#listing all his (not that there are many lmao) scenes in act 2 and 3 and their variations

[galedekarios]

hi, sorry if you're not the right person to ask about this but i've heard that there's a cutscene in camp where gale is looking at a copy of himself and then talks to you about the symptoms of ceremorphosis. i also read that you can only get this, as well as a couple of other scenes with different characters, if you haven't visited the grove yet. but i'm at the beginning of a second playthrough and am right at the point where i should be about to visit the grove, and i've never seen this gale scene even though i always keep him in my party and talk to him frequently, and do a lot of long rests so i don't miss anything. do you know if there's anything specific that needs to be done to get it to trigger, or if it's bugged in some way?

don't be sorry and yes, i can help you.

here's a quick guide on how i personally manage to reliably get all of gale's act 1 scenes (i did one for early access that still contained the deer stew scene and loss scene, which still applies overall):

1. first conversation at camp (camp scene) - recruit gale  - go to camp and do the first talk ("go to hell" convo) -> be sure to have your character selected before resting, if you accidentally selected gale or a different character before resting, the conversation sometimes will not not trigger (bug since ea) - you can also do his player-intiated conversation at this point ("are you versed in magic" convo) - rest

2. mirror image scene (camp scene)  - go to recruit lae -> it doesn’t actually matter if you recruit her or not, if you save the tieflings or fight them - go to the grove and do the fight between the goblins and aradin’s party and the tieflings - talk with zevlor and aradin -> again, it doesn’t matter if you fail any checks or what you do, it’s more about the steps than what options you pick - talk with zevlor and accept to help or not - after this rest and you should get the mirror image scene 

 3. magical artefacts convo (happens while travelling) -> approval depedent to this point/convo where gale reveals his needs for magical artefacts - save sazza, the goblin prisoner at the druid grove, by stepping in front of the crossbow (gale approves a lot here) and do gale’s ! convo -you can further net approval by picking supportive dialogue options here  4. weave scene (camp scene) - help guex, the tiefling who doesn’t know how to fight, at the grove - go and talk to arabella’s parents -> you can accept to help them or not because, again, this is more about the steps rather than any particular option - trigger kagha and arabella’s scene -> it does not matter whether you manage to save her or not -if you DO save her tho, it'll give you approval and you get an extra ! convo with gale -> the one if you failed or stood by to watch were cut and are unavailable in the full release of the game - talk to arabella’s parents again to complete the quest (komira's locket can be given to gale later during his arcane hunger convos) - if you rest, you should get the weave scene -> if not, try to see if your approval is too high or too low. you can get the weave scene either on high or very high. if you are too high you can attack gale (he disapproves) and you should loose approval with him. -> also important: you can explore the ruins or another area than the grove and do a smaller quest in a different sector of the map (save mirkon, explore the ruins, explore the owlbear cave for example) if the weave scene hasn’t triggered. the weave scene should trigger in cave and forest areas. - if you’ve triggered the weave scene, you are free to explore the game as you see fit

5. tiefling party (camp convo) -eliminate all goblin leads, talk to gale at the party

general -arcane hunger convos (happens while travelling): reliably trigger for me while travelling, especially when you cross certain trigger points at the emerald grove (entrance), defiled temple (entrance), blighted village/moonhaven (approach from either entry point, ethel's hideout -be careful to not recruit any other companion yet, other than perhaps lae and exhaust her dialogue -> gale has very low overall priority and other companions will usually overwrite his interjections & dialogue

i hope this was helpful to you! 🖤

[guiltycorp]

Damn i really want to know tf happened in the writing room of arcane s2. Some of the downgrades were inevitable due to the show's corporate limitations (not being able to progress the class war story in a meaningful way, having to tie things back to league of legends in terms of making playable characters more appealing to well, play... rip Mel and Viktor in particular), sure. But i still feel like it's even worse than that? There are so many bad decisions that i couldn't even start listing them all... the characters, plot, pacing, themes, it's just such a mess? Even the dialogue writing, it feels much more mm Marvel at its worst i suppose. What i am most bothered by is probably just the straight up harmful messaging so um... Cycles of violence and abuse can be broken by individual decisions to become a better person! Got nothing to do with systemic oppression, living conditions, mental health issues, you can just conveniently ignore aaall the social context, live laugh love and then things get better automatically yep, oppressors famously stop oppressing you when you show them that you're harmless and won't put up a fight anymore. Literally three out of three suicidal characters dying to redeem themselves? Not even in a tragic/cathartic way but in a bittersweet 'they finally atoned for their mistakes' way? Groundbreaking lmao. Romantic relationship between Vi and Caitlyn including no communication about their biggest fight, just conveniently skipping to sex and getting back together - would have loved that if it was framed as the unhealthy fucked up thing that it is, skipping over Vi's hurt and her background to once again become a cop, her girlfriend's direct underling at that (!) due to her not having any other support systems... But nope that was our cute lesbian romance wrapped up, a good thing all around, not concerning at all. Jayce telling Viktor that what he 'always admired about him' was his disability and his deadly disease (??? from a character who spent the whole s1 and first act of s2 desperately trying to help Viktor find a cure? sure) and that those imperfections don't need fixing, just wtf truly. Magic bullshit was also weird, some implications of 'natural magic is ok, but achieving that power through other means corrupts you into a crazy robot bitch or just wilts your trees i guess', but tbh it was written in such a weird and inconsistent way that we can skip this one... Yeah actually a lot of things were just such a mess that I feel silly pointing to specific moments or lines I didn't like, I mean duh, it barely makes sense as a story at all... I am happy we have s1 which comparatively was a masterpiece, and i also really enjoyed s2 act1, i truly believed it would lead somewhere good at the time, my mind still kind of cuts off the story at that point when i think about it, that WAS the open ending of the show to me (is it possible that there were rewrites? targeting act 2 and 3? idk, wishful thinking perhaps). Despite my extremely negative feelings about this season's conclusion i remain glad that so many people appreciate the show regardless, it is clear that there was STILL a lot of love in the process of its creation (although i'd argue that even some of the visual aspects of the show suffered in quality, once again i have to wonder about behind the scenes mood of it all) and i get very upset when i see creatives online despairing over reception of their projects even when i'm absolutely in the disgruntled crowd hahaha... ...however yeah, this wasn't great In a world that increasingly grows more and more right-wing politically... we really needed something different i think.

[ryuichirou]

Aphrodisiac/womb tattoo HCs

So we had these two wonderful asks from two wonderful Anons…

Anonymous asked:

this is lowkey cursed and i’m sorry… but how would the twst boys act if they ingested an aphrodisiac??? like the sexy soup scene from danganrompa 2? (rip ortho lmao)

i love the content, thank you for doing these hcs for us all !!! :D 🖤🖤🖤

Anonymous asked:

I wanted to say that just like that other Anon the Idia womb tattoo comic lives rent free in my head. Any headcanons for how some other characters would react to having a womb tattoo/consequences of having one ;)

And I’ve been going back and forth thinking whether I should write these as two separate lists or not: despite these two technically being different prompts, the end result is somewhat similar… So I decided to combine them, but specify the possible changing elements as much as possible! I hope it’s okay with you.

I’ll also talk about both tops and bottoms because I have seen some djs in which the top gets the tattoo and it just manifests in an uncontrollable desire to impregnate someone lol And sexy soup doesn’t discriminate, so neither will we >:3

Thank you so much for your patience, your asks and for enjoying our stuff. Let’s dive in.

Riddle – he would be so helpless. If he knows for a fact that there is a culprit to this (i.e. Ace added something to his tea, or someone casted a spell that came out wrong), he’ll take their head off. Then he’ll try to fix himself with magic or some other potion, but he’ll just end up significantly enhancing the effect of the spell/potion somehow. He’ll try to go to infirmary next, but will collapse on the floor helpless and horny until someone picks him up… imagine trying to help out your strict and proper housewarden just to hear him whispering something uncharacteristically horny to your ear because his womb tattoo is so bright you can see it through his west/the aphrodisiac effect is so strong he is drooling.

Ace – his go-to would be to lock himself in their dorm room and start masturbating lol but it won’t help him because the aphrodisiac is strong/the womb tattoo won’t go away until he actually inseminates someone. In his perfect world this condition of his would be a secret, but he is loud af, so people will absolutely hear him yelling “why doesn’t it go away??” from the other room. Pray for any guy who walks on him trying to fix this thing himself: Ace is desperate, he doesn’t care who this is anymore…

Deuce – he’ll 100% try to isolate himself, and he’ll do a better job at keeping it a secret than Ace (completely terrified of the possibility of being made fun of)… at first. After he masturbates and touches himself down there 34 times (HOW MANY TIMES??), and realises that he just keeps teasing himself and feeling even worse, he’ll bite the bullet and go ask for help. He won’t go to Ace though, he’s more likely to ask a senpai if he knows how to fix this… maybe Trey. He is smart.

