#haha! light comedy post!

[metaphorical-goblin]

I love Trucy so much but I’m just thinking about her and Phoenix’s first couple of months living together

Trucy moves so silently (“she’s like… the twins from that scary movie”), so Phoenix either has his eye on her constantly so she won’t get into trouble (or hurt herself) or

“Hello Daddy.”

SHIT— has to restraint himself from flinging what he’s holding into the nearest wall, “o-oh! Hey Trucy!”

Staring at him with her All Seeing Eyes, “do you want to see something cool.”

Oh— oh god please don’t let it be a body. Do we have mice? Did she catch a mouse??? “Oh, yeah, sure thing kiddo.”

Tenderly takes him by the hand and pulls him into her room, “I organized all my socks by color.”

“…oh. Wow. Cool!”

“I also organized all my construction paper by color but that seemed less important at the time”

“Uh-…huh”

AND AN ASIDE I THINK ITS VERY IMPORTANT that Phoenix takes EVERYTHING IN STRIDE, like yessss king, water off a ducks back, this is your child now

[randomly-generated-posts-machine]

jibanyan girlscouting @alphabetcompletionist is so cottage core

[snickerdoodlles]

some thoughts on writing humor for anyone interested;

if you want to incorporate more humor into your writing, what you really want to practice is timing. writing humor is rarely about writing an individual funny line-- you don't remember the punchline because of the line itself, you remember the punchline because of everything else that came before it. a punchline without a proper build up or proper timing is just a non-sequitur.

so, when writing a humor fic, a good thing to remember is that the punchline comes last. you can't have your funniest line at the start of your story. think of it like action-- if your first fight is the boss fight, any fight of lower stakes or difficulty that follows is going to feel lackluster in comparison. you want your story and your jokes to build to the final line, or else you'll step on the joke and lose its impact.

and this does take practice! putting the joke at the end doesn't always feel 'natural' at first, learning how to structure and build a humor story is a skill the same as learning how to do it for any other genre. personally, i'd also say humor is something that really comes out in the editing stage more than the initial drafts-- humor is very reliant on timing and rhythm, and it's hard to find and stick to a story's pacing when you're still working on the overall story structure. i mean, this sort of thing tends to go for any sort of writing, but nothing makes humor fall flat faster than wonky pacing and so (for me at least) editing is the stage where the story goes from "oh, haha" to actually funny.

(i also bring this up because fandom has a lot of jokes about not editing a finished draft before posting-- and like, totally feel you, i'm not huge on editing after i reach the end of the draft. however, i have noticed in fic circles where people will get caught up on and sometimes even discouraged by trying to be funny in the fic larva stages when the framework to be funny just isn't there yet. personally, i highlight the humor lines i'm unsure about and move on. then, when the fic's closer to 90% done or so, it's much easier to skim the overall story and cut/format/refine/etc any jokes because they're already highlighted for easy finding.)

another thing to keep in mind is that humor as a writing device is often used to release tension. i would say this is a large part of why humor often falls very naturally into scene transitions; that natural release of tension is very useful as an 'end bracket' to a scene while also setting up the audience to be freshly wound up again. this feature is useful for stories aiming for a more light-hearted tone overall, but in general stories often incorporate humor as a way of controlling a story's pacing so that the tension doesn't get too tight too fast. even if a punchline isn't your end goal, you're still building up to something and it's really helpful to edit your humorous lines by asking "does this fit with my scene/story's pacing, or is it disruptive to my buildup?"

it doesn't really matter how funny an individual line might be on its own-- if its disruptive to the story's overall flow, the joke's effect is going to come off as strained and forced. because humor is really an exercise in structure and story rhythm, the most ineffective way to study humor is to fixate on the individual jokes you remember in your favorite stories-- instead look for the threads that came before the joke that made it memorable, and then practice doing that in your own writing. usually when humor falls flat in a story, it's because either the specific joke pops out of nowhere (missing the build-up) or the joke is in the wrong spot in the story (disruptive, breaks reader immersion). sometimes the fix is as easy as reshuffling a few lines, other times it's a matter of adding more to the build up, or even cutting it altogether so that something else packs a bigger punch.

tl;dr-- i'm repeating the old adage "in comedy, timing is everything." if you want to get better at writing or incorporating humor into your stories, it's honestly more important to practice when to drop a joke than the specific wording of the joke itself.

[fumifooms]

was not expecting how head over heels i'd fall for marchil- i stg there's something they put in the sauce like goddamn! and i've loved seeing your posts analyzing their dynamic, really helped articulate what i was feeling. i was wondering if you had any fic recs, or any recommendations for ships with a similar vibe? i'm hungry for them...

I know right, marchil gripped me in a chokehold out of nowhere and still hasn’t let go… The sauce was designed by the demon for me to get addicted specifically. It’s been too long since I haven’t written fic for them. I’m still chipping away at my Marcille & Chil arc analysis I know I always mention it and I started the draft in January but I SWEARRR… Season 1 is ending next week :/ On the upside I’ll probably be more focused. After that analysis, which is only analyzing in depth like one aspect/half of their intertwined arc btw so who knows there might be a part 2 one day, I kept thinking it’d prob be my last marchil analysis but let’s be real, probably not. Every week I find something new to point out about them aah…… Dungeon food, ahh, dungeon food…

Fanfic rec wise, well first I have my own marchil fics, to which I mostly recommend Grind Me Down Sweetly, and then feel free to browse my marchil bookmarks for what seems good! I don’t know what your tastes are but Shroomyystar makes super good angst (and smut), my favorite being 'Til our fingers decompose, keep my hand in yours about Marcille getting deathly sick and the dilemma to confess or to not confess, incredibly haunting piece of bittersweet but soul-crushing angst AND character study. Like wow! Chilchuck I need to throw you in a river. I want you beside me is cute bedsharing banter. From me to you makes my head spin and makes me shake my screen. And- *gets dragged off before I can mention more* Meanwhile on the flipside, Anita_Amai (the first ao3 marchil writer, still going strong 👏👏) is especially great at offering short and sweet pieces, the tone is usually light and comedic and it always makes me smile and giggle, gives me fluff attacks, the fics always a strong good scene or theme idea too. Just browse and pick any, it’s a good time. There’s soo many more. Honestly I recommend just diving into the ao3 tag and start reading. You can start by kudos and read the highest ones first to dip your toes and get the community classics one out. Early on there was a recurring anon writer who did great bittersweet domestic confession stuff like this one, lifespan angst oughh... Wherever you are now thank you for all your work 😭💖 A lot of new marchil writers are starting to post too! A csm asaden fanfic writer legend just joined the tag so marchil will probably finally get some multi-chaptered fanfics haha~ But yess there’s unrequited angst, there’s self-sabotaging angst, there’s domestic fluff, there’s falling in love and bantery fluff, bunch of good stuff <3

As to ships with similar vibes: The closest I’ve seen so far is honestly weirdly close, it’s the protagonists from a romance comedy josei called Dame na watashi ni koishite kudasai or Please love useless me! I don’t want to spoil but there’s even the guy needing to move on from a doomed love + emotional distance issues and the gal slowly invading his personal life/social circle and my god… They were coworkers, he was rude, he’s a workaholic, he’s reliable, she’s sunshine and needs to get some reality checks... The banter. THE BANTER. He represses and she copes by simping for fictional characters. He made, like, a mutual aid community for ex-gangsters. They dress up in silly costumes sometimes. They’re weeeird about each other in an unlabelable way before dating in a way (in a fun marchil in canon way). It’s so funny she’s cracking open his convoluted personal drama like her morning newspapers. There’s more there’s so much more. Give up on your dreams, make money, love loses 🔥🔥 It’s honestly just a great fun read, it’s such a mood. Haven’t read the sequel yet but there’s one so really if it hooks you you’ll be fed well and for a while. The greatest bits are too spoilery but here, have the vibe.

Howl’s Moving Castle, specifically the book, and there’s a ton of themes and narratives that are so fitting for them that I couldn’t possibly all list, I already made a post on it here if you’re interested in all the details and similarities and my AU thoughts haha.

Teen Titans 2003 the show, Beast Boy x Starfire. THAT’S RIGHT I’M A BBSTAR, BAM! 💥🫶 Jokester that’s dependable x sweet and idealistic but strong and protective. Short gremlin and tall beauty. Friends-coworkers to lovers. Very soft fluffy slice of life ship I like it a lot, and I wrote a fic for it hehe. Might do more one day, I have a bunch of prompts written down and a series I really wanted to get to sob.

I almost forgot to mention Shrek. It’s SO FUNNY how well it goes sometimes… Chil Shrek, Laios Donkey, Marcille Fiona. I want to say Mickbell could be Farquaad but even Mick doesn’t deserve this slander… Shrek 2 fear that he’s not prince charming enough for her oughh. Laios getting to be a horse good for him good for him. Winged Lion singing I need a hero. Someone stop me.

