#one of the greatest romcoms ever made

[1001galaxygal]

grian's first episode of double life is genuinely one of the greatest romcoms ever put to screen

[demon-country]

Man, no wonder Stolas got literal heart eyes after Blitz did this. This was his "Harriet! Don't get on that train!" moment, the big gesture he so desperately wanted just so he'd know that Blitz really did care about him enough to want him to stay. He had been so sure that that was going to be the last time he ever saw Blitz, that the last thing he ever did would be saving Blitz's life, and Blitz's response was to fight against the chains dragging him away just so he could run to Stolas with a desperate, heart-wrenching plea not to sacrifice himself.

Blitz had thought for sure that he'd never be able to give Stolas the kind of dramatic romcom moment Stolas longed for, but the joke's on him and us, because even though we all knew he would inevitably end up giving Stolas one and were eagerly awaiting it, no one expected it to be like that. And yet, the writers pulled through for us once again, because there really could not have been a more meaningful and moving way for him to have done so.

Anything where Blitz actually said something along the lines of "don't get on that train", could have been misconstrued by both Stolas and irl media illiterate viewers as Blitz just saying what Stolas wanted to hear without actually meaning it (assuming Stolas even remembers that conversation). But there was nothing contrived about this, there was no time for him to have possibly thought about any potential romcom moments at all; he just saw that he was about to lose Stolas for good and fought as hard and as frantically as he could, just to beg Stolas not to take the fall for him. To not love him so much that he'd think Blitz was worth protecting with his very life.

And I don't even think he realizes just how much that meant to Stolas, to know that the man he loves would fight for him with such fervor, despite knowing that it was a fruitless effort. Blitz, without knowing it and without even realizing just how much raw, earnest, desperate love he was displaying, gave Stolas exactly the kind of overt and undeniable proof that he was loved and wanted that he had always needed.

Except that, as Stolas has already found out, that's not enough. He made his big gesture to Blitz and Blitz made one to him, and that's a great start, but love's not just shown through grand gestures and they're not what'll help you pick up the pieces when your world falls apart.

The smaller, softer, quieter gestures of love are what Stolas will need most going forward, but for someone who has received as little love in his life as Stolas has, who has suffered from depression for ages, and who has just lost almost everything (including his antidepressants!), it might end up being hard for him to tell the difference between what is done out of love and what is done out of mere obligation to repay a debt. Not to worry, though, because he'll learn how to spot it soon enough.

He'll see that sometimes love is shown by taking care of someone when they don't have the strength to do it themselves

And by taking them by the hand and giving them a place to rest when it all becomes too much for them to bear

And by catching them when they fall, even when you're upset with each other

And by being so comforting that they feel safe falling asleep and leaving themselves vulnerable next to you without any hesitation.

Perhaps the greatest injustice the world has dealt to Blitz is by convincing him that he ruins lives, when the truth is that the person behind his walls has a way of loving people that is so incredibly healing. Simply by being his real, honest self, he manages to give the people he cares about the kind of love they need the most, without even trying. Without even noticing how much his words and actions have affected them for the better.

And now that those walls have started to drop, his loved ones have been able to start showing how much they love and want to support him as well. I have faith that once Stolas has cottoned on to the little ways Blitz has been showing him that he cares, that he'll start reciprocating those gestures. The man is such a romantic and in the song Just Look My Way he even says "I can give you everything you need" as well as "and no matter what in this world I could give, it's not enough"; there's no way he won't eventually try to provide for and take care of Blitz once he's well enough to. He just needs some time to heal, and until then Blitz will be there, giving him the love and care that he needs to keep his head above water.

Tl;dr: all the people who said that Blitz would never be able to give Stolas what he needs in a partner have just been proven dead wrong on all counts, and will continue to be proven so.

[violestars]

𝙡𝙚𝙩 𝙝𝙞𝙢 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙠 𝙄 𝙣𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙧 𝙡𝙤𝙫𝙚𝙙 𝙝𝙞𝙢

𝙥𝙖𝙞𝙧𝙞𝙣𝙜𝙨: Sunday x male reader

𝙨𝙪𝙢𝙢𝙖𝙧𝙮: childhood friends to best friends to nothing au, where rejecting your confession is worth more than the pain of infecting your perfect image with his sinful existence.

𝙣𝙤𝙩𝙚: not proof read, !!only male readers!!

𝙬𝙖𝙧𝙣𝙞𝙣𝙜𝙨: yandere-ish?,maybe ooc, mention of religion, implied homophobia, angst no comfort, just depressing.

𝙘𝙝𝙖𝙥𝙩𝙚𝙧𝙨: part 1, part 2

Your childhood friend is a rather confusing fellow, to the point where one would think his significant other, if he ever has one, is the type to do riddles for fun. You also love riddles but moreover, you love him. Can anyone blame you? You were consumed by these feelings in your undeveloped mind. Seven was the age you fell for Sunday, for the charming boy that is your childhood friend. Maybe it was just some puppy love between two foolish kids but no one can explain the bubbling excitement in your stomach whenever a barely visible pout was drawn on his face, whenever he uses sugar coated words to kindly ask others to leave you two alone or how his clinginess to you was shown so slyly. You were an equal to Sunday and it has left a sweet taste on your tongue till this day.

As you grow older, your mind started to question this fondness for him. You were taught love doesn't need any explanation but you aren't dumb, there are always reasons behind everything. Even the unknown comfort, warmness one could find in another is also a reason. You knew that because you have experienced it with Sunday but that wasn't your concern, for now at least. Deep down you knew this love for the other male wasn't merely a mystery, your relationship did not belong in those cheap romcoms you two would binge on a sunday night. Was it more evident on the day you went crying to him about your religious mother? Was it because of the warm hands that traced your cheeks, causing you to lean into such softness as he teased you with a coo? How you wished he could repeat his supposedly sin against his perfectionist family's belief was the attraction to the same gender, how the boyish smirk once he admitted how good rebellion feels.

School isn't your strongest suit and you beat yourself up for that, it also didn't help knowing your insecurity enabled the hatred from others. From family to friends, even strangers, their greatest gift to you was just pitiful stares. Sunday was different though, the soft smile that never fails to comfort you, the warm embrace of the only friend you can lean on, he was truly a breath of fresh air throughout suffocating days of school. The only subject you were good at is literature but the skills you've gained failed to form a clear answer to why your best friend has never doubted you. Asking him yourself only made the progress more complicated for both your mind and heart, as he flicked your head and told you about how much he worried more about your efforts than some silly printed texts.

“Your mind is built from poetry, not numbers, my little train-wreck.” You remembered his soothing voice right beside your ear, ignoring his ways with words and how it shaded your tear-stained canvas a light red, you let out a weak chuckle to lighten the mood.

“And yours is built of riddles. I'm not stable enough to solve one right now, Sun.” Your lighthearted response only brought him to laughter, a smile now placed onto your face as you silently hoped he would drop whatever sentimental words he just thought of since it was already as awkward as it could be. Who in their right mind would ask their best friend to climb through the bedroom window just because regrets were hitting too hard at 3 am? The guy has a controlling family for god's sake.

“You let people treat you so poorly just because of a subject, or it is everything about you throws them off. Why, though? You might think you're weird but I feel like you're just performing. A spectacular show that doesn't meet its audience, so desperately wants to be heard.”

As you thought you couldn’t drown yourself in thoughts of him further, this only deepened it. How you wondered if he actually has a third eye, silently guilding your thoughts to their respective docks. In your mind, he is the epitome of elegance, sometimes you wonder if the word is made specifically for him. Sunday is just perfect, while in one way he was expected to be due to being the adopted son of such a high status family, you felt like he doesn't even have to try. He handled stressful situations with ease, he joked it's you who taught him so with your antics. You two are the polar opposite, yet it felt like two puzzle pieces finding each other, different notes that falls in tune. You wondered how he tolerated everything throughout the years, not that you were complaining, it was just your anxiety often questions the authenticity of this friendship but as his hand cradled your face, the usual smile reserved for only you entered the view, you knew the dreams about him were real because Sunday adores you.

Unfortunately, your dreams crashed. You mentally cursed him for ruining everything, but it was not his fault he couldn't reciprocate those feelings, it was not his fault he is destined for greatness and you are the loser that existed. You knew you were being petty but it hurt how everything turned out to be a cacophony in disguise, how you two favored the full moon that night like the way you favored each other. Well, the way you favored him. Sunday wouldn't know all these shameful thoughts, you only nodded at his kind refusal with choked breaths after all. His frown only deepened once he noticed how tears sharp as the finest blade threatened to fall from your eyes and slice through his heart, but he didn't say anything. It hurts that your feelings were treated like a slipped word, a dumb accident, by both you and mostly him.

He knew you're worried, he was trained to be attentive to every change to his surroundings yet here he was, hands in a tight grip like how his thoughts were tied together in a messy knot. Sunday has been avoiding you, not right after the night of your confession though, he wasn't that cruel but he was evil enough to do it after reassuring you, hoping you would not throw away such unshakable friendship. Reason was, Sunday didn't know why he couldn't accept your love, he should have trust in every card he played, that was what they taught him.

