#feeling very rom about him tbh

[mblue-art]

ough,,,, you givb me lust brainrot,,,,,,, hes jbust a littol guyTM,,,,

-juni

HECK yeah 🫶🫶🫶 good thoughts, i hope ! he deserves to be appreciated 💜

mme whne,when lust sans does anything that's so very him

(emoji src)

[sergeant-angels-trashcan]

Thinking about disabled AK!Jason tonite with a disabled s/o

Let's be fr this man could/should be an ambulatory wheelchair user but he won't because he doesn't know that's a thing and wouldn't think he deserved it. If you're an ambulatory wheelchair user maybe one day you manage to lovingly bully him into just TRYING it and it is life changing

He uses his ambulatory energy to do Red Hood shit nbd

if he doesn't use a wheelchair he's got at least 2 braces--shoulder and knee

Baby has chronic pain, arthritis, chronic migraines from being beaten

Missing some teeth too

take this boy to your neuro or your ortho!!!! he is totally unaware he does not need to live like this. better living through chemistry

let's get him some therapy too

you WILL have to go to his drs appointments with him. mans WILL freak the fuck out for ANY medical procedure, has very serious medical abuse trauma. if he can see how your drs help you he is much more likely to go if he can see that you are benefiting from your providers and that they haven't harmed you

if you're scared of drs he will FULLY stand behind you. probably not that healthy tbh but he gets it

having a special Migraine Protocol for each of you (it's basically just a snack and a drink, blue light filter glasses, a sleep mask with headphones for that special Migraine Playlist)

make your own pain scales and talk through frequency of pain bc when you have constant or near constant pain it fucks up your ability to quantify it so making your own pain scale is helpful (he probably uses shakespeare plays or authors. like a 5 for jason is twilight, because you can see some problems but it's fun and fluffy but when you start looking closer OH NO SO MANY PROBLEMS)

pain meters on a wall near the kitchen so you can know what you're working with

CBD patches

the AK suit is basically a giant brace/mobility aid so you help him figure out how to adapt it for his red hood persona, how to make it lighter and allow for greater ROM

will remind you to do physical therapy

resistance bands ALL OVER THE HOUSE

learning bodywork techniques

AT LEAST once a week using a special oil or lotion to work into some of his bigger scars to make the tissue more mobile

giving him a back/neck/scalp/face massage

after a while obvi that's a lot of trust he's putting in you

NOT deep tissue. don't hurt him more. you can have effective therapeutic massage without hurting a person

trager work involves basically shaking a limb and letting the weight of the muscle do all the work but it feels weird the first time and he'd just start laughing at you

specially if you do his glutes

but it feels really nice so he stops laughing and it does help his lower body pain

putting magnesium lotion on each other's neck and shoulders

start to ask each other "are you angry or in pain?"

hand massages

teaching him to stop pushing through the pain

one of his knees is basically bone on bone so you always know when the weather is changing

if u both have bad knees u just don't even when the weather is changing. take some pain meds, use your topical pain reliever of choice, prop those joints up and snuggle in bed. watch a youtube series or he can read to you

heated blankets as heating pads supremacy

occasionally he'll be in pain and the kind of pain where you feel like you're going insane, so as a distraction he will go online and buy a bunch of weird pain-relieving gadgets and you'll spend a week trying them out

(sometimes his pain fog shopping spree is blind boxes, or nail polish, or statement shirts)

all of his siblings know to come to your place if they get beat tf up because your medicine cabinet is UNreal

you're about to give cass or steph a Controlled Substance Pain Reliever and you pause "this is technically drug dealing, isn't it? dOn'T teLL rEd hOOD" jason is literally patching them up right next to you

soft blankets

reminding each other it's ok to take it slow

he's constantly tearing into the other rogues for not having ADA accessible lairs (except Ivy who successfully argued that the plants make it ADA accessible which will do. FOR NOW.)

[alornights]

⟢ you took my soul.

➜ in which ! your beauty took their breath away.

💌 ﹫main 4 + butters stotch.

✩ 🎸 warnings﹗none.

🍓 ⟡ notes — me when subliminals start working, tehehe. based on the jimmy & kyle pretty people drabbles i did. idk what im doing tbh.

*ੈ✩‧₊˚ eric cartman.

hates you.

the guy was so confused about why you looked like you were glowing and why his heart was about to beat out of his chest.

death stared you the entire first week you moved to town.

he later confronts you asking if you do witchcraft. you obviously answer you don't. he thinks you're lying and got plastic surgery.

you say you didn't with like the prettiest smile he's ever seen. he takes your word for it and everyone was shocked.

since then he's been like a parasite who always seems to be stuck with you always there to shoo off anyone irrelevant.

thinks he has asthma bc every time he sees you his breath cuts short and fucking hates himself for "having" asthma.

has tried on multiple occasions to "get rid" of people who bothered you even in the slightest way.

*ੈ✩‧₊˚ kyle broflovski.

is actually so fucking flustered around you.

when he saw you in the cafeteria walking in he couldn't take his eyes off you the entire time, even with his friends calling for him.

if you even give him the slightest hint you're into him, he will take matters into his own hands and just brag to everyone.

for funsies of course.

deffo helps you away from any unwanted eyes, help meaning may literally threaten them in the worst ways possible.

when he's around you its like he's in a daze for him, he just feels like he's on cloud nine and is living the best life ever.

suddenly becomes the most romantic person ever, not that he wasn't already. but like hella cheesy hopeless romantic.

*ੈ✩‧₊˚ stan marsh.

the classic and boring response is a throws up. but he actually doesn't do that contrary to popular beliefs.

he faints instead!

he thought he died since he saw an angel and then his vision went black but he thought hey at least that meant hed be in heaven.

he is stunned when he wakes up in the nurse's office and sees you worried about him of all people.

is like a stuttering mess but he starts slowly but surely relaxing around you, still very nervous talking to you though.

has bragged very purposely in front of wendy that y'all are friends.

while he may not be good at romance, he does try. and by trying i mean he makes u a picnic and brings takeout.

*ੈ✩‧₊˚ kenny mccormick.

ay, he has a heart attack because of you.

kidding. but bro does feel his heart like- stop when he sees you walking down the halls like it's some rom-com movie.

instantly starts making moves on you, no hesitation.

doesn't matter whats going on, if he has the chance, hell take it.

at one point thought you were like his actual guardian angel because he had yet to die after meeting you.

still thinks you are and worships the ground you walk on.

very much one of those "ill do anything for you" but he actually will do anything for you, like seriously. just ask.

*ੈ✩‧₊˚ butters stotch.

surprisingly the most normal of the bunch.

treats you like a normal human being thankfully.

though he does like stutter around you a lot but that calms down and he's usually back to his normal self in like a day or two.

is very much attached to you especially since his parents have

brags so much to the guys and tells them to "suck on these nuts bitch" because you don't hang out with them, ever.

has tried, and failed, to set up a date with you two. cried himself to sleep, and repeated this process for like a week.

it did work. at his house, in front of his parents! but it was kinda fun, you surprisingly got along with them very well.

[stardew-shitposterino]

Stardew Valley Bachelors and how they’d react if you told them you’ve never dated anyone before

Headcanons about our baby girls :3 “Never dated” also refers to no romantic experience whatsoever. The Farmer is gender neutral, for Harvey’s it could be read as afab but I leave that up to your imagination

Content warning: mild nsfw

Sam:

-he doesn’t care because same LMFAO

-admittedly, he feels more comfortable with that piece of knowledge as he doesn’t feel as pressured to do everything right

-“wow, Farmer, really?! I wouldn’t have guessed, but me neither! B-but don’t worry, we will handle this together. This will be so much fun!”

