#but this. ohhh this is plot driven. and it’s GOOD

[kitkat-the-muffin]

Parkour Civilization is a masterclass in plot-driven storytelling that rivals the character-driven storytelling of most SMPs

[crowchelmist]

Ok so it turns out there is a 30 tag limit on posts which I have discovered just now. Uhhh I may have gone overboard but also this fic is so good so I think it’s warranted. Idk where I was going with my last theory anymore but?? Something happened in the future and I need to know what

(Also Donnie’s comment abt giving an arm to study the kraang tech is both funny and worrying, I am now concerned abt how future Leo lost his arm and any bodily harm that occurred to Donnie, but also it sounds like Donnie is having a real Edward Elric moment which is funny to me)

Anyways I think everyone should read this because liathgray always kicks out of the park and the pay off is so worth it and this is so amazing already

https://archiveofourown.org/works/45064147/chapters/114259096

The ups and downs of connecting to alien technology: a dissertation by a purpble turtle

[asylumdream]

I'm currently eating chewing my way through In Stars And Time (good game if you liked undertale, omori, and/or radiant historia you might like this)

And I had the sickest idea

Major spoilers for like the entire game btw under the cut.

what was The King like before he did this? Because imagine, imagine the actual king of the island to the north of Vaugaurd. What if it was him? A man who forgot his entire country, entire populace. Beyond just living there he lived to Serve Them. Nobles Oblige, it’s his duty and lifes purpose to serve his people and he can't even remember them.

But of course we don't know if The King even was the king of the island to the north. It's easy to imagine he was just a random citizen driven mad by forgetting, but I want to imagine it could've been more then that. The king's cheif advisor in Wish Craft perhaps, desprate to remember and preserve the kindness hes shown since he can't even remember his leige. Desprate enough to Body Craft himseld into the fleeting pieces of his king's image, a larger then life shadow in his mind.

If that is who I've decided who The King is then imagine: Siffrin and their party in their travels are sent back in time. The lot of them. To before this country was erased. Of course Siffrin has relearning their culture to do, and everyone can meet this new land and discover why it was erased. How it was erased. They meet the king while he was traveling amoungst his subjects.... ohhh the dramatic ideas I have, the character designs I've got planned... big problem is I need to find out everything we know about the country to the north so I don't horribly contradict cannon and also somehow write something that justifys the plot but itd be cool right?

[thenamesblurrito]

assorted Transformers fics to rec (part 1...?)

i really do think fic recs are valuable to fandom so here’s a random collection of Transformers fics i like, with no particular theme. these were compiled by frantically googling half-remembered bits to try and find the only ones i remember reading years ago, and i know i’m missing some i’d like to include

EDIT: part 2 here!

A Prime Performance

TFP AU, incomplete, AO3. Megatron is an actor in a children’s show. this is just as hilarious as you think it is. some slowburn MegOp. i love all the easter eggs and references and the way this in-universe show is created and run?? it’s fascinating

All Roads Lead to Rome

no set continuity/vaguely Bayverse, oneshot, AO3. a huge robot warrior like Sunstreaker is odd enough in modern times, just imagine him in ancient Rome. extremely interesting premise to me i love this bit and would love more. warning for typical crass patriarchal expectations for women in marriage but nothing actually explicit

Another Gate

Bayverse, complete multichap, FFN. whatever Sam is now, it isn’t human. some REAL good body horror, friendship, and alien strangeness ooooo

Bodies (break)

IDW, oneshot, AO3. Ultra Magnus goes to therapy and Rung is something wrong. oooooooghhghghhf i LOVE when people lean into the oddness and creepiness of the local god

Brave New World

fan canon, ongoing webcomic, TFW05. a spin on BW among other things, following Rodimus Prime’s crew of beastformers as they face down an assortment of bad guys and mysteries. LOVE this canon guys i LOVE it, very very good beast mode choices, very heartfelt and very funny, i also love seeing the art progression over the years. lovely webcomic here

Burn a hole in the old grip of the familiar

TFP, complete multichap, AO3, NSFW near the end. it’s focused on Ultra Magnus/reader but the first half of this fic is probably my favorite. the overwhelm and incredulity the reader character grapples with for awhile, i feel like it’s pretty realistic for someone who’s been shoved into a weird new world. DEFINITELY did Breakdown dirty though. has sequels that i haven’t read

dares for the first time

G1, oneshot, AO3. lovely little take on a G1 Guiding Hand that makes me feel things

Dog of Law

IDW, complete multichap, AO3. the Lost Light crew don’t find Minimus in Tyrest’s cells, they find a small green turbofox. lovely character driven piece here and honestly i just really like when his canonical turbofox alt is used i think it’s a shame we never got it in the story proper

First Contact

IDW, incomplete, AO3. listen it’s only a little bit written but i am OBLIGATED to post isekai/modern girl in Middle Earth/falling into fiction type of stories and i really liked the setup for this one okay! i love isekai and this was the only one i could remember to track down

Grey Is The Night

Batman/vaguely IDW crossover, complete multichap, AO3. there’s a new police car in Gotham, and it’s up to no good. listen i don’t even do DC stuff but Batman meeting Prowl here is done MARVELOUSLY ohhh i love this very much, the plot is GOOD, and i bet folks who actually like DC will love it even more

Hazard Light

IDW, oneshot, AO3. a hanahaki take on Brainstorm/Perceptor that i actually like, despite not usually enjoying hanahaki at all, with some nice Cybertronian biology too

How to Save the World in 8 Minutes and 3 Seconds

vaguely G1/continuity soup, oneshot, AO3. how does Prowl save a species, with blocked communications, no visuals, and a short time limit? why, he just keeps an eye on social media of course! a lil dark and fun and clever

In Media Bellum

TFP, incomplete, AO3. human reader is caught up with Team Prime in a delightful exploration of culture and introspection and found family. no shipping but masterful platonic relationship work! it feels... idk relaxed? caring? i love the tone of this writing

Juxtaposition

vaguely G1, complete multichap, FFN (also on AO3 but never finished crossposting). a human OC gets in a car accident and starts hearing voices in her head, unknowingly saving a Cybertronian’s life, even if it’s in a very atypical manner. love this OC, love the whole premise here and the exploration of an alien reality from a human POV. no shipping, if that’s not ur thing