There’s also zenmiyo from Touge Oni but no one reads that </3 I gotta get to my review/lore analysis about that manga it’s sooo good a fave read of mine from last year. Like it’s so fucking good. It keeps just ramping up and getting more crazily good. Scrolling through some pages rn and it’s a unique blend of comedy, philosophy and awe-inspiring visuals and creativity. Well, sort of like late Dunmeshi actually. If it had a fandom any bigger I’d be all over it constantly. And I’d also recommend Harahara Sensei / Timebomb Teacher if it had any english translation, one of my fave mangas also. It’s about mafia, and a goody two shoes willing to go through a corruption arc to save her sister x stern rude mafioso who’s there bc he’s poor and on a revenge mission, never had any other option growing up etc etc. Ok he’s not that Chilchuck but the dynamic does have that "grow up and see the world for what it is, a shithole. It’s been hell for me" vs "ok you have a point. But also have you considered not sacrificing your humanity and emotions in a self-destructive pursuit" (not that she’s in the position to talk lmaoo) like ohh my goood him throwing his popsicle stick in the fire that she lit over a corpse, it haunts me.

From the marchil Discord it’s also fun to notice ships some of us share… Csm asaden, some combination of LotR elf x short guy, fair amount of dunmeshi ships overlap too. Haven’t found the overall common thread quite yet and I’m forgetting many that have come up but lol some off the top of my head.

[miraculouslbcnreactions]

About you last post, I think a reason why the show took such a weird and concerning direction of Adrien having this therapy role, I don‘t really believe that the writers take Marinette‘s PTSD serious (at least outside of derision). The whole show her „weirdness“ was played off as comedy (TA said so himself in a tweet a while back) and the phone call scene you were describing also had vibes of making Mari look quirky like „haha look she still can‘t be normal about her bf“.

The worst part is that I feel like the writers could actually write good mental health representation but only when the plot demands it. Adrien being visibly depressed in s4? Makes for good drama. Adrien forgetting all his problems after he gets with Mari? Well duh love solves everything. Marinette having a panic attack? Makes the scene where she looses the miraculous more intense. Almost every other instant of her panicking? Hehe funny.

The whole show her "weirdness“ was played off as comedy (TA said so himself in a tweet a while back)

Oh, her weirdness was absolutely supposed to be read as comedic pre-Derision. I never consider those jokes funny, but they were very clearly jokes. In fact, it always weirded me out when people took her actions seriously because those people never applied that logic to the other absurdist humor used in the show.

My go-to example is Party Crasher. If you're up in arms about Marinette being a "stalker", but aren't equally or even more concerned by a bunch of adult men just randomly showing up to hang out with a group of 14-year-olds, then maybe you're holding the teenage girl to an unreasonable standard and ignoring the fact that she's written by a bunch of adult men who clearly think that teenage girls act like fangirls around their real-life crushes.

Marinette is not a real person. She's a character in an absurdist romantic comedy aimed at kids. Her actions have to be judged in that light if you want to make any sort of good-faith analysis.

The problem is Derision and the choice to make all of Marinette's Adrien-based-behavior a PTSD response. Once you go that route, the absurdist humor excuse is dead in the water.

Absurdist humor is all about making things so ridiculous that you can't take them seriously. For example, Marinette having Adrien's schedule for the next week isn't absurd because that schedule exists. She could absolutely get her hands on it! Her having his schedule for the next 3 years? That's absurd. You can't take it seriously because it's impossible for her to have a schedule that goes that far into the future. It would have, at most, a handful of events because you just don't schedule most things that far in advance.

But if you have Marinette do a big, dramatic confession where she shows Adrien the schedule and apologizes for it? Then none of that matters. the absurdist nature of it goes away because you have treated it seriously and absurdist humor is all about not treating the absurd too seriously. Derision was the equivalent of that big dramatic confession. You can no longer use absurdist humor to justify anything Marinette does and, notably, they don't. She's massively toned down post Derision and things are being taken more seriously with her and Adrien actively working on her behavior, which is a problem because this is also true:

I don‘t really believe that the writers take Marinette‘s PTSD serious

They've given her a serious issue, they're taking it seriously enough to have Adrien and Marinette address it, but they're not being serious about how you'd treat PTSD and that is the worst possible way to approach this issue. I'd be happier if they just flat out ignored it or used magic love to heal it with a kiss and never addressed it again.

When writing comedy aimed at kids, there's a thing that I like to call The Seat Belt Principle. If you've ever seen a show where a kid character was about to launch themself off in a rocket, only to fasten their seat belt first, then you've seen this principle in action. It's the idea that, in a kids show, you can have wild things happen so long as it's something that a kid can't emulate. If a kid can emulate it, then you have to take it more seriously. This is why kid characters always fasten their seat belts even if it's pointless because the child audience needs to see seat belts as cool and a thing that you always use.

The Seat Belt Principle applies to more than physically dangerous situations. If you are portraying any serious, real-life issue in a kids show, then you need to handle it differently than something that a kid will never face. To put it another way, Ladybug can have ignorant parents, Marinette cannot. Sabine and Tom not knowing that their daughter is a superhero? Not a problem, superheroes aren't real. Sabine and Tom not knowing that their daughter is experiencing horrific bullying or even straight up ignoring it? Big problem, bullies are very real.

This is where we get to the mental health stuff. A lot of media treats mental health issues as something that can be solved via romance and nothing could be further from the truth. Romantic partners can make the fight easier, but they shouldn't be your whole army if you can help it. The show doesn't seem to get this.

As you pointed out, the show keeps giving the characters metal health issues for drama and then hand waving those issues away via romantic relationships and that's a big yikes for me. You don't have to introduce mental health issues into your romantic comedy, but once you do, you have a responsibility to portray them accurately. They clearly don't want to do that and that's why season five's love square romance is a hard pass for me. There's a world of difference between bad jokes and bad mental health rep. I can overlook one, the other is a personal pet peeve and I've seen the negative consequences in action first hand. I think we all have! Who isn't familiar with the concept of a person being confused that "X is still depressed? But they got that new job/have a new SO/got engaged/etc."

[proosh]

i have the impression that preg kink is normie?

oh anon, I heartily agree with you. it's my genuine (and admittedly very biased opinion) that preg kink is like, pretty much THEE most normal kink someone could possibly have, evolutionary.

however, from a cultural standpoint, it definitely occupies a sort of "second tier" level of recognition amongst Normal People. while your standard array of normie-tier kinks (feet, [light] domsub, roleplay, etc) are viewed in a sort of "this is a bit weird/creepy, but is harmless" way, preg kink is actually not super well received by "normies".

at the "better" end of the scale it's seen as pretty abnormal and weird to be interested in, like someone with a preg kink is a weird degenerate for their preg interest specifically. you can see this in like, basically every comedy tv show when a female main character gets pregnant. it's mostly a light-hearted "haha this person is a creep" but it's definitely regarded as more Weird. this is also where a lot of the internet's derision for mpreg stands, but with added misogyny and transphobia lmao.

on the "worse" end of reception I've seen is basically shit like. implying there's something inherently morally degenerate about the interest/fixation/fetish, that there's some implicit attraction to, like, Seriously Repugnant Things. I've seen alleged progressives and feminists suddenly start spouting pseudo-religious condemnations about "spiritual corruption" in regards to finding pregnancy hot, or pregnant people making erotica of themselves. so on and so forth.

So yeah you'd like, think it's a normie-tier kink but the sometimes bafflingly vehement revulsion a whole lot of normies have for the idea and the people who are into it very solidly make it like. one of the weirder taboo kinks in comparison to the relatively pedestrian feet stuff.

(get it? pedestrian? f.for. fee-- //I AM FORCED TO END THIS POST)

[wangxianficfinder]

In the mood for...