Trey – he’ll instantly figure out what this is, and pretty quickly realise that this is probably the result of some kitchen or lab accident… he’ll miraculously manage to conceal his boner for an entire day, trying to solve the mystery of how the fuck is he supposed to get rid of it if masturbating would only make it worse. Then he’ll begrudgingly accept the fact that he has to have sex for this to go away, start thinking about every possible “safe” candidate… and end up fucking Riddle, which is the least safe option out of all of them lol but he got way too horny by the end of the day.

Cater – he’ll lie about feeling unwell and hide in his room. Then he’ll try to google either the spell itself (he’ll only find doujins lol) or some ways to get rid of the aphrodisiac’s effect, but it wouldn’t help much because to do anything he would have to leave his bed. He’ll try sleeping it off, but then wake up in the middle of the night feeling worse than ever with his sheets completely wet and his dick hard and red. He’ll probably go out of his room and jump the first guy he sees, pushing him against the wall just so he doesn’t see who is touching him. He won’t remember much about it afterwards… was it a dream?

Leona – he doesn’t have time for this bullshit: the moment he notices something shiny under his belly button, he’ll know what to do. It is very humiliating, but you know what’s more humiliating? Suffering with this shit for an entire day. So he’ll just call Ruggie and demand for him to cum inside until the tattoo is “filled” and goes away. Or until he sweats off all the aphrodisiac juices…

Ruggie – to him it’s a huge bummer that messes with his plans a lot. He’ll try to power through this, but he won’t be able to. This is the first time in Ruggie’s life when he wants to have sex because of horniness and not because of the perks it would give him. He would start sniffing the other beastmen sneakily, thankfully, they wouldn’t expect anything shady from him… he’ll probably end up being saved by Leona though, who yoinked him at the very last moment before Ruggie tried to pounce on some huge dog guy. Being horny makes you stupid.

Jack – he’ll try very hard to tolerate and hide it, but he won’t be able to :( He’ll start pacing around, panting with his tongue out, drooling, sniffing everyone… not to mention, the bulge is huge and very obvious. Sometimes the tattoo would randomly get shinier and stronger, and Jack would barely hold back the urge to hump the closest thing next to him. At some point he’ll give up and go to the infirmary, but will see Deuce before he manages to. He’ll breed him for 4 hours.

Azul – he is way too proud to ask for help, he’ll hide in his room for an entire day and refuse to leave his desk lol it’s so obvious he is hiding something under the table. He’ll be so irritable for an entire day, he’ll snap at everyone to leave him alone and get back to work… He is very good with spells and potion, so he’ll also try to fix it himself, but will also make it significantly worse. His only option is to demand the Tweels to bring him Idia without explaining anything…

Floyd – he’ll try to fight it for like 30 minutes because he didn’t want to get a boner wtf. He has no shame, so he’ll show the tattoo to everyone and poke it a lot. But he’ll get tired of it pretty quickly; so while Azul and Jade were discussing what they could do to help Floyd out and whether they should collect his saliva to study the aphrodisiac, Floyd just went and fucked someone. What? He wanted to.

Jade – it's definitely an uncomfortable sensation and he’ll try to get rid of asap, but… maybe he could show it to Azul and politely ask for a day-off, just so Azul yells at him to go away and not come back until that thing is gone? Maybe he’ll do that. And then he’ll think about who he would like to fuck, since he has this perfect excuse of “oh I am sorry, I can’t quite control myself”. Who would be the most inconvenienced but would have the most interesting reactions? Much to think about on his day-off.

Kalim – come on now, is there any other possible scenario? Of course he’ll wake up with a fever and a huge boner, all sweaty and in agony, and Jamil will lose 10 years of his life worrying about someone poisoning Kalim. He’ll make him drink 30 antidotes, and none of them would work because this isn’t poison, it’s an aphrodisiac… or a womb tattoo, which isn’t much better. So of course he’ll end up jerking Kalim off, and then having sex with him because Kalim would get so clingy that it’ll become obvious that there is only one way to save his life. Jamil will believe that it was necessary to save Kalim’s life for his own sanity…

Jamil – did he catch it from Kalim?? Anyways, he is less likely to use Kalim for this lol And he’ll also figure out pretty quickly that neither potions nor spells would make him less horny. Despite not liking the scenario at all, he’ll start convincing himself that maybe if he uses snake whisper no one would ever know about what he did…and as he starts rationalising this, he’ll get hornier and hornier in anticipation. But Jamil wouldn’t be Jamil if things went as he planned, so he’ll end up stumbling upon Azul. In such state... Jamil has never felt like he was actively leaking before… is this the worst day of Jamil’s life? Or the best day of Azul’s?

Vil – see, in theory he wouldn’t have any problems at all: all he needs to do is to excuse himself, call for Rook and be done in 20 minutes, but Vil is just as unlucky as Jamil sometimes, so it will happen at the worst time possible. Was there something in his drink? Did someone curse him in a sneaky way? Anyways, being around a bunch of sweaty guys for an entire hour of PE in that state was horrible. He was hugging his stomach and trying to sit down as much as he could for this entire time, crossing his legs and feeling very hot in his clothes. At some point he felt like he undressed completely and made his state visible to everyone, but thankfully it was just a hallucination. That scared him so much that jumped Rook the moment he saw him after class.

Rook – now this is someone who will enjoy the feeling of eagerness and horniness lol He’ll get interested in how much his body could endure without stimulation at that state. He is used to waiting out until certain poisons effect wear off, but this one is special – it doesn’t, it only gets stronger! So yeah he did a very stupid thing by waiting out for 3 days because by the time it became impossible to tolerate, Rook became delirious. Whoever he’ll jump in this state will be in his bed for a day.

Epel – he would be so horribly embarrassed and wouldn’t want to tell, but he is way too obvious. He would wiggle on his chair, be restless, pant and moan quietly, grab his stomach randomly. He would also stare a lot, especially if this is during the Magift Practice. He would transform into a “head-empty bimbo” lol Now is he going to get loved by the entire Magift team or is Rook going to take him back to Pomefiore to look into what’s wrong with him? Who knows.

Idia – we already know what would happen to him lol I’ll just add that he is probably going to try out having sex with Ortho first, but since Ortho’s seed doesn’t fill the “tank” that is Idia’s womb tattoo, he’ll just fuck his brother in vain. At least he enjoyed it, right?~

Ortho – human!Ortho that is (sorry, Danganronpa references…). Honestly, I feel like he’ll just cling to Idia instantly lol He won’t even consider an option of trying out any other remedy. If he feels himself burning with desire down there, he’ll just jump Idia and act all cutely, maybe even whine a little about how Idia is the only one who can help him. But despite being all cute and whiny, he’ll say pretty cursed stuff about producing offsprings with his niichan while fucking him. Afterwards he just shrugs and says that he doesn’t remember saying that but… Idia would be so shocked though: he didn’t know so much cum could fit into his body. He is terrified to look down.

Lilia – he would sigh and say that he is he too old for this, and that he haven’t felt like that in 300 years. He is not as strongly affected as he would if he was a bit younger, but the spell still won’t go away until he does anything to it. So he’ll just fly to his boys, pull up his shirt and playfully ask about who is in the mood to help him out; visually he would be completely unfazed, even if his dick would bulge in an obscene manner. Then again, he might also try showing it to Idia first because they had a conversation about this thing one time, and Idia thought that Lilia was joking when he said that he had experienced the tattoo before…

Silver – he’ll try to tolerate it. This isn’t the first time he has to tolerate the feeling of horniness, even though it usually isn’t this extreme + the tattoo is troubling. If it doesn’t go away by the end of the day (and it won’t), he’s likely show it to Lilia, but even before Lilia says something about the tattoo, Silver’s body would react to him just being in the same room. Silver will drop his head on Lilia’s shoulder and moan quietly, shaking a lot. This would surprise Lilia, but it’s all good, he’ll help out~

Sebek – he’ll also try to tolerate it because he is another “If I keep ignoring it maybe it will go away” type. He can’t talk to anyone about this, he can’t be seen like this! But he is absolutely going to: the boy is way too obvious. Similarly to Jack, he’ll get very red and start panting, almost crawling instead of walking. Is he hiding his boner or is his body not listening to him anymore? Your guess is as good as mine. But he will be as helpless as he would be dangerous because it will take only about 40 minutes of trying to endure this for him to start jumping on people.

Malleus – now this one is trouble; technically he is the only person in NRC that is powerful enough to neutralise the womb tattoo all by himself + his dragon blood would probably filter out the aphrodisiac very quickly if he wanted to, but… would he want it? He’ll think about it for a couple of hours while wandering around abandoned buildings, and then the heat and pain would get too annoying, but the thought of responding to and fulfilling this growing desire would start sounding kind of good in his head. Whether it’s Lilia or Sebek, whoever he sees first, would have the absolute honour of making sure Malleus’ body is satisfied. Pray for both of them because Malleus’ demands are insane: for the aphrodisiac to dissipate or the womb tattoo to be filled, it would take him 5 times the time that is usually necessary. He could even prolong it if he enjoyed it too much and didn’t want it to end. Technically. Not saying he is going to.

