#it’s amazing the plot is incredible the characters (and their developments) are wonderful the romance isnt forced at all and the ML is an

[lifeafterartsch00l]

The answer is yes, yes they have plz see below~

✨MY FAVE KAKAIRU FICS✨

A change of pace this week from the usual sasunaru programming to celebrate Naruto’s gay dads, feat. my terrible memes

As per usual, I’ll try and find the authors to tag them, if you know who they are on tumblr, plz tag them in the comments! 💖

He ships it

Worship by decaf_kitty

Careful it’s hot 🥵

Beloved decaf kitty, may your coffee never be bitter, may your pillow be the perfect temperature, and you never get writer’s block ❤️ amen! Please read this one shot it’s AMAZING

“Additional Tags: Slow Build, Romance, Resolved Sexual Tension, Explicit Sexual Content, Begging, Inappropriate Use of the Sharingan

Summary: Late at night, Kakashi and Iruka randomly meet at a ramen stand... One little conversation later, they're in Kakashi's bedroom, with Iruka on his knees, and a blushing Kakashi staring down at the sensei between his bare thighs”

Kintsugi by The_Rivers_Dark

She ships it

I excitedly followed each new chapter release of this fic 💕 most incredible descriptions of intimacy, a fantastic writer 💕 also Tsunade tries to meddle and it’s just terrific (read it to find out if it works tehe) 💕 so wonderful, a comforting fic like a warm hug (but also really sexy idk man I’m not a writer clearly haha).

“Additional Tags: Mutual Pining, Hurt/Comfort, less hurt more comfort, Comfort, hurt comfort that turns to comfort, hurt comfort that turns to comfort erotica, comfort erotica, Erotica, mutual pining to mutual love, Love, Romance, Smut, Shameless Smut, Sex, Explicit Sexual Content, come for the erotica stay for the comfort, come for the comfort stay for the erotica, if it’s broken fix it and never let it out of your sight again, painting with muted colours never suited my literary palette, Tsunade as a cockblock device and a meddler, plot arc what plot arc, pacing what pacing, Whirlwind Romance, we’re all about the comfort here, Roommates, And then they were roommates, Eventual marriage, Marriage, they get married at the end, Getting Together, Sweet/Hot, Happy Ending, for all you Kakashi-level perverts out there sexy tags include but are not limited to, Frotting, Mutual Masturbation, Oral Sex, Anal Sex, Anal Fingering, Hair-pulling, Nipple Play, 69 (Sex Position), Spanking, Fingerfucking, Blindfolds, it doesn’t count as a threesome if one of them is a shadow clone, Sweet, Spicy, sweet and spicy, Rimming, Snippet beta we die like Akatsuki villains only to be resurrected again, Domestic, Cuddling & Snuggling, Idiots in Love, Light Bondage, versatile lovers, Top Hatake Kakashi, Top Umino Iruka, Belonging

Summary:

Kintsugi: The Japanese art of repairing broken pottery by mending the areas of breakage with lacquer dusted or mixed with powdered gold, silver, or platinum. As a philosophy, it treats breakage and repair as part of an object's history, rather than something to disguise.

(Iruka gets heavily injured in a mission gone wrong. Problem is, Tsunade knows he won't stay in the hospital long enough to recuperate. Kakashi finds himself volunteering to be his carer. As they get closer, the tension between them reaches a boiling point. Complete.)”

Unspoken by RenGoneMad

Incredible canon-compliant rewrite where Kakashi and Iruka meet much earlier (kind of, you’ll see). And Kakashi has a long time cruuuuuuush 😜 the banter/flirting is really cute. The pacing and development of the relationship is so so good! The way the author gets into their heads is just great. Both 🔥 & heartwarming! ❤️

“Additional Tags: Romance, Slow Burn, Anbu Hatake Kakashi, Fluff and Angst, Hatake Kakashi-centric, POV Hatake Kakashi, Secret Identity, Canon Compliant, Canon - Manga, Complete, Kissing, Sexual Tension, Obsession, But not unhealthy or creepy, Pining, Stalking, Angst, Hurt/Comfort, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Character Study, Implied/Referenced Suicide, (as complies with canon)

Summary: The memorial stone should be a place to mourn the dead, a place to remember the many sins and failures that haunt Hatake Kakashi.

To Iruka, it's a place to speak to his parents, and the mysterious ANBU who listens.

Follows Kakashi from ages 14 to 29, and the many ways Iruka changes his life”

The Outcasted by yeou_bi

Sensual, erotic, all without anything explicit (yet?). They way they’re falling in love is so cute 😭 Just lovely ❤️ I hope the author writes more chapters! 😊🤞🏽

“Chapters: 3/?

Rating: Teen And Up Audiences

Additional Tags: Hospitalization, Illnesses, References to Illness, Loneliness, POV Alternating, Present Tense, Skin diseases, Slow Burn, Denial of Feelings, Nausea, Touch-Starved, Touching, Hurt/Comfort, Pandemics, Dysfunctional Relationships, Developing Relationship, Implied/Referenced Homophobia, Internalized Homophobia, Bullying, Discrimination

Summary: During the outbreak of a mysterious disease, Kakashi finds himself sharing a clinic room with Iruka.

What begins as simple moments of sharing the same burden slowly turns confusing. When physical touch could mean an infection, it also becomes a commodity that's hard to come by for those who are recovering”

Thank you to all the talented authors! 💕

[floralcavern]

Vivziepop just cannot write, hm?

So… I think we’ve noticed a trend here. Vivziepop cannot write for shit. Let’s take a look at something.

So, most people I’ve met agree that the Hazbin pilot is way, WAY better than the actual show. Even hardcore Hazbin fans can mostly agree on this. So, you gotta wonder, what the hell happened? Was it because of Prime? Well, maybe, but probably because Vivziepop DID NOT write the pilot.. Ya. And, in typical Vivziepop fashion, she did not give credit or acknowledge someone else’s contributions to her stories. It’s almost like she has a history of this! So, Vivziepop was the writer in the actual show… ok, well, Prime definitely could’ve been part of the reason why it wasn’t good! Ya, studio interference has a history of ruining shows, especially in the animation industry. That’s the reason, right?

Well, that excuse could be used if Helluva Boss didn't exist.

Season 1 of Helluva Boss SLAPS. It is so good, so funny, so witty. Season 1 was written by both Brandon Roger’s and Viv. But, when did the quality in the show drop? Season 2, when the show completely abandoned the plot and focused on a generic, toxic, Wattpad type of romance rather than the original cast and the original show’s pitch. But, how did this happen?! Well… season 2 was almost entirely written by only Vivziepop. … OH!

And I just… ugh. It really, really frustrates me because she has so many good ideas, but terrible execution. And that’s fine! If she had other writers on the team that she’s actually willing to listen to, I do think that the show could be incredible. Good ideas and concepts are an amazing place to start! But geez, if you struggle with applying those concepts, GET OTHER WRITERS! And actually GIVE THEM CREDIT.

And, allow me to rant about how Helluva Boss’s new melodrama approach COULD have worked. Look at The Office. A workplace show with absurdist comedy. Wow, that’s a lot like Helluva Boss season 1! And, like Helluva Boss, The Office stayed like that at first. Ridiculous, episodic, and hilarious. But, as it went on, it became more of a dramedy. And it worked because it knew how to balance everything. Everything worked off of the characters well, because they actually got us to care about these characters, enjoy them, think they’re funny. Characters faced punishments, even in the most ridiculous and cringiest ways possible. But Helluva Boss doesn’t do this. It’s not a comedy anymore. It takes itself too seriously. And the problem with it taking itself too seriously is

It was originally pitched as an episodic comedy and

Vivziepop plays favorites

But with The Office, there are certain characters that you can tell are the writer’s favorites. Jim, Pam, Dwight, Michael. But wanna know something? None of these characters are safe from consequences. They get development and depth, all within this office setting, never letting go of that core setting. That it’s an office. Helluva Boss’s setting? It was originally this office filled with these demon assassins. But now it’s… Stolas’s castle with this toxic yaoi ship that we just can’t help but hate.

[bibibbon]

Have updated my fics sug TTau and The Most heroic villainess and late night I was wondering...we do see so lil villainess Izu aka Izumi as villain in fics.

And then it hits how we see so lil of villainess in canon. La Brava only wanted to help Gentle...I don't have much issue with that, she loves him and wants her man to win (it helps how the relationship is reciprocated) but she is more a sidekick. She is there only for Gentle.

Lady Nagant is there...in the middle of a war and it was forgetten until she shows up to shoot Shig and promptly was forgetten till we see her in the prison, out of her own free will. How the public would react to such villainess? Do they know she is a villain? (Yes, she killed the president but does the public even register this woman is a villain bc at some time she was their hero)

And ...makes me think of Izumi. In my fic, first off, she is a grow up...and I do feel the media would try to invalidate her points and anything by saying she is a femme fatale. She seduces and throw men(women) to the side. (Further from the truth, I feel the media would try to use this narrative)

Tldr, how the villainesses are seeing in this manga? If the good heroines are eye candies...what are villains like Nagant and La.Brava or even my version of Izumi? Femme fatales (which is ridiculously funny as La Brava only has eyes for one man, Nagant has no time for romance and Izumi never even kissed anyone)

Hi @mikeellee 👋

I do remember commenting on this problem a while ago, but most major villains in mha are men, which is a shame.

Horikoshi and honestly, a lot of shonen manga's do not treat their female characters with the respect they deserve, and this is a huge problem seen with many popular shonen like MHA, naruto and even KNY.

The only female villains that I can really name are:

Curious

Toga

Lady nagant (can she even be considered a villain?)

