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headcanonenthusiast · 1 year ago

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Simon Riley NSFW headcanons

Ladies, gentlemen and everyone inbetween, here he is. Here's the extremely popular man himself, Simon Riley.

I know how much people thirst over Ghost, and even though I personally don't he's a character I absolutely adore. Hoping I can do him justice with this one ❤

(I completely understand that this type of content is not everyone's cup of tea, and that's ok! But, please scroll and ignore if this type of content isn't your thing as opposed to leaving any sort of negative comments.)

Enjoy!

Nsfw under the cut

-Don't really think he has the highest libido in the world.

-When he is in the mood, though, you're not sleeping that night.

-Have you seen the way this man talks? He's pretty confident in his looks. And he totally sprinkles that confidence into intercourse.

-"Look at tha', not even in you yet and you're already blushin."

-This is so random, but I feel like rainy nights get him in the mood.

-Its probably because you're less likely to go anywhere while the weather's bad. In his mind, as long as the weather isn't the best, he's got you glued to the bed for the night.

-"Where you goin, luv? Weather's nasty today."

-And no matter what excuse you give, his head will tilt slightly and he'll give the smallest smirk imaginable.

-"But it's so cold out. Wouldn't ya rather spend some time with me? The bed's nice n' warm."

-His grip on your hips is tight, so tight he usually leaves marks on accident.

-4 inches soft, 6 inches hard.

-Not the most vocal in bed, but he does grunt a lot.

-Not much of a talker, either, but depending on what you're into, he'll throw out the occasional praise or degrading word.

-"There we go, atta boy/girl. Hold still f'me."

-During sex, his eyes are locked on you, but not specifically on your face. He keeps his focus on your cock/pussy as he touches it.

-Expects your eyes to be on him the whole time, however. Does not want you to look away, even for a second.

-"Eyes on me, darlin'. Don't you look away, now."

-"Good girl/boy. Much better."

-Good with his fingers, and he knows it.

-Will totally finger/jerk you off with your back against his bare chest, his lap as your very own seat while he does so.

-"Christ, your legs are shaking. My fingers feel good, don't they?"

-His strokes are deep, and usually not terribly fast nor too slow. It's a good middle-ground that doesn't tire either of you immediately but is still satisfying.

-A big fan of pulling your hair if it's longer (consensually ofc, consent is important af yall).

-Something that really turns him on is the way his hand is able to completely cover yours. Enjoys moving a hand from your hip to your hand, giving it a few tight squeezes.

-And those squeezes aren't just him doing them because he wants to, he actually uses it as a non-verbal way to say "I love you", because like I said earlier, not very vocal.

-And he always does that at least once during sex. But sometimes he'll forget to do it, so he'll squeeze your hand as you're falling asleep, just to remind you of the fact he loves you.

-Is obsessed with painting your dick/pussy/ass with his cum. Your lips, too, when you give him a blowjob.

-When he's finished, you can see the way his body relaxes. It's like he's suddenly won the lottery and he no longer has back pain after sex.

-Aftercare isn't anything extraordinary, but he figures you need alone time after sex, so, unless requested, the shower is all yours for however long you want it.

-Also, he's not an asshole. Its not like he'd suddenly act distant after sex or anything, it's just that he knows you can take care of yourself. That's why he waits for you in bed, allowing his chest to become a pillow for your head to rest on.

-Now, Simon has never really been able to fall asleep super quickly, but after sex he passes right out.

-And it's not even because the act exhausted him, either. He just has this odd sense of contentment after being with you that lulls him into a more eased mindset, which is very difficult for him to get.

-In other words, he feels much more fulfilled with you by his side. And he'll be sure to thank you the next morning, chin on your shoulder while he gently squeezes your hand.

That was fun to write! Even though I'm not attracted to Ghost like everyone else reading this post is, he's still up there on my fav COD characters list.

Let me know who I should do next!

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liarom1ove · 5 months ago

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Whispers of Ether

A regular girl trying to live her best life in modern London is surprised when she receives a mysterious box from a distant relative-especially odd since she's an orphan. Naturally, she checks the box for anything valuable and finds a ruby necklace and a strange book. Imagine her shock when she wakes up in a world filled with monsters, realizing she's more connected to this place than she’d like to admit.

A tale of a modern girl in Middle Earth.

Warnings: none

~~The inherence~~

Y/N sank into her bed, the soft, worn duvet folding around her as she settled in with a satisfied sigh. The record player in the corner spun gently, filling the room with Adele’s soothing voice. A steaming cup of tea sat on her bedside table, its fragrant Earl Grey scent mingling with the warm vanilla and cinnamon notes of the candle flickering nearby. Everything about the moment felt comforting, almost perfect.

But her eyes kept drifting back to the mysterious box from Mr. Hawthorne, the lawyer. It sat on the bedspread in front of her, its intricate carvings catching the fading light in a way that made it hard to ignore. For a while, she just stared, uncertainty pooling in her chest. She recalled her brief, confusing conversation with the man, her curiosity now battling with the creeping sense of unease.

Y/N wasn’t exactly living a glamorous life, but she had carved out her little niche in London—working long hours, meeting up with friends for a pint when she could, and binge-watching terrible reality TV whenever the mood struck. It wasn’t perfect, but it was her routine, predictable in a comforting sort of way. So, when a knock sounded at her door one evening, she assumed it was her elderly neighbour, Mrs Jenkins, needing help with her Wi-Fi again.

But when she opened the door, it wasn’t Mrs. Jenkins. Instead, a man stood there looking as though he’d stepped straight out of a Victorian novel. His suit was immaculate, every line crisp, and his expression so severe that Y/N half-expected him to start reciting from a legal document on the spot.

"Y/N Y/L/N?" His voice was clipped, formal—like he was ticking off boxes in his head.

"Depends," Y/N said, folding her arms and raising an eyebrow. "Who’s asking?"

"Kelvin Hawthorne, solicitor. I’m here regarding the estate of your late relative, Mrs. Aina Althariel." He extended a small, ornate box toward her, handling it like it was something far more important than it looked. "I regret to inform you that Mrs Althariel passed away last night, and according to her will, this is to be given to you."

Y/N blinked, thrown for a moment. She tilted her head, a frown forming on her face. "Right… you sure you’ve got the right Y/N? Last I checked, my family tree barely qualifies as a shrub.”

Mr. Hawthorne didn’t flinch. His expression remained as stony as ever. "There’s no mistake. According to the records," he said, his voice calm and precise, "Mrs. Althariel was a distant relative, and she made specific arrangements for you to receive this."

"Uh-huh," Y/N muttered, eyeing the box with growing suspicion. Still, she took it, surprised by its weight in her hands. It was heavier than it looked, solid and somehow… significant. "Well, this is new. I usually just get bills or the occasional postcard from someone who thinks London’s still exotic. So… what’s the catch?"

"The catch," Mr. Hawthorne said, his voice steady and clipped, "is that you need to sign this document acknowledging receipt of the inheritance." With a swift, practiced movement, he produced a clipboard with a single sheet of paper and a pen, offering them to her with a flourish that felt strangely formal, given the odd situation.

Y/N took the clipboard, raising an eyebrow as she skimmed over the document. Just a standard acknowledgement form—confirming that she’d received the box and, apparently, its mysteries. She let out a sigh, the weight of the moment settling on her shoulders.

"Fine," she muttered, signing her name at the bottom with a dramatic flourish of her own. "Signed, sealed, and delivered."

Mr. Hawthorne gave a brisk nod, his lips curling into what barely passed for a smile. "My job here is done. Enjoy the… memento. Good evening, Miss."

"Really? No cryptic warnings? No riddles? Just paperwork?" Y/N quipped, but he was already turning to leave, his back straight, every movement measured. She stood there for a moment, watching him head down the hallway, half-expecting him to vanish into thin air. He didn’t, but the click of the door behind her felt strangely final.

"Well, that was… weird," she muttered under her breath, glancing down at the ornate box now in her hands. "What in the world have I gotten myself into?"

The carvings on the surface of the box were intricate, swirling patterns that seemed almost alive in the soft light. Y/N traced her fingers over them, appreciating the delicate craftsmanship. There was something oddly mesmerizing about the design as if the swirls were guiding her touch along invisible paths.

With a playful roll of her eyes, she leaned forward and flipped open the latch. "Well, Aina, let's see what kind of skeletons you've got in your box," she muttered under her breath. "Literally, I hope not."

The box creaked slightly as the lid opened, revealing its contents. The first thing she noticed was the nestled, on a bed of rich, dark velvet, ruby-red necklace. The jewel shimmered with an almost hypnotic brilliance, the deep red gem glowing faintly as if it had a heartbeat of its own. Y/N's breath hitched for a moment, a blend of awe and scepticism crossing her face.

"Well, this is definitely not your average heirloom," she murmured, her fingers hovering just above the necklace.

She hesitated only briefly before lifting the pendant from its velvet bed, the ruby swaying slightly in the air. It was set in a delicate frame of gold, shaped like a teardrop, surrounded by intricate filigree that caught the dim light of her room. As she turned it over in her hands, she noticed the same swirling patterns etched into the gold that adorned the box, as though they were part of the same ancient design. Even more curious, the ruby seemed to pulse gently in response to her touch, its faint glow intensifying for just a moment.

"Let’s see how you look on me."

With a small grin, she stood from the bed and crossed the room to the full-length mirror leaning against the wall. Holding the necklace up to her collarbone, she adjusted it, studying how the deep red of the ruby contrasted with her casual outfit. The gem sparkled against her skin, casting a faint, warm glow that seemed to enhance her features in a subtle, almost enchanting way.

"Well, aren’t you a stunner?" Y/N quipped, flashing herself a cheeky grin. There was something undeniably elegant about the necklace—it added a touch of mystery, an air of sophistication that felt at odds with her normal life.

Satisfied with the way it looked, she fastened the clasp behind her neck, the cool metal settling gently against her skin. She adjusted it once more, ensuring it hung just right. As she gazed at her reflection, a strange sensation washed over her as if the necklace was somehow more than it appeared. It wasn’t just beautiful—it felt… right.

"Regal, more like," she muttered, tilting her head as she studied herself in the mirror.

"Not too shabby for a piece of inherited jewellery," she mused aloud, twirling slightly to admire the way the ruby caught the light with every movement. "I suppose I should thank Aunt Aina for the fashion upgrade."

She returned to her bed, settling comfortably beside the box where old, yellowed parchments lay scattered. The pages were filled with strange, unfamiliar symbols—letters twisting and curling in ways her eyes couldn't quite follow.

She skimmed through the parchments, her brows knitting together in confusion. "A translation guide would be nice right about now," she muttered, letting out a wry chuckle. "Or maybe I should start brushing up on my Duolingo. Ancient rune edition?"

Setting the incomprehensible pages aside, her curiosity got the better of her as she reached back into the box. This time, her fingers grazed something solid—heavy and smooth. After a moment’s effort, she pulled out a thick, black leather-bound book. Its surface was aged but polished, and it held a weight that suggested more than just old stories.

With a breath, Y/N opened the book, and what she found inside made her eyes widen. The pages were filled with illustrations of creatures she had only ever seen in fantasy movies or read about in legends. Monsters with sharp fangs and claws, towering dragons with shimmering scales, and beings so strange they seemed to defy reality. Each creature was drawn in stunning detail, their lifelike precision enough to make her feel as though they were on the verge of leaping off the page. Beneath each illustration were notes written in what appeared to be runes—more indecipherable symbols that deepened the mystery.

"What in the world…?" she whispered, flipping through the book slowly. The drawings were both terrifying and mesmerizing, each creature a mix of beauty and danger, almost as if they belonged to some long-forgotten world.

