death note spoilers) (i guess)

The night Ryuzaki dies, L appears in Light's bed. -- (every night when light goes to sleep, his dreams place him in a romantic relationship with his newly-dead rival. it makes him sick.)

this fic has a more abstract premise, so i picked a short excerpt to demonstrate what the tone of the fic is (a bit mysterious). then i added two lines: just enough information to explain what the catalyst of the fic is, but no more than that, so that the reader will be intrigued.

here is a persona 5 fic summary

Ren grins. “You want me to date Goro?” “Pretend-date Goro,” Ann corrects. “And make his crush jealous.” “This is not going to work,” Goro says. “Sure, I’ll do it,” says Ren, still grinning. He does his own rendition of Ann’s eyelash bat. “Go out with me, Goro-kun?” “I’m older than you, so show me a little respect,” Goro says crossly. “Our relationship is off to a bad start, Ren-kun.” -- (or: what not to do when you're fake-dating your real crush.)

this fic is based on a premise everyone knows well (fake-dating trope), so i picked dialogue that samples the tone of the fic and of the key relationship so that readers can decide if i write the dynamic in a way they personally vibe with. then i added a line to tell them what the trope is, so that fake-dating trope enjoyers know that's what it is.

anyway. hope that helps

[becausebuckley]

michelle's buddie fic recs: week 19!

slightly shorter list than usual, sorry about that - i had a major thesis deadline last week, so i've both been reading less and haven't been keeping track as diligently as i normally do, whoops. still, i hope you enjoy these!

this is a mix of fics with all ratings, so some include NSFW content. please take a look at both the ratings and the fic tags before reading! some contain spoilers for season 8.

if you come across something you like in this list, remember to show some love to the author by leaving kudos and a comment!

a man in finance | carpediaz/@sofa-king-lame | 13.9k | M

The one where Chimney finds Eddie a man in finance. Trust Fund. 6'2". Blue eyes. And he's an asshole, but only for like...five seconds (until he finds out about Chris). Eddie falls hard and fast, but it's ok because Buck does too. this is such a wonderful one!! i love how this author incorporates side characters into these alternate universes (loved lucy's appearances here, and chimney is always so fun) and the buddie dynamic is just lovely <3

cool and chill things to say to your best friend who you've accidentally been having phone sex with when you pick him up at the airport | hwaelweg/@the-hwaelweg | 6k | M

in which we explore the intimacy of having someone's voice in your ear, accidentally falling into phone sex, and edging Eddie Diaz until he can admit he's a good person. i love the distinction between facetimes and phone calls here and the intimacy of it all is just <3 also very hot!!

good things come to those who wait | ithilien22/@ithilien-writes | 2.6k | E

Turns out, Buck likes when Eddie makes him wait for it. (And they're embarrassingly in love about it.) this has such lovely buddie characterisation!! the best combination of domestic fluff and smut <3

i looked at your face & i knew that i'd found it | fleetinghearts/@shitouttabuck | 3.3k | GA

it might be just slightly obvious that buck really, really likes to talk about eddie. such great firefam feels!! buck constantly yapping about eddie is one of my favourite things ever and i love how this fic captures it <3

if i have your heart forever | ipretendtobesane/@usercowboy | 9.2k | M

The day Eddie returns to Los Angeles for good and the day he realizes he’s in love with Evan Buckley happen to be the same twenty-four hours, which makes sense, really, if you think about it. He was coming home. To Los Angeles, to the 118. To Buck. this is the loveliest gentlest fic <3 i love both buck and eddie here, but eddie's realisation felt especially natural and in character!!

sobriquet | rainbowninja167/@rainbowtitania | 18.4k | T

5 Times Buck Called Eddie by a Nickname + 1 Time He Didn’t. this is just so, so, SO much fun!! such a fantastic writing style, and i love how it incorporates humour specifically <3 so good!!

something so lonesome about you | serenelystrange/@serenelystrange | 7.9k | E

Buck signs up for a Christian Dating site, and accidentally stumbles into the man of his dreams. i loved watching buddie's relationship grow in this one! and what a hilariously wonderful fic premise <3 brilliant!!

the way that you hold me tight (there's no other place in the world where i rather would be | The_Lonely_Wolf_Needs_A_Star | 4.2k | M

10 hugs throughout Buck and Eddie's relationship. this was a reread! i'm such a sucker for buddie fics focused on physical intimacy and this hits the spot every time <3

u/minutetomidnightenthusiast's reddit post history. | dylaesthetics | 6.7k | M

the emotional rollercoaster of Eddie's Reddit posts throughout the history of knowing Buck. this author's reddit fics are the gift that keeps on giving <3 i love how this one and the previous one compliment each other, i highly recommend reading them both!!

[omorithedreamermod]

JANUARY DEVLOG - 2

The second DEVOLG is here! It's been almost a month since development after the PRELUDE began, and there has been a lot of progress made. Before that...

IMPORTANT INFORMATION:

[Before, it was stated here that saves would not be usable from the DEMO. Doing more testing with this, and now it's pointing to the likelihood of saves being usable after all. Hoping this stays true! Testing, testing...]

Also, this mod is NOT an adaption of my fanfic Endless Dreaming. Although the very base premise, passing out in the good end, and Headspace still existing is the same–the reasons why are different, and absolutely everything else is different too. Those who have read it will have realized this the moment MARI appeared in the DEMO. That is to say, you will not find out any information on the mod by reading the fanfic. It's a brand new story, with new locations, new characters, new interpretations and concepts, new lore–all of that. Just wanted to clarify this since rumors have been continuously spreading despite notes on the mod page. Wouldn't want people to turn away thinking it's a story they've already seen before. Now, onto progress.

PROGRESS:

Majority of the maps are completed, while a couple are active WIPs. Only two more important maps need to be created from scratch! Other additional areas may be added if time allows.

Most general character sprite art has been created. NPCs are also in progress. There's a lot left to do.

Battle assets are still being created. Most of the DREAMER emotions are complete, while both him and STRANGER lack more of the general ones. Enemies also still need to be drawn, but concepts exist. Battlebacks are beginning to be made now that maps are mostly accounted for.

OST for the prelude is near complete. Everyone has been amazing and on top of it!

Writing has fully begun, including the programming of said cutscenes. To avoid spoiling, not more will be said, but a lot of writing/cutscene programming is happening.

Along with battle portraits, DREAMER and STRANGER have a large amount of general portraits now! Many more still need to be made for SUNNY and BASIL in the real world, though. Certain important NPCs also have their own new portraits, so please look forward to those new characters! As shown above, the mirror art is complete. There are still important cutscenes that need to be drawn, and have not been started on. There's also a certain "thing" that needs quite a bit of art, but hopefully that will be simple and quick.

Battle programming regarding attacks and skills are implemented for the main party, but not for enemies. That will likely be done later, as placeholders function well for now.

NOTES:

I believe the March goal is very possible, if I properly balance everything. Work beyond the PRELUDE release will likely start while art continues to be made. I'm still making all the non-sprite art as well as writing everything, and programming the vast majority-and that's where the concern comes in, since including that, I'm also been doing maps, OST, and sprite art, meaning the time spent is split between many tasks.

This also does not factor in the time it'll take to make extra art ahead of time for the trailer. Still, considering the simplicity of the OMORI style, and how each drawing makes me faster/more adept at it, I believe it is possible as long as I stay focused and balance it with my other priorities not involving the mod. I believe consistency with the art is important, which is why I'm doing it all.

The team is reliable even if small, and while I was concerned about NPCs, a new team member recently joined and is really helping out, so I'm extremely thankful and feel less stressed about it. Also, most maps are accounted for, and OST is practically done, so as long as I stay on top of programming/writing, the art will be completed in the remaining time.