La brava

Slice

Most of them either don't actually do villainous things, are dead, or are incredibly minor to the plot.

Now, I think we can all agree that toga himiko is the most developed one out of this list and I must admit that lady nagant and curious definitely had the potential to be amazing antagonists had they been allowed more time and more development.

In Toga himiko's situation, when she first became a villain, her personal details were kept private due to her being a minor but we know that when the public found her house they absolutely destroyed and vandalised it.

From the vandalism there is we can see things such as "toga the terrible" and " Demon" on there, so I assume that for izu in this case the backlash would be worse especially if they bring in "victims" of izu to speak on live television.

There wasn't much going on for Lady nagant's case as the hpsc wanted to keep her killing the President under wraps. They essentially did this by mentioning her as less as possible and just offering the public an explanation that she was arrested due to killing another hero in an argument which effectively ruins her entire reputation without the need for sexually degrading comments or any of that in the sort being painted directly by the HPSC however, there are probably some hero fan individuals that probably came up with theories such as lady nagant may have killed the hero for personal reasons ( something along the lines of he cheated on her etc) however that being said this idea would be something created by the public and not the hpsc themselves.

There isn't much for Lady brava, so I won't comment on her.

In the end, this idea of yours could be plausible, especially if we take the content of the short chapter that shows an interesting conversation between midnight and Mt lady where it seems like sexiness is a double edged sword in the world of mha. While this conversation itself focuses primarily on the hero industry. I believe that this could then be applied to just a general view of other areas of society.

Mt lady and midnight have always been characters shown to focus on their image, and they seem to have a fanbase that mainly appreciates them for their 'sexy' appeal. Now, this narrative can be easily twisted into calling the other an incredibly degrading comment, which we see the two women doing in the short chapter.

So , to answer your question, I think the idea is incredibly plausible especially because mha already has a theme of having the female heroes appear as "appealing" or "sexy" and has characters like momo and Kendo Market themselves as such. I imagine that this narrative can act as a double-edged sword, meaning that it can be used to directly and outright degrade the female character, especially if they are a villain.

I

[phantomdialogue]

˗ˏˋ. ݁₊ ✶ ˖ 𝐟𝐢𝐫𝐬𝐭-𝐭𝐢𝐦𝐞 𝐜𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐫 𝐛𝐲 𝐛.𝐤. 𝐛𝐨𝐫𝐢𝐬𝐨𝐧 - 𝟔/𝟓 ☆ . ݁ ˖ˎˊ˗

release date: february 11, 2025

premise: aiden valentine hosts baltimore's romance hotline, heartstrings, but he has found a problem with his job. he's fallen out of love with love... until one night a 12-year old calls into the station asking for dating advice for her mother, lucie stone. when their conversation goes viral, everyone is rooting for lucie to find love, including aiden. but finding her that love might prove harder than he thought.

couple(s): aiden valentine and lucie stone

tropes: grumpy x sunshine, hopeless romantic x doesn't believe in love, workplace romance, single mom, forced proximity, red string, opposites attract, found family

content warnings: many conversations about cancer/illness, some misogyny

review below!

review:

this is the best new romance of 2025. i can say that with confidence and it's only february. this was just the all around perfect book. it gets 5 stars in every single ranking category i can think of. it's the perfect plot with just enough of that cheesy romcom goodness but still a very serious undertone that works so well with it. the setting is adorable and very picturesque and fits the whole vibe. it's so vivid and you truly read this book and feel like you're watching a movie because of how clear you can picture everything.

this is a book that i can happily say SHOULD be and is dual pov. it works so so incredibly well with this author's writing and these characters. i actually think this story would be ten times weaker without it. getting to go back and forth between these characters and seeing how they see each other and the situations they're in really just works with what the book is tackling. there isn't a "preferred" pov either. you want to read both of them throughout the whole book. you're never starting a new chapter and thinking "damn i wish this was in the other character's pov". you're attached to both of them so much and it's truly wonderful.

the characters are amazing. every last one of them you fall in love with. this is truly a masterclass in creating an ensemble cast. every single character you can picture so clearly in your head without even having extremely detailed descriptions of the characters. they all have an important role in the story and they push along the plot and the characters and there truly is no character that i would get rid of without thinking there would be considerable damage done to the story. and even with the ensemble, these main characters stick out so beautifully.

aiden valentine. number one book boyfriend of the year. i'm calling it now. again, it's only february and the ranking has been called. he is just the perfect mmc. he has a past that affects him still to this day and he deals with it in such a human realistic way. you grieve with him and you feel for him and i can't decide if that's fully because of the character himself or if it's because of how b. k. borison approached writing him. getting to read his pov and really understand his thought process makes you feel so much more connected to him. i think if you read the ending conflict only from lucie's pov, it would feel out of character but reading parts of it from his pov makes it make so much sense and i appreciate that so much.

i adore lucie. first off, tall girl representation and she's a single mom. i love her. i love her so much. i'm not ranking the girls i read this year but if i was, she'd be right up in the number one spot so far. she's just such a powerhouse of a character and getting to watch her change and grow and develop as a person throughout the story is so beautiful and i truly loved every second of it. her pov really helps you understand what she's thinking and what the whole journey she goes on means for her and i loved it so much. i will sing her praises over the rooftops forever. she's a powerhouse fmc and deserves so much love.

i can't begin to even process this book in the slightest because i'm going to be thinking about it constantly. i am so incredibly attached to these characters and i love them alarmingly so. i think that aiden really spoke to me in his struggles with life and grief and all of his internal angst and i will love him forever. lucie's outlook on life and love also is sticking with me for so long. this book really just hooks you from the very first chapter and it's got so much love and heart in it that you can't help loving every second of reading it. i know this is listed as #1 in a heartstrings series and i truly hope the author writes more about any of these characters because it wasn't just the main characters that i fell in love but the whole story and cast and setting and just general vibe of it as well.

my ratings:

characters - 5 ☆ - believable, change and grow, memorable, minor characters stand out, multilayered, original, strong relationships, relatable

plot - 5 ☆ - addictive, fast-paced, satisfying conclusion, steady pacing, well-structured

setting - 5 ☆ - atmospheric, idyllic, lush, nostalgic, realistic, picturesque, vivid descriptions

writing style - 5 ☆ - beautifully written, descriptive, funny, original, witty

favorite quotes (some spoilers here, of course, but minimal):

It feels like every time I get my hopes up for something good, reality comes out swinging. I don't know how to be a hopeful person anymore.

Aiden Valentine: Flowers die. Everything dies. Caller: I thought this was a romance hotline.

"There's nothing to fix, Lucie."

"I hate it. It's like everyone is doing some dance that I never learned the steps to. I'm clueless, and I'm not using that as an excuse. I am genuinely clueless. I don't understand all of the... stuff you have to sift through before you can be yourself."

It's not the words she says, but the way she says them. Quiet. Embarrassed. Like somehow it's her fault she hasn't found what she's looking for yet.

And somewhere out there, Lucie is sitting on her kid's bed. Talking to me.

"When the whole world tells you you're silly for wanting the things you want, you start to believe them. You start to think you're not worth it. That if the things you're waiting for do exist, they're not someone like you."

"I don't want to waste my time on things that don't feel like everything I've always wanted for myself."

I think sometimes I get so caught up in the roles assigned to me--mother, employee, daughter--that it's easier to shrink down the things that hurt and set them to the side. I never want anyone to worry.

"I'm not lonely, honey. There's way too many people in our lives for me to be lonely." Maya squeezes my hand back. "You don't have to be alone to be lonely."

I wish there was a guidebook for this. An instruction manual that could tell me how to take myself apart and put everything back together so I'm good as new. I wish I knew how to make sense of my pieces.

When a woman got on the line and said she believed in magic and I thought maybe I could believe in it too.

"She might. And you'd deserve it too. I swear to god, you've regressed to the emotional aptitude of a high-schooler." "I'd give high schoolers a little more credit."

I wish I had two emotional support cookies.

I've never felt like I've been able to be anything other than okay, not while my mom has been the furthest thing from it.

"I don't think you want me in your mouth."

I didn't think I was talking to a six-foot-something man with perpetual bedhead and a penchant for dentistry innuendo.

"Maybe watching you fall in love with someone will give my cold, dead heart some hope."

Hot, my brain supplies. Also, kind of a disaster. I'm not entirely confident he knows how to talk to people when he's outside the booth. He hosts a radio show about love, but he doesn't believe in it himself and he wants me to help him remember how. I think. I keep sharing things with him I don't mean to. I'm not sure if that's a good thing or not.

My coffee, which she managed to find again despite its new hiding place.

But something keeps me still. Maybe it's the look on her face or maybe it's the way she's holding her body a little too tight. Like she's never let herself think of these things before. Like she's never let herself want them.

"You still haven't gotten to the good stuff," she says, and I believe it. I believe with Lucie, there's only good stuff.

"I think books are sexy," she says very seriously. "No one at school has quite lived up to Aragon yet."

It's her choice. All of this is her choice. I'm not going to let anyone bully Lucie into doing anything she doesn't want to do.

"Who the fuck made you cry?"

She looks tired, burned-out, like the weight she's been carrying around has suddenly become too heavy to bear. I want to wrap her in a blanket and make her some of my secret coffee.

He keeps looking at me. The same steady, studying look he always seems to be giving me. Like I'm an equation he can't figure out. Or a particularly interesting constellation that he's trying to orient himself with.

"I think you're the magic."

Grayson Harris: Listen up, lizards. There's a new daddy in town. Aiden Valentine: Oh, boy.

"Ah, Lucie." Aiden smiles, his fingers fanning out wide against my back. "I'd know you anywhere."