-he’s excited to explore this new chapter of your life together…with lots of kissies

-can’t believe he is the first person to call you his’ and feels extremely flattered by it. He won’t shut up about it when he’s with Abi and Seb

-the smexy time with him will be a blast though. He’s maybe not the most skilled lover, but his enthusiasm makes up for all of it. He helps you relax and take it light. Be prepared for lots of praise and absent-minded filth coming from his mouth

Sebastian:

-homeboy really doesn’t give a shit tbh, he doesn’t even give you a big reaction

-we both know he hasn’t dated before either, but it’s nothing of his concern either

-“…ok, that’s cool…(?)” *proceeds playing games on his console”

-though you don’t have any reference points, he’s still trying to be the best boyfriend he can be for you because you deserve it (he won’t say that though)

-what can I say, he’s pretty indifferent 🤷🏼‍♀️

-about intimate business though…he has no clue what to do and wished at least you knew, but you both make it work. The first time is a bit too gentle, but that will change once you get the hang of it. It’s nerve-wrecking to him but he’s also excited to learn all these new things with you and make you feel good

Harvey:

-Harvey wouldn’t mind either way, he knows you’re an adult and that you can choose to live your life however you want to with whoever

-buuuut, unlike with the others, it makes him even more anxious that he is your first partner and wants to make everything right.

-“I’m not the most exciting guy, but I’ll try my best to make this relationship perfect for you, because you deserve nothing but the best.”

-His last relationship was years ago, so this feels new to him as well. He takes things slow with you, especially since he’s very shy and needs to ease into things as well. Everything being new to you makes him feel young again

-feels guilty for going further with you too as he doesn’t want to mess things up. He knows how painful and uncomfortable it can be and wants you to remember it fondly, peppering you with lots of kisses, soft touches, hand holding and prep work

-overall, he’s the best first boyfriend you could ever wish for. He’s caring, polite and cute :3

Elliott:

-ma man, ma boy, he has waited for this moment

-Elliott is a notorious romantic, of course he will take this opportunity to make your time with him the most special experience of your entire life

-“It will be a pleasure to show you the world through rose-coloured glasses, my love. *kisses your hand all so gently*. So you won’t ever forget that you are the light of my life, that you are loved.”

-not that he wouldn’t wanna do that if you had dated anyone before, but he goes along with things differently depending on your experience

-if you’re new to this, he will take it slow. The last he wants is to push you to do things you’re not comfortable with

-he’s a very romantic man, but that also encapsulates that he’s a very sexual man ( not in a creepy perv way of course, just very passionate about the whole gist of being intimate). But he waits with that for a LOOOONG time before he plans a romantic bedroom date with a hot bath, rose petals and body oils if he knows it’s your first relationship

-a lot of rom-com-esque adventures await you with this fine gentleman, and the build up to the big night will be worth the patience ;)

Shane:

-Quite frankly? He’s flustered the house lol

-I’m talking big rosy blush across his face and big eyes

-like, you chose HIM to be your first? Really?!

-he always thought highly of you, but now he has to reconsider how smart you could possibly be when you want him to be your first relationship

-“Uh, wow…a-and you’re sure you want to make this experience with me ?! Of all people?!”

-He has had many meaningless hookups in the past, but relationships….oof they weren’t that deep, and he never cared about any of them like he cares about you.

-He tries his best. He’s not an anxious mess like Harv, but he still watches how he behaves around you because he doesn’t want to break your spirit regarding relationships…he doesn’t want you to feel the way he has felt about love and trust

-though he had some hookups, it’s been A WHILE K, so he has major anxiety around your first time together. As much as he’d love to devour you, his anxiety makes him avoid it for the longest time. He wants nothing but the best for you, and he still doesn’t think highly of himself, not to mention his chub. But at some point, he is able to let his guard down as he knows you wouldn’t judge him for something like that ever.

Alex:

-ALEX, my precious…well yeah he is stoked ngl LOL

-he is a whole jock jerk but that’s all a facade, so this piece of information makes him a little less anxious but the more excited to give it his all to make this a one-of-a-kind experience to you

-“wait, REALLY?! That’s aweso- I mean, that’s interesting. I can consider myself a lucky guy to be your first boyfriend. You won’t ever regret it, I promise 😉” *dies on the inside and wants nothing but to scream in excitement*

-BUT it also boosts his ego through the roof. He can’t believe he is the guy that made you want to go the next step, especially as no one else made you want to have a relationship before him

-He’s nothing but a good old-fashioned lover boy. Man grew up with his grandparents, one of them being Evelyn (my precious granny), so he has some manners and knows how to treat a lady (if you’re not a lady, he will treat you like one regardless because that’s all he knows lol)

-I’m sorry but…man’s horny, and though he wants to take things slow for your sake, he will take the first opportunity to take you to bed with him let’s b real. He will be gentle with you and tries his best to make it “first time friendly”, but it is very hard for him as he has dreamed about this since the first time you’ve met.

[pinkrangersarah]

some Fearless 7 hc's since i'm sailing this boat by myself

merlin

youngest of the group and arthur doesn't let him forget it, i speculate somewhere between 18, like snow, and 20.

shortest of the group, too, with jack only being an inch or two taller

is honestly the biggest baby and hates scary stories. will put on a brave face, though, especially in front of snow.

100% made up his own theme song at some point. you can't tell me a guy who says "you just got merlin'd" didn't also make up his own dumb theme song.

ambidextrous

hates stagnation. hates to be bored. always needs to be doing something.

arthur

the oldest of the group, 21 at the very least and maybe 24 or 25 at most.

also the tallest and strongest, but i honestly think that's just canon.

puts on that tough guy, macho act, but tbh is really just the biggest softie. a giant teddy bear. gives the best hugs. probably cries during cheesy soap operas and rom coms.

also kind of a baby when it comes to scary stuff. lowkey competes with merlin by mocking him to see who's the most scared.

jack

second youngest, second shortest, but honestly the most mature out of the group. lowkey the mom friend.

scariest temper. is honestly pretty relaxed and doesn't get angry often (irritated and annoyed with the antics of the others a lot though), but when it does happen it will put the fear of god into anyone there to witness it. the triplets are the only ones to have yet to be subjects of his wrath.

has 100% used the invisibility cloak to mess with roommates, typically when they've been annoying and he's feeling exceptionally petty.

has dirt on everybody. no one can prove he's eavesdropping but it is strongly suspected. how else can he hold merlin's theme song over his head?

reads trashy romance novels.

hans

second oldest, second tallest, and the second most mature despite his bumbling and naivety. highkey the mom friend.

the house would literally fall apart if he wasn't around. jack might be a tad bit more mature, but it's jack's indifference that sets them apart. hans is the "should we stop them, we should stop them" to jack's "not yet i want to see how this plays out".

second scariest temper, though. no one has actually yet to see it, but the vibe is there and nobody wants to find out for sure.

is the sole reason why the triplets ever eat because they'll forget if he doesn't practically drag them out of their workshop.

pino, noki, and kio

younger than arthur and hans, but older than merlin and jack. definitely no younger than 20.

no preservation skills whatsoever. very "will leap before looking if there's a lure of scientific excitement". curiosity killed the cat and it'll probably kill them one of these days--if hans and/or jack weren't around to stop them.

different heights if you look closely, but all three are taller than merlin and jack. only one of them is about the same height as hans.

are fairly content in their dwarf bodies! the height change is an inconvenience at most, though they rarely notice since they're hardly ever apart.

at least one of them has found and read jack's trashy romance novels and he isn't sure which one. they won't tell him and lowkey enjoy watching him squirm.

also hate stagnation, being bored. they're always doing something. at least one of them jiggles their legs when they're sitting down.

[coryosmin]

modern!thg guys (or all characters) & who is most likely to be into horror movies bc as a massive horror film girlie, this is very important to me. 🙏🏻

coriolanus - i feel like coriolanus would pretend to be into horror movies but truthfully, they bore him to death. i feel like he’s more into indie films tbh.

sejanus - not into horror movies at all. i think he prefers comedy over any other genre

tigris - surprisingly enough, i think she would be so chill with horror movies. def the type to go “oh coryo shut the fuck up you know nothing about the nightmare on elm street” and then proceed to go on a whole rant about it.

finnick - i think finnick is neutral about them. he doesn’t hate them, he doesn’t like them. if he enjoys a movie, he enjoys a movie.

johanna - loves them. she absolutely adores them. she laughs when the ppl die in films.

peeta - hates them. he’s a rom com kind of dude.

katniss - she doesn’t like the monster or ghost films. or even the murderous ones. i think she likes the psychological torture horror movies. the ones that really make you question your sanity.