It just tasted bitter. He isn't a saint, he hoped you also knew that, his mouth is filled with lies and his existence needs to be soaked in soap. In other words, Sunday is a freak of nature. Him and his sister were adopted to a rich family after the passing of their parents. Sadly enough, he still felt like nobody's son, his every step reminds him of walking on fragile ice under the threatening gaze of his so-called guardians but he still walks anyways. His sister, Robin, has her own dreams to fulfill and no one will dared to rewritte her role into another plaything for the Gods. That's why Sunday will carry all the burdens, the responsibility that will never be put onto Robin's freely spread wings and he works hard to keep it that way.

Sunday lived in this facade that is made of others' desires, he was a trapped bird that pretends to be an eagle, he felt like the strongest piece but never the mastermind. Unlike him, his darling was the salvation humanity carved for all their miserable life, you were the living proof that the lord heard his songs. You slowly metamorphosed into his only God though, Sunday believed his schemes were always concealed because he worshiped you. Sunday believed you didn't exist because he was only worthy of your afterimage. You were and are his 'father', his entire universe. He shamefully found himself praying to your name against the family's knowledge, images of your beauty embroidered in his mind rather than any flight of fancy.

But how Sunday loathed himself, how pitiful is he if everyone were starting to lead their own life yet he was still following a script, how unfortunate is he if the boy of his dreams felt like the vast sky from his cage. Why does one feel deep disgust within but still mindlessly follows the same path? He wanted to fly upward, to feel your touch but the sky is unreachable and so is you. Sunday knows his love for you like the back of his hand, it's more than the platonic feeling towards his sister and the ambition towards a perfect future, it's the only thing the family didn't plant into his mind at such a young age. His love for you felt like the only thing he could freely express.

You knew he wished to live in a dreamscape, where he would generate happiness for the unfortunates but you don't know this dreamland of his sprouted from the purest of love for you. Those troublesome worries won't reach you there, he swore upon his life that he would shield you away from this brutal world in your new home. You only laughed at his silly delusion though, you never wanted to live in a lie and he knew that clearly. Sunday envied that part of you, he detested how strong you are despite all attempts to drag you down but maybe that's what confirmed his feelings towards you.

You were able to confuse Sunday in the best way possible. You could sob about how ugly you are, complain about your failure of a life and hatred for reality but in the end, you didn't mean it. You wanted to live for the imperfect tomorrow, you wanted to erode a stone that is your destiny with him, with Sunday. Yes, that's what you are. So imperfectly beautiful as he's perfectly fake. That's why he would push you away, as unreasonable as his actions were, he will not taint your future and dirty your determination, this kaleidoscoping pain shall never reach your ears. Sunday doesn't want anyone to find out you're his weakness, he doesn't want to acknowledge you're the sweet reality to his pained dream. He was happily in your shadow even if he could catch a glimpse of your performance.

Sunday loves you so he will let you go.

© art by @/Ceoretkr on twt

[lxvemaze]

txt bf! headcanons

pairing: ot5!txt x reader

tags: fluff !!

warnings: n/a

a/n: if ya'll liked this, i'd appreciate a like and reblog!! i love you all!!

more under the cut!

⚝soobin

literally a romcom boyfriend. he does all the things you thought you'd only see in a romance movie; he opens doors for you, doesn't let you pay for dinner, gives you flowers, and walks you to your door at the end of a date. and he does it all with a smile on his face. BC HE LOVES TO DO IT!! he loves to make you feel loved! plus, your family loves him!! he's the type of boyfriend that any mom would want their kid to have! would 100% buy your mom flowers before meeting her for the first time and wins her over immediately! if you two end up living together, he'd looove to make dinner for you. even if he's not the greatest at cooking, he'd try his hardest to master all your favorite dishes. if you two ever fight, he will not want either of you to leave or go to bed until you get it resolved. he hates fighting with you :(( soobin is THE dream boyfriend.

⚝yeonjun

he's the boy that your family would be wary of at first, but end up loving him as one of their own. even you think that he's too cool for you at first- but you find out pretty quickly that he's just a silly guy. loves to go shopping with you! we all know how much yeonjun loves fashion, so im convinced that this would be one of his favorite pastimes with you! if you're not super into fashion, he'd love to pick out outfits for you! and if you are into fashion, he'd love to experiment and share a wardrobe with you! i think he'd like to just lounge around the house with you! watching tv, laying in bed, showering together, whatever! he just likes to be near you :)

⚝beomgyu

dating beomgyu, you'd literally be attached at the hip with him. he's like a puppy when he hears you grab your keys, he comes running over like, "where you going? what are you doing? can i come?" like, broski, you're just going to the store???? along with that, he'll just yap at you 24/7. he'll be talking to you, and if you need to pee or smth, you just stand up and go to the bathroom bc you know he'll just follow you in there and sit on the edge of the tub while you're peeing and he's still just talking about whatever. you love it, though. don't get me wrong! BIG cuddler. he likes to be little spoon :(

⚝taehyun

he likes to quietly admire you<3 you can just be taking your makeup off in your room and you'll see him in the mirror laying in the bed looking at you like ":))))" he just loves you so much! we all know taehyun is a very fit guy, so he'd probably like to go to the gym or hiking with you!! even if you're not a very active person yourself, he'd like to work out with you and act like a personal trainer of sorts. you'd be dying while doing the leg press, and he'd be like, "one more! you can do it!" after you got home from the gym, he'd be sure to massage your sore muscles after you took a shower<3

⚝hueningkai

i think we can all agree that hueningkai is the biggest loser ever! and i mean that in a very loving way! when you guys first start dating, he's soooo nervous, so you just kind of end up leading the way in the relationship. but as the relationship progresses, he starts loving to take care of you! he likes to make dinner reservations, he likes buying gifts for you, etc. but he's still so nervous about it! he'll probably be like "i made reservations for dinner! do you like that restaurant? we can go to a different one if you don't like it!" or "do you like that necklace i bought you??? i can buy a different one if you don't :(((" like, no bby you love everything he does for you<333 even after the relationship has gone on for literal years, he still needs that reassurance<3

thanks for reading!!

[hotvintagepoll]

Judy Holliday and Jack Lemmon (It Should Happen To You, Phffft)—cuties!! cute cuties!!!! she's a curvaceous babe with a pipsqueak voice and a highwire intelligence, he's a limpwristed weirdo who can't think straight when she's around.

Katharine Hepburn and Cary Grant (Holiday, Bringing Up Baby, The Philadelphia Story)—They're both unspeakably hot and putting them together only makes them that much hotter. Because physically attractive people are WAY hotter when they're also incredibly funny, and both of them are. They play off each other to perfection, and I could eat them both ❤️

This is round 1 of a mini Christmas tournament. Each poll lasts for three days. If you'd like to send additional propaganda supporting your favorite hot couple, you can reblog this post with your propaganda added, send it to my asks, or tag me in it. To vote in all the polls, click here. Happy holidays!

[additional sexy propaganda under the cut]

Lemmon and Holliday:

Hepburn and Grant:

Truly two of the hottest people ever to grace our screens and when you put them together, it's volcanic. They are totally magnetic on screen together, with the perfect love/hate chemistry. The ultimate 'you drive me crazy' couple, no one is doing it like them.

They are delight and joy and ALSO insanely hot together. Friendships have ended over the ship war of The Philadelphia Story, and you know what? Valid.

They are the hottest couple because they are clever, witty and beautiful. They spark off each other magnificently.

I feel like they’re almost too obvious to bother submitting but I’ve made that mistake before so Cary Grant and Katherine Hepburn. I present Bringing Up Baby and The Philadelphia Story as evidence, your honor

Perfect onscreen match in some of the greatest romcoms ever. My, they were yar!

Cary Grant & Katherine Hepburn! They're my favorites! Dapper & ridiculous both!

I'm sorry, that's not a very romantic pic, but I had to include the serenading the leopard

and the fluffy bathrobe!

[cheeseplants]

2024 fic roundup

Can I just create an ask game? I wanted to create a snapshot for 2024 for me, and would love to hear from others, so I’m going to interview myself like a loon.

Please join in if you want 🙂 I know we’re in Dec, so feel free to answer at the end of the month if you wish!

What fandoms do you write in?

Good Omens! Aziraphale/Crowley!

And I wrote one for the tiny fandom of The House in the Cerulean Sea. Linus/Arthur 4ever.

How many words have you published in 2024?

This is a tricky one. My official total is 270,737 words but three of those were collabs. So if I count the fics that only I wrote it’s 117,911. Which is still a bit mind-blowing to me, as I only started doing this Nov 2023.

What is your greatest achievement this year?

It has to probably be my first ever longfic over 50k. I set myself a goal to write something long and follow the beats of a classic romcom. And I did it! It was really me muddling through it trying to work out what the Hell I was doing. But it exists and some people even said they liked it, so I count that as a win. 