"I started to see this common thread with callers. How love could make them miserable. How it could tear them to absolute pieces. And once I saw it, I couldn't unsee it. I think I started waiting for it. Bracing myself for it. It felt easier that way."

Sometimes I think I hear her voice twisting through my dreams. Sometimes when I wake up in the morning, I feel like she should be in the space next to me, her laugh ringing in my ears.

"Lucie," I whisper. I think I'm begging, but I have no idea what for. To let me go. To drag me closer. I don't know.

"Anyone who's listened to you guys on the radio for longer than thirty seconds can tell there's something going on between you two, Lucie. He called me the wrong name like sixteen times."

What am I going to do with all this information when she's gone? All these tiny data points of Lucie.

I dream of rough laughter and coffee beans hidden in cookie tins, Aiden's voice in my ear and his firm hands on my hips.

"We're having a conversation"... "Words are happening." "Not many of them."

"Because you said it was your favorite," I admit, "And I want your favorite to be my favorite."

"I remember all the things you've said."

Burn myself into her the way she's burned into me.

The first thing he did when he woke up was smile at me.

"You tell me all the time you have all the love you need. That you're fit to burst with our family and all the people in it. But I thought, maybe just this once, you could have all the love you deserve too."

"It was never a choice, Aiden."

My heart knows the sounds of him before my head can catch up.

"Long-time listener, first-time caller."

"It's not about deserving," I say, my throat tight. "If someone gives you something, you have it. You don't have to earn it."

The almost and the maybes and the what-ifs. The universe lining up for one perfect moment and handing me her.

[wantmangojuice]

more unhinged gushing over tianbao fuyao lu / legend of exorcism

Tianbao Fuyao Lu is amazing, Kong Hongjun x Li Jinglong might just be my favorite couple ever, and the official English translation cannot come soon enough.

So I got cover-artbaited into reading this, managed to finish the entire thing through the power of MTL, and now I am just a puddle of awe. (And to be honest, also a puddle of some confusion, because MTL is so not conducive to fully understanding a plot-heavy story, but hey. *shrug*)

I love love love Li Jinglong. He tries so hard, so hard bless him, and he's just so earnest. I like that his character takes the archetypal "cool, smart and hyper-competent gong", rips it to pieces, and then builds it back up. So far, of the danmei novels I've read, he might just be the most insecure gong I've seen, which most of the time he manages to cover up well enough, and yet sometimes that mask slips.

How many times is this guy gonna be on the verge of death. How many times. He's just some mortal guy. Please have mercy on him.

Also, I appreciate that he and Hongjun had that sexuality conversation, where Jinglong says that he was 13 or 14 years old when he realized he was into guys. And I sympathized with his backstory where his sexuality was used as one more way to dirty his reputation. Somebody give this man a hug. (Hongjun's on it!)

Kong Hongjun's growth from a naive sheltered teenager to someone who can take a stand, not only as an Exorcism Department member but also as the Yao King, was also wonderful to watch.

Kong Hongjun x Li Jinglong is great. It's so great. They get together early-ish (like ch70-80 out of a 220+ chapter novel) so we see them develop feelings for each other, we see them go through the "everyone can see it except for the MC"-stage of obliviousness, and we see how they work together as a couple afterwards. The whole love story spectrum.

I love that Kong Hongjun x Li Jinglong love each other so much, are utterly devoted to each other, and yet there are differences between them that they possibly will never be able to fully resolve. From the start, they were destined to be on opposite sides, and by the end it could be said that they still kind of are, but they manage it.

Genuinely such a sweet couple. They are just so incredibly fond of each other. I'm not always the biggest fan of the "surprise! they actually knew each other as kids and fell in love back then" twist that's present in so many danmei, but here it (1) works, and (2) is actually very important for Plot Reasons.

Such an epic battle couple, truly.

The best romance is where one person puts together the shattered pieces of the other's soul.

The friendships among the Exorcism Department members were cute! I ended up getting fond of nearly every single protagonist-side character we have. (I say "nearly" because I never really warmed up to Zhao Zilong after his betrayal, and my view of him lowered further when he later on had the gall to point out that Li Jinglong never saw him as family. Like, are you sure you're in any position to speak about that? Wanna look in a mirror to see a department member who failed to treat others as family, huh?) Yeah, I'm still Not Happy with him.

OTOH, it took me a while to care for the side couple Mo Rigen x Lu Xu, which was kind of frustrating because I enjoyed them as individual characters. It wasn't until book 4, when they were working together to take care of Hongjun and Jinglong, did I start to warm up to them, in a "Okay, so you*can* work together as a team after all" way. (And even after that I wasn't really too big fan.)

I need! A complete adaptation (manhua, animation, live-action, whatever works) of this because I wanna see the action!! The battles sound so epic that it's a shame we never see them in any other medium. Forever sad at the manhua and donghua's discontinuance. :(

I cannot wait to have the official English translations so that I can read this all over again.

[myloveforhergoeson]

ash's july 2024 reading round up

find all the books and fics i read this month under the cut with a link to the synopsis and my reviews/ratings attached :)

this is just for fun! i'm not a professional, i just like to read <3

booklist:

Bride by Ali Hazelwood (18+!)

• aside from the fact that the main character's name is misery, i well and truly enjoyed this book!! i'm such a sucker for any type of vampire-related story, and i absolutely loved what ali hazelwood did in terms of worldbuilding! the implications of human-werewolf-vampyre politics were so interesting, yet easy to understand, and unlike that of any other story i've read. it tied in well to the reasons for vampyre misery's marriage of convenience to the alpha were lowe and had major implications for the overall plot of the story as well. i loved the mystery element and the romance felt so natural and unforced. in reading almost all of hazelwood's other books, i did have a small idea of the formula her stories usually follow, so i was able to clue into some of the twists a bit early, but even then, the mystery just kept unraveling and unraveling and it still kept me hooked until the very end! even with my correct guesses, there was even more i didn't clue into until the very end and i looooved it so much! so unexpected! misery and serena were such a cute and accurate description of best friends. each word of the use "bleech" (bitch + leech - vampyre name calling) was just so funny to me for whatever reason. misery's character development over the course of the story was fascinating, watching her come from a cold and uncaring vampyre society into the interconnected pack mentality of the were's was incredible. all of her actions with lowe's little sister anna melted my heart and exemplified the changes misery was going through to be the person she wanted to be! and of course, her and lowe were so electric and steamy, despite coming from two different worlds and their dedication to each other and their goals was staggering. such a wonderful read, could not recommend enough! i was super worried the supernatural and otherworldly elements would fall flat because hazelwood has thus far written contemporary romance, but i really can't emphasize enough the intricacies and care she put into this one; it really shines through :)

• rating: 5/5 jars of peanut butter

fic list:

first, one i forgot on my list from last month - sorry!

Music of the Spheres, or, Reading is FUNdamental by ItsyRoyal

• SUCH A CUTE JAMES/LOGAN (jagan? lomes? talk about rarepair) fic about learning and music and love and ugh i read it like three times over im just obsessed. highly, highly recommend this lovely story

2. A Million Little Things by @btr-rewatch

• god these boys... the most adorable story about the boys pre-canon highlighting the importance of their friendship <3 kendall gets into a fight defending the other boys from a bully and they rally together to take care of him 😭 some of the best characterization of the boys ever and the displays of care are so them but so tender and ugh. i said this in the comment i left but i feel like btrtv loses a lot of importance on their friendship when the shenanigans come out to play; it was sweet to read here <3

3. Assorted works of @selangkir <333

• Continuation of their Jo/Lucy fic!

• katie & gustavo blurb!

the way you write these familiar characters with your own personal flare never ceases to amaze me. i always think you capture them perfectly and the stories you share always emotionally impact me so deeply. the jo/lucy fic has me kicking my feet and giggling and god i love them so much and i can't wait to read more. the katie & gustavo fic was so funny and heartwarming. the way you see them is so unique and we are lucky you want to share <3

4. Assorted works of @ceruleanmusings :)))

• Big Time Girlfriends - Carlos & Sammi

• No Idea; 1: Miscalculation

• .8

• .9

• Blood Diamond Prologue + Year One

• you had me at pie - mickames

• in sickness and in health - mickames

friend... what can i say that i haven't already? Impeccable storytelling every single time you open your preferred writing platform; i always feel like im right there in the scene with the characters. sensory description is like your bread and butter and i'm just in awe every time you share something. bt girlfriends was so cute - i don't know much about your version of carlos or much about sammi, but the scene at the carnival with the two of them was just adorable. they're such good friends and i love how they're able to help each other out :) miscalculation is gutwrenching, but james and mrs. knight sitting down to have that conversation was necessary and so well navigated. your take on brooke had me screaming into my pillow btw... blood diamond was an incredible read - love baby james <3 and the two mickames stories... god they get me every time. the way you combine the romantic elements with points of mickey and james' pasts and emotions just kills me. truly some of the best writing in the world and i'm not just saying that because i love them so much! the thought you put into your work is always evident and i hope one day i can tell my own stories even half as good as you <3

5. Assorted works of @partiallypearl

• wake up, sunshine

• may you always know you have my hand to hold

• btr girls blurb

• life's what you make it (so let's make it rock)

• hey, hot stuff

pearl!!! ahh!!!!!! the way you were able to take random and simple one-word prompts and turn them into literal works of art is just astounding to me!!! the small three blurb collection was so sweet and showed off the characters personalities so well in such few words. coming from someone literally incapable of writing anything short that just amazes me. i also couldn't get enough of the carlos & logan story gah the boys get me every time... it goes back to what i said in point two lol, the display of their friendship is so uplifting to see and you've just mastered it. and the lucy/logan fic... lots to consider here... i just can't get enough of you and your work!! <3

6. Assorted works of @icegirl2772

• Brontide + Sphallolalia blurb

i know you are busy living your life and working and everything so i will sit and wait patiently for more kaelyn and james content until the end of forever. happy to accept the tiniest of blurbs about them and this one was just too cute! ty for indulging me hehe <3

7. Assorted works of @cant-get-enough-btr-forever

• Big Time Amnesia

!!!! i love your stories so much !!!!! top tier characterization, hilarious dialogue, character-driven stories... god you've got it all up in there. while i'm not typically a fan of the amnesia trope, the way you worked it into the story just had me hooked; poor carlos and his new British ways... and the end had me laughing out loud tbh i know how you feel about logan and his southern accent so the personal touch there made it all the better! tysm for sharing yet another incredible story <3

8. A Field of Blooming Tulips by @bunnyfern

admittedly i was a bit worried the first time i read this story, but after the rework i'm enjoying the story you're developing so much! all the bits and pieces you throw in about crowe have me dying to know more about her and her past, her likes and her dislikes, and seeing her grow and change to fit into her new environment is very well done! she and james 👀 though quite different already have a little spark of chemistry and i'm excited to see where the story takes them!!!

