#he's my second favorite character of all time

[mariasont]

maria's fic recs

i have realized how most of these are smut & idk what that says about me but alas this are some super super amazing talented people who write crazy cool stories!!!! check them out!!!!! make sure to follow, reblog & comment on these fics if you like them!!! these incredible fic writers deserve it! i will also probably be adding more as i read follow my fic rec page for more @mariasficrecs if anyone mentioned in this post wants to be removed let me know <3

spencer reid

cedar - @parfaitblogs summary: in which compatible bodies does not always mean compatible minds, but spencer reid is all too kind when you're like this, so perhaps you're allowed to forget that for a night. 

this is the fic for the girlies who have loved someone more than they should, more than they loved you back and more than was every healthy. this is the kind of fic that makes you reread certain lines just to punch yourself in the chest a second time. masterpiece in pining, delusion, and tragic devotion. the most gorgeous piece of writing truthfully

in my dream im fixing your crutch - @notlongtolove summary: most nights, spencer wakes to the sound of your sniffles—unlike most nights, he doesn’t have to ask why. the reason is visceral, tangible—staining the sheets when the wound dressing wasn’t tight enough, seeping and pooling right between the both of you where an ocean of your guilt already lies.

this and everythingggg p writes is so incredibly SHATTERING in the best way possible. i truly need everyone to follow rn! and reader everything written by them! but this one specifically wasn't just a fic it was an experience. it's so painful and beautiful and so unfairly written. the duality of intimacy and violence is insaneeeeee like shakespearean level.

into the rose garden; for evermore - @notlongtolove summary: months of hope, weeks of ache. you’ve stayed. you’ve waited. you’ve stayed in the waiting. more pathetic than poetic if you’re being honest. but now, with him standing here with his heart in his hands, it doesn’t feel simple.

might be my favorite fic ive ever read if im being honest. everything about it had me sobbing like a baby. it's not even angst at this point it's a biblical reckoning. p has made heartbreak into a single character, personified pain and i felt every freaking piece of it actually! every single line was freaking perfection & you get to choose your ending!!!!!!! because user notlongtolove is so cool and so creative.

i can do a lot with fifteen minutes - @reidrum summary: in which you and spencer don't make it out the door on date night

i love a sabrina reference (clearly) and this was just the perfect smut fic literally like poetry disguised as desire. i have read a lot of smut (u got me). but nothing compares to a good intimate zipper scene. i will eat it up everytime!!!!!!! and a mirror scene!!!!! double whammy. fantastic 10000/10

hypothalamus - @reidrum summary: in which spencer gets creative on helping you study for your exam

godddddds to have spencer reid talk nerdy to me in bed. so in character. essentially the anatomy lesson of the gods actually. so amazing

sobriquet - @siriuslylantsov summary: spencer reacts to you calling him a nickname for the first time.

so sweet, so fluffy, a love letter to everything good in the world, essentially love seeping into mundane which is my favorite genre!!!! waking up with spencer!! being in love!! angel!!!! i love spencer calling the reader angel girl!!!!! <3

sweeter - @siriuslylantsov summary: in which, you and spencer try out foodplay, through use of whipped cream.

whipped cream!!!!!!!!! i dont have many words other than that! must read

white noise - @brattyspence summary: spencer x reader -- a situationship defined by white noise; a metaphor for how we pacify ourselves and make stupid decisions to experience comfort, even when it hurts

visceral, soul-shattering, gut wrenching agony. that's about it. slow burn destruction that will have you crying. no doubt. this fic literally lulls you into a false sense of security and then u realize that spencer is white noise and that you'd rather have whatever this is than nothing at all. LOL! definitely did not almost kill me while reading. most accurate portrayal of a situationship

chateau lobby #4 - @burymagdalene summary: Whilst trying to navigate romantic relationships after prison, Spencer finds himself in love and caught in an all-too-serious non-relationship with reader. Wanting to break this streak, he asks to spend Valentine's Day properly with a real date. Afterward, they find themselves desperate with trying to express their love for each other.

so as you might be able to tell i have a pattern of reading situationship spence! call me a masochist! but this one had a happy ending okay!!!!!!!! and a reference to father john misty? yes. immediately. i also just love post prison reid because he's so complicated and different but still him and he doesnt think he deserves soft things and soft love and it's so devastating. reading the date literally felt like falling in love in real time. so good.