[ofdemonsandangels]

A Masterlist of My Favorite GriffGuts fics Part 2

Well hello again! We're coming up on two years since my last GriffGuts fic rec masterlist and so many amazing fics have come out since then! I'm really happy that the original list got so much love, I really can't wait to share more of my favorites with you all, both new or looked over from before <3

One-Shots

White Hawk Down by bishounenjump

Summary:

Sometimes Guts forgets that Griffith is just a man. A man with a body.

My comments:

A missing scene from canon that we all wish could have happened

Snowmelt by bthump

Summary:

Once again, Griffith acts impulsively when it comes to Guts. AU where Griffith doesn't find out that Guts left the Hawks until after he's gone.

My comments:

The way I was waiting for two whole years for another bthump fic after Refraction lmao. This fic is one of those fics that you pull up to cope with after you remember what happened in canon.

What would happen if the duel in the snow never happened but Griffith still chased after Guts to bring him back? Find out in 10.2k words of peak writing. In bthump we trust (￣^￣)ゞ

Late Night Reverie by bishounenjump

Summary:

"He won’t hesitate to admit that he loves being king. No blustering nobleman can take that from him.

And yet, on nights like this, when he can drink in the broad expanse of his commander — his dark brow and gentle gaze and absurdly strong physique — he knows that some dreams do occasionally obscure others."

My comments:

A very heartwarming glimpse into a future that Guts and Griffith could've had. I feel all warm inside whenever I reread this fic

we're not in love, we share no stories by Alyss_Baskerville

Summary:

Though the gash on Guts’ shoulder heals, his eyes now skip right past Griffith.

My comments:

Whereas the previous fic rec was a sweet look into a future that never was, this fic is a painful one. Holy hell did I feel like someone had carved my heart out of my chest when I had finished the final line. It reminds me a lot of the film, Atonement, so if you've seen the film, you can take a lot more away from this fic.

In the Absence of Light by Ghidorahs_Child

Summary:

Schierke aches for him, for the happiness he was denied, for the love he has lost.

My comments:

Guts and Schierke share their own Corridor of Dreams moments and it's just as bittersweet as you think it is

A Dreamless Sleep by Queenbananya

Summary:

“I’ve killed children for you,” Guts said, lying next to Griffith on a patch of grass. He peered up at the stars and remembered the kid’s face, the hand that reached out to him helplessly as the last trace of life faded from his eyes.

Or, Guts seeks comfort from Griffith, months after he's killed Adonis.

My comments:

Griffith comforting Guts as he deals with the trauma of killing Adonis is something we all desperately wanted at some point

That Dawn in the Snow by Nefastum

Summary:

He wondered now if Griffith even remembered there were others around him, or if he had completely shut them out. Casca and Judeau were staring in uncertainty, and not far back up the road it was easy to see Rickert, Corkus, and Pippin in earshot of most of their conversation. Griffith didn’t falter, though. It was like all he could see was Guts, and perhaps they’d have to find an excuse for his vulnerability later for the others. Guts could sympathize, though. The feeling was mutual.

My comments:

You can never go wrong with a duel in the snow au, and this fic is no different. The characterization of Griffith here is really great too and probably one of my favorite takes of him for this scene in particular

This Fleeting Dream by Queenbananya

Summary:

"To me... they are not friends. A friend is someone that is my equal."

Perhaps it was the way his thoughts had strayed in that direction, or simply how attuned he was to the movements of his soldiers. His eyes could always find him. Guts stood there, listening. And in his eyes, there was heartbreak.

Or, Griffith catches Guts listening in his famous fountain conversation with Charlotte and follows after him. Essentially, an exploration of his character and feelings for Guts.

My comments:

A very interesting take on a "Griffith clearing everything up with Guts after he finds out he overheard his dream speech at the fountain" au. Equal parts fluff and equal parts angst

Forever Facade by TheriOlis

Summary:

Slan has come to see what manner of flower grows atop the bones buried beneath Griffith's garden.

My comments:

The GriffGuts in this fic is mild but as the resident Slan thirster, I need you all to read this because it's really fucking good. NeoGriff being egged on by Slan for nearly 2k words? Yes, YEs, YES

Recoil and Grace by aloveleyburn

Summary:

Their fingers wind together in the darkness. Outside there is that ever-present chirping of birds and insects – the music of those dark hours, calming as cool water. Outside some car alarm goes off in the empty streets, and on the bedside table, clock reads 2:47am.

My comments:

There are so many words that I could use to describe this fic, but I think I'll just settle on 'quintessential'. I can't remember the last time I was so enthralled by a fic, so glued to my screen and absorbing every single word in front of me. The way that Ariel blends the two storylines into one in such a flawless manner reminds me of a weaver stitching together two scenes in a tapestry. Each thread is connected in a way that matters.

If there's one fic you walk away with from this list, I hope that this is the fic.

Property by starry_dynamo

Summary:

“I’ve wanted you since the moment we met, and if the reason you never returned my advances was that you felt tainted by that scum from your past, I will carve him from your memory. You are not his. You belong to me, and I want your body to never forget.”

Griffith learns why Guts has a problem with intimacy. Guts learns he has another purpose.

My comments:

BDSM to cope with trauma. That's it. It's nice and sweet and hot at the same time.

Geleotto fu il Libro by Ghidorahs_child

Summary:

"I have nightmares of you leaving me."

My comments:

GriffGuts gets ready for bed together! Featuring book talk, insecurities, and lots of domestic fluff

Steel Groove by Maplekites

Summary:

The Hawks enjoy celebrating anything they can.

My comments:

GriffGuts, my dancing queens

Completed Multi-Chapter Fics

When Night Comes Down by alovelyburn

Summary:

"If you stand far enough outside the tapestry, you can see the many threads and paths unwalked. The points of change can be so tiny they go unnoticed at the time... though the ripples travel for centuries and more, into eternity. Yet, in the end, all paths lead to one path. There may be deviations, yes, yet still we dance that same dance, with the steps assigned to us by fate. It is inevitable. One must die to resurrect. One must fall to rise."

My comments:

This fic is my Roman Empire. If Apostle!Guts is your thing, this fic is the perfect fic for you.

Ongoing Multi-Chapter Fics

our castle was always made of sand by meereens

Summary:

His life was easy to understand. Mother liked to tell him stories, wrapped up in their canopy bed with warmth crackling in her words. He was born from a real-life fairytale, everyone knew it, from a dashing knight’s love for a simple princess.

Queen Charlotte and King Griffith's young son uncovers something he was not meant to know.

My comments:

This is THEE GriffGuts kid fic (and the only one to my knowledge too haha). It's the perfect "Griffith gets guy and the throne" au and really explores what GriffGuts would look like from a child's perspective, specifically Griffith's son's perspective. I know that kid fics can be annoying with the way some people write kids but trust me, William Leopold Guts Charles Wyndham is the cutest little guy ever and I would lay down my life for him.

Fic Series

Sehnsucht by SeaDragons (SimpleNefelibata)

My comments:

GriffGuts: Hurt no Comfort the Series

[campgender]

i was scrolling your “life is in your home too” tag, which I love btw, and saw a post about how you learned to be a good dom from experienced expert doms by reading how they dom and some of their best scenes, do you think you could point me in the direction of some resources for me to study that too? thanks in advance, if not, thanks anyway!

(post referenced is here - link 1)

first of all tysm for this ask (+ your incredibly kind follow-up), it was a delight to receive + i’ve been wanting an excuse to talk about a lot of this for a while so i very much appreciate the interest!

as always please keep in mind that i am Just Some Fem, nothing is universal including when it comes to D/s & i can only speak to what works for me. i try to focus on starting points rather than specifics but ultimately my advice will always be limited by what i needed to hear & wasn’t told, which may not be what’s helpful for a different person. with that being said, here’s some suggestions!

i’ve posted a previous reading list (link 2) with relevant recs; particularly the practicality + sex writing sections have the kind of thing you’re looking for. specifically, The New Topping Book (2003) is a solid starting point; i definitely have my issues with it (haven’t read it recently enough to recall many specifics but i have the sense of general pervasive racism & ableism) but it did a good job at making me think & i appreciate the supportive tone they were going for

another book added to my tbr since then is Coming to Power (link 3), released by SAMOIS in 1983

other authors whose sex writing has been influential in my life: Sandra Cisneros, Natalie Diaz, Joan Nestle, Judy Grahn

the fic At The End of His Rope by Letterblade (link 4) is genuinely some of my favorite sex writing of all time & accomplishes the incredibly impressive feat of representing a broad array of dom styles & changes over time in the same piece

my “impurity culture” tag (link 5) houses the building blocks of my sexual ethic

i’ve found many of those foundations by poking around the incredible bodies of work original & archived @newsmutproject @woman-loving @gatheringbones

for me, studying sex is the same as studying poetry – reading for craft is a different process than for pleasure (not that there isn’t a great deal of pleasure to be found in such practice, especially for sadists – perhaps that’s why as a child i never resonated with Billy Collins’ “Introduction to Poetry,” like i love tying poems to chairs & beating them idk what to tell you). so, keeping in mind that these are suggestions not requirements, here’s how i read for + work on craft:

there is no such thing as too much journaling. this can take whatever form you prefer – voice memo, discord message to yourself, the noble notes app, your own personal sexy red string corkboard, a vast & stunning array of other approaches i can’t even begin to imagine. i personally have an elaborate web of spreadsheets & google docs lmao. what matters is developing a collection of ideas you want to play with + a practice of continually reflecting on past experiences.