Lost Light/Rodimus

IDW, oneshot, Tumblr. the ship comes to life and has something important to ask Rodimus. i love this concept it’s very good, very intriguing

Magnus Carey

IDW, oneshot, AO3. Verity teaches Minimus about Christmas. short and sweet, i love their friendship

My Totally Real Mary Sue Husband Who Lives Back On Cybertron

TFA, oneshot, AO3, Dratchet. “Ratchet offhandedly mentions he's conjunxed. Bumblebee refuses to believe him. Hijinks ensue.” funny and in character and sweet

Mythbusters Season Nine Interlude: The Autobot Special

G1/Mythbusters crossover, oneshot, AO3. busting some myths AND some Decepticons! it just keeps getting better and better the further you read. i laughed out loud so many times, and cheered at recognizing so many classic Mythbusters bits, and i will get on my hands and knees to beg for a Dirty Jobs sequel these shows were my CHILDHOOD

Patronus

TFP, twoshot, AO3. Megatron has teatime with Rung, who... is not a normal bot. more good good Rung being something wrong

Property Of

Bayverse, incomplete, FFN. when Sam and Mikaela meet Bumblebee, it isn’t as an Autobot scout, but rather as a new owner of these recently discovered organic animals called “humans”. a very well done human pet fic that doesn’t veer into psychological torture or boundary crossing or anything (sorry if that’s your jam) and while it’s incomplete i still love what’s there, especially as the kids learn how to communicate their personhood to an ignorant Bee

Rules to Follow When Making First Contact

continuity soup/fan canon, ongoing series, AO3. listen i know many folks aren’t here for the human characters but i LOVE all the humans here they are each characterized so well and i love seeing how its been blended together across canons. this is a very clever, very engaging setup with a very grounded presence for alien robots that hits in ALL the right places for me. AUTOBOTS LEARNING ENGLISH YALL!!! YES!!! very good very good

Scrimscrim

TFP....... sort of, incomplete, AO3. what do you do when you end up with a Starscream toy brought to life? this is a hilarious premise with good characterization, a lovely human OC, a ridiculous situation handled very realistically, and generally good fun to read. reverse isekai is perhaps more of a favorite of mine than isekai!

SG Prime

TFP SG au, ongoing webcomic, own website and DA. REALLY REALLY COOL YALL. fantastic designs and inclusions and expanding on TFP lore and making very interesting SG dynamics and just. excellent.

TFP Wheeljack in TFA

TFP/TFA crossover, ongoing series of posts, Tumblr. i LOVE crossovers, i will kill and die for crossovers, and this is one of the few i’ve been able to find! there’s enough posts under that tag that i haven’t been able to read them all but what i did see is GOOD

The Echo Garden

IDW/TFP crossover, incomplete, AO3. Soundwave gets picked up by the Lost Light. okay i am a SUCKER for crossovers as previously stated and this one is Good. leans fully into being a crossover and expounding on the differences between universes. Soundwave needs to figure out what to do with himself! also features some delightful slowburn SoundRod and a lovely ensemble cast. Toaster is the best

The One Where The Decepticons Are The Good Guys

TFP SG au, incomplete, AO3. i’m not typically a fan of Shattered Glass stuff but this doesn’t feel terribly OOC or completely upended or alien to the original plot, i think this is done very well and i can’t wait for more

Transformers Recovery: Primal Launch

fan canon, complete multichap, AO3. it’s like the Lost Light but weirder, i don’t even know how to convey its awesomeness. VERY funny, VERY cool, Sky Lynx is there, Swerve is important, Riptide is such a good bot, Megatron exists, just all good things here. treat yourself and read this it’s such a delight

Twenty-Five to Life

vaguely IDW, oneshot, AO3. Starscream/Minimus soulmate au that makes me wheeze when i read it because it it so painfully in character and hilarious oh my god i am CRYING laughing by the time i finish it. petty criminal Starscream, noble Minimus, oil and water. gets raunchy but nothing explicit with an NSFW sequel

Under Control Till You’re In Front Of Me

G1, oneshot, AO3. i need more people to join the Shockwave/Moonracer ship please please it’s good

Xenoethnography

canon soup/based in TFP, ongoing series, AO3. a more hard scifi take on Transformers from the POV of an anthropologist hired to study them. y’all, THIS IS GOOD. seriously if there’s one fic out of all of these i could keep, it’d be this one, it’s just so so good ugh. ugh i love it i need to catch up with it again

[maidragoste]

hello! i hope your day has been well!!

its me again, I've come to rant....

this show has driven me to the point of insanity and not in a good way. its the common cause of bad writing good scenery. like the writers focused more on the surroundings and costumes and hair then the actual plot and the actual writing and dialect that needs to take place.

aemond is actually a crazy man, like not him forcing everyone to march to the riverlands knowing daemon resides there instead of trying to garner other areas that could go head to head with them OR instead of getting more men. also not him putting alicent in her place because she helped create the patriarchal environment so now she has to deal with the fact she's raised horrible men.

also if aemond is that way with his mother, imagine if he had a wife?? i'd be scared for her. like alicent needs to slap him because i would lowkey. she slapped aegon so much as a kid, she forgot to slap aemond to keep his ego at ground level.

daemon having hallucinations for a tenth millionth episode is too much for me bro, like he needs more help than i do. like he's actually crazy and not him thinking it was simon doing it when its alys.

also alys having to give daemon life lessons is crazy to me. like thank goodness shes like 100 stuck in a young body because her wisdom must prevail and she looks young so people will listen ish.

not rhaenyra kissing mysaria like what is actually happening?? like too many heart to hearts, like they're good, but what do they add??

aemond wanting to actively kill everyone is beyond me like he's the real villain. like he doesnt care about the small folk and parades dragon heads like he's at a festival like he would make a bad ruler. i'm starting to think he's maegor the cruel not even with teats just maegor the cruel lol. like he is on a kinslaying spree.

aegon was even scared of aemond though he claims not to remember im sure he does and didn't want aemond to know because he knows his brother would kill him to silence him. like if the maester didn't walk in...

alicent realizing her dad is the only one who gave her power is wild and gwayne inadvertently telling her she failed as a mom was tier like she lowkey did in a way bro. like daeron is kind because he didn't grow up with your kids and your nonsense. like idk how helaena is even surviving because poor girl.

this whole show is so bad, but i have to watch to the end type of bad like it's not like i read the books yet to make the comparison so i'm not like uh "ohhh but in the book!!" like these are general observations that anyone can make about the show. it's not good and if i was the author of the book...i'd be a little pressed at all the fillers and them saying there's gonna be a 3rd season when this one has too many fillers....

sorry for the entire essay, and thank you for being a good listener and active responder!!

hi anon, how are you?