a closed mouth doesn't get fed - @burymagdalene summary: When reader notices Spencers dark circles and glossy eyes, they store away their pressing need for him in bed. This desire locked away forms into a wet dream that escalates their prior expectations substantially.

one of the best portrayals of sleep-deprived, love-drunk, desperate sex. that's it. that's the tweet. also when he switches the reader's straw like why was that so sweet to me im crying

xoxo - @pathologicalreid summary: in which your daughter goes to the BAU to hand out her extra Valentines

peak domesticity. i love girl dad spence so much it's not even funny. it's everything he deserves. like i can only hope in some alternate au this is the ending reid got <3

to talk is to bare - @esote-rika summary: three times you've never felt enough for Spencer Reid—and the three times he rectified it immediately

one of the most painfully real depiction of navigating self worth in a relationship with spencer. like exactly what i feel like it would be like to be with someone so brilliant and like so unattainable-seeming, while feeling ordinary and yet spencer makes the reader feel so special ugh

in infinite universes - @nereidprinc3ss summary: in which spencer reid picks up uni!reader from a party. you're drunk, and he's in love with you

there is not a single thing (cannot emphasize this enough) that i won't read from nereidprinc3ss okay? everything she writes is actually literary gold. but this one was so beautiful it almost hurts to reid because it's literally a love letter to inevitability!!!!! and the dialogue is so funny and flirty and so spencer and ugh it's so raw and real.

spencer reid & aaron hotchner

unknown territory - @minswriting Spencer walks in on Aaron going down on you. So he watches the two of you have sex.

had to take multiple breathers after reading this! everyone knows i love hotch and reid and even more so i loveeeee a why choose. also everything min writes is so hot, 10/10 recommend checking out her account. "reid, if you're going to stand there and watch, you can at least come in and close the door" hello????????? immediately yes.

aaron hotchner

crazy - @kimstills summary: after one heated and spontaneous night together, aaron can’t seem to get his pretty subordinate (or her pussy) out of his head.

i did in fact read this bad boy like three times because it's that good. it perfectly mirrors hotch's mental state which i love love love. and i just love a smutty fic that has the best escalation of tension, like it builds until hotch physically cannot take it anymore and shewwwww so hot. exactly what i want in a hotch smut fic

savor - @kimstills summary: after being compromised to working a case the next day, aaron decides on savoring your current moment together for when he’s gone.

maddie is just always going to make the hottest aaron hotchner smut. the fact that this idea comes to aaron mid fuck is wild and i love it LOL.

morphine - @luveline summary: you get a good dose, confess your affections, and leave poor, oblivious hotch to fix things up neatly. 

so if you follow my fic rec blog you know i literally reblog absolutely everything jade writes because it is just that fantastic. and this one is just soooo tender and so perfectly in character with hotch. if you are looking for truly amazing characterizations of hotch and reid !!!!! right here besties !!!!

filthy flat-pack thoughts - @alinathinkstoomuch summary: you had taken the day off to get yourself settled into your new apartment, not expecting hotch to show up at your door and offer a hand.

hey so firstly im just obsessed with the title, idk why it scratches something in my brain. and i feel like this fic should be illegal because it's not just smut-adjacent, it's foreplay with no touching, sexual frustration in furniture assembly and poor decisions lolol and again everyone who knows me knows i eat upppppp sexual tension and this fic was just that. there is literally no kisses no sex nothing and it's still one of the hottest fics i've ever read (there is also a smutty part two so go check that out as well)

can't lose when i'm with you - @aureatelys summary: You work as a beverage cart girl at your local country club and your dad ropes you in to make him look good during a business meeting with his new best friend.

dbf hotch is my weakness. the slow burn!!!!!! possessive hotch!!! daddy hotch!!!! this is the gold standard for dbf hotch truly. felt like i needed a cigarette after and i don't even smoke

red light kiss - @aureatelys summary: You haven't had sex in a week, you're stuck in the car with your new boyfriend/boss, and he's wearing that damn Kevlar vest. How could you resist?

hey yeah so i was positively feral after reading this actually. that damn kevlar vest is right. idk how you managed to make a blowjob in a government vehicle feel romantic but you did so bravo

tyrant - @solardrop summary: Hotch lets you take some anger out on him after he disrespects you on a case.