~*~

1. I'm in the mood for a fic where WWX leaving after the main events of the show goes badly. I've read Rotten Work (shanastoryteller) which was a fantastic example of this, but I crave more! There is no way WWX leaving with a donkey, an empty purse, a bolstered abandonment complex, and a barely-recovered reputation went well. Thank you for all that you do!! @kirk-spock-in-the-impala​

the roots by thelastdboy (E, 17k, wangxian, major character death, graphic depictions of violence, post-canon, post-untamed, MDZS/CQL combination, transmigrator LWJ, dimension travel, time travel, parallel universes, desperation, WWX pov, LWJ pov, heavy angst, mental health issues, giref/mourning, abandonment, depression, suicidal thoughts, hurt/comfort, getting together, rogue cultivator WWX, WQ lives, found family, cottagegore, it gets worse before it gets better, WIP)

💙 feel better love by Anonymous (T, 8k, WIP, WangXian, implied WangXianXian, Post-Canon, Crack Treated Somewhat Seriously, in a haha jk…unless? way, Light Angst, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Crack, Crossover)

I Will Find You Again by Hidenka_chan101 (M, 19k, wangxian, LSZ & LWJ, LSZ & WWX, LSZ & LJY, canon divergence, mentions of death, angst, crying, LWJ is a petty bitch, typical LQR, unsuppportive LXC, gusu lan junior dynamics, wangxian get happy ending, fever, tender loving care, some smut, WN flexing his healer knowledge, hurt/comfort) slightly AU but still has WWX going off on his own

like mayflies wandering Series by RoseThorne (M, 12k, NHS & WWX, wangxian, post-canon, assassination attempts, introspection, regret, travel, WWX pov, ghosts, reconciliation, exhaustion, pining, feelings realisation, illness, found family, hurt/comfort, emotional manipulation, manipulative NHS, friendship, qi deviation, resentful energy, WIP)

Twelve Moons and a Fortnight by stiltonbasket (M, 290k, WangXian, Humor, Slow Burn, Post-Canon Fix-It, Long-Distance Relationship, Epistolary, Love Letters, Family Feels, a-qing lives, teenage romance, Adoption, Romantic Comedy, Happy Ending, Weddings, Case Fic, Parenthood, Politics) The series (and all their stuff) is great. It has a similar opening premise - in that jc kinda realizes wwx will never come back on his own and sorta tricks him back to lotus pier. Tho I don't think his traveling being unsafe was a primary motive, it'd work, and nhs is great, similar vibes to mayflies in a respect.

Story-Shaped by lingering_song (T, 13k, WangXian, NHS & WWX, Post-Canon, Chief Cultivator LWJ, Inventor WWX, Found Family, Mentioned Character Death, Alcohol, Protective NHS, WangXian Endgame, Not JC Friendly, Not particularly gentry sects friendly overall tbh)

Judge Softly  by Chrononautical (E, 32k, wangxian, LSZ & WWX, LQR & WWX,   accidental voyeurism, non-consensual mind reading, oblivious WWX, bamf   WWX, genius WWX, post-canon Fix-it, angst w happy ending, LQR tries)

~*~

2. Hi!!!! Itm for fanfics where Jyl kills Wwx after the ambush of Quingqi pass.

regret by wqngji (Not rated, 8k, wangxian, JYL & WWX, canon divergence, canonical character death, temporary character death, fluff & angst, hurt WWX, hurt/comfort, past character death, JYL lives, domestic wangxian, golden core reveal, good sibling JC)

~*~

3. Hi! Bit of a long shot but I just finished the bridgerton spin off on Netflix was wondering if there were any regal or royal wangxian fics❤️ @red-spacekitten

Half Agony, Half Hope by queenklu (T, 105k, WangXian, XiYao ChengQing, XuanLi, NieLan, Jane Austen Fusion, persuasion au, Pining, Broken Engagement, Secrets, Espionage, Child Injury, Terrible Parents (Madam Yu and JFM), Past Child Neglect)

My Sun One Early Morning Did Shine by tangerinechar (T, 4k, WangXian, Regency, Secret Relationship, Marriage Proposal, a very tiny bit of epistolary)

The Extremely Self-Indulgent and not at all Serious Pride and Prejudice AU Series by Suspicious_Popsicle (G, 16k, WangXian, Regency, Pride and Prejudice Fusion, Crossdressing, Pining)

Royalty AU Compilation

~*~

4. Hello! I hope you're doing well.

It's an IITMF req : WangXian being murder husbands. Something like the series " You & Me Baby, We’ll Eclipse The Sun". Thank you for your time:) @utxqia​

💖 The Way You Tremble by themunchking (E, 6k, wangxian, murder husbands, vampires, blood, violence, supernatural elements) perhaps not quite what you’re looking for but might enjoy still

~*~

5. ITMF: Sentient sword spirits, spiritual tools, and all that's similar! Sentient spirits everywhere!!! (Yes, including the good ol' tiger tally if you have it)

there's the sentient sword comp But if you want specifically /just/ sentient objects, @/zeldacw has an absolute brilliant comic staring both Wangxian's swords AND instruments And then @/rmoonberry has some artistic depictions of sentient twins Yin Hu Fu

@/zeldacw seems to be this fandom’s originator of the Anthromorphic Weapons trope; those comics can be found under the tag 忘情隨塵 (WangQingSuiChen) and post on her Tumblr and on her Twitter @/zeldacw; inspired Kindred Spirits by EstelweNadia (Not Rated, 2k, WIP, Bìchén/Suíbiàn, Chénqíng/Wangji, Humor, Angst, Eventual Romance, Drama, Slow Build, Slow Burn) (from our Daemons / Sentient Sword Comp - Mod C)

~*~

6. Hi! Hope everyone is well and thank you for your godly work as always! So for the next itmf I collected some requests:

A) WWX blurting out his feelings for Lan Zhan on accident/for example in a casual talk or something like that/bonus (great but not needed,everything is welcome): angsty because people don’t like him talking that much, exept for Lan Zhan of course

B) WWX showing of his swimming skills/maybe saving Lan Zhan from drowning/preferably not as an modern AU, but if that saving thing does happen there too I would be happy to try that out too

C) WWX being great with kids and Lan Zhan loving it, going to horny jail, whatever. But like, not just A-Yuan or the other Juniors but in general, maybe as a kindergartener or idk but u get what i mean hopefully.

D) WWX being genius in reading ppl, as in Sherlock Holmes Niveau

Thank you so much! @desperation-is-my-middle-name​

6A)

spoke like we meant it by BlackWiresOnHerHead (T, 10k, WangXian, Modern AU, 5+1, Fluff, oh my god they were roommates, Friends to Lovers, Getting TogetherP, ining, Cuddling, Accidental Confession, Humor, Abandonment Issues, Light Angst)

new phone, who's this? by uchiuchi (T, 5k, WangXian, Modern AU, Fluff, Mutual Pining, Getting Together, Accidental Confession, Friends to Lovers)

6B)

Last Feather by Solmae (M, 33k, wangxian, canon au, drama & romance, mythical beings & creatures, fairy tale retellings, LWJ stays at the burial mounds, married wangxian, bottom LWJ) features a nearly drowned Lan Wangji saved by Wei Wuxian, though it's not the focus of the fic

6C)

🧡 paint smears on sunny days by SnowshadowAO3 (E, 53k, WangXian, Comfort, Fluff and Smut, Everyone Is Alive, Modern AU, Dadji, Mutual Pining, Happy Ending, Brief Alcohol Mention, Masturbation, Blow Jobs, Hand Jobs, Accidentally co-parenting with your son’s art teacher, Fatherhood)  

~*~

7. ITMF Medical au which is not modern.

~*~

8. I cannot find any wwx centric fic which is lwj bashing or not lwj friendly. I i see are jc centric or tian ah! Poor jc !! Kill wwx and lwj! No no please give me many many wwx fics which are lwj bashing/ lwj critical/ not lwj friendly.

Anon from #8 of recent ITMF post, yes I've searched already for lwj bashing tags and all the fics centre around jc. Honestly i don't mind reading wwx with others too. Suggest some?

我的皇后是農民 | sowing seeds in the cold palace by sweetlolixo (E, 57k, WIP, WangXian, Imperial Palace, Emperor LWJ, Imperial Consort WWX, Farmer WWX, Angst, Romance, Wingman LJY, Wife-chasing-LWJ, Arranged Marriage, Best Boy A-Yuan) Has the asker tried the lwj bashing tag on Ao3 yet?

~*~

9. ITMF wwx being in an abusive relationship like his husband is a wife beater.

~*~

10. Hello hello! I’m finding myself curious if something has ever been explored so if you have an available spot l - I’m in the mood for a fic where JFM gets therapy (or mind healing) (modern or canon is fine).

Like - what is his deal? Why can’t he communicate with his wife and why are his children invisible to him? What would happen if he breaks these cycles and truly TRIES?