I was late in responding because I am sick and I only saw the episode today hahaha

I think I didn't suffer so much with this episode because I read your ask first so I already knew what was coming xd

I feel like I shouldn't laugh but the comment that Alicent should have hit Aemond made me laugh a lot 😭😭

About the hallucinations, I'm glad I was right that there was going to be a hallucination with Viserys, but I can understand why so many hallucinations are getting boring, and I didn't like it so much that Viserys is saying dialogues that he already said in the first season. they could have invented something

I'M WITH YOU. I DON'T UNDERSTAND HOW DAEMON SUSPECTED SIMON STRONG. POOR LORD, HE NEVER DID ANYTHING TO HIM 😭😭

honestly i didn't expect to like alys but i like her dynamic with daemon

I don't know how to feel about the kiss, a part of me already saw a tension between them and I like that they confirmed rhaenyra as bisexual but I don't know how they are going to continue with this plot

I honestly don't know what to think of Aemond's writing anymore ☠️☠️ I feel like even the maester doesn't trust him

I loved the conversation about Daeron (I'm just a girl who gets excited at every mention of him). I felt sorry for Alicent, I really don't think Gwayne wanted to make her feel bad 🥺

My friend and I also thought that the show went bad (we also read the book) but we still continue watching it because we already started it and we want to see some things that are to come

Thank you for writing to me and I hope you are well 💖💖

[fazedlight]

20 Questions More

A deeper and more detailed version of the 20 questions for AO3 fanfic writers. Thanks @eqt-95 and @inkedroplets for the tag!!

1) How do you keep getting ideas for your ship/fandom?

Daydreaming. Writing fanfic is secondary to that. It was only in the past couple of years that it occurred to me that I could write some of it down and see what happens.

2) Which authors inspire you in your fandom, and why are they so freakishly good?

@searidings is my absolute favorite, the way she unravels the characters' emotions and angst is absolutely superb.

3) Aside from the characters of your main ship, who are the characters you love to write?

Ohhh I really love this question:

Cat in Inauthentic, as well as this ficlet and this one. I love her sense of humor.

Lillian in Darkness in All Things. For the same reason as Cat, I just love her snark.

Zor-El in Even Though You're Kryptonian. He kind of surprised me when I started writing him, and to this day I don't know if some of his lines are driven by genuine confusion or if he's just trolling.

4) Are there pairings or tropes you know for sure you'd never write about? Which ones?

I'm a never-say-never kind of person. There's a lot that I don't think I would ever write, but I've been surprised on where stories have taken me before, and may be surprised again.

5) What is your writing process and why is it cursed?

"Process" might be an overstatement...

I have a "scribbles" doc where I keep my ideas. I cull ideas often (though ideas often make their way back anyway). As I write more into the doc, a certain idea may get too big for it, so I spin it out into its own doc.

From there, I kind of go back and forward between outlining and writing. I write completely out of order. Which is why, so often, my multichaps are almost fully drafted by the time I publish chapter 1. I've usually already made it to the resolution point of the plot (meaning, no one's in danger anymore, the bad guy is gone, etc), though the final chapter often doesn't get written until later.

6) What is your favorite part of your writing process?

I love when I've finished the first pass of a chapter/one-shot, and I'm in the editing stage. The story really feels like it's coming together at that point, and it's before all the self-doubt starts bubbling up (that hits hard just before posting).

7) What’s the weirdest thing you’ve had to research for a fic?

A friend of mine is a professor in astroparticle physics, so I spent a couple of hours asking him about quantum mechanics stuff. But only a small portion of that ended up being relevant to the fic and the rest was just for fun.

8) Is there a particular writing rule you struggle with (grammar, spelling, tense, reality in general)?

When I'm first sketching out a scene, about half the time I write in present tense (it feels more like I'm writing a play at that point sometimes), but I publish in past tense. So I end up needing to do a bunch of revisions 😭

Also TYPOS.

9) What was your hardest scene to write so far and why?

Fight scenes are ROUGH, man.

This is probably one of those answers I'll change every time depending what's at the top of my mind. But writing out a fight scene - like in Even Though You're Kryptonian, Darkness in All Things, or It's a Metallo Life - gets surprisingly difficult if there are more than 2 people.

I know exactly how I'd shoot those scenes if I had a camera crew, special effects, etc. But it's hard making sure the audience is aware of where everyone is positioned, why they can/can't act in the moment, etc.

10) Have your characters ever done something you didn’t expect, changing your plot completely?

All the fucking time, man. From the very beginning, even. I was trying to have Lena still be angry by the DEO scene in So I Kept Pretending, but that didn't make sense anymore.

I actually recently had a fic idea dissolve because it wasn't vibing with the characters. Which is fine, it became a ficlet instead!

11) If you could converse with any of the characters, who would it be and why?

Absolutely Kara. I have so many questions about kryptonian culture and how it drives her character.

12) What are some of the tropes or themes that you find yourself returning to in your writing?

Trope-wise, I definitely return to the Rift again and again. I find themes around forgiveness and understanding to be really interesting. Can two good-hearted people with conflicting needs hurt each other while still loving each other? How? What does that mean for the aftermath?

I think that's part of what draws me to supercorp - the complexity of their relationship. How they can both be right, and both be wrong, and love each other enough to rebuild from the ashes.

13) What's your most important resource as a writer?

Coffeeshops and libraries. Getting into slightly busy, cozy environments, out of the house, really helps shake loose the stuff in my head.

14) Can you share some of your strategies for editing and revising your work?

Especially for longer works, I tend to put the work down (and circle to other works, or go outside, or whatever) before coming back to it. It helps to step away for a bit - it's easier to pick up on repetitiveness or unclear passages when coming back.