It’s called The Apple Doesn't Fall Far and it’s about Crowley inheriting a cottage from his aunt and butting heads with Aziraphale the councillor who is in charge of knocking it down. And spoiler alert. They fall in love

What are your favourite top three fics you wrote this year?

The Apple Doesn't Fall Far - as above! 

Rating: E 

Wordcount: 58,135

It’s sugary sweet with enough light angst to create some nice drama. But it’s mainly cosy, low stakes, comfortable, contemporary British romance vibes. 

The Ecstasy of Eden

Rating: E

Wordcount: 28,303

5 times they used sex pollen, and the one time they didn't Through the Ages fic. Written for the High Sex Pollen Event. It is a fun romp through the ages with some surprising angst chapters that I absolutely love. They are silly piney fools. ALSO I got art made for it!

If we were

Rating: E

Wordcount: 3,362

In 1941 Aziraphale and Crowley imagine their life as humans.

This fic fell out of me almost fully formed. I was half asleep and began daydreaming fic (as you do) and by the time I got to my laptop, my fingers wrote it in basically a couple of hours. It is everything I love. Bittersweet, yearning, them being completely in love but unable to do anything about it, slow dancing, almost kisses and some spice!

What was your biggest pit of despair moment?

The Ecstacy of Eden was a slog at times. I had written chap one and three, but it took so long for me to get chap two into shape. I couldn’t work out what the Hell I was doing. Got beta feedback where they could tell I was clearly feeling really stuck after I wrote it because it was all a bit lacklustre. 

Almost totally gave up. I had a few: I’m never writing again, what’s the point? moments.

Somehow I pushed through and made it work. 

In a lot of ways, that was probably the moment I saw my writing improve the most. BUT IT WAS A HORRIBLE SLOG. Ugh. I wanted to say this because I know we all have them and it’s good to talk about it!

What have you learned?

Honestly, how to use commas better! I can already tell my grammar has improved a lot from when I first started. I don’t rely on epithets as much. I know what semi-colons are for (thanks @fishey-me!)

I am getting better at letting fics breathe. I feel like my background in marketing and comms makes me want to write very precisely and I am slowly learning to cast that off and take time setting scenes. I also found a few tools to help me outline better. 

Romancing the Beat by Gwen Hayes

Take Off Your Pants!: Outline Your Books for Faster, Better Writing by Libbie Hawker

They’ve been invaluable in teaching me what the Hell I’m doing. My main takeaways - work out your character's flaws and work out the theme of the story. 

I also learned what sex pollen is and then wrote a 30k fic about it.

What fic did you want to do but never made it off the ground?

Ugh, I have one in my drive called Crowley and Aziraphale go on holiday. I imagined it as a canon-compliant fic post S2 where they go on a sort of make-or-break holiday. I just liked the idea of Crowley being all grouchy in the sun and Aziraphale awkwardly trying to flirt over Sangria. ALSO only one bed! But it sort of sits in my drafts and I’ve not done much with it. 

Did you beta any fics? Any favs you want to shout out?

YES. Many fics!

But I think I’ll have to give my biggest shout-out to @kneelbeforeyourdogbabylon for Sins of Knowledge! I’ve help beta more than 100k of that (wow) and it’s a wild ride. Go check it out. 

What three fics have you read this year that you love?

Listen I have tons and tons I’d love to recommend, but I am going to whittle it down!

First up it has to be @happynachohologram who surprised me on my birthday with not only their first ever fic, but basically one of the best South Downs retirement fics ever. I still think about it. It’s under 2k and it’s absolutely beautiful. 

The Best Part by @happynachohologram

Rating: E

Wordcount: 1,702

A throwaway comment from Aziraphale sets Crowley wondering about the best parts of retirement.

-

UGH, next up @gaiaseyes451 This fic changed me. I don’t know if I’ve ever been more hooked while being emotionally devastated as this fic. Mind the tags but it’s wonderful.

A Little Life by @gaiaseyes451

Rating: E

Wordcount: 71,624

When Professor of Botany Anthony Crowley met bookshop owner Ezra Fell one November afternoon both knew their lives had irrevocably changed. From that moment forward, Anthony and Ezra’s existence was intertwined. Their story was written in the moments and memories they created as they moved through life’s chapters of coming together, building a family and facing the challenges of being human. This is a story of unconditional love and the joy and humour, obstacles and grief that inevitably come with choosing the same person, day after day, over and over and over again.

-

Gorgeous pine-scented Crowley and one of the best premises I’ve read in a while. I know most people must have read this but if you haven’t you’re in for such a treat!

Stuck on Me by @zin-lynn-c

Rating: E

Wordcount: 56,538

After a drunken handfasting ceremony goes awry, Crowley and Aziraphale find themselves magically bound to be touching at all times. In order to set the situation to rights, they must embark on a multi-day journey to seek help from the last true witch in England.

What ideas are percolating for next year?

I think my next longfic is probably going to be a road trip with college-aged Az and Crowley. The characters keep yelling at me in my head, so I think they want to be written. So far Crowley is an activist punk who needs a lift back to London after graduation and Aziraphale is a posh boy who represents everything Crowley stands against.

Animosity to lovers my beloved!

It’s probably set in the 90s so no one has a mobile phone and Crowley can be obnoxious with a box of cassettes playing Az a bunch of bebop he pretends to hate. I have a scene of Crowley taking Aziraphale to his first gay bar in my head that I can’t get rid of, so I probably need to write it. 

Who do you want to thank?

OMG all of @goodomensafterdark for giving us a platform and being a lovely bunch of pocket pals! I want to give A BIG shoutout to @happynachohologram for letting me yell all my insecurities at you and for always screeching when I send them pictures of Crowley and Aziraphale holding hands in the South Downs. 

And to @kneelbeforeyourdogbabylon for agreeing to beta my 50k longfic! Pretty sure it would never have been published if it wasn’t for you two. 

And @doonarose for organising the madness of the original CYOA!

Anyone in my tags feel free to join in or in fact anyone at all. I'll tag a few more below. Tag, answer any Qs that suit and play along!

@adverbian @isiaiowin @onedappercat @angie-words @brenna

[beerok23]

2024 FIC Roundup

In response to those of you who tagged me (@pookasluagh @captainblou and @missunderstoodlyrics) here is my AO3 author interview.

What fandoms do you write in? At the moment, only for Good Omens! But in the past I've written for Friends, The Pretender and Alias.

How many words have you published in 2024? So far, 186,754 words. I'll soon have a new Christmas fic to post that will definitely increase the count to more than 200k.

What is your greatest achievement this year? Starting to write for this fandom. When I started reading canon post S2 fix-it fics at the end of 2023 I didn't know that I would fall in love with AUs. Today I'm sure that this is a fandom that can express the best AU - if only for the fact that canon is 'fantasy' and AU are 'realistic'. I've changed my style from AE to BE and I'm trying to strengthen my writing. It's not always easy, but I've found beta readers who are so helpful in the process. I can't thank them enough.

What are your favorite top three fics you wrote this year? I've only posted two long fics, which are obviously the favorite I wrote: The Tadfield Holiday (A human ‘The Holiday’ AU) Runaway Groom (A human ‘Runaway Bride’ AU)

But as I mentioned, I'll soon post my Xmas fic 🎄🎁

What was your biggest pit of despair moment? I don't think I ever got desperate, but sometimes it's not easy being a non-native speaker. And the thing I've struggled with the most? Smut scenes 😁 What have you learned? Go with the flow. When the flow hits, just go with it. I'm saying this after writing almost 40k words in less than three weeks.

Did you beta any fics? Actually, I am! I'm not a useful beta when it comes to language, but I'm the best cheeleader 😁😁😁

What three fics have you read this year that you love? Only three? Impossible. I've read hundreds of them. I always read fics and most of all I re-read my faves. So here's a few.

and salt the Earth behind you by @sunrisesinthesuburbs The love and respect I have for this author is immeasurable. Just RUN read EVERYTHING she writes. Of course her Borrowed Words is a masterpiece, but I have a special place in my heart for Profiler Aziraphale and CI Crowley.

Overboard by @joanofart5 I write film-inspired AUs, and Joan did the same with this little gem. It's based on the 1980's romcom 'Overboard' and it's funny, and lovely and makes you FEEL all the right feelings.

Find the Light by @klikandtuna Oh, what an extremely talented author 💛 You've got Headmaster!Aziraphale and Rockstar!Crowley all cuddled up in an awesomely fluff story. Wonderful ❤

The New Road (is an old friend) by @missunderstoodlyrics Pastor!Aziraphale meets SingleDad!Crowley and his daughter Mira. Pining ensured and angst that made me die a little (a sweet death, mind you). Still one of my personal faves by this incredibly talented author.

I'll tell you who's in charge by @captainblou is still my fave of them. But even in other fics, Blou has this wonderful way with words and smut scenes and writing badass Crowley who's actually the sweetest creature. And the way they write about trans characters is the best in the fandom.