CONCLUSION:

There's still a lot to do, but I believe the current pace will lead to success. Even more groundwork has been laid, and now it's being built on top of properly. Certain ideas have been ironed out, and the goal is in sight. Everything will be a lot less stressful once the PRELUDE is complete, as a lot of the art made now will be used throughout! Please continue to root for our continued progress, and look forward to the next DEVLOG!

[yvesdot]

How To Get Roughly 50 Notes On An Original Writing Post And Possibly Net A Single Reader

I had someone ask today how I get people to click through and read my writing, and I'm realizing that I've never actually made a post all in one place of everything I do to get a new piece of short fiction off the ground... so here you go! How to get (some) eyes on your work, even if it is not published anywhere of interest and you don't have a marketing team behind you.

The #1 thing is presentation. You want to get people's attention, and once you have it, convince them to keep paying attention. Fortunately, people tend to be both reasonable and predictable, which means all you have to do is follow The Formula.

(original post link)

Here's the formula from the above post broken down:

[giant horizontal title card, preferably animated to catch the eye] OR [a few tasteful parallels, if you're good at parallel posts]

TITLE (linked to where you can read the piece) / wordcount

a quote that is representative of the tone, themes, prose style, and/or the "promise of the premise"

A longer pitch, featuring the overall subject of the piece (transsexual reality TV drama), any comp titles (Detransition, Baby), the main draw (in this case, watching trans people be awful to clueless cis people), major themes (performance), and any other promises you'd like to make (food romance and tigers). You can see that the quote I chose delivers on the promise of trans people intellectually outperforming cis people-- if I were a reader, I would be more likely to trust that the rest of the pitch was accurate based on that assurance.

If you have any positive reviews on your piece, say so. If it has won any awards or contests, say so. If your work has made people cry, Doja Cat - Say So. Always. Generally speaking, more personal and more detailed is better, but keep it to one or two people-- e.g. "when I gave this to my S/O to read he shot milk out of his nose so far I had to go clean under the couch" or "my favorite review of this piece is the reader who said they read it chapter-by-chapter under their covers because they wanted it all to themself." This should be one sentence.

Depending on where the story is published, what you usually promote, etc., it may be worthwhile saying the story is free. Use your judgment on whether the reader can tell.

I also like putting my links at the bottom so someone seeing this on a friend's dash can easily track me around the 'Net. They make me look more professional (I now include a link to my website) and they visually balance the post, in my opinion. This post also happened to have some additional links for bonus content.

This is not as high stakes as it seems. I'm not 100% happy with the pitch here, and I'm not 100% happy with the graphics I've used in other cases. These are some bones that help to sell the piece even when the details aren't as sharp.

REBLOGGING

When is the last time you read something the first time you saw it on your dash? I schedule reblogs of all important posts at least twice over the next 2-3 days, often three times so I can get the morning/afternoon/evening reblog. If your followers tend to be more active at certain times, go ahead and use those. In the past I've intentionally scheduled posts for times I knew more popular mutuals were active, and it has paid off!

I also schedule a reblog for a week and a month and sometimes even a full calendar year out, because I know there is going to be that person who tags the piece '#to read' and instantly forgets about it, only to get excited when they see it weeks later. I am very often that reader. The goal is to catch people when they're ready to read immediately, and this is a game of chance.

Every so often, I go through my entire #writing or #important writing updates or even just #popular tag(s) and queue two dozen posts before shuffling my queue to redistribute matters. This keeps my older work circulating, ensuring new readers get a chance to see older pieces and giving those older pieces another shot at dashboard space. (More on #popular later.) This sounds like a lot, which is why you have to space everything pretty far apart. Fortunately, this is the world's best site for cool things to reblog. I guarantee you that you can find something new you love to post in the meanwhile.

COPING WITH FAME

The post above is what I, a published author, consider "doing well" for a post about my writing on Tumblr. As of October 10th, 2024, over two years after its initial posting and over five years into my posting doggedly about my original fiction, it has 77 notes. More than half (43) are likes. Around half of the reblogs are me promoting my own work or the same very sweet person dutifully reblogging me every time I do so. Glancing through the reblogs now, I know of four people whom I can confirm have read it. Presumably, there are more who are completely silent and have never interacted with the post whatsoever. Genuinely: wahoo!! I am so grateful and happy for the attention and reception of my work.

This is the number one thing I suggest: focus on what you have, and not what you lack. Imagine your post from the perspective of an outsider: even one reblog means you convinced that one person to spread your art! How cool is that! This is also good advice because moping is simply not helpful; it will not get you more reads. (And no, neither will guilting others. Kill that vent post in your head!)

GETTING FOLLOWERS

I don't have that many followers. Of the followers I do have, people are very unpredictably active. When I hear about other people's follower counts I am consistently surprised, because people with half of mine will have fans and haters the likes of which I could not possibly dream of. I follow 500-follower folk who post "I ate a strawberry today" and get 6 asks ranging from "Wow I respect you so much for eating that strawberry" to "I'm going to come to your address at [REDACTED REDACTED REDACTED] and shove bananas down your throat for hating on my favorite fruit."

I point this out to establish three important things. 1) Be grateful for what you have (in my case, 0 anonymous hate asks about fruitpinions), 2) followers have far less impact on interaction than one might think, and 3) followers don't engage with the things you might like them to.

Think about yourself. Are you more likely to reblog a photo of a cat in a pumpkin (alright, here) or something advertising fifteen minutes' worth of writing, which could be, for all you know, bad? Or, for that matter, by a person you should not like to support? Reblogs on generically interesting things are 'safer' (unfortunately) than reblogs on art, and it makes perfect sense that people are skittish around the latter. People don't often reblog things they haven't read, and nobody can reblog every artpost on their dash. Having someone else put it there, however, is incredibly powerful—someone's vetted this post as Worth a Reblog, after all. Having more followers allows for much more of this.

(Followers don't guarantee any one sort of interaction, but having more of them is rarely bad. Rarely.)

Across my most popular posts, one theme becomes very obvious: people like things that apply to them or their blog. I try to post writing advice/opinions/memes every so often, because I know I have a loyal base of writerfolk who like to see that from me, and it's "easier" to reblog than my writing. This is simply the nature of the universe. I used to pretty frequently go into the #writeblr tag and check out what was recently popular so I could figure out how to serve the same base, and from time to time it worked.

You're welcome to examine the list of #writing posts that made it to 100 notes, because each tends to have a notable reason behind its success: a reblog with an exceptionally good review, a contest win, a wordcount that lends itself to pasting the whole thing in one go.

(Posts about my book's release are a notable exception, in part due to Blaze and in part due to my absolutely relentless flogging of their reblog buttons during the ~year of promotion. Also in large part to a dedicated circle of friends who passed the post around nonstop! Thank you so much!!)

A lot of people will tell you to attempt covert reciprocal promotion. You know—reblog a lot of stuff, in the hopes that people will reblog yours. If I could change one thing on Tumblr, it would be this: the culture that quietly encourages disingenously interacting with other people with a secret True Goal in mind. (On the autism website.)

Please, for the love of all that is good and holy, do not do this. If you comment on other people's work, do it because you're happy to do so. When I released Paper Tigress, I went through everybody else who responded to the same prompt and read their work, because I had the day off and I was curious. This has led to Paper Tigress having more comments on Reedsy than one of my contest winners, and even outranking the shortlisted story in the same prompt category. However, this would have been a waste of my time if I did not genuinely enjoy reading the other stories. I read 80+ stories, taking several hours, and gained 30 comments from the venture (half my comments are my responses).

