#def has plotting potential if your interested

[fyrewalks]

so do i switch adri from an er nurse to a flight nurse?

[baoshan-sanren]

best cdramas I’ve watched since the last one of these posts in 2023 (and some I’m still looking forward to seeing)

A League of Nobleman (watch on WeTV VIP | watch on AppleTV | watch on Viki | watch on bilibili | watch on YouTube) Adapted from the novel "The Mystery of Zhang Guo" (张公案) by Da Feng Gua Guo (大风刮过) starring Jing BoRan, Song WeiLong, Hong Yao, Guo Cheng and Wang Duo. Definitely gay, but in like a very focused, we-have-a-mystery-to-solve way. Loved the acting and the plot; cannot believe people actually gave Song Weilong shit for his acting in this drama. He was aMAzing. The downside is that the editing grew progressively sloppier as the drama progressed, and although majority of the visuals were very satisfying, I never realized how crappy the quality of the light was until I tried gifing some of the scenes. The upside is Jing BoRan holding kittens. Enough Said. 7/10

The Blood of Youth (watch on Viki | watch on YouTube) Adapted from the novel "Shao Nian Ge Xing" (少年歌行) by Zhou Mu Nan (周木楠) starring Li HongYi, Liu XueYi and Ao RuiPeng. Love this goddamn drama. I adopted the entire cast within the first 3 episodes and then I spent the next 37 terrified that half of them would get killed off. There’s def some major character death in this drama my chickens, so keep that in mind (and not a canonical death either, from what I understand). Anyway, this is my fave genre by far so I’m never really picky, but this drama is exhilarating and gorgeous from beginning to end. Highly recommend. 9/10

New Life Begins (watch on iQIYI | watch on Viki | watch on YouTube) Adapted from the web novel "Qing Chuan Ri Chang" (清穿日常) by Duo Mu Mu Duo (多木木多) starring Bai JingTing and Tian XiWei. Just sweet and fluffy. The plot is easy and devoid of complexities, but very satisfying nonetheless. The acting is definitely on another level. The entire cast has bonkers chemistry, and it’s about time someone made good use of Bai Jingting’s comedy potential. One of the top 5 easy viewing dramas on my rewatch list.  8/10

The Legendary Life of Queen Lau (watch on Viki | watch on YouTube) Adapted from the web novel "Huang Hou Liu Hei Pang" (皇后刘黑胖) by Ge Yang (戈鞅) starring Li JiaQi and Li HongYi. Loved this. Although it doesn’t shy away from difficult subjects, this is basically a comedy from beginning to end. Not gonna lie, I mainly gave this a go for Li Hongyi, but it’s hard to even notice him when Li Jiaqi is in the room. There’s no shame in being overshadowed by superior talent :) 7/10

(yeah, after all this, I rewatched Nirvana In Fire again)

Under the Microscope (watch on Apple TV | watch on Bilibili | watch on iQIYI VIP | watch on Viki) Adapted from the novel "Xian Wei Jing Xia De Da Ming" (显微镜下的大明) by Ma Bo Yong (马伯庸) starring Zhang RuoYun and Wang Yang. Continuously impressed by Zhang RuoYun’s skills. This drama is 90% grit and tension. Drool-worthy visuals. Interesting plot. Sound mixing that gives me a Mo Ran style boner. Make your friends watch it and they will hate you. 9/10

Till The End of The Moon (watch on YouTube | watch on Apple TV | watch on Viki) Adapted from the web novel "Hei Yue Guang Na Wen BE Ju Ben" (黑月光拿稳BE剧本) by Teng Luo Wei Zhi (藤萝为枝). Starring Luo Yunxi and Bai Lu. This was so breathtakingly gorgeous. The chemistry between the actors, the visuals, the special effects, the costumes, everything is stunning in this drama. The romance is by no means original, but still manages to draw you in. Absolutely worth watching at least once. 8/10

Still waiting on:

Immortality - based on danmei novel The Husky and His White Cat Shizun by 肉包不吃肉 starring Chen Feiyu and Luo Yunxi (you can think I’m a clown but you’d be wrong bc I’m a wholeass circus)

Winner Is King - based on the danmei novel Sha Po Lang by Priest starring Tan Jianci and Chen Zheyuan

Step By Step Lotus - based on historical novel Return to Ming Dynasty as Prince by 月关 starring Zhang Binbin and Luo Yunxi

Eternal Faith - based on danmei novel Heaven Official’s Blessing by Mo Xiang Tong Xiu starring Zhai Xiaowen and Zhang Linghe

Joy Of Life Season 2 - based on wuxia novel of the same name by 猫腻 starring Zhang Ruoyun and Li Qin

Story of Kunning Palace - based on the novel 坤宁 by 时镜 starring Bai Lu and Zhang LingHe

Flying Phoenix - based on danmei novel of the same name by 風弄 starring Dai Jingyao and Shu Yaxin

The Story of the Bat - based on danmei novel Bat by Feng Nong starring Mao Zijun and Zhang Yao

The Longest Promise - based on xianxia novel Zhu Yan by 沧月 starring Xiao Zhan, Ren Min, and Zhang Yunlong

Mysterious Lotus Casebook - based on wuxia novel 吉祥纹莲花楼 by Teng Ping 藤萍 starring Cheng Yi and Zeng ShunXi

Follow Your Heart - historical drama starring Song Yi and Luo Yunxi 

The Thirteen-Hongs in Canton - historical drama starring Zhu Yawen and Yu Haoming

White Cat Legend - based on manhua of the same name starring Ding Yuxi and Zhou Qi

[zishu-arts]

1. What's ur fav avm ep? Or generally ava ep

2. What's ur fav short?

3. And favorite character? Why is that your favorite character?

4. Do u kin anyone? Why?

5. What are your thoughts on King Orange? Personally, I do love the character but I wanna see some controversy. He was forgiven too easily. Do you think that he's affected by immense guilt of his actions? Pls go in detail as much as you wish

6. What are your favorite (hc or not) relationships? Doesn't need to be romantic. Do you have thoughts on relationships between characters that haven't interacted? Or some hc on characters that did (example: I love the hc on Purple and Red hanging out so often that Red goes to visit Purple for advice on PRANKS out of all things)

If I think of something more, I'll send it through!!