When Hell Freezes Over by @hermiola She has a WIP (subscribe, it's hilarious) and she's recently finished her Pretty Woman AU "Take a Little Love From Me", but I discovered her with this two-chapters one shot featuring a charming Peter-Vincent-inspired!Crowley and journalist!Aziraphale. I'm so glad we are collaborating, because your writing truly inspires me 💙💙💙

But oh there are so many others fellow authors: @bellisima-writes ("The Last Angel" is one of the more complex well-thought plots I've ever read), @feraltuxedo (If "All lines are open" was a book, I would have consummated its pages by now), @fellshish (My gosh, how many times I've read "Trial & error"?), @lyricalkris ("The Devil Built a Chapel" killed me 💚💛).

What ideas are percolating for next year? One too many. That's why I'll probably stop writing for a bit. I mean, there might be another movie-inspired AU project in the work, but...We'll see 💜

Who do you want to thank? My three besties, @pookasluagh, @somewhere-in-wales and @ineffablerainstorm. You know everything already 💚💛❤💜🧡🤍 And also, all the writers who make this fandom the precious, peaceful place it is. We've been through a lot this year. But we get them back together in less than a month.

And I can't wait.

[luneariann]

Bsd headcanons!

- Kouyou, 27 yr as of current canon

- Kouyou started dressing in traditional clothing in an effort to seem older/inspire more respect when she first became an executive, and it stuck. now instructs all the people under her wing to do the same

- Actually a huge fan of romance novels, Chuuya started reading them cuz of her

- Tea snob

- WILL judge you to your face in the most convoluted language, you will only realize you were insulted in like three business days

- She has freckles but she covers them up w makeup, Yosano loves them

- Yosano, 27 yr old

- When she was first adopted by Fukuzawa she tried doing things she thought kids her age did in an effort to feel more "normal" it didn't rly work

- Has won scariest ADA member four years in a row, shes both very proud of that title and very protective of it, actively does scarier shit once the elections come back around each year

- Wine snob!

- Veryyy blunt, she got it from Ranpo (Fukuzawa would call him a bad influence except he theyre both saying what hes thinking so)

- Dazai, 26

- Has tried to be a plant dad to win a bet w Ranpo, failed miserably, none of his plants are alive but theyre all lovingly named anyway, he talks to their decomposing corpses sometimes

- The worst fashion sense known to man, he KNOWS how to dress he just makes the active choice to dress like a bowling alley carpet when given the chance

- When Atsushi made him a friendship bracelet and he had to be excused to go to the bathroom and compose himself

- Hes Yokohamas local cryptid

- Chuuya, 26

- Loves romance novels, its his greatest secret

- Dazai gave him a bunch of plants as a surprise gift during his brief plant dad phase, he frantically learned everything he could abt them so he could take care of them properly

- He cuts his own hair, yes it is uneven on purpose, he thinks he looks cool (he does, but only because hes Chuuya so he can pull off literally anything) (yes i am biased why do you ask)

- Fantastic cook

- Piercings <333 he would get a tattoo but he doesnt rly do well with needles (cough trauma cough)

- Atsushi, 18

- Had a "sleepover" with Kyouka when he realized neither of them had ever had one, it was great they did eachothers nails and watched romcoms together, Kyouka decided she didnt really like them but Atsushi did so they watched them anyways

- Made everyone friendship bracelets one time on said "sleepover"!

- ALSO has an atrocious fashion sense, its Dazais influence <//3

- Kyouka has made it her personal mission to fix his haircut over time (he cuts his hair with kitchen scissors, she was horrified when she saw)

- Akutagawa, 19

- a full on trad goth, he goes simple for work tho

- Hes a gatekeeper, sorry yall </3

- Carries around an umbrella in the sunlight cuz he burns rly rly easily

- Gets cold REALLY easily too

- The most socially inept man you will ever meet, Gin had to cover for him A LOT when they were children

- When he first realized he felt something for Atsushi he not only did not realize that his heart speeding up around him was a crush thing, but thought it was excitement for a fight, so he just ended up challenging him to an absurd amount of fights, going as far as to go to the ADA to pick fights

[lurkingshan]

Hiii Shan,

I cannot remember for the life of me if I asked you about it or not and tumblr search does not help. I've been listening to the @the-conversation-pod round-up ep and apart from making me burst out laughing in public transport, it got me thinking about 'I Cannot Reach You' and the friends-to-lovers trope. Have you ever listed your fav dramas that use it? If not, can I ask for one pretty pretty please?

Thank you for listening to the @the-conversation-pod! And this is such a good question, because friends to lovers is actually a hard trope to get right and often isn't executed that well. It's also a term that is often misapplied to mean something more like friendly to lovers, aka a romance that starts out with the main pair meeting and keeping things platonic for awhile before they escalate to romance.

A true execution of the friends to lovers trope in its purest form is a relationship change narrative, and that requires an established and important friendship, a major transition in the way both members of the pair view each other, and most importantly, lots of angst. If there's no serious anxiety and fear about the changing feelings and losing the friendship present in the narrative, it's not actually friends to lovers, it's just a natural romantic relationship progression. So something like Weightlifting Fairy Kim Bok Joo, while a great story about a pair of college students who establish a friendship before eventually realizing they like each other, is not really a FTL as defined here. And my beloved Sing My Crush doesn't qualify either, because romantic feelings were present the entire time, just suppressed.

So with those parameters set, there are only a handful of dramas I think have done this really well. Onto the list:

I Cannot Reach You

You already mentioned this one, so let me just reiterate what I said on the podcast: it's the best friends to lovers bl ever made. This story absolutely nails the relationship change arc and puts us in Kakeru's shoes as he realizes his best friend since childhood 1) is gay and 2) has developed feelings for him, and takes us along for the ride as he decides what he wants to do with that. Yamato is the absolute picture of tortured angst and the whole thing is excruciating in the best way, because it makes the payoff so very sweet.

Fight For My Way

I am pretty sure I have recommended this show to you before, and I will keep right on doing it because it's a fantastic romcom and my favorite friends to lovers drama of all time. This one is heavier on the comedy beats, but still gets to the heart of the fear and anxiety, and also goes deep on how hard it is when one of the friends clues into their feelings much sooner than the other and hangs in as a loyal friend while nursing their wounded heart in private. Watching Dong Man finally figure out what the hell is going on and catch up to Ae Ra was one of the greatest pleasures of my years of drama watching.

Theory of Love

I said what I said and I meant it! This drama is controversial because it hits the angst really hard and pushes the characters to some ugly places and some people just can't deal, but it's such an authentic portrayal of how much it hurts to be in love with your oblivious friend, and how much we hurt ourselves by not being honest about our feelings in a misguided attempt to protect the relationship we already have. I love it dearly and will defend it to anyone.

Romance Is A Bonus Book

A bit on the lighter side, watching this drama is like curling up on the couch in a cozy sweater with your favorite book and a cup of tea. It manages to both take the relationship arc seriously while never once making you doubt that these friends will be okay, because they are truly ride or die. There is also an age gap at play here, so we have the added bonus of watching Dan Yi wrestle with her changing feelings for her best friend that she has always thought of as a little brother. I will never forget her staring into the mirror to practice telling Eun Ho "I don't see you as a man" and getting increasingly desperate as she realizes that is no longer true. *chef's kiss*

My Only 12%

See-iw and Cake, my beloveds! I love this pair a lot, and think this drama is a fantastic example of how powerful the friends to lovers trope can be when combined with a queer awakening and the added layer of fear that brings to the story in a non-bubble show. The arc of their close childhood friendship morphing through time, separation, and changing identities is so so good. This one comes with a caveat because the last two episodes of the show are abruptly bad and weird (New Siwaj *shakes fist*) but happily, the FTL arc is already complete by then and none of the nonsense messes with the couple.

Hospital Playlist

I know you know this one, but I cannot possibly finish this list without talking about Ik Jun and Song Hwa. This is such a slooooooooooow burn that plays out over 24 episodes, and it's brilliantly done. What I like most about this take on the trope is how mature and adult it is; these two are 40 year old booked and busy professionals, and they also value their friendship more than anything. I love that you get the whole arc of their relationship over 20 years as they meet, have initial sparks, don't get together for reasons, genuinely settle into a platonic friendship and date and even marry other people, and then realize their feelings are changing again later in life. The payoff after all this time and patience and quiet yearning is so beautifully earned.

[melanieph321]

Dusan Vlahovic x Reader - Boss Me Around Part 3/6

Reader is a former yacht girl now newly moved to Turin, Italy for her job as a real-estate accountant. There she meets Dusan Vlahovic, a former client of hers, a client she never thought to see again. However, with Dusan being Readers new boss their past becomes a liability. Nevertheless the spark between them still lives. This story is a romcom with both His and Her POV!

Enjoy!

Your first month in Turin was the perfect description of hell, and it made you seriously contemplate your life choices up until now. Your living hell situation wasn't because of your continuous struggle with the city's public transport system. No. Your living hell situation was caused by one man and one man only. Your boss, Dusan Vlahovic.