As she turned another page, something even more remarkable fell into her lap—a large, folded map. She carefully unfolded it, revealing a vast, meticulously drawn landscape. Mountains loomed high, forests stretched endlessly, rivers carved their way through valleys, and cities dotted the map, all labelled with names she couldn’t begin to pronounce. The map was so detailed, that it almost felt as if she were holding an entire world in her hands.

"Middle-earth?" Y/N read aloud, the name scrawled across the top of the map in elegant, unfamiliar script. "What even is that? Some kind of theme park?" She scoffed lightly, but her curiosity deepened.

The book was filled with strange symbols and runes, their meanings elusive, as if taunting her to figure out the puzzle. Her brow furrowed, frustration starting to build as she traced her fingers over the intricate lines.

"Alright, Aina, you've got my attention," she muttered with a half-smile, the amusement in her voice mingling with genuine intrigue. "What the bloody hell is all this?"

With a sigh, Y/N absently traced the runes with her finger, running over the grooves in the ancient parchment. She was on the verge of tossing it aside when the impossible happened—the symbols began to shift and reshape right beneath her touch.

She jerked her hand back as though the page had suddenly scorched her. "What the—?"

The runes danced across the page, morphing fluidly into letters, then words. The transformation was graceful, almost as though the text had been waiting for her to touch it. Slowly, words in plain English appeared, as clear as if they had always been there, hidden in plain sight:

To the last Althariel who bears the name, your destiny lies beyond this world.

Y/N's heart skipped a beat. She blinked rapidly, rubbing her eyes to make sure she wasn’t seeing things, but the words stayed, clear and stark on the page.

"This… this can’t be real," she whispered to herself, a shiver running down her spine. Glancing around her bedroom, everything remained as it was—the flickering candle, her steaming cup of tea, the soft hum of Adele from the record player. Everything was perfectly normal, except for the impossible message staring back at her.

Y/N was still staring at the shifting runes when a sudden clap of thunder echoed through the room, so loud it nearly sent her heart into overdrive. Startled, she snapped her gaze toward the window. Heavy rain now lashed against the glass, distorting the usually sharp glow of the city lights outside.

"When did that happen?" she muttered, her voice barely audible over the storm. The once cozy, calm atmosphere had shifted dramatically, the warm candlelight now flickering eerily as flashes of lightning turned the night into a chaotic strobe.

The tension in the air was thick, like something was building, waiting to burst. But the sharp sting of reality snapped her back. She glanced at the clock on the wall, and a wave of panic hit her like a cold slap.

"Shit!" Y/N yelped, jolted from her daze. She was 30 minutes late for work.

Her heart hammered as she dashed around her apartment, throwing on her jacket while trying to pull her hair into something vaguely professional. She could already picture the disaster awaiting her at the office. Y/N worked at a top-tier music production company—the kind of place that could either make or break an artist's career. It was her dream to one day be the one making the deals, but for now, she was just the assistant to Felicity Kennedy, a woman who could strike fear into the bravest souls.

Felicity Kennedy, Y/N’s boss, was as sharp as she was brutal, a woman who could reduce anyone to tears with a single glare. If there was one thing Felicity hated more than incompetence, it was tardiness. Y/N could already hear her icy voice, dripping with scorn, as she'd undoubtedly demand an explanation for being late.

"Felicity is so going to kill me," Y/N groaned, frantically throwing the last few items into her bag, barely managing not to trip over herself on the way out.

But just as she was about to rush out the door, her eyes caught on the black leather book, still resting on her bed like some ancient relic. For a split second, she hesitated. Something about that book—the way it felt in her hands, the mysterious writing that had changed—called to her. It had weight, not just physically, but in a way she couldn’t quite put her finger on.

Without really thinking about it, she reached back, grabbed the book, and stuffed it into her bag. Whatever this was, she wasn’t leaving it behind.

As she was finishing putting on her shoes, the shrill ring of her phone made her wince. She didn't need to look at the screen to know who it was.

"Hello—" Y/N began, but she was immediately cut off.

"Where the hell are you, Y/L/N?" Felicity hissed through the phone. The sheer irritation in her voice was palpable, even over the storm's howling winds. "You know we have the meeting with Styles today, and I need you here. Now!"

"I know, Mrs. Kennedy," Y/N replied, her tone as placating as she could manage while shoving the last of her things into her bag. "I just got a bit behind... but I'm on my way now."

She rushed out the door, cursing under her breath as she realized she'd forgotten her umbrella. The rain was relentless, sheets of water pouring from the sky as if the heavens themselves were angry.

Still, she knew she couldn't afford any more delays. Holding the phone tightly against her ear with one hand, she used the other to navigate her way through the downpour, bumping into people as she went. The rain blurred her vision, the city's usually vibrant colors reduced to a grey, indistinct haze.

"You better be, or I promise you won't have a job when you get here," Felicity snarled, her threat as sharp as a knife. "Or anywhere else."

"Yes, Mrs. Kennedy, I promise—" Y/N began, but her words were cut short, drowned out by the sudden, blinding flash of headlights.

She didn't have time to react. The world around her seemed to slow to a crawl as the bright lights of an oncoming truck bore down on her. The last thing she saw was the vehicle's massive grille, the rain glistening off its surface, before everything went black.

#the hobbit #the lonely mountain #desolation of smaug #dragon #lord of the rings #lotr #legolas #bilbo baggins #thorin oakenshield #fili and kili #gandalf #the hobbit x reader #lotr fanfic #the hobbit fanfiction #legolas x reader

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ineffable-opinions · 7 months ago

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MAME & BL Literacy Part 1

Another MAME show is airing and I thought it was good time to discuss what makes that author controversial.

As usual, critiques and corrections are welcome.

For those who don’t know MAME is a unique Thai BL creator. I have discussed in a previous post (that can be found here and here) how Thai BL is lacking in BL literacies. MAME is one of the exceptions. This is because:

she is a BL author & hence, one of the creators of BL literacies

she studied BL and its production academically [you can find her research output by searching her name: ��รวรรณ วิชญวรรณกุล]

then she started producing live action BL.

In an industry which is lacking in BL literacies, what she brings to the table is fu-culture (BL fan culture) in all its glory. Unfortunately, the live action audience who are fans of sweet BL, have a hard time adjusting.

This is an exploration of response to her works, starting with the review of Love by Chance @waitmyturtles discussing all the ships in that series: AePete, TinCan, TarTum and KengklaTechno. This pretty much ties up what I identify as the first issue with BL literacies deficiency and MAME’s knowledge.

Here are some typical narrative progressions for a (Japanese) BL:

あまあま – sweet

ユニーク – unique

シリアス – serious

邪道 – evil road (Jadō)

王道 - royal road (odo)

Any theme/one-line plot can choose to take any of these narrative progressions. Moreover, Thai BL usually originates online which allows for innovation in narrative progression.

AePete

In Love by Chance AePete follows the typical sweet BL narrative progression. Sweet BL is characterised by an overall sweet flavor (characters, mainly the pairing, would be sweet in behaviour and motivation) and relationship progression is pretty smooth. This is the narrative progression that GMMTV sticks to. I have discussed their reasons as well as why it might not be a good thing in the long run here.

KengklaTechno

Their story follows jado narrative progression.

Quick note about Jado BL & Kengkla as a kichiku seme

One or more characters in a ship being emotional aggressors, physical abusers, sexual predators or outright villains is a very common trope in BL genre. These are popular sub-types (most notable: brute kichiku 鬼畜) of seme/uke/riba with these specific attributes and they have dedicated fans who thoroughly enjoy such characterizations. But these are clearly not everyone’s cup of tea. Some BL fans find these themes unbearable. That is why GMMTV and other BL live-action producers who don’t want to upset any of their audience members usually:

avoid such characterizations all together especially with sweet narrative progression

tries to soften such characters into more universally palatable forms

tries to redeem those characters by getting rid of those with odo – this is what currently airing My Stand-In would do.

make them villains – never making them the protagonists who gets any kind of happy ending

This is done not to trouble the average audience’s worldview (世界観) and is clearly a low effort and low skill (in terms of BL literacies) approach. But since a lot of audience don’t appreciate villain-like characterization, it is clearly low risk, no chance of a backlash from angry audience and the best method for assured money making.

Occasionally BL live-action producers venture into the risky terrains, especially with jado. The Japanese does it a lot, usually in movie format. China and Taiwan also delve into jado fairly regularly. But live action Thai BL seldom does anything commercially dangerous.

In a jado BL, a character might do terrible things and manipulate the other character(s) in the ship. But won’t feel remorse, apologize and improve for better. This is a violation of the expectation placed on characters on sweet narrative progression. Sweet BL audience do not expect characters in a ship to be anything but good to each other, especially after they have become a couple. While audience don’t mind characters making mistakes, in this narrative progression audience also expect characters to learn from their mistakes and to grow closer by earning and giving forgiveness.

In jado BL that focuses on characters being villains, there are no such expectations. These BL work within the confines of their own worldview which don’t necessarily match with our IRL worldview. Characters are allowed to act in ways that goes against our everyday perception of what is right and what is wrong. Neither the characters nor the audience expect the characters to right their wrong, to apologize or to get punished, through judicial procedure or otherwise. Happy endings are not after reparations and resolution of issues, it would be in spite of those. Bad endings aren’t necessarily punishments for bad actions committed throughout the narrative, that’s just the ending of that story. Unlike with the BL with sweet narrative progression, these BL are not necessarily stories of two or more guys falling in love. Neither is their love (if at all there is love) expected to be healthy and wholesome. (It can be wholesome but it is just as well if it is not.) There are expectations from such narrative progressions too and resolution to most issues aren’t among those expectations. Clearly not everyone’s cup of tea, especially if they expect BL to be didactic like fables.

Problem getting papered over is the expected approach in jado. When characters get together/get back together with “problems” never really dealt with, it is proper meriba (merry bad ending). Plain bad ending where there is no resolution is also typical in jado BL.

Moreover, it is difficult to sell BL with jado and other narrative progressions. It becomes even more difficult to sell branded pairings when the characters they play are not impeccable. It is unlikely that actors playing bad guys can sell products for advertisers. (Imagine the characters from The Effect being in ads together!) It is even more unlikely that fans would go broke behind wicked characters and would want to attend fan-meetings and concerts featuring them in some way.

Kengkla is two-faced and an excellent yandere. He appears to be a cute and innocent junior in front of Techno. Audience also gets to see him in Machiavellian mode. This is something that Techno doesn’t have access to, at least in Love by Chance. Techno’s brother is his facilitator in the narrative, which in turn makes him two-faced too. Techno is not omniscient and Kengkla manages to trap him. And that’s where Love by Chance ends.

TarTum

There pairing is an excellent example of MAME’s skilled employment of BL literacies. TarTum is a sweet BL, complicated by them being step-brothers. While their pairing is barely odo, Tum as a character has a complicated odo progression. Horrors from his past haunts him. The journey is going to be complicated. It won’t be linear. There would be slip up on his part and that of others. But there’s light at the end of the tunnel. Those who love odo do so because of the pleasurable pay off, much more than sweet BL. It is a rollercoaster, and that’s why fans like it.

TinCan

This is another pairing with sweet narrative progression but with a rare dynamic: weak seme x weak uke, i.e., neither of them is strong in their pursuit. This is a notoriously tough dynamic to write, so much so that there are relatively few BL with this dynamic.

Multiple Pairings in a Piece

This is something I personally appreciate a lot. It is not often that we get a piece with different pairing with different types of narrative progressions. Authors choose this method and build universes so that they can reach the biggest audience.