pay attention to structure, not just content. find a scene you think is disjointed and pick at the seams, brainstorm better transitions. then find a scene that flows so smoothly it carries you with it and figure out what makes it work.

rewrite a scene you’re drawn to or affected by to suit your own preferences. i first did this when i couldn’t shake “Interlude 3” (link 6) from my head after reading The New Topping Book; you can read my variation on the theme here (link 7) if you’re interested.

write or think through a scene fantasy you have from negotiation to aftercare. obviously it’s very difficult if not impossible to fully script a scene in advance; the purpose isn’t planning something you’ll later do but rather getting used to coming up with ideas to get from one disparate moment / act to the next.

revisit a scene you’ve read, written, thought about, etc and list the physical & mental acts that are required / expected of the sub (eg, kneeling for 10 minutes; making eye contact; counting to 30, etc). then rework the scene for a sub who has the same interests & goals who cannot do 20% (or 50%, or any) of these acts.

revisit a previous scene and list the places where you think a sub might safeword & why. then rework it with the sub safewording somewhere that isn’t any of these places.

i also recommend keeping in mind that like… for me, reading about ethical sex can often be a very distressing process for the same reason that it’s liberating: because it proves that things i’ve experienced are not the way sex has to be. i’ll tell this story in its fullness one day but the first time i read S/HE by Minnie Bruce Pratt i literally had a flashback to events i’d repressed for years, it was devastating, i’m so grateful for it. hell, in the process of compiling resources for this post i cried twice editing this quote (link 8) because between reading that book the first time & now someone did “respond with scorn or ridicule” when i safeworded. so i would really encourage folks to approach this kind of work with as much grace & comfort for yourself as you can muster or borrow – if it’s really fucking hard, you’re not alone in that, & it’s okay to take your time + pace yourself + seek support.

your + others’ interest is definitely motivating me to actually write posts i’ve been tossing around for months so thank you again & feel free to keep an eye out for more shut-in sex tips in my new “tomorrow sexting will be good again” tag. would love to hear your thoughts on any of this post / these or other books / whatever really lol. wishing you all the best & i hope today is kind to you! 💓

[im-out-of-it]

season 1, episode 3 discussion list

1. “there is some truth to the idea that human beings should have a modicum of common sense.” ALEC GO OFF KING

2. seriously like what nerve does clary have to be mad at Alec and Izzy????? SIMON SHOULD NOT HAVE BEEN THERE

3. it’s a shame Alec isn’t already in charge of the institute for real. because he would have shipped clary’s ass off the second she got there.

4. “so this doesn’t matter to you?” no Alec, it doesn’t concern her. she doesn’t care that the cup can control demons and can cause chaos for downworlders and not just shadowhunters. all she cares about is her mom and Simon and pissing everyone off. she’s good at that lmao

5. “I need you to put your trust in me”- clary being a dumbass for 729189129828 hours in this show. why should they trust her? she came out of nowhere, creates more problems for them, and now has the most hated enemy as a father- which isn’t her fault but I’m sorry, clary hasn’t done a single thing to show she should be trusted

6. GIVE ME STRENGTH TO GET THROUGH CLACE SCENES

7. “downworlders are slaves to their impulses, we’re not”- ok so Alec does say some shit about them but fact is, he changes and adapts 🥰 I don’t need any pro book fans trying to argue on my posts (magnus gif because why not?) (also Magnus is not in this episode at all) (and this is my fav magnus outfit)

8. “We’ve all got our things, don’t we?” Izzy calling Alec out after Alec calls Izzy out. I LOVE IT 😭

9. it amazes me how much Alec does everything to help jace even if it means breaking the rules and it’s always never enough smh

10. Raphael is also a mood. so is Camille. FUCK THEY ARE BOTH HOT OK?????? my bi ass is going crazy (I also love the way he says this line)

11. “are you so desperate to get laid, you’ll risk killing us?” Jace denies but isn’t it the truth???? maybe it’s not just about getting laid but he’s done so much reckless shit already since meeting clary. so in a way, alec has a point (but I’m biased)

12. “it’s bad enough not to have a vote, but worse to be treated as inferiors. they act as if seelies aren’t half- angel too.”- meliorn with the truth!!!!! literally they all act as if the seelies are evil and terrible just because they’re half demon

13. HIS FACIAL EXPRESSIONS KILL ME BECAUSE SAME ALEC

14. fucking hell, that whole motorcycle scene is so cringe and we are supposed to believe they have chemistry?

15. “Alec would die for me. he’ll be here.” but would you die for alec, jace? because the answer is no. you only care about Alec as long as he does what you want him to do.

17. from episode 1 BUT IZZY IS SO FINE 🔥

18. “so let’s distract them. so let’s distract them.” I love my fav pair Lightwood siblings fighting together ✨

19. Alec saving the day ONCE AGAIN

20. side note- camille is also sooooo fine 🥰🔥

21. “I’m older than you jace, I’m not in your shadow.” - Alec. literally jace has never once thought of how Alec feels in any of this and it shows. Alec is tired of living in a shadow and I’m guessing, tired of wanting someone around who doesn’t give a shit about them

thank you for coming to our shadowhunter show meetings and whatever name I created but forget about. 21 is our number today, maybe we’ll get a different one at the next discussion. I found out I can include many gifs so i went overboard. sue me 🥲

[tenpintsof-sundrop]

ASK GAME ! ASK GAME ! ASK GAME ! which as I chant out loud sounds like I'm saying "ass game" ... same difference honestly sksksksk

Hiii for the violence ask game (love being a hater) I wanted to know 1, 2, 3 and 23 for whatever fandoms you feel the most passionate about

I wouldn't say that I love being a hater, but I do love being right lmao

also I am feeling spicy so these are gonna be for different fandoms

1 - the character everyone gets wrong

JASON. MOTHER FUCKING. TODD

especially the fandom interpretation Titans version, but like damn

(even other canons get him wrong, and Titans did him so right and people refuse to acknowledge it)

(I could also say Lori Grimes, and Andrea Harrison, and Dick Grayson, and Michonne Hawthorne, and even Gar Logan tbh but this is the rant I am picking)

white cis fanboys just see him as the violent revenge perpetrator - distilled rage, 'the bad sibling', the criminal, the cool one, the gunslinger. fucking whatever

but I am not even so big on a lot of women's interpretation of comics Jason - as some big soft cuddle bug who just needs to be treated softly and cuddled uwu, someone who rip out the throat of anyone who looks at you the wrong way and basically acts like a big bad doberman guard dog in your life (someone possessive and angry and jealous in a love life). again - no

Jason is one of the most emotionally complex characters and the only people who truly understand him are me and Curran Walters.

Jason is a wreck. he was set up to fail - his backstory of poverty and sadness isn't just about giving him some revenge to seek or making him a more conventional criminal, it's his emotional core. everything that has ever happened to him in his life makes him who he is, and so many people don't understand those layers. (so many people don't even acknowledge the differences between him and Dick before Jason became Red Hood). Jason is depressed, he's insecure, he thinks that he's nothing but a problem in other people's lives.

he uses violence as a tool because it's all he's ever known. in a relationship, he would be difficult to connect with because no one has ever truly tried before. he wouldn't be instantly loving - he would be guarded as hell.

I could go on a long time, but anyway - Titans Jason is largely a thing that the show got right and so many people refuse to acknowledge it because they just want to mock Curran's looks and it makes me want to bash my head into things

2 - a compelling argument for why your fave would never top or bottom

I have to do it to em - Spencer Reid would never be a fucking dom. NEVER

(also I know that bottom and top aren't synonyms for dom and sub but I think this ask game was created with mostly mlm ships in mind, so I am talking about this in a dom/sub context because I mostly write and consume x reader fics with bdsm dynamics)

Spencer is a sub. anybody who says that he is a dom, even a 'soft dom' is fucking lying to themselves because they have a particular fantasy that they want him to fit into. even later seasons Spencer would never be a dom

just because someone has rage and acts intimidating towards someone they consider an enemy doesn't mean they would ever feel the confidence to actually be dominant and in charge in bed. that man is walked like a dog constantly by other people in his life, and the only time he 'takes control' of a 'romantic' interaction is when he is with Cat - someone he also considers to be an enemy, an unsub that he can psychologically control. see the pattern?