"Yeah, this is wrong. You'll have to redo it."

At this point you thought of him as a robot on autopilot, because every week when it was time to hand in your calculated reports of the companies revenues, Dusan seem to always find a way to belittle you by dismissing your work for the slightest and miniscule errors.

"It's just a spelling correction Mr Vlahovic. I'm sure you can interpret what I meant to write." It was strange, addressing him by his last name, however he made it very clear during your first week on the job that addressing him by his first name was a no no, and that he would  ignore you if you  did. To him Miami must have been a hallucination. A shame, because to you it had been very real.

"Interpret?" He frowned. He had been typing away on his laptop as you stood before him, presenting the weekly revenues. This was the first time he took the liberty to actually meet your eyes, however he did not seem happy to see you. "Interpret." He repeated, this time shaking his head with disappointment. "Y/N, you must not take your job very seriously if you're asking me, your boss, to interpret such an important document as the company's revenues."

His raised but steady voice, sucked all of the air out of your lungs and the room. And in the back of your head you prayed that you wouldn't shed a tear at the mercy of Dusan Vlahovic.

"I will not have it." He said, shutting his laptop.

"I...get that." You said, speaking through the sharp rasorblades that cut deep in your throat.

"Do you, Y/N?" He smiled, an evil and sarcastic smile. "Do you really?"

"Yes. I do. I really do. It's just that you've asked me to redue this revenue three times already and I'm starting to fall behind on other priorities."

"Then you must not be the greatest at managing your time, don't you think?" He leaned back in his desk chair, legs spread wide like some form of powerplay. It was only powerful to you because you had gotten to know the size of him more than once in Miami, and the memories of those nights now made you feel sick to your stomach.

"I want the papers on my desk before the end of this day, got it Miss Y/L/N."

"Sure." You muttered and with trembling hands went to retain the documents on his desk. You headed back to your office knowing that it was the last time your boss would ever get to talk to you in that way. You'd hand in your two weeks notice along with the revenue.

********************************************

Dusan took pride in being the first one to arrive and the last one to leave his office. It showed his commitment and the passion he had for his job. Others should take after him. Matter of fact, he should be working on a biography about his road to success. He came from humble beginnings in Serbia. Back then his dream had been to play professional football, but his parents had been right to push him towards higher education. Today he owned real-estate in three of the worlds continents. He was successful indeed. The only thing he felt to threaten that success was being taken care of. Yes, she put up a good fight trying to please his ridiculous commands but in the end she seemed to have had enough. Like any sensible person would. Dusan had found Y/N's two weeks noticed amongst the revisions of documents she had presented to him before she left for the day. He held it in his hand in the elevator on it's way down the now abandoned office building. He admired her calligraphy as it was exceptional. It was a shame that she hadn't gotten around to tell him about her higher education in accounting. Maybe then they could have avoided this mess in the first place. Then again, Dusan and Y/N hadn't spent their time in Miami getting to know each other. They had spent their brief time together getting to know each other's bodies. He suspected that she had previous experience with that sort of arrangement. Another reason he felt a need to get rid of her. What if the board found out that he had hired a former harlot as his accountant? It would be scandalous indeed.

Dusan stepped out of the elevator holding up his car keys in search for his Range Rover. It was Friday, which made the car harder to find, since a lot of his employees had the habit of abandoning their vehicles at the office and heading straigt to the bars in town. Dusan wasn't like that. He used his Friday's to unwind at home, not to party. He got into his car longing to cook the steak in his fridge that had been marinating over night. He would prepare it along with a homemade risotto, a recipe from a friend. He left the parking lot a happy man on top of his job and his life, that is, until a strange sight made him drastically turn his vehicle back around.

"Y/N, what are you doing?"

He had pulled up to the bus stop where she sat, arms crossed to shield herself from the night's cold.

"What does it look like I'm doing." She hissed. "I'm waiting for my bus."

"You don't have a car?" He  ignored the attitude she had spoken to him with. He assumed that her newfound confidence was fueld by her annouced resignation.

"No, I don't have a car." She huttured. It was a cold night, too cold for someone wearing heels and see-through stockings.

"Get in then, I'll take you home." He said. He was in a good enough mood to do her the favor. However she snorted in his face, shifting to face another direction. Away from him. "Is that a no?" He frowned. He wasn't angry, just annoyed.

Y/N turned to face him, clearly upset. "That was a hell no, Dusan. As in no fucking way am I getting in a car with you."

"Why not?"

"Why not?" Her eyes widened. "Dusan, you must not be aware of the type of asshole you are."

His shoulders fell. Thank God she couldn't see him through the cars rolled down windows. "Asshole?" He wasn't familiar with the term. Nor had anyone called him that before. He didn't like it. "If you're reffering to our encounter earlier today, you must know that I am in the position to give you my honest but objective opinion."

"Bullshit!"

"Pardon me?"

Y/N, stood but did not approach his car. "Your opinions of my work has not been objective and you know it." She said. "I've been living here for a month and almost everyone in your office has taken the time to get to know more about me. Everyone but you."

Dusan frowned. "I don't see how that has any relevance to...."

"You haven't tried to get to know me Dusan because you know me better than anyone up in that office. And pretending not to, makes me highly suspicious that nothing you've said to me has been of objective matter."

God she was gorgeous, he thought. The way she wasn't having it, the way she saw through his bullshit.

"Just admit it. This is about what happened in Miami, the fact that I didn't tell you that I was moving to Turin right after graduation."

"Y/N, you never even mentioned that you were a student when we met." Dusan yanked the handle to the car door, stepping out onto the street. "Or that you were applying for a job in accounting."

"Why would I?" She snapped. "You told me you were from Serbia, what are you doing in Italy, huh? And as far as I know I didn't owe you anything on that yacht but my company, that's what I was paid for."

He snorted. "You were paid to do a little more than that."

She gasped, and the slap was anticipated. Dusan rubbed his cheek to mend the pain. "I wasn't..." She stood trembling, tears streaming down her face. "I wasn't paid to...." She lowered her head to the ground, wrapping her arms tighter around herself.

"Fuck me." Dusan sighed. He wanted to offer her his coat, but something told him that his concern would be excused for pity. "Y/N, please let me..." He stretched out his arm, offering her his hand. "Let me take you home. The time tables for the bus are different during the weekends."

"Great." She laughed, although he was sure that she didn't find it funny.

"Great" He chuckled

"What's so funny to you?" She frowned.

"I just realized..."

"Realized what?"

"That I am...an asshole."

Her expression withred seeing his smile. She nodded. "You really are."

"Would I still be considered an asshole if I drove you home?"

"Yes." She said, but took a small step forwards. "But a less worse asshole than you were this morning."

He grinned. "That decides it then. Get in, I'm taking you home."

[thtdamfangirl4]

I tried really hard to bring my hopes down so I wouldn’t be disappointed by the RWRB movie and despite both my best efforts and some truly great scenes from the actors in the movie, I was so upset by it.

The Paris scene was gorgeous and intimate and IMPORTANT. Sarah as Zahra was literally flawless. Taylor and Nick were infinitely better than I thought they were going to be. The chemistry was good. I liked Uma Therman.

But.

I was never going to be happy with this movie. It was rushed (due to the nature of it being a 2 hour movie) and cut out not only important scenes for development, it cut people who are integral to the plot and entire plot lines that were paramount to the book’s intention.

It needs June. It needs Nora and Pez to be ACTUAL characters. It needs Ellen and Oscar to be divorced and have the family dynamic that makes Alex who he is. It needs Rafael Luna. It needs Catherine. It needs Bea to be flawed and have a personality and not be sanitized for no discernible reason. It needs the full progression of Alex and Henry’s relationship. It needs emails. It needs better coverage of the email leaks and aftermath. It needs friendship and queer community. It needs 23 year old protagonists. It needs Alex spiraling and figuring himself out.

If I’m honest, that omission might be what disappointed me the most and I haven’t let myself ruminate on it until these words were being tapped out by my fingers. Alex’s bisexual awakening in the book made me feel more seen and understood than any other book I’d ever read, any character I’d connected to. And it resonated within his character throughout the book. Without him learning about himself, the importance of this story is diminished for me and my own journey and connection.

RWRB is my favorite book of all time. I turn to it when I’m happy, sad, anxious, confused, tired, wired, and everything in between. It’s literally perfect to me, no matter anyone else’s opinion. I relate to Alex more than any other character in any other media. Henry is my favorite fictional character, period. I wanted so desperately to like this movie.

There were scenes I loved. But so much in between reminded me starkly of what it was missing.

This is not a hate post about this movie, nor does it stand to denigrate the actors or writers or crew, etc. Nor does it serve to shame anyone who DID love this movie. I hope you DO love it. I hope it brings joy to those who loved the story before and invites those who are unfamiliar into these characters. Most of all, I hope it provides joy to young queer audiences who are seeing themselves represented in a romcom.