9. MY OWN DAMN STORY

unfortunately i've been reading my own story more than i've been writing my story. rames fan #1 isn't producing rames content fast enough to keep up with her own demand... help!!!!!

[theveganearper]

My Controversial Smut-Take:

Smut has become a thing that can either make a fic or break a fic for me. Even as an author, I am guilty of “breaking a fic” with smut. Now that I’ve been reading and writing a bit longer, here’s my biggest controversial (maybe) smut-take.

Note: This does not imply to fics that are actual smut fics. That’s not what I’m mentioning here.

My biggest peeve is when I’m reading a fic that has a wonderful plot point and then as soon as the smut hits, that’s all the story has become. I’m guilty of this myself, unfortunately. It ultimately made me lose direction in a fic that I wrote, I’m Glad These Roads Led Me To You. I loved writing this fic so much. But the moment I did one smut scene, that unraveled into more smut scenes and then I thrived on the feedback of them and that was great. But I felt lost in the direction of where I was taking it plot wise, and then after taking an even longer break to find some direction, I feel like I lost the plot entirely. I’ll find my way back to it though, with a great planning strategy.

This doesn’t always happen though, and I’ve seen it done very well with a few fics. I feel like when smut is just another part of a fic, it can take a story to new heights. You get the best of the plot with a little smut on the side and it’s a perfect ensemble of a wonderful plot and an incredible addition of written porn, haha.

Smut gets stories lots of hits, kudos, comments, etc. because we’re all humans and humans get horny and well…you get it. I feel like the biggest downfall with smut is when authors, again, like myself, start getting that boost from the smut and then it’s like, “People are really enjoying this and are commenting on this, so let me give them more of this thing that they seem to enjoy!”

But the best part of the story is well, the plot. The plot is what’s keeping me interested. What are the characters doing, how do they feel, what are they thinking, what are they experiencing, where is this all going, where will they eventually end up? I feel like a lot of these questions get lost when smut takes over a story and it’s happened with a fic I recently read.

It had a great plot, great character development, awesome descriptions, and amazing writing. It was the perfect balance of romance and humor and angst and fluff and then smut entered and then I’m like, “Where was this story going before this?” And, “Where is the story going now?”

I’m writing a fic now where there’s smut in chapter 2 (so very early on) and my biggest goal with this fic is that smut has to make sense and only be a participant in the overall story. It can’t just be put in there to make things spicy. It has to just be another note in this song that elevates it, but doesn’t take over and become all that the story is. I don’t want people to start reading this fic and then forget what the core of it is or let it fall off because now there’s more smut than there is character dialogue and story advancement.

This is long and very dragged out. But I just felt like putting this out there because although smut is GREAT (of course it is.) I also feel like there can be a negative side to it as well. So there’s my maybe-maybe not, controversial smut-take. Leave your own thoughts if you feel inclined.

[sitp-recs]

HP Rec Fest, Day 31

Last day of @hprecfest and I AM NOT READY to say goodbye 😭 so sad to see this incredible coming to an end but also thrilled that I’ve had the chance to participate and found my reccing mojo again. Thank you @givereadersahug for this incredible initiative and to all the mods for for your hard work!!! Of course the last prompt is a banger, it was so hard to pick a fav amongst favs but to honour my commitment to rec fics that deserve more visibility I’m sharing two stunning works that showcase the beauty of short (3k) and medium (31k) form. No better way to close it out than reccing two stories that have been so very special for me ever since I first read them, and informed the way I see the ships and my respect for short-medium length. I can only hope this post will inspire more folks to check and experience these beauties by themselves. I hope you’ve had as much fun with the Rec Fest as I did! Wishing everyone a happy NYE and an amazing start to 2024 🥂

Day 31) a fav amongst favs:

Drarry

Still Life (orphaned, M, 3k)

No summary provided so I’ll quote:

if you’ve ever wondered if it’s possible to create a perfect short fic the answer is yes and the proof is right here. what a masterclass in short form! the gorgeous prose, the introspective tone, the slice-of-life atmosphere, the perfect pacing and unexpected ending - everything comes together so seamlessly it might feel casual at first but I promise it’s actually quite profound in meaning. I’ve lost count of how many times I’ve read Still Life and it still hits me in the solar plexus. every. fucking. time. Harry’s pov is a triumph, nuanced, hilariously oblivious and so charming as he navigates conflicting feelings about his growing attraction to Draco. it’s as if we are right there by his side, watching as he overanalyzes their casual-not-so-casual relationship and Draco’s not helping by being infuriatingly hot, tender and quirky (god what a compelling combo, and he has such brilliant lines too!). I am obsessed with their voices and with Harry’s mental gymnastics from horny denial to stunned resignation. this was such a transformative read for me because it’s one of the few fics that made my jaw drop with every paragraph, masterfully crafted to hit me right in the feels. by now I know by heart the lines that give me the “heartkick” - a physical reaction that makes my heart contract and expand with warmth at reading something that changes me in a permanent way. there’s nothing I could say to do this fic justice so I rest my case by stating that it’s a privilege to have the chance to read seefin’s works! what a legend.

Rare pair

A Fine Foray into Fashionable Fellatio by @wellhalesbells (Draco/Ron, E, 31.5k)

First comes tolerating, then comes shagging, then comes unintended consequences.

this is the fic that effectively and irreversibly pulled me into Dron 🪦 I remember being so completely mindblown and obsessed with this story that I immediately found 1824947 ways to mention and rec it every chance I got. holy shit, what a journey! before reading this fic I didn’t know it was possible to love them together and not even think about Harry. but here Ron and Draco are so fully realized, so well-matched in wit, charisma and personality I was promptly sold on the ship without ever comparing their dynamics to Drarry, after all Ron is so very different from Harry. this is quite the emotional rollercoaster, as chaotic, impulsive and intense as both characters; their chemistry and sexual tension are off the charts (the bathroom sex and smoke kink, my god!!!! 🥵) and the Mpreg plot works surprisingly well and in a very Dron way: jump head first, talk feelings later. love the mix of playful banter, horny smut and tentative sweet romance with a long-standing friendship in the background. this is such a FUN read and I really appreciate that the author took their time to develop both the plot and the characters, it certainly felt refreshing to me as I’m used to short rare pair fics. definitely a Dron classic that deserves to be read and reread many times!

[tentative-wanderer]

Reviews: Homophobic Cop Marries Gay Ghost, President’s Son Gets Together with Prince

Recently watched 2 movies with gay main characters in different genres. One was Red, White & Royal Blue (available on Amazon), one was 🌟 Marry My Dead Body 关于我和鬼变成家人的那件事 (available on Netflix). Spoiler-free thoughts below 😊:

❤️🤍💙 Red, White & Royal Blue is an American romcom. It has a 10/10 trailer—incredibly inviting. The movie depicts many women in power, I love that! Many witty jokes, nice! The movie might be better if it were a drama series instead; to save time, it zoomed through the falling-in-love part with the use of text messages—the production team packaged that as well as they could, but it was still too rushed. The ending left me wondering if there could’ve been a tiny bit more to make it feel more complete. Though the movie doesn’t score as highly as its trailer in my opinion, it’s still a decent movie.

(That reminds me of how That Musical Montage in episode 1 of the Heaven Official’s Blessing donghua made me super keen to watch the rest of the series, but it turns out that that was the best part. Quality-wise, Red, White & Royal Blue is overall better than the TGCF donghua though.)

👻👮‍♂️💓 Marry My Dead Body is a Taiwanese mystery + comedy + supernatural movie. Let me copy the blurb from Google: “Wu Ming-Han, a straight policeman who is homophobic and ghost-phobic, accidentally picks up a red wedding envelope while collecting evidence. He finds himself betrothed to the envelope's owner Mao Pang-Yu, a gay man who died under mysterious circumstances. The duo must work through their differences and join forces to solve the case, seeking justice for Mao.” (Real-life context: marriages between dead people and live ones are/were an actual thing in Chinese culture.)

I’ve just finished watching this movie, love it! Let me get the “con” out of the way first: I wish the movie ended differently! The ending was not unsatisfying, it’s just that I personally could have been more satisfied.

Okay, now I am free to gush.

This movie is HILARIOUS. Won’t describe the humour here, you can see it in the trailers on YouTube.

I love the unravelling of the mysteries (police cases). The feelings would not have hit half as hard without them and the exploration of Maomao’s non-romantic relationships (formed during his life) after his death. Even though I highly value a good plot apart from the romance when I read/watch something, I like talking about feelings more, so that’s what I’ll do.