[ayyyez]

Oh your requests are still open, yay! May I request some hcs of a movie date night for Hinata, Kageyama, Tendou, and Nishinoya with their partners?

A/N: oh yeah yeah yeah! I can definitely do this for you. Thanks for sending in a request (at the moment requests are also still open for headcanons if anyone else wants to send some in!)

TAGS: headcanons, fluff, movie night, making out mentions, mentions of sex but nothing explicit, suggestive content

CHARACTERS: Hinata Shouyou, Kageyama Tobio, Tendou Satori, Nishinoya Yuu

HINATA SHOUYOU:

The idea of having a movie date with him at your place is very cute but he's also the kind of guy who can't sit still for long periods of time without doing something. He's just? Gotta move! Can't not be restless! Gotta fiddle. Get him a stim device or just offer up your thigh to let him massage with his hand.

Better off watching an anime movie of a manga he likes (like One Piece). He'd also be down to watch comedies, rom-coms and will probaby be into action movies.

Just make it something you can tune in and out off. Don't watch something where you have to watch every little detail or you don't want to miss a thing because he's a talker too. Hinata just wants to know all of your thoughts and tell you his.

The thing is, his attention span with movies is a little eh~ Between that and having the need to always be doing something with his hands, you're either going to have to help or deal.

That means occupying his hands (put yours in his~ hey hey~) or if you're feeling extra bold, just climb right on into his lap/pull him into yours.

He's also the kind of guy who sees pulling 'the move' of throwing his arm around your shoulders as the perfect moment during movies. His hand on your arm will be restless too and fiddle with your top or will massage your shoulder/arm.

With the talking it's nonstop too. It's very cute. He just goes and goes making jokes and doing impressions of the characters. Join in with him if you want, he loves hearing all your jokes and impressions too. It becomes a competition of who can do the best ones.

Quite literally the only way to shut him up (unless you enjoy the rambling) is to make out with him. Many a movie night with Hinata turns into a makeout session.

Who knows what the movie was even about?

DO NOT watch horror movies with him or he will smack you in the face (ACCIDENTALLY!) because he jumps at everything! Shrieks and flails. Throws the popcorn. Will cling to you like a koala. And then at the end will declare it wasn't even that scary! Sure babe.

KAGEYAMA TOBIO:

Okay so movie nights with him are also sweet. The poor honey though it's a 50/50 if he stays awake the whole way through. It's not that he's bored! He's just so relaxed and comfortable in your presence he can't help but drift off, especially if it's after a long day or week.

Loves to be cuddling. Even if you two are just hanging on the couch movie or not he's wanting to be indulging in some couple time. For him movie night is more about spending time together than the movie itself.

Ask Kageyama what half the movies you watched were about he can't give you a solid answer tbh. 'Idk romance?' It was a thriller babe but sure it was a romance let's go with that.

He can't help it. Kageyama was just so caught up in your warmth, your scent and nuzzling your neck to the backdrop of screams.

Can literally watch anything. When he is awake and pays attention does ask questions. Appreciates you taking the time to answer them and not make him feel silly.

'Wait why's he mad and got a gun on him I thought they were friends?' Kageyama asks brow furrowing.

'No honey, he was lying to get information out of him.' You explain.

'Tch.' He hugs you tigther. 'Loser, he deserves to have a gun on him instead.'

You snort. 'Sure babe.' It's cute that Kageyama takes friendships and relationships so seriously even in silly action movies. He's sweet that way.

Sometimes his hands just seem to wander during movie nights. Not necessarily in a sexual way but he just likes to be touching you. Likes the connection. A hand under your shirt, on your thigh or over your chest. Just touching, softly kneading and stroking. Always asks 'Is this okay?' and makes sure you're comfortable with it.

Only takes it further if you want to. But if he does it's really slow and drawn out because it's his only chance to really take his time. Just likes his down time with you.

TENDOU SATORI:

The man with a plan that loves a good movie night. Has the collection both physically and digitally. He thinks there's just something about collecting physically but started up a digital collection once he moved to the dorms because he had to travel light so it became a habit he took into adulthood.

Likes to have a whole set up having movie night with you to make it an experience. He's showing you his favourite movies after all so he wants you to get the best out of them even if you don't like them Tendou wants to give them the best chance.

Owns a projector to make things fun. Likes having popcorn and treats. Tells you lots about the movie beforehand (not spoilers) just general things to get you pumped! Blankets and comfy couch or those fancy two person bean bags to cuddle on.

While he does want you to watch the movie he's more about the experience so he talks if you talk. Is just buzzing with energy. Likes watching you! Seeing you laugh when things are funny. React at the shocking or sad things or just seeing if you react the way he thought you might. If you're touched the same way he was.

Tendou mainly hopes it's fun or just worth the time. He does like horror and thriller films so bonus if you do too or are willing to put up with them. Loves seeing you jump. Finds it fun if you want to analyse the film with him. Even if its just to make fun of the tropes.

If you watch a new thriller or horror together he likes trying to guess what will happen. Singing victory songs and cheers for whoever guesses things right! Perhaps winner gets smooches.

Cheeky. He likes trying to throw in his own jumpscares in movies sometimes (if you aren't already too terrified--he's not too mean). Do it back! He gets a thrill. You two will be doing it all week when the movies long over.

Throwing popcorn at each other. Trying to catch it in your mouth. Lots of laughing. The making out doesn't happen until the credits roll.

Sometimes the best sex you've ever had together happens after a movie marathon and you two are high on analysing the films and laughing about theories and stupid jokes. The next minute you're making out and taking each other's clothes off and just so wrapped up in each other.

Tendou the movie man knows what he's doing when it comes to recommending movies and setting the mood.

NISHINOYA YUU

Movie nights with Nishinoya are absolute chaos where anything can happen. You'll start of watching a movie but then you two will see a cake in the movie and will crave cake that you just have to have the next minute you're at the grocery store running amuck buying instant mix to bake a cake.

Other times you manage to make it all the way through an entire movie together. Sometimes you get through half of one and want to watch another.

Life with Nishinoya is just following the happy trail wherever it takes you, honestly.

When you do watch movies though they could be ANYTHING.

'Hey Tanaka was talking about this movie the other day we should totally watch it!' and that's all it takes you're watching a comedy movie that came out a year ago. You'd meant to go see it when it came out but life got in the way.

He's not one to sit still and be quiet during a movie. The two of you will start cuddling on the couch. Probably the first maybe fifteen minutes of the movie continue that way. The guy is restless though. Will start thinking outloud.

'You think he's the love interest?' He'll start asking about every random guy who comes onto the screen.

'Babe it's the guy on the cover.' You'll assure him.

'I didn't look, it keeps it a surprise.' He smirks. No not a surprise he just wants to be funny/annoying and say it's every guy BUT the love interest and feign disappointment when the main couple does get together.

'What do you mean she's getting together with him what about background character B she bought coffee off in the first half? They totally had chemistry!'

'Wow if only you had seen this coming somehow.' You pat him on the head. 'Like, say, by looking at the dvd cover the movie came in?'

He pouts. 'I think I'm going to need a lot more than head pats to feel better. Background character B totally got cheated, babe!'

And that's how Nishinoya gets kisses out of you from movie night. It is fun though. It becomes it's own fun experience each time you watch a movie.