1). i dont think i can pick a favorite since there's so many but i love rewatching Lush Caves, Ultimate Minecart Race, The Chef, The Ultimate Weapon (and honestly just the entire KO arc lmfao). For AVA its gotta be The Showdown it's just SOOO GOOD the animation, the concepts, the plot, ahhhh

2). hard once again, but Music Lesson is so goddamn funny

3). THE DARK LORD THE DARK LORD THE DARK LORD (red is my second favorite tho). okay so, honestly it's just the amount of potential and trauma i could give him. i love his character and lore like, the idea of the Mission Code. what does it mean that you've been created for the sole purpose to destroy, and what does it mean that the person you're made to destory become your best friend? like, the existance of that code brings up so much potential and you could literally take it in so many ways. and like, just the story of cho and dark being two people who were coded for a purpose and run away. what...happens to that purpose? what are you supposed to do now? it's very "what am i if not a weapon?" "yourself. isn't that a wonderful person to be?" (i also dont remember where this quote is from). and also, i look at this little bastard and i think ah yes, he is a goddamn maniac. absolutely insane. i can make him as unhinged as possible and i think that's amazing.

i also think it's great that it's so easy for me to just do whatever i want with him like he's some dress up doll. i've got a genderbent version of him. i've got him with ADHD. i've got him with autism. i've got him trans. he's depressd. he has anxiety. he's in love. there's no saving him.

i also like that like. he's dead. he might not be dead. who fucking knows? and he's such an interesting character, is he evil, is he nice, does he care, what does he like? i want to know everything about him and i want to squish him like a little ball

(i alos like that he's very easy to self project into)

4). hmmmm honestly? i only ever kinned like one character (yuki from horimiya) so im not too familiar with actually kinning. if i had to pick, probably red, mostly cause i see him as a hyper possibly ADHD guy who's always running head first into situations without a thought and think damn he's jus tlike me fr

5). KO/MANGO TALK LETS GO !! you're def right, he was forigven too soon, but i like to think or hope that they at least had a bit of bonding. okay well first off i want to start off with: i see a lot of content where we view mango as like around 20 years old which i want to immedately have on the table: what do you mean 20 years old. he's got a goddamn kid that seems to be maybe 8-10, he's got to be at least reaching 40 by the time we actually see him in AVM. and no, 40 is not too old, they can still do backflips and fight ppl (as long as mango maintained a healthy lifestyle with daily exercise, healthy diet, and good sleep).

i love the fact that he went evil because he lost his son, and that he got lost in his anger and started hurting everyone around him. although i do think his and purple's relationship could do with A LOTT of work. their trust was broken over and over again (mostly on purple's end) and im not sure mango particularily remembers how to treat a child well. and did mango ever like,,,yk,,,properly grieve for his son? for all we know, he went home the same day he lost gold, punched his wall a lot, then went straight to working on the staff. now that he doesn't have that drive anymore, i think that's all going to catch up to him. he really needs to properly grieve and mourn and recover before he goes about doing anything else.

he can, in fact however, be a good person/father as long as he's got that under the belt. (which you could def see that he was pretty swag when he still had gold). i personally see him as a raspy and gruff guy so he's also a man of very few words. that also means he probably has a buttload of communcation issues that is gonna affect his relationship with other people. he has got A LOT to work on

i also want to mention how i don't particulary enjoy the "overprotective father that trails their child everywhere". i don't think a lot of people view mano this way either, but i just want it on the table that even though mango would definitely be protective of purple, he won't be weird about it

6). ohhhh okay okay if you've read my fics you know i am in love with the "siblings victim & dark" as well as "siblings chosen and second". i feel like vic and dark are both insane and enable the worst, unhinged parts of each other. and then chosen and second are pretty much polar opposites with "doesn't say a word + yapper"

i also love it when CC treat red as like the youngest hyper sibling bc he really does give off that energy. also I AGREE WITH YOU purple and red together were so cute it was so unexpected but i love that

i also really really really want to see dark and purple interact with each other. mostly because they're probably the two most least likely characters to ever see each other. but i like the idea of dark terrorizing purple and it works because purple the whole time is like 'holy fuck this is that terrorist holy fuck shit oml'

i also want to see purple and mango interact with alan. im not sure if they ever did? but id like to imagine one day alan logs onto his computer and sees these two random sticks on his screen and is like who the fuck are you guys

(my guy desperately needs a VPN)

i ADORE blue + yellow. both in a platonic and romantic sense. they're like skater girl + nerd girl to me. they're so goddamn adorable and i'm very obsessed with seeing them. they hold hands. they're polar opposites. they're always together. they're the duo that if you just see one of them it seems wrong. if one of them is missing, you automatically ask the other one where they are, because they no doubt would know. gods they're so entwined with each other

thanks for the ask !!

[lemon-natalia]

Harrow the Ninth Reaction - Chapter 34

they’re in a shuttle not powered by necromancy - thats interesting. i feel like this is either just a normal shuttle that normal non-necromancers might use, or potentially they are with the BOE?

sorry Palamedes your skull has become bone goop

oh necromancy is going to get her in trouble? she’s def with some kind of insurgents for sure

wait Captain Deuteros didn’t die last book?? i fully thought Teacher got her. also Corona’s here, looking just as hot as ever

a photo of someone dressed in black with red hair which makes Harrow bleed … but they’re also described as having hair curling about their shoulders, and though it might just be the cover art influencing my image of the characters, didn’t Gideon have shorter hair than that?

also whats up with Judith that letters!Harrow doesn’t trust her at all?