3 - screenshot or description of the worst take you've seen on tumblr

I have discussed this before, and I wish I had a screenshot because without proof it almost doesn't seem real

someone saying that Spencer loves Henry more than JJ does - in a massive post where they listed all the reasons that JJ 'ruined' Spencer's life (which just gobsmacked me)

that post was a huge inspiration for the JJ/Spencer friendship scenes in [REDACTED]

I just cannot believe that the fandom is so fucking detached and unrealistic about JJ

23 - ship you've unwillingly come around to

...Richonne

this is in large part from what I have seen about The Ones Who Live spin-off, and I recently realized that the title of the spin-off comes from a scene where Michonne punches Rick in the head in order to literally knock some sense into him, so I fucking love that (and it seems like that's what the whole show is - her literally forcing sense into him after he's become detached from reality due to being held hostage by whatever the fuck that group's name is)

and I think The Thrifty Typewriter really put their relationship into terms that I was struggling with. so many Walking Dead ladies were relegated to nothing but being 'the love interest' once they became a love interest to someone. and if they were struggling with what to do with a female character, they turned her into a love interest for someone

Andrea being paired with a Governor, Rosita not getting more interesting storylines until after she parted from Abraham, Sasha being with Bob and then Abraham and then dying (although I think Sasha has a lot of interesting emotional beats, I see the point in saying that), Jessie (who could have had so much potential outside of just being a love interest for Rick, especially when they clearly had Richonne in mind), Lori's entire existence, etc.

So my huge problem with Richonne is that Michonne was so interesting before she got with Rick. And after she got with Rick, she lost all of her interesting traits, and she was stripped down to 'Lori 2.0'. Pregnant housewife character who stays at home and almost never fights. Rick was spotlighted and she was almost never around until Rick drowned. And I think I loved The Ones Who Live because it gave her back a lot of her fire and her autonomy as well as adding more to the romance, so it was the best of both worlds. (And it really made me come around to the pairing.)

And another huge problem I had with Richonne is the same problem I have with Dickkory - people who ship them act like the entire show was created to drive the ship. And the shippers get really annoying because they act like all the other interesting characters and plot lines do not exist. They act like the producers and writers made the show as a vessel to carry the single ship when that is clearly not the case.

For Dickkory, people boil Dick and Rachel's entire relationship down to 'omg, she is Dickkory's child' - which is very annoying. And for Richhone, people act like Andrea just does not exist, when she pulled Michonne out of a very dark place - Rick did not do that. Michonne said so herself. Andrea is a very important character in Michonne's story.

Anyway - I do like Richonne a lot now. More than I ever expected I would

[akechi-stole-my-heart]

pLEASE I NEED AN AKECHI ENJOYER

hes absolutely central to my au but my autistic ass cannot physically comprehend this absolute eldritch creature of social whatever the hell. I have to study him under a supervisor to get the degree I need for this job (fanfic)

This was the push I needed to go ahead and tag all my Akechi metas (and meta-adjacent posts) so they're easier to find lmao. If you want you can find them under #sera talks goro, and I'll add a link to the tag on my pinned post once I get a chance to go on my computer. If you want specific advice, feel free to ask me my opinion on something in particular and I would be happy to pontificate. xD But I'm not sure where to start based on such a broad prompt, there's so much to Akechi that there are so many things I could say. Hmm maybe I could do a bullet points list of things I think writers of Akechi should keep in mind or often get wrong. I also would highly recommend reading @vashtijoy's metas on Akechi, and reading the fics on my favorite Akechi fics list for inspiration (a link is in my pinned post). Hopefully this will give you a good start on the studying of this Eldritch creature as you so eloquently put it. xD

Akechi is almost never honest, with himself or others.

There's always some underlying truth to something he says that he doesn't want to aknowledge (or doesn't want other people to notice). He doesn't ever actually state his feelings straight out as he actually feels them without some kind of mask, with one exception, that being the engine room scene. If you want to see Akechi at his most unfiltered, with the least number of lies, that's where to go, and you should filter everything else he says through that lens.

2. Nothing is ever simple with him. There's always a contrasting truth.

Does Akechi regret? Well yes, but actually no. Does Akechi hate Joker? Well yes, but actually no. Is Akechi arrogant? Well yes, but actually no. Etc. Akechi is both Robin Hood and Loki--the most common mistakes I see in people writing him come down to leaning too heavily into one side of him. This gets down to a lot of nuance and also a lot of personal preference, to be completely honest.

3. More than anything else, Akechi wants to feel loved--but he feels that he is inherently unworthy of that.

This, I feel, is the core of his motivations and his character as a whole. Akechi wants to be appreciated, acknowledged, and loved, but he can't just accept love, because he doesn't think he's worthy of it because of his trauma and upbringing that instilled the idea that he is a worthless human being. He compensates for this by acting like he's better than others, but his mask of superiority is just that--a mask. A mask that he wears for his own sake too, because if he stopped buying into it, he'd collapse under the weight of his self hatred.

[ddreamzee]

My Top 10 BL Dramas of 2022!!!

I figured I would also make my list of my favorite bls that came out this year (and ended this year) so here are my picks!

1. Love In The Air (Thailand)

I think most people loved this series this year and it’s not very hard to see why. the couples are immaculate, the spicy scenes are SPICYYYY and the storyline is actually interesting. the couples also got equal amounts of screentime and each of their stories made coherent sense. i personally loved phayu and rain a tad bit more than prapai and sky but i love both either way. chef’s kiss

2. KinnPorsche (Thailand)

once again I think most people love this series. I waited so long for this series and almost didn’t watch it bc I was annoyed it took so long lmao. but i’m glad I gave in and watched it anyways. this is art. this is how you do a mafia drama, this is how you act, this is how you depict love, lust, hatred, betrayal, all of the above. i thought i liked kinn and porsche the most out of the couples but after going through my saved videos I have found myself to be a clown, apparently I was subconsciously obsessed with vegas and pete.

3. Cherry Blossoms After Winter (S. Korea)

LET ME TELL YOU SOMETHING LET ME TELL YOU SOMETHING!! THIS SERIES!!! IS SO FUCKING GOOODDDD!!!! i love cherry blossoms after winter so damn much. it’s so fucking cute and i love the characters so much, especially taesung. oh my boy taesung! he is such an angel pls. i always expected something bad to happen while watching this but I was so happy when nothing did happen. even when taesung’s mom found out they were together, haebom and taesung both stood their ground for their relationship although haebom was hesitant to even start dating taesung bc he was worried about his mom. but this is definitely one of my favorite korean bls

 4. Cutie Pie (Thailand)

this is a very obvious choice. zee has been one of favorite actors since why r u so i was so damn excited about this. i really liked it and it was different for thailand, an arranged marriage bl series. i also really enjoyed the side couples in this, especially nuea and syn. in my opinion this series wasn’t completely perfect though, there were times i felt like things were a little too slow or a character would get on my nerves *cough* kuea *cough* but i’m really hyped for the special episodes and zeenew’s series coming in 2023

5. Takara-kun to Amagi-kun (Japan)

I love love LOVED takara kun to amagi kun. it was so cute, both takara and amagi are literal angels. it was pretty natural too like it didn't feel really forced and I loved when amagi would get all excited and like mess with takara or drag him around and takara just went with it bc he was so utterly in love with this boy. nothing but love for my two angel boys

6. Cherry Magic The Movie (Japan)

the original series was so fucking good so i KNEW this was gonna be good but i didn’t think it was gonna THIS fucking good. this movie was everything i think all of us wanted it to be and more. i could not ask for anything else, this movie knew what it needed to give and it GAVEEEE. it was so cute and the serotonin boost i got while watching this, i felt like a lovesick fool smiling throughout the entire thing. it was certainly a perfect ending for this amazing series.

7. Senpai, Danjite Koidewa! (Japan)

japan was GIVING in 2022. i cannot even begin to explain how in love i was with this series. even i was surprised at how much i loved it bc i usually don’t really like workplace/ office bls, i really don’t, but something about this year made me overcome that dislike and i was obsessed with so many workplace bls this year, i think this series is the one that started that trend for me.

8. Love Stage!! (Thailand)

so this series was so unexpectedly good. the original anime has always been one of my favorites so i was so hyped about this. i saw the japanese adaptation that came out in like 2020 which was umm.....something. i will say that this was MUCHHH better than that. especially since it was kaownah and turbo, made it so much better, they were perfect. i remember while watching this there were so many issues with episodes like audio, quality and subtitles wise, like there was always something wrong. despite that though i got through it and still enjoyed it. the side couple was also really good. since this series revolves around celebrities, managers and the entertainment industry it gave very much war of y vibes but like not as dramatic(?)

9. My Secret Love (Thailand)

everybody and they mamas was hating on this series and i never knew why, i felt like i was the only one enjoying it? i loved all the couples (especially park and lee) and like it was pretty much just a lighthearted university bl which i’m quite a sucker for tbh. i do admit some scenes were a little.....?? much? unnecessary? but overall i loved it, and the ost is such a bop, one of the few thai bl osts i really enjoy, bc it’s jeff satur so of course.

10. Oh! Boarding House (S. Korea)

do not ask me why i loved this series so much, i really do not know. i feel like it just really stuck with me throughout the year and even till now i catch myself thinking about it for no reason. like there were so many good korean bls this year but this one was slightly different. i loved the main couple and i just really enjoyed the other side characters as well. it was like a found family kind of situation and it felt really cozy, fun and relaxing to watch. like while watching it, is almost felt like hanging out with friends? idk if you haven’t seen it pls go watch it and maybe you’ll understand what i mean.

Honorable Mentions!