[sixstepsaway]

i've had some thoughts bouncing around for a while about ofmd s2, and in light of the news, i'm going to brain dump some of them. if you don't feel like listening to me complain about HBO and would rather just go cry about OFMD not getting season 3, that's chill, go ahead, no hard feelings

so.

season 1 was absolutely the definition of lightning in a bottle. it had great acting, great writing, gorgeous set and costume design, it was great, and not only that but it was unabashedly queer

jim had a whole episode dedicated to "actually i'm not a woman i'm just jim" and then everyone - even the bad guys, even the antagonists, even their nun nana, everyone - referred to them as they/them after that, no questions asked

the main character went through an arc that was basically figuring out his sexuality and going "oh shit, i love a man" on a show that was not directly advertised as "OUR QUEER MEANS DEATH" like a, y'know, Queer Show would be

and stede and ed's romance felt like it was important. It felt like the pirates of it all was mostly incidental, background, filler, just fun to pad out the situation and give them things to be challenged by (the badmintons!) while also being fun on its own. it's the kind of show where if you pulled all the characters out and slapped them into a whole other situation like space agents or time travellers or everyone lives together in a loft runs a bakery... it'd still work. sure, the badmintons would be less murderous and run a competing bakery or something, but it'd still work, because the focus was on the characters, and on the romance between stede and ed

the first three episodes of season 3 felt that way too. the love between stede and ed was paramount and if you swapped to a mafia au or a bakery au it'd still work (with some gentle adjustments for ed's Behavior™ to be fair)

but.

season 1, they kept saying it was a rom com, and it felt like one. it was just a rom com that was set at sea! how fun!

now, rom coms have tropes. they have genre-specific things that you kind of expect from, well, a rom com. you expect mess. you expect things like ed fucking off with jack because he doesn't feel good enough

(i've recently been rewatching new girl and although some of the humor makes me cringe, it's still a great show, and one of the main things about it is that everyone is messy. no matter how much schmitt loves cece, he's going to make mistakes. no matter how obviously nick and jess are going to end up together and belong together, they're going to sleep with the wrong people, make mistakes, break up etc. it's as much a rom com as ofmd.

one of the things that makes new girl so good and makes me love the main couples so much is how hard they work to be together, how they fight adversity and the mess of their own flaws and toxicity and still get together because they love each other most, in the end)

i remember in s1 thinking how if stede had been a woman, jack would have been too, and ed would've had at least one romantic/sexual scene with jack when he ran away with him

but i also remember thinking, "yeah, but the show hadn't explicitly done the his name is ed reveal and the kiss on the beach yet, and the reveal hits so hard, it makes sense not to do that earlier", and tbh i stand by that

which brings me to s2, after the first three eps, where they tried to go back to rom com and it just felt... forced.

rom coms usually have adversity. they have other characters that directly and truly threaten the main pairing by being interesting to those characters! no matter how you feel about izzy, he was framed as a love interest or as an ex that was still complicated, but the show very much tiptoed around that

does "i have love for you" and "i loved you best i could" make sense for the characters? yeah.

do i feel like if ed was a woman, she and izzy would've had a messy rebound relationship for stede to have to contend with, for the two of them to come out the other side of wanting each other from? yeah.

ofmd s1 felt unabashedly queer. s2 felt like they didn't want to be too gay.

they put olu with a Woman™, they put jim with a woman almost like it was less queer and more acceptable this way than queering olu, they completely waved off olu and jim's relationship and dropped any concept of polyamory because that would've made it even queerer, not less queer

(i'm using queer here as a definition more of breaking boundaries and being outside of the norm to the extent it makes cishets deeply uncomfortable and the queer in question aren't conforming to society's standards. and this reading of s2 (and s1) is entirely subjective, it's just what's been bubbling here for me)

pete and lucius went from "we don't own each other" to marriage, with no footnotes of what marriage meant to them specifically, whether they were, in fact, conforming with the 'norm' of marriage (exclusivity, labels, definitions etc) or whether they were still chill about these things or whether this now meant no more penis drawings

the queerest episode was probably the party episode (which was so good), but even that was especially queer because some cast members fought to make it so (con wanting izzy's drag to be beautiful not funny has HAUNTED ME, because that means it was originally supposed to be played for laughs!!) not because it was that way naturally

the fact i read somewhere that the party and the drag was originally lupete's wedding makes so much more sense to me because yeah, they WOULD have a wedding like that, but instead they got a lame final episode wedding because it would have been way too queer to do it at calypso's birthday with drag and queer joy everywhere

it also would have been more realistic to the lucius and pete we got in season 1.

there were a lot of things in season 2 that felt... weird. we've talked about it. we have all talked about it.

the final episode, even outside of the thing i hated most, was just horribly written imo. there's big sweeping gestures and no kind of real emotional pay off for the main relationships (lupete included), and everything got tied with a neat little bow at the end

i remember when we were told s2 was 8 episodes and how much the budget had been chopped thinking, "ha, we're so not getting a season 3"

i remember when i realized how weirdly rewritten most of season 2 had been thinking, "yeah, there's not going to be a season 3"

i remember when bitching about ed's arc being totally truncated and handwaved thinking, "mm, we're not getting a season 3"

and i remember when the Revenge sailed off into the sunset with everyone but ed and stede on board thinking, "oh yeah, we're done."

just enough was left open that a season 3 could happen.

just enough was left open that if a miracle happened, there'd be something to do with season 3.

but i genuinely, 100%, hand on my heart, think djenks knew he wasn't getting a season 3

and don't get me wrong, i'm not absolving him of the poor writing choices he made in season 2, but i am saying it makes a lot more sense if you think of it from the perspective of corporate meddling and having everything taken away while he was actively trying to make season 2

we already know HBO cut the budget a ridiculous amount so they just had to make everything work with what they had. we already know HBO cut the episode number.

season 2 plays out like they prepped a good chunk of it, ready for 10 episodes, and then HBO cut the budget and cut the episodes

and so things had to be changed and chopped about. ed's arc got lots of screen time and focus for three episodes (before the cuts) and then things got quicker, and fast

characters were cut for time and for budget reasons.

and then i think towards the end of production and the end of writing, djenks learned the odds of season 3 were minimal at best, and he panicked

i think the original plan was probably for ed's arc to go for the majority of season 2. maybe a middle piece where he and stede tried but it still wasn't Right (last night was a mistake) because ed had so much to work on and so much to heal

i genuinely wonder if the finale was completely rewritten at the last minute because to me it makes way, way more sense from a narrative standpoint for things to have been more staggered out. let's consider ten episodes instead of 8:

episodes 1-5: same as they were when aired, including the gravy basket giving us set-up for what ed's dealing with internally, giving us something to latch onto and prepare for his redemption. NO KISS AT THE END OF EPISODE 5. episode 6: ed is still wearing the bell. he's sort of done his amends with lucius, but now he needs to do amends with the rest of the ship. stede is still learning his piratey ways, so there's hijinks in the background. jim and archie and olu try to decide what their relationship is after the garlic and all, and debate room arrangements. lucius and pete announce their engagement. stede and ed nearly kiss. episode 7: more ed redemption arc. he's still working at things, he's shying away from violence because violence is what took him down this dark path to begin with. maybe we get some discussion of his father. stede, blind to ed's flaws, insists he's nothing like his father! ed tries to make amends with izzy but somehow this is the hardest of all because he hurt him the most of all. izzy gets chance to apologize for what he now sees as his part in pushing ed down into the darkness (trying to drag blackbeard back) and izzy's apology makes ed feel worse somehow and gives him some absolution when he finally figures out how to return his own. ed kisses stede but says he wants to take it slow. episode 8: wedding episode!! calypso's birthday!! ed uses his loot to bankroll lupete's wedding. stede reacts with violence to ned and we know from everything before that ed is actively trying to distance himself from the violence of piracy because, yeah, of course he is. is it a good idea? nope. does it make sense to his character for him to still be putting a good chunk of the blame on piracy for his actions, rather than accepting the parts of his whole and learning how to regulate those parts healthily? yes. anyway, stede reacts to his own violence by clutching for ed, ed feels after like his boundaries were pushed. same as show. episode 9: ed is having a meltdown. he and izzy have started to heal, so izzy watching him stare at fishing boats and just chatting to him like nothing happened actually makes a lick of sense. lupete are on their honeymoon at jackie's. olu gets to hook back up with zheng and archie and jim want to go along because they're not super happy on the ship still because although ed is doing better, the past of what he does still hangs over everyone. olu, zheng, jim and archie do not discuss the poly of it all properly, and it's hilarious and a mess, and gives us something to look forward to handling in season 3. ed freaks out about stede being violent when he's the one thing he felt like wasn't violent (and thus safe for him to be with), and about taking it not at all slow, breaks things off and runs away. izzy gets stede to come back to the ship. stede gets into a fight with zheng, the bombs go off, whatever (not a fan of this for her sake but if it has to happen, it can happen) episode 10: ed is off fishing but it's not going well and he's pissing pop-pop off all the time because he's not good at fishing. stede and co are handling the ricky of it all. the episode is mostly the same at the start, but instead of ed immediately going "omg, i gotta save bae" he doesn't find out about the attack until right at the end of the episode. stede and co make it back to the revenge and escape safely, and when ed retrieves his leathers and returns he thinks they're dead! he threatens/tortures/whatever some english and they say no, stede escaped! they all escaped! the season ends with ed, all decked out in his leathers, with his sword, now in the position stede was last season: staring out over the water, planning to find the man he loves.