my favorite genre !!!!!!! making hotch shut up by sitting on his face! mhm mhm mhm. absolutely amazing use of free will was you writing this because i've read it at least 5 times minimum. i was forever changed after this

salt & pepper - @dudeitiskarev summary: dad bod and insecure Hotch. That’s it.

everything cat writes is just so crazy good but everyone knows i have such a weakness for dad bod hotch & this is the absolute perfect fic for it.

we can't be friends (wait for your love) - @cerisereids summary: down on your luck after a huge betrayal, you return to live at your father's house with your tail between your legs. you're humiliated, thoroughly convinced nothing good could come from returning home. then you meet aaron hotchner.

there are three parts to this masterpiece and i need everyone to read them all okay? because it's just so good. hotch flustered is my roman empire and grrrrrr this man was literally on his knees for the reader internally through out the whole thing & once again dbf!hotch!!!!! arghhh obsessed

[plethorawrites]

I'm back to my once in a blue moon Roy post. And again, I can't stop thinking about how any person he dated HAS to be approved by Lian.

---___---___---___---___---___---___---___---___---_

It doesn't matter how much Roy Harper likes you or how perfect he thinks you are, if Lian doesn't like one of his partners, he'll break up with that person the next day.

He obviously waits a while to see if he even likes you enough to introduce you to her, but once he makes that decision, it's nerve wracking. He wants her to approve. He really does. And you want her too as well. He drones on about her constantly. Basically the entire first date was him relating every question you asked him back to her somehow.

Favorite place to go? The zoo, because Lian loves it. Favorite food? Grilled cheese, because he makes it for her so much he got hooked. Favorite color? It changes when hers does because everything she owns switches shades too. But he's partial to the color closest to her eyes.

And you're just as excited and nervous to meet her, knowing exactly how important she is to him. Lian is a good judge of character, she can know instantly if someone is wrong for her dad and she doesn't want them around him.

With you, it's the same as all the others. She's standoffish, curious but hesitant, asking you questions that only seem to have bad answers the way all kids somehow manage to do. And you're panicking, admittedly, not only at the questions, but at seeing Roy slowly deflate when he realizes how judgmental his daughter is.

At some point he excuses himself from the room for a moment, either to take a call, or try to take a breath because he's suddenly thinking about ending the relationship. But the second he walks away and both you and Lian can see the disappointment in posture, you both soften. Mostly her.

"...He works a lot," she told you, almost like a deterrent.

You nodded softly. "I know."

There was a pause, her princess crown falling a little bit. "Things with mom didn't end well," she mumbled.

You fixed her crown. "I know that, too." Tucking a piece of hair behind her ear you scooted closer to her on the couch. "I don't want to replace your mom, Lian. I just...want to love your dad."

She looked up at you. No one he brought home ever said the L word before. Not unless it was in some patronizing way as they talked about her while squishing her cheeks.

Her lips quirked, fighting a pout. "He's always busy," she repeated with emphasis. "I don't even see him for a week or two." She knew why, of course, and never blamed him. It still hurt.

Things suddenly clicked for you, realizing Lian was less worried about you, and more worried about you stealing her time with him.

"Well...maybe when he's gone, you and I could go somewhere? Do you like the aquarium?" You suggested hesitantly, watching her furrow her brows in skepticism as she nodded. "And maybe when he's back, we could all do something too, like a movie..." She seemed to relax a little, still pouting. "I'm not trying to steal him from you. You're the most important thing in his life, you know? You'll always come first."

...

A while later, Roy had all but prepared his typical break up speech, planning to tell you he liked you a lot but needed to take care of Lian and her needs first before focusing on himself. It hurt more this time, though, rehearsing it, than it usually did.

He walked back into the living room, freezing when he saw you braiding Lian's hair, a blanket pulled over her lap as she clicked the buttons on a remote.

"Oh, there you are," you said, glancing up. "We were going to watch 'Brave', do you want to join us?"

He blinked a few times, glancing at his daughter to ensure she wasn't just pretending. Then again, she never went along with anything she didn't actually want to do.

Roy nodded slightly, sitting next to Lian, squishing her in-between you two as she found the movie on the TV.

"You should make us popcorn," she practically demanded, starting the movie and glancing back at you as you finished her hair. "He makes really good popcorn."