Camilla can’t resist correcting Harrow’s swordsmanship even now lmao

and apparently there’s a traitor in the mix? the plot thickens …

and they are with the Blood of Eden!! that being said that doesn’t necessarily fully explain how they got out of Canaan House? also, very concerned about whether Harrow is going to tell the Emperor about this encounter

[yusuke-of-valla]

Insane thoughts about non-SEES characters

You've brought up Mamoru before but I just think the fact that he ultimately drops out of high school to go work in a factory would raise a lot of question in Minato's head about what he should do in order to take care of the siblings.

The kids Yuko coaches in her Social Link are about Yusuke's age.

Hamuko misses Minato's summer track/kendo/swim meet because she's in Inaba with the volleyball/tennis team.

Maiko is everyone's friend. She can be pen pals with the younger kids after moving away.

You have the really funny opportunity to have Naoto cross paths with Rise while she's in town for the show that ultimately gets canceled due to the Hermit Shadow.

The Temperance Link is shared but the fact that Hamuko can actually make items during it and Minato can't leads me to believe that he just sucks at sewing. Hamuko makes little dolls and purses for the kids.

Bunkichi and Mitsuko give them even more snacks for the rotating cast of children that they keep bringing to the bookstore.

One of the Culture Club options - and the only option in Reload - is Art Club. Keisuke, Minato, and Fuuka can all be in Art Club. (Keisuke does show up as president of the Photography Club in Junpei's link but can be easily replaced.)

Maiko and Bunkichi are both among the people who get lost in Tartarus.

I knew about Maiko and Bunkichi! I remember thinking that's a really cool way to tie your social links into the main plot

Maiko also ends up friends with Ken I think during the Kyoto trip and while the teens are in summer school they have their own little weird adventure.

Wait hold on we can combine these Maiko getting kidnapped happens during the Kyoto trip and the kids+Koromaru stage a potentially ill-advised rescue trip (they're fine)

I love the implication that Minato just sucks at making things. There's probably a gendered analysis to be made about how Hamuko can cook and sew in her social links but Minato can't but in my heart it's just because Minato's cringe (speaking of, Sumire deserves to be the unofficial third memeber of Fuuka's cooking club)

Speaking of unofficial club members I think Yusuke hears that Minato and Fuuka are in the art club and is just fucking vibrating but doesn't say anything because he doesn't want to impose and then Minato invites him along and he is soooo excited to be able to make art with Minato and half the time no one understands what he's saying because he's been devouring art theory textbooks since he could read but he still takes the first thing Minato drew and gave him and keeps it under his pillow for good luck (idk how much of an Art Nerd Keisuke is but I feel like even without Madarame's influence Yusuke talks like an art history grad student at age 8 so he may or may not be able to follow.)

Club trip to the art museum you have never seen a child more excited outside of a candy store

Kasumi and Sumire train with Yuko even though her kids are a little older because they can keep up and Kasumi really wanted to

Naoto and Rise meeting early on would be so funny I think Naoto should do something incredibly embarassing and after Naoto is a complete badass In Persona 4 because he already has a Persona Rise is like "wait didn't you fall into the fountain at Pawlonia Mall two years ago"

I do think Minato and Hamuko being worried about not doing enough to support their siblings is a part of their arc because. You know basically being in charge at age 8 and having a really unstable home life but I have not narrowed down a vibe I like for both of them. I think Minato seeing Mamoru and thinking maybe he's been too happy to be distant and let the others do their own thing would def be interesting though

[toxicanonymity]

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

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

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

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

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

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

-------

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

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

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

------

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

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

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

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

-

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

[juanabaloo]

Theatre AU for Fuffy!

Excellent ask! (for this potential AU game) I struggled with this at first bc I am not super familiar with theatre, but then I remembered improv is theatre. hopefully you don't hate improv! (This is also a no powers all human AU.)

Five fun facts for this story! or maybe more of a plot outline...

FAITH: Faith is an established performer at her local improv theater, called Huge. (She also does stand up comedy, hitting a local open mic at least 2x month.) She has an office job but this is her main hobby. She also volunteers for the theater, helping sell tickets sometimes. Other improv people know who she is. =====

BUFFY: Buffy moves to Faith's city (work transfer, also an office job) and is struggling to make more friends as an adult. She feels too old for the bar scene (when did it get so loud?) She remembers a corporate event at a previous job where an improv person came in for a team building training. It was fun, but weird. She and her closest friend from work (Tara) go watch an improv show at Huge on a Saturday night and it's surprisingly fun. One of the highlights is an all-woman troupe called "The Slayers" which includes Faith. She definitely notices Faith. =====

WHY IMPROV? Encouraged by Willow (long distance friendship!) Buffy has some ill-fated attempts at making new friends: a conversational French meetup (too many awkward dudes), door knocking for her local rep (boring people), a community ed watercolor art class (nobody interesting), and a terrible Bumble for Friends "platonic date." The date ended VERY awkwardly after Buffy realized the other woman was fishing for a third for a threesome with her boyfriend. (The Bumble woman's boyfriend, not Buffy's. Buffy is happily single.) Walking home from the Bumble coffeeshop she considers taking an improv class at Huge. =====