A lot of people enjoyed Love by Chance because they could enjoy AePete. While I understand, I don’t relate to that. AePete was my least favourite pairing among them all. I enjoy dangerous characterizations over subdued ones and prefer a meriba over a happy ending. While there are plenty of BL media with those, they are rare in live action. In my first watch, I was constantly tempted to find fan-edits of every couple other than AePete. So, what is time wasted for some is actually really enjoyable moments for another. MAME gets that and I appreciate her for that.

Queerness, heterosexism and ‘Asian’ culture

@waitmyturtles also discusses “a kind of macro cishet perspective on AePete relationship” in relation to “Ae’s randiness and jealous tendencies” and Pete’s response or lack thereof as well as “Ae not being able to take Pete’s help, and Ae’s tendency towards stereotypically masculine POVs and behaviors” tied to “MAME’s story structure here is based in Asian cultural homophobia, in stereotypes of how the queer community should act by way of societal expectations in Asia.”

To unravel that:

I don’t know what “cishet perspective” means in relation to AePete, a pairing consisting of two androphilic male characters. I also don’t know what were the expectations on Ae and Pete in terms of randiness and jealousy.

More interesting I think is the question underlying the statement about Ae’s performance of “stereotypically masculine POVs and behaviors”. Now, what does that mean? In order to understand that it is important to figure out which type(s) of masculinity Ae would subscribe to based on his class, ethnicity and where he comes from (Thai masculinities show considerable variation with location). It will be meaningful to evaluate Ae’s behaviour with respect to: a) what he thinks is the “manly” thing to do b) what Pete does

Take “Ae not being able to take Pete’s help” for example. In their 2021 paper ภาพแทนชายรักชายในนวนิยายยาโออิ เรื่อง รักนี้บังเอิญคือคุณ [The Representation of Homosexual Men in the Yaoi Novel: My Accidental Love Is You] Phuwadech Doungmanee, Panunda Lerlertyuttitham & Natthanai Prasannam goes deep into this:

MAME employs four typical prejudices against male homosexuality perpetuated within the Thai society to create conflicts within the plot: 1) male homosexuality unacceptably deviates from the social norms 2) male homosexuality must not be “out” 3) male homosexuality brings disappointment and shame to the family, and 4) male homosexuality cannot earn true love; love must be purchased instead.

Pete trying to purchase Ae’s love is implied when he is offering ‘help’. This is a stereotypically masculine behaviour and an elitist one at that. As with other stereotypes listed above, this one too gets treated well (with Ae’s refusal to accept) even thought it might not seem so from a Western heterosexist lens.

Along with discursive clashes challenging earlier beliefs, those who hold the prejudices tend to be judged by poetic justice. The author thus educates the society and reading public on alternatives views in relation to male homosexuality. (source: The Representation of Homosexual Men in the Yaoi Novel: My Accidental Love Is You)

There is no one Asian culture. Here are the three popular types of masculinities in Thailand (these are very different from Malayali and Tamil masculinities I am personally familiar with):

Monk

secular male - chaai chatri (ชายชาตรี): embodies typical masculine features such as ‘authority, courage, self-assurance, physical and emotional strength, and sexual prowess’ as well as someone who ‘would under normal circumstances control his sexuality as much as possible and be loyal to his family.’

lower-middle-class - nak leng (นักเลง): ‘a man who is brave, daring, risk-taking but also fair.’ In more recent decade: ‘a man who is tough, loyal to allies and a playboy with numerous sexual affairs.’

Both Ae and Pete are very masculine in very different forms. MAME is not only familiar with different forms of masculinities and femininities, and their region-specific variations, but also plays around with it a lot. The male femininity is also achieved in both the characters in a similar manner. All of this might easily escape the audience members who have limited understanding of Thai masculinities and femininities.

Pete isn’t shown to be unsettled by Ae’s randiness because it is an interplay of two different masculinities done with grace. Pete not only plays the polished, prince-role to a kunlasatree (กุลสต กุ รี; a stereotypical good woman, defined as ‘proficient and sophisticated in household duties; graceful, pleasant, yet unassuming in her appearance and social manners; and conservative in her sexuality’), he is also an out-and-out chaai chatri.

Physical Relationships and Explicit Content

One of MAME’s contributions to BL is in the toppling of certain beliefs, guided by sexism, BL live action creators were operating under prior to her.

Sathaporn Panichraksapong, an MD of GMMTV, a major producer of BL series, claimed that audience members who are mainly heterosexual women look for romantic relationships among the characters rather than sexual relationships.

We know that our audience are [sic] women. Women want to see only two boys having romantic moments together. They don’t want to see sex. Sexual relationships in BL are for a gay audience. That’s why in SOTUS the Series we have only two kissing scenes. With only these, audiences were already screaming. This is enough for them. (Interview with Sathaporn, GMMTV, 10 Aug. 2017)

Jirattikorn, Amporn. “Heterosexual Reading vs. Queering Thai Boys’ Love Dramas among Chinese and Filipino Audiences.” (2023).

As Jirattikorn goes on to highlight, this [wrong] perception about the audience (“women”) have changed ever since.

While early BL series tend to portray pure love without showing many sexual relationships, later BL series started to show more sex scenes between the two male lead characters.

Jirattikorn (2023)

Trauma & Porn

Itai Itai Itai (if you know, you know)

To claim that it is Asian cultural homophobia that MAME leveraged in Love by Chance through the inclusion of gang rape, incest, and unhappy ending is doing a disservice to BL and other queer genres including gei comi, all of which are well known for both trauma and porn. Aof Noppharnach and Cheewin’s lack of BL literacies is evident in their works. The way Aof Noppharnach shamed the use of the term เมีย ‘wife’ in Bad Buddy in spite of its usage by queer people, especially the little people among them, is evidence enough of the contempt and disregard he can bring in through his positionality as an “auteur”. To compare him to MAME is a little callous, especially when MAME constantly questions positionality and power through the stories she tells.

MAME’s trauma or lack thereof is none of anyone’s concern. So is what she does with it.

But the assumption that trauma in BL is a product of an author who themselves went through it is ludicrous and ignorant because BL from the days of tanbi (and its predecessors) have been engaging with it. There is already half a century’s history of BL with trauma and taboo themes.

you can find the review discussed in this post here:

This is Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

Part 4

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rockingrobin69 · 7 months ago

Text

Peppers, please

(Also on AO3, 1.6k)

“I’ve been informed,” Harry Potter burst through the door with his habitual earth-quake of a shout, “that you don’t even like peppers!”

“Good morning,” Draco said dryly. Harry Potter glared.

With a sigh, Draco retreated to the kitchen to fetch the biscuits from the cupboard.

Around his third one, an insistent crumb hanging to his upper lip with all its tiny might: “Peppers, Malfoy!”

“Pardon?”

“Peppers!”

Draco blinked. “If you’ll be so kind as to tell me what on earth you’re on about.”

“Pansy said you hate them!”

He looked absolutely outraged. Draco sipped his long-cold tea.

“Do I?”

“She said you’re allergic!”

“Am I?”

“Stop—fucking with me.”

“Oh, I wouldn’t dare.” But the corner of his lips was twitching. “I’m not allergic. I was simply a horribly dramatic child and she still naïve back when we were, what, six. Seven. I’m fine with peppers now.”

Harry Potter pouted, terribly chipmunk-ish, and even put the biscuit pack down. Down to business. “I cooked the—bloody hell, Malfoy, just, honestly. Why wouldn’t you say? That you hate peppers. I would’ve made something else. I would have happily—why?”

Utterly bemused, “I am. Honest, I mean. I don’t mind peppers anymore.”

“That’s a fucking lie and we both know it.”

Grasping at straws and failing, at least managing to stop the wobble of his stupid mouth, the automatic turning downwards. Went for his cup instead. The tea was ice-cold and flavourless and Draco poured it down his throat like it could cure him.

“Your hair’s a mess,” he then said, venomous, and turned his eyes back to the wall, where they refused to stay. It was always like this when Harry Potter barged into his flat. Even the water stains on the ceiling lost their usual allure and could not hold his attention. “If it’s raining, cast a bloody Impervious. Or take an umbrella.”

Harry Potter took a deep breath instead, sounding awfully, weirdly small. Some of the tension bled out of him in increments, his shoulders first, then the fists unclenching, then his belly un-hardening. His jaw was last. Draco was helplessly mesmerised by the transformation.

“You’re impossible,” his voice finally not straining, his fingers not twitching towards the biscuits. No longer needing the obvious distraction. “Next time, if I make something you dislike, you have to tell me.”

“An order,” Draco huffed. “How sweet.”

Harry Potter could blush all the way to the roots of his hair. It was such a stunning, breath-stealing thing to witness.

“It’s not a… fuck you, Malfoy.”

“Hmm.”

They sat there in strangely amicable silence. The oven still gave that choking, desperate cough every ten seconds, and it set a nice framework for their breathing, for the non-fidgeting. Harry Potter was always fidgety, but not when he sat in Draco’s kitchen like this.

“What’s your schedule? For today. Nev said you’re doing overtime again.” Leaning back, giving Draco that look all his friends liked to wear, the one on the border of a telling-off. It didn’t usually work on him, but Harry Potter had a slight edge to his disappointment that made Draco’s skin crawl.

“Not—exactly. Shouldn’t be so late. I’ll be home for bedtime, Mother, I promise.”

Even his mother didn’t glare like that. “Third time this week? I kind of want to strangle your boss.”

“Ha. Violence is usually frowned upon in the workplace.”

He didn’t smile, but he came near it. Draco could tell, because the corners of his eyes were dancing. “Does it count if it isn’t my workplace?”

“Mm. Fair enough. Strangle away.”

Now he was smiling. “When d’you start? Want a ride?”

And Draco was so grateful he didn’t launch yet another tirade about how Draco should quit his awful job that he said, “Why not.” (Only because he was distracted and rather tired, and not because sitting behind Harry Potter on his motorbike was in itself half-punishment, and not because clinging to his waist on tight turns at far-too-quick was—anything at all). On the downside, it made Harry Potter practically beam, and Draco still needed his eyes.

“Great! I mean. That’s good. That you won’t be late. Bad for your, er, record, and stuff, and you might not get a—bonus or something.”

They didn’t do bonuses at McMillan & McMillan, but that was neither here nor there. Draco nodded, pushed himself up on not so flimsy legs, collected his coat from where it was crumpled on the back of a chair.

“What about lunch?”

“Hmm?”

“You didn’t take. Any lunch.”

Why was he so obsessed with food? It was dangerously endearing. “I have an apple in my bag. Come now, you promised I won’t be late.”

“An—” Harry Potter shook his head, loosening even more curls out of his bun. They were rain-flat and miserable and still entirely too sweet. “I’ll buy you a sandwich at that poor excuse for a cafeteria you got in that building. And so help me god, Malfoy, you’ll eat it, or—”

“All right,” both hands up, “no need to shout. Your wish is my command, etcetera.”

He pouted so hard it was almost comical. But there was something still wounded there, so Draco added, “As long as there’s peppers, you know,” and then he was fuming again, bouncing on the balls of his feet and ready to deliver yet-another lecture. Draco watched him, amused, and forgot to lock the door behind him, and forgot his scarf.

Did remember his umbrella, which he Leviosa-ed to follow the Death Machine, stuck it against the back of the silly jacket when they reached the office. It wasn’t raining anymore, thankfully allowing Draco to arrive not wet-dog for a change, and it made absolutely no difference.

Harry Potter took off his helmet to watch Draco enter the building. Didn’t follow him inside (wise, to prevent a murder), and so Draco completely forgot about the sandwich threat until it was roughly lunchtime. At which point, a drawer in his desk suddenly jumped open, and a far-too-fancy £12 bready monstrosity appeared. On it a note that scrawled pepper-free, git.