I have Intense Feelings about these guys. They went from being Not Keen about getting stuck with each other to being really cute together—I notice that the movie managed to do this EVEN WITHOUT having them hold hands or do anything physical beyond that. That is crazy. Romantic physical contact is great, but if you can show chemistry without it, and with minimal flirting—that is exceptional.

(Side note: I think it would be harder to convincingly depict a heterosexual pair arriving at romantic feelings the way Wu Ming-Han and Maomao did: (partly) through constant banter and trading barbs. A man looking down on a woman would have come across as a lot meaner because the threat that poses is larger in the patriarchal society we live in.)

Wu Minghan went from casually homophobic to being on track for bisexuality for a ghost, such character development. The scene where Wu Minghan genuinely calls Maomao “my husband” for the first time is AMAZING, unexpected. At that moment I was like, oh my god, he loves him. Or at the very least, he has good potential. It had taken a series of hilarious strong-arming, including a close call with the loss of Wu Minghan’s family jewels, to make this dude marry Maomao, but now he’s calling Maomao husband—in that particular state, at that timing. I cried. I was smiling at many points throughout the movie, I also cried at some points. I said something similar when I wrote my review for Merman’s Fall: a book/movie that makes me laugh and cry will go at the top of my favourites list. Unlike my danmei list, my favourite movies list is too short for me to put Marry My Dead Body at the top or bottom, but it’s definitely in there.

[wondereads]

Monthly Reading Wrap-Up

Reviews and thoughts under the cut

Strange the Dreamer by Laini Taylor (8/10)

It's been a while since I read a male main character, and Lazlo is a really strong one to start with. The characters are really the strong part of this book. I loved both Lazlo and Sarai; they're easy to empathize with and genuinely good people. Their romance is also well-written and quite passionate, probably my favorite part. The plot isn't amazing, but it's still good; I like that there's this history of war and gods and monsters but the main conflict forgoes that in favor of the very human conflict of hate and prejudice. However, I did find a lot of a the middle of this book dragged quite a bit. It was good I enjoyed the romance as much as I did because it was most of what kept me going.

Immortal Longings by Chloe Gong (6/10)

I've read all of Chloe Gong's previous novels and loved them, but I don't think her foray into adult fantasy turned out all that well. This book is very info-dumpy, and as a result I am only loosely attached to the characters. A lot of this story is based on things that happened before it actually starts, and instead of getting flashbacks or characters confiding in each other, they just kind of say what happened in the narration. There were some good twists in here, enough to make me want to read the next book when it comes out, but especially compared to her other books this one is lacking.

Harrow the Ninth by Tamsyn Muir (10/10)

This book was so batshit insane and astonishingly wonderful. As is par for the course for The Locked Tomb, it was incredibly confusing but also stunningly executed. The work with POV in this book is great, using third, second, and first person in a way that hints at some situations revealed towards the end, and also making Harrow an unreliable narrator, making the reader doubt even the things that would usually be taken as fact. The mysteries of Lyctorhood are far from revealed, and the revelations in the latter third of this book completely blew me away. Looking back, a good majority of this new information is foreshadowed, and it's just so well-written. If I hadn't promised myself I'd be alternating between this and The Poppy War trilogy, I'd be picking up Nona the Ninth right now.

Six Crimson Cranes by Elizabeth Lim (7/10)

This was certainly a fun read, and it helps that it's based on one of my favorite fairy tales. I think Shiori has good growth throughout the book, and I liked that the villain was not all she seemed. Although the reasoning was a little stretched, she was given a lot more depth than I initially thought she would. The romance was sweet but not nearly as developed as I would like (and I was kind of rooting for the other option). Unfortunately, this book feels very rushed; each scene felt a little too quick, and it didn't make the emotional beats hit as hard as they should. I'm undecided as to whether I'll read the sequel.

Hush, Hush by Becca Fitzpatrick (4/10)

I went into this book knowing it would be trash, but I was not prepared for just how horrendously written it would be. Not only is this book an almost identical copy of Twilight (just replace 'vampire' with 'fallen angel') it is also just aggravating to read. There was genuine potential in the creepier parts of this book, especially with Nora being dismissed by everyone and coming to doubt her own memory and sanity, but the incessant focus on the romance over all else just ruined the tone. Everyone in this book acts like a total creep and yet Nora just brushes it all aside, instead preferring to focus on the love interest's dark eyes and windswept hair than the very obvious red flags he is vigorously waving. The absolute worst part of this book was Vee, Nora's 'friend' who is inappropriate at best and a victim-blamer at worst after she waves off someone literally physically assaulting her best friend with excuses of...he wasn't feeling well? Anyway, this book wasn't even enjoyable as a lighter, trashy romance read.

Island of Fire by Lisa McMann (9/10)

I think these books get better and better as they go along. Entering the third book of this series, there is a noticeable complexity that doesn't really appear much in middle grade. Our main character, Alex, is dealing with quite a bit in this book, from grief to his newfound authority in Artime, and there's a lot of nuance. Not to mention some complicated feelings concerning the romantic plotlines, which are usually quite straightforward in middle grade. The worldbuilding is also getting more and more interesting, especially concerning the ending of this book. My one major issue is that although this series jumps from perspective to perspective quite often, Aaron's POV kind of dropped off the face of the earth about halfway through, and for such a major character (who's going through a rather intense breakdown), I wish we'd gotten to see him more.

Call Down the Hawk by Maggie Stiefvater (9/10)

It is truly remarkable that despite the characters beings older and with a mostly new cast how similar the tone and writing is in this book to The Raven Cycle. It's really interesting to read a Ronan-focused story since even though he was a major character in TRC, this provides so much more insight into him. I really like Jordan, she's probably my favorite new character, my opinion of Declan has improved exponentially, and I'm hesitant about Hennessey. I'm not as enthralled as I was with TRC, but I'm definitely interested.

Omniscient Reader's Viewpoint Vol. 1 by Sing Shong (10/10)

This book took me almost a year to read, and it was worth it. It seems like a typical fantasy webnovel with a completely overpowered protagonist, but there is so much more to this story. Kim Dokja has to be one of the most unreliable narrators I've ever read. He goes to extreme lengths to hide his plans and feelings, not just from the other characters but also the reader. There are so many strong themes throughout this book, and the side characters are extremely well characterized. I find Dokja's relationship with his mother particularly interesting. Then, of course, there's him and Yoo Joonghyuk, who are supposedly platonic, but they're "companions in life and death" and ridiculously in tune with one another and guess who kills Dokja (don't worry, he dies on the regular) when he's supposed to be killed by the person he loves most. I'm kind of obsessed with them.

[obelians]

LIKE WIND ON A DRY BRANCH CHAPTER 41

[isgaydisaster]

Some shows, movies, and book recs <3

Got the idea from @ghostgirlinsatin !

Here you have a list of recommendations to watch instead of thinking in st4. Feel free to leave more in the comments!

Shows

Arcane: a great show with 3 main storylines that are intertwined and very complex characters. If you like to discover new societies and their structure, a new world with different but in some way similar rules to us. The rivalry between one and other side. The romance (sapphic romance) that grows between someone from one side and someone from the other. The family love that lives in the hearts of two sisters who will have to go through a lot. The curiosity of two inventors that want to create magic using science. There's a lot : an amazing story, more than well-written characters, beautiful animation... All in 9 episodes, streaming on Netflix. (No, you don't have to know anything about LOL to watch it. It just the background story of some of the characters).

The owl house: it's a Disney kind of show (it's streaming on Disney fr lol) with an amazing plot and characters that grow and learn. It's about a girl named Luz that feels like she doesn't fit in. Her mother wants yo send her to summer camp, but thanks to a fast owl, she ends up in a different dimension. It's very amphibia (there are references of that show in this show)- star vs the forces of evil like. And: there's a lot of representation. Dana Terrace (the creator) has fought a lot to bring this to disney, she's doing an incredible work with this story and she deserves the recognition for it. This story made me feel at home, it really makes my heart warm.

Anne with an e: a classic turned into a show that carried the story so incredibly. Even though netflix f*cking canceled the show (yk, what happens to good shows on netflix), there are 3 marvelous seasons to watch. It's one of the only cases where I find the show better than the book. I love the characters, the representation (and it doesn't feel forced or just for rep), and the focus in feminism. There are a variety of topics that are discussed on the show that are very important and I think it's a good tool to learn very good values.

She-ra and the princesses of power: this one right here is one of my favorites ever. I watch it every time I feel like shit for any reason. My comfort show. It's about a girl named Adora that lives in the Horde, who fights the princesses (again the two sides dynamic yes), and is enjoying her live with her best friend Catra until she gets lost in the woods and discovers something shocking (not a spoiler since is the intro): she's a princess. 5 wonderful seasons of friendship, betrayals, war, pure love, death... I love it more than anything :D (+ a lot of representation although some of it it's not explicit).

The wilds: to be honest I haven't finish it yet but so far (I have 3 episodes left to watch) it's being really good. A group of girls end up in a desert island because of an airplane crash and have to learn how to survive by themselves. In each episode you learn more about one specific but also a bit about the others. The background stories are amazing and the development these characters go through is my favorite thing in the world. We're waiting for the third season now, streaming on Amazon prime video. (+ very good and relatable representation).

Movies

Ladybird: if you have mommy issues, this is your movie. A teenager, wanting to move out of her house and study far away from it. Dreaming with her future, because she doesn't stand her present: she's very much poor. The end is so so so beautiful. I cried like a child, not gonna lie.