Thank you for all you do! @rogue-90-em

~*~

11. hello lovely mods. an itmf request for competence kink wangxian please and thank you

You and me/Won't be unhappy by x_los (E, 22k, WangXian, Female WWX, Case Fic Aftermath of a Case, Gender Changes, Accidental Marriage, mentioned canon-typical domestic abuse, mentioned canon-typical sexual violence (implication of minors),(not depicted just discussed as possibility), First Kiss, First Time, Loss of Virginity, Politics, Horror, Murder Mystery, Road Trips, Bitchy LWJ, Dirty Talk, Mutual Pining, Always a Different Sex, Competence Kink, Misunderstandings, Miscommunication, Self-Sacrifice, Battle Couple, Episode 7)

My chain hits my chest/When I'm bangin' on the radio by x_los (T, 2k, WangXian, Case Fic, Modern with Magic, Competence Kink, Yiling Laozu)

~*~

12. Hey, we've got two non specific fic quests for you! A) the first is focused on the juniors, specifically like sizhui embodying rules lawyering of wei ying and malicious compliance of lan zhan and just being the politest little bitch about things? B) the second; if there's any that are 3zun raising huaisang (preferably fluff/modern, but at this point we just need a starting point). Thanks!! @captainkaithr

~*~

13. It's mermay, so I must ask for merfolk aus! (I'll also accept selkies)

oceans, drowned in starfire by stiltonbasket (T, 30k, WangXian, Modern AU, Novelist LWJ, Merman WWX, Accidental Baby Acquisition, (of the xiao-yu variety), Near Death Experiences, Family Secrets, Domestic Fluff, Happy Ending, The Little Mermaid Fusion, Inspired by Ponyo (2008) )

For #13 mermay request- I forget the title off the top of my head but it's on ao3. Jiaoren (mer) wwx gets trapped in a shallow stream, mistaken as a drowned fierce corpse, and stabbed by a Lan disciple on a group hunt. They feel bad and nurse him to health (carry him in bath tub) and he's immediately smitten with lz, and speaks broken human. There's another where lz is a cop? Modern au that busts a trafficking ring and rescues mer wwx and builds cool tank system in his house & adopt bby mer mxy (Haven't located these two yet ~Mod L) / I found the jiaoren mer-may fic I reccd. It's "Secrets of Yunmeng's Lotus Lakes" By Cy_anne on ao3. Its currently a restricted work? But its Spanish translation "Los Secretos de los Lagos de Loto de Yunmeng By Cy_anne" by VicoMejia733 can still be read on ao3 (I'm not fluent in Spanish but I'm like 90% sure this is it), "Something so precious" series by Elara_Moon on ao3 was the other one I reccd I'm pretty sure, the one where cop lz saves mer wwx from a trafficking ring

Secrets of Yunmeng's Lotus Lakes by Cy_an_Blue (M, 73k, WangXian, One-sided SS/WWX, A/B/O Dynamics, Omega WWX, Mermaid WWX, Cultivator LWJ, Younger WWX, Younger LWJ, teenage WWX, teenage LWJ, No War AU, Non-Traditional A/B/O Dynamics, Falling In Love, Getting Together, Interspecies Romance, Interspecies Relationship(s), Interspecies Awkwardness, Injury Recovery, accidental injury, Accidental Stabbing, Cultivation Accidents, Near Death Experiences, waterborne abyss, Kidnapping, Non-Explicit Torture, Mentions of major injury, Fluff, Attempted Sexual Assault, Courtship, Courting Rituals, Los Secretos de los Lagos de Loto de Yunmeng By Cy_anne by VicoMejia733)

Something So Precious Series by Elara_Moon (T, 25k, WangXian, Modern AU, Romance, Mutual Pining, Getting Together, Happy Ending, Some dark themes like um, Slavery, but it's not super dark i promise, Police Officer LWJ, Merperson WWX, Established Relationship, Fluff, Light Angst, Minor Violence, Child Neglect, Minor Character Death, Mind Control, it's not as bad as some of those tags make it sound)

in the deepest depths by lazy_lousy_lizy_jane (T, 3k, Female WangXian, Modern AU, Lighthouses, Selkies, Minor Violence, LWJ Has Feelings, Soft WangXian, bichen is a cat, heist (minor), Cisswap, Gender or Sex Swap)

One for Heaven and Earth by cerbykerby (T, 7k, WangXian, Canon Divergence, Supernatural Elements, Angst with a Happy Ending, Madam Lán Lives, inspired by wangxian selkie au, Getting Together)

Lanterns To Guide You Home by cuttlefeeeeeeeeesh (T, 7k, WangXian, Mutual Pining, Mythology, Selkie, Fisherman LWJ, Selkie WWX, Sorta Established Relationship, Fluff, Soft (tm), A touch of horny because this is wangxian)

never love an anchor by tardigradeschool (T, 31k, WangXian, Selkies, No Powers, Historical, Hurt/Comfort, Depression, Pining, Angst, Happy Ending, The Inherent Eroticism of the Sea, PTSD, Presumed Dead, Drowning)

bring you home by Alasse_Irena (T, 27k, WangXian, Selkies, Modern with Magic, Pre-Slash)

brave new world by Quixiote (T, 33k, WIP, WangXian, Selkie AU, Modern with Magic)

Do not waste your pearls for me by moonwaif (G, 9k, WangXian, mermaid!LWJ, Fantasy AU, Trauma, Abuse, Healing, Unresolved Romantic Tension)

Frog, Beast, Fish, Idiot by Attila (T, 3k, WangXian, Fairy Tale, Dumbasses, Starring in:, The Frog Prince, Beauty and the Beast, The little mermaid)

you're a bird in the water / i'm a fish on the ground by plonk (Not Rated, 8k, WangXian, Merpeople, Canon Era)

A Drop of Water by Cat_Noir (T, 45k, WIP, WangXian, Canon Divergence, Mermaid AU, H2O: Just Add Water AU, Platonic Intimacy, Cuddles, Fluff, Hurt/Comfort)

The Pirate of Lotus Pier by antebunny (G, 55k, WangXian, LSZ & JL, JC & WWX, XuanLi, Pirates, Folklore, Fantasy, Hijinks & Shenanigans, Action/Adventure, Found Family, Angst, Misunderstandings, Secret Identity, Inspired by Pirates of the Caribbean, Miscommunication, Fairy Tale Elements, Soft Magic)

~*~

14. I¨m in a mood for genius WWX fics from this year if possible ^^

there is no limited dimensions by Stratisphyre (M, 27k, WIP, WangXian, NieLan, MianQing, WN/Other(s), Star Trek Fusion, Slow Burn, Friends to Lovers, Assumed Character Death, Minor Character Death, Tags on Each Chapter, references to non-con, references to canonical slavery, (The Orion Syndicate is just really bad okay?), bizarre space mpreg, Implied Future Pairings, Implied NHS/Others, POV Multiple, Accidental Child Acquisition, Found Family)

~*~

15. Hiiiii! Itmf for a fic that's about other people's view on wangxian. Like outsiders pov on the relationship. Thanks

pay no attention to what’s behind the curtain by glitteringmoonlight (T, 7k, Emperor LWJ, Concubine WWX, Mutual Pining, only the bare bones of a plot, a little bit of outsider pov, Love Confessions, Happy Ending)

Everything’s growing in our garden by like_a_bird_that_flew (T, 3k, WangXian, LXC & LWJ, Modern AU, Coming Out, Supportive big brother Xichen, Family Feels, Established Relationship, Xichen finds out on his own, meaning he finds photos of them kissing, Oops, referenced fear of homophobia/rejection, Fluff and Angst, Light Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Attempt at Humor)

looking through a window by glitteringmoonlight (T, 5k, WangXian, Modern AU, POV Outsider, College/University, Fluff and Humor)

new messages from Lit 1011 by yellowcarnations (G,36k, WangXian, LSZ & WWX & LWJ, Modern AU, POV Outsider) 

pitfalls of greed by glitteringmoonlight (T, 3k, WangXian, POV Outsider, BAMF WWX, Kidnapping, Violence, YLLZ WWX, not exactly but the vibes are there, Post-Canon) 

The Misunderstanding by kisahawklin (T, 9k, wangxian, modern, misunderstanding, outsider POV)

💙 Su She Eats his Heart Out by KizuKatana (T, 16k, WangXian, 3rd person pov, implied offscreen wangxian sex)

~*~

16. Hello, I’m in a mood for your favorite fics of the month!

Jin Ling and Demonic Cultivation by ImNobody122 (Not rated, 8k, JC’s torture of demonic cultivators, aftermath of torture, serious injuries, angst, character study, not JC friendly, JL pov, child JL, JL is a brat, non-graphic violence, JC’s 13 years of serial killing, WWX’s terrible reputation)

A Sip of Chrysanthemum by Placeformysins (T, 127k, JGY/WWX) Itmf #16 - didn't actually read it this month but thought of it when read this ask. There is a jgy/wwx fic on ao3 (rarepair so should be easy to filter for) set immediately after sunshot campaign where right after MY becomes JGY jgs forces an arranged marriage between jgy/wwx, to get rid of jgy and thinking he might get a spy out of it. This makes jgy realize A LOT sooner the truth about jgs. Jiang sus and don't trust (Let me know if it isn’t the right one, I went with the fic summary again ~Mod L)

most barren peak and bleakest winter by WhatTheOwlHears (E, 23k, wangxian, aftermath of sex pollen dubcon, guilt, suicidal thoughts, misunderstanding, angst w/ happy ending, past top WWX/bottom LWJ, undernegotiated kink, healthy communication, angt, fluff, smut)

Meet Your Storm by kianspo (E, 15k, Jadecest, Sibling Incest, Modern AU, Pining, Jealousy, Rough Sex, Twin Jades of Lán Incest, lxc/denial, lwj/others, there's triggery stuff, more warnings in the notes, Anonymous Sex, Get Together) hope this one still counts, it’s a bit over a month old :)

~*~

17. Do you have any non-WangXian fics but focus on the nonexistent WangXian aspects of it (a.k.a. the reason why they're not to begin with)? Like a break-up and then get a new lover type, falling out of love, infidelity, "A resents B because B did [insert reason]", or even for political reasons?