Crucially, I do not promote other writers' work on Tumblr in the hopes of them reading or boosting mine. This is the #1 tip I see thrown around that I viscerally disagree with. While, again, I am grateful for engagement with my work regardless of the context, I do not want people suffering through my work in the hopes that I will promote them. I work a full-time job, and my reading calendar is perpetually overbooked, including with work by my absolute best of friends. Even if it wasn't, I think it would be quite insulting if I were posting works in the hopes that someone would choke it down like medicine. I post what I think is good so that people can read and enjoy it. If you are not enjoying it, I do not want you to feel as though you have to read it. My aim is to give to others what my favorite authors have given me, which is most certainly not A Bad Time Spent Being Dishonest In The Hopes Of Getting Something Back. You have better things to do with your time. Please be honest.

CONCLUSION

Realistically, the readers I have, I gained through being a published author for five years promoting my behind off on Tumblr, the least forgiving social media for promotion. People like it when you have a book they can buy, especially if it has Goodreads reviews that make it look like you have been vetted for them. Many people who follow me have read only Something's Not Right and nothing else. (Many people who follow me have read everything but Something's Not Right.) I have posted dozens of pieces on Tumblr and Wattpad (and AO3). I gained a small number of readers writing and posting fanfiction for the Locked Tomb Tri(?)logy, even though I marketed it absolutely terribly.

Just keep writing. Keep writing, keep posting, and keep making sure everyone who follows you knows you write. And keep writing because you want to. There's no better advice than that.

[felassan]

David Gaider on Twitter: "Exciting! Some (completely uninformed) thoughts: A closer alignment with Mass Effect's style was inevitable, I suppose, but means both teams in Edmonton are working from the same premise. Which likely means good things for gameplay, I suppose. It probably also means a more action-y style where you control your PC but don't directly control your two chosen companions. You maybe do "shouts" to direct them in a very general sense. Which I'm less enthused about, personally, but... meh, I guess we'll see. Insofar as the new name goes it's fine, I guess, if the intent is to put less focus on Solas? Which maybe it is. So long as fans don't settle on DAVG as the acronym it's all good. The writing team will knock it out of the park, regardless. That much, at least, is guaranteed. :)" [source, two, three] --- DG: "Patrick and Sheryl remain, yeah, and both Mary and Luke still participated prior to the layoff. So DAV isn't going to hurt, insofar as its writing goes. The old gang was mostly all still assembled." [source] --- DG: "I earnestly believe that Patrick would rather die horribly than not write party banter. It is literally the most fun you can have as a Bio writer." [source] --- Twitter user: "The banters are some of my favourite moments in Dragon Age. So I hope so. I've seen fans saying we'll get less banter due to only have two companions in your team but I don't think that'll be the case." DG: "Less *variety* of banter while out running around, sure. Less *interaction* with the 7 companions? Well, that depends on what happens at your home base. If ME is the template, there was no shortage of companion interactions on the ship." [source] --- DG: "In my experience, EA always favored Mass Effect's style and believed it's inherently more marketable - actual sales numbers of DA or any other more traditional RPG be damned, honestly." [source]

[little-one-eyed-monsters]

A hot take on Mame Orawan's lead casting choices

I have so many problems with Mame (of MeMindY)'s writing, screenplay and directing in general (and not even on the tropes, just on pacing and consistency)...

But as a Casting Director, she is AMAZING at making sure her couples have chemistry.

I'm not even on LITA levels yet. I'm talking about the OG Love By Chance.

This post was prompted after I went on socials recently and saw Saint Suppapong's new bl partner for his industry comeback. The new guy Poom is a cute, solid choice. Out of nostalgia, I also went back and rewatched a few episodes of Why R U, and I thought Zee and Saint were cool, too. I think Saint improved a lot. I remember thinking the same thing when I watched Perth and Chimon's bl series, then again after watching Perth and Santa's storyline in Perfect 10 Liners the series. They're cool.

But that's just it. They're all just cool. The series just didn't stand out to me. I could remember the plot well enough, but man, would I recommend it? Honestly, no.

And besides a good plot (which some series don't have the luxury of having), I really think it boils down to how believable the actors were in playing lovers who actually... loved each other. Felt genuine passion for each other. Their chemistry.

And I think this is what makes Mame special (and why her shows can go against big hitters from GMMTV and bigger Thai channels)

If someone gave me individual headshots of Saint and Perth (both gorgeous actors), or showed me videos of them acting in different films and told me they'd pair up, I'd say it wouldn't work. This was the first poster of LBC I saw:

And it was a NO for me. The body language, the setup, all screamed rookie (and they were at the time). I didn't like the trailer much either.

But damn once I gave the series a chance (ha), these two carried that script on their shoulders. I love rewatching LBC just to see Saint and Perth stare at each other and give everyone and their mom butterflies-- something that I think is missing in their later works.

(Seriously though, to this day I still don't know what the plot's supposed to be. There's a toxic ex-boyfriend somewhere?)

Anyway...

Of course, Tharntype's plot and pacing was problematic as all heck (and the fandom is even more bonkers. And I can say that, I was a loyal member of this fandom for years). But my gosh Mew and Gulf did genuinely look like they fell in love on that set. I mean WHAT WAS THIS?!

No offense to both Mew and Gulf, I'm sure they're both talented actors. But I honestly believe chemistry like this goes beyond any acting skill. You mean to tell me actors can do this??? Have this much chemistry then go home to their respective SOs like it's no big deal? How do you DO that?

(Double whammy since Mew and Gulf had the same level of chemistry on Tharntype 2, even though apparently they weren't on good terms during filming. Go figure.)

(I couldn't bring myself to put Don't Say No here. I tried, I really did. That one was just a miss for Mame overall)

And I know only two people and the cast watched Wedding Plan (I am KIDDING, please don't come after me SunnyPak fans), but once I gave it a chance, I also found that the leads played well off of each other.

Shame about the plot though. They REALLY needed stronger actors to save that premise.

FortPeat are just mythic level at the chemistry game though. I don't really like Peat's acting style in both LITA and Love Sea (again, no offense to Peat. I honestly think he just hasn't found the right role for him yet. He has a bite and nuance that doesn't really fit the characters Mame keeps giving him), but him and Fort play absolutely convincing lovers.

Y'all have no chill. Keep doing that.

But of course, Mame struck diamonds with Boss and Noeul.

These two are the very definition of chemistry and sexual tension. They play off of each other so well viewers are asking for MORE love scenes instead of the usual complaining about the oversexualization of bls. I think that's the highest compliment any bl actor can get at this point. And I honestly don't know what these two are to each other, and frankly, I don't need to know. I just need them to keep making shows.

And all this to say, I think what makes Mame an expert at this genre is because absent of a good plot, she makes sure that her actors are not afraid to just... touch each other. And not even from a sexual sense, I'm talking about casual touches here. These actors are given the freedom to move their hands and fiddle with their partner's hair and fingers and shirts. They randomly lay their heads on each other's shoulders and wrap their arms around each other without prompting. A more experienced filmmaker wouldn't allow any movement that may disrupt the overall vision and script (especially considering that most of these actors are rookies), but Mame lets her actors get free reign over their interactions on camera. In other words, she just tells them to do what lovers ought to do.

It adds a touch of realism, I think. Lovers don't think about when they have to hold hands. They don't think twice about bumping shoulders or teasing a person they already sleep with. They don't notice the small touches because everything is familiar. Her (lead) actors get the same stage direction: act like you actually WANT each other. And it works.

To be fair, I don't think this is unique to Mame. Mandee Channel (Domundi) also does the same thing with their couples. My only issue with Mandee is that aside from the shows of their two main couples ZeeNunew and MaxNat, the rest of their leads get ZERO PLOT in their shows (I'm looking at you, Battle of the Writers. You were especially difficult). At least Mame TRIES to have a good enough plot for her shows.