Though I always find mistakes in my stories much later, so I'm not sure I'm one to give advice on this anyway 🤣

15) Which is worse: making the summary, picking the tags, or the anxiety when you post your fic?

Posting anxiety is the absolute worst. If I leave myself in front of my computer I'll end up refreshing constantly waiting for the first kudos (if it's a one-shot or first chapter) or the first comment (if it's a later chapter) to figure out if I've accidentally pissed off everyone in the fandom somehow.

Luckily, my partner will usually pull me away to go on a walk or grab lunch or do something else to take my mind off it 💗

16) How do you define success for your fanfic - hits? Kudos? Comments? Bookmarks? Or just if you like it?

I only publish what I like. Sometimes I'm nervous that other people won't like it, but I will always like it. Stories that aren't going a way I like - even if I think the idea is cool! - will dissolve. Just recently I dissolved one that felt like it was a cool idea, but it didn't make enough sense for the characters.

Kudos and comments always make me feel appreciated as an author!! Sometimes I'll get a user subscriber out of it, too, and it feels like an honor that someone would want to hear from me more than once.

The thing that feels most precious, though, is when someone comments on how something made them feel (I love making people laugh at my dumb jokes, or cry when a story is supposed to hit emotionally), or when they pick up on something that I wasn't sure would get picked up on.

I tend to lean towards understatement in my stories. For me, the biggest success is knowing that someone recognized what I was going for, without me being overt.

17) Do you have a playlist for your favorite character/ship?

Alas, I don't. But given that Kara is canonically a Britney Spears fan and musicals nerd, I feel like my default playlist works 🤣

18) If fan art was going to be made from your work, which fic would you pick and which fan artist would you like to create it?

Oh gosh, I don't want to pick someone and create pressure, or not pick someone and make them feel bad. This fandom has so many great artists!

That said, some of my favorites do commissions, you can see everything I've commission here.

19) How many WIPs do you currently have?

1 supercorp & 1 rojarias (for @supergirlmayhem)

For me, 2-3 is my happy number, so I'm relieved to be down to this after being so high (I think up to 11?) for so long.

20) What's your advice to new fanfic writers?

If you're wondering why you can't find that story you want, it might mean that you're the one to write it 💗

- - - - -

Tagging (respectfully and without pressure) @rustingcat @luthordamnvers @sssammich @tinyvariations @thatonebirdwrites @theredcapeofk @sideguitars @luthordamnvers @mycatismyeditor @inkedroplets @nottawriter @snowydragonscave @jetgirl1832 if you want some rapid-fire q's thrown your way. But also anyone who'd like to do this!

[florbexter]

Ohhh! What is The Sign about? Is that one guy from Secret crush on you?

Hi!

I'm going to put the summary of MyDramaList on here because tbh I know very little about the actual plot of The Sign, just that it seems to be an action-driven supernatural romance thingie. Reincarnation, crime, and Thai folklore seem to be mixed into it as well.

And yes, one of the main characters is Billy, who played Nuea in scoy. The production company Idol Factory is the same.

It will air on November 25th uncut on Youtube and I saw an interview with Saint who said it will maybe be around 12/13 episodes, but they are not sure as they still have some filming to do.

Here is the summary:

For as long as Tharn can remember, he's had premonitions about those around him, sensing both the good and the bad. Partners on a team of special investigators, when kind and cheerful Tharn met clever and charming Phaya, it felt as though they'd known each other for a long time.

[memethebum]

Finally got chapter 10 of A Sealed Prey out!!!

This one is a lot more plot-driven and has Soul and Maka getting teased by literally everyone lol

———————————————————————

Maka sipped on her tea and immediately grimaced at how cold it had become from her lack of attention.

How did I even get stuck in such a situation she thought while gazing at the library clerk, who had introduced himself as Harvar De Eclair, as he sat on the other side of the counter and gripped the teapot with a small piece of cloth.

“Would you like more?” he suddenly asked the woman, causing her to clumsily shift in her seat before offering up a stifled giggle.

“Yes, i-if it wouldn’t be any trouble,” she added while feeling a small sense of warmth trickle into her hands after the man filled up her cup to the brim.

“It’s no trouble. We may not have a stove in here, but the fireplace works just as well for brewing tea,” Harver explained, prompting Maka to give him a nod in gratitude while she raised the cup to her lips.

However, the woman couldn’t help but succumb into a feeling of distress at the fact that she was waiting on Ox Ford to come back after Harver ran him out of the library to “get them some breakfast” and “bring their guest something to eat with her tea” as well.

“He’ll probably be here any minute now,” the man then added while giving Maka a small smile, not knowing that it’d cause her to become even more anxious about the situation she was in.

It can’t be this hard to come up with an excuse to leave Maka thought as she clutched her teacup in desperation.

The woman’s heart then skipped a beat when the door suddenly opened, causing her to slowly turn around and find that fate seemed to be cutting her some slack today.

“Sorry it took so long,” Soul chuckled while idly rubbing the back of his neck.

Maka practically jumped out of her seat and towards him, probing her partner’s eyes to dilate in suprise.

“No it’s fine! You hair looks…really nice,” Maka answered, not knowing why she’d stuttered around the last past of her statement.

“Uh-thanks,” the man stammered out, causing her eyes to scan the dull rush of red that had spread throughout both his cheeks.

“I’m actually back this time Harv,” they heard a voice exclaim from outside as Maka felt her breath hitch within her throat.

Ox Ford then appeared from around Soul and let out a hum in confusion, only for it to be disregarded once he caught glimpse of Maka.

“Oh, I forgot Albarn had shown up here. Although, I’m not sure why someone who acts so high and mighty would turn up in the middle of nowhere out of all places,” he added before dropping the bag of baked goods he’d been carrying onto the counter.

“I could ask the same thing of you Ox. Did you finally realize your worth and go running off without telling anyone?” Maka taunted while feeling her heart shatter once realizing what she’d said.

“No, unlike someone , I’m completing an apprenticeship here and graduating a bit early. It’s really a such a shame -“ Ox then mocked as he pulled out a cookie from the bag and then bit into it.

Shame. That’s probably the first thing they all think once seeing me the woman mentally lamented before setting her jaw into a scowl.