You nodded curiously, giving her a small smile. "You ever tried it with M&M's in it before?"

Her eyes widened, head snapping towards her dad as if already asking for it. "O-okay, yeah, I'll check if we have any," he muttered, standing up, sparing a glance over his shoulder as he saw you pulling a blanket over Lian's lap while she passed her favorite princess crown to you.

It seemed she did approve, this time.

[princess-charlie-of-hell]

im so petty against many radioapple shippers. So petty that noticing how much they hate Lilith (cuz she's Lucifer's wife) and mimzy (cuz she stopped hell's greatest dad song) makes me one of the biggest fans of these two women and then I loved them unironically because I love women doing dubious things and support women's wrongs

Oh god yes the misogyny in the R@dioapple fandom is the reason why I stopped shipping it. I know that not every shipper hates Lilith but the bashing in comics and fanfictions I saw was just so overwhelming, even when I filtered out the Lilith morningstar bashing, Lilith morningstar is a bad mother/person and Abusive Lilith morningstar tag people still involved Lilith being "evil"

The thing I found ironic is that people accuse her of attempting to separate Lucifer and Charlie, being a power hungry manipulator and abusive and like do you know who is all that? Alastor! He literally tried to get between Lucifer and Charlie, we know that he is a manipulator, he literally sang that he wants to "pull all the strings" and then he threatened Husk and pulled the leash which caused Husk to be on his knees shaking and scared like shit, I don't care what people say that was emotional abuse and we don't how far he would went have went if Husk continued to talk about Alastor's deal

Don't get me wrong I love Alastor but the fact that people ignore how terrible he is and put the blame somehow on characters like Lilith and Roo because they own and force him to do terrible things despite him being a serial killer before arriving in Hell (no leaks please) while villainizing a woman who hasn't said anything yet and had like 3 seconds screen time

And my girl Mimzy, I never understand why People hated her, she didn't even interrupted hells greatest dad, Lucifers and Alastor's part was already over if she didn't had appeared they would have argued or even fighted, she probably saved Alastor and i don't care what people say, I love her part in the song! Despite never really watching Steven universe, I listen regularly to other friends and drift away because Sarah stiles is a phenomenally singer, that plus her character design? How am I not supposed love Mimzy!! Why does she have more character Vox)

And people disliking her for bringing the loan sharks to the hotel is just a silly reason like it is not even the worst what happened to the hotel it was slightly damaged and the radio demon and King of hell were there so it wasn't even in great danger(if Lucifer would have done anything to defend) like even Adam gets less hate for bringing an army of exorcists to the hotel and destroying it completely

How the two are treated in the fandom shows how misogynistic it really is, like a woman getting between a MLM ship is enough to make her evil in the eyes of people. And if they actually turn out to be evil? I support women wrongs and people love characters like Vox despite him being a evil, arrogant, asshole capitalist who we see brainwashing other people to buy his products. Why can't we love evil women too?

Alastor/Vox/Adam: killing and torturing people

Fandom : My sweet baby girls they are perfect and can do no wrong🥰

Lilith/Mimzy: Exists

Fandom: Pure evil! Power hungry whores! They don't deserve to breath the same air as my favorite male characters!

[lostpimplepatch]

ONE PIECE WANO SPOILERS FOR EP 1020

Sanji calling Robin for help in front of everyone is my favorite Sanji moment in this arc so far.

Like most of the fandom I have a love hate relationship with Sanji’s character because he has the potential to be a really well developed character but in many arcs ends up being a very shallow one. Coming off of Whole Cake Island which is a very strong Sanji arc, Wano felt soo lacking. His peeping gag was back, he was using the germa tech despite his conviction not to, he was insecure about Jinbei replacing him as the ‘smart’ one of the stronger strawhats. After an arc where our crew was separated and went through a lot for Sanji it felt like he was unsure of his place in the story and was revisiting all his “positions”.

Then came this villain Black Maria, who embodied and questioned the shallow aspect of his character and by extension his chivalry. She demonstrates that men like him are quick to think themselves heroes that save women from harassment and violence but internally want to inflict this harassment and violence on women as well. Sanji runs in thinking a woman might be getting harassed, beats up the guy, but when he’s escaping we see that exact scene is one of his fantasies. It’s legitimate criticism of his character. I wish it would be a learning moment. Sanji refuses to fight against women as usual and he’s put in a position where he can either die, call Robin and put his friend and a woman in danger, or fight women. This happens all the time but Sanji here makes the easy decision to cry for help.