Harry Potter had a lot to answer for. Draco, distracted, chipped away at the sandwich all the same, and was only shouted at twice, and didn’t even spill coffee on his keyboard.

‘Not exactly overtime’ at the office meant staying after everyone else to take note of stock and arrange all the impossible paperwork. That Draco was given this task was already hilarious, and always a disaster: that his boss insisted on continuing to give it to him, possibly commendable. Maybe he thought Draco was being stubborn. Maybe he thought, nobody could really be this bad without actively trying. Well, he didn’t know Draco yet! There was always time to learn.

Stock was stocked. The backroom was stuffy and still smelling slightly of smoke (not Draco’s fault, probably), the sweet scent of old paperwork going to rot. It made his head spin, made him inhale a little brokenly and laugh to himself. The sandwich Harry Potter forced him to eat sat heavy in his belly, sweating. Everything was so incredibly laughable.

When he finally finished (after only forgetting three steps in the protocol), the sun had long set and the streetlights were humming. Not worrying, Draco thought, going back to the office (forgot his bag). Not worrying at all (back to the office, to check he locked the door). (Why would anyone give him the keys?) (Some disasters were just asking to happen).

On his way home he stopped by the corner shop for another pack of biscuits. Some disasters, sure, but that didn’t mean he couldn’t prepare in advance. Harry Potter would surge in soon enough with another grievance. Draco was giddy by nature, and so the shakiness was not necessarily to do with this.

Under the crescent moon drowning in cloud he wondered, do I hate peppers?

Couldn’t remember to decide by the time he made it back.

The flat, Harry-Potter-less, was not entirely quiet and frankly disinteresting. Draco forced himself in the shower (the smoky smell always caught in hair, then on pillows, and made sleep be—not sleep at all). Scrubbed, whatever. Even towelled himself dry like a real human being, and only slipped a little on the stupid rug he kept meaning to banish, to Vanish, to—chuck. He was tired. The smoke-thing was not a metaphor. He got barely the bare minimum last night.

Bear minimum? Like bear claws? Better than fire, he thought, nonsensically. Tired-Draco had a tired brain and it was only half-working in the best of times. Dragged himself to bed, knew he won’t get away that easy.

To the ceiling, too dark to make the water stains: what did Harry Potter have for his lunch? He always ate, but only when he made Draco eat too. It was some sort of ritual. A demonic binding of sorts. They had other friends who could make him eat, like Ronald and also Ronald and mostly only Ronald, and sometimes Hermione. They had other friends, but Harry Potter always ate if Draco did.

A horrible thought suddenly occurred to him: was he manipulating Harry Potter? Had he truly forgotten to pack lunch, or did he do that on purpose? Thankfully, the panic was cut off when he suddenly thought, shit, I never locked the office.

But he did. He went back to check, remember? Silly. By the time he was thinking of Harry Potter’s eating habit, he forgot to fidget about whether he was viciously tricking him or not.

Some disasters, Draco thought, half-drifting, were just asking to happen.

So, it's on AO3. It might even continue, who knows.

#drarry fic #i felt i had to indulge my boy's birthday #it's how we do it down here.#1600 words #sort of... amusedly deranged vibe #does draco have adhd? i mean #rockingrobin69

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thewebcomicsreview · 2 years ago

Text

The Webcomic Reviews Mini Reviews Masterpost, Part 1

People always ask me what I think of various webcomics, so I decided to start collecting my thoughts in one place! Click the images to go to the comic! Comic titles with a ⭐ after them are recommended, but even if I don't give a comic a star, that doesn't mean you won't like it.

[un]Divine ⭐

What is it: A highschooler sells his soul for a big titty demon gf, and now has to have anime battles against angels who keep trying to eat him.

The Good: Excellent art and monster designs, some of the better fights in webcomics.

The Bad: Danny is kind of a bland protagonist. The comic keeps threatening to veer into femdom porn, which may be a good thing for some of you. Comic is on permanent semi-hiatus and updates very infrequently

You should read it if: You wanna read a comic with big fights, big angels, and big titties.

Ava’s Demon

What is it: A bunch of kids possessed by demons have space adventures and are sad

The Good: Extremely good art. Occasional "high production value" moments with music and limited animation. The single-panel page format really highlights the art.

The Bad: Bland writing, weak characters. The single-panel page format really slows the flow of reading it.

You should read it if: Learning that the Wrath demon is named “Wrathia” doesn’t strike you as comically dumb

Awkward Zombie ⭐

What is it: It’s a comic that makes jokes about video games

The Good: It’s the best comic that makes jokes about video games

The Bad: If you haven’t played the game in question, you might not get the jokes. Awkward lack of zombies.

You should read it if: You like jokes about video games. I don't....it's not a complex premise.

Camp Weedonwantcha ⭐

What is it: A bunch of kids are left at summer camp forever by parents who’ve abandoned them to die. Wacky comedy and feel-good moments ensue.

The Good: Cute adventures with kids, reminiscent of some of the better Nicktoons from the 90s. Surprisingly emotionally effective when it wants to be.

The Bad: While the ending is satisfying in its own way, many plot threads go unresolved

The Terrible: Nickelodeon bought the rights and is sitting on them.

You should read it if: You like slice of life adventures with blasts of dark humor and feels

Cloudscratcher

What is it: Ducktales, with Genocide!

The Good: Cute and generally likable characters. Decently paced

The Bad: Doesn’t really excel at anything. Weirdly insistent about totally not being a furry comic even though it obviously is.

The Terrible: The author is a white nationalist, and the lack of link is intentional.

You should read it if: You like 80s cartoons and hate minorities

Cornucopia ⭐

What is it: A ninja is sent on a mission to literally steal candy from a nation of morons, fails.

The Good: Good art and well-paced storytelling. Clever use of different types of word balloons. High joke-per-page ratio

The Bad: Doofy tone may not be your cup of tea. Seems to have died young, though the first chapter is still a complete story

You should read it if: You like JelloApocalypse’s videos on YouTube, or his series Epithet Erased, since he made this

Dresden Codak

What is it: A genius inventor has wacky adventurers, then goes to a flying city and spends most of the comic’s run embroiled in a conspiracy run by evil anime villains.

The Good: The drawings are pretty. The early comedy adventures are quirky and charming.

The Bad: Panel layout and composition, especially early in Dark Science, is atrocious. Presents the comic as a feminist power fantasy, but the main character usually has her tits out and has had her clothes burnt off on multiple occasions.

The Terrible: The author is a notorious jerk. As of this writing, The Dark Science storyline has been running for eight years and has yet to reach a triple-digit number of pages, even though it’s a full-time job for which Diaz earns $4,000+/mo on Patreon.

You should read it if: You thought the best part of Ghost in the Shell was the lesbian orgy boat.

Drop Out (NSFW) ⭐

What is it: Two girlfriends go on a road trip to kill themselves in style

The Good: Short enough to be read in one sitting. Surprisingly good visual storytelling for a first comic. Realistic dialogue and high tension keeps you engaged even when not much is happening. Subtle details that don’t become apparent until a second read reward paying attention.

The Bad: Heavy subject matter. Lettering can be tough to read in early pages.

Content Warnings: Drug Abuse, Suicide, Mental Health Issues, Detransitioning….a list of all the difficult content in this comic would be so long it’d look like I’m making a joke. This is a heavy comic.

You should read it if: You like arty dramatic comics that deal with uncomfortable topics

Dumbing of Age

What is it: College students obsessed with late 80s-early 90s pop culture have relationship troubles

The Good: Of all the popular comics it’s trendy to shit on, this is by far the best. Solid gag-a-day strip with plots that move at a decent pace.

The Bad: Realistic depictions of abusive parents co-exists in the same comic as a literal superhero, leading to some jarring tonal confusion.

You should read it if: You like newspaper-style drama comics.

Everything Is Fine

What is it: Maggie and Sam are a normal married couple in a very strange world where proving your loyalty is the key to winning, and the best way to prove your loyalty is to show someone else is disloyal. And also everyone wears mascot suit cat heads all the time.

The Good: Well-written characters, a novel premise, and excellent pacing. I’m not the biggest fan of the webtoon “really tall page” format, but it’s taken advantage of at times for nice transitions

The Bad: The webtoon format can be irritating, and the worldbuilding is toeing the line between “compelling mystery” and “If there were two astronauts on the moon and one shot the other wouldn’t that be fucked up?”-ism.

Content Warning: Gore, Suicide themes. Every page with such content has a warning on it (which works better in Webtoon format, actually)

You should read it if: You liked the dystopian fiction fiction books you had to read in high school.

Gunnerkrigg Court ⭐

What is it: A girl attends a scientific school in a magical world that’s honestly not even slightly like Harry Potter but people say it is because they think J. K. Rowling invented British schools

The Good: Good art and fantastic panel composition. Slow-burning dark fantasy mystery.

The Bad: Takes a little while to find its groove. Starts feeling rushed and confusing near the end.

The Terrible: Boxbot

You should read it if: You like dark fantasy stories, or stories in general.

Homestuck ⭐?

What is it: A kid wants to play a video game but it’s downstairs and he doesn’t feel like talking to his dad yadda yadda yadda the universe explodes. Was briefly ungodly popular.

The Good: High production values, many updates are music videos with excellent music. Great character writing, especially in Act 5. Toby Fox, the creator of Undertale, did a lot of the music, and arguably isn’t even the best musician featured.

The Bad:The early part of the comic is brutally slow-paced, and is an impossible hurdle for some.

The Terrible: The ending is widely considered a major disappointment, and attempts to turn the comic into a franchise have been met with mixed reviews. The prose epilogues are deeply divisive.

Content Warning: A lot gorier than you might expect, mitigated by the cartoony art style, abusive relationships, the epilogue is just generally gross.

You should read it if: You want to see what the hell all those kids in grey face-paint at anime conventions were about

You should also consider: Just getting the music off the bandcamp, it’s really good.

Homestuck 2

What is it: A “dubiously canon” sequel to Homestuck, following from The Homestuck Epilogues, made by a different creative team. Follows two intersecting future timelines

The Good: The art is quite nice, and the new characters are fun and likable. Very bold in its ideas, for better or for worse it’s rarely boring. One of the few webcomics to be able to integrate trigger warnings clearly while remaining non-obtrusive with them. Faster-paced than the original Homestuck (low bar!) and has a few clever presentation ideas. Willing to be its own thing. If you’re worried it’s just “Homestuck 1 but more of it”, this is not that.

The Bad: Not at all a stand-alone comic, Homestuck 2 is completely incoherent if you’re not familiar with Homestuck 1 and the Homestuck Epilogues. Does not have the big multimedia productions Homestuck 1 was known for. Beloved characters from Homestuck 1 can come off really badly, which upsets a lot of people. If you’re looking for “Homestuck 1 but more of it”, this is not that.

The Terrible: At times, this comic is actively trying to piss off the readership by dragging out unpopular plot revelations. I actually like this about it, but unsurprisingly a lot of people don’t.

You should read it if: If you have to ask “Should I read Homestuck 2?”, the answer is probably “No”. This is a comic for people who are riding the Homestuck train to the bitter end.

You should also consider: Reading my Liveblog of it

Kiwi Blitz ⭐

What is it: A precocious young girl gets a Kiwi-shaped robot and decides to become a superhero ridding the world of nefarious furries. More of a cute character drama than a superhero comic, and more of a superhero comic than a mecha one.

The Good: Cute artstyle. Not without dramatic stakes, but fairly light and fun throughout minus a few people getting shot. The android 42 is stand-out great character.

The Bad: Prone to long hiatuses as the author's main comic is now Sleepless Domain.

You should read it if: You liked Sleepless Domain, and are looking for a somewhat lighter comic by the same author.