this sets season 3 up for ed to be on his own for a little while, for him to handle and figure out how to channel his violence into something 'good' (wanting to find his love, wanting to protect his crew etc).

maybe season 3 flashes back to baby!ed again and the fact his first act of violence against his father wasn't motivated by anger or spite, it was motivated by wanting to protect someone he loved: his mum.

then season 3 they find each other again, and maybe they meet in the moonlight for the parallel to hit even better, they finally get back together properly, for good, with maybe some comedic issues along the way, and ed finds his place in the world to be less "blackbeard, the terror of the seas" and more "ed protects those he loves."

i honestly think this is probably how the show was originally meant to go, or at least something close.

i think midway through season 2, djenks heard it was over and he (rightfully) panicked and threw together a finale that tied up as many loose ends as he could because he knew.

and i dont think there's anything that could've been done about it. i think it was dead in the water (no pun intended) the moment all the MAX/HBO/whatever reshuffles happened, I think it was too queer and I genuinely think executive meddling made a lot of the more queer elements go away, possibly right down to trying to wipe away the exes/love interests of it all with that whole father figure thing

and, again, i'm not absolving djenks of some of his more baffling writing decisions. he's a grown man and he makes his own choices. but i am saying i think it explains a LOT about why the finale we got is what we got, and i'm not sorry stede and ed ended the show together rather than apart or with their lives hanging in the balance or something

anyway these are just a bunch of thoughts i've been having, tied together by the cancellation.

[not-poignant]

@draconis-ruthren replied to your post “Sending some questions rom the fic meme, 20, 21...”:

This is why I feel like a fly on the wall watching everything going on, cuz I know Raphael is a devil who will do devil things, the real question is always, ok what is he going to do now? Which causes some angst but also makes for some great entertainment cuz then it like, ok buddy you made this decision, how do you plan on living with it? Lol

​I get stressed sometimes thinking about how to balance 'yes he IS 50% human' with 'yes he IS 50% devil.' Not wholly devil, not wholly human. And also like, thousands of years completely out of touch with his human self in general, because he did reach pit fiend / Ascended pit fiend.

He talks about this in the next chapter actually, and he describes his cambion self and especially his human self as a 'shadow' he lost touch with, and how with his resurrection, and losing the pit fiend form, he now has that sort of 50% back front and centre.

But his human self can be a sadist as well. People aren't compassionate by default.

Idk, I think there are some human motivations in there, but nothing ever quite tops his need to increase his power. And he has successfully just won a massive increase thanks to this fairly minor contract with Astarion. If nothing else, Astarion has already proven himself more than useful, and Raphael's proven he doesn't need to bind someone's soul to him, if it means netting even more souls in the future.

I do think like a spider, he's remaking a very large web - some of which broke when he died. But like a person, he has needs/wants/desires, and maybe sometimes he is just a guy who wants to sexually torment another guy for fun, who sometimes finds himself pleasantly surprised by how pretty Astarion is, or how clever, or how silly, etc. Like 'this is a pleasing and useful diversion but as soon as the toy gets boring and/or betrays me, we're done' but also with some fondness. Because I do think Raphael is capable of fondness towards certain people / individuals, even if it's not necessarily loyal.

Tbh I also feel very fly-on-the-wall sometimes.

[holocene-sims]

character asks tag

thank you @changingplumbob & @feroshgirlsims for tagging me!!

this went around a hot minute ago, so i do not remember who has or has not done this, so feel free to ignore if you aren't interested or already did it, but i'll tag: @igglemouse @queeniecook @dandylion240 @nectar-cellar @vercosims & anyone who wants to!

✨ which OC is the first at a movie theater opening night for a movie they've been excited for?

henry! he spends a large chunk of his weekly screen time on letterboxd and running his movie review blog, so i think it's safe to call him a movie buff. and honestly, i think he'd be seated front row on opening night for any movie, not just the ones he's excited for. he has a stake in seeing terrible movies, too, if only because the internet loves a spicy review, right?

also, this means that soobin counts here, too. she'd prefer to go see rom-coms exclusively, but if henry is willing to watch reality TV with her, she is willing to go watch what he wants in theaters.

✨ which OC is the pickiest?

i think it depends on the type of picky!

aside from the very obvious answer (grant's parents)...

shannon is the queen of picky eating. she's famously physically repulsed by coffee, and she's the kind of person who orders the exact same meal every time at a restaurant, no deviations. also, she does not do spice, like, at all. mild salsa is the upper range of her tolerance.

in terms of perfectionist pickiness, i think i'd have to give this to henry. especially when it comes to his art hobbies or his job, he's straight up compulsive about getting everything exactly right. he'll retake a photo a billion times just to fix one minor light imperfection in the corner.

✨ which OC is the most stubborn?

aoife, followed by grant. i mean, it is kind of the defining trait of the family, but these two get it honest. for better or for worse, they don't give up on anything. god forbid if they do, that means they've really reached the end of their rope.

colm should be thrown in this category as well. he's...i mean, he's just colm. he's quite the guy, and i think stubborn on purpose. aoife and grant don't necessarily mean to be stubborn, they just are by nature/upbringing, but colm does it because it's funny or out of spite.

✨ which OC looks like a pushover, but could actually kick someone's butt?

this is also an aoife thing! she looks harmless (hello, she is tiny), and generally, she is harmless, but if you give her a reason to be pissed off, i think she would be your worst nightmare. she wouldn't even need a weapon, but a wooden spoon is in her implement. anyway, #farmgirltough

✨ which OC is most likely to excitedly talk about hobbies?

i'm going to be so for real, all of them except grant's parents 🤭 it might just be me, the author, just being autistic lmao but i can't really envision anyone not wanting to do that, so i let my characters do it all the time tbh.

but it does exist on a spectrum. on one end, you have someone like grant, who will only do it with people who like the same stuff as him or explicitly ask him to talk about his hobbies. on the other end, you have shannon and colm, who will talk anyone's damn ear off 24/7 about something that interested them for 5 seconds the other night at 3AM. and then you have characters like henry, who does talk about his hobbies often, but mostly online. etc., etc., etc.

[lazzarella]

I watched Wandee Goodday the moment it dropped and 10/10 no notes! Except I did write notes while I was watching it* so here they are :P

-Ooh, a cold opening, guess we're gonna flashback soon!

-Yep! There it is!

-Shower scene—nice

-He didn't eat his breakfast???? (This is a pet peeve of mine in all TV XD)

-Aw, the little dude fell in the coffee. That's foreshadowing for you!

-ASEXUAL????? OMG! (To clarify: Kao is asexual)

-Bullying his eyebrows lmaoooo

-Was there x-ray vision?? I blinked and missed it lol

-Immediately love the dynamic between the boxing bros and the older one's bf—feels very lived in!

-Wahhhhh! Inn is so cute!