What’s great about it is, this is an incredibly humiliating moment for a “chivalrous man”. We see a bunch of other manly men in the show react with disdain and ridicule at the fact that he would go crying for help from a woman, the opposite of “chivalry” in their eyes. Even the villain women working under Black Maria are shocked and disappointed because this doesn’t fit the “chivalrous” image. But Sanji isn’t giving up his friend, he’s not betraying her, he’s asking for help. Because he trusts her, because he knows he can rely on her. The key here being, unlike Black Maria’s expectations Sanji’s wish to protect women is not just to seem more manly and chivalrous. He would rather have the world think he’s a weak spineless coward than hit a woman. That’s in this context a rarer thing than to simply proclaim he’d rather die. It proves that his morals come from within and that he stands on them.

Robin, of course, shows up immediately, saves his ass and says “Thank you for relying on me, it made me happy”. This is what got me crying because Robin doesn’t think less of him for a second because their places have been swapped before. In water 7 and ennies lobby she tried to make the choice of dying instead of asking for help and putting her friends in danger. She saw first hand that that hurt them more than any buster call could have. It was her and Sanji on that train where she refused to accept his help and it did nothing but hurt them and delay the inevitable. She learned that day that she was worthy of being protected and that her friends would walk into a death trap for her. She was resolved to do the same. Of course it makes her happy to have the chance to do that for her crew.

On a side note, Sanji and Zoro’s views on women are often pitted against each other as “protect women” vs “view them as an equal” but this arc we saw Zoro protecting a woman that couldn’t fight (Komurasaki/Hiyori) and Sanji trusting and relying on a woman to save him in a dangerous situation.

[kalinara]

To be fair to Logan and his fans, I think this is where the popularity of the character works against him. Not because the fans, or even the writers necessarily, are resistant to change so much as his over-saturation makes change really hard to execute.

Don't get me wrong, I wish I got half the content Wolverine fans get for MY favorite. But I think there's a downside too.

He and Scott kind of are on opposite sides of the spectrum, I think. Scott gets to be an unusually reactive character, because he's generally only in one book at a time. There might be a guest appearance or crossover here or there. Maybe a big event. MAYBE, he'll get to appear in a second book in a very specific role (like how he appeared often in Krakoa-era Cable comics, specifically as "Nate's dad".), but generally, every thing major that happens to the guy is in one book at a time.

So the writers can take a certain amount of liberty. As long as the character's reaction makes sense given the context, and the trajectory is logical, they can go the route of X-Factor's near-breakdown, or Utopia's grey general, or the post AvX martyr revolutionary, and it works.

(I remember reading that Mark Waid actually had to push hard for permission to use Scott in Champions. I'm very glad he did because that gave us a brand new avenue of characterization for the character - we've really never seen ANY version of Scott in that role: not the leader, broader universe focus, dealing with issues that aren't mutant related at all. But it definitely sounded like anyone who wasn't Mark Waid would have been told 'no'.)

On the other hand, Logan is everywhere. And in some ways, that's a good thing. I celebrate Champions for giving us a brand new context for Scott and letting him interact with characters and sides of the Marvel Universe he never would ordinarily. And Logan gets that ALL THE TIME.

But, when you're dealing with at least one X-Team book (and often more than that, like the time he was running X-Force too), one solo book, often an Avengers book of some time, appearances in more global types of crossovers because of said appearances in Avengers, limited miniseries featuring less common team ups - or Deadpool again, and so on and so forth, that creates other challenges.

Even if one book decides to give Logan a truly character changing experience - there's no guarantee that it will be reflected in any other book. It might not even be feasible if we consider how delays and publication difficulties might affect when the books come out. And what if another book gives him a truly character changing experience in another direction?

How far apart can these character variations go and still be the same character, in the same general continuity. (Obviously things like Ultimate Wolverine or whichever AU is happening right now are different entirely.) He's basically stuck in the most recognizable, iconic version, so he can be slotted anywhere and casual fans of the Avengers won't be utterly boggled as to why Logan's suddenly embraced pacifism or whatever.