Latchkey Kingdom ⭐

What is it: A girl goes on adventures in a magical land of idiots

The Good: Good but not overbearing comedy. Tight chapters. Strong side characters

The Bad: Thanks in part to Patron-backed stories in between the “main” chapters, can feel like an episodic series with no main character or driving plot

The Neutral: Willa is a semi-silent protagonist, and often gets overshadowed by the wacky people she meets. Cerberus Syndrome, executed well

You should read it if: You like adventure, silly characters, and jokes about Dark Souls.

Leasebound

What is it: Two lesbians are contrived into sharing an apartment, then the comic becomes a polemic about how trans people are evil. The second-best TERF webcomic on this list

The Good: This comic has no redeeming qualities

The Bad: It’s hella transphobic, and not even particularly interesting about it the way Sinfest can be. Everything that’s not hateful is boring, and the comic is practically going “Go on, be offended, blog about me, give me atteeeennnnttttiiiiiooooonnn!”

You should read it if: You really shouldn’t, and I’m not linking to it

Least I Could Do

What is it: Rayne Summers is the best at everything and you should listen to him

The Good: This comic updates on time regularly. Sometimes it updates without word balloons by accident, making it surreally funny

The Bad: Poorly thought-out political rants; few jokes, severe overuse of beat panels, copy-pasted art.

The Terrible: Designed to go viral, not to be entertaining; makes panels wordless just so they can be used as preview images

You should read it if: You have committed horrible sins and wish to atone

Legend of the Hare

What is it: I wrote this! A white trash loser girl is peer pressured into becoming a magical girl by a pair of pushy rabbits. A spinoff of the print comic Blade Bunny, written and drawn by the current creative team of Saffron and Sage.

The Good: Bouncy and cartoony art. Strong and memorable characters. Very weird and freewheeling.

The Bad: The plot is an absolute mess, stalling out and even going backwards at times, though it mostly comes together at the end. The tone is wildly inconsistent.

The Terrible: Kind of South-Parky in its humor sometimes

You should read it if: You like Saffron and Sage and want to see a comic by the same team when they were less experienced.

Nan Quest ⭐

What is it: In this spiritual sequel to Ruby Quest, a goat girl electrician sets out to fix a broken fuzebox and ends up ensnared in a psychological horror conspiracy.

The Good: Much more effective use of the simple MS Paint art style, with more color and some simple animations (animated panels being marked [A], a convention Homestuck would later adopt for its [S] sound panels). The characters are better fleshed out than in Ruby Quest, and the horror is more effective as well, with less gore and more tension.

The Bad: Though used effectively, the art is still MS Paint doodles. The story mechanics behind the mystery are much more ambiguous, which can be a plus.

Content Warning: Gore, threatened sexual violence.

You should read it if: You like Ruby Quest and/or psychological horror comics that can be read in a few hours.

Moby: Back from the Deep

What is it: A zombie killer whale attacks a small town.

The Good: The art is nice

The Bad: Egregious overuse of narration.

The Terrible: It’s a beat for beat ripoff of the movie Jaws, down to some characters having their names only marginally changed from their Jaws counterpart (e.g. “Alex Gardener” is the name of the Alex Kintner analogue)

You should read it if: You can’t find a Jaws torrent.

Mokepon ⭐

What is it: A dickhead teenager is forced on a Pokemon adventure, and learns a valuable lesson about friendship while being dragged into a criminal conspiracy. A Pokemon fanfic that’s somewhat darker than the source material (though not really “grimdark”)

The Good: Good action scenes, nice manga-style art. Notable improvement in art and storytelling over time. Atticus’ slow-burn character growth is satisfying.

The Bad: The early chapters are almost a completely different comic, and it takes a little while to find its groove.

You should read it if: You liked Pokemon Special

Monster Pulse ⭐

What is it: Kids’ internal organs become sentient external organs, and they have to keep it a secret from an evil orginization.

The Good: Cool twist on the surprisingly rare monster pet genre. Not afraid to upend the status quo

The Bad: No real obvious flaws, but if you don’t find the premise interesting, you probably won’t like it.

You should read it if: You were a fan of monster-pet stories like Digimon Tamers

The Monster Under The Bed

What is it: A teenager finds a demon girl under his bed, rom-com ensues

The Good: Cute anime-esque premise

The Bad: Gets progressively hornier to to point where I'm not sure if I should even leave it on this list. Egregious use of photos instead of drawing backgrounds, making outdoor scenes look awful

You should read it if: You like trashy Japanese animes

Narbonic ⭐

What is it: A shlubby loser gets a job working for a mad scientist. Mad sciencey things occur, and the comic experiences an incredible jump in quality in the back half

The Good: Short comic, comfy and easy to read. The best and most satisfying ending arc of any webcomic ever.

The Bad: Some “LOLRANDOM” humor, especially early on.

The Terrible: The first few comics are almost literally unreadable due to messy handwritten lettering and low quality scans.

You should read it if: You love seeing a story build to a proper conclusion, and you don’t mind a rough start.

Octopus Pie ⭐

What is it: Slice-of-life dramedy where twenty-somethings try to become adults and/or get laid while navigating New York life. Completed comic.

The Good: If you direct your attention above, you will see the incredible coloring. There are other comics that have better plots and even better characters, but Octopus Pie is uniquely good at hitting a mood. Occasionally does some infinite canvas stuff that’s neat.

The Bad: This is a comic about exploring ideas and kind of drifting around through life, and isn’t a big plot-focused comic with a lot of big dramatic reveals. Which I don’t think is bad, but it might not be your thing.

You should read it if: You liked stories about adults trying to figure out how to grow up, and like seeing characters age.

Out-of-Placers ⭐

What is it: A human man is turned into a female rat creature, and has to navigate a low-fantasy world while learning their incredibly stupid ways and trying to get himself back to normal.

The Good: Really good worldbuilding, with interesting, fleshed out, and unique fantasy races. There are licensed Dungeons and Dragons books with less cool ideas for a campaign in them.

The Bad: Can get kind of edgy in ways that don’t always work, and occasionally gets a bit gross. If the premise made you think it was a furry fetish comic, it’s not, but it keeps threatening to become one if you don’t whap it with a newspaper and say “No” very firmly every now and then.

You should read it if: Your favorite DnD race is kobolds.

Paranatural ⭐

What is it: Kids bust ghosts in a parody of shounen anime tropes

The Good: Good banter, creative panel layouts, and characters you want to root for.

The Bad: The story rapidly increases in scale, causing the pacing to slow down somewhat. The story later transitions to an illustrated prose format, which some people can't really get into.

You should read it if: You liked Bleach before it became Dragonball

Prequel -or- Making A Cat Cry: The Adventure ⭐

What is it: An Elder Scrolls fanfiction, in which an alcoholic catgirl heads to a new land to try to make a better life, and generally fails.

The Good: Inventive use of the web as a storytelling medium. Great character writing. Lovable protagonist. Excellent payoff to years or life kicking the protagonist in the face.

The Bad: Years of life kicking the protagonist in the face. Can thus be depressing, especially early on, sometimes to the point of being offensive (see Content Warnings)

The Terrible: Very slow and irratic update schedule

Content Warnings: Alcoholism, Depression, the protagonist gets blackout drunk and wakes up in bed next to strange men several times, which is played for comedy.

You should read it if: You like slow burn character development. You like stories where the protagonist has a hard time

Problem Sleuth

What is it: A detective tries to leave his office using user-submitted commands, and gets in a few tangents along the way. Mostly known now as “The thing Andrew Hussie did before Homestuck”, but it was a popular comic in its own right.

The Good: Much better art than most reader-driven comics, bizarre and clever, with a dramatic finish.

The Bad: Holy shit, you thought Homestuck meandered? Problem Sleuth will do nearly anything and everything readers asked him to do, and this is a veeeeeery convoluted comic that has thus aged somewhat poorly.

You should read it if: You thought Homestuck was best before the Trolls got involved.

Questionable Content

What is it: Humanity achieves a technological utopia in the background while hipsters in Massachusetts complain about their dating lives. Later begins focusing much more heavily on all the robots.

The Good: A rotating menagerie of quirky cute girls. Had a major trans character before it was cool.

The Bad: The comic kind of transitions from being about one thing to being about another thing several times, to the point where onetime protagonists show up less and less or even get dropped altogether in favor of the New Thing the comic is.

You should read it if: You want a comfy and diverse slice-of-life comic.

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clanwarrior-tumbly · 1 year ago

Note

Holy crap I’m loving your writing! Im especially obsessed with Ken and the ranch owner

I’m wondering if you’d be willing to do an fem human reader x Ken where the reader gets a bit sick, nothing too serious but Ken absolutely freaks out and thinks the reader is dying or sum (he learned about death from Stero Barbie. Also spiders. He’s terrified of both) and the reader thinks it’s a bit funny so she’s like “yeah I’m dying” but then he gives her the most terrified and sad kicked puppy look and she has to explain that it’s just a cold lol

Awh thank you!! Im glad that ppl still love my barbie movie stuff even though barbie summer has come and gone 💔

........

There were only two things that Ken feared after beginning his new life in the Real World:

One is the mortality of humans, as Barbie told him all about how fragile their lives were and the two paths they were given: either growing old and dying peacefully in their beds, or some terrible occurrence cutting it short long before their time on this earth was up.

The second was spiders.

He especially hated the spiders.

You only recently discovered he had that fear after finding one of those 8-legged critters in your house--or more specifically in his room, where he came barreling out from as though he accidentally set something on fire.

At first, you thought he really did start a fire until he dragged you back into there, begging you to get rid of the "strange beast".

You had no clue what he could possibly be referring to....and then he pointed to the corner, where a little cellar spider sat completely unbothered, weaving its web.

In that moment, you realized you may have turned him arachnophobic, considering you did show him one insect-themed horror movie this past Halloween. He kept freaking out over it potentially growing horse-sized or injecting venom into his bloodstream when he was asleep.

But despite you assuring him neither of those things could happen (and insisting that the spider was more afraid of him), Ken refused to go into the room until it was gone.

You find it hard to fathom that this same doll who led an entire revolt, came to terms with his own identity crisis, and bravely made the transition to humanity....was totally inconsolable in the presence of a tiny bug.

Then again, maybe showing him that movie--and allowing Barbie to explain why arachnophobia was among the top fears humans had--was a huge mistake.

Regardless, you made it your mission to get rid of the critter.

Oddly enough Ken insisted that you didn't actually kill it, but you found you it sweet that he valued its life despite it scaring the shit out of him. So you contained it in a cup, putting a napkin underneath it before releasing it outside.

After that, you mentioned how most people usually killed spiders and other pests that invaded their home.

He looked wildly uncomfortable at that fact, before he began talking about some rather... concerning things: like if the spider knew how short its lifespan was, how easily it could have been crushed, if it feared death or if it was even aware of it at all-

Before he could derail and start rambling about death itself too much, you stopped him, asking if he was feeling alright.

And he went quiet for a moment, before smiling and giving you a kiss, reassuring you he felt better.

Yet even as he left the room, he still appeared awful tense.

It was that day where you worried that it's more than just spiders he feared..

.......

"Babe, what's wrong? Are you sick??"

"...unfortunately, but it's nothing serious. Just a stupid cold I caught at work." Sighing tiredly, you sat up in bed, seeing Ken walk into the room.

He looked nothing short of horrified at how drained and exhausted you sounded this morning. "A-Are you sure?"

"Yeah. I don't want you to catch anything, so I'm sorry...but no kisses today."

"Then..what about tomorrow?"

You just rolled your eyes, drinking some tea you made for yourself. "Maybe, but we'll see if I wake up."