-Oh, he's sassy too

-Ter's rejection felt fairly gracious tbh, until Dee pushed him?? IDK. Bringing up the scholarship after that was a total dick move though

-Kao is a great friend! Hope Dee isn't going to be one of those selfish rom com leads who ignores their friend's needs though, but he's cute so I'll ignore it if he is :P

-Lmao the secondhand embarrassment I felt with drunk!Dee following Yak. He's a disaster! He's a delight!

-THE "SEDUCTIVE" MOVES IN THE MINIMART! Soooo funny. I love that it played out differently than I thought it would from the trailer and Yak is like 'arghhh, what's happening???' rather than confused and aroused

-The clerk's comment about lube took me out

-Ahhhh SO SNUGGLY! How could Yak resist? (Sidenote: I love that we see he's quite softhearted underneath so soon)

-Oh, also, that shorts outfit he was wearing was hot af

-Again, how could Yak resist???

-CRAMP! lmaoooooo

-Oh good they tried again haha

-Nooooooooo!!! I NEED MORE NOW! D:

*I turn off my devices at night so these were handwritten and then typed up this morning XD

[synthwayve]

Who are your FIVE favorite Bloodborne characters and also why? (Yes sorry there are three more to choose from besides Micolash and Laurence 😞)

Thank you for the ask!! This really made me think tbh

1. Micolash (to nobody’s surprise)

He was actually not the first bloodborne boss fight I ever saw, but his fight captivated me nonetheless. His design is just so COOL. I can’t get over it. I always saw him as a gigantic meme but then I got into the lore more and realized wow, this character has a lot to him! Medical malpractice, insanity, possible regret, you name it! I always thought his contrast against what I’d heard of Laurence was interesting too, and now that I’m deep in the trenches it just gets better haha.

2. Rom (okay this might be a bit surprising)

As much as I draw other characters, Rom is super close to my heart. Im not the sharpest crayon in the box(and never have been) so her character is very endearing to me: I see her as having been the sort of person who yearns to be useful. To be good at something. Everyone could reassure her that “you don’t have to be smart or talented, you’re kind!” But when you’re surrounded by the extraordinary, the bar of “decent person” just doesn’t cut it. I think she ascended in an attempt to fix this, to be “special” like her peers, and not the sometimes-funny airheaded woman she thinks they take her to be. Also, her design is just very cool x,D

3. Laurence

His character has a lot of sides, which is ironic since he is a dlc boss and has maybe 4 lines of dialogue total lmao. I think that he had good intentions that rotted under the weight of his leadership, and he’s definitely super fun to work with on his own even outside of other character dynamics. If he’s manipulative and bordering on cruel, why is he like that? If he’s sweet but just misguided, why didn’t he give up on the blood before it blew up in his face? Should we feel bad for him? Should we feel angry? There’s a lot to think about- he’s a fun character to both design and interpret!

4. Caryll

I love Caryll’s entire concept, and the Caryll-rune system is particularly interesting to me. I like how many sides there can be to this character! I’ve always been one to heavily reference lore, but not tie myself down to it, so I just like their general vibe and the possibilities of their placement in the story. I’m sure if I stuck to the lore religiously I’d actually like them a bit less, since to me, the mystery around them is a big part of the character! I like to imagine their relations with the others too :)

5. Edgar

This was really hard to pick between him and Damian tbh, I put them at about the same level. Edgar is very flexible as a character but he has solid lore points that can’t be easily ignored, which I really appreciate! His possible dynamic with Micolash is always super interesting and I love the juxtaposition of a very accountant-coded character lugging around Ludwig’s Holy Blade with the full intention to punt you into the moon. As for Damian, I just have a particular soft spot for characters that are “right-hands” to a leader, left to mourn or act in their absence. The coolheaded assistant type has always been appealing to me, and I like that both of them have a very short presence in game but the fandom has widely made them bigger players!

Thanks again for the ask! It was a lot of fun to think about :) I love a lot of the BB characters honestly, narrowing down to top 5 made me *sweat* haha. If we had a top 6, Maria would be next!

[dayscapism]

K-Dramas recommendations & short reviews

Because I've watched way too many to not make a list. Warning: I like romance and fantasy a bit too much.

These shows made me cry. 10/10. Five stars. Recommend to anyone. They live in my mind rent-free:

Extraordinary Attorney Woo (2022) - Attorney Woo is such a wonderful person, I love her character. I can't say much about the representation, but I like that it opens up the conversation around autism & neurodivergence, discrimination and prejudice, particularly in work environments. I rarely like shows about law or lawyers but I was surprisingly engaged with the cases and the story. It deserves a second season. (The only thing I don't like about this show is they're pushing for a MinWoo and Choi Su-Yeon ship. Which huh--disrespectful.)

Hotel Del Luna (2019) - A great place to start with k-dramas if you like paranormal fantasy. This show has such a special place in my heart. I wanted a different ending but I am okay with it because it was a tight narrative. The main character is iconic (Man-Wol please step on me). The show has amazing sets, AMAZING costumes, an amazing OST, amazing and heartbreaking performance by Yeo Jin Goo. The main couple is so soft; like they're such good friends and coworkers and gentle with each other (eventually). It's enemies to reluctant friends to lovers. It's perfect for asexual viewers who want more than physicality in their romance shows. Cons: the secondary characters' goodbyes and backstories left a little to be desired. A few other nitpicks like Chang-Seong is the one to suggest the main character a new hobby instead of her just discovering it by herself.

It's Okay to Not Be Okay (2020) - Also a good place to start with k-dramas. This show is a lesson in good narrative; this has perfect writing & storytelling. The cast is so good. The female lead is an icon. The character work I excellent. The mental health issues are so well addressed and it taught me a lot about mental health I wasn't aware of. Each small minor character plays a very important thematic role. (The villain isn't the best thing ever but she serves her role in the themes and plot.) The production and the storytelling with the children's book animations are just *heart eyes*. The OST is so good too. You need to watch this to understand how good a k-dramas can be. A must-watch.

Goblin: The Lonely and Great God (2016) - This is the most iconic fantasy/paranormal k-drama ever. A lot of current tropes were started here I think (including the weird k drama last-episode time jump separation of the main couple). This show broke me. You will cry. The bromance and comedy are amazing here too. Gong Yoo and Dong Wook Lee have great chemistry. Main female lead is so cute and her character is so heartwarming. The ending felt a bit rushed. The death, existential related stuff with the grim reapers and such is so good tho.

Business Proposal (2022) - Best rom-com ever! (Well, it could be gayer tbh.) It's my new comfort show. I already watched it twice. It's campy, hilarious, chaotic, iconic and messy in a way that feels like real life (but obviously played up for drama and comedy). Excellent character work. The love interest is definitely written by a woman. Gorgeous cast (Sejeon omg I have a crush, but also the others). It was too short! I would have loved another episode, and more of Grandpa and Ha-Ri. Warning: this has the weird kdrama last-episode time jump couple separation.

W: Two Worlds (2016) - A young resident medic accidentally finds her way inside the webcomic her father created. Like, that premise is killer. We have Lee Jong Suk at his finest here; the character fits him so well. He was born to play a lead. This show has amazing meta-commentary on writing, authorship, and existential crisis. The confrontation between the webcomic character Kang Cheol and the author is insane! The main couple is an epic pair. Would rewatch. High wump value. Cons: The second part could have been more swoony with the romance, Kang Cheol kind of became a bit cold. (A warning: this show also has the k drama weird last-episode time jump couple separation.)

Would recommend with popcorn, I rate them 8/10:

Crash Landing on You (2019) - Really good. The main couple has the best chemistry I've ever seen. It's not that much of a personal fave show, but still pretty awesome and will tug at your heart. It got a bit overly dramatic in the last episodes and again, has that k-drama last episode weird time jump couple separation, but here it actually makes sense. And sort of mirrors the separation and eventual unification of the Korean Peninsula. It was very interesting to see the contrast between North and South Korea.