THE MEET CUTE: Buffy researches Huge online. The beginner class schedule conflicts with her existing schedule (a standing bike ride with Tara and a beginner weightlifting class Buffy's been eyeing) so Buffy decides to try one of the "jams." She heads to a show the next day and gets babbly when she realizes Faith is the one selling tickets. (Faith smirks back.) Buffy buys a ticket and manages to ask about the jams. Faith is friendly and chats to her about them, explaining there are different ones organized by groups. Buffy explains she is a beginner but she's interested in the queer jam. (our dear Buffy has already realized she is bi in this AU.) Faith's smile deepens and she encourages Buffy to attend, the next one is in a coupla days. In response to Buffy's question she reassures Buffy that beginners are welcome to the jam and no prior experience is necessary. At the next queer jam Buffy is shocked to see Faith there. Not bc it's shocking that Faith is queer. (Buffy was def getting a vibe.) But bc Buffy assumed a person in a troupe wouldn't be in a jam with beginners. Flung into various creative scenes (you're a waitress in LA, you're kissing your boyfriend but in front of everyone in your college psych class, you have amnesia but you're in a musical) Buffy shakes off her worries and gets out of her own head. The other people at the jam are interesting and fun and sometimes very funny. =====

THE ACTUAL IMPROV: (fast forward several months) Buffy is at home at Huge, and has actually succeeded in making several friends there, most from the weekly jam she usually attends. (Sometimes she skips due to work.) After getting the hang of it, Buffy is excited to join the troupe "The Slayers." And while she enjoys playing (that's the improv word, srsly) with everyone, she really gets into it with Faith. They tend to get each other, immediately understanding the mood the other one is trying to create when they setup a scene. It's sort of like playing charades where all the hints are picked up by the other person right away. Or like you've both seen all the same movies and have the same references. (imagine their trademark banter back and forth here) Buffy's first troupe performance with "The Slayers" goes really great, and one of the scenes with her and Faith working together as vampire hunters has the crowd in stitches. After it's over Faith and the other women are talking about going to grab drinks. Faith hangs back a bit, and after the other women leave she makes her move. Buffy's into it and kisses her back. and... they lived happily ever after! *person runs across the stage to end the scene*

[yvtro]

It’s me again. (The anon that just asked you a billion questions about Jason’s death.) Also wondering: what do you think of the Killing Joke and Babs’s role as Oracle, and how do you think her and Jason’s “rebirths” can be compared? (Sorry for all the English class ass questions. I’m just so interested by your post. I never thought about the classicism behind Jason’s return as Red Hood but now all the wheels are turning.)

it's so immensely curious to me, because there's this parallel of both babs and jason being essentially fridged (well. jason got boyfridged. sidekick-fridged. sonfridged. i'm aware this term is usually used in relation to women.) but barbara's trauma stops being a plot device for other characters. it becomes a set off for her own storyline about healing and reclaiming her life instead. and the thing is, she succeeds! her life might have been altered by the joker, sure; but she refuses to believe that he made her in any way that matters. she refuses to let her whole life be dictated by it, and she recognises that she's so much more. she lives up to her potential, no matter the constraints.

and then you have jason. jason who is relentlessly victim blamed through decades after his death. jason's death never stops being vital for how other characters are written. this creates a sort of tension in which jason's voice as a victim cannot be central to the story. he has to remain a ghost, even alive; bruce's reminder of his "biggest failure".

and so, jason's act of assuming the red hood identity might be intended as a reclamation of what he fears, but it ironically reduces him to his trauma. let's be honest; this is not some neat bruce being afraid of bats -> taking batman as his name parallel. and you see, maybe jason's action of reclamation could work if it was used for catharsis; if he could later abandon it and go on, reinvent himself, as barbara did. but it's been years and it doesn't happen (even with countdown attempting to kick this off). he never gets to really learn that he is more than what happened to him; he's stuck in a vicious cycle of trying to free himself from his trauma, failing to understand that what he's actually doing is centring his whole life around it.

the reason for which this is how it plays out is def influenced by classism. the whole 'rebirth' (as you called it) itself is already affected by it; to go back to our comparison, for barbara to make a comeback, there was no need to retcon and rewrite her whole character. for jason, some "fatal flaw" was needed – and winick did not even care to make any of his original personality traits into it (like his love. kindness. sensitivity. it would work, goddamit, jason crossing the line because he cares too much and can't stop caring and has to do everything in his power to try to fix the world, no matter the cost, no matter the blood on his hands). instead, we get jason being overly aggressive and quick to anger; something very conveniently consistent with framing poor people as inherently likely to become criminal and somehow evil.

so i'd say, barbara's invention of oracle is a rebirth, while jason's invention of red hood is more of a reburial.

[senblades]

4, 28, 34 for the ask game!

4: Do you have any OCs? Do you have a story for them?

okay so I already gave my whole spiel about my short film (i'll upload it one day.....) but lemme talk about some of my other characters!

I've got a trio of characters in a nebulous political thriller/high fantasy/steampunk world.... uhhhh basic premise of the magic system is that everyone has a spirit tied to them that is related to an abstract concept, which gives them relavant magic abilities. The spirits can be reeeeally broad or hyper specific- the hyper specific ones actually have individual personalities, whereas the broad ones are too abstract to really keep a hold on something like that

(believe it or not, this concept was cooked up before I knew what persona was about HAHAHA any similarites are coincidental)

the characters are:

Karmen (name pending a change): she's tied to a general nature spirit- very kindhearted, and set to be the next leader of her particular city. but, there are a lot of secrets and shady business that's been going on that she's privvy to because of her position, and she does her utmost to Keep Those Things Secret (stuff that keeps the city safe, but is uh... questionable)

Azaila (...name pending... something lmao): she's tied to a spirit of shadow- very combat focused. she's kind of an asshole fhdkjshfds /affectionate. Her city is wayyyy up north in the snow, and their culture is very merit-based, often devolving into duels and shit for leadership disputes. each family tends to have a 'leader' as well, and Azaila gained this position via questionable means from her uncle (she cheated in the duel lmao- her uncle kinda sucks and she was sorta desperate)

Elias: He's tied to a fire spirit, but due to an... incident (TM) in his childhood, he pretends his spirit is too weak and hyperspecifc to be of any use. he's a knight in the capital's royal guard, as is his father (yay nepotism /j HAHAHA) his whole deal is like... dealing with shit like duty and cowardice and trauma and whatnot

soooo i've had these guys on the back burner for a Hot Second. I'll do something with them one day...... maybe i'll draw them at some point too

28: Any writing advice that works for you and you feel like sharing?