Although it was meant to be a little joke, your foggy brain forgot how seriously the blond often took jokes, and he rushed to your bedside, kneeling down.

His eyes were wide as he took your hand. "If you wake up??? Are you dying??"

Putting down your mug, you sighed once more, trying to figure out a way to remedy this situation before you upset him too much. "No....I mean I just feel like I'm dying, but.." You paused, noticing the tears coming to his eyes. "Ken?"

Now that he was a lot closer, you could see the utterly terrified look on his face--as though you kicked a puppy right in front of him.

Yep, it was already much too late. He was upset.

"I-I know tomorrow is not guaranteed for anyone, but you have to get through this, [y/n]! Please..I can't lose you, too...not when you've done so much to help me." He was extremely close to crying, his lips trembling.

Your heart sunk as you placed a hand ober his own. "Oh honey, I was only kidding around when I say-"

"Why do humans joke about death so much? Don't they know y-you...you can't come back? That they have such short lives?? O-Or sure, some believe you can be reincarnated but that doesn't make it any-"

At this point, he was just blubbering nonsense, so you took him into your arms. And for a moment he fell silent, before burying his face into your chest, trying to calm himself down. "I-I'm sorry.."

"No, no..I'm sorry. You're right..I shouldn't be joking about death around you." Frowning slightly, you stroked his hair. "I promise I'm not dying. Not today, or tomorrow..not for a long, long time. This cold will pass and I'll feel better soon enough."

".....a-are these the irrepressible thoughts of death Barbie had?"

'Oh.'

It finally hit you.

He was going through the same thing she once did.

"Ken.." You had him sit up so you could see his face. Aside from it being a little red and his eyes puffy and watery, there were tear marks trailing down to the stubble that had formed along his jaw and chin. "Why didn't you tell me you were having those thoughts?"

Sniffling, he just shrugged. "I don't know. And... I don't know why I'm thinking them. Barbie could blame it on somebody who was playing with her, but...I can't. Because I'm not a doll anymore, I'm human....a-and...those were my thoughts alone." He shuddered, terrified at that realization. "I guess I just..didn't wanna scare you, b-but obviously it's too late for that..."

A small chuckle came from him, although it dissolved into a small sob as he wiped his eyes. "S-Sorry, I....I want these thoughts to just pass already."

"And they will." You nodded, squeezing his free hand reassuringly. "It looks like you're just experiencing them for the first time, and that's okay. They won't be all you think about. And you don't have to apologize for how you're feeling, as long as you're honest with me."

"Th-Thank you.." He sniffled. "I should be taking care of you, not the other way around. Do you need you anything? More tea? Meds? Anything at all?"

You smiled fondly, leaning forward to kiss him on the forehead. "You're all I need right now, sweetheart."

That response seemed to bring Ken's giddy old self back, as he smiled bashfully in return. He melted back into your arms when you wrapped them around him, and he listened to your heartbeat: the only assurance he needed that you were still living.

Eventually...those thoughts of death did pass him by, and he felt okay again.

#clanask #anonymous #barbie x reader #barbie movie x reader #barbie ken x reader #ken x reader #ryan gosling ken #ryan gosling ken x reader #sick reader #hurt/comfort #tw arachnophobia #tw death #female reader

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trashboatprince · 9 months ago

Note

Oh i just thought of a prompt idea! Aziraphale trying to write a book? Maybe under estimating how easy it would be?

Hahaha, the massive difference between reading something and writing something.

On with the fic!

"Angel!" Crowley shouted as he loudly threw open the doors to the bookshop. "You in? Cause I know you are, I can sense your 'goody-goody' angel essence here. Plus, you tend to call me when you're gonna take a little trip or do somethin' for Heaven."

He glanced around, there looked to be more dust than usual, and he could smell the unmistakable scent of forgotten tea cups. Bleh.

Which means that Aziraphale either found a new, ancient tome to pour over for days to make sure he reads every single thing, examines every damn, little detail. Or, he's bookbinding/repairing for a commission and completely forgot about everything else in the world, including answering his blasted phone.

Crowley rolled his eyes and headed right for Aziraphale's work space, and as he got closer, he seemed to pick up on a ticking sound. And a metallic ding, followed by some odd sound, then more ticking.

Gosh, that's a combo of noises Crowley hadn't heard in person in ages, mainly you heard it in movies or TV shows from bygone times. Or, when Aziraphale decided to pull it out of its case and use it because his ancient-as-anything computer just won't cut it.

Peeking into the work space, Crowley found a mess.

Papers everywhere, stacked into what had to be piles of organized chaos, or simply discarded, judging by some of the crumbled up paper balls. And there was Aziraphale, with several cups that may or may not contain mold, glaring as he rapidly typed away at a typewriter that had to be from the 1890s.

Aziraphale growled and yanked out the paper. "No, no! Terrible, all of those were incorrect for the scene! Fine, attempt number fifteen should be it..."

The typewriter suddenly had paper again and Aziraphale began typing away, muttering under his breath.

"Hell's teeth, angel, what's all this about?" Crowley asked, picking up one of the discarded papers. He looked at what was on it, and it seemed to be dialogue between two characters, though the conversation was very prissy, very Aziraphale-like.

Aziraphale squeaked and turned, blinking owlishly behind his little glasses. "Oh! Good... uhh... what time is it, dear?"

"It's 10 in the morning."

"Ah! Right, good morning! Dreadfully sorry, been a bit busy lately."

"I can see that." Crowley tossed the paper aside. "You writin' somethin'?"

Aziraphale looked excited. "I am! I decided that it's about time that I add to the literary world, and not just contribute to it through my reading!"

"So, you're trying to write a book." The demon picked up a few more pages. "This is why I haven't heard from you for over a week?"

"It's been over a week since we had brunch?" Aziraphale blinked. "Gosh, I seem to have been more into my work than I thought."

Crowley snorted, tossing the other papers aside into the mess. Then he stopped, and a big, toothy grin came to him. "Brunch! Oooh! This is why you're writing a book, isn't it? Cause I told you that it's a lot of work for good literature, after you complained about all those annoying books that 'popular' authors these days just churn out every two months! You were all 'It takes time and effort for memorable books, anyone who doesn't just want the next paycheck can do it'."

Aziraphale huffed and fixed his bowtie. "I stand by that, Crowley. And it's true, a love for writing and reading can create amazing stories. And I decided to prove my point!"

"From all this paper, and how pissed you looked when I came in, it's not going very well?"

"Well..." The angel coughed, looking away and back at the typewriter, "it is a work in progress, and not everyone can create a masterpiece on the first attempt! Besides, I think I'm onto something with my story, finally! Inspiration struck me and I've been on a roll, I just have to make sure I get everything right! I will not settle for anything less with this specific plot!"

"Uh huh. And what's it about?"

Aziraphale's cheeks pinked and he tugged at his vest. "W-well, it's a secret, I'm not ready to reveal the plot just yet!"

Crowley grabbed a random page off the pile next to him and cleared his throat. "'It would be the most magical of nights, if one excuses the pun, of course. A chance to show my skills to a real audience, on the West End of all places!' I think I can take a wild guess as to what this-"

The page was snatched from Crowley's hands and Aziraphale shoved it into his vest, hiding it from the demon. His face was red and he looked embarrassed. "It's a secret! No reading!"

Crowley chuckled, shoving his hands into his pockets. "Fine, I'll just have to wait for when it's finally released. You'll have to let me know when it's available, I'd just love to read it." He lowered his glasses to give the angel a wink before snatching up the forgotten tea cups.

"Now, how about we take a little break, Mr. Writer Man. We can do brunch again."

Aziraphale seems like the sort of writer who won't settle for anything less than perfect if he's gonna write something based on his life. And that magical night in 1941 must be correct!

#good omens #ineffable husbands #ineffable spouses #crowley #anthony j crowley #aziraphale #john's drabbles

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nochuelinha · 9 months ago

Text

Chapter 4 : Getting Closer

Connor took me home, and when we arrived at the door of my apartment, I didn't want to let him go yet. Was it because of the emotions of today? His company might have been a welcome relief amidst the chaos and adrenaline of work. Sometimes, when we go through intense moments, it's natural to seek closeness and emotional support from people we trust. The feeling of not wanting to let him go could be a reflection of that desire to prolong that moment of comfort and security he provides. Maybe deep down, I simply didn't want to feel alone after such an emotionally charged day.

"Do you want to come in?" My voice faltered a bit; will he notice that I got a little anxious? "If you have somewhere else to go, it's okay, I..." Connor put his hand on the small of my back.

"I don't mind staying a little longer with you." His eyes were gentle. "I want to make sure you're comfortable; it's normal to be stressed after almost falling off a building." He joked. The light-hearted banter about the incident in the building helped to ease the tension of the moment, showing that he was there to support me and also to bring a bit of humor to the situation. His warm and comforting presence likely helped calm my nerves, providing a sense of security and comfort in a moment of vulnerability.

My apartment isn't very large; it's just enough for me, it even has an extra bedroom, but it's empty. I asked Connor to make himself at home; he began to look around my apartment. I went to my bedroom and entered the bathroom inside it; I looked terrible, with a tired face and hair all over the place. I took a relaxing shower; it was like washing away all the tiredness of the day. I put on comfortable pajamas and found Connor in the kitchen, preparing tea.

"I took the liberty of preparing you chamomile tea; you have several types of beverages here." He noticed my presence and digressed, smiling at me as he handed me the cup. All of this gave me a sense of familiarity and comfort; it was warm. The gentle aroma of chamomile tea lingered in the air, bringing a sense of calm and serenity as I enjoyed this moment of tranquility with Connor. We sat on the couch; the TV was on, showing a music award program, one of my favorite android idol groups was nominated.

"What do you do when you're not working with us?" I looked back at Connor.

"I usually go back to CyberLife or do reports for Amanda." He looked at me curiously. "Amanda sends me missions; she created me." He explained. His mention of Amanda as the one who sends missions and tasks added an intriguing layer to his story, suggesting a unique and possibly complex relationship with his creator. The revelation also raised questions about the nature of his existence and his role in the world of androids, leaving a sense of mystery hanging in the air as I absorbed this information.

At some point during the conversation, I ended up falling asleep; when I woke up again, I was in my bed, covered by my duvet. I sat up in bed, and there was a note on the bedside table, written in very neat handwriting: "I thought it best not to disturb your sleep and left. If you need anything, just send me a text or call, here's the contact."

With a smile, I tucked the note away in a safe place, feeling grateful to have someone like Connor by my side. I got ready for work and left. Today I didn't see Connor or Hank; I found it strange, but I let it go. Maybe they had other responsibilities or commitments for that day; I continued with my routine, focusing on my tasks of the day and keeping busy with my chores.

Chris had called me to go with him and Gavin for another investigation, including the androids, although I couldn't stand Detective Reed, I entered. Upon entering the Eden Club with Chris and Gavin, you came across a disturbing scene in one of the rooms there. An android was lying on the floor, with thirium dripping from its nose, while on the bed lay the body of a burly man.

The scene made it clear that something terrible had happened there, possibly an attempt at fun that ended in tragedy. Now, it was time to investigate the details and find clues that could lead to solving the case, Gavin made a comment and I left the room.

Spotting Hank and Connor at the Eden Club, you immediately noticed that Hank wasn't in his best condition. He exuded the smell of alcohol, indicating that his previous night had been filled with drinks and possibly heavy drinking. I looked at Connor, who just shrugged. His shrugged expression suggested a mixture of understanding and detachment towards his colleague's behavior; perhaps he was accustomed to dealing with such situations and knew that, at the moment, there wasn't much to be done besides continuing with the investigation. It wasn't news to me either, so I returned to the crime scene with my two partners.