And if nothing else, I hope more casting directors follow in Mame's footsteps (but just for that one. Don't follow anything else)

(Also, I hope Mame can fix her second lead problems. Please don't bother adding side couples if you don't know what to do with them).

Anyway, this is in response to my anxiety over waiting for the TBNW finale. Thanks for coming to this long TED talk.

[zexapher]

Stupid Cupid

Started this edit almost an entire year ago, right when RWBY Beyond dropped the boba episode. I immediately caught onto the idea of chibi Ruby being a little cherub to use for shipping characters. Of course, I immediately distracted myself with other creative projects and the Ship Wars 8 (which White Knight won in spectacular fashion btw) and life got in the way. But I came back around to it this past month. Perfect timing really, since it means I got it out for Valentine’s Day.

I just think it’s lovely how CRWBY have nurtured this ship subtly in the background, until they finally decided to get right up in our faces about it with Volume 9. That’s kind of what I wanted to portray here, with Cruby on a mission to make White Knight a reality, but Jaune and Weiss had already grown close without that final brazen intervention.

It’s really something special to start this meme essentially right as Rooster Teeth and RWBY closed down, only to come back and finish it with the news that Rooster Teeth was bought by Burnie and RWBY’s now moved on to VIZ. Both of them continuing on in their way. Kind of heartwarming to be honest, like a message of perseverance, keep on trying even if circumstances bring you down.

I can still see a few influences from my early work on the edit, was playing a little Republic Commando at the time, so we get Ruby’s comment about her skills with a bow confusing and frightening CRWBY. Speaking of, I think we can all see why I chose Cruby as Ruby’s cherub name. Perfect for someone tasked with building up White Knight. And, come on, the shipping rock is a perfect replacement for a bow. You may have noticed me sneak in the Golden Oreos or Rooster Teeth’s logo to celebrate the recent news (Jaune’s put a little sticker on the pummel of his sword).

With editing, I still run into trouble every now and then as I learn and familiarize myself with my software. Even now after a year of practicing it, and a decent chunk on gimp in particular. On this edit I ran into a weird issue with the color picker tool, where when I sampled a color, the brush would only apply a pastel or grayer version of that color. Wasn’t sure how I enabled that, if it was a glitch or I accidentally enabled some key shortcut or something. I worked my way around it though, in the most obtuse manner.

Pretty cool to be learning something new as I go through these edits. Like all the color correcting for my Vacuan Nights meme. Or even small quality of life things like how I decided to start making thicker outlines for the text about halfway through. That’s something that helps making the words pop, the outlines were a bit too thin before. And at the end I can really pump out some of the more complicated edits that used to take me a long time a year ago.

Redrawing Jaune for panel 9 was a ton of tedious busywork. The screenshot I pulled that from had bad lighting from the portal behind Jaune, so I needed to fill in colors for proper lighting. I think it came out pretty spectacularly.

And I just really like the premise for this meme. CRWBY helping push White Knight along, but the relationship was already well on its way in the background. That little bag of ‘cupid’ rocks just seems really cute to me, too. Fun, cheap little drawing.

Chibi Ruby is cute as can be; so happy they gave us this version of her in Beyond. Especially like that devious look I gave her. Yang looks great too, really enjoy Beyond’s style, and the exasperated palm to the face. And, of course, I loved writing and drawing up the cute interaction between Jaune and Weiss. She needs to see those shark pups! :)

Anyway, hope you all enjoy your Valentine’s Day, and this fun little meme I drew up.

[dorothylarouge]

Comic Book Review: Runaways by Rainbow Rowell

Hello, all. Today I will be taking some time to discuss a comic book I enjoy. This is the first in what will hopefully become a series of long-form comic book reviews I'll be writing for this blog as I continue working through my backlog of unread comics as well as ones I'm rereading, both on my own and through me and @bimboficationblues' book club.

I first read the original run of Runaways in digest trade paperback format at my local library when I was in middle school, and the book hit me at the exact right time, since I was pretty firmly the book's target demographic - young, restless, and beginning to grow resentful of the adult authorities in my life. I never read the 2017 revival, as I was not reading comics when I was in high school and college, but I was at my local library - a different one, I don't live in Texas anymore - while waiting for the power in my apartment to come back on due to an outage, and discovered that they carried the full series in trade paperback. I decided to check it out and see how it held up to the original run, and found myself pleasantly surprised by how much I liked it - enough, clearly, to make this post. I'll get into more detail about the 2017 book later in this post, but I'd like to first give an overview of the original series to provide some context for how this book came to be, since it's quite a niche, cult-classic book as far as Marvel titles go.

Part One: Born to Run

At the turn of the century, comic books faced a number of problems. The bottom had fallen out of the industry in the early 1990s due to the burst of the speculator bubble, sending shockwaves that continued to reverberate into the early 2000s. Marvel Comics had nearly been bankrupted and stripped for parts, surviving only by the skin of its teeth, and was only just getting back on its feet. But now, another threat was looming: anime and manga. Imported comics from Japan were beginning to capture a larger and larger market share of comics sold in the United States, fueled by the popularity of Dragon Ball, Sailor Moon, and others on television. Marvel sought to fight back by producing books which would appeal to young fans of these Japanese imports and act as gateway drugs into more standard Marvel fare. Their first effort came in 2000 with the utterly embarrassing Marvel Mangaverse, a group of books which copied superficial and stereotypical aesthetics of manga, without any of the substance.

Just look at this shit, man. Anyway, in 2003, Marvel tried a different approach with their Tsunami imprint. The books in this imprint would also employ art styles that reflected the influence of anime and manga, but would feature character-driven, in-continuity storylines aimed at a variety of age ranges. Among the titles Tsunami would publish was a book written by Brian K. Vaughn (known at the time mainly for his work at DC's Vertigo imprint, including a run on Swamp Thing and his own Y: The Last Man) and illustrated by Adrian Alphona (who would go on to co-develop Kamala Khan with G. Willow Wilson) titled Runaways.

The initial premise of Runaways was really quite brilliant in its simplicity: Alex Wilder, Nico Minoru, Chase Stein, Gertrude Yorkes, Molly Hayes, and Karolina Dean are casual friends bound together mainly because their parents are all friends - actors, engineers, lawyers, and influential people in the Los Angeles area - who gather once a year for a charity event.

As the kids are left bored and alone while their parents meet at Alex's house in Malibu, they find a secret passage and are able to observe their parents at the meeting, learning that, in truth, their parents are a group of supervillains known as the Pride, who control crime and vice in Los Angeles, and who conduct human sacrifices in arcane rituals.

As the kids attempt to discover more about their parents in order to find evidence to bring to the police, they each begin to discover unique powers and abilities: Gertrude has a psychic link with a genetically-engineered deinonychus, Karolina is a light-powered alien with the ability to fly, Molly is a super-strong, super-tough mutant, Chase gains access to powerful technology created by his parents, and Nico is able to summon a magical focus known as the Staff of One when she bleeds, which she can use to cast powerful magical spells, with the catch that she can never cast the same spell twice. Alex, with a genius strategic mind, becomes the group's leader, and with the group learning that the police in LA belong to the Pride, they run away from home and drop off the grid in order to find a way to put a stop to them.

The first volume of Runaways chronicles the kids' conflict with their parents, as well as run-ins with a vampire named Topher and Marvel's original runaway teen superheroes, Cloak and Dagger. Eventually, they learn that their parents were gathered to serve godlike giants called the Gibborim and conduct a ritual which would wipe out all life on Earth, save for six of the Pride - or more specifically, their heirs, the children. The volume ends with the team's climactic confrontation with their parents, as they begin the ritual to end the world, with Alex revealing himself to be a mole in the group and having secretly been on the side of the Pride all along. After Molly disrupts the ritual, the Gibborim arrive and vaporize Alex and kill the Pride, with the kids barely managing to escape. In the aftermath, the kids are placed into foster care, which they promptly run away from, becoming teenage fugitives once again.