I once again have absolutely no idea what I'm doing HAHAHA- if this was like, art advice, I might be able to help more, but.... hm....

I guess: make sure you plan your plot way in advance! Even for smaller stuff! You are not immune to writing yourself into a corner!

following that, though, don't be afraid to deviate from your plan wildly! (i sure have with fftsr lmao) It's important to avoid writing yourself into a corner, but so long as you see where a potential path lies, you can often write something even better if you deviate from it once you've gotten a ways into the story

34: Do you write to improve? Or is that not a concern for you?

it's not really a concern for me, tbh. since writing is entirely a hobby for me, I don't really feel the need to hold myself to any particular standard.

that's a bit misleading, though, since I do still want the stuff I write to be good; it's like, I improve naturally the more I write, and I'm happy with that natural pace rather than pushing myself for any goal. With my writing, I'll be satisfied with what I've got pretty quickly, where I stop and start with my illustrations a lot more if I come up with a better composition or the anatomy is funky or the colours aren't working and yadda yadda (and thus, i improve at art a lot faster (the life drawing classes def helped with that too lmao (anatomy is an interesting beast to tackle)))

ty ty for the ask! <3

[doubledyke]

3, 7, 9, 14, 15, 17, 22 >:3

hey thanks!

3. screenshot or description of the worst take you've seen on tumblr:

i def don't have a screenshot of anything related to eene. i can't even really think of any on tumblr but the goddamn eene subreddit can be soooo cancerous. i don't follow it but it shows up in my feed bc i visited it once, but then i'll come across some goofy ass shit that compels me to click and the cycle starts again. but generally ONE of the worst takes on any site is that eddy would grow up to be a schlubby bozo in a trench coat selling Stiff Rox behind a middle school or similar takes. he would be very well dressed while peddling his wares, thank you very much.

7. what character did you begin to hate not because of canon but because how how the fandom acts about them?:

the only character i really dislike for any reason is jonny. he's so goddamn annoying to me. i know that's the point, so kudos to david avalon lol. if anything, an interesting fandom interpretation could probably change my view of him. but yeah i definitely think he has some really funny lines and gags, but overall he's pretty boring and obnoxious. with basically everyone else, i can see the appeal or at least the potential for something interesting. back in the dark ages (2014) i feel like i had a moment where i got pretty tired of the way edd was made out to be such a mary sue that i might have gotten annoyed by him or that idea of him at the very least. i admittedly take my own liberties when "analyzing" him, but as with all the eds, he's a complex character. the edd fan girls who'd have him pickin' daisies while eddy murders innocents drove me crazy.

9. worst part of canon:

i've never given it much thought, but i'd probably say it would be kanker related. i really love the kankers, even with the limited info we have on them. i just love unhinged girls/women. i would have loved to have seen them get some sort of arc and have a purpose outside of their roles as boy crazy "trailer trash". if there were ever a spin off, i'd hope it would be about them and their insane home life.

14. that one thing you see in fics all the time:

i'm a terrible fan; i haven't read a fic in a long time for whatever reason. they're all in my "rainy day" stash since eene related content is a limited resource. i don't know that there's any one thing or a pattern i've noticed in multiple fics from different people. however, one thing i LOVE is seeing people write slapstick into their fics. i think it's so fucking cool and interesting. everyone in this fandom is so damn multi-talented i could scream.

15. that one thing you see in fanart all the time:

i guess probably giving eddy blue hair, or giving edd long hair, which i love! edd doesn't seem like the type to have long hair, but somehow it's so damn fitting. idk where blue haired eddy started but its fanon at this point and i'm down. but i love his 3 strange antennae as well.

17. there should be more of this type of fic/art:

unfortunately again, i'm the worst person to answer this bc i have no idea what all is out there in regards to fics. but i'd love to see some good stories about the eds in high school dealing with their new found and fleeting "acceptance" from the other kids.

i'd also love to see more stories that have all three eds living under one roof as adults and all the insanity that would ensue. i want to write about this one in particular, so hopefully i'll be able to come up with a cohesive plot at some point.

would also love some eddeddy drama like them breaking up 👀 they get back together of course because they're the only two idiots who will deal with each other's bullshit

22. your favorite part of canon that everyone else ignores:

edd's giant chin

[bookofmirth]

hi, it’s the hofas/gun control anon here! thank you for such a well thought out answer :) and i’m sorry my response is so long!

first, i do agree with how nesta and az’s different opinions do match up with their experiences, so that does put their conversation into more context. i definitely agree with what you said about how the conversation kind of just blinked and moved on immediately - but i feel like this is a problem in a lot of sjm’s books, where she’ll bring up a complicated political issue that has interesting implications in her fantasy world, but then just move on immediately without actually wanting to delve into the hard, uncomfortable parts of it.