Would prefer WWX to have the good ending but anything works for meHopefully this is understandable, because my English is not fluent😅

Resent & Blossom by manaika (T, 26k, NMJ/WWX, LWJ & WWX, JC & WWX, NHS & NMJ, NHS & WWX, canon divergence, love triangles, pining, arranged marriage, angst & feels, strangers to lovers, implied/referenced murder attempt) #17 itmf - there is a nmj/wwx fic on ao3 (forget title but not many in that ship) where nhs brokers an sorta arranged marriage between nmj and wwx in an effort to save wwx and the wen from the burial mounds. Nmj agrees cause he trusts his brother and doesn't expect to live long anyway. Meanwhile nmj gets worse and a little more erratic/mean. Wwx and nhs look into it and problem solve. Wwx & nmj fall for each other, not wangxian because nmj acted, and wwx wants to honor this man he cares for&home (Let me know if I found the right one, I went mostly with the summary of the fic ~Mod L)

~*~

If you didn’t get an answer to your ask here, don’t forget to make use of @mdzs-kinkmeme and MDZS KINK MEME on Dreamwidth. Authors actually do use them for ideas. You may get what  you order!***Your prompt doesn’t have to be kink! Fluff, crack,  whatever - it’s all good!***

[impromptu-sketches]

Buddy Daddies, final thoughts.

I had such a fun time watching this show one episode at a time every Friday morning. I haven’t been this tuned in to an anime in a long time but I was so excited about this one from the beginning!

It’s so weird thinking back to everyone saying “it’s like Spy x Family with two guys” because that became inaccurate so fast haha we really thought it was going to be a light-hearted comedy... they really got us.

I loved the Wednesday previews, the music (especially the lofi remix!), the instagram posts, the notes, and whoever started the bingo, bless you! ♡

♡❤♡❤♡❤♡❤♡

Overall Buddy Daddies was a rollercoaster (not ferris wheel thank goodness)! I really could not guess where it was going from episode to episode, it could have gone in a million different directions, but I am so happy that this is the story we got.

The way Miri burst into everyone’s hearts from episode one ♡ and for a four/five year old, was shown to be such a great kid who wants to be accepted, wants to make friends, who sticks up for others, and who tells people when they’re doing something wrong.

Rei starting out as a stereotypical quiet mysterious dark haired character but becoming SO MUCH MORE. Sure it took him a minute but he was the one who FOUGHT for their family the most - he became the GLUE. We all thought it was going to be Kazuki, but it was Rei. He said ‘I want to be a family’ and then they DID.

Kazuki on the other hand, the overprotective mama hen, he created their family. He CHOSE Rei, chose to move in, chose to take care of him, to buy him a couch, cook for him, and stay with him. He took one look at Miri, smiled and chose to run after her - he didn’t have to do that during their mission. He chose to risk the mission to save her, to call himself her papa, to take her home. This means so much more knowing he’s an orphan who never had a family - he went and created one.

♡❤♡❤♡❤♡❤♡

About the queerness specifically ~

From what I saw -from the show- if I knew nothing about it and just hit play and watched all the way through...

Rei seemed ace/aro to me. He’s not shown to have any romantic or sexual relationships past, present, or time skip. This guy grew up with ZERO affection so it’s either he doesn’t know how, can’t, or isn’t interested. But there’s no attempt or interest, so aro/ace it is! Even with Kazuki, we see him accepting help, them clearly forming a bond to be living together for three+ years and be partners doing dangerous work together - that requires a lot of trust and we finally see that trust and teamwork in episode 12 - but it’s unspoken between them. They’re not affectionate with each other, not physically close, etc. (that we see anyway).

Kazuki definitely seems bi or pan. He’s obviously into women, but he also does this thing where he’s kind of flirty with guys in a joking way? (see images below) To me that’s nervous bisexual energy. That’s just the overall vibe I get from him too. Also that look he had on his face when he first saw Rei... suspicious.

Would I have liked it if they showed each other more affection? Yes! Especially in the later episodes. If their relationship was canon? Hell yes! Because I like BL and I think it would’ve been cute and also made sense and added to their character development. 

There’s ~plenty~ of room to read into queerness in this show... I actually think it would be an even better story if they were in a relationship for a few reasons.

For Rei, finally being free to be his true self, being with someone for love and not for the family bloodline, to accept love and affection. And Kazuki, forgiving himself, letting himself be happy again, finding love again. I think that’s an amazing story for the both of them!

But they didn’t make it that way. This show isn’t (technically) a BL and that’s okay. They still both found happiness and family - and that’s what’s most important.

♡❤♡❤♡❤♡❤♡

Buddy Daddies was FUN and that could have been it but it was deeper than that, watching all of them grow and change together. The ending made me cry tears of joy and relief that they’re all happy and safe.

I have a few tiny things I didn’t like or would have changed, but they’re so minor looking back at the show as a whole.

I do wish they spread out the story, either with more episodes, longer episodes, or both. I wanted to see more small moments, more fluff, more day-to-day family activities, more Rei & Kazuki being friends and having regular conversations, and more assassin scenes with them working together like in the beginning of ep. 1 and in ep. 12. We mostly saw them mess up their work... I wanted to see more action!!

But the show did SO MUCH more than expected with this story. 

The ending episode was AMAZING!! We got to see them fight together for themselves and their family, we saw them being there for Miri, and the time skip!!!! I CRIED EVERY TIME I WATCHED THE TIME SKIP SCENE!!! Miri growing up to be a lovely happy healthy girl. Rei & Kazuki owning a diner at the beach. A simple life full of love and acceptance.

From episode 1, did I think Buddy Daddies would make me cry? NO

Did I think I would post this much about this show? NO I wasn’t planning on posting about it at all!

But here we are crying and spending all day/night on tumblr sharing our thoughts, reading the thoughts of others. It’s been a blast!

♡❤♡❤♡❤♡❤♡

*Update ~

I wrote all that ^ the weekend after ep. 12 came out and now it’s almost a month later.

I’m so happy to see everyone still posting about them ♡♡♡

Lily is still posting drawings - we’ve gotten so many great ones, official images from the DVDs are coming out, and I’ve seen so much fanart and fanfiction going around! Amazing!! Thank you to all of the creators out there!!

Shoutout to some fanarts on twitter I’m loving!

@KMRbd5118 ^

@tamsekai​ | twitter

@toroandpoko11

@NasuNattou

@dailykazurei

@incorrectbudds

♡❤♡❤♡❤♡❤♡

[fallenhanari]

Hello! Sorry if this is abrupt, but I’m a new follower of yours, and I’d love to hear more about all of your Amnesia WIPs if that’s alright! It’s one of my favorite otome games and I love to see it getting new fan content 😄

Plus I’m also considering starting to write fanfic for it myself (but am still nervous about putting my writing out there lol)

Omg anon, you just made my day. I've been getting back into tinkering with a couple of these WIPs this past week actually, so they're fresh in my mind too. Amnesia was one of the first otome games I played when I was getting back into them after a break a few years ago, and I'm so attached to the worlds and characters honestly. And Shin unexpectedly became a big muse for me for a while, though I do have stories for multiple other characters even if he features most often lol. He's not even my favorite overall, but something about him just absolutely compels me to write, it seems. I'd also love to see if you get to putting any future writing you do out there!! Honestly, just the act of writing can be really fulfilling if you're not ready to share - I have some WIPs for other fandoms that probably won't ever see the light outside my docs since they're more for me than for posting - but there's such fun in sharing with the community too. Fandoms for specific console/PC otome games tend to be on the smaller side since most players spread themselves across many games with time, so all the writing we can get out there is exciting imo. Anyway, moving to what you're here for haha. So for Amnesia I have four WIP documents in various states of worked on. I'll break them down under a cut since I might just ramble on a bit much, knowing myself lol. Also heads up for mild smut discussion though there won't be much detail.