But this process feels almost like grief, which sounds so dramatic. For me and people like me, whose souls were unwittingly bared on the pages Casey McQuiston wrote years ago. For people who found an anchor in this novel and hold on for dear life so we don’t drown. To me, this book is perfect, and to alter it in any way was going to disappoint me.

My hope is that in the coming weeks, I can find a way to truly separate this book and my unending catalog of feelings about it from this movie adaptation, which I probably would have loved if I wasn’t a die hard book fan, so that I can enjoy both and recognize that only a piece of the book made it to the screen.

(Truthfully my greatest hope is that they personally grant ME the rights and unlimited budget to write and direct a full miniseries adaptation that is a faithful interpretation to the letter, but no one is going to do that.)

I’ve seen like hundreds of posts already saying that we shouldn’t shit on this movie or take away from other people enjoying it, and I agree. And I apologize if you feel that’s what I’m going with this post. It’s not my intention. But I do want to say that you’re also allowed to be disappointed. You’re allowed to feel like you would’ve wanted it to be different. Just don’t walk around disparaging the book or the talented people who made it possible, and certainly not the fans who are just loving the story and characters you love too, just maybe in a different way.

Idk, this blog is a mess and a safe space and I just wanted to put my initial feelings somewhere because they have kind of taken over my brain. I’m tired and still processing, but if I don’t get out this spiral, I’ll stay in it.

I want to like it. But there were just too many changes. It felt like a different story. As Alex and Henry have both said, “we all must learn and grow.”

[jobazzle]

books i've read in 2024

i meant to start this post in january but of course! i forgot! so here it is now!

January

Babel - R.F. Kuang ★★★★★ one of the greatest and most masterfully written books i've ever read in my entire life oh my god i will recommend this to everyone from now until the end of time!!!!

Yellowface - R.F. Kuang ★★★★½ never hated a main character more oh my godddddd what an infuriating read (the half star off is bc i didn't love the ending but like the ending is kinda the point so like i get it but I DON'T LIKE IT)

In A Holidaze - Christina Lauren ★★★★ went into this being like "lol i already know exactly how this book is gonna go!" and then somewhere in the earlier chapters Something Happened that made me gasp in shock like what the HELLLLL. finished this in like 2 days i NEEDED to know what happened next

People We Meet On Vacation - Emily Henry ★★★★★ book lovers is my favorite eh book buuuut this is such a close second!!!!! (friends to lovers is my favorite silly little book trope so like. this was written for me. i was destined to love this)

February

Daisy Haites: The Great Undoing - Jessa Hastings ★★★★ the second half of this > the first half (god one specific main part of this book was painful to read like i knew exactly where it was gonna go and UGH. IT HURTTTTT)

A Court Of Silver Flames - Sarah J. Maas ★★★★★ favorite book of the entire series but i can't stop thinking about this one critique i saw online about the plot that's like...so true....so true....i do agree....but also....love these characters...so is this book perfect? NO do i adore it? YES

Only When It's Us - Chloe Liese ★½ hated this so much oh my god it made me so mad i was so annoyed for a majority of it...only gave it the stars i did bc of the relationship between the main character and her mom...other than that BOY WAS THIS A PAINFUL READ

Magnolia Parks: Into The Dark - Jessa Hastings ★★★★★ i love and adore (and deeply relate to) this like oh my god this book has my whole heart i love these characters i love their growth i love their flaws I!!!! LOVE!!!! THEM!!!!!!

Heartstopper Volume 5 - Alice Oseman ★★★★ immediately decided this was my fav of the series and i can't wait to see it play out on the show in the future!!!

The Bodyguard - Katherine Center ★★★★½ this is sooooooo miss congeniality x every real person fanfic i read when i was a teen (affectionate). i was blushing i was giggling i was kicking my feet this was sooooooooo so so so romcom ugh i loved every second of it and i want (NEED) a movie/tv adaptation so baddddd

Always Only You - Chloe Liese ★½ i thought "ok i hated the first book in this insanely long series but let me give the second one a try" NOPE. SHOULDN'T HAVE. MIGHT'VE HATED IT EVEN MORE THAN THE FIRST ONE. despite loving the characters the writing was so terrible to me that i had to give up (and i was rly looking forward to the book in the future about two rival soccer players who fall in love but I SIMPLY CANNOT READ ALL OF THESE TO GET THERE. I GIVE UP)

From Blood And Ash - Jennifer L. Armentrout ★★★★ was this the most predictable book I've probably ever read? yes. was it an insanely fun and quick read? ALSO YES. idc this was surprisingly enjoyable and sooooo silly at times (was rolling my eyes sm and was screaming "HOW HAVE YOU NOT FIGURED THIS OUT YET" fjdjfjd)

March

The Winter of the Witch - Katherine Arden ★★★★★ read the first book of this trilogy in 2022, the second in 2023, and this one FINALLY in 2024...what a journey it has been!!!!! The action!!!! The character relationships!!!! The heartbreak!!!! What a wonderful conclusion. Literally loved every second!!!

Throne Of Glass - Sarah J. Maas ★★★★½ actually so confused bc i saw reviews saying how difficult it is to get into this series/that they find the first book (so, this one) boring???? I WAS ENTHRALLED. OBSESSED. WANTED TO BE READING IT 24/7. CAN'T WAIT TO START BOOK 2 AHHHHH (which will take a while bc my brother has to read it first and he is a slower reader than me 😀)

A Kingdom of Flesh and Fire - Jennifer L. Armentrout ★★½ wtf happened between the first book and this one??? how did it get so much worse???? my god was this a whole lot of NOTHING. full of confusing world building/lore and oh my god the conversations between characters went in circles. NOT A FUN READ (except for the very end which was a little redeeming lol)

Lovelight Farms - B.K. Borison ★★★★★ what more could i want in a book liiiike this literally has everything i love about a romance book put into one beautiful wonderful heartwarming cozy endearing story (i should've read this during christmastime)(literally it haunts me that i didn't read it in december last year)(WHAT A MISSED OPPORTUNITY)

Mile High - Liz Tomforde ★★ cringed a lot. some parts were uncomfortable to read. had one of my least favorite book "tropes". the plot motivation made no sense. didn't enjoy.

The Right Move - Liz Tomforde ★★★★½ far from perfect and won't be for everyone but when i say i loved pretty much everything about this!!!! i mean it!!!!!! so glad i gave this a shot despite not loving the first book!!!!!!!!! i adored this so much i made a spotify playlist like...i'm obsessed

Caught Up - Liz Tomforde ★★★★½ that feeling when you're reading a book you love so much you almost don't want it to end so you start reading slower was FELT as i read this. and MAYBE it made me tear up A LITTLE.

Bride - Ali Hazelwood ★★★★ super fun except i'm not used to reading supernatural/fantasy books that take place in the modern day like wdym you're on a computer or using a cellphone but also vampires and werewolves existfjenfjfb

Wildfire - Hannah Grace ★★ what a waste of time i wish i'd never read it oh my god.

One Italian Summer - Rebecca Serle ★★★★★ reading a story about dealing with the grief of a parent dying while dealing with the grief of your own parent dying 😀 ouch ouch ouch pain pain pain my thoughts in book form i sobbed every chapter and i'm in awe of what this book now means to me

April

In The Weeds - B.K. Borison ★★★★★ i read a romance book so beautiful i started crying? (no actually i teared up reading this I LOVE LOVE AND BOY DOES THIS AUTHOR KNOW HOW TO WRITE A LOVE STORY)

The Crown of Gilded Bones - Jennifer L. Armentrout ★ absolutely 1000% done with this series....how do you make the first 500 pages of a 600 page book boring??? and then make the last 100 filled with everything i wanted from the rest of the book??? I AM: DONE (will be reading the synopses of the rest of the books so i know what happens but THAT'S IT)

Done and Dusted - Lyla Sage ★★★★ when i say this was a quick read i! mean! it! (no literally i started it on april 3rd and finished it april 4th i was hoooooked)

Swift and Saddled - Lyla Sage ★★★★ the book mentioned taylor swift and bake off (two of my favorite things) of COURSE i enjoyed it (ok the end annoyed me a little but that's a me specific thing i don't think it was a bad ending!)

Murder on the Orient Express - Agatha Christie ★★★★★ so um this left me in shock fhdshfkds i also jokingly guessed the ending (and thought "but there's no way. that would be ridiculous" lmaooo)

Come Back to Me - Mila Gray ★★★★½ this was a reread and i can confirm: i am still so deeply fond of this book <3 (and despite knowing everything that was gonna happen i still! sobbed!)

Stay with Me - Mila Gray ★★★½ another reread/comfort book <3 not as good as the other book from this author (i hate you miscommunication trope!!!!) but overall still fine

Run Away with Me - Mila Gray ★★★½ another!!!!! reread!!!! would've loved it more if my copy wasn't riddled with typos and minor plot errors (i remember being obsessed w this book but like...not anymore oops)(it's fine)

Watch Over Me - Mila Gray ★★★½ would! watch! a! movie! of! this! (they will never make it so i'll have to just reread it every few years lol)

Fall Into Me - Mila Gray ★★★½ i am unfortunately not immune to the charms of a bodyguard romance ok this was...slightly endearing despite its errors/plot that was a little too fast-paced for me (also: a reread)(and my fancast for this one! IMPECCABLE)

Mixed Signals - B.K. Borison ★★★★★ oh this had me gigglingggg i was emotionallllll i adore this sweet little small town romance series <3 (also!!!!!! when an epilogue ties into the premise of a book so perfectly!!!!! LOVE LOVE LOVE!!!!!!)