The Mitchells vs The machines: another great movie of daddy issues. Well, it's more than that: the story of a girl who wants to go to college so bad (she feels understood there) but when she's traveling with her family to get there, the machine apocalypse begins. A really fun movie to watch in family, with a lesbian main character :)

The fear street trilogy: I'm honestly not a big fan of horror, but these 3 movies got me. What an amazing story, which will keep you up thinking about it and making theories all the time, really good characters, romance (sapphic romance yaaasss), and good horror, not only jumpscares. They're long but not boring, and just talking about them makes me want to watch them again so I will. Link to part one, link to part two and link to part three.

Little women: again with a classic turned into a cinematographic masterpiece. Another movie that made me burst in tears. I love the story a lot, but I'd also like to highlight the incredible job of the cast. I have 2 scenes in mind that left me speechless. The story of an independent woman who returns home and remembers her life there: her adventures with her sisters, the neighbor and her mother. And that makes her wonder about her future too. It gave me the chills like a hundred times.

Turning red: one of my favorite movies of all time. It doesn't matter your age, you're going to love this movie. A teenage girl struggles not with puberty but with BEING A RED PANDA. It's a rollercoaster of emotions, really fun and entertaining. Plus, it teaches good values that stick with you after you watch it. And the characters are really well-written: finally someone portraits female pre-teenagers in a realistic and realatble way (thank you Domee Shi). Give it a try, you won't regret it.

And the whole marvel universe is something I enjoy watching/reading too.

Books

The Percy Jackson series: you have probably heard of it unless you live under a rock. I have read the main series and now I have to read more of this universe because it's huge and amazing. If you like Greek mythology, fantasy and adventure this is your series. Percy Jackson feels dumb in comparison to other children his age, hates her mother's stinky boyfriend and has a best friend with crutches. Would you believe me if I told you all of this is related to the fact that he's a semigod? Well, he is. And now he's accused of stealing Zeus' lightning. That's basically the plot of the first book. Fantastic book and series, honestly. Rick Riordan my king.

Enola Holmes: if you'd like to read a Sherlock Holmes type of story but with the main character being a woman, this is your series. I'm on the third book at the moment and it slaps. I love mystery novels, and if you do too I totally recommend.

Heartstopper-verse: Alice Oseman writes so good her characters. Her comics and books are the best, so if you like queer content in teenager media this is your place.

The girl on the train: really good thriller that keeps you reading all night. With mystery and very complex characters (you will probably hate most or all of them). A girl (can't remember her name right now and I have to go so can't search for it) watches people doing their lives every day when she sits on her couch in the train that takes her to her job. She imagines the names of those people, their jobs, their conversations. And, one day, she sees something weird happen just before everything goes to hell.

The seven husbands of Evelyn Hugo: Some people say it's not that good but this book reached to my core. It's not my favorite or close to it but it's really good. The story and how it's written, the characters and the message you get from the book is exquisite. Chef kiss. It's basically about a famous woman that hires a very confused reporter to write her story. Very moving and real. The supposed "plot-twist" wasn't that shocking for me though.

That's some I think are very good. Let me know what you thing and give me recommendations too if you want please <3

[smol-blue-bird]

the public (me) would like to hear about your impressions of the Victorian Theodora Novel 🎤🎶

Oh my god, I have so many opinions about the Victorian Theodora Novel, I don't even know where to begin

First of all, I read the entire thing over the course of several late night study sessions in between trying to memorize every aspect of the complement system, SO my memory is probably a little fuzzy. But oh my god was this book weird

I mean, obviously there were a lot of plot points that were just absurd and unhinged on their own (Theodora's dad and John the Cappadocian being a members of a secret society called "the Brotherhood of the Rising Sun???" I literally looked this up because I was wondering where the author got this from and I couldn't find anything except for one Masonic lodge in Saratoga Springs, so maybe I'm just clueless, but the entire thing read as totally insane to me. I cannot imagine what the author was inspired by) but the main thing that got me was the sheer Victorian-ness of it all. Like, there were so many classic Victorian Tropes that it almost read like a parody of Victorian literature at points. Acacius dying of Brain Fever like Sara Crewe's dad in A Little Princess cracked me up right from the start and it just got less coherent from there. And Anastasia!! That entire plotline was bonkers. You could kind of tell that the author was desperate to have the requisite "Beautiful Saintly Ingenue Who Dies Tragically Of The Consumption To Motivate The Less Perfect People" character in his book, and Anastasia came the closest to fitting that role, but it obviously wouldn't work if she was a prostitute because then she wouldn't fit Victorian standards of innocence and perfection. So he just got around it by having Juliana Anicia adopt her? I mean, granted, it's more like Juliana volunteering to take her in as a handmaiden, but she's clearly loved and raised well and there's no real difference in the end. So Anastasia becomes a quasi-noblewoman who can safely catch romanticized tuberculosis and die for Theodora's character development without challenging Victorian ideas about purity along the way, and it's all well and good except for the fact that it makes no sense. And she's so saintly and holy that she even gets to astral-project to Theodora in Africa to encourage her to come home. Truly astonishing, 10/10 stuff.

Theodora and Justinian's romance was also amazing, for different reasons. Justinian comes across as such a useless asshole for like 80% of his pagetime. I'm obsessed with the fact that he decided that the appropriate way to greet her upon her return from Africa was to randomly show up as she's crying at her sister's grave, kiss her on the mouth, and then run away? And then they get married the next chapter! I know a lot of the weirdness of their interactions can be attributed to Victorian ideas about romance and affection, but still, God.

There were just so many weird bits, though. I don't know how I could possibly list them. The Brotherhood of the Rising Sun. Everything about Anastasia. Everything about the central romance. The narrator describing Theodora's eyes as "orbs" like it's a bad Harry Potter fanfic from 2007. That scene where Antonina is, like, sitting at her father's knee as he's in the chariot, and it would be cute if she was a child but she's a grown woman about to get married. Theodora having a dead older brother who was eaten by a lion. The evil stepmother. The bit when Theodora leaves Hecebolus in Africa and the fishermen on the boat are lecherous creeps and one of them touches her and she straight up decks him even though she was too weak to walk just paragraphs prior (and then one of the sailors tries to drag her away and she's like God help me! and God does!) Just a truly questionable novel all around, seeped in Victorian-era moralizing and deeply questionable ideas about women. Incredible, I loved and hated it at the same time. Thank you so much for making me aware that this exists

[nat-20s]

Part 5 of Wonderful! Au. *boyband voice* banter’s back alright!

Also on AO3

~*~

Jon: Hello everyone, and welcome back to our regular format. If my husband being horribly soppy-

Martin:-hey!-

Jon: -turned you off the how, this should be a refreshing return to formula, though I can’t guarantee there won’t be further horrible soppiness-

Martin, performatively under his breath: -most people thought it was charming-

Jon: -as that tends to happen when one is recording with the love of their life. If last week’s episode is the only one that you like, too bad, I’m back in full form, and should be at least through the rest of the season.

Martin: This show doesn’t have seasons? Due to the whole lack of a narrative thing?

Jon: I was referring to spring.

Martin: Oh, right.

[A beat passes.]

Martin, flatly: Oh. Great goof hon.

Jon, smug: Thank you.

Jon, sincere: Also, before we get properly started, I did want to actually thank everyone who sent well wishes.

M artin: Yes! We got positively inundated with lovely messages, it definitely brightened both of our days. I would even say it was wonderful.

[Jon groans.]

Jon: I am..not proud of the energy we’ve created for this episode so far, and we haven’t even hit the small wonders. Speaking of, do you have a small wonder this week?

Martin: Mine’s bad action movies.

Jon: Really? I had no idea you even liked them, let alone consider them wonderful.

Martin: Okay, so, saying I like them is a bit of a misnomer? It’s more that I like what they can do more than the movies themselves?

Jon: Elaborate?

Martin: It probably comes as a surprise to no one that I’ve tried my hand at a fair amount of mindfulness and mediation techniques. I’ve found poetry and journaling have been helpful for actually processing life events and whatnot, but when it comes to giving your brain a hard wipe and reset, nothing is half as quick and effective as a shitty shoot-em-up. Somethings about 2 hours of cartoonish, pg-13 violence held together with the absolute loosest of plots brings me to a state of mental blankness that would make a monk jealous.

Jon: How have I never witnessed you doing this? When are you sneaking off to go see Micheal Tarantino or who ever films?

M artin: That’s definitely not the right name.

Jon: Martin, dear, I don’t care. And you’re dodging the question.

Martin, fond: I’m not dodging anything. Since apparently we’re getting into it, you haven’t caught me cavorting with a movie involving more explosions than character development lately because I haven’t been. Haven’t needed it, in recent years. Turns out when you’re not crushingly lonely and working a literal nightmare of job, there’s less of a drive to try and escape your own thoughts. Shocker, I know. Still, to anyone out there that feels like their brain is on fire, go try watching a fast and furious. Any of ‘em, it doesn’t matter. Or even better, Chronicles of Riddick. I can’t remember a single goddamn detail of that movie, which makes it perfect for what I’m talking about.

Jon: I have the strong feeling that th is is a “mileage may vary” scenario.

Martin: Well, yeah, that’s this whole podcast. Plus, I imagine that movies like this would cause more stress to someone who cares about, say, world-building or rules consistency.

Jon: I wonder who you could possibly be referring to.

Martin: It’s a purely hypothetical person, love, don’t worry about it. Any small wonders?

Jon: Yes! Particularly relevant to the last week, my small wonder is stripping the sheets from your bed when it’s been too long between washes.

Martin: How very specific. M ost people would just say ‘clean sheets’.

Jon: Well, for one, I’m fairly certain that we’ve already covered clean sheets-

Martin: Shit, have we? Thank god other people keep track of this, otherwise this show would be unbearably repetitive.