“It gets quite boring when there’s no one to pick a fight with. Although, it’s also sort of pathetic to have your rival turn into a flimsy little maid who was too softhearted to even put up a proper fight-“

“SHUT UP! LIKE YOU FUCKING KNOW ANYTHING OX!” Maka then shouted before reaching back to grab Soul’s hand, who flinched from the sudden touch.

“Ohhh, are you and your boyfriend going to leave without eating anything?” Ox sang from behind the woman, causing her to suppress her seething tears while pulling the library door open and dragging Soul out with her.

[wildernessuntothemselves]

read the fics i like from whatever fandom it doesn't matter and just imagine it's gyu instead lmao

oh my god, i do that too!! but i take it a step further and copy/paste into a doc to quickly change the names then i carry on reading 😂

sad though, i really enjoy sub!gyu fics and im just desperate for plot driven ones...or at least oneshots?

ohhh that's such a good idea! but i only read on mobile so i can't really do that (i mean i can but it would be more of a hassle)

i knooooowwwww. but hey there are a few great writers popping up every now and then

[mejomonster]

Watching Enterprise, from the get go its obviously inspired by the Kirk Spock McCoy trifecta. Archer is a middle balanced leader like Kirk, McCoy and Trip are more emotionally driven in the sense of heart on their sleeve, T'Pol and Spock represent logic. Now of course this oversimplifies: Archer is not as good at balancing in some ways, Spock is a lot more emotional at times, Trip does not make as emotion-based decisions as McCoy. But overall, I think that 3 person balance from TOS is what Enterprise was trying to recreate.

I think initially, Archer/T'Pol was explored because its a straight Kirk/Spock dynamic, so easier to explore canonically and go more in depth with. Now, ultimately (from what I've seen into season 3 so far) the show didn't have Archer/T'Pol become a romantic couple. So it actually turned out quite similar to Kirk/Spock in terms of what was explicitly explored: different species and people with different values learning to become a solid leadership team and close partners who trust each other deeply. (And of course, again, these characters arent exact matchups to the TOS counterparts so a platonic matchup in Archer/TPol compared to what i interpret as romantic subtext with spock/kirk makes sense, given they are their own unique characters).

Then, Enterprise decided to explore their McCoy/Spock dynamic equivalent, Trip/T'Pol. Which is a bit wild to me, just someone deciding "ohhh we have Bones and Spock type roles, can we put them in a romance?" Its fun. I get the desire to try it out. And its also interesting for its unique new elements: T'Pol is only vulcan and culturally has no reference for humans (unlike Spock) and way more social pressures to Push Humans away (her bosses constantly insist her choices are Wrong, despite her finding personal value in working on Enterprise and valuing the things shes accomplishing). Trip is part of this earlier starfleet that is not yet used to other species, but he's very open to learning (despite his emotional reactions he was open to the woman who got him pregnant, the cogenitor, the high monarch, and despite complaints about tpol's attitude he's willing to keep extending her olive branches and sharing cultural information in the hopes she'll explain from her side, and communicates concerns to her about misunderstandings). Trip is Very willing to learn and adjust to new species (in a way McCoy maybe wouldnt immediately work as hard at if flirting with an alien in terms, even though he'd still care). For Trip and T'Pol, the idea of a relationship between species is SO unheard of from T'Pols end, and very much something Trip is open to considering on his end - while also being still quite brand new to human culture.

I just saw the episode where Trip mentions people were gossiping about why he spends time at T'Pols late at night, concerned people will think they're hookingup, and TPol says its no one else's business if they are. And its just... ues, on one level of course I see the writers Trying to push this romantic tension to see if it will work. But on the other hand, I do think it works. (I think in a perfect world lol, it could have worked in a less contrived way, as simply putting them together in random scenes would have also served fine to develop a romance, possibly that wouldve felt more natural than this neuropressure reason). I do think this neuropressure plot reason, while a bit overtly forced (the writers didnt need a half naked intimate forced daily situation to create chemistry and development), does work for them. The characters themselves are simply treating it platonically, Trip being helped because TPol does wish to help and considers him a friend. Trip being himself and open to other culture's experiences/knowledge, and using it as an opportunity to (as he has been) offer TPol olive branches as thanks (and because he always has tried to become her friend), such as continuing to invite her to movies, to give her peaches (a big gesture honestly), to massage her too.

And so their friendship feels to be becoming more solid, which is in character. And its of course in character, for Trip to be concerned for TPol - to make sure SHE is okay with them being half naked, to make sure SHE isnt burdened with helping him and actually Wants to help and isnt irritated by the time of hers occupied, wants to make sure she KNOWS gossip has started and tells him how she would like him to respond. Hed be happy to stop their meetups if she wants to, to stop it if she doesnt want the gossip or her time taken up by him. So her assuring him that she does not mind, and wants to continue, is very comforting to Trip. 1. Because he wants her to be okay, and 2. Because she's assuring him that she does genuinely value their time spent together helping him/receiving his trades in return, enough that she doesn't care about outside consequences. He feels like she values him, and its not just obligation. He feels assured shes comfortable and would say something if she wasnt, which hes often unsure of (since she Lovessss to bottle her own discomfort and not mention how irritated she sometimes is).

I like trip/tpol being explored and I'm excited to see where it goes. They do mesh extremely well together as characters interacting.