Flawless - Elsie Silver ★★★★ what do you mean this book says seriously "you wear the hat, you ride the cowboy" PLSSSSS I LAUGH EVERY TIME I THINK ABOUT IT HFJKDHSKFJHDSK. anyways this was a quick read!!!!! and had an interesting "plot twist"!!! OVERALL V FUN

Heartless - Elsie Silver ★★★★ the more i think about it the more i wanna rate it a 4.5 but FOR NOW it's just a 4 (but like A HIGH 4)

Powerless - Elsie Silver ★★★★★ what can i say, i'm a big fan of friends to lovers in any form any iteration any plot any characters....i! love! it!

Reckless - Elsie Silver ★★★★★ this has my fav couple of this series from this author i'm obsessed w them i'm obsessed w their love story i literally read the second half so slow i did NOT want it to end 🫶

Hopeless - Elsie Silver ★★★½ this felt rushed and the pacing was weird and there was a weird nickname for one of the love interests BUT it's not like. an offensive book or anything. overall just...ok! a decent time!

Funny Story - Emily Henry ★★★★★ in. tears. feeling. so. many. emotions. EMILY HENRY YOU HAVE DONE IT AGAIN!!!!! may she continue writing forever bc I WILL BE READING

May

When in Rome - Sarah Adams ★★★★½ this was soooo genuinely laugh out loud funny like i can't believe how much genuine humor there was throughout this...also TALK ABOUT A SLOOOOOOW BURN MY GOD

Practice Makes Perfect - Sarah Adams ★★★★★ probably insane to rate this a perfect 5/5 but idc this spoke to me ("how is it possible to crave change and relish familiarity at the same time" i'm!!!!!!!!!!)

Twisted Love - Ana Huang ★★★ the best way to summarize my mixed feelings about this book is that as i was explaining the plot to my brother, he said "this sounds like the plot of a cw show"...

Twisted Games - Ana Huang ★★★★ i am unfortunately a sucker for a bodyguard/forbidden romance w kinda high(ish) stakes that keeps me guessing lol (+ i like how everything ended up/was revealed SUE ME IT WAS FUN)

Twisted Hate - Ana Huang ★★★★¼ i love you books with characters that have fucked up relationships with their parents 🫶

Twisted Lies - Ana Huang ★★★¼ kinda dragged on and the twists and reveals were....underwhelming??? (however i will say: i do respect when a main character threatens murder and!!! actually means it!!!! lmaoooo)

June

Binding 13 - Chloe Walsh ★★¼ first half of the book i was having soooo much fun!!!! loving it!!!! but by the 50% mark???? i was OVER ITTTT. WILLING THE BOOK TO BE DONE WITH.

Old Flames and New Fortunes - Sarah Hogle ★★ interesting characters and a magical premise (it was soooo reminiscent of charmed the tv show at the beginning) but as it went on i just...stopped caring UGH

The Seven Year Slip - Ashley Poston ★★★★½ the idea of fate + right place wrong time oh yeah SIGN ME UPPPP i adored this (also any book that explores themes of grief rly hit me hard)(and this did indeed! make me sob!)

July

Play Along - Liz Tomforde ★★★★ first half i was IN then at some point in the middle it got ehhhh but then it picked up again at the end thank goodness (LIKE. I ADORE THE ENDING OF THIS SM)(also the playlist i made while reading this truly was 10/10 perfect if i do say so myself)

Business Casual - B.K. Borison ★★★★★ and with this final book i can conclude: this series is one of my favs of all time <3

The Mysterious Case of the Alperton Angels - Janice Hallett ★★★★★ thought the first page of this was soooo dramatic and rolled my eyes reading it...and then the mystery reveals started happening at the end and i had to spend like ten minutes repeating "WHAT THE FUCK" over and over again

August

Caraval - Stephanie Garber ★★★★ the ending of this will either be so thrilling and fun to read (my reaction) or make you so mad and feel like everything was a waste (my brother's reaction as i recapped the plot to him fhjskhfkjds)

A Flicker in the Dark - Stacy Willingham ★★★★★ i'm kinda. like. losing my mind at how enthralling / mind-boggling / thrilling / exhilarating / riveting / spellbinding / galvanic this is oh my god oh my god OH MY GOD (yeah. i'm rly out here looking up synonyms bc idk if i have the vocabulary to truly express just how much i loved this)(also i need a screen adaptation of this IMMEDIATELYYYYY. NOWWWW. ASAPPPPPP. PLEASE)

September

Keeping 13 - Chloe Walsh ★★★½ miles better than the previous book but...still...way too long....i will say the second half had me so invested like THAT was amazing. but the first half? it just felt like i was reading b13 all over again. however this did solidify the fact that i am a lizzie defender 4 life!!!!

October

Saving 6 - Chloe Walsh ★★★★½ AOIFE AND JOEY MY BELOVEDSSSS I FLEW THROUGH THIS FINISHED IT WITHIN A FEW DAYS I LITERALLY MADE THEM A SPOTIFY PLAYLIST LIIIIKE LOVE LOVE LOVE THIS BOOK AND JUST THEM AS CHARACTERS OHMYGOD.

Redeeming 6 - Chloe Walsh ★★★★½ got tears in my eyes multiple times throughout this ugh what a perfect little ending (and beginning?) to their story <3

Butcher & Blackbird - Brynne Weaver ★★★★ so fucked up at times in the best way liiiiiike i kinda couldn't help but root for them lmaooo. also that epilogue?????? sooooo excited for the next book in the series!!!!

Leather & Lark - Brynne Weaver ★★½ deeply sad i didn't love this....it's like everything i enjoyed about the first book just....isn't here....and i can't even blame the marriage of convenience trope bc i've read books that have done that successfully!!!!! like sure this has some great moments buuuuuut b&b clears in every way possible (am now scared for the third book bc WHAT IF I KINDA DISLIKE IT TOO)

[pennyserenade]

hiiiii i saw your film bait questions post and, as a film major, i HAD to butt in.

1, 9, 38, AND also a question of my own!

do you use letterboxd? if so, would you be comfortable with sharing your handle? if not, don't worry about it. 🙃

i’m a little nervous now that i know you’re a film major lol

1. what is your favorite film of all time?

this is an especially hard question for me to answer because i really love so many, and the ‘all time’ thing is so daunting. but i’ve taken to saying beginners the past five years or so. the film is a comfort to me and i’ve roped all of my friends into seeing it. i’ve always described it as a hug of a movie, and i think it’s one that will find you right when you need it (also see what i think of as its sister film: 20th century women. the director mike mills wrote both of the films about his parents. beginners is about his father, who came out as gay very late in his life, and 20th century women is about his mother. they’re both so tender and forgiving and loving).

9. guilty pleasure movie?

bridget jones’ diary. no one can EVER make me hate that movie. i mean - hugh grant AND colin firth! that’s beautiful!!! romcoms used to mean something

38. in your opinion what is the most overrated movie?

citizen kane, and it almost hurts me to say that because i’m not saying it isn’t impressive, or that it’s even narratively uninteresting. i think it was good. i think the backstory to it being made was even better. the fact that orson welles was so young when he acted, directed, and wrote it IS an incredible feat. but - and i think i said this in my letterboxd review - it suffers from being dubbed the greatest movie of all time by so many. perhaps we ought to start calling it the most appreciated and start it off on a better foot

as for the final question: i do use letterboxd! i haven’t been as active there lately as i usually am, but my handle is hisgirlfridays!!!

[namtanlovesfilm]

Which Off role do you think I should watch I have only ever seen his BL work plus his work in Midnight Motel which I loved but I do want to expand my viewing experience of him is there a must watch role of his that you think I should check out? I don't really mind on the genre

so I have made many posts on this, here's me ranking every off role, and here's me recommending my fave offgun straight roles, but I'll make a summary for you :)

GIRL NEXT ROOM: RICHY RICH

light & fun but with great commentary on growing out of generational poverty. krathing & duchess are absolutely one of off's best ships ever with their chemistry & banter, and krathing in general utilizes perfectly off's ability of making the greatest facial expressions ever & being a cutie <3

FABULOUS 30

sadly that show was deleted off of youtube bc gmmtv sucks but it's on dramacool :( the first show to contain both off & mond, but with all due respect off absolutely carried the show. not only is zen an absolute BICON, but his ship with yui was so beautiful & touched on insecurity and intimacy in a very beautiful way imo. definitely one of off's best roles!