Jon: Christ, yes. I typically check the website a good three times while prepping, and every about one out of those three times I find I’m trying to do an topic we did 30 episodes again. Anyway, um, it’s just nice, I think. When you’ve been too busy or sick or away for awhile, tossing the sheets in the wash makes a room instantly seem nicer. Of all the chores out there, this one, at least for me, has the highest reward to effort ratio.

Martin: Hard agree. Especially when the y have that slight funk of having been around to long, getting rid of that is such a relief. Speaking of, we need to change our sheets soon.

Jon: We can do it after the episode. Who goes first this week?

Martin: Considering last week was only me talking, I’m gonna say it’s you.

Jon: Alright, then. My first thing this week is Martin K. Blackwood.

Martin: Absolutely not!

Jon: Oh, you can do a whole episode on me, but I can’t do one little segment on my husband, whom I love very dearly?

Martin: Not while I’m sat here, no!

Jon: So you’re saying you don’t want me to tell the internet that your resolve to be kind even in the face of indescribable cruelty is one of the mot breathtaking things I’ve ever witnessed, or how I find it incredibly endearing when you get so emotional that your voice comes out as a squeak, or even that, on a more base level, you’re very physically attractive, and I could lose entire days thinking about your arms alone?

Martin, audibly blushing, voice the aforementioned squeak: Oh my god, Jon!

Jon, laughing: Then it’s probably for the best that my actual first thing is best friends.

Martin, peaking the audio levels: Oh you absolute bastard! Do you enjoy this? Do you get some sort of perverse sense of entertainment from riling me up?

Jon: Oh, don’t you start. As if you’re not as bad as I am. Maybe even worse.

Martin: That’s not…

Jon: Yes?

Martin: Okay. Maybe it’s slightly true. Really, what is romance for if not flustering your partner with compliments?

Jon, teasing: I certainly can’t think of anything.

Martin: Hush, you.

Jon: No, I don’t think I will.

Martin: Fine. I suppose you can tell our delightful audience about the power of friendship or whatever.

Jon: I would’ve assumed more enthusiasm, considering this segment is still, indirectly, about you.

Martin: In what way?

Jon: In the way that, to the shock of all, you’re my best friend.

Martin, pleased: Oh, is that what I am?

Jon, exasperated: Yes, dearest husband, I wouldn’t have married you otherwise. Though, upon reflection, I knew you were my best friend before I knew I held romantic feelings for you.

Martin: When was that?

Jon, letting out a breath that vibrates his lips: God it was...2016? I think it might’ve literally been the day after you told me about your CV.

Martin: That early? Huh. I wonder if that’s what people were picking up when they said they we were close.

Jon: What people?

Martin: I don’t know specifically, that’s just what Daisy told me.

Jon: Daisy? When the hell-?

Martin: It...was when she was interrogating me? And, because sometimes I have to be a parody of myself, pretty much my only take away from that interrogation was “people think me and Jon are close”.

Jon: Well then. It’s not like they were wrong.

Martin, smug: No, no they weren’t.

Martin, sincere: And you’re my best friend, too.

Jon: I was certainly hoping that you’re in this relationship for more than my good looks and incredible fortune, both in the monetary and luck sense.

Martin: You say that as if you aren’t good looking, which we all know is patently untrue.

Jon: You’re biased. You’d say I was good looking if I were nothing more than some primordial ooze with thoughts about its station.

Martin: I’m being completely objective. If you were primordial ooze with thoughts above its station, you’d be the cutest ooze of them all. That’s just scientific fact.

Jon: I’m starting to think we might be insufferable.

Martin: Starting to? Might be?

Jon:…

[Jon clears his throat]

Jon: What I find wonderful about the concept of best friends is, to me, they’re the closest thing real life has to soulmates. I don’t personally believe that there’s some..grand mystic force that drives people to be tied together in the manner that narrative typical soulmates are, and if there was I don’t think it would necessarily be the kind of emotional, heartfelt bond one would hope for, but I do believe that there’s individuals that get to know one another, and because of that knowledge, they chose to stick with one another. It doesn’t have to be a romantic, which is why I say best friend rather than specifically ‘spouse’, but I would argue that the basis of a strong romance like you and I have, is very much rooted in that connection. A true best friendship is an equal partnership, and there’s a sense of..matched sensibilities and understanding that can be utterly incandescent when it happens.

I also think that having one or more best friends makes living life on a day to day basis both better and just flat easier. The dark times aren’t as dark, and the bright times shine even more. I know from my own personal experience there are events that I..that I don’t know how I would’ve made it through without you. Hell, last week my..recovery period would’ve taken much longer if you hadn’t been there.

It’s an amazing thing to have someone to share things with, both triumphs and burdens. Um, also, according to Dictionary.com, the term best friends in English has been around since the 1200s. Something about that delights me, like, yes, we’ve had this casual way of referring to a Favorite Person for roughly 800 years. That makes it a hold-out from early Middle English. I dunno, it’s one of those things that make me feel overall very charmed by humanity.

Martin, audibly smiling: No, yeah, hard agree.

Jon: What’s that look for?

Martin: Nothing. Just. I love you a whole lot, you know that?

Jon, voice soft: I may have heard you say that once or twice. Per hour.

Martin: Only that often? I really need to be more diligent about that.

[There’s a bet of silence, presumably where they’re making doe eyes at each other.]

Jon: What’s your first thing?

Martin: Oh, um, right. Rats!

Jon: The expression or the animal?

Martin: Jon, have you ever once heard me say “rats” as an expression? Obviously I’m referring to the animal.

Jon: Ah. Should’ve known, considering that what, a third?, of all your segments have been on animals.

Martin: Yeah? And? You got a problem with critters? With creatures? With lil guys?

Jon, laughing: No, no, it’s very sweet. I’m just surprised you never became a vet.

Martin: Oh believe me, I wanted to. But then I learned that it was not, in fact, a job composed entirely of getting paid to play with other people’s pets.

Jon: You had that job, though, didn’t you? I thought I remembered you mentioning a month long stint at a doggie day care.

Martin, sighing dreamily: Best job I ever had. Too bad that place was shut down after it was revealed to be a money laundering front.

Jon: Good lord.

Jon: Martin did you...did you know it was a money laundering front at the time?

Martin:

Martin: Would it make you feel better if I said no?

Jon: Martin!

Martin: I figured it out like a week in, but, like, who cares? The pay was decent and the floor was super easy to clean, which is very much a plus for even a front of a doggie day care.

Jon: That’s...rather a lot. How about instead of getting into that any further, you tell me about rodents.

Martin: I would love to. But first, we have a shoutout!

Jon: Ooo, a shoutout. Does it specify who should read?

Martin: Let me check. It...does...not…..

...

Jon: Martin?

[A beat.]

Martin: Right! Sorry, um. This week’s shoutout is from Tim, to Danny. It says, “Danny! My favorite person who shares genetic material with me! I wanted to say thank you for your podcast obsession from 4 months ago, and specifically for telling me about these marrieds. They’ve gotten me through many a dull hour at the publishing house. Also, with this shoutout, I’ve officially gotten ahead on the Superior [Last Name Redacted] Brother scoreboard, so suck it. Love you lots, and looking forward to your visit next month, Tim.”

Jon: Oh.

Jon: Um. That’s very..sweet? I think? Mostly?

Martin: Yeah, I’d say so. Uh. We have to take a quick break because, uh, someone is..at our front door! Be back with you all in, from your side of things, just a moment.

[thevikingwoman]

Wayfarer Episode 2 launches tomorrow! (July 1st)

alright friends, as you may have noticed, I’ve been absolutely feral about Wayfarer the last month or so (I’ve been playing the patreon pre-release), so I’d thought I make a small post especially for all my Dragon Age friends about why you should play this game. 

Wayfarer is developed and written by @idrellegames, which is a one person team of Idrelle / Anna. Idrelle used to be very active in the Dragon Age community, and was one of the first persons I connected with when I poked my head into the fandom - she’s a great friend and this is both a disclaimer and selling point. She’s great people. 

Wayfarer is not a fanwork, but is inspired by Dragon Age (among other things). It’s a piece of interactive fiction, a text based role playing game of action and consequences, where you choose your own adventure. 

I’m new to IF, in fact I only play a few (as I’m quite picky), and maybe you’re new to IFs too. But I will promise you, if you’re a Dragon Age fan, there’s a high likelyhood you will like Wayfarer. 

Wayfarer is a plot focused game. I really want to emphasize this. Many IF/Choice games are romance centered, and of course that can be super fun, but what I really love about Wayfarer is the broad scope of the game. It’s a lot more like Dragon Age game. The Main Character is part of a story, and the story is at the center. You have companions, some of which you can romance, but it’s not the end goal to end up in a romantic relationship - you can develop deep friendships too and skip romance entirely. 

Because of the text based medium, however, the game’s branching and consequences of your actions are much wider than in a video game. There is so much possibilities, it’s incredible. 

This is getting super long, so let me list some of the things I love about Wayfarer

the writing is amazing. Idrelle is an amazing writer, that’s just a fact

the lore and worldbuilding is staggering. There are so many fun details to discover and discuss. This includes unique fantasy races along with elf-human-dwarf stable. (yes you can play as a pink half-mer person).

the story itself and the plot you’re dumped into is intriguing. In the first two episodes, we’re barely scratching the surface, and yet my brain can’t stop thinking of all the plot points and speculation. 

the emotional impact of the writing is just very good, and there is so much more to come. Prepare to be devastated, I am. 

the characters, both major and minor, are just so wonderful. Unique, interesting and I want to keep them all. 

the game is inherently queer, not just the Main Character (you can choose your gender identity and pronouns), but the whole gallery of characters. Gender identity and a wide spectrum of sexualities are all present in the characters you meet, seamlessly fitting into the world and the worldbuilding. This includes an ace romance option, and for the MC to make their own romantic and sexual choices as the story unfolds. 

lastly, the discord community for the game is really fun, and everyone loves talking about their choices (of which there are many and it’s always surprising to see how many variations there are!), their MCs, the wild theories and speculations about the plot. 