[incesthemes]

final thoughts: supernatural season 4

well, i finished season 4. i did NOT finish the word search i was working on as i watched the last 3 episodes lol

i think what i'm most surprised about is how little i remember season 4 from my first watch a decade ago. i remembered nearly every episode of season 1, then a good majority of seasons 2 and 3. but somehow, nearly everything in season 4 blindsided me, to the point where i was considering the things i read on the wiki "spoilers" (lmao??)

i like what s4 had to offer, though i'm a little disappointed in the slight lack of tension. it felt like there were more "filler" episodes this season—not because there were, not really, since the plots always managed to circle back and relate to the overarching plot, and i don't think there were particularly more filler-ish episodes this season compared to the first three. i think it's because the stakes were so much higher as we approach the apocalypse, and the brothers do often voice my own thoughts in some of these episodes: why are they taking a detour now when they should be averting the apocalypse?

i don't necessarily think this was a mad thing, though. it seems very intentional, both from a writing standpoint and of course in-universe, since the angels were orchestrating the rise of lucifer. it all came together in the end, even if it felt somewhat meandering. perhaps what might have resolved this dissonance may have been a little more foreshadowing: introducing zachariah earlier, maybe, or giving the audience more of a reason not to trust ruby outside of dean's prejudices.

i think the ruby thing is very important, actually. because season 3 spent a lot of time painting demons in a variety of colors and shades, so the audience becomes inclined to believe that demons can be "good" and dean is, let's face it, kind of irrational when it comes to his us vs them mentality. thus we become distrustful of dean's judgment, even if he's right. him being right feels more coincidental than intuitive, and there isn't all that much to say otherwise. i think if season 4 had put in a little more work to break up that inherent distrust of dean's feelings, that could have really done a lot for the season as a whole.

i feel like this might not be a super common sentiment in the fandom, but i was actually surprised at how little shipbait there actually was in this season. which i suppose speaks volumes to how the first 3 seasons were more than anything—the wincest in s1-3 was absolutely unhinged. i guess i'd forgotten at how slow the destiel really started, and at the same time there was a wedge being driven between dean and sam. i remember how chummy dean and cas are in later seasons, so i was expecting them to jump right into it, and that did end up taking me by surprise. it's not as if this show is particularly subtle with its bait lol.

overall i think it was a pretty good season. i got sidetracked early on by a feverish need to read fanfiction(??? it happens from time to time) so it took me a bit longer than i was anticipating, but i liked what it was trying to do and i thought it was mostly successful at it. i think the big "OHHH" moment at the end which explained why dean and sam kept getting sent on wild goose chases, why uriel was helping alastair, why cas was so on the fence between helping and hindering—it really helped settle a lot of my reservations toward the season. zachariah was a good "invisible" antagonist. i still wish he'd been introduced earlier, not necessarily to the winchesters but to the audience at least. yknow, foreshadowing. give more pieces of hte puzzle to work with instead of dumping out the whole box at the last minute.

anyway, this just leaves one more season until i hit my goal. i'm pleasantly surprised that i'm still going strong, too! i had forgotten that i did genuinely enjoy the first 5 seasons of this show, and i'm glad i'm getting this refresher, especially now that i can appreciate better what it's doing since i'm 10 years older. still not sure what i'll do once i finish season 5—maybe i'll continue? i'm still thinking about it. but i'd like to sandwich another show in between before i make that jump at the very least (i'm currently debating between hannibal and the terror).

welp, onto season 5⸻!

[good-enemy]

RULES: answer all questions, add one question of your own and tag as many people as there are questions.

I was tagged by @ace0clubs (thank you!!)

coke or pepsi: coke

disney or dreamworks: dreamworks has objectively better movies but unfortunately i am a disney girlie

coffee or tea: coffee, tea tastes like sadness

books or movies: Both tbh but books are easier to concentrate on so we'll go with books

windows or mac: Windows

dc or marvel: same as question 2 honestly lmao dc is objectively better but i just love marvel <3

x-box or playstation: neither

dragon age or mass effect: idk what either of them are

night owl or early riser: permanently exhausted pigeon gang rise up

cards or chess: i like both but we'll go with cards, theres more variation in what u can play & i am not very good at chess

chocolate or vanilla: ice cream ? if its ice cream then vanilla everything else then chocolate

vans or converse: both are cool but i am a converse girlie

Lavellan, Trevelyan, Cadash, or Adaar: whomst

fluff or angst: angst if it has a happy ending

beach or forest: Forest

dogs or cats: dogs (but i also love cats <3)

clear skies or rain: clear skies please god as a british person please god clear skies

cooking or eating out: eating out is so fun <3 and i can just about cook beans on toast so yknow

spicy food or mild food: spiceeee

halloween/samhain or solstice/yule/christmas: merry crisis

would you rather forever be a little too cold or a little too hot: A little too hot

if you could have a superpower, what would it be: teleportation, how much easier would travelling be ? no airports, no accomodation, no transport, would never have to drive or take the bus or whatever, also whenever i wanted something from the kitchen and couldnt be arsed moving i could just teleport in and out OHHH You could teleport into concerts and shit

animation or live action: either i guess but i prob watch more live action stuff

paragon or renegade: hm? renegade by paramore only song ever?

baths or showers: Shower

team cap or team ironman: they were literally both right their arguments were not mutually exclusive

fantasy or sci-fi: Fantasy

do you have three or four favourite quotes, if so what are they: probably but i cant remember them off the top of my head lmao

youtube or netflix: YouTube

harry potter or percy jackson: ive never read/watched percy jackson but percy jackson wins by default

when do you feel accomplished: when my family are proud of me

star wars or star trek: I havent seen either but i know more about star wars also baby yoda c3po and r2d2 my beloveds

paperback books or hardcover books: paperback, hardcover is way too painful (i wanna preorder the button house archives so bad but the only physical option is hardback ? why)

to live in a world without literature or without music?: Without literature, sorry to all my favourite books but if i went even one day without music i might actually die

who was the last person to make you laugh? uhhh probably either a post on here or a post on instagram

city or countryside? city unfortunately its what im used to and the countryside just has way too many sheep staring into my soul for my comfort

favorite chips? this prob means crisps so im gonna go with mccoys ridged thai sweet chili chicken they are literally divine but bc im annoying like that i will also tell u the best chips are mccains for at home wetherspoons for eating out

pants or dresses? Pants

libraries or museums? museums (i always get overwhelmed by the options in a library and end up reading the most random shitty book ever or something ive already read lmao)

character driven stories or plot driven stories? plot

bookmarks or folding pages? folding the pages down i can never remember where i put bookmarks

Dream job?: *ideal* job is something to do with psychological research but my actual dream job is author/actor/director/singer (yes all of them at the same time lmfao. im gonna write direct and act in my own tv show and there will be a musical episode or 10)

What gives you comfort? music, my family and nice food :)

What are you currently having brain-rot levels of interest over? ghosts, good omens, starkid/hatchetfield, hozier and maisie peters (my brain is rotting quite severely atm)

(added question) What is your current favourite song?

absolutely no chance im tagging 45 people so i will just tag @wtnytv @colifower @bodybetters @cascadeoceanwave @deweyduck @antoniosvivaldi @everysummers @sylvielaufeyz @antlerqueer @taoargents @finalgirlsidney @cobbbvanth @barrowsteeth and @cmorris-art and call it a day ahaha

[ourflagmeansgayrights]

OH GOD OH FUCK. OHHH FUCKING GOD. OKAY OKAY OKAY. OKAY

the man the myth the legend the self-proclaimed slut Contessa O'Fucking Neill said that he thinks izzy is too emotionally immature to identify his emotions towards ed as love, AND that his feelings about stede are like the childish possessive feelings he got when his older brothers stole his friends away

y'all. y'all.

who else do we know that has a hard time identifying that they're in love with ed???? hmmmm????????? who else spends the whole season bending their entire world around this man but still just thinks it's bc they're good buddies??????? anyone????????????