I'M TEE ME TOO

I mean, a show with offguntay?? how could it not be adorable! no shade but off definitely carried the show too, maetee is a cross-dressing icon with mommy issues who really shined & stole my heart. that role also puts off's screaming skills to the test LMAO

WOLF

off jumpol going abroad & flirting with all the women?? yup, it happened! this is basically khai from tol if he stayed an asshole lol. this is the first straight role from off I ever watched & I love por so much bc his facial expressions, especially with glasses, are literally the cutest ever! moreover, even though the show wasn't executed the best, the concept is very daring & interesting for the time and it didn't deserve to flop like it did at all. I honestly would recommend it :)

10 YEARS TICKET

so I'm gonna be honest, the more time passes since 10yt the more I realize it wasn't that incredible of a show, even though it's definitely a good show still. and off in it was amazing even though he was pretty withdrawn, but both of his storylines, one involving the mafia & the other involving his grandma with dementia which is a topic that touched me particularly, were amazing, and off did such a good job.

46 DAYS

I legit think 46 days is the funnest romcom ever produced in thailand. it's such a fun, over the top show, with still very great moments. I loved the female friendship in it, I loved that the "perfect" male lead is shown to be more than that, and I absolutely loved the side ship with off & mild (again). pat is probably the most tame & mentally stable off character lol, but he's still very fun & a cutie to watch, especially with mild who's character noina is not too dissimilar from duchess in girl next room. the offmild pairing is just always a pleasure to watch & this whole show is just very fun & lovely :)

xxx

[clairelsonao3]

5 Comfort Films

Thanks for the tag, @mysticstarlightduck, whose post is here!

Seems like everyone's doing this one today, and since I seem to be doing very little today except comforting myself after an extremely stressful day yesterday, I might as well go for it. (And maybe then I'll watch them all!)

(By the way, I'm well aware that the newest film on this list came out in 1991, and I make no apologies for that.)

Criteria: Like any top-5 style list, I had to come up with my own very specific criteria, because I'm an obnoxious, pretentious nerd. That means trying my best to include different categories -- I could easily name 5 musicals or 5 Disney movies, but I won't. So it's one musical, one Disney, one romcom, one dramedy, one straight-up farce, etc. Second of all, Christmas movies could be a category all on their own, so those are all disqualified (check back in December). Fourth, no sad endings (sorry Titanic, Moulin Rouge, and Casablanca.) Fifth, I cheated by naming a runner-up for each one that falls into the same category. Sixth... I'll shut up now. Here's the list.

The Sound of Music (1965) -- Honestly, just about any musical could probably find a spot on my comfort list, but it begins and ends with this one. Slow-burn romance, breathtaking cinematography, and arguably Rodgers and Hammerstein's greatest score make 3 hours go by like that. Even when the Nazis come on the scene you're never seriously worried anything bad will happen. Runner-up: Gigi (1958).

2. Mary Poppins (1964) -- Yes, Julie Andrews again. She herself could be a walking, singing comfort movie. There are a million Disney animated flicks that could make the comfort list, but by mixing animation and live action to perfection, this is automatically the best of both worlds. Even hearing Dick van Dyke's horrendous Cockney accent is like wrapping up in a warm blanket. Runner up: Beauty and the Beast (1991).

3. Pretty Woman (1990) -- I was probably well into my 20s before I realized, hey this isn't just a movie I watch every time it comes on TV for no reason. I actually LIKE it. It's one of those movies. The lightest, fluffiest movie about sex work ever made. A self-acknowledged Cinderella story. Runner-up: Just Like Heaven (2005).

4. The Breakfast Club (1985) -- Even though Ferris Bueller is also great and obviously the more conventional choice for a John Hughes comfort flick, I'm going to go with this one. Yes, it's a bit darker, but it's also funny as fuck, which is kind of my thing, it involves forbidden romance, which, duh, and also has a surprisingly hopeful and upbeat ending. Runner-up: Ferris Bueller's Day Off (1986).

5. Spaceballs (1987) -- I thought way too hard about which film should get the last spot on the list. If the musicals are rainy-afternoon-watch-with-your-mom-in-the-living-room kind of movies, this is a late-night-premium-cable-parents not-home-watch-with-your-brother-in-the-basement-and-laugh-your-ass-off kind of movie. Every time I lampshade myself in something I write (and I do that a lot) it's a nod to Mel Brooks and the classic satirical style of comedy he perfected. Runner-up: Star Wars Original Trilogy (1977 et al.) (I know, not the same genre, but it's the source material, so whatever).

Hmmm... I'll gently tag @starlit-hopes-and-dreams and OPEN TAG because I'm seeing everybody get tagged in this and I can't keep them all straight.

[sketchyelvenasss]

9, 15, and 21 for everyone sound fun! (Though 13 and 14 for any Durge are also fun, if you feel like it? :))

Thank you for the ask! Sorry for the wait I had to mull over a few things :3

9) What is your OC’s greatest wish/dream/goals?

Honestly Rexander is looking forward to when he and Astarion can retire from the nomadic life they continued after they had saved the world. Not that he’s tired of looking for a way to cure Astarion’s vamprism-- that’s his main goal, but I thought that was an easy answer. It is a promise he intends to keep. He would just like to find it before he is too old so he can enjoy a quiet, slow life with him.

Aerika is constantly striving to balance his faith, love and worldly wants. A feat that has become far more complicated post the events of the game. He is happily married, but still wants to continue his expeditions to the underdark, but also wants to pursue the magical study he had largely sidelined after becoming a cleric. After a couple years Aerika does take far fewer trips to the underdark to spend more time with Gale because he does understand, even with Gale’s magic, the disparity between their lifespans. (even so he doesn't for a moment regret showing Gale he desired him the mortal man--not a deity made from him)

It is never good to wish to reverse time, but Orville can’t help himself.. Act 2 Astarion admits that he met and lured Orville’s mother to Cazador. That revelation really hurt, but Orville chose--after a lot of tears and self reflection-- to forgive him because at that point he did love him. Then Act 3 they learn everything-- that somewhere in that mass of 7,000 spawn was his mother. He wishes he could undo the pain she went through and those years she suffered down here in the dark. If he could he would have trade places with her.

15) Has your OC ever fallen in love before who their intended love interest is, or is the intended love interest their first love?

I wouldn’t call what Rex and Gortesh had love. A mutual attraction from a thirst for power and desire to display dominance? Rex really was a different person than who he became. (I work with the idea that Orin pm gave him a lobotomy when she deposed him)

Aerika wanted to get married once before. There was a young(25) tiefling named Dhymos that would volunteer to help clean the temple a couple times a week. They got to know each other well after the tiefling accidentally bumped into Aerika as he rounded a corner and dumped water all over him romcom style. For several years they were partners that Aerika took more seriously than Dhymos did. Not to paint Dhymos as a bad guy, it was just a lack of communication on both their parts, and Aerika’s long absences didn’t help matters either. When Aerika proposed, Dhymos turned him down as politely as possible.

Orville’s first love is Astarion. That is probably why it is so hard, and why despite everything he doesn’t want to let those feelings go. If he could give that up and just be mad at the elf it would be so much easier, but he can’t. He wants to forgive and love him. But feelings are complicated and are not so easily reconciled.

21) Any embarrassing secrets your OC demands you take to the grave but you will share anyway?

Not sure how much of a secret it is, but Rexander is embarrassed that he’s ticklish. It’s a weird sensation for him. So he’d rather others not now about it. Astarion takes too much advantage as it is after he found out.

Aerika is a cleric, but he’s never felt like his devotion demanded chastity. He’s not quick to tell the story that he and Dhymos were nearly caught screwing in the temple garden. It started out as a late evening date after Aerika had been gone for several months. Then they got a little carried away. Abstinence makes the fond grow harder…(something like that right? :3)

Orville is a pretty open book if he’s comfortable with someone so he doesn’t really have secrets. Though one time he did get fleeced by a woman that caught him pickpocketing. She told him he was handsome and offered to buy him a drink. Next thing he knows he wakes up in only his small clothes tied to a bed by all four posts. Wasn’t till the innkeeper came to clean the room the next day he was found.

Durge questions: Hermon Hemlock

13 + 14) Does your OC have a good relationship with their parents or no? What about any siblings, do they have any and is their relationship good?

Short answer, yes(13). I do not have a deep understanding of DnD lore so don’t mind me if my headcanons break rules or are weird in context.

Longer answer: Hermon was raised alongside Orin by Sarevok. Sarevok is more like a parental figure for him and he desires to please him as much as he wants to sever Bhaal and please himself. The relationship with his father is more like that of a god and a chosen, but Hemlock is very happy with that arrangement.

Despite everything I would say Hemlock and Orin have a good relationship. A rivalry for sure, but there is no hatred between them. Hemlock madly respects her coup. If not for some bad luck she would have completely succeeded. Orin may be slighted by Hemlock being favored since birth, but they were always competing. She would be lying if she said she didn’t watch him and take cues from his work. Hemlock honorably accepts her duel and gives her a satisfying end.

As far as murder siblings go… its a pretty good relationship XD