The first volume of Runaways lasted only 18 issues, but sales of the digest format trade paperbacks (another thing copied from how manga is distributed in the US) proved so strong that a second volume began publication in 2005, featuring the same creative team. This volume saw the kids continue to evade the police, adult superheroes, and social services. Along the way, they recruit a few new runaways, including Victor Mancha, a cyborg built by the Avengers villain Ultron, and Xavin, a shapeshifting, genderfluid Skrull who imposes themself upon the group as Karolina's fiancee due to a marriage arranged by her parents. They also take a trip to New York City to help clear Cloak's name when he's accused of attempting to murder Dagger. There, they come into conflict with the Avengers, and get sushi with Spider-Man.

Over the course of the second volume, Gertrude is killed in a fight with a reformed Pride made up of a time-displaced version of Alex's father and his MMO friends, and Vaughn's run on the title ends with a story in which Chase, who is grief-stricken after her death, makes a deal with the Gibborim in order to bring her back in exchange for a sacrifice. The deal falls through, and the kids are forced to fight the gods that their parents once served, ultimately managing to defeat and erase the Gibborim from existence.

After Vaughn left the book, unfortunately, Runaways started a long period of decline. He was replaced as writer on the book by Joss Whedon, who penned a couple middling stories, including one where the kids fight the Punisher and the Kingpin, and another where they're flung back in time to 1907 New York, where they recruit the final member of the team, a young mutant and child bride named Klara Prast who can make the flowers grow. Yawn. Volume 2 of Runaways ended with issue 30, and the book was relaunched with a new #1 in 2008, this time with the creative team of Terry Moore (best known for his indie book Strangers in Paradise) and Humberto Ramos (a veritable workhorse whose portfolio speaks for itself, particularly his work on Spider-Man). This brief, forgettable run was followed by a fill-in issue or two by Christopher Yost, and then a final, mediocre arc by Kathryn Immonen which ended the series abruptly on a cliffhanger.

After this, the wilderness years. Characters from Runaways appeared with some regularity - Nico, Chase, and Victor all played major roles in various Avengers spinoff books, none of which suited them particularly well - although in the pages of Avengers AI, Victor would forge a friendship with a reprogrammed Doombot which would play a role later. Mostly, though, it became clear over the years that these characters did not work in normal superhero books, because they were not normal superheroes - they were Runaways. Part of the problem the book had come to face in the later years was a failure to understand that point. The Vaughn run had proven the potential of the characters and concept of the Runaways - they needed a writer who understood that potential, and how to bring it out - and they could have a renaissance.

Then, in 2017, a Runaways TV show premiered on Hulu, to tie into the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and Marvel, for the most cynical and synergistic of reasons, decided to give them that renaissance.

Part Two: It's Only Teenage Wasteland

Runaways volume 5 (volume 4 was an unrelated Secret Wars tie-in) is written throughought by Rainbow Rowell. Rowell's background is in contemporary young adult fiction, which isn't usually my cup of tea, but translates very well to this comic. Runaways, at its core, is not a superhero book- a point which will be made more explicitly later in the series - it is a teen drama with superpowers. Angst, sexual tension, and resentment of authority are all key elements of the series, which Rowell employs effectively throughout. Joining her on art for the initial run of the volume is Kris Anka, who would later go on to be the lead character designer for Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse. Anka's art is colorful and expressive and complements the tone of the series brilliantly. It's probably the best Runaways has ever looked. Of particular note are the outfits Anka designs for the characters, which change from issue to issue and help to characterize each Runaway visually.

The book picks up with the Runaways having split up, with Molly living with her grandmother, Victor having been reduced to an inert, deactivated head following his apparent death in Avengers AI, Karolina in college and dating Julie Power of Power Pack, Klara in foster care, Xavin in space, and Nico in a shitty LA apartment after a brief stint with the all-female A-Force. The inciting incident of the book occurs when Chase appears with a time machine, having recovered the dying Gert from the events of volume 2. Nico is able to use her magic to save Gert's life, and she wastes little time pushing to get the rest of the gang back together.

Of course, two years have passed since Gert died in-universe. Karolina, Nico, and Chase are all adults now, and Molly is a teenager now, happily living with her grandmother. Things changed while Gert was away, and there's no way to go back to the way things used to be.

The first arc of the book establishes some core themes which will continue to be relevant for the rest of its run: change, growing up, and family bonds. Gert is the heart of the book, despite her vociferous denials of that being her role. She is the driving force behind reuniting the Runaways, and her character is explored in this book more than it ever was in the Vaughn run - her negative self-image, which she hides behind an acid tongue, is a recurring focus. Of note is a scene where she discovers that her purple hair, which had previously set her apart and helped her to feel as if there was something special about her, has become a common fashion statement in the time she spent being dead. Her relationship with Chase is also examined - the age gap that now exists between them precludes any resumption of dating, and she eventually gets together with Victor - but Chase still loves her despite himself, and holds out hope that things can change when Gert gets older and the age gap is less of an issue. It's a little creepy, but psychologically understandable, as is his giving into temptation when a future version of Gert appears and practically throws herself at him.

Rowell's focus on character is central to what makes the book work. There are few titanic threats and fewer supervillains; the drama in Rowell's Runaways is driven by the characters and their relationships to one another, which are given a fresh perspective due to the characters having aged and grown since the previous volume of the series. Molly struggles with the idea of growing up and having to face adult fears and responsibilities, especially when her best friend in middle school offers her a way to stay young forever. Nico struggles with the feelings she's realized for Karolina - picking back up a plot thread from Xavin's introductory arc - as Karolina struggles balancing university, supporting the Runaways, and being a good girlfriend, failing at the latter as Julie breaks up with her - but in the process allowing her and Nico to finally have the right timing.

Also complicating matters are Victor's Doombot friend, who becomes a recurring character and joins the main cast in the back half of the series, and Alex Wilder, who has returned as a living corpse, with the children of the Gibborim on his heels. Rowell's portrayal of Alex is one of the series' most interesting aspects, as a young man burdened by his past mistakes and whose inability to acknowledge or account for them prevents any reconciliation with his one-time friends, and leads him to continue making the same mistakes over again. The only bond with the group he is able to maintain is with Molly, the only other Runaway who still misses her parents, and they have some very sweet interactions in a spotlight issue which serves as a look at what things could be like if Alex was willing to own up and atone for how he's hurt the others. His arc is left unresolved, though, for reasons we'll get more into in a bit. Doombot, meanwhile, has a brief storyline in which he comes to grips with his sense of individuality separate from the programming he was given by Doctor Doom, but other than that his primary role in the series is to serve as a caretaker, of sorts, to the kids, as well as a source of consistent comic relief.

That's another thing about this series: it's very funny! Much of the humor is character- and interaction-based, which is very much my style of humor in comics, but there's also some really nice sight gags and creative use of lettering and sound effects to create jokes. A lot of the humor in the original series can be hit-or-miss, in particular a lot of the more dated references, so the humor in this volume is a refreshing change of pace.