Shooting Stars (2022) - Aside from the terrible, horrible, insulting Africa storyline (where the male lead goes to 'help' African kids with water scarcity, not even a country name is called, he just goes to *gestures vaguely* Africa to help goddammit he's such a beautiful soul! /s) There's a weird creepy sugar mommy wannabe side storyline and it's weird and out of nowhere. But the rest of it is good and campy and the main characters are so cute. All the couples are cute. The male lead is a cute disaster. Female lead is also a capable cutey but a disaster when it comes to romance. It's hilarious. I love all characters. It's fun. It's great. It shows a very interesting side of the entertainment industry.

While You Were Sleeping (2017) - A man and a woman who don't know each other have precognition powers and after they meet, they use them to take down a corrupt lawyer. The show isn't very heavy on the romance, tough the pair work pretty well together. I liked the main actress. Lee Jong Suk has chemistry with anyone. The male role was not exactly a good fit for Jong Suk. He's so much more naturally charming than the character. It's a fun show to pass the time. The found family is nice and all the characters work great together. The mom is great.

The King's Affection (2021) - I'm going to be honest, I didn't finish watching this. Ups. I got bored after episode 15. It's a very slow show but what I watched was quite good. It was just not a show for me. Having a bisexual male lead was awesome, I appreciate that he falls for the main character while he thinks she's a man. (Could be gayer tho, just saying.) Pretty good discussions and reversals of gender cliches. It has complicated parent-child relationships that are very well written which gives a lot of heart and heartbreak to this story. The political stuff gets very convoluted. I really wish the queer part was bigger though, and not limited to the main couple. We could even have poly representation! I still have half a mind to finish this but I don't know There are so many other shows I'd rather watch instead. (Boy, I really need to get into the actually queer side of k-dramas because the side I'm currently on is giving me crumbs.)

Lovers of the Red Sky (2021) - The premise was so cool. This has so much lore I like and the setting is beautiful and rich, but it also has so much lost potential. The plot is very weak in the second half and could be restructured. I loved the atmosphere, costumes and the actors and their characters: the blind cursed scholar nobleman, the female genius cheeky painter and her friend trio and the prince are all great characters. Ahn Hyo Seop is pretty good in it and looks very pretty indeed in historical costume (but the design of the villain creature he's possessed/cursed with is so, so bad omg). Great premise failed execution. Good first half but it went over the rails quickly. Still entertaining if you like historical fantasy.

Romance is a Bonus Book (2019) - It's a bit slow and could have done so much more with the female lead and her child. She's a bit underwhelming and her daughter is barely in the story. The second female character played by Jeong Eu-Gene was awesome, I love this actress now. Lee Jung Suk is always looking hot and being an excellent actor with what he's given; he's very charming here. He could have chemistry with a piece of wood and yet I wasn't that fan of the romance. Maybe it's just because friends to lovers isn't my cup of tea. There's a weird out-of-nowhere backstory between the male leads. The commentary of ageism in the workplace is a bit surface level (it's not that big of a deal for the company if you're overqualified for a job, the point should be that is an issue for you and your career, who is too good for the company). You can tell the writers really care about books; it's definitely a love letter to editors and an interesting window into the world of book publishing; you can feel the love editors put into making books. Bonus: the founding members of the publishing company have very funny moments.

Do no recommend:

King: Eternal Monarch - Couldn't even finish this. I was so, so confused. The dialogue, narrative and backstory make no sense! Everything is so unnecessarily confusing. There's no chemistry between the main couple. The king and the bodyguard had more chemistry. Lee Jung-Jin (playing the villain Lee Lim) & Woo Do-Hwan (the bodyguard) carried this show and are pretty much the only thing good about it. The female lead is sidelined. It had an intriguing premise but failed execution.

What's Wrong With Secretary Kim - Skimmed most of the second half. It's a mess. The love interest CEO is such a narcissist and asshole he wouldn't be able to keep a working, healthy relationship with his partner without some serious therapy first. The female lead seems to be repulsed by him most of the time even when together and even looks scared when they get intimate. There's an unnecessarily convoluted plotline about the main lead's brother and a kidnapping in their past. It has tonal issues and it's cringy rather than funny. The secondary characters are just a lot of useless filler. The female lead sacrifices her independence and dreams to be with the main guy. Just go watch Business Proposal instead.

Moon Lovers: Scarlet Heart Ryeo - The only pro of this show is IU. The romance went the undeveloped route. Cheap-looking production, with too many episodes, melodramatic, characters pivot in place instead of naturally developing; it's definitely a telenovela. The point that the female lead is from the future doesn't even matter for the story (should have made her a Goryeo historian instead of a random cosmetologist). Pass!

Tomorrow - Could not finish watching. Please, please don't watch it if you're dealing with depression, bullying or suicidal thoughts. Please don't. By episode 2 I was just screaming at the screen. Problematic? This show invented the word problematic. The supernatural task force that's supposed to save people with suicide risk is terrible at therapy and suicide prevention. They tell the person trying to commit suicide, literally on the edge of a building about to jump, that they should do it, that they're weak, they should just jump, go ahead! Like ... what????

Mystic Pop Up Bar - Didn't capture me by episode 2. Got bored. Some say this is better than Hotel Del Luna but I don't agree.

Abyss - It's a weird tonal mix. Would have preferred if it leaned further into the absurd (go all in with the humour or don't at all), the sci-fi or the murder mystery. Instead of just revealing by episode 3 who the murderer is, quickly changing the plot into a chase after the villain, even though he's so lame. But also he is keeps killing people and it gets dark. And then we cut to the main couple being silly and cute. It's so jarring. The leads have a great dynamic and Ahn Hyo Seop knows how to differentiate his characters really well, give them their own flavour., but in the end it's just a cool premise, failed execution. Very average.

Currently watching:

The Crowned Clown - Very interesting concept and gorgeous, gorgeous visuals. Plot drags a little. Has some tonal problems and oversimplification of politics. The best part is when Yeo Jin-Goo acts with himself haha. He's such a talented actor.

The Uncanny Counter - Get's a bit melodramatic sometimes but all four main actors are insanely good.

Tale of the Nine-Tailed - The main romantic relationship needs a lot more development, but the entire show is worth watching just for Dong Wook Lee and Kim Bum as brothers.

Alchemy of Souls - 6/10 so far. Currently watching season 2/part 2. Aside from the prince, I don't particularly care for any of the characters. Unpopular opinion but the main romantic pair have no chemistry. Mu-Deok has more chemistry with Yul and the prince, and the prince has more chemistry with Jang-Uk. The lore is confusing and inconsistent: it breaks its own rules. (Two souls in one body what?? when was this established as a thing?) There's not enough foreshadowing and setting up the rules of magic in this world (the Ice Stone comes up as a deux ex mahcina big plot point in the last second). It also drags; the episodes are too long. There's a lot of saying and ultimately the show doesn't deliver. The narrative structure is straight out of a fantasy Wattpad. The set and costumes are fun and cool for a fantasy world, and the first episode was great.  

[insomnikat-mused]

Fic authors self rec! When you get this, reply with your favorite five fics that you've written, then pass on to at least five other writers. spread the self-love ❤

Thank you for the ask! TBH I both hoped and dreaded this one coming my way. I don't usually like looking back but, in the end, this was actually more positive than painful.

1. The roles we play

(KakaSaku, 45.6K) Do you remember what you thought an ideal love would be like in your teens VS. what your ideal love (after love) would be like as an adult? Anyway, this was the fic that brought me back to writing. Fun fact: I was not a KakaSaku fan starting this. I just made myself one by the end.

2. Regret is the secret you keep

(Kirigan/Alina, 1.9K) - That one-shot that comes once in a sleepless blue moon, in a fandom you've never written for, and likely never will again (unless Ben Barnes makes a comeback). I still love it because it was so inspired, so effortless to write, so perfectly compact and complete when it was released less than 24 hours later. I have yet to recapture this kind of writing magic.

3. Mantis, Shadow, Wolf

(ItaSaku, KakaSaku, 49K) - At some point, we all crave something darkly beautiful. This was my point. I explored AU-building and a more visually symbolic writing style. It's intimate-- a Sakura character-study and journey about healing that's actually quite personal. And I'll always be proud of the amount of "raw" and "haunting" comments this receives.