The poor guy is pretty much doomed to hypocrisy: he can hate sending kids into battle, until he's on a different team with teenagers, or until he's mentoring another kid who ends up in battle. And he's doomed to be a neglectful father/father figure, since anyone and their mother like to add new people to his backstory. And so on.

I suppose you're right about Logan and the kids. Hell, they might have HAD to kill him, if you think about it, since that would be the one situation that would genuinely and realistically spark a pronounced change in behavior that they wouldn't be able to execute going forward.

I'd still like to see Jean madder at him though. I have a list of things I wish Marvel had let Jean get mad about. :-D

Cyclops mourns Logan

Pretty sure he's dated more psychics than that

They really called it Cyclops in YOU. Hell yeah. Anyway, Logan is dead. Scott, unaware that he's in a comic book, is treating this event as if it's forever. Lucky for us, because their messed up relationship is like crack for me. He considers how Logan was his most complicated relationship, and that's a lot coming from him.

There's definitely resentment there, because Logan was and is a selfish jerk. It's refreshing honesty, and very Scott Summers. He's remembering all the different ways in which Logan made his life harder, acted like a creep, or spited him needlessly, yet Logan's death is keeping Scott up at night.

I love this flashback to after the Dark Phoenix Saga (I think) and it makes pretty clear that Logan transferred his idealisation from Jean to Scott. Scott is standing at his wife's grave and somehow Logan manages to make literally everything about him. At least he acknowledges his grief and says 'sorry for your loss.' Wait, no that doesn't happen actually. The bastard just tells him he's not allowed to quit because of his psychosexual obsession. I wonder what Scott is thinking as he walks off. An optic blast in the back would be somewhat justified (and funny) but Scott usually has better self control than that.

He considers the aftermath of Fatal Attractions, when Magneto performed field surgery on his bones. Logan definitely wasn't used to not being immortal and the apex murderer. His recovery was long and his whining intense.

Is Scott biting Magneto there?

Scott approaches Logan as he's punishing himself in the Danger Room and echoes his words back to him, offering him a hand up. He remembers the heartwarming threats and the good times shared together fighting for their lives. Brothers in grief and violence, rivals who are simultaneously paternal figures to each other.

Scott is very prone to blaming himself for things going wrong, and Logan was always there to remind him. I don't think he's being fair on himself but he never really is. Blaming Scott for things is an X-Men sport. He repeats Logan's insane words for a third time - 'we don't get to quit.' Scott cries in the snow on all fours outside the base where Logan was repeatedly tortured and dehumanised, but he doesn't quit.

Scott imagines what Logan's funeral would be like, and he's not far off. He thinks hard about an appropriate way to honour his memory. The answer is obvious - alcohol and violence. I have no doubt Scott knows exactly where every mutant hater watering hole is, but it's funnier to imagine him wandering around until he finds one.

Proving he knows him pretty damn well, Scott sends Logan off by beating the shit out of some bigots and drinking over their unconscious bodies. 'Here's to you, bub. See you in a year or so.' Cyclops is pretty famous at this point, so these dudes probably know exactly who he is. They'll be telling that story for a while, of the time they were drinking and hating on mutants then Scott Summers came out of nowhere to fuck them up. Logan wouldn't be proud exactly, but he'd probably grunt and call him bub. That's practically 'I love you' from Logan, and Scott loves his dumb ass too.

[captcassette]

davesprite my good friend davesprite

[hellobitchlet]

You could have just had Kinich making NORMAL vines to pull himself around, and have Ajaw be a tiny yellow dragon who ISN'T flat and pixelated. You didn't have to do... whatever this is. Why are they 8-bit?? Who thought that was a good idea??

[andreilscat]

saw kevin day in a dream, i might be losing my mind

[anne-bsd-bibliophile]

I haven't read all of these series, because I want to wait until the series is complete in English before I read it, but this is my ranking of the books I've read:

The Husky and His White Cat Shizun (⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐): It's my favorite for so many reasons! I'm so attached to Mo Ran and Chu Wanning. Meatbun is an amazing writer. It's crazy how many emotions I felt while reading this series. I read fan and machine translations of the book first and am rereading it as the official translations come out. It's even better (and infinitely more painful) the second time around! The foreshadowing and big reveals are more impactful than any other book I've ever read. Also, I am so glad I got to read the whole thing without stopping, because if I had to wait for the next book to come out that would have been far too painful! 2ha destroyed me emotionally in ways nothing else ever has. I refuse to read any other series by Meatbun until all the books are out because I've heard they are also painful, but brilliant, books! I have a feeling that Remnants of Filth and Casefile Compendium are going to be high on my favorites list when I do read them.