Following the fight with the children of the Gibborim - one of whom, Gib, sides with the group and becomes their newest member - the series enters its midpoint, in which Karolina drops out of college and begins moonlighting as a superhero as an unhealthy outlet for her anxiety, which ultimately ends up dragging the other Runaways into the orbit of Doc Justice, one of Los Angeles' premier superheroes, who outfits and equips the group as his new J-Team. I'm conflicted on this arc for a few reasons. The first is that it interrupts what I felt was an interesting arc for Karolina using superheroics as a coping mechanism, which I felt wasn't explored fully before Doc Justice showed up. On the other hand, though, the arc really gives Gert the spotlight after some time of having it off of her, and she's really able to shine as the one Runaway excluded by Doc Justice due to her weight and lack of powers, both key elements of her own negative self-image which haven't gotten a lot of focus since the early arcs of the series. Further, the arc serves to drive home the point that the Runaways are not superheroes and that Runaways is not a superhero book in the traditional sense. Seeing everyone in spandex and responding to distress calls just feels wrong. And Doc Justice is a great villain for the series: a conceited superhero obsessed with fame and media attention, who has systematically arranged the deaths of various teammates over the years in order to maximize sympathy and publicity. It's all very Hollywood. The ultimate downside of the Doc Justice arc, I think, is that after it's done, the series only has seven issues left. The eternal curse of Runaways, to have each volume cut too short, rears its head once again, and in using one of its final arcs to make a meta-commentary on the series as a whole, it sacrifices some opportunities for the character interactions and interpersonal drama that really make the book shine.

The final arc makes an effort to pivot back to that interpersonal drama, including a delightfully fucked-up romance between Chase and a future version of Gert who has traveled back in time to supposedly save him from himself, which blows up as you might it imagine it would once present Gert and Victor stumble across them. There's also a plot thread of Molly, Chase, and Nico helping a visiting Wolverine and Pixie track down a mutant who sent a distress message, in which Nico very nearly kisses Pixie due to her established character flaw of getting caught up in the moment, and it seems like she and Karolina are going to have an honest conversation about it - only for the conversation to instead be about the frankly much less interesting conflict Nico has been facing about the evil sorcerer whose spirit is housed in the Staff of One, and who is taking a piece of her soul every time she casts a spell. It's a conflict that could be interesting if more focus was placed upon it, but it's the subject of one issue prior to this and the end of the series means that it ends up going nowhere beyond Nico entrusting Karolina with the staff in the end. That's a major flaw in this run, though one that isn't entirely its own fault - its abrupt end means plot threads, like future Gert's abduction of Chase, Nico's conflict with the spirit of the Staff of One, and Alex's usurpation of the Doc Justice mantle, are left hanging.

It really is unfortunate, and makes the time spent on the Doc Justice arc, which probably could have taken four issues instead of a frankly indulgent seven, feel even more egregious and unnecessary with hindsight. This series has a leisurely pace, which is good when it allows character interactions and dynamics to stretch out and have maximum impact, but it also means that at the end, when everything has to wrap up relatively quickly due to the amount of time taken in previous arcs, there's a disorienting and frantic energy, like trying to get your room cleaned five minutes before your parents get home. In particular, the last issue crams a ton of stuff in, to an exhausting degree - Karolina summons her people to take her into space and treat her for injuries she sustained in Doc Justice's efforts to martyr her, future Gert enacts her plan to kidnap Chase into the timestream, Gert's time traveling parents show up for some reason, Alex is surveilling the team for reasons unknown, Xavin is now a general of Karolina's people... it's a lot to leave on a cliffhanger.

Rowell's Runaways is a good book, and I do recommend it, either on its own or, preferably, after reading the original 2000s run. It does a great job of moving the characters forward, maturing them, and giving them more adult problems to deal with, while maintaining the series' core themes of identity, questioning authority, and anxiety towards adulthood. It simply doesn't have enough issues left at the end to resolve all of its plot threads, and that is what ultimately holds it back from being great. 38 issues is a good run, better than any volume of Runaways before it was able to achieve, but its pacing choices and the number of plates it attempts to keep in the air leave the reader wanting more.

But, to its credit, it succeeds in making me really care about what that "more" could be.

Part Three: Run Away With Me

Volume 5 of Runaways ended with issue 38, cover date October 2021. It outlasted the TV show it was meant to tie in with by two years - a TV show that was eventually pulled from streaming as a cost-cutting measure. In the years since the series concluded, not much has been happening in that corner of the Marvel Universe. The characters have made few, if any, appearances, and there's been no talk of a sixth volume, despite the plot threads left hanging.

Well, that sucks, you know? Runaways is such a unique series with such a special voice and perspective in superhero comics, and it deserves a place in Marvel's publication roster as much as the millionth Spider-Man or X-Men spinoff does. It has never sold spectacularly, but it has an audience and, crucially, has always been good for its originally intended purpose: giving Marvel a backdoor into the teen and young adult market that has for decades now largely eschewed comic books. Manga sales now account for nearly half of all comics sold in the United States, and while Marvel now mainly serves as an IP farm for adaptation into the much more lucrative MCU, I think there's value in a series like Runaways that's able to tap into that YA market in a way Marvel's other books aren't able to.

I think with the right creative team, Runaways could easily become a solid seller that is able to have a respectable run of issues. Volume 3, as well as the original Vaughn run, prove that this is possible. I would seek out a writer like Mark Waid, whose bread and butter is character work and who was able to revitalize Archie's comic line to appeal to YA readers, or Ryan North, whose Fantastic Four is one of Marvel's best titles right now primarily on the strength of its character dynamics, or David Willis of Dumbing of Age, whose work for the past decade has entirely centered on young adults finding themselves, to take over the reins of a revival, someone with established chops in the genre. Pair them with a quality artist - think Chris Samnee or Todd Nauck, and I think there's a recipe there for a hit.

I hope we see Runaways come back again, sooner rather than later. Another eight year hiatus would be unbearable.

G-d help me, I wanna see these crazy kids again, and see where the road takes them.

FINAL SCORE: 3.5/5. A good comic.

[messyemmy]

Friday Nights - Harry Styles x reader. (Dadrry Oneshot).

[The polls revealed that you sweetpeas wanted more dadrry and my ovaries agreed. Hope you guys find it as cute as I do! 💞]

Premise: Harry can't wait to get home to see his favourite girls.

More dadrry / Other writing

Word count: 1.9k / Warnings

🧸

Harry has the entire weekend off- not just a lucky Saturday afternoon- the entire weekend. And he has spent the first 18 hours without empty hands, but the fullest of hearts.

His baby girl- who has long surpassed gaining the skill of walking- has been carried and coddled from the second Harry’s boots hit the hardwood of the entrance hall early Friday evening. The sun has yet to fully set and his whole body is whisked away with excitement at what awaits on the other side of the front door.

At the familiar sound of keys dangling from their slotting in the keyhole, his little petal has dismissed her activity of creating a colourful artwork, crayon still squished between her chubby fingers as her wobbly feet bound over to the front door in pursuit of the mysterious person attempting access.

With the patience she has surely learned from yourself- not Harry- his little 3-year-old is standing in wait, eyes wide with curiosity, her posture still shy and weary of who might enter in a moment.

And when the door becomes ajar, a familiar worn-down leather Gucci boot comes into vision, and then she can see the other boot too- her features prettily framing a painting of the unconditional love she has for her daddy. Those silly boots older than herself are the surest sign of one of her favourite humans stepping into the house.

Giddily, she beams up at him, her chubby ankles balancing her soft feet as she bounces up and down, her body swaying with enthusiasm, her eyes shining with pure excitement.

Harry isn't even halfway through the door when he is confronted by his cute, cheery, tiny toddler, and he feels his shoulders soothingly shrug at the mere sight- unaware of just how happy he is at the blessing of ending his stressful days in the comfort of a home life he never considered a possibility.

Taking a full step into the hallway, Harry is reminded of your existence whenever his babygirl wistfully looks at him. She is the combination of he and your love, and so much more.

Her hair is a little damp, presumably from just having had a bath and some supper. Harry thinks he must have caught her amid playtime, and he hopes tomorrow might offer the opportunity for him to partake in these activities.

