#really compelling character writing so far i'm excited to see more of him...

[every-sanji]

[thankskenpenders]

I'm a huge fan of Ian, but one criticism of him that I've seen that I kind of agree with is that he sometimes falls into "look how much I know about Sonic" in his writing. For example, a number of references in Frontiers like Tails namedropping Dark Gaia out of nowhere. It's a nice change of pace from Sega not knowing where they wanted to go with Sonic for like a decade, but it might be too far in the opposite direction. What do you think?

There's definitely a thin line between Ian's love of references and lore and lyric quotes being fun and grating, yeah. I think he tends to do it well, choosing things that will support and enhance the story he's trying to tell rather than just dropping random references for the sake of it, but sometimes it can kinda make me roll my eyes and go "okay, Ian, settle down buddy." He readily admits that sometimes he just really wants to play with all the toys in the toy box.

I think an example I might point do would be some of the Classic Sonic comics for IDW. The Tails special in particular felt like it relied very heavily on Ian being excited to use the Witchcarters again, and to use Flicky Island as a setting, but I felt like the story left me wanting a little more beyond just "this obscure old stuff is back again." (The art in all the Classic stuff is phenomenal, though, of course.)

Frontiers absolutely is jam packed full of references, but I think it works there because acknowledging and building off of decades of continuity is one of the main points of the story in Frontiers. It's part of a greater effort Sega has been making to acknowledge Sonic's legacy after much of the late '00s and early 2010s were spent being kind of ashamed of that stuff and trying to streamline the series. Frontiers, meanwhile, wanted to look back on all those past adventures and their inconsistent writing and figure out how to wring some proper character arcs out of them, so that the cast can reflect on those arcs and figure out what they want to do next. Mining hit-or-miss old material for a compelling throughline like that has always been something Ian's excelled at - it's literally what he did to the Archie comics when he started out - and having the characters acknowledge their past adventures is a part of that. It gives us a sense that Sonic and co. really have gone through a lot together, and that those experiences have shaped who they are today.

It's also worth remembering that a ton of more casual Sonic fans aren't as immersed in the state of the canon or Ian's referential writing style as we are. When Frontiers came out you'd see people say stuff like "OMG, Sonic mentioned Jet the Hawk!! I didn't know Sonic Riders was canon to the main series! I loved those games!" That kind of reaction is probably a big part of why those references are there. Sega wants fans to know that Sonic DOES have continuity, unlike a series like Mario where every game and sub-series is kind of its own thing, and that all the old stuff still matters. And if that's what you wanna do, then Ian's the guy for the job.

[nipuni]

Doctor Who status report! Writing these I'm realizing I only ever feel compelled to share my opinions on media when they are positive lmao makes for rather boring commentary probably!! but I only care to share the things I love, I would be a lousy critic 😆

We are half way through S7 and I can say now that S6 was a big improvement from S5 for us! It was really fun! we have been rating every episode and keeping season average scores and S5 was the lowest we ranked so far out of all but it was still enjoyable honestly! Someone in the comments in one of my reports mentioned that each doctor's first season is usually their worst one and I'm also noticing this! I think Ten's first season was his lowest ranked out of his three for us too even though all his run was super high. Matt seems more comfortable in his doctor's portrayal by now and he is also more goofy which I personally always love 🥰

S6's arc had us terrified and puzzled the whole time it was very engaging!! and some of the episodes were devastating like "The girl who waited" and just everything about River Song always, The Silence creatures are so unnerving and cool and it had a ton of really classic episodes with great concepts. We were kind of disappointed with "the doctor's wife" episode though I'm a bit mad about it because I feel it had some great ideas but the way some elements were handled ruined it for us (mainly the Tardis's whole characterization and the Doctor's reactions to the situation felt so flat and out of character it was weird) so much wasted potential! but overall it was a great season!

Then S7 so far we watched up to "The bells of saint john" and our favourite has been "The angels take Manhattan" we love the concept of the Weeping angels and this one was terrifying and back to their original lore! and the ending was so unexpected! We also met Clara and I love her too honestly I'm terrible at rating companions because I love them all I think they all bring something new and special to the story I end up loving everyone 😭 We have seven episodes left with Eleven ahhhh time to suffer another regeneration soon!!

About the writing I think as we watched we grew more used to the differences and they became less jarring, though when I think back to the RTD era I feel I loved it because of the writing while now I sometimes I feel that I love it despite the writing, if that makes any sense? I still do love it but it feels like wrestling with Moffat a bit! lmao. He gets a bit repetitive and too on the nose and ..weird about women and overly grandiose at times still but now we know to expect it 🤣

Also another unrelated observation but we feel that Eleven seems younger than Ten in many ways. I know their personalities are supposed to change and they are not necessarily linear but it's something curious we both noticed! And Eleven is such a clingy soft little man!! baby!! very cute!! I love him I'm excited to see how the change to Twelve is going to feel!! I have no idea what to expect from Twelve I'm so curious!!

We are consuming this series so fast and we don't want it to end!! 😭 I have such a gigantic backlog of art I want to make about it by now, I keep thinking of ideas as I go and I don't have the time to draw them yet because of work!! AAAAA the moment I meet the last of my current deadlines it's over for you all!!