- Triage (Thailand)

- Plus and Minus (Taiwan)

- Semantic Error (S. Korea)

I would say overall this was a good year for bl, it seemed like there was a new series almost every week and there was always something to watch. also the influx of korean and japanese bls this year was surprising but they were all decent, they are pretty much on the same level as thailand at this point, but i think thailand is still number 1 in all things bl.

[mxtxfanatic]

Thanks for answering my ask.....if you don't mind me asking (again), can I ask your top 5 (or top 3) favorite characters from MDZS? And why do you love them? And your top 5 (or top 3) favorite moments from the novel? Sorry if you've answered this question before....Thanks....

Hello again! Alright, so mdzs list this time!

Favorite Characters:

Wei Wuxian: he’s smart, quick on his feet, a genius in his field, charming, a good person, innocent in love, strong in his morals, willing to fight for what he believes in and what is right even if it makes him enemy to all, has faith in himself, doesn’t shrink away from his emotions, unwilling to delude himself to reality even if it looks bleak, etc etc; he is literally the perfect protagonist in every single way

Lan Wangji: perfect compliment to wwx; they match each other so well in most of the things I listed for wwx but replace the “charming” with “takes no shit” and we got a winner

3, 4, and 5 (in no particular order). Wen Qing, Jiang Yanli, and a-Qing: I know people like to call mxtx misogynistic because “she kills off women!” and “they’re not main characters!” but I would argue that 1) that’s dumb because most of the characters we are introduced to in mdzs are already dead and 2) mxtx writes her female characters as people rather than props. I was enamored with these characters at their every appearance, however short, because they felt so real and expressive. I could get personality and motives, tell what they’d like and what would piss them off, come to enjoy them so much that I felt pain knowing they were already gone. This is the skill of mxtx’s writing.

Favorite Scenes!

Drunken shenanigans #2 where wangxian play the “catch me, kiss me” game, then wwx kisses him on the lips and lwj promptly knocks himself the fuck out lmao

Drunken shenanigans #3/bath tub sex (I feel like this is pretty self-explanatory)

Incense Burner dream #1 where wwx shows lwj his first-life daydreams of retiring to a remote farm together and it’s so innocent, only for lwj’s graphic teenage sex dream to also be revealed; also the actual sex scene

When wwx and lwj put nmj’s body back together sans the head, both of them tell lxc the likely murder of his sword brother is jgy, and lxc says that he is willing to vouch that jgy would never do such a thing… then the chapter immediately ends and the next starts with us seeing that jgy did, in fact, do such a thing and soooooo much worse right in lxc’s face LOL

Second Siege of the Burial Mounds, which between wwx telling the cultivation world that he will NOT bear their resentment as if he’s guilty for having acted against them, the Wen remnants choosing to rescue the people who killed them simply because of their gratefulness to wwx for trying to save them once, the reveal to the CHILDREN how corrupt their parents actually are to have gleefully killed a bunch of defenseless people before desecrating their bodies and lying about it, and how the adults who said they were justified to kill wwx and the wen remnants are the ones shamed by the end? There’s just so many winners in this part

[olivieraa]

In my attempt to do a spoiler-free review...

If I'm being honest... If I could go back in time... I'd tell myself not to watch this anime, which looks crazy since I was freaking out through most of it

Now it ticked lots of boxes before I went into it, but for it to tick even more when the anime already seemed perfect was incredible. So it ticked an extra three boxes. One of the before I watched it moments being that, I literally had only just made a rant about BL and how that label should be removed from animes and like, y'know, let us be surprised if the main character ends up in a same-sex relationship. Don't spoil it with the BL tag. But I'd made the Banana Fish post a month before that rant. I'd listed the Banana Fish genres, already hyped at it being a shoujo, made by a woman, with the delinquent/crime/psychological genres.

1. And so therefore, I did not go into this knowing that... it would end up being a BL. And anyone that tries to deny it was a BL is actually insane. The author could try and tell me this gay as fuck anime wasn't a BL and I wouldn't believe it (whether she has or not idk). Fucking heart emojis coming outta these fuckers eyes whenever they're in the vicinity of each other. I didn't screenshot the majority of it bc I'd too many screenshots. So yeah, this anime basically... did the exact thing I wanted in my rant. It's honestly the weirdest and most perfect timing. Legit shocked at the gay that happened in an anime not labelled as BL. I'm still not over it

2.

Takahiro Kagami was the key animator. The animation director most known for YGO's signature style. YGO at its most beautiful. The guy who created Joey's chin. The animator they called back to animate DSOD and gave Joey his most perfect look

So I learn just before watching this anime that made me think of Joey in the first place, that Joey's key animator was working on this show? Incredible.

3.

Joey's S!0 VA comes in as our main dudes trainer/mentor, who taught him how to fight and shoot. Like, I been comparing him to Joey the whole time and Joey appears?? What sorcery is this??????

So with the boxes out of the way, I'll list the positives outside of that:

Voice acting was fine, but the MC has risen up the ranks for me and this is my second time hearing him as a main character. Before that he was a side character in animes I barely remember. Actually I just finished Starmyu again and I think he was one of the less memorable characters (ok just checked and yes, also he was a little gay in that, he's always gay that's crazy). But he was fantastic, a scene stealer.

The animation was stunning (as expected). And it being set in New York added so much to that appeal. The action scenes... yes.

And for 24 eps it had a decent pace, I had a few days off so just binged it but took a lot of breaks (even tho it may not look like it lmao).

I had some good ass laughs.

Onto the negatives...

Now... this anime is rated an 8.5 and its very popular.

I rated it a 7.

So I decided on the 8 rating about a third of the way into the anime. It had the potential to be higher but... the anime got sloppy and repetitive. Super repetitive. And it drags, quite a bit. But bc of all the positives, I was like "ah... its going downhill a little but I'll still give it an 8."

Then something happened. And I... just couldn't give it that 8 anymore. What happened infuriated me. There's animes that can do what happened well, and I'll be upset but like, get it. Not in this one. I had to pause and breathe for about 3 mins before pressing play again.

Others may rate this anime low due to how triggering it can get. It didn't trigger me in any way but I can see how it could. The MC goes through a lot. I just wanted to protect him.

But uh, yeah. Due to the thing that happened I'd honestly rather have not watched this show. It kinda erased all the joyous, positive things that happened throughout, in a way. Idk. I need more time to sit on it.

Yeah... idk what else to say. I'm in limbo right now

[vacantgodling]

WIP PLAYLIST TAG

i was tagged by @magic-is-something-we-create thank you so much :3c

Rules: list at least 4 songs from your current WIP playlist or a writing playlist you’ve been using lately, and the lyrics that speak to you the most! Then tag 4 people (or as many songs as you listed).

i have a lot of scattered playlists for my wips, but if we’ll do paramour cuz that’s the most developed one lol. i’ll throw 4 songs on shuffle :3c

KING FOR A DAY — PIERCE THE VEIL

this is also definitely amon’s theme song

You told me think about it, well I did

Now I don't wanna feel a thing anymore

I'm tired of begging for the things that I want

I'm over sleeping like a dog on the floor

Imagine living like a king someday

A single night without a ghost in the walls

And if the bass shakes the earth underground

We'll start a new revolution now

ADIEU — RAMMSTEIN

Everyone dies alone (All alone)

But you will always be with us

LUCIA DI LAMMERMOOR ACT III SCENE 2

it’s hard to find a translation so i’ll just explain why this song is here: this is an opera based off of an italian novel where a woman is forced to marry a man she doesn’t want in order to improve her family’s fortunes and she ends up killing him. this scene is after she stabs her husband and imagines what it’d be like to be with her lover lmao. like lowkey is this not the plot of paramour 😭 except hya gets to be with his bae and doesn’t yknow. fall into madness hamlet style lolol. anyway the song is very beautiful and in general just fits the vibe of paramour both in actual plot/content and the sound so like if you’re chill with operas you should listen to this song lol

FANTASY — VIXX

Pain pain
I can be in more pain
Even if I get torn apart and cut by knives
I only need to have you
Your existence is heaven and hell

and i’ll tag @henrike-does-writing-sometimes @magic-is-something-we-create (again cuz i want to see your other playlist bops 👀) @mjjune & @jezifster (no pressure :3)

[autumn-foxfire]