And he will, sternly telling you that he hopes you'll take the opportunity to make the weekend your own; tending to tasks, catching up with both friends and binging series, even just using the time to extend your naps, meals, and self-care.

But right now, the bag slung across his shoulder is dropped to the floor, he brushes the edge of the door in an attempt to shut it but cares not if it shuts completely, because a three-year-old- dressed in a pale blue set of jammies decorated in her favourite dinosaurs- is exclaiming, "Daddy" through a burst of enthusiastic giggles.

He takes a step forward, but she is more than willing to meet him in the middle, her tiny toes coming into contact with his boots before he can blink and she tightly wraps her arms around his leg- she only measures up to below his knee- adorably squeezing as tight as she can.

Harry's heart swells so big, he fears he is a balloon filled with so much helium it's begging to burst- but if it bursts, he knows his entire body will become a firework exhibition centred around the theme of how much he unconditionally loves his baby girl.

He does his best to bow closer, wrapping his arms around her, and in true tradition, Harry then lifts her little-ness, helping her balance her feet on the tops of his boots- Harry would have thrown these scuffed, barely stylish boots away if it weren't for the undeniably heart-warming reaction he receives when arriving home.

She now stands atop his shoes, her arms extending up so her hands can be clasped by his, and they are swallowed like a small petal in his palm- so small, he has never seen something-someone- so dainty. Harry slowly takes dance-like steps around the hallway, enthused and cheered on by the cheeky giggles of his daughter enjoying their little 'dance' along the hardwood.

Still humouring and guiding her around, Harry calls out, "'M home, Lovie," seeking out the location of his gift-giver, yourself.

"Hi, Bubs!" You call, and by the distance in your voice, Harry knows you're probably in the kitchen- which is confirmed mere seconds later, "'m in the kitchen", you coo, "felt like making spring rolls…", you pause, "It's still undecided if I'm succeeding or not."

Harry chuckles softly, eager to enter the kitchen and see exactly what you're on about, and by now, the easily distracted toddler has released him, bumbling on about wanting to show her daddy the latest masterpiece she will soon add to her collection.

He certainly will, "How 'bout you show me, and then we can draw another one together?"

She sillily but seriously considers it, her hand stroking her chin as if the fate of the world is balancing atop her ten fingers. Harry thinks he sees himself in her, he thinks he sees himself in you, and loving you has surely rubbed off on him.

Eventually, his sassy three-year-old tells him- with humorously, adorable certainty- "Yes."

Harry's chest lulls with love as he tells her, "Need to say hi to mummy first, okay?"

She nods avidly, "I'll start without you." To which Harry laughs aloud and begins the task of removing his boots.

Harry trails down the hallway, his sock sliding along the hardwood, his eyes glancing over the array of framed photographs- ones of himself and you, of the baby, pets, family and friends.

As he rounds the corner, the aroma of freshly chopped cabbage and carrots invades his senses, and said senses go into overdrive as his eyes land on the loveliest of things; his partner, partially hidden as you stand behind the kitchen island, slicing an avocado, humming along to soft sound of 'Hand Me Downs'.

He finds himself behind you so fast, like a fugue of neediness had taken over and he had to tend to it. You hum in contentment, body sinking back into his chest, still chopping with nonchalance as his arms carefully, but desperately, wrap around your waist, his hands mindlessly shifting the material of your clothes to ensure skin-on-skin contact.

He wants to be near- just for a moment- softly peppering kisses along the nape of your neck, and when you shudder, he huffs out with an overload of admiration. His little pecks seem successful as you finally discard your dinner prep, placing the knife on the counter before twirling your body around to face Harry.

His smile is bright and matches his eyes, unintentionally encouraging your features to mirror his as you tilt up onto your toes in favour of giving him a good smooch,

"Hello, my Darling." You address, pressing your lips to the corner of his own.

"Missed you, Lovie." He says before going in for a proper kiss; pecking you one, two, three times before he is smiling so much that it becomes hard to call this kissing.

You giggle against his lips, giving him one last kiss before tilting back less than an inch to let him know, "Missed you more."

"Liar." He chuckles, tilting his neck to the ceiling, giving you the opportunity for a cheeky nip of his chin. Harry's body jolts with pleasant surprise, hand sliding down your lower back to give your denim-clad bum a good squeeze.

And then perhaps the sassiest and cutest demand comes echoing down from the room over, "Excuse me!" which only has the pair of you a soft chuckling mess.

You gently stroke the nape of Harry's neck, nails scraping the nearest tufts of his hair, "Y' better get going." a final kiss to both cheeks and his lips before you remind him, "Your Highness awaits."

Harry nods along with a swift tap to your bum cheek and a kiss to your forehead as he leaves the kitchen in pursuit of the art gallery that is guaranteed to be covering the walls of the games room.

She is already seated at her little yellow table, her collection of colourful markers, pencils, and glitter pens are all neatly lined up on the right, and she has a pile of complete artworks stacked on the left. In the centre is an A4 pink piece of cardboard already covered in streaks of black marker.

Continuing to scribble, she makes a small gesture for Harry to pull up a seat next to her. He does so, untucking the chair he knows will do a useless job at holding his height, nevertheless, he settles in easily- a product of this being a recurring event- turning his body to signal his attention is entirely hers.

For the next twenty minutes or so, Harry enthusiastically reacts and admires his little one's creations, and then he follows her to the puppy's bed, letting her show off the new toy she chose for their golden retriever to sleep with this evening, then Harry helps her up the stairs, gently hoisting her up, her legs wrapping around his hips, her head curling into his chest.

She instructs him to go to her bedroom, only loosening her grip as he slowly dips to place both her and himself upon her bed. Out of his hold, her little legs crossed, feet wiggling with excitement, patting the spot next to her for her daddy to occupy.

Harry could never say no to that- for starters, it was challenging enough saying it to you- his body shuffling closer, shifting to suit her wishes until she is happily cradled across his chest, his hip awkwardly pressed into the mattress, shoulder twisted unpleasantly, but he has no cares to give.

She wants him to tell her a story. Sometimes she wants to hear about him having fun with his friends, or how he and mommy met and fell in love, other days she wants him to make one up tonight, she wants to hear about his singing.

She asks simple, scattered questions, mostly unrelated to the one before and after. Slowly they delay and his answers add an extra drone, she is getting rather comfy, cuddling up into the crook of Harry, sharing this contentedness with such sleepiness that he knows he is sure to follow.

Downstairs, admiring your dinner, you are quite proud of the final results of your spring rolls. Patience and persistence certainly has its perks. If your phone were nearby, you would be tempted to take a picture, but you have something better; a handsome husband who will soon praise you in wonderment as he scarfs down your proud work.

After a brief stroll through the living room and the games room, you patter your way up the staircase and make a beeline for her bedroom. As expected, you find your favourite duo, but what wasn't expected was the sigh of Harry cradling a sleeping toddler.

She is sleeping soundly, her little wrists and ankles scrunched, her face with a naturally concentrated brow furrow- just like her father. Harry has one arm wrapped around her, his head tucked behind her own, laying obscurely but looking cosier than ever.

[halowishes]

my fav fics of 2024!!

i wanted to share my other recs that i read before i started my lists and ones that just deserve MORE recognition/ changed me/ inspire me to live my life.