Connor then reactivated the fallen android, a WR400 model; she seemed very scared and told us what had happened. Really, the guy was disgusting; it didn't justify her situation, however, apparently she wasn't the only one who had been rented. Connor left the room and looked around; he approached one of the androids available for rent at the Eden Club to investigate more closely. He was probably looking for additional clues or trying to find any leads that could help solve the case. By interacting with the androids or examining the environment around them, Connor could obtain crucial information that would aid in the investigation and in identifying the killer.

#detroit become human #connor rk800 x reader #connor x reader #connor rk800 #dbh connor #hank anderson #romance #gavin reed

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justmochi · 2 years ago

Text

IN THE SOOP EP 3 BEHIND

pairing :: rosie x dino

word count :: 0.8k

synopsis :: rosie isn’t feeling good.

a/n :: italics are cut out of the episode and not in the final cut. hopefully this makes up for me not having anything to write for ep 3.

taglist :: @cafemilk-tea @cixrosie @moonlight-additions @cosmicwintr @astraw-astro @ateezjuliet @fromfreesia @succulentmom @kimhyejin3108 @enhacolor @multiplums

Seungkwan and Rosie arrived back at the site after their jog. She felt a bit gross from sweating and also being in the rain for the majority of their run, so she showered as soon as she reached the lower house.

She had no idea why that during her shower, her stomach started to cramp. It may have been from her lack of exercise in the past or that her period was on its way. Even though she wanted to get out and socialize after, she couldn’t exert herself. She clothed herself, going straight from the bathroom to the bedroom. She tried her best to get comfy, propping up several pillows and setting her phone against one as she watched videos.

She was able to doze off and sleep the pain away but was awoken by Dino sitting at the edge of the bed and poking her forehead. She furrowed her eyebrows, groaning and covering her head with the blankets.

“Hey, we haven’t seen much of you today.” He smiled, patting her hip. Now she couldn’t even open her eyes, even the light peeking in from outside the blanket was making her head throb.

“My head and stomach hurt so bad.” She whispered, trying not to speak too loud to make it worse. He quickly adjusted his tone as he began to worry for her.

“Are you okay? Is it your period?” He ran his fingers over her wrist as she shook her head.

“It could be.”

He frowned, watching as she took the covers off her head. “Can I get you anything? Hyungs made food earlier and we kept some leftovers.”

“I don’t think I can eat anything. I’m sorry.” She apologized, feeling terrible for not wanting to eat the food that her members made. “I didn’t bring much. I don’t even have pain relievers.”

“I can go and check with Jeonghan or Seungkwan if they have anything. They usually have that stuff loaded.”

“Please.” She let out a big exhale, burying her face in the pillow as she wrapped her arms around herself.

“Of course. I can see if I can find a hot water bottle. Maybe that would help?” He offered some suggestions as he stood up, tucking the blankets in under her feet and making sure she was comfortable. “I could bring you some tea?”

She could only nod her head, trying to force a smile as he was on his way, turning the light off before leaving.

After a while, Dino came back to the room with his hands full. She tried her best to sit up, her head only pounding more.

He set the hot teacup on the nightstand, along with some pills. Before sitting down, he grabbed a water bottle out of his pocket and a sock.

She widened her eyes, pursing her lips. “Don’t make me laugh.”

“No, just wait.” He slid the hot water bottle into the sock and started swinging it gently. He snorted at himself as she covered her face with her hands, trying not to laugh. He pulled the top of the covers lower, pressing the new invention onto her stomach. He looked up at her for any indication that it may have worked. “Is it warm?”

She nodded, smiling at him endearingly. He grabbed her hand, placing it over the water bottle before reaching for the teacup and pills. “Jeonghan had some. The tea’s not too hot, just be careful.” He turned the cup so she would be able to grab it with the handle. He held open his hands as she grabbed each of the tiny pills.

She blew on the tea before sipping on it. She nodded her head at how good it tasted. He knew exactly how much honey she liked in her tea. She quickly downed the pills, washing it down with the warm liquid.

“Hopefully this will make you feel better.” He brushed his fingers through her hair, sympathy peeking through his smile as he looked at her. She nodded, taking big sips after another and finishing half of her tea.

“Come lay down.” She patted the free space next to her on the mattress. He couldn’t say no.

Turning off the lights, he went to the foot of the bed before climbing in next to her, sticking his legs under the covers and adjusting pillows for himself. He propped himself up with his elbow, watching her finish her tea and putting it on the nightstand. She scooted her body down on the bed, laying on her side and keeping the water bottle close to her stomach. Dino slipped his arm under her pillow, his other hand resting over her stomach and rubbing slow circles over it. The DIY heating pad and his gestures were enough to help her fall asleep again.

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panelshowsource · 11 months ago

Text

yes on the 28th!! i'm excited because ALISON HAMMOND!!! every day i'm like whyyy do we not have her on more panel shows she is everything!

victoria spoke about it on her episode of taskmaster the podcast :)

all i know is she's been looking fly as ever — like always! but if she's changing things up a lil then good for her 😌

i would like to anon but they didn't rly have that many moments together on the show, like of substance that make a good gifset 😩 i did do these two! do you have another moment in mind?

omg YES LMAO

richard is so hilariously subtly shady, i love when someone makes the most wrong guess ever (usually during tablet games like the rich list and i'm terrible at dating) and richard does a very obvious scoff-chuckle and goes "yeah? [raises eyebrows knowingly] well [stifled laughter] you never know! let's see if that's right [stifled laughter]" like it just cracks me up — because somehow he's not smug at all despite being mr big brains and someone who teases others a lot

one thing i love about hog is how much richard loves hog — like, that's his baby, he loves doing that show, and he is so obviously having the most fun every single week, which makes it even more fun for us imo!

wow great question!

i have a lot of nostalgic love for comedy world cup — i love david tennant, he's so affable and very funny and a lovely host, and i think that format had legs even if it didn't make it in the end. also from around that time i remember liking mad mad world on itv, which was suddenly cancelled mid run? with paddy mcguinness, rhys darby, rufus hound... —

sorry to digress for a second but remember on some recent podcast ep when sam campbell was like "what's rufus hound up to" and i think it was ed gamble who laughed his ass off lmaooo i feel like there's rufus hound tea out there but idk what it is. anyways

— ...i would love to check it out again but i can't find it! i'll work on that 🤔 then, of course, you have been watching hosted by charlie brooker. it would not have been as strong a format if it wasn't for charlie writing the show and clearly having many topics & rants he wanted to go in for, but i loved that series and saw quite a few comedians/personalities, including vcm, josie long, holly walsh, and peter serafinowicz, there for the first time :')

looks like i had a lil trip down memory lane!

i think it's great! i'm not crazy about dylan llewellyn — i am not super into derry girls, and i felt, at times, his acting was lesser than the others' in a distracting way? is that just me? — but it hardly ruined the show or anything. the cast has GREAT chemistry and jon pointing is a standout (though he doesn't pass for his 20s at all lmao), and i love seeing izuka hoyle who i loved in boiling point and is so(!) gorgeous. tv comedy lives and dies on its editing, and big boys really understands its structure and its beats. i'd also say it strikes a rare balance in its absurdity and its sincerity, which is some of my favourite ever kind of film & tv. god, i just love sad boi comedy. or sad anything. i'm a "let's watch this and cry🤩" kind of person no matter my mood LOL

btw did you see victoria coren mitchell also loved big boys?

sure anon i put it on google drive here :)

i'm not going to host this one but you can request it here and someone will definitely have it to share with you asap! sorry for the inconvenience but lmk if you have any questions :)

—————

PANEL SHOW WATCH LINKS / NON-PANEL SHOW WATCH LINKS FAQ / TAGS / ASK

#a #whiteberryx

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castlebyersafterdark · 3 months ago

Note

a few kinda not chill asks sent my way too a while back, about being disinterested or disappointed when fandom blogs get too personal and it just turned my stomach

Ok it might not be me, but ive definitely said this kind of thing to blogs before and i would like to come here now and explain myself and also apologise.

Firstly, context and tone being lost online. i understand it's easy to project and take things to heart that might not even have been about us! been there done that, all day long! but still, i'm sorry that i might have contributed to someone feeling bad because of that.

Secondly and more importantly, it probably was totally unnecessary for me to comment things like that in the first place. ive changed my habits so much in the past few months on this site, and feel so much better. it was wild in the midst of s4, then all the byler shit happening really made me act out in a way that i didnt care for at all. didnt even feel like me! i didnt do anything terrible, but i started to understand the slippery slope of how people end up catfishing and shit. it's the anonymity! you dont stop and think online. well, most don't. but i think you do, vinny. its one of the reasons i love your blog.

which leads me to point three. yes, you talk about personal stuff, but it's so charming and endearing, and never feels gratuitous or self-centred or wallowy. and so, even for someone like me who always wanted byler content more than personal stuff on other blogs, i had a realisation. not necessarily a kind or unkind one, but a truthful one: that being here is kind of like meeting people irl in many ways. some people you click with, others you don't. and that's ok. but in real life you can size people up and judge if you want to associate with them. no shade to those who don't compel you - its just part of being human and you walk away and don't befriend them.

but online is so weird - we can't see each other, don't know our ages or interests or anything except what we're told. so when people you perhaps thought were cool, suddenly turn their blog into something that starts to feel unsafe or just downright rubbish... or perhaps you realise theyre so very much younger than you and it's not exactly manageable to be chatting with them because you wouldn't have such a relationship irl... well, i guess its easy to feel tricked. and you can't see it coming like you might if you were physically associating with someone in person, or with mutual friends who give you perspective. i mean, i definitely shouldn't have interacted with so many younger people in this fandom so carelessly, but fandom can be unclear like that sometimes, when you're thrilling in a shared interest and forgetting how many different life experiences people are bringing to the same thing.

and yeah, i could probably have just walked away and not said anything. that's my bad. i was venting. (not about you, about others and you may have seen it and taken it to heart). so its a combo of internet enabling bad behaviour + the weirdness of invisible online connections, and my own lack of foresight.

but honestly vinny, never once have i felt annoyed by you. I've always loved your insights and personal life things... im drawn to the way you think and speak and it helps that you're self-aware, and seem honest and mature. in fact sometimes i feel a bit weirded out by just how much i love this blog. it feels like a real connection sometimes, even though its still invisible online. you have a real authorial voice, you are original and you are... well, you. what always annoyed me was when other byler blogs just became carbon copies of each other, complaining about the same shit (usually byler doubt) and then suddenly soapboxing about personal problems in a way that would have made me feel unsafe and stressed if i knew them irl.

not to say these bloggers were objectively bad, but just not my cup of tea. i didn't handle it well, i should have just scrolled on past. but i didnt and that was on me. not everyone can like everyone, and that's ok. that's normal. but i wouldnt want anyone to have that life lesson served to them in a bad-shaped box, and especially not by me.

so yeah. apologising in case i had a hand in making you feel that way by proxy. and i hope it can mean something that i don't ever think youre annoying. i genuinely love it here. i can't wait to stick it out with you until s5 drops! and i think i'll be more sad than i thought, because all our speculation and gossip will come to an end with the show.

Posting since you gave the go ahead 😌

This is just a silly fandom blog at the end of the day, but I do feel somewhat vulnerable at times. A lot. It can feel like sending a risky text over and over. I have this inability that once I allow myself to feel comfortable in a place, even an online setting, I do tend to get overly personal and insightful and vulnerable once the edge is tipped over. Slippery slope when you've been a person who's lifelong dealt with pretty severe anxiety and sensitivity, even while being pretty extroverted. Weird combo. I'm a mess! But it's ok.