Shin/MC Sequel (E-rated, PWP, post-canon Heart World) This one is the oldest file, but I haven't actually worked on getting down concrete ideas for it until literally this week, woops. Last year I posted my first Amnesia fic which was a PWP/smut oneshot for these two involving Shin initiating a kind of sex game to try to ease MC into more direct intimacy then getting in over his head by the end with her. Right after finishing writing and posting I decided I wanted to do a sequel fic where MC proposes a similar type of game and gets a bit of a taste of her own medicine. Where the original focused on edging, this one would focus on overstimulation. At the time I quickly got distracted and in too deep with another WIP in this list, but I reread the posted story recently and got back in the mood for exploring those two in that vaguely post-canon verse. If the smut writing wants to cooperate with me I might be moving forward with this one soon enough~ And though none of them have documents yet, I have started considering some other ideas to explore in this series, mainly one for their first time having penetrative sex and one where Shin bottoms for MC for the first time. I just find the particular dynamic I wrote them with here weirdly comfy to settle into, so it makes me want to explore their evolution of intimacy more and more! Math Fools (E-rated, PWP, poly, tentatively Spade World but probably doesn't matter if there or Clover World or AU) This one has the least meat to it so far, but it's probably obvious who it's featuring by the name lol. There's a particular scene in Ikki's story in Amnesia Later that I was reading and made me stop to create a new document. Ikki, Kent, and MC engage in silly roleplay shenanigans and all get hilariously into it, so of course my brain went and extrapolated that into a potential smut scenario. In its current state the document is a literal single sentence: "So y’all are into roleplay now huh? Ikki, Kent, MC, I see all of you." And that basically is the extent of my thought into this one so far. I have no idea what kind of roleplay they might get up to, and it's even possible I'd turn this into a sillier comedy fic instead of smut if that's where the characters took me when I started writing. But they're all absolute goofballs together, and I think it'd be fun to explore one way or another! Not Even a Real Idea TBH (G-or-T-rated, post-canon Spade World, pre-poly, fluff and silliness) Despite the title, this is moderately more developed than the last one! I just didn't have a title idea when I made the document and have yet to change it since I still don't have one and didn't want to just make it a throuple title only lol. Since it's post-Spade World, Ikki and MC are our established couple here. Near the end of Ikki's Amnesia Later story, there's this part where the best way I can describe it is Shin being very earnest toward and observant and fond of Ikki and MC's relationship, while Ikki is a complete menace toward Shin in every capacity. I don't even remember the exact content of the scene as I think about it right now, but that was the whole vibe that came across to me. And I just think Spade World MC totally has the capacity to become a bit of a menace toward Shin too if she wanted. So these two start teasing Shin in various slightly flirty ways after talking to each other about their mutual interest in him. And Shin isn't really getting it for a while, too much a shipper on deck to realize they're individually and together flirting with him and sort of courting him in their strange roundabout ways. So they probably eventually end up having to be direct with him, and then the throuple antics can begin. This one truly is vibes-based and not so much concrete writing/scenes/ideas yet for me, but I think it'll be neat lol. It could be a longer oneshot or a smaller multi-chapter thing; I haven't fully decided for it yet. I think I'll need to go back and replay the scene that got me thinking on it to iron out their dynamic before I get into it.

And I'm now hitting a new character limit I didn't even realize Tumblr had, so uh. Look to a quick reblog to see the last WIP and the end of my message to you anon! Sorry for the weirdness lol

[brainrawt]

Let’s hear the Jordayla specifics for 608

In this episode they hit a new peak for me, we unlocked something here. 

Layla is very tense and uncomfortable going into the therapy session, and then she starts the sentence “well my… pending marriage is…” and a small smile comes to her face as she just thinks about it, it's SO cute. We also see that Layla is so so so gentle and loving with Jordan, she is adamant “None of what’s happening is his fault.” There is absolutely no resentment or estrangement or anything with Jordan. In her first depressive episode, she turned against her boyfriend, best friend, father, student council - things that had previously enriched her life but she could not connect with at her lowest. Jordan is safe, and her person, and their connection is so intimate. She reminds the therapist I didn't only get engaged, there was X and Y, let’s deal with those! because she wants to do the work AROUND Jordan, and keep that one part intact. Layla wants to get better, that’s why she’s here - but she’s prepared to leave too, and tries to when she feels her relationship under scrutiny, because she’ll even carry on dealing with the rest of it, whilst holding onto him. Of course, he’ll let her go completely if it means she can heal. Tragically beautiful, two people who will always pick each other. 

When she asks Jordan “Do you ever get sick of taking care of me?” he’s surprised because no duh. Does she even remember what she did during his dad’s passing? She didn’t get tired of taking care of him, she did it because she wanted to, because she loves him so deeply, exactly what Jordan said in his response. She has no problem pouring her care into him, doesn’t blink twice, she loves selflessly, only sees a problems the other way around. Jordan can only reassure her, and continue to show her, he is honoured to choose her everyday. 

At bedtime, he somewhat uncomfortably brings up if she wants to discuss further. He wants to make sure she has the space to talk if she needs to, but he also gives the choice not to because he won’t push her. He just wants to gauge her headspace and give her what she needs then. She wants to park the therapy stuff for the night, leave the dark and gritty feelings, and just feel safe and sound in her happy place right now. Thee most married thing ever is when Mac is praising Jordan, Layla is smiling along with him. Very much “Your best is my best” because you’d think it's a compliment to her haha. Then when Mac is undermining Jordan, she’s frowning too. It reminds me of 4x16, when she walks onto campus and sees Jordan getting attention for his game, she’s smiling and teasing, then when she sees Wade degrading Jordan she is extremely bothered. The writers definitely rewatched 4x16 in the drawing room of 6x08, even the mentions of Simone, Jordan falling in love with Layla in that time, of course the mention of Layla’s darkest periods with Jordan. Layla revealed her mental state in the studio breakdown, just like she did in this episode. She made the commitment then to take the steps to heal. This episode felt like a sequel of sorts to 4x16. 

The comedy of the Mac/boyfriend bit was endearing, they are always light even when things get dark. In the entire last conversation, Jordan keeps it very together, even though we’ve seen this season that when he feels Layla pull away he can become a whiny baby, even though we can practically see his heart breaking right there. Everyone else has already posted enough about the selflessness of his love to offer her an out, I don’t need to give it more words here, but I will just highlight this. He doesn’t want to save her… he just wants her to be fine. He just came back from delivering “the meanest break up ever” but right now with Layla, he takes a pause and sets aside all his feelings, he is apologetic for the happiest moment in his life, he says the words “You don’t want to marry me” to spare her from having to say them, and he, in all earnestness and only with compassion, offers her an out. He is kind. Both of them, there is just a gentleness that they reserve only for each other. As we know, they both get sassy LOL. But with each other, they have a special voice, and sparkles in their eyes, and so much patience. “You still look at me like… that.” might be the most romantic thing I’ve ever heard. And what kind of hug, man. So tender, so comforting. 

I am now 100% sure we will see Jordayla’s wedding and daughter. SEATEDDD

[randomly-generated-posts-machine]

my dog evicerating that thang is so lightside

[g-oblincat]

One of my favorite manga ended 3 hours ago and I must talk about it

I actually wrote this two days ago and of course, the finale comes out RIGHT when I was about to post lol

On Twitter, I used to maintain a yuri manga recommendation thread to keep track of what I read and recommend my fav works to others. Now that I'm back on Tumblr, a platform that actually allows you to write why you like something, I want to start doing more in-depth recommendations. Starting with this one!

Koroshiya Yametai (I Wanna Quit Being a Hitman!) by Tonoki Sun

Rose is a hitman who dislikes her job, but she has one thing to look forward to: dates with her girlfriend, Benika. However, not wanting to go on dates with a guilty conscious, she always confesses her sins (murder) to a priest in a confessional booth that hides both their faces. The priest, Father Shirafune, happens to be Benika’s actual biological father.

Rose doesn’t know the priest she’s told about all her jobs to is Benika’s father. Benika doesn’t know Rose is a hitman, and is also keeping her queer relationship secret from her religious father. Shirafune is curious about his daughter’s new “boyfriend”, and has no idea the “boyfriend” is the person who keeps confessing murders to him.

The initial chapters of Hitman remind me of Spy x Family, where the comedy and appeal comes from the dramatic irony and near misses of each character trying to keep their own secrets, but the tone is different. There’s definitely lightness and comedy there, but underlying is a story of Rose, a refugee fleeing her war-torn home and being forced to work as a hitman in a rich country who doesn’t care about her people. She’s a pawn for greater political powers, and the story is how she tries to break out of that.