(not ranked, just jumbled together)

fandoms: mostly haikyuu & some demon slayer

(skts if the ship is unspecified)

red dahlia

e. 103k+. ongoing. handmaiden au.

guys. this was probably the fic that made me fall in love with sakuatsu. fairycake always does impeccable world building and splendid writing. this fic has such flair and style— it’s in both povs so you can feel all the nuance. and the PLOT. the DIALOGUE. the IMAGERY. god this is really such a wonderful fic and i’m dying to find out what happens next!!

play among the stars

e. 105k. sci-fi/ rom-com/ drama?

ok so there’s a jail on the moon. kiyoomi is a guard and atsumu is a prisoner! i had so much fun reading this. i’ve never read anything like it. it was intense but well-paced, dramatic yet comedic, serious and silly! kiyoomi had some really beautiful development, and atsumu’s character was a treasure. every chapter was gorgeous but i ESPECIALLY love the last few.

in transit — kageyama x hinata

t. 4.7k. canon universe.

one of the first hq fics i read. so sweet and felt very loyal to the anime. i also just thought the image of kageyama playing basketball was so funny. this fic introduced me to the world of hq fanfic so i’ll always be thankful for it.

in another life — bokuto x akaashi

t. 23k. mcd/ hospital au.

honestly? heartbreaking. soul crushing. i’ll randomly remember parts of it and just sit in silence for a bit. this fic is probably why i actually haven’t really sought out any other bokuaka… i just end up thinking about this😭 AND ITS SO WELL WRITTEN. the storyline is so precise and clean, but it packs a punch (that ends in tears). i wondered how the hell it had so many hits but i get it. i really do. and i’m a changed person because of it.

three sheets to the wind

m. 117k. pirate au.

i am actually very obsessed with atsumu teaching kiyoomi how to let loose and feel the sun on your skin and be honest and real. also such a fan of atsumu’s casual poetry because when you’re obsessed with someone, words can just roll off the tongue. very big believer of love inspiring courage and bravery.

insert coin to play

e. 178k. cyberpunk au.

we all know how much i love this but what does it for me is how it understands kiyoomi’s characteristics: he’s blunt, strong, determined, and a bit irrational. i love loud and proud fighter atsumu, but kiyoomi is no less weaker just because he’s quiet. and i will always always always remember that scene in the club where they talked about a world if they were ordinary. anyways. i can always talk about this fic.

heirs

e. 237k. corporate & soulmate au.

this was the slow burn of the year. yes the fic was about love and choice and agency, but also duty, piety, and power. it was provoking and thoughtful and dramatic (in a good way). i actually felt the anger, betrayal, and shame of those characters because the plot is just that intense.

again, like this

e. 55k. mid time skip.

this really is my comfort fic. i’ve read it so often i can probably tell you verbatim every plot point. but i can’t help it because they are so tender. so innocent and raw and real. they make each other better and it’s such a pleasure to read. and (you got me) the smut was really really good ok?😭😭

the tide will turn

e. 80.8k. titanic au.

there’s not much i can say because of spoilers but GOD. this fic is so luxurious and unreal. i was obsessed with the characters and finding out what came next. it was a thrilling and emotional read (definitely cried). the fic was so immersive and the last few chapters stuck with me.

afflictions for below-average asian-americans

t. 7.5k. american suburbia au.

genuine, embarrassing, overwhelming, inexplicable. the character development is so special and subtle, yet inspiring. although the premise comes off as niche, i think anyone can relate to feelings of envy and insecurity. this seriously made me appreciate my younger self more <3.

do i dare disturb the universe?

t. 14.9k. parallel timeline.

*screams*. i need more second chance fics. i have a deep rooted aversion to failure and making mistakes so stories like these help me unlearn that. generally, there’s no right or wrong in how to live your life so why aren’t we just doing what we can to be fulfilled and loved? very important fic about listening to your heart!! also: highlights the painfully beautiful mundane aspects of domestic life.

it drives you crazy getting old

m. 45.9k. 13 going on 30-ish au.

there is something so comforting about reading a young skts in their 32 year old selves. the fic is about learning how to be patient, to be vulnerable, to love. growing up can be so scary but this fic is a gentle reminder that everything will work itself out and you never have to do it alone. you may not end up where you thought, and that’s okay.

bound

e. 68.1k. actors au.

what i admire about this fic is how generous it is. the characters make mistakes, they say and do things they don’t mean, they can be unhealthy and miscommunicate. but at the end of the day, they’re so patient and loving that the stars align for them because they deserved that happy ending. (and that speech at the end was just too good not to include. it makes me cry every time.)

rain on your wedding day

g. 4.6k. skts wedding.

the joys of celebrating love. the joys of having a community who supports you and will do anything to see you happy. the joys of spending the rest of your life with Your Person. i don’t care if it’s a fanfic, it’s canon TO ME.

how to NOT fall in love with your flatmate’s twin

m. 46.7k. mid-time skip.

while atsumu and kiyoomi’s budding relationship is delightful and the twins’ characters are superb, i will always remember this fic for the side plot of kiyoomi learning to reconnect with his mother. it’s simple yet so powerful. this fic makes me appreciate my parents, siblings, and everything university gave me :’).

burden of blame

e. 91.2k. yakuza au.

if there’s anything to know about me it is that i LOVE a thriller. the plot of this fic is so buzzing with life and mystery. also i’m a SUCKER for bossy ass kiyoomi x nonstop yapper atsumu. it just amplifies the banter and tension by a mile. and selfless, impulsive atsumu will always have a place in my heart <3.

constellations we called home

e. 53.5k. end of the world au.

i read this fic over a month ago but i still can’t be normal about it. it’s extravagant, emotional, and honestly punched a hole through my heart that i might never recover from (like all apocalypse aus). this fic reminds me of the “would you rather have a good thing that ends or never have it at all” debate. (i will always choose to have a good thing).

sketches of a firefly

e. 88.7k. magic realism/ returning to a small town au.

recently featured in my monthly recs but i don’t care! this fic made me want to be a kid again. it’s literally and figuratively magical. the storytelling amazed me and the tension was soooo vivid. this is a very worthy read but READ THE TAGS.

stockholm syndrome isn’t real

e. 50.2k. heist au.

also mentioned in my dec recs! i just love how this fic read like an action comedy movie. the punchy humor and the well paced scenes made it go by like my dream sakuatsu film. i’m still wrapping my head around how intricate the dynamics and plot of this fic are!

terminal curiosity

e. 9 works, each 10k+. canon universe.

we all read it, we all know it’s good. there’s nothing new i can say about it but i do go back and read it every couple months. (laid bare & thunder in a bottle are my favs <3).

demon slayer

blue — giyuu x sabito

t. 17.2k. canon divergence.

giyuu wakes up in an au where sabito lives. the fic was so gentle and loving and careful. giyuu’s disbelief and the absurdity of it all— you feel all of that with this fic. the story was just so wholesome and made me love giyuu.

uh huh, honey — giyuu x sanemi

e. 151k. pornstar au😭😭

ok i realize the premise is bonkers but the plot is actually pretty deep😭 this fic was prime “opposites attract” in that the characters complement each other perfectly. really beautiful imagery, hilarious dialogue, and such a silly premise but full of admiration and thought.

and that’s my year of fanfic! i almost called this my top 24 fics of 2024 but then i thought “there’s no way i have 24 favs” and here i am… only two short.

but yeah! i’m glad to be back in fandom culture because it really is what got me through tough times. i hope you give these fics a chance or (most likely) if you’ve already read them, let me know what you thought about them!! (if you want more recs check my halo reads tag).

i’m not sure how long these monthly recs will last as i move onto a new part of my life, but i do hope you all find some community in these posts <3

lots of love ALWAYS,

halo <3

[maraune]

I DO 😭 SO MUCH 🤌😫🫶❤️‍🩹

I lost a fanfic i saw on here and wanted to read later since i really loved the idea but i lost it!

Please help me find again, i can't seem to find it ;_;

Basically: luci got a fraction of gods power when he fell (as a gift and punishment?), that being he can look into souls and their sins or trauma? He ends up having to use it on Alastor and work through several revelations

Sadly i don't remember more but please if you remember what the fic was or have a hunge tell me, thank you 🥲