I’m going to tag @noire-pandora, because you say you were intrigued, and @galadrieljones, because my friend I think you’d enjoy it and also I’d love to scream to you about this 🤣 

[vickyvicarious]

Just as I was about to go to sleep last night, I got a brain flash that went basically "something something flashback episode thiefsome themes???" so now in the light of day let's re-examine. This still isn't anything too polished, but... I think there's some interesting stuff to be found here.

Putting it under a tag so it doesn't clog up peoples' dashes too much, but the gist is that their roles actually represent their relationships/desires at each respective point in canon quite well, and it's giving me some thoughts about what a possible flashback with Hardison/Eliot would look like.

In the van Gogh Job, we get flashback Parker/Hardison. Obviously it wasn't them and the names are different and all but I'm just gonna call them f!Hardison and f!Parker because it's easier.

f!Hardison is brave, clever, determined, and deeply in love

f!Parker is loyal, comfortable, just as deeply in love, but terrified

Their flashback story is a cautionary tale as much as it is a romance. F!Hardison shares so many traits with Hardison himself, and f!Parker is a clear representation of current Parker. They make no bones about it, the parallels are extremely obvious and are even what makes the guy start telling Parker his story in the first place. Parker loves Hardison but she has found a place to belong in the team (flashback town/roller rink) and is afraid of what will happen if she disturbs that status quo by getting into a relationship with him. She's too scared of losing him (flashback to her racist dad/his buddies killing or hurting him, modern to the possibility of death mostly) to take the step to actually be with him, even though they both know she wants to. I love that there isn't any hint of her doubting his feelings or that he will remain devoted in either flashback or modern; the focus is entirely on her own fears for him and how she would handle that, not ever of him in any way.

Regardless of the timeframe, it's clear that (f!)Hardison loves her and will respect what she is willing to give him, even if that means leaving her. In the flashback, f!Parker still loves him and saves his painting in his honor for the rest of her life, remaining loyal to him despite never seeing him again. None of the emotion is in question at all, and it's clear that if she is willing to give it, her faith in him will be completely justified.

The episode basically just acts out Parker's fears (puppet-style?) and demonstrates to her that even though she would be fine if she doesn't take the leap - she'll be so much happier if she does. There's no guarantee of a happy ending, but Hardison is still himself and that means that before that ending comes at the very least, she will be happy. (Much like Sophie's beautiful speech to her.) Parker was already beginning to ease into a relationship with him, and this episode doesn't exactly drive her to jump in headfirst, but it's clear when we watch her reaction to the story what she will choose. She's going to build up her courage, but she's going to take the risk.

.

Now, given how transparent that episode is on their pairing, I kind of wondered what would happen if I look at the one that pairs Parker/Eliot's flashback selves: the D.B. Cooper Job.

f!Parker is understanding, supportive, loyal, and gives him a place to belong

f!Eliot starts out doing something bad for the sake of someone he loves, is drawn to her, and later feels wracked by guilt and seeks redemption by helping others

The focus in this one obviously isn't on the romance. It isn't even on either of these characters, so much as it is on Nate and his flashback self. But the parallels between modern and f!Eliot are still pretty apparent, if a bit watered down in that f!Eliot has no intentions to hurt anyone and in fact takes pains not to do so.

But as far as pairings go, I think what they do between these two is pretty interesting. Their flashback characters are drawn to one another, feel a kind of understanding and recognition that they can't quite explain. It's why f!Parker stops him before he jumps and never gives him up, it's why f!Eliot trusts her in the first place and why he shows up at her door after it is all over. I think this is a really nice parallel to the way Eliot and Parker understand one another and have this connection that is different from the rest of the team.

The other thing I like a lot is that in this episode, f!Parker is the steady support. She represents the home f!Eliot longs to have, even if she isn't the one who eventually offers him the chance to help others and make his own redemptive efforts. In fact, him working with f!Nate starts out for selfish reasons and only later evolves into a place where he feels he belongs. That's another obvious parallel to the Eliot we know, but the Parker in this episode is a little less immediately recognizable. Sure, she's an incredibly loyal person and will obviously not care overmuch about crime or whatever but mostly it's harder to see her as much in that role.

But I think she serves much the same role here as f!Hardison in the other episode. Though modern Eliot isn't hearing this story and making any resolutions based on it, the casting still represents their relationship. Parker is growing steadily into the position of leader/mastermind, and at this point she and Hardison are openly together. She is someone who understands Eliot on a very deep level, and she is coming to be the person who is his rock. While I'm not discounting Hardison's importance at all, Parker more closely fits the role of the person who encouraged him to take the job in this flashback. She's the one who, only three episodes later in Rundown, verbalizes a promise to change together. She (and also Hardison) represent the home Eliot craves to have, the belonging and support necessary for him to grow and to do good in the world. What's more, f!Parker is accurate in representing her side of things as someone who wants that for him. She wants to invite him in, wants to support him even if it's from a bit more of a distance at first (pre-relationship) but would absolutely welcome him inside as soon as he shows up at her door (once he's ready, she will bring him into the thiefsome).

And Rundown shows us that in action, again only three episodes later. Not in the sense of canon thiefsome, but Parker and Hardison are absolutely supporting Eliot leaving his darker past behind, changing with them for the better - and not just getting away with his own hands clean, but doing the extra work to help others (going after the guy who tried to hire him instead of just leaving town; again when they realize how serious the situation is but stay to fix it). The episode even ends with Eliot literally throwing away the crutch that would allow him to walk on his own, and pull them both in to support him instead. He's in the middle, he's deciding to join them even if he could get by alone, it's all representative for them welcoming him into the relationship too. (I headcanon something went down between them here but it isn't all cleared up relationship-wise until the Toy Job, but either way the themes are there!)

.

So with this in mind... The flashback with Hardison/Parker focused on Parker and her fears/decision to enter into a relationship with Hardison. Similarly, the flashback with Eliot/Parker focuses more on him and his desire to join the relationship. For both of them, the episode represents a shift in their relationship with one another, something not entirely unknown before, but a step that is challenging for them personally. Still, this step leads to greater happiness and growth.

All that in mind... what would a Hardison/Eliot episode look like, if we got it in Redemption? I'm getting into slight spoiler territory here, so leave now if you haven't seen the first few episodes.

.

.

Okay, so since we've had more focus on Parker, and on Eliot, this episode would focus most on Hardison. It makes sense as well for his role in the new series, because while Parker and Eliot are a little more stable, Hardison is the one entering a challenging new period of his life that is difficult but helping him grow.

I don't have any kind of full plot figured out, but here are some things I think we might see:

f!Eliot is supportive, confident, and believes deeply in him

f!Hardison is bold, struggles with self-doubt, and upends his own life in order to change the world for the better

I think Eliot's role in this flashback would be smaller, but he'd love f!Hardison deeply and the focus would not be on their relationship developing, but on the challenges it would face as f!Hardison embarks on... whatever it is. It has to be something f!Eliot knows he cannot do, and maybe even something that might mean the end of their relationship (though much like the van gogh job, the love between them is never in question).

I've seen people mentioning a Stonewall flashback episode for these two before, and that's possible. But another thing we could see is f!Hardison working against racist laws or something. Whatever the case, he needs to be doing something that benefits many, many other people, and it needs to put him at personal risk. I'm not entirely sure on what would be holding Eliot back from helping in the same way - it may just be as simple as f!Hardison gives amazing speeches and inspires so many people, while f!Eliot just doesn't have that skill. Maybe he is sick. Maybe, their relationship does end up attracting violence, and he gets hurt (doesn't even have to be their romantic relationship, if we're going a race angle and setting this episode further back, it could just be an open friendship with their romance kept secret. the themes would still be there). Whatever the case, f!Hardison has to leave Eliot behind.

And yeah, this has already happened in canon. We're already here. But if we wanted this episode to happen, I think it would be possible for the themes to still be relevant and the challenge to still be there for Hardison's character, if something brings him back to the team. If something goes down and he isn't there, and it terrifies him that he wasn't there, and he has trouble leaving again even though his work isn't done. Or if he organizes something on his end of the world that goes horribly wrong somehow. Sometimes it's not the first step that's hardest, it's keeping on even after the first big challenge. No road is free of bumps, after all, so Hardison might well think he's fine at first but start having doubts even after things have been going well for a while.

That is where you can bring this episode into play. That's where you start - f!Hardison is already getting involved in activism of some kind, but his own fame brings about negative consequences or something unrelated happens, and it scares him and makes him consider giving his work up. The episode can be bittersweet, with them never reuniting, or it can have a happier ending where he returns and f!Eliot is still waiting for him. But it's important for Eliot to represent a home that Hardison is already comfortable in, and one he has to leave in order to help others (however temporary the leaving is). And we need to see him away from the team, thriving and growing and improving so many peoples' lives in ways that never would have happened without him - both in the flashback, and in the modern part of the episode. In fact, Hardison doesn't even need to actually be physically with the team at all in the modern part of the episode. It can be more like the Broken Wing job, where we get hints at what they are doing but the focus is entirely on him and his struggle.

Of course, I have no idea how this would tie in to a modern heist. But maybe the format could be changed up, if we focus more on Hardison outside of the team. I'm sure there's some way this could be worked. And I think it would do really well in completing the trio of thiefsome episodes, and giving equal emphasis on all three of them in each one.