A quick, non-spoiler list of why I like this manga - if any of these appeal to you, I beeeeg you to read this comic:

Really cute loving relationship between the main couple! But also: well-fleshed characters outside the main couple! Father Shirafune is GREAT

Plot is more political than I expected, in what feels like a very grounded, real way. The main plot of the story is about refugees that are discriminated against and mistreated and what happens in a country when that mistreatment reaches a boiling point.

I need to think more about the story to be confident in talking about this outside of surface-level observations, so I desperately want smarter people to read it so I can also see their takes haha

The writing is just GOOD and appeals to me specifically. The plot is fast-paced with no filler. There’s a good balance of comedy, lovely moments between the couple, action where you can see Rose get out of tough situations (more on this in the spoilers), and scheming and double-crossing between various political powers.

I read this comic on Dynasty Scans, translated by Gouma-Den. The site’s tags are usually good for content warnings - the main ones are violence/killing/etc. There isn’t a ton of gore though. I believe the raws are here. I don’t think it’s licensed as of me writing this, but you bet I’m buying it all if/when it is.

I want to ramble more about what I like about it below, but it will contain **spoilers**! All images are from the Dynasty Scans translation.

The precise way action scenes are written

The action scenes are super fun to read. Most of them are about Rose escaping pursuers in clever ways that don’t give out her identity, and focus on the steps she took to prepare for these situations and how she outsmarts her enemies. There is a similar appeal here to detective or heist stories where Rose is put in a tough spot, and you see how her knowledge and wild amount of foresight let her escape.

In general, I like the scenes where characters are thinking to themselves and trying to problem-solve in any manga, and this happens a lot in this manga. One of my favorite scenes is when Rose tries to figure out if Benika’s new friend is another hitman, without tipping off either of them.

I just think this is soooo cool. The story is full of Rose’s cleverness in these kinds of situations that is so fun to read.

The romance

The romance is so sweet. The girls have an adorable meet-cute and throughout the story, you really see why Rose likes Benika- she’s kind and energetic but doesn’t hesitate to give Rose a piece of her mind when needed. Rose clearly loves Benika a lot and is always thinking of her. The characters’ interactions feel cute but realistic, and they’re fleshed out outside of the romance, which makes me like them more as people and root for them more.

But also (huge spoilers ahead, please skip this paragraph if you plan on reading this at all) it’s soooo yuri to have one girl try to make a huge high-stakes emotional sacrifice for the other one while confessing that it’s all for love. And it happens in the latest chapter and I went wild.

The themes the story tackles outside of the romance

This to me is both the most striking part of the story!

The first, smaller thing that stands out is Benika and her hesitance to tell her father about her relationship because she assumes her father is homophobic since he’s clergy. Father Shirafune is not homophobic actually and the two have a good relationship otherwise, but it stands out that this is a consideration Benika has. I feel like a lot of yuri is characterized by being only about romance, not identity or society. Characters will like girls, but not be gay. I don’t think this is a bad thing- it’s a characteristic of the genre and TBH in my head, it’s the difference between yuri and LGBTQ manga. However, that’s why this aspect of the story stood out to me- it serves to show queerness plays a bigger part of Benika’s character and the world, is an important motivator in the story, and is good worldbuilding. It also is important because it adds to the grounded tone of the story- it’d be weird to have a story that is full of politics and religion otherwise but say nothing about the two main characters’ queerness.

Speaking of the politics of the story, the main non-romance plot is about how the unspecified first-world country the story takes place in (probably Japan, even though they never say?) treats refugees. There are multiple chapters about how poorly the refugees are treated, and what will happen to the country if it goes too far unaddressed (and if the country deserves what it gets).

This sequence of panels in one of the latest chapters was really good!

That’s it! The Dynasty translation is nearing the end of the comic (EDIT: It got posted right before posting this LOL that's what I get for being slow) so it’s a great time to catch up! Please read this comic and talk to me about it!!!

[lizpaige]

your pynch outsider pov fic sounds great!! I wonder if any of the times are immediately after greywaren because i think the comedy (and protective instinct) potential there is great! as far as declan is concerned, all he is aware of is that adam abandoned a comatose nightwash leaking ronan and a few days later is rocking up to the barns with Ronan like nothing happened

hi anon!! thanks for the interest on the outside pov fic i’m writing. 💕 i do LOVE (haha not really) that mstief just sprinted thru the last of gw like haha everythings fine no family drama anymore. like obviously declan is going to have some questions about adam.

to keep things light in the outside pov fic i do not currently have a scene for right after pynch and jordan show up at the barns and declan’s like “huh??? nice to see u again parrish i guess???” i just felt like it was too heavy with the other scenes i was doing but i do address it.

i am writing a 5+1 and 2 of the 6 scenes are post gw. i will post spoilers under the cut of what i have so far but obviously it might change. feel free to ask about them! i like spoiling my own writing lmao

post trk pre epilogue - declan finds out pynch are dating

post trk pre epilogue - holidays at the barns, declan finds out its more serious than he thought

post trk pre epilogue - declan finds out adam knows about matthew

cdth - declan comes to clean up adam’s dorm of the murder crabs

post gw - declan helps ronan and adam move in to their new dc apartment

post gw - adam asks declan for advice about his government job offer

i have stuff written for everything but #6. only 1-3 are “done” i havent edited yet.

[chimi-cheese-fries]

Hello~ I am here for our matchup exchange. Just in case, please tag me in a separate post instead of answering this ask.

You can call me Aurora and my pronouns are they/them.

I am 5'5, have brown eyes, pale skin with a yellow undertone and shoulder-length brown hair (dyed but it's not very noticeable unless under good lighting cause I didn't bleach my hair). Constant bedhead. I can't tell the difference between my brushed and unbrushed hair cause it's always messy. People have told me that I look unapproachable? It’s the rbf, ahem. I wear makeup sometimes. My fashion style tends to rotate between cutesy pastel clothes, alternative, and elegant/cool. Blue and black are my most worn colours. I would like to try bolder makeup looks and lolita fasion in the future.

I’m an INFP 4w5 cancer. I daydream a lot and tend to space out when I’m not talking to someone. I’m a true introvert, but I love to talk to certain people and about things I find interesting, like my fixations or a fun hypothetical situation. I'm also good at reading people (to the point where my brother thinks I can read people's minds). Purple represents me best as a colour.

I value my authenticity, creativity and emotional intelligence (I can’t say I’m really empathetic, but I listen to people when they need me to and I try to be there for them). But I am quite sensitive and emotional. I tend to remember events in which I was hurt easily. My friend would describe me as a jaded Disney princess because I daydream a lot and used to be idealistic as a kid but now I'm more of a realist/pessimist.

I was raised by parents who are both thinkers, so I find that I tend to think quite logically (when I'm not stressed) compared to my feeler friends. When interacting with my feeler friends, I can feel a stark difference in the way we think, haha. Not easily influenced by what's considered the norm (I don't like conformity much) and by extension social media.

Kins I relate to the most (75% and above of their character): Itoshi Sae, Michael Kaiser, Julien Loki, Shidou Ryusei (all from blue lock), Dazai Osamu (Bungo Stray Dogs), Rook Hunt, Floyd Leech, Jade Leech (all from Twisted Wonderland), Touya Todoroki/Dabi (My Hero Academia), Ivan (Alien Stage)

According to this personality classification system, I am a mint (I wholeheartedly agree). https://2-lines-and-a-circle.tumblr.com/post/692988945418633216/in-depth-description-on-flavors-mint

Hobbies: Reading, writing, and listening to music, psychoanalyzing people, looking for fanfiction with amazing writing styles (descriptions, vibes, the closer it reads like poetry, the better)

Likes: POETRY (I follow the web weave tag here and my favourite poet might just be Richard Siken), tofu (my favourite food), books (the genres I tend to read are thrillers, fantasy or sci-fi), no longer human (my favourite book), the travelling cat chronicles (my favourite comfort book), anime (mostly shounen, but I've watched some movies as well), personality typology (the closest thing I've had to a hyperfixation. my all time favourite is the enneagram, but I had astrology and MBTI phases), action or comedy movies, visiting cafes, looking at sunrises and sunsets. I have taken a liking to buying clothes and crochet items. Also sweet things. :D

Dislikes: Exercising, studying for subjects I'm not interested in, being forced to interact with people, having a sudden change in plans that I don't like, many foods (I am a very picky eater)

Love languages: Acts of service and quality time (giving), words of affirmation and acts of service (receiving)

I wouldn't be able to stand a SO that interrupts me when I'm talking (especially since I would never do the same to them) or is only interested in talking about themselves. I would like someone who's emotionally intelligent enough to deal with my moody self, haha.

Miscellaneous:

I climbed a mountain and ran a small marathon when I was 10.

I am good at academics. I was top of my class in primary school for 3 years straight. In high school, I was tied with one other person in my batch for the top spot.

Many people have called me pretty. Also complimented my handwriting, they say it's so neat it looks like computer print.