2. Grandmaster of Demonic Cultivation (⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐): My first danmei, and my favorite by MXTX. The drama and the anime are also wonderful, but because the adaptations had to be censored, the books are definitely the best! The relationship between Wei Wuxian and Lan Wangji is absolutely perfect! The side characters are endearing, the humor is witty, and the action/suspense scenes are done very well. This book is also has my favorite confession scene of all time! I got into the series for the romance, and was blown away by the writing and the mystery plotline. However, it can be a little confusing when it comes to switching between timelines.

3. Thousand Autumns (⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐): The author basically thought, "What would happen if a man with no flaws and the worst man ever were to meet?" And then she wrote this book. Shen Qiao is the most perfect man ever. He's kind, gentle, beautiful, strong, intelligent, forgiving, and is basically the ideal Taoist priest. Yan Wushi is a demonic cultivator who is the exact opposite of Shen Qiao. Yan Wushi is arrogant, cynical, harsh, violent, mercurial, and is so strong that no one could oppose him if they wanted to. The book begins with Shen Qiao laying almost dead, blind, and amnesiac at the bottom of a cliff where he is found by Yan Wushi, who takes Shen Qiao home because he wants to try and influence him to become evil just for fun. As their paths meet and they travel together, Yan Wushi shows Shen Qiao parts of the world he had never known existed and they do end up influencing each other, just not in the way either of them expected. Yan Wushi is quite the character and Shen Qiao is absolutely perfect. They may not seem to be made for each other, at least not at first, but they were. I love the two main characters of course, but I also love how realistic the historical setting is and the power struggle between the three main Chinese philosophies, Taoism, Confucianism, and Buddhism. Thousand Autumns is thought provoking while also being exciting, suspenseful, fun, romantic, and downright silly at times. It isn't the most well known danmei series, but I think it is one of the best written.

4. Heaven Official's Blessing (⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐): This is probably the best writing from MXTX. It has beautiful symbolism, which helps to make the official artwork and donghua look spectacular. The whole series is like a work of art. Xie Lian is one of the most intriguing protagonists because he is as simple as he appears on the surface but is also equally complex deep down. He never changes throughout the series, either. You just learn and understand more about Xie Lian as his past is revealed. The same can be said about Hua Cheng; his character is straightforward and unchanging, but he is also an enigma. For me, Heaven Official's Blessing is amazing because of Xie Lian and Hua Cheng's relationship and how they have influenced each other. The other characters and side plots are interesting and well written, but the whole draw for me is Hualian. Even during the moments when they are not the main focus in the plot they are still my main focus, if that makes sense. The world of Heaven Official's Blessing and the entire cast of characters are well written, and with Hualian at the center of it all this series is spectacular.

5. Scum Villain Self-Saving System (⭐⭐⭐⭐): This series is so much fun. There are so many stories where the main character dies in real life only to wake up as the villain in a story, and I thought this would be more of the same. But SVSSS is very satirical and pokes fun at the overused genre cliches. It is so easy to relate to Shen Qingqiu and to love Lou Binghe. I really enjoyed how the series is so entertaining at first, but it becomes so dark and realistic despite being an over the top stallion novel setting. The whole book is a wild ride and I enjoyed every moment of it.

6. Guardian (⭐⭐⭐): I think it was a fun choice to choose a modern supernatural detective setting and include Chinese mythology. It made the cast of characters unique and fun. I also really enjoyed the humor in this series. The character development and plot weren't as deep and impactful as the other danmei in this list, and I think part of the reason is the author gave a lot of hints and help for the reader. As a result, it felt like this series was written for a younger audience. It's not bad, but it made the series a lot less engaging for me, even though I do love the two main characters.