while i agree that it probably wasn’t meant to show sjm’s gun views herself, and i firmly subscribe to the belief that depiction doesn’t equal endorsement and authors should be able to examine the nuance of lots of different social issues and perspectives without readers conflating it with the author’s own opinions, i do think this scene does exemplify a major fault in her writing in that all of the complicated topics surrounding oppression and sexism and all the isms in her stories are tackled in a moderate, “safe” way. so i completely agree with everything you said about respectability politics! as a side note, i’m currently reading babel: or the necessity of violence by rf kuang which has this quote that i really liked: “This is how colonialism works. It convinces us that the fallout from resistance is entirely our fault, that the immoral choice is resistance itself rather than the circumstances that demanded it.”

so like, while yes, i don’t think it would be fair to try to determine sjm’s exact views on gun control laws from her fictional characters’ discussion of it, i do feel that it’s representative of the very white feminist-esque views that she perpetuates through her writing, rather than delving more into the dynamics of structural inequality and taking an intersectional perspective. i do think how an author chooses to write about social issues can be indicative of their own personal views, rather than what words are actually on the page. and what gets me is that the potential is there!! like she creates such complex, rich worlds with such unique characters, but i feel like sometimes she just glosses over the harder stuff. i am very curious how she will decide to resolve the illyrian plot - i am truly hoping she doesn’t take a white savior approach with feyre or nesta, or just having devlon killed off, as it wouldn’t actually fix the sexism ingrained in their cultural norms. 

i wonder if sjm writing in this way (like respectability politics) has taken a turn for the worse since throne of glass? i def agree with everything you said about bryce and cc, but i feel like it was the opposite with aelin. like aelin was never opposed to using violence in order to fight back against oppression, esp coming from her own background as a slave. i haven’t read tog in a while so maybe nostalgia is blinding me and it had the same issues, but idk. 

i’d love to know your thoughts! I

Hello! Here is the original post for anyone confused.

i do think this scene does exemplify a major fault in her writing in that all of the complicated topics surrounding oppression and sexism and all the isms in her stories are tackled in a moderate, “safe” way.

I totally agree with this. I think that she does sometimes lean into more complicated topics, but that would mess with the HEAs she wants to write, at the end of the day. And she seems to be working through some difficult topics in her writing, but then... idk, gets bored with it? Which really highlights her privilege, to me, because she can think about these things, but never too deeply, not if she doesn't feel like it. I don't wanna get too much into her personal life or politics but CC as a whole has really made me wonder about her!!! I have some big questions, but it's not my place and I don't think it's very respectful, so I'll just leave that there. Like if she came out publicly posting a "Blue Lives Matter" graphic then I'd get into it, but she's private and I respect that.

That quote from Babel is *chef's kiss*, perfect. That's exactly what I was alluding to and a big problem that I had with hoeab. That I was waiting to get addressed in hosab. And then was waiting to see if it ever got resolved in hofas. Surprise! No. Nope. We're just going to go with this cognitive dissonance around people's actions and beliefs and just... hail Bryce as a hero, I guess. Even though she truly doesn't give a fuck unless she gets pulled kicking and screaming into giving a fuck. (I'm sorry my anti Bryce just spilled out, my cup is too full of it.)

I was talking to @gimme-mor about the series the other day and she had some great thoughts about why Bryce may have been so dismissive of other people's struggles (ones that she, I thought, should have empathized with) but I'll see if she wants to add on or make a post about it. :) I'll just say that her original idea that would have explained Bryce's attitude, in her opinion, did not pan out.

Sometimes, I think we are in love with the potential of sjm books, more than the actual payoff. They hit the right beats just enough and with just enough oomph that there is something there. Or maybe that's not totally fair because I do give some of her books 5 stars still, after multiple rereads. But she doesn't always follow through to the same extent that she did in HoF or acomaf! But I do wonder if we think about all of these issues far, far more than she is.

i wonder if sjm writing in this way (like respectability politics) has taken a turn for the worse since throne of glass?

I was actually saying something similar to this to someone the other day. Because yes, these are different stories, and different characters, but you have to wonder, with a different political climate than existed in 2012 or whatever, or whenever she was a teenager in the early 2000s, how much that influenced her views and the way that she wanted to write these kinds of stories. Again, it could be that she is just writing a different kind of story! That she wanted to explore different kinds of characters. But Bryce being a discount, knock-off version of Aelin doesn't make that seem likely. IDK!

[spyrkle4]

Welp trial 2 is off to a *great* start

details under the cut so I don’t accidentally spoil the trial

-A couple secrets got confirmed in this one! which makes me sad : (

-Whit’s mom is dead : ( Ace has an eating disorder : ( Eden : ( just Eden is sad 

(this kind of makes me feel like that the world of DT is not very lgbt friendly, as Nico was constantly bullied for being non-binary and Eden worries her sexuality is going to ruin her friendships, I mean the DT world clearly has problems as shown in the backstories of several characters and in the bonus videos, even when the Tragedy happened because of the messed up expectations of society (teenagers being pressured to be the best of the best), society still didn’t change : ()

that was probably a little off topic but if we get bonus videos for the dead people in this chapter it’ll probably worldbuild a bit more 

-Also I am 100% certain David lied, not bc he said he got a dead person’s secret but we can guess Xander’s secret if you’ve seen the bonus videos, I mean it could be that it’s both Xander’s secret (Teruko having no idea what her secret is and the remaining few are kinda morbid), but David lying seems accurate 

-And it was basically confirmed Nico did try to murder Ace, and J making a VERY good point that it’s something they have to live with, even if they didn’t kill Ace

-Them talking about the rules (Arei potentially being complicit in her own murder) is interesting, makes me think it’s something that’ll apply to future cases

-Speaking of that I love how Veronika is casually like “oh yeah I’m keeping my secrets to pan out the drama” like she has 0 fear of death and is just here for the chaos

-Everyone’s reaction to the murder secret being “wtf which one of you is a murderer?!?!” XD