I don't like when people touch me most of the time. I like to touch them on my own terms. Like a cat.

Tend to get lost in new places. :’)

P.S. I have been seeing your dancing bear gif the entire time while writing this ask. Quite a cute and fun experience.

Blue Lock Matchup !

After reading the info you gave me, I immediately thought of…

Romantic Matchup : Hiori Yo | 氷織 羊

You two are not exactly similar, but more so complementary.

Like you two would be on the same wavelength most of the time. You know the thing where you simply talk with eyes? Yeah, you do that.

A lot of your time spent together would be filled with comfortable silence, especially when he asks you to be his player 2.

Of course, you two have plenty of conversations. I wouldn’t say one if more of a listener than the other and vice versa. It’s a balance between the two of you.

You’re either both very quiet or really talkative around each other. There is no in between.

I wouldn’t say he has volatile emotions, but I think you’d be able to handle each other just fine. Like any other relationship, there are instances wherein you truly don’t see eye-to-eye. But you make up pretty quick.

You also spend a lot of time together, but while doing different things since you have different hobbies. For instance, he could be playing his game while you’re reading a book.

He says the sweetest things ever!

I think you both have a realist/pessimist outlook though at varying levels. It helps you relate to each other somewhat.

I think Hiori would dig your kind of look. Just a gut feeling of mine.

I see Hiori as more of a cat person, so I think that works quite well with your personality! Sometimes he’s annoyed a bit by it, but at the same time, he finds it oddly endearing.

While both of you might seem indifferent on the surface, you’re both actually quite sensitive. It helps make the relationship easier because you can empathize with each other better. You understand and comfort one another the best.

Sibling Matchup : Bachira Meguru | 蜂楽 廻

Bachira would probably the more cheerful older brother who tries to get you out of your comfort bubble.

He can be so pushy sometimes which leads you to fight a lot. And he simply laughs it off every time.

When you two are together, he's usually the one speaking for the both of you or he's the one first approached by people. Everyone is surprised at first to know that you two are siblings.

He's a bit of a daydreamer too, but it annoys you when he tries to relate to you.

He talks off your ear a lot, but there's not much you can do to stop him. But sometimes you do admit that what he's saying is interesting and you actually listen. To some extent, you do care about the stuff he likes to talk about even if you don't show it as much.

Bachira likes to play jokes on you and prank you a lot. There were times when he went overboard, but he apologized profusely afterwards.

He's impressed by your love and knowledge of poetry. He asks you to recite some for him which you do (reluctantly). It makes him so proud.

Since you're directionally challenged, Bachira takes it upon himself to guide both of you through places you visit together.

[riathedreamer]

Feeling like Church here, taking myself way too seriously, but as I stated before, I am blown away by the interest in my writing (seriously? 100 notes for my "haha I should write some angsty Simmons" post? Who are you people, I love you all!).

I won't be abandoning my Encanto fics, and I will probably end up writing something for Good Omens when the new season is out, but I want to write more RvB fanfiction, but I am genuinely curious about what people would like. This is not a poll to determine what I will write, even I don't know that yet, but I am truly interested in knowing what people will prefer once I start planning some writing.

So

[sere-ness-ima]

HWS Poland during the partitions: the full timeline (1795-1918) [1]

...but it will take a long time to write, so I will divide the infodump into parts. Haha, divide into parts, get it?? Because Polan–

<concering muffled noises>

...this part contains the following topics:

[1.1] Why offing Poland during the partitions is a terrible move [an essay-flavoured rant]

[1.2] What I'm going for in shaping my hetalia universe [a short boring disclaimer]

[1.3] TL;DR Feliks' timeline 1795-1918 [because I'm not a clickbait type]

The actual essays [nessays?] detailing the events and providing contexts and sources will come later, and hell am I excited for it.

[1.1] An introduction

I’ve been sitting on it for almost 10 years at this point, which is a lot of time to sacrifice to a fictional character’s fictional biography. And I’m speaking about 123 years of Poland’s geographical non-existence, which even my fellow Polish fanfiction writers often skip by unaliving him and only letting him resurrect in 1918 after regaining independence, with cool phoenix metaphors and a jazzy remix of *Poland is not lost yet*.

It's not that I hate this concept utterly, because I have even attempted to write a fic just like that once. I couldn’t resist the picture of Poland, the snobby, aristocratic, moustached, hot-headed peasant-owner from the end of the 18th century, suddenly waking up in the middle of barely-post-WW1 turmoil, with the world having changed SO MUCH since the times he last remembers that he’s like a caveman released from a block of ice in the middle of modern-day New York. Oh, yeah, and his job is to rebuild a country which he lost- wait, he losT FOR HOW LONG???

Yeah, I like the idea. It would be a fascinating comedy plot. But let’s be realistic. The clue of all my rambling is, Poland just before the partitions and just after the partitions are two completely different people, but there’s a road between them, a story of Feliks changing drastically over the 123 years, a story which is absolutely delightful, emotional, hilarious, and honestly the director of The World should get an award for it, because oh boy does Feliks’ character arc HIT HARD. (And I’m not the director here. I’m the film editor, at best. Just choosing the best scenes to bring to light based on a personal whim.)

[1.2] A disclaimer

My hetalia universe works on my own custom-made rules. I only touch canon when convenient, otherwise ignoring it completely. My rule of thumb is to make the concept of personifications as realistic as possible and to bring the “Ness Cinematic Universe” as close to a normal history textbook as possible [some people are just built different, like and subscribe if your goal is to write a history textbook of a fic too!]. I strive for historical accuracy here – but the Rule of Cool takes priority when needed, because I also strive for whatever my heart desires. All my stuff are of the “public hetalia” variety unless stated otherwise. It means the personifications and their identity are usually public knowledge and their existence is a natural phenomenon in-universe.

[1.3] HWS Poland's 19th century timeline: TL;DR

(i'm about to elaborate on each point from this list in my future posts.)

1795 – the third partition. According to their earlier agreement, Russia takes Lithuania east and Prussia takes Poland west.

1796 – Poland moves through Saxony to France… 1797 – ...and from France to Italy, where the famous Polish legions in Italy are starting to form.

1797-1814 – Poland’s Great Napoleonic Adventure :) [to be elaborated on]

1815 – the previous agreements between the partitioning sides get nullified at the congress of Vienna. Feliks has no other way but to agree on a personal union with Russia under certain conditions.

1815-1830 – he then lives a mildly peaceful life in Warsaw, but the conditions aren’t met and the tsar’s brother is unbearable.

1830-31 – Feliks revolts in Warsaw.

1831-37 – prison time (Schliesselburg fortress, Russia)

1838-1848 – Poland’s Great Emigration :) (his mental health rapidly decreasing, he moves to live in France and travels here and there around western Europe. You can insert your ship content here, though.)

1848 – Feliks revolts in Germany.

1848-1849 – Feliks revolts in Hungary.

1849-185X – prison time (Spielberg castle, Austria [nowadays Czech])

185X – 1861 – passed from Austria to Russia, he once again accepts an offer to sit calmly in Warsaw and try not to break anything. [the plot of BSA the fic happens here – for those who know :) you can also use this time for your ship content.]

1861-1863 – mildly chaos with occassional patches of prison time (Warsaw Citadel)

1863-64 – Feliks revolts in Warsaw.

1864-1866 – Poland’s Not So Great Exile To Siberia :)

1866 – Feliks revolts in Siberia.

1867-1890 – a free time slot. Show your OTP some love here. Personally I want to see him in Austria-Hungary, Prussia works too. So does going west and crying into France’s sleeve. So does prison time in Irkutsk, Siberia. Let him have a trip to China. Or Australia. Do your worst.

1891-190X – I’d love to see him in Russia around here, though, in Petersburg. At least when he’s not running wild and committing crimes.

190X-1914 – I’m currently reworking this section. The old version had him start WW1 in Prussia, in the Prussian army, then switch to the Russian side. The new one will probably have him do the exact opposite, so he’d be starting in Russian.

1914-16 – not like it matters, because he manages to fight for all the three occupants’ armies (until they notice he's jumping sides and...

1916-1918 – ...have him sit on his ass till the end of the war).

1918 – he finds his people eventually, or they find him. And the real fight starts now. :)

...see you in the next nessay, which will probably be all about the three acts of partitions and making an attempt to paint a picture of Feliks the moment his country collapses? We'll answer cool questions like:

"should the partitions be blamed on Feliks or is he helpless about his people's stupid decisions",

"was the canon partitions scene with Poland laying in the snow actually the battle of Maciejowice (1794)",

"is Austria the kind one, because you know, Hungary likes Poland"

"yeah but how can we make it pruspol" And more! Maybe I'll even add a picture to the wall of text. As a treat.