Dabi's incredible constant snark and apathy to contrast the League's more action oriented personalities Vs Hawks' incredible ability to piss off anyone he meets in 2 seconds, from AFO to Endeavor + Dabi's fierce tenacity to survive 8 years past his one month left to live, a strong heart, Vs Hawks' lucky natural birth and resilience to survive all the shit up to now, a strong mind. Their constant cat-and-mouse game and hiding their true selves, both geniuses in their own right. DabiHawks is too powerful a relationship. We still don't know whose going to get the last laugh in their Divorce Arc Part 2: or is it part 3? It was an actual line by Dabi too, I sure hope they get Toga and the Twice clones on their side, best middle finger to Dabi ever. Also Dabi's photographic memory to memorize every move he sees on sight and copy it to perfection Vs Hawks' yeah I'm not listing every freaking thing he memorized about PLF in a month, too fucking many- Touya's dying optimism Vs...Keigo, who gained it. The tension of Hawks holding a blade to Dabi's throat and Dabi casually throwing an arm around his shoulder and them always smiling and acting jolly with each other when inside they're probably thinking "ugh I really hate this guy" but just keep smiling :) :) :) Pls, I love them. There's an endless list of parallels to find in them and even similar energy. I keep going back to the basic ones but that's because it's too much effort to dig through the manga to verify things. And about that! We really wrote Hawks always snuggling up to Dabi who was annoyed by his advances, but it's the other way around (like it always is, we're always switching them up) because Ultra Impact recently got a DabiHawks event and there is SO MUCH there I haven't caught up on yet, but at one point Hawks is injured from a fight and Dabi is a naughty cat choosing this time to cozy up to him, "No fatalities, good work Hawks. The No.2 hero really is different from all the others" and Hawks is all "ow...I'm hurt, don't pat me like that" 😒 ("Come on, this is just my way of sayin' good work, you definitely earned some trust this way.") LMAO DABI ARE YOU SURE?! Can't win with this man. It's what he wasn't impressed by during High-End, but if Hawks let them die he'd just put it in his expose video. Hawks is all "well then it was all worth the effort" the effort being that this pigeon used his body to deflect bombs and everyone at PLF is worried about him while Dabi is just 😏 Really reading like a League Found Family + Hawks fic. And there's this one scene where Dabi wants to ditch a PLF meeting because Geten keeps nagging him about skipping them in the first place so he's all "Tch...Ah, Twice. Can you make a clone for me? Then I can skip it." So then Dabi clone is all, "Fine. Sure thing...did you really think I would say that?" Because who can tick off Dabi other than another Dabi? Get teased back you loser. So now original Dabi is instantly triggered because he can dish out sass but can't take it, especially not from himself, he WILL fist-fight himself in a Denny's parking lot if he has to. "Huh? Fine, then I'll make you go. Ice guy, No.2 lend me a hand." Lmaoooo why are you recruiting help? You can handle a single clone, man. Another scene: Geten: I'm not waiting. You shouldn't need a replacement in the first place. Hawks: Haha...sorry to say, but I agree with him there. Dabi: Like I said? You did it this time, Hawks. Hawks: Now now, you can't expect your subordinates to follow your commands if you act out in front of them, commander. Dabi: Tch...I'll remember this, hero. Hawks: Haha. It is my job to maintain public safety. Oh, Hawks. You don't realize the kind of grudges Touya can hold 😔

Also...Hawks insincerely-sincerely calling Dabi "commander" and Dabi nonchalantly calling Shigaraki "boss" hmmm what is the reason. I think the one mystery I can't solve is how Touya's personality turned into Dabi. No matter how much I look, nothing about Dabi matches Touya except for when he's being manic, which they got rid of in the episode! Instead he's walking all calmly down the stairs, while in Hori's sketch he was a hyperactive cat running and leaping "Shigaraki must've woken up!" >:D literally looking like he got the zoomies at 4am, a caption saying "Dabi running down the stairs" easier than running up for you, eh? *leaps over with one hand over the railing* "Just a sec, Machia." *eerily looms over Skeptic and grips him like a ragdoll, like those cursed emoji memes that try to grab you but more forceful and dynamic* "From the day we met, I knew you'd be perfect for this." How long exactly, was Dabi planning this, what was the image of his reveal in mind that made him go, "you're perfect for me!" when he joined the League, what could they offer him? Is that why he was so apathetic, but suddenly when the League gained power and new allies, he's suddenly interested? In October, right after Kamino + Overhaul that he was absent for except revenge arc because he can't resist a good revenge and murder opportunity to spread his name. (It did, Snatch. Confirmed it for him too that he was making the news.) right so October, that was the only time he was mildly interested...in still his own agenda, because he was recruiting Hawks atm and told Shigaraki that he only looks out for himself and has no interest in going out in a blaze of glory alongside him. Dabi, hey Dabi, WHAT CHANGED?!?!?!

Yum, Dabihawks parallels. Gotta love them and how many of them there are XD

LMAO, I didn't notice that we also switch the flirty behaviour in fanon but you're goddamn right. Hawks is the pissed off cat sassing back while Dabi is the flirty/flighty cat having fun messing with this new stray to wander into his domain. It's probably why I find fics to be a bit disappointing because I miss this behaviour in Dabi.

I am disappointed with the changes the anime made with Dabi in the latest season too. Describing Dabi as a cat with zoomies is accurate and it's a shame they cut that T-T I think they lessened on his manic behaviour to make him come across more "cool" and "suave" but it also takes away from Dabi...

[basileus]

Caity's 2023 Most Enjoyed List

This isn't a real reclist, but a list for me to squirrel away all the things I enjoyed this year before it's over. It's a little all over the place but this was a mess of a year so I suppose my most enjoyed list can be a mess as well. See you later 2023, don't let the door hit you on the way out.

Media:

1 - "Lena" by qntm. This is a very short story in the format of a Wikipedia article that gives me so many delightful shivery feelings about consciousness and trans-humanism and who owns the rights to machine learning/AI datasets. Very topical this year.

2 - Dungeon Meshi finished its publication and the final chapter made me cry real tears. I've been following the series for 8+ years and it is everything good with comics - art, world building, the engagement and subversion of fantasy tropes, relationships, story, recipes, the casual cannibalism, the ending. All perfect. Ryoko Kui is a genius. I am very excited for the anime airing next week.

"I think the entire point of this journey we went on was about learning how to accept death."

"Meals are the special privilege of the living. In order to stay alive, we need to keep eating."

3 - I read a lot of questionable cnovels this year but I really enjoyed two. The first was The Villainous Shizun Is As Beautiful As A Flower which is a shorter BL Shizun fucker cultivation romance. The arc after the MC finds his father goes on for a little too long (and the timeskip is awkward) but the MC is engaging enough that I didn't mind. This was a very fun quick read that I want to talk more about.

The second was For Love of the Game which is an e-sports danmei where an former actor falls in love with the captain of his fake League of Legends team (lmao). Look. Okay. I was on a kick and actually read FOUR e-sports BL novels this year and this was the one I enjoyed the most. I loved that the MC and ML had an established relationship before ever meeting face to face. Some of the reviews are salty about the ML's sneaky plotting side but both I and the MC were into it! The MC was even into the terrible secondhand embarrassing singing confession scene. But beyond the main couple, I LOVED the side paring of their "old" player and the captain on the rival team. I even got into the stupid video game strategy stuff. I had a great time.

I also re-read Who Dares Slander My Senior Brother and Where is Our Agreement to be Each Other’s Arch-Rivals? now that the translations are finished and enjoyed both of them again free from the tortures of machine translated cultivation terms. I still think both suffer from 3rd act issues. But damn did I like both ships.

(As a note - this is a list of likes but my highest high to highest disappointment cnovel was Cannon Fodder Fake Master Was Stunned After Being Reborn which I'm not even going to link because I'm still mad about it. The idol arc and the triple baby swap reveal made me so crazy invested I was literally telling my sisters the entire plot scene by scene as I read. But the last couple arcs ruined the romance/plot. I HATED the ML by the end. What haaaaappened.)

4 - I remained pretty into the SCP Foundation this year, but instead of the wiki itself, I spent a lot of time listening to the SCP Archives podcast and The Exploring Series podcast episodes. I really enjoyed the radio play aspect of the SPCA but I also enjoy how the Exploring series is just listening to some dude give you lore dumps. Its the ideal painting, journaling, chore, driving, etc. podcast for me. Check out Exploring the SCP Foundation: The ABCs of Death (Compilation) for TWELVE HOURS of great SCPs. Crazy stuff.

5 - Fire Emblem Engage and Fire Emblem Heroes. Not a ton to say on these but I enjoyed them! Ike/Soren continues to cook in FEH and I finished up merging/ascending my Eirika collection because she is the prettiest princess in the entire world.

6 - Among Us. I played..... a lot of Among Us this year with both my discord friends and new friends. Moving on.

7 - Silo on Apple TV. I'm a little burnt out on apocalypse media right now but I started watching Silo when I was also reading Red Rising and it got my brain working on all of these humanity is most human in the soil! the unfeeling earth feeds us! kinda thoughts. Rebecca Ferguson is the prettiest woman in the entire world.

8 - Speaking of digging, @Kala on Tiktok who is tunneling a "suburban mine" under her house, presumably in an HOA community the eastern United States. Kala is actually in the process of being cancelled right now and people are making very boring "I told you so" videos because someone finally snitched on her to authorities for not having a permit to dig, install electrical work, weld, reinforce, "mine", etc. under her property. Obviously this is bad! This is not how people engaging in the social contract/not experiencing some sort of mental illness do things! But I work in Construction/Engineering and am still fully obsessed with her. Hobby tunneling is so fascinating and here is someone who is documenting it for the internet. Let her dig!

Non-Media Related Likes:

1 - Volunteering once a month at my local hospital. I LOVED THIS. I got to hang out with friends and gossip for a couple hours every month, cook new giant recipes for families going through a hard time, and give back. Definitely going to continue this next year.