-And of course the dead students having a presence still, (I repeat my statement of not taking a drinking game every time the dead cast are brought up, your liver will die), it makes seeing their portraits in the trial room more... spooky? I’d say? Like they def aren’t forgotten, not even dying in canon will prevent you from having effect on the plot, you will haunt the narrative

-Xander def haunts the narrative the most since David pinned the mastermind secret on him 

-I kinda figured the ep would end on the note, I’m dying to see what that note is

-Also I wonder if it has to do with the Arei/J switch theory going around. Am I 100% percent certain it’s true? not really. Do I think it’s possible? Yes. Do I think there’s a lot behind the scenes we haven’t seen due to Teruko not being involved it things? Y E S

-Teruko’s actions are gonna hit her in the face as her removing herself from situations causes her to not be able to get all the information or even be able to help out, like she’ll probably slowly start trusting the others after this, since they’ve given no reason for her to distrust them

-Esp Eden, she’s trying her best over here

-Also omg I love the voicing for the nonstop debates, and the details of the trial look so awesome <3 

[oh-my-damn]

ok ok ok I got sommin for you bestie 

Jake Jensen is an alpha and he certainly has the physique to match, but because of his beta parentage and upbringing, he’s never carried himself like one. This has resulted in Jake being ostracized and isolated from his peers. BUT, when one of the most eligible and prized omegas on campus, and the on-and-off girlfriend of golden boy/frat prez Steve Rogers, YOU, begins to show interest, Jake is drawn into the fray of greek life, house parties, and hazing.

..basically jake is a lil nerd and you're a lil sorority girl and you make his glasses fog up at parties and do things to trigger his alpha instincts bc he's cute and you see his potential and steve, your ex, pitches fits and wants to fight him bc HE wanted to be your alpha, but, like, instead, you've chosen the guy steve and his buddies have been bullying for the past two years ??? what the fuck ??? but you're sick of bonehead alphas like steve and you know jake would be perfect if you could just bring out those natural qualities all alphas have.

i just send people movie synopses at this point lmao i don't expect you to do anything with this ofc bb BUT YOU WANTED A JAKE PLOT AND SO YOU GOT ONE !!!

AHHH OMG BESTIE I FUCKING LOVE THIS

Okay but honestly, why don't you write it?! like this is such a good idea !!

It would obvi be my honor to try and work something out for it bc I love it but seriously !!! I always want to encourage people who have great ideas to get into writing <3

But like, hey, if not, I'll gladly take this gem !!! Love itttttt

Oh my god and she's super popular and like her parents are rich and her dad and steve's dad are like business partners so they've been like "destined" to be together, but Steve's scent never hit her quite right which is why she never let him mate her!

And she gets one whiff of dorky jake and gets literal heart eyes and its like her entire body starts vibrating and she just KNOWS he's her alpha

so she'll start showing up randomly where she knows he'll be, like there's a coding club on campus and she knows they do those all nighters where they play video games and shit. and she shows up with two of her best friends (wanda and nat) in her little shorts and top and the other guys in the club are also cute nerds (i'm thinking Hayden and perhaps Mace and Nick?) and they're all like "huh???" but immediately lets them join because THERE ARE HOT GIRLS HERE

And she'll sit down next to Jake who's all shy and stuttering and like her thigh will brush up against his when she's like "What are you playing? Can I try?"

And he nervously hands her his controller and she giggles and is like "I need you to teach me, dummy. I don't know how."

So somehow she ends up sitting between his legs, leaning her back against his chest, while he holds the controller with her, making her fingers move on the buttons. And his breathing is so heavy and his glasses are starting to fog up and his mind is swimming because she smells better than anything he's ever fucking smelled in his entire life.

And once they start dating the blowup happens when Steve finds out and he tries to pick a fight with Jake but Jake just straight up hits him in the jaw and knocks him to the ground without even thinking bc his alpha's instincts take over.

And she's so proud of him in that moment for standing up for himself bc she always knew he was a true alpha even if he didn't himself.

Oh and for kinks I'm def thinking a size one (he's thick and beefy all over) real messy, maybe also an innocence kink BUT FOR HER. Like he's a virgin, she isn't?! first time she sucks his dick he comes IMMEDIATELY and gets all blushy and she just chuckles and gives him a sweet kiss and then five mins later he's ready for round two.

And he gets addicted to the feeling of her wrapped around him so he wants to be inside her literally at all times. Lots of cockwarming, somno too.

Idk yeah just my quick thots lmao im sorry its so long

[henrysglock]

You don't know how lucky you are for being able to have seen tfs for what... 4 times? I wish I could even afford a flight to London, ticket price aside.

So yeah, the Duffers better put in on Netflix or else I'll go insane. Tbh I feel like I am already. Those potential Broadway plans could very much postpone it, so we might only get it after season 5.

ST has been my special interest for years and I'm very desperate to see all of it esp since Henry is like my fav character...that's why it's so frustrating to wait also since everyone who's seen the play seems to have their own twisted interpretation of it, so I'm really putting my trust into you and your friends.

Sorry for ranting this isn't anything against you. I really do love your blog and just wish I could join in on the discussions/theories.

Oh no for sure I'm always sitting here reveling in the fact that I was able to see it 4 times...I wish I'd been able to see every showing :((( Henry's my favorite too (obv), he's sooooooo :((( he's my baby i love him so much

I need need NEED it to be released to video, and I think it will be when the London tour ends!! Holding out hope for August 2024!! I def think it'll be out before ST5 is released though, because tbh it Does have major bearing on the plot overall.

I've seen so many fucked up interpretations of it that are super biased by shipping goggles, it's not even funny. You can trust me and my buddies to be objective, though!! Scout's honor.