STEDE FUCKING BONNET, THAT'S WHO!!!!

ouhghhghg fuck. ohh FUCK the similarities are so fuckingggg tasty to me. the way they both want to spend as much time with ed as possible. the way they try both to keep ed near them with convoluted plots instead of just, Telling Ed They Want To Hang Out With Him (stede with his treasure hunt, izzy with his... uh. trying to kill stede thing). oughguhfhjfgjj the fact that that neither of them realize they want ed carnally. im going INSANE!!!!

and aside from the fact that stede actually recognizes his feelings by the end of the season, the crucial difference—the thing that makes this delicious fucking feast of a comparison go from yummy to mind-blowing, the salt sprinkled on top of the caramel—is that stede thinks he makes ed worse and izzy thinks he makes ed better

stede, when faced with the idea that his presence might be hurting ed, immediately removes himself from ed's life. even though he wants to be near him, he wants to go to china and make the most out of this one life. there are other reasons that he goes back, sure (guilt about abandoning his family, trauma of seeing a man accidentally die a gruesome death right in front of him), but all of those reasons are things he's been dealing with since the beginning of the show. the idea that he's driven History's Greatest Pirate to ruin is the straw that broke stede bonnet's back.

but izzy. izzy won't even consider that his actions could hurt ed. literally nothing matters to izzy, not his own physical wellbeing, not stooping so low as to get help from the fucking british, not even ed's actual feelings, as long ed continues to be everything that izzy worships and as long as izzy gets to be the most important person in ed's life.

and ohhhh my god it's so good bc they're both fucking wrong!!!!!!!! stede is not "ruining" ed, and izzy is not "protecting" ed or whatever he thinks he's doing. more importantly tho, IT IS NOT THEIR JOB TO DECIDE WHAT'S BEST FOR ED. rather than fucking talking to him, listening to what ed wants, they make decisions about ed's life without ed's input or consent!!! they're BOTH emotionally immature white men who are acting on their own emotional impulses without really considering how their actions and behavior will affect other people. by the end of the season stede is starting to get some fucking character growth in this area, but stede and izzy have a long way to go if they're gonna get happy endings by the time this show hits its finale

[khytal]

Would you mind elaborating on how you think stories in games are declining?

yeah I can do that I talked about it a little on twitter the other night

to start I just want to mention that this is based on the games I've played recently, so if you're thinking "well [this game] had a great story" I probably. didn't play it, or plan to sometime

also this is just an observation I'm making about myself. it's not very organized i'm typing this up at 5am

so this is about how good ghost trick's story is. as in so good, the feeling of finishing a game with no questions about anything significant was entirely foreign to me; and it may be the only game to ever make me feel like that for a long time

frankly I don't know if I just chose the wrong new games to play this year, or if it's the whole "sequels are generally worse than the original" thing, or if I've gotten picky about stories, or all of the above (probably all of the above and then some) but ghost trick made me realize I haven't played a single story-driven game (released in 2022) where I came out of the credits satisfied

just "...huh. ok. that's it then I guess"

however, I played a number of older titles where I was like "ohhh that was so good. wow" and was overall happy with the experience

but it's not really just limited to 2022; a lot of the games I played in 2021 too were lacking and/or didn't stick the landing in their stories

these include: p5 strikers (though I played that for the combat so I enjoyed it), ntwewy, lost judgment, nirvana initiative, and xenoblade 3 (this is a weird one bc I didn't dislike it but I didn't feel very strongly opinionated about it when I finished the game)

(tales of arise had several issues but I actually liked the ending a lot so it's an exception)

and then. there are some games I played that weren't story-driven, but had an interesting premise and just. dropped it completely somewhere along the way, or half-assed the explanations: monster hunter rise, world's end club, and smt5

rise is only here bc I thought the thing with the elder dragons speaking through the twins was really cool. and then it turned out to be nothing. but this leads into one of my points: that a lot of games are being released unfinished so players are compelled to buy dlc promising new story content for the loose threads that weren't wrapped up in the base game. and sometimes it still doesn't cover everything important that's missing

although rise doesn't count bc we got the rest of the story in free updates, it WAS literally unfinished at launch. extra content being released in paid dlc has been discussed by plenty of other people though (I just think it's one of the more significant factors contributing to why stories have felt. lacking) so. moving on

my big takeaway after playing ghost trick was that I had grown accustomed to stories that just. have the most slap-a-bandaid-on-it-and-call-it-good endings/explanations ever. I was used to being disappointed (in a "well that was a letdown" way, not an "I'm gonna miss this" way) when the credits rolled. I picked up games that promised a good story and expected important plot lines to never be addressed, because it's happened SO many times

in other words, gt caught me off guard because there was an entirely reasonable answer to every potential question I had. it's like when someone shuts your argument down so completely that you're speechless

this has also been discussed by others but I think being too hypercritical of little things/refusing to suspend disbelief is a "harmful" mindset to have. if you keep actively trying to nitpick something so you can go "I knew it!! this SUCKS" then of course you're going to be hard-pressed to find a "perfect" piece of media

and while I consider myself someone who's fully willing to go "okay, sure" in the moment, I've been exposed to so many posts that read so deeply into something incredibly minor that now I can't help but raise an eyebrow at things I never would've given a second thought to before,,,,,whenever that started