7. Stars of Chaos (⭐⭐): I wasn't really a fan of this series. It had so much potential, but ultimately the plot boiled down to a paranoid emperor, greedy court officials, an underfunded military, and the two main characters who are so perfect that they turn literally every situation around and everything goes according to their plans. The politics and military issues were realistic, but they were explained so thoroughly that there were no surprises. The main characters are amazing, but their backstories aren't explained even half as well as the politics were so we don't really know much about how they got to be that way. In the first book the main character travels for four years and changes from a snotnosed kid to the impressive and skilled protagonist who can take on literally everything. His godfather/love interest is astonished and wonders what he was doing for those four years. I was also curious, but the author never told us. There was so much emphasis on world building, political intrigue, and military strategy that I felt the characters took a backseat to everything else. Which is a shame, because the characters are so cool! I actually enjoyed the extra chapters more than the main story because we got to see more of the characters and how they interact with each other. (Whenever I talk about Stars of Chaos I sound like Shen Yuan talking about PIDW from SVSSS. I know and I'm sorry, so please remember this is just my opinion. Please don't hunt me down for revenge.)

To Be Read:

Remnants of Filth

Casefile Compendium

Peerless

Ballad of Sword and Wine

The Disabled Tyrant's Beloved Pet Fish

You've Got Mail: The Perils of Pigeon Post

Danmei novels but they are Pokémon to collect so yeah. Show me your collections and favourite series I’ll show you mine

I’m loving these so much. Erha is my favourite at the moment, but I need vol 3-9 to complete the collection. And I’m super excited to get through the rest of tgcf since I watched the anime and read the comic so IM EXCITED FOR MORE MATERIALLLL

[c0smiccom3t]

Coco, my best friend,, coco my comfort character,, baby me would've loved you !!

[july-19th-club]

forced myself to finish this book even though by the last hundred pages or so all i was doing was picking apart the post-catholicism of it all. bc i feel like it's important to read shit you don't gel with . just because. even though the whole way through i was like they HAVE to prove it's not real. they HAVE to. so not the point of any of it but i was desperate for them to Find The Body etc. and of course instead they have mystical time travel experiences and all that because that is the kind of book the actual star is but i was desperate for them to realize that the star you see is the actual star. and then it wasn't

[my-thoughts-and-junk]

the thing about chilshi is that i see it as super one-sided on chilchuck's part and that's some shit he's bringing to the grave with him

[arolesbianism]

Sometimes I just look at Isabeau and just know that if isat came out and I got into it when I was like 16 he would be my favorite character and I would've gone absolutely buck wild over this man and feel like he was laser targeting me. But alas Odile has a grip of steel on me rn due to her virtue of being a middle aged woman

[firelise]

I really feel like crying over Claudia like I knew it was gonna happen but wow that rlly deeply affected me

[thoughtpeek]

I'VE FINALLY FINISHED BROTHERSHIP IT WAS SOOOOO GOOD!!!!!!!

[volt-reblogs-n-rambles]

Actually ok the oc chart is making me think about the crossover I'm cooking up and ok. Ok. Samus Aran and Stanford Pines are like two people on weird opposite yet similar sides of the character alignment. They're in a diagonal line on that chart thing. Samus is more of a creature than a human but she's got slightly more optimism even if she thinks she doesn't. Ford is more of a bastard, and that doesn't make him a bad person, just a person who's made bad decisions.

And man. They both have a martyr complex don't they? Or at least they do at one specific time (Samus "I have to send them to oblivion. Them, the station, and myself, if I have to" Aran vs Stanford "I brought him into this dimension, and I'll take him out. If it's the last thing I do" Pines. Oh no. Oh my gosh. Do you see it. Do you see why my brain picked Ford as my favorite because apparently being a Metroid fan for 10 years does that to you.

And neither of them can really afford to form friendships can they? At least with Ford pre-series finale (this post is thinking in terms of Portal Ford). Ford can't, won't let himself be tricked again, so why trust anyone. Why give them the chance? Meanwhile, Samus can certainly trust people (though certain big space governments are proving very suspicious as of Dread), but is she willing to get close to someone at the risk of endangering them?? Does she want to risk getting another person killed? Is it worth being the survivor of another story if it means that everyone else she cares about is gone?

This isn't even a ship thing. I'm not even shipping them, I think they'd be friends but DO YOU SEE THE CONNECTIONS OUGH

Anyway back to being normal on... well, this is a sideblog. Normal on sideblog. Mmhmm :]