It's gotta be frustrating to want to theorize but not have the film in front of you/not having seen the show, Nonnie, I feel you :( fingers crossed that you get to see the filmed one soon!! Manifesting it for you <3

[burningdarkfire]

books i read in jan 2024

[these are all short + casual reviews - feel free to ask about individual ones if u want my full thoughts or ask for my goodreads!!] 

the tail end of winter break + flights to the other side of the world and back + two week vacation means i am so fucking back, baby

prince's gambit (reread) + king's rising (reread) + the summer palace + the adventures of charls, the veretian cloth merchant + green but for a season - c.s. pacat ★★★★★ (fantasy romance)

nothing like tearing through the whole capri series to start off your year by changing your brain chemistry yet again. it's not a perfect series but it is so good at the erotic and the romantic and the perfect push and pull of tension !!

locklands - robert jackson bennett ★★★★★ (fantasy)

fantastic and utterly satisfying end to the series. i'm always trying to pitch these books as much as possible because the magic system is one of my favourites ever and rjb has an understanding of themes if i've ever seen one

[reread] jane, unlimited - kristin cashore ★★★★★ (YA fantasy)

still love this genre-bending mind-fuckery of a book. it's an interesting take on grief and a positive look at the potentiality of both the universe and individuals

a beautifully foolish endeavor - hank green ★★★★★ (scifi)

utterly shocked considering how little i liked the first book but i found this one compulsively readable and absurdly fun. it still reads like someone very online wrote it but i enjoyed the ride this time

the rest of us just live here - patrick ness ★★★★☆ (YA fantasy contemporary)

solid and pretty standard YA contemporary that has some bonus fun fantasy that made it much easier to swallow for someone who doesn't like YA contemporaries very much

a power unbound - freya marske ★★★★☆ (historical fantasy romance)

decent conclusion to the series and a hot romance that kept me invested, but the "plot" dragged and took up so much pagetime

bloodmarked - tracy deonn ★★★★☆ (YA fantasy)

obvious second book syndrome with wacky pacing and a bloated cast of characters, but it handled a lot of trope-y YA stuff pretty deftly and i am deeply curious where this plot is going to lead

moon of the turning leaves - waubgeshig rice ★★★★☆ (post-apocalyptic)

decent sequel that trades in the horror of the first book for a more survivalist bent. i don't think it's particularly interesting if you don't already like these sorts of books, but i do, so i liked this one as well

the trial of henry kissinger - christopher hitchens ★★★★☆ (political non-fiction)

def not kissinger for babies but the writing was solid and easy to follow, even if i knew nothing about the politics going in

eileen - ottessa moshfegh ★★★☆☆ (thriller)

relentlessly unpleasant to read but the frame story gave it an interesting flair. i've always found ottessa moshfegh's works worth reading even if i don't exactly enjoy them

annihilation - jeff vandermeer ★★★☆☆ (scifi)

extremely slow to start but it does eventually cohere into something? the writing was beautiful and i understand why everyone highlights it as atmospheric

small things like these - claire keegan ★★★☆☆ (historical)

complete nothing of a book to me. wasn't good, wasn't bad, totally fine, just didn't make me feel anything and i probably won't ever think about it again

the perfect crimes of marian hayes - cat sebastian ★★★☆☆ (historical romance)

the plot of this book was so so bad and unfortunately rather important to the flow but it did feature two character tropes and a romance that were exactly my type of shit. i would describe this as "if you closed both eyes and ignored the plot entirely it's almost an astrid/wulf fic" and that's how i had fun

you made a fool of death with your beauty - akwaeke emezi ★★★☆☆ (romance)

the banter and relationship with the FMC's best friend was by far the best part of the book. i liked the premise of the main romance, but it ended up being insta-love despite the incredible setup. also read like it was so concerned with being beautiful that it forgot to be horny or passionate or even interesting

lumberjanes vol. 1-2 - n.d. stevensen et al. ★★☆☆☆ (children's graphic novel)

tried to be coherent in the wrong sorts of ways and didn't lean into childish whimsy the way it should have, but the art was cute. it wasn't bad but i'd never choose to give it to a kid

[bellysoupset]

Hmm thoughts on Angie Banks - I'm very curious about her. She was so happy to see Jonah despite their separation and him not reaching out. Luke mentioned she asked him about Jon, so she is clearly interested in being close with him. An with Jon's strong reaction about not knowing about her life and feeling guilty...looks to me like great potential for some estrangement siblings bonding 👀 which I absolutely love, cause this is the person you kinda know, but that you also don't, and you recognize little pieces from childhood but you also have to get to know each other anew, you had similar homes, but were your experiences the same? Did one take it differently than the other? What perspective does this person have? And how will they react to each other's friends and partners, how will, if they do at all, fit in that group?

I see lots of potential here and I'm super curious if Angie gets any places in the next arcs 👀✨️💙

@writing-whump

Idk that much about Angie yet. I definitely like her, but I LOVE the idea of a storyline where she and Jonah develop a relationship with each other. I feel like she has so much potential in that regard. - @wussifer

------------------------------------ Hi Soup! Personally, I love the idea of getting to know Angie more! I think it could be really interesting to have her back in Jon's life, or becoming part of it at least. And developing a sister-of-your-boyfriend relationship with Leo! A plot involving Angie could be really cool, if it's what you choose to do, and I would look forward to reading it. --------------------------------- hiii like angie a lot so far!! i think she’s super nice and interesting, and im curious/excited to learn more about her! so i’d def be interested in the storyline you mentioned!!! 🦦

Thought I'd reply to all of you in one ask, since you're basically all agreeing on more Angie! I'm very excited to bring her in as a character (though it'll take a couple more fics and she'll mainly be a caretaker) !!

It's been a while since I introduced a new OC, so I'm feeling a little green, but very excited about the new dynamics to explore