so I guess my other point here is that it feels like a lot of people don't let themselves enjoy stories when the plot gets a little nonsensical at times, or just get super hung up on the flaws. there's a difference between a game with an ending that's so bad you never want to play it again, and a game that was mostly solid but This One Negligible Thing absolutely ruined it for you

and I'm not trying to tell anyone what to enjoy or how to enjoy it but I think people could stand to not focus on the negatives so much, because it makes some stories seem a lot worse than they. actually are

xenoblade 3 is currently kind of getting this treatment (or it's at least pretty divisive from what I can tell), but some of it is actually warranted criticism while the rest of it is a lack of media literacy/not picking up on the show-don't-tell

anyway TL;DR ghost trick is the most complete game, story-wise, that I've ever played. I can't compare any other game to it bc it's on an entirely different level, but at the same time I now know what it feels like to finish a game wholly satisfied with its conclusion. and writers should put more care into the stories they've crafted for their games, particularly if they've been planning it for multiple years (though I'm aware that time constraints/pressure from higher-ups/other variables like that are detrimental to the creative process)

[cocogukkie]

Anneyong chingu❤

Could you recommend some interesting kdramas that

Have a good plot

Keep you on your toes

Do not let you down

Do not bore you to death

Basically make you think and wonder what will happen next.

I hope you are doing well. Fighting 😘💜

hi! of course, tis but one of my favorite things to do. i’m not sure which genre you’re looking for exactly but i would love to give you a few of my favorites! 

if you're looking for something crime/mystery/thriller-ery, i would recommend: 

Flower of Evil 

flower of evil falls somewhere halfway between a thriller/mystery and a melodrama and it. is. wonderful. the plot is excellent and keeps you on your toes, the character development is so so good and i personally really liked the ending. the angst is very real with this one and it brings me so much life. its a show that will definitely get the gears in your brain running trying to figure certain stuff out. this one is a great choice! 

He is Psychometric

my brain was running a mile a minute with this drama, i was trying to figure things out pretty much the whole first half. its also got some adorable romance in it, and the mystery aspect was done quite well and was sufficiently fucked up, (if you’re sensitive to triggers, this one might be a little iffy, especially towards the end so send me an ask if you’d like a list). i wholly enjoyed this and you might too

if you’re looking for something plot driven with a dash of romance, i recommend:

 Itaewon Class 

a classic methinks, the plot is wonderful, the characters have a lot of heart and flaws which only endears me to them even more and for a while you genuinely can’t really guess what choices they’re gonna end up making. the romance can be a bit iffy if you really hate *younger person under 19 likes an older person* thing but nothing romantic happens until both are fully grown adults. in fact the older person pushes the younger one away until they’re older. but its very engaging and i adored the couple, the overall story, and the ending! 

Pinocchio 

a whole throwback! i love this drama,,, like a lot. this is one of my absolute favorite lee jongsuk dramas. it follows these two characters who met each other as kids and grew up in the same family, continuing to live together until after college and everything. they want to become journalists to report the truth, both have their own specific reasons why reporting is so important to them. as the story unfolds, we see them solve and report stories while also finding solutions to personal problems that have plagued them for years! its so so so good, the character growth is great and the romance is beyond adorable. fair warning tho, this is an older kdrama so it can be a bit cliched and for the first couple eps, lee jongsuk will look absolutely goddamn ridiculous. i need you to do me a favor and look past it cause he will get a makeover and look much much better lmao.

if you’re looking for something with romance and character-driven with a great plot, i recommend: 

One Spring Night

ahhhh one of my comfort favorites. i’m a notorious re-watcher of my favorite shows and i’ve seen one spring night 4 times now. this is a character-driven show with one of the most precious, adorable couples who have chemistry overflowing in every minute they’re together. it follows a single father and woman trapped in a relationship as they meet and go through life together, overcoming prejudices, going through some hard times, and finding safety, love, and comfort in each other. this is a show with the softest bbys i adore with all my heart and i think you might love it too.

It’s Okay To Not Be Okay

ohhh how could i not mention another favorite show of all time for me. I mention this all the time and absolutely no one can stop me. its the goddamn best, every episode is so interesting and is driven by these incredible characters, both main and side. there's therapy and psychology woven in with some excellent melodrama and an amazing romance. the main leads are no your regular cookie cutter characters, they both have tons of issues and don’t expect to fix each other but look to help one another. they challenge each other out of their comfort zones and find a found family within each other. its also a slow burn! the bread to my butter. if you have happened to not have seen this, please do!! 

some honorable mentions (aka k-movies)

Midnight Runners 

this movie was so much fun! its a buddy cop movie, following these two cadets going through the police academy together and become best friends. they witness a kidnapping and do their absolute best to be heroes. this movie is incredibly funny, park seo joon and kang ha neul have excellent chemistry in this and play the balance of serious crime stuff, action scenes and stomachache inducing laughter really well. if you have a couple of hours to spare, this is a great movie to watch! 

The Witch: Part 1. The Subversion 

I had a grand ole time watching this movie, its thrilling, action-packed and has dope as fuck main leads. it follows this genius girl who escaped from a gov’t facility but lost her memories when she was little. she gets adopted by a sweet couple who live on farm and follows her life as some unexpected events and people suddenly crash into her life after she auditions for a music competition. i loooooveeed the action, its so so cool. the plot isn’t the most blow-your-mind-crazy but its very engaging and you will not be bored watching this. you will get sucked in and time will fly as your jaw drops at the cool fight scenes.

I hope this helps! let me know which ones you liked or didn't, i’d love to hear about it 

(if you wanted something similar to Vincenzo, check out Lawless Lawyer!) 

[transphilza]

it's really hard for me to cry cus i'm like emotionally stunted, but ngl... wilbur. he's like, So Much. he's such a grief driven character, everything he does and says just hits you differently. the button room monologue, him pleading his father to kill him, his talk with phil when he says he's never gonna get better. last stream when the screen went black and he's trying to reassure himself tubbo's gonna be ok, i was ready to Bawl. he's so lonely and can't even see he's not truly alone.

YEAAAA yes yes yes. Yes. yes. Yes. you get it

literally every word that leaves his mouth hits me like a punch to the stomach every single plot point is so thought out and is like. chemically engineered to make you incredibly emotional. he is so good and perfect ohhh cwilbur ohhhhh my beloved