2 - Summer floating after work in my special "secret" river spot with a big floppy sunhat, a couple ciders, and someone to chat and watch the local birds (herons, turkey vultures, albatross, blackbirds) with. I brought 3 separate dates floating this year and it was the best idea. Will be happening again.

3 - Espresso martinis. I was actually sober for most of this year because I discovered I just like a fancy drink/excuse to go out and don't actually need the alcohol (and it's cheaper). But espresso martinis from this one tiny wood paneled bar in North Portland decorated like a hunting lodge where they make them extra frosted and sweet? Obsessed.

4 - Live music. Nothing as crazy as last year's 23 shows & 2 festivals (thank god) but shouting along to 'Batman' live at the perfect Front Bottoms show in late summer. The Michigander concert that I didn't even want to go to that felt like a house show. The Beaches on Christmas. Tons of local shows at Turn Turn (rip). So fun.

5 - Parasailing. I had never parasailed before my trip to Mexico this year. Who was gonna tell me it fucks! I want to go again right now.

6 - The weird local actor/play scene in Portland. I'm talking about a Cthulhu puppet show, publicly submitted one acts, a live acted Harry Potter rewrite where people shout along to Oppenheimer quotes, a horror fest in a theater so small they make you leave between acts and everyone in the lobby is talking about clown classes, and a one-man gay musical about ghosts. Where else except local theater will you spend $10 and a few hours watching someone pretend sprinkle themselves with seasonings and shove themselves in a large pot. This is the arts, babe. I am only going to attend more of these shows in 2024.

[discluded]

I’m 😭 know I get the snake joke when they asked Apo about kissing Mile lmao (this whole thread) idk what todo with this info

https://twitter.com/jsaturfiles/status/1563481374228508679?s=21&t=AMC2YXZLS7DPz3QwKzzMaw

Nonnnyyy!! Thank you for giving me the chance to talk about something I've wanted to talk about for a while, which is how good MA's acted kisses are. And it's good acting too! But first,

I spent a bit of time trying to figure out who the person being translated was (apo_mytype), and it looks like they're just a fan. But their comments resonated so much with people the twitter translator (jsaturfiles) got asked to translate/share. I'll post it here so people don't have to go to the tweet:

ive seen #MileApo in kissing scene workshops since the filmania era, their kisses are so real. apo said before that p mile wasn’t yet good at controlling himself. so every time they kissed he wouldn’t stop until apo nearly fell on his back. but apo couldn’t even fall because p mile was gripping his arm.

back then p mile’s body was very thick (he’s still thicker than apo today) one of his arms could wrap around apo’s entire body like a snake wrapping around it’s prey. from kissing in filmania to kissing in boc. by the time kpts ended #MileApo probably kissed 100s of times. let me ask for real, have you guys ever felt anything for each other at all? even some little thing?

some couples have been together for their whole lives and don’t kiss as often as #MileApo (reffering to them in the series)

Now let us take a very necessary break to watch some Filmania era kissing

(mobile is a PITA so here's video 1 and video 2 if they don't show up)

***

The Art of a Good Kissing Scene

For anyone (no one) wondering "Kyuu, how the fuck do you know so many things about everything" the answer is 1) I don't know shit, 2) I have ADHD, and 3) I spend a lot of time just learning things about I find interesting. Like watching a lot of videos like the above.

The coach basically breaks down a list of things she's looking for in good/bad scenes, including 1. prelude (setup), 2. breath (pause before the kiss -- it's a moment of dramatic tension to set up the audience), 3. rhythm of the kiss, 4. dialogue/chemistry/moment/surrender (checking in with each other).

And she specifically compliments Jonathan Rhys Meyers' ability to create a private moment (13:39) of intimacy in a crowded place to establish the context for the kiss. So there is actual acting technique in how technically good on-screen kisses are, and also specifically how good Mile and Apo make KP's kisses.

I adore all of KP's kisses, but I specifically want to talk about how good their first kiss in episode 3 is.

The thing is, it's obviously not the first time MileApo have kissed, and certainly not even the first time they've kissed as Kinn and Porsche, but they have to sell to the audience the authenticity of it being their first kiss in the context of the events of the show -- the hesitancy, the heart in your throat jolt of tension, the tenderness and chasteness and longing and release of the first kiss.

(cr smittenskitten for the gifs! here's another edit of this extended...tumblr glitched on let me add more pictures?)

And you know it's good acting because they can recreate this exact same tension, breath, longing, and relief of tension live in one take

(video link for those suffering mobile like me)

It's so good in that the setup is both anticipatory and surprising at the same. Watch both happen...This youtuber's mom was even able to count down to their kiss.

Perth (Ken) has talked on his channel about how shows are filmed non-sequentially and it's up to the actors to know their characters well enough to know what's going on with them in that scene. Since the first kiss on the pier was physically in the same place as where they ended their first date in episode 8, they likely shot those on the same day or very close together. So MA had to know their characters' hearts very well. And their trust in each other, in taking each other's small cues, is what builds in the authenticity of watching Kinn and Porsche falling in love.

So yes, all the practice helped, but their kisses really do feel special. Mile and Apo constantly sell to us how special it is.

And that's what we call acting, baby. ��💦

Let's just say it's probably good Mile had a whole year to get all of that hunger out of his system first because KPTS Episode 3 Kinn was way more respectful than Mile was haha.

(if you keep asking sending me anons, I will eventually run out of interesting things to talk about!!! 😅)

[soundwavemain]

what are some of your favorite rottmnt scenes? also opinions on other turtle media? best/worst?

Oh boy. Okay so for ROTTMNT I enjoy a vast majority of the scenes so I mean no disrespect to any in particular by not mentioning them. That being said lmao

I love all of the fight scenes. One of my favorite things to do is analyze animation/animated series so the fact that rise has such fascinating fight scenes is so refreshing compared to... other shows >.>

I love whenever Splinter spends times with his kids. Honorable mentions go to his and April’s dynamic, when he apologized to Donnie, and how he talked about his kids/held Mikey’s hand in their Hidden City episode. Honestly, I love what rise did with Splinter’s character and the mom in the park scene gets me every time.

My FAVORITE scene, though, has to be when Raph told his family about the stress he was under and he relied on them to catch him. This, in tandem with Leo’s apology, really just goes for my throat specifically as a Raph fan.

Now for my opinions on tmnt media... (Putting this under the cut because this is already so long T^T)

Note: Other than the ROTTMNT Movie, I haven’t seen any of the tmnt movies so I cannot adequately judge them. I also generally don’t like live action stuff. If I did watch the other tmnt movies, I would probably be more interested in the ones that use practical effects instead of CGI (if there are any, I might be wrong thinking there is one. Who knows? Not me.)

OKAY. Opinion time.

I started watching tmnt with tmnt 2003 so I definitely enjoy it. I haven’t rewatched any episodes recently but I have seen some scenes that reminded me why I continued watching it in the first place. I think it’s a fun watch if you’re on a turtle kick and enjoy early 2000s animated shows (if you know, you know). The characterization isn’t there per say compared to 2012 and ROTTMNT but it is a silly show. With some exaggerated turns. Also, Usagi Yojimbo fans! Miyamoto Usagi shows up. I can’t remember for how many episodes but he’s there! 

While watching tmnt 2003, tmnt 2012 started airing. I actually watched it as it aired until season 3 (I couldn’t keep up with it T^T). I remember trying to watch season 3 on they nickelodeon website before the eventually took it down and I only got about ten episodes in. I got back into it I wanna say in 2020 and watched the whole show in a matter of months and, since then, I’ve rewatched up until season 4 with a friend of mine so I still have it fresh in my memory files.

It’s not good :D The character writing is bad, the plot is bad, the subplots are bad, the character designs are bad, the animation is bad, the sound effects (the overuse of gross humor clearly marketed towards “9-year-old boys”) is bad. There have been and are cartoons made specifically for that demographic that are way better. I will still watch it because I have nostalgia for it and I love to pick apart how character designs and writing can be improved (animated series analyses kicking in) but I would not recommend tmnt 2012 unless I provided a HUGE list of things to be aware of while watching it. Like, honestly, no. Don’t watch it. You can live with just highlight reels if anything.

ROTTMNT... My shining angel. I adore what rise did in terms of subverting what a typical tmnt continuity could be. I think the character designs are fun and interesting. The dynamics are wholesome and well-written. You can tell why a character acts the way they do by the end of season 2 which is a huge win for a tmnt show. [cough] The action sequences, the fight choreography, the animation-- you can tell that the creators of the show had fun with it! Even without the plot, the show is a fun watch. Watch it. Watch ROTTMNT. Now.

I would absolutely recommend ROTTMNT and its movie to someone getting into tmnt. It gives everyone a personality and differentiates them while also maintaining a family dynamic that is really refreshing to see.

Now, as for tmnt 1987... I haven’t watched it </3 I don’t know if I ever will watch it either and that’s OKAY. No one has to consume every continuity in a franchise to be a true fan of it. I haven’t read any of the comics either and I don’t really plan to (mainly because I don’t even have the attention span for the ones I want to read) so yeah. No opinion on those.

Sorry for the rambling T^T I have a lot of turtle thoughts