Situations like this, me making an offhand comment, probably based on off hand comments not at all to do with me - stem from all that. And it's like oh god, mannn why are you like this!?! Chill out! And it's no one's fault - to anon sending this ask: based on how you're explaining and talking here, you may have been one I saw elsewhere that I took to heart but you definitely don't sound like those who sent unkind things over the summer. So it's ok 🥲🙏 We are all works in progress. I've gotten myself in to some situations online, mostly of mine own doing, but also not, and I guess as fun as I have on here and despite the rampant kindness - I'm always bracing for the worst. Because we've all seen what fandom can be like, what the internet can be like.

I feel you though, and anyone else who has their guards up. We can't help what does and does not resonate. I think I know what you mean by going to a space for one thing and then tonally it morphs into something different. I've seen that happen with blogs. And it's so hard because we're human, even if we want to be aloof and disconnected, there's always someone behind every post and page and blog and account (well, unless it's a bot haha), but we aren't going to click with most people and we aren't going to get to know most, either. And it's so much easier for everything to switch up like that online as opposed to knowing a person "in the real world." Without knowing the backstory, the reason. If there's any at all. And I think it's very human to feel some sort of way about these things. The person looking at the screen is just as real as the one one the other side, and there's this digital wall between all of us - connections can be beautiful here, but they can also be frustrating.

I'm really glad that even one person feels affected in a positive way by whatever it is I'm doing here, it really blows my mind when I read kind words. Not trying to sound facetious, it truly catches me off guard and it's always a pleasant reminder. I think that's why I get so anxious and nervous thinking anything I do here is upsetting or annoying or negative. Because I've been that negative presence online in the past and I don't want to be. It's actually kind of funny and sweet that you feel weirded out by liking it here so much, because I feel the same???? Breaking down the reality of being obsessed with a TV show is... kinda fucking weird??? But it's not gonna change for me. This is what I'm into and passionate about and it's sooooo damn cool that others are too and vibe in the way I'm vibing with it.

As always - thanks for hanging out. I'll be sticking around long after our speculation and gossip dies down, and I hope people still want to hang out even after it's over. I'll still keep posting and oversharing and being creative and yes, being annoying about a television show. ❤️

#asks #queued #❤️❤️❤️#personal v

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concreteburialplot · 4 months ago

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OKAY SO

CHAPTER 2 OF WALLFLOWER, ah I screamed when I saw you had tagged me! SO EXCITING!

First of, the mastery of your work is brilliant, I love you writing style and I find myself rereading your posts times and times again because I feel like with every read I find something new and more exciting.

I love the plot, the character portrayal is terribly cute, like fluffy little romance your younger sibling tells you so you can both giddy over it.

I'd admit, Sam's flirting style or ig his tip toeing around both his and the MC's feelings is not my thing exactly, because I appreciate straightforwardness and bold moves, while his way is too "heart stuck crushing boy", a little bit too sickly sweet for my personal taste in men or male leads HOWEVER I find it incredibly rewarding to read, it feels like slowly unwrapping a candy and then marvelling at its delicious taste because you can't get enough so you want to take your time. It suits the MC's personality perfectly and I appreciate that because definitely not all people want to or are ready to jump right into admitting their crush/feelings.

It's a fresh gulp of air, a much needed treat for me! So THANK YOU SOOO MUCH for putting all that effort into writing this brilliant piece and I can't wait to read more! 💖💖💖

Ps: hope you're doing well! :*

-Minene xx

oh my goodness hello 😭

this has to be one of the most touching things anyone has ever said about my writing, nonetheless about Wallflower🥹

thank you so much this means the world to me 😭 while i wouldn’t agree that anything i write is worth calling brilliant, i do so appreciate the sentiment and am so so so grateful that you find so much enjoyment out of it 🥺🥹 im glad you like his character even tho its not usually your cup of tea!

and i am so so happy you’re liking it 🩷 this absolutely made my day thank you 🥹💗

#🥺🥹🥹#wallflower #sorry had to add some cute gifs of him💓#that’s wallflower sam 🥹#concreteburialplot works #my asks #keep

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solottrpgchronicles · 1 year ago

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2a. Chasing That High - The Last Tea Shop

Shop name: The Vagrant Tea Leaf

Supplies: sea salt, ginkgo leaf, dried sage

Days: 7

Visitor: a gambler

The drizzle today creates a symphony of tiny hands knocking on the windows, the roof, and at the door.

Except then, a real knock interrupts the gentle sounds, and a weary woman enters. She takes a seat at the only available table, offering a hesitant greeting. I respond with a smile and set the kettle on—she looks like she could use a cup of my Comforting Brew.

"I hope the rain didn't bother you too much; when it's this light, I find that it helps me think. Did you realize anything on the way here?" I ask, unceremoniously as usual; with spirits, time is of the essence.

"Right, I did, in fact," she says, stroking her cheek, perhaps too tired to note the strangeness of the question. "I was a gambler, you see. I had a terrible addiction, and now I realize it was fear that led me to this, the absolute lowest point in my life.

I don't think I've been especially unlucky; I was the primary cause of all my problems, and this was one of them. I guess I had never found a purpose; I had a mediocre 9-5 job that felt like a noose around my neck, shallow relationships so I could avoid commitment, and superficial friendships just to fill my weekends.

I never let anything feel too important to me, nobody get too close—that was my way of protecting myself. I kept the world at arm's length, so I wouldn't feel the pain of rejection.

I stumbled upon gambling by chance. The first time I tried, I experienced a roller coaster of emotions unlike anything I had ever felt. The euphoria of winning was so good... I needed more of it.

By the time I was back home alone in my squalid 300 square ft apartment, I'd feel empty. I could have done something to make my life better, but no, the easy answer was out there. More gambling, more chasing that high.

Obviously, it didn't end well. I gambled just about all I had, and it turned out to be the most miserable period of my life.

I'm sorry I didn't have the resolve to stop or get help before my ultimate departure."

She seems like she's in need of a hug, but since I'm not the hugging type, I bring her the Comforting Brew instead. Close enough.

After a few sips, her jaw relaxes, and her hands aren't gripping the mug as tightly. What little sunlight is coming through the golden-tinted window glass reflects on her hair.

"Tell me about your journey to the tea shop," I try, picking a more neutral question.

She takes a sip and nods; "I remember I was crying in a dark corner for a while. I didn't know where I was, but I had the sense I had left the mortal world. Suddenly, I started to smell something in the air—sea breeze, rain, tea. As soon as I stood up to walk, a trail through the woods presented itself before my eyes, leading me to this cliff, to this tea shop.

The rain made me feel almost alive again."

I return her half-smile, glad the tea is doing its job.

As she stands up to leave, she stops to look at a painting on the wall depicting my previous customer, the old sailor.

"Do you know him?" I ask her.

"Actually, yeah, I think so... He reminds me of someone who helped me up and brought me to a hospital one time I had almost drunk myself dead. I'm not sure, though; I blacked out a lot that night."

With one last glance at the painting, she exits the shop. I see her disappear into the rain, and immediately after, a portrait of her appears right next to the sailor's.

---------------------

This is a playthrough of a solo TTRPG called The Last Tea Shop, by Spring Villager.

You can check it out on itch.io: https://springvillager.itch.io/last-tea-shop

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rockingrobin69 · 10 months ago

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Numbly

“I've been informed,” Harry Potter burst through the door with his habitual earth-quake of a shout, “that you don’t even like peppers!”

“Good morning,” Draco said dryly. Harry Potter glared.

With a sigh, Draco retreated to the kitchen to fetch the biscuits from the cupboard.

Around his third one, an insistent crumb hanging to his upper lip with all its tiny might: “Peppers, Malfoy!”

“Pardon?”

“Peppers!”

Draco blinked. “If you’ll be so kind as to tell me what on earth you’re on about.”

“Pansy said you hate them!”

He looked absolutely outraged. Draco sipped his long-cold tea.

“Do I?”

“She said you’re allergic!”

“Am I?”

“Stop—fucking with me.”

Utterly bemused, “I am. Honest, I mean. I don’t mind peppers anymore.”

“That’s a fucking lie and we both know it.”

“You’re impossible,” but his voice finally not straining, his fingers not twitching towards the biscuits. No longer needing the obvious distraction. “Next time, if I make something you dislike, you have to tell me.”

“An order,” Draco huffed. “How sweet.”

Harry Potter could blush all the way to the roots of his hair. It was such a stunning, breath-stealing wonder to witness.

“It’s not a… fuck you.”

“Hmm.”

“Not—exactly. Shouldn’t be so late. I’ll be home for bedtime, Mother, I promise.”

Even his mother didn’t glare like that. “Third time this week? I kind of want to strangle your boss.”

“Ha. I should inform you that violence is usually frowned upon in the workplace.”

He didn’t smile, but he came near it. Draco could tell, because the corners of his eyes were dancing. “Does it count if it's not my workplace?”

“Mm. Fair enough. Strangle away.”

Now he was smiling. “When d’you start? Want a ride?”

And Draco was so grateful he didn’t launch yet another tirade about how Draco should quit that he said, “Why not.” (Only because he was distracted and rather tired, and not because sitting behind Harry Potter on his motorbike was in itself half-punishment, and not because clinging to his waist on tight turns at far-too-quick was—anything at all). On the downside, it made Harry Potter practically beam, and Draco still needed his eyes.

“Great! I mean. That’s good. That you won’t be late. Bad for your, er, record, and stuff, and you might not get a—bonus or something.”

“What about lunch?”

“Hmm?”

“You didn’t take. Any lunch.”

Why was he so obsessed with food? It was dangerously endearing. “I have an apple in my bag. Come now, you promised I won’t be late.”

“An—” Harry Potter shook his head, loosening even more curls out of his bun. They were rain-flat and miserable and still entirely too sweet. “I’ll buy you a sandwich at that poor excuse for a cafeteria you got there. And so help me god, Malfoy, you’ll eat it, or—”

“All right,” both hands up, “no need to shout. Your wish is my command, etcetera.”

Did remember his umbrella, which he Leviosa-ed to follow the Death Machine, stuck it against the silly jacket's back when they reached the office. It wasn’t raining anymore, thankfully allowing Draco to arrive not wet-dog for a change, and it made absolutely no difference.

Harry Potter took off his helmet to watch Draco enter the building. Didn’t follow him inside (wise, to prevent a murder), and so Draco completely forgot about the sandwich threat until it was roughly lunchtime. At which point, a drawer in his desk suddenly jumped open, and a far-too-fancy £12 bready tower appeared. On it a note that scrawled pepper-free, git.

Harry Potter had a lot to answer for. Draco, distracted, chipped away at the sandwich all the same, and was only shouted at twice, and didn’t even spill coffee on his keyboard.

Stock was stocked. The backroom was stuffy and still smelling slightly of smoke (not Draco’s fault, probably), the sweet dusty smell of paperwork going to rot. It made his head spin, not unpleasantly, made him inhale a little brokenly and laugh to himself. The sandwich from all the way back lunch sat heavy in his belly, sweating. Everything was so incredibly laughable.

To the crescent moon drowning in cloud he wondered, do I hate peppers?

Couldn’t remember to decide by the time he made it back.

#this came to me in a not-enough-sleep #and i've been making little scenes of it in my head all day long #draco insists on calling harry 'harry potter' every single time #he hits his head on the oven and harry gives him a kiss and they're both mortified? sitting under the kitchen's neon light in silence #everyone barges in his flat and they're all so dramatic and he's so dryly amused by it #also they're all so disappointed with how little care he takes of himself and he chokes on how he's barely keeping it together #no this is fun i promise. i promise #anyway what do i tag even. i forgot how to do this #drarry fic #right?#1300 words ish #rockingrobin69 #this is a part of a wip? technically? i GUESS?

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