4. Pretty hate machine

(Felix/Byleth -> Byleth/Dimitri -> Felix/Byleth/Dimitri, 13.9K) - A Felix character study which led me to conclude that the one true happy ending for him is a love triangle that stays a love triangle. Because something something triangles are the sturdiest shape. I admit the implied M/F + M/F + M/M = M/F/M doesn't sit well with everyone and every character interpretation, but I'm so SO happy with the friends I did gain through this fic.

5. You missed the ending (love)

(KakaSaku, 15.3K) - I honestly thought I wrote all I could write for KakaSaku before this. But as it turned out, I just got tired of angst. There was a very conscious effort to make this one feel-good and funny, with splashes of humor, generous sprinkles of romance, and an indulgently smutty finish. Essentially, a rom-com with an unquestionably happy ending. I was pretty pleased with the result (except for the going over my self-imposed word limit by +10K 🙈).

[vacantgodling]

You already know what I’m here for. Hya/Amon + It’s Called Fool’s Gold For a Reason

thank you korbbbbbbbb 💛💛💛💛

[send me a ship/character + a title and i’ll tell you what the fic will be about]

tbh all my mind can think of is the fiancé au—which, for the uninitiated is one of the quads of different ways amon and hya’s relationship can go. paramour canon is obvs hya is rich x amon is poor, and i kinda swap the roles around for the quad to see how their dynamic would be (because they’re all canonically possible tm). the fiancé au is the au where BOTH amon and hya are rich and the gist of that universe is that they meet each other at a ball and amon essentially becomes infatuated with hya at first sight and spends most of his time concocting schemes to woo him and hya being extremely over the situation. it’s much more rom com esque than my other aus for them.

N E WAY

i think this particular fic would be after (or about) the third time amon proposes to hya. it’s not a third time’s the charm scenario, but its with each subsequent proposal, he and hya have made progress in getting to know one another more. the first time amon proposes it’s very on a whim, they barely know each other and all amon has to say for himself is financial assets but mostly you’re hot and he isn’t that hurt when hya turns him down. second time, they’ve gotten closer some, but he still isn’t Really hurt when hya rejects him. the third time though comes after some substantial time has passed and they’ve spent probably several months now Really getting to know one another. they’ve danced, they’ve probably kissed at some point, the attraction to not just the body but the Person is so THERE…. but then hya rejects amon… again. and this time amon is absolutely deveststed. he starts binge drinking, he’s despondent, he can’t really understand why or what he has to do to get hya to accept him as a partner, yknow? he’s just wondering if (because of his background, and mind you neither of them know the intricacies of the other’s situation yet; hya doesn’t know amon was an orphan adopted by nobility, and amon doesn’t know that hya is an “illegitimate” child—which actually plays into why hya rejects him this third time) yknow. it wasn’t meant to be. that he thought hya was this prized catch but it was just pyrite, fools gold, this whole time.

yet on the opposite end you discover that hya likes amon. he doesn’t really word it like that but he likes amon a Lot and he finds him tolerable and funny if ridiculous and enjoys being around him. but he feels in some parts that he *is* pyrite; that amon is silly to assume that his parents would approve of him marrying a BASTARD yknow? and hya refuses to hear that he’s not good enough for amon and in his Mind he doesn’t necessarily think he isn’t (but he does it’s just buried so deep and he’s SO in denial about it) it’s just that word getting out as well that amon tried to marry a bastard would ruin hya’s reputation and potentially jeopardize his financial situation. so it hurts but he has to say no and keep saying no to amon because he doesn’t want to lie to him. which is something tagetes suggested that they just lie and forge papers (which is coincidentally, how hya marries the keeper in actual canon paramour) but hya cares about amon too much to do that to him.

the fic would end with both of them in their own varying states of depression, not really sure how to cope or move on from there 💛

OOF this ended up being sad i really wanna write this now LMAO 😭 thanks again for the ask!!

[destinyc1020]

Challengers is going to be such a stepping stone for Z. Like both Mike and Josh are unknown actors ngl so the pressure is on for her marketability international to sell seats. My production is the film is going to make 400 million. What do you think? Also, what are your opinions, especially after taraj p henson's outcry about black actresses not getting lead roles and studios' opinions that black lead films do not sell well outside a franchise. The last black actor I could thibkvof that had that universal appeal was Will Smith.

Yes! I'm excited Anon!! 😊

FINALLY!! A film led on her own on the big screen. 😁🙌🏾 I'm actually glad that Z went the more gradual route and honed her acting talent for years on TV (with Euphoria) and doing several smaller parts as a costar on the big screen in large films before tackling a huge film on her own where she's the lead.

I think that was very smart and strategic imo.

As far as box office numbers? Ooof....I honestly don't know girl lol. I'm the worst person to predict that.... Especially since it's not often that we see a woc in a role like this opposite TWO white men lol 😆

Roles like this USUALLY go to white girls, so I'm honestly not sure what the box office numbers will do tbh. 🤷🏾‍♀️ But Z has a HUGE fanbase, so I def don't think it will be a "flop".

That film "Anyone But You" seems to be getting butts in the theaters (at least, around my area 👀), and Sydney and Glen are not huge box office draws on their own. I think people just like the plot premise and want a light hearted rom-com. 🤷🏾‍♀️

I can see similar audiences being interested in "Challengers" as well, especially if they market the film right.

Re: Taraji....

I def think Taraji was speaking TRUTH. Hands down. There is a lot of inequality in Hollywood.

On one hand, YES, I DO think that some black films DO have a hard time getting worldwide appeal just simply due to racism factors, and society in general. Another issue too though is that a lot of Hollywood studios just don't spend the same kind of money on Black actors and Black films when it comes time for promotion, sooo how are Black films supposed to do well overseas when you're barely sending them overseas to promote, and are barely spending money to generate hype for the films??

Yes, Will Smith had crossover appeal, Denzel had/has crossover appeal, etc... But one of the reasons why Will has crossover appeal is because look at the types of films he's been doing in his career. For many years he was in large films that had a diverse cast that would have gotten a lot of attention and promotion anyway. Plus, he's charismatic asl! Say what you want about Will Smith, but it's undeniable that he has a charm and an energy about him that's larger than life. Def "movie star" energy. That also helped his worldwide appeal.

This is a very deep question Anon, because on the other hand, I honestly don't think that Black films CAN'T do well overseas/worldwide (look at "Black Panther" and "Get Out" for example).

But I def feel like it depends on many various factors....

The film genre

The cast

The money to back up promotion

The plot of the film

HOW the film is marketed

One of my biggest issues sometimes with HW is that they've made films with a predom. Black cast into a term called "Black Films", as if they should be a genre in their own right, when in reality, they're just FILMS that just so happen to have a predominantly Black cast, and should just be treated like any other film out here imo. 🤷🏾‍♀️

There shouldn't be one way to market one film with a certain race of cast members, and a separate way to market films with another set of cast members. 🤔

Another gripe is that a lot of films that are catered to us usually focus on struggle, racism, slavery, etc.... and while there's absolutely NOTHING wrong with films like that, sometimes it's nice to see a predom. Black cast in a film in a genre like adventure, fantasy, sci-fi, light-hearted rom-com, horror, ROMANCE, thriller, action, etc. 🤷🏾‍♀️

Not all of us (even as Black people) want to see struggle in the screen all the time. Many people go to the movies to ESCAPE.... not to be reminded of how awful life is lol. 😅

I def feel like well-written, well-acted, and well-promoted films can do pretty well regardless of the cast demographics.

That's one thing I've been appreciating about A24.... They've been taking risks, and things have worked out pretty well for them. I look at films like "Everything, Everywhere, All At Once", and "Moonlight" for example. Both smaller, indie films, but both had Oscar appeal and won Academy Awards for Best Picture.

So, films with a Predominantly Black cast CAN succeed, even worldwide, I just think that there are a lot of factors that have to be in place, and one additional factor is people of other races needing to be more OPEN-minded and willing to watch more films with predom. Black actors.

Jmho 🤷🏾‍♀️🤷🏾‍♀️