Anyway that was very long I'll go make dinner and watch some more 🥰 I hope you all have a good night and a great start of the week!

[lost-inanotherlife]

Lost S2 Rewatch - spontaneous, random thoughts (might change my mind)

Kinda dig Ana Lucia. I remember that, back when the show first aired, I didn't like her but I guess I've changed my mind. I like the fact that she seems to be unapologetic, she's leader-material and she knows it and acts as such but she's not smug about it. She does bad things, she knows it and doesn't hide behind excuses. Honestly? So far she's cool.

The introduction of the Tailies was a ballsy move, we haven't seen our fearless leader Jack for 6 episodes now (I've reached S2E7) and the show is still compelling and exciting. We meet five new characters and their introductions are different from those of the main characters in s1: it's fast, no flashbacks, direct. The comparison works because I find myself wanting to know more even though I wasn't even given enough screen-time to care about them. Ballsy, well-executed professional writing move.

I like how the first 3 episodes are taking place on the same night/day as the last 3 episodes of S1 (or 2 episodes, according to how you're watching "Exodus"). We see the events from different perspectives and this method of storytelling sometimes is very effective, sometimes I personally find it a bit boring. This doesn't happen here at all.

Hurley is such a more interesting character when you rewatch the show! I think that he's the only character (so far) where knowing things in advance makes him better and I'm like "hell, yes, why didn't I see that before?". Like, when I first watched the show I thought that Hurley was the "comic relief" of the series. He kinda is, but he's also not and so much more? Upon rewatching the show you can clearly see why he was the right leader and the best protector of the island. Gotta love The Dude.

I've said it once, I'll say it again (and forever): JUSTICE FOR SHANNON. I'll protect her against anyone. Her centric episode "Abandoned" is okay but I find it very distasteful that her death is framed as manpain fodder for Sayid. Also, she has sex at the beginning of the episode and at the end she dies? Ugh. Again, distasteful, it felt a little like she had completed her function so off we go. My girl deserved so much more :(.

Speaking of Shannon, her relationship with Sayid is meh. I actually liked it 20 years ago but thank god I've definitely changed because it's a badly written ship. I mean, I can see that the two characters have potential, but there's no "meat" behind it. The story is not "built", it's just there. One day Sayid finds her attractive and that's it. The two of them have spent like 1 afternoon together and all of a sudden the guy creates a romantic location on the beach so they can have sex. Shallow. And also, let's never forget that these people are on a fucking island full of things AND people that want to kill them, but okay, let's go beachsex-camping somewhere!

I'm an anti-Charlie. It really costs me a lot to say this because he was my favorite twenty years ago and now I can't stand him. I've reckoned that if I have to spend more time trying to make excuses for him while I actively don't like his actions... well, it's wasted time. Let's call is as it is: Charlie's a dick. That scene after Locke was holding Aaron and Charlie was jelaous or, I'd rather say, unhingedly possessive? Brrr, chills bruh and the wrong kind. Dude, you're cringe.

[lover-of-mine]

okay so I had a really terrible thought and I’ve been following you for a while and I wanted to hear your thoughts (maybe i’m just in a place of doubt rn) BUT

since they’re basically writing the episodes as they go, and are seeing fans reactions (and possibly taking them into consideration as they write), do you think if they see such a positive reaction to buck/tommy, they’ll make him more long term (and possibly endgame)…? again, I could be overthinking it but I’ve been seeing a tON of buck tommy stuff and idk if they’re going to consider that when they write the upcoming episodes for the rest of the season…like buck/tommy is cute ig don’t get me wrong bc we see bisexual buck and him enjoy his first male relationship and like i’m so proud, but…i’m an eddie-girl and buddie has always been my endgame

Okay, hi, ngl, I had this exact thought too when Tim kept insisting there's no plan. But the thing is, I don't believe him. I believe he doesn't have the full plot locked and loaded, but I doubt he doesn't have any idea where the story is gonna take him. Personally, I doubt that a few weeks of excitement over Buck being bi will be louder than 5 years of people BEGGING for buddie to happen. Buck and Eddie have a compelling relationship that's been cultivated for YEARS. And, look, far from me to make Buck's bisexuality about Eddie, but making a character who's HEAVILY shipped with another man for years queer in season 7 while having no plan on following through with the love story they've been building for 6 seasons would be dumb. Buck with a new guy and Eddie doubling down on being straight and ending up with some random woman is the worst case scenario here. This fandom is weird in the way that most of it is mono shipping. It's Buck and Eddie together or nothing. So they would piss off the homophobes, who are already pissed, and a solid amount of the people who have been following buddie for years and that's bad for business. They have the power to have a ridiculously compelling queer love story that's built on a foundation that's been there for 6 seasons. Buck and Eddie getting together could be EPIC. And they made the move to make Buck queer. They didn't have to. I love that Buck is getting a queer storyline, but if we are going there with Buck, what's actually stopping them from going there with Eddie? I don't see how you can have one of them being queer and not go there just because people are excited that Buck is bi. Tim can't say it's gonna go there. That would be a spoiler. A huge spoiler. But narratively speaking, or from a business perspective, Buck being bi has to mean buddie getting together. Because that's what people have been wanting from them. And honestly, if they wanted to play Tommy as having any chance of being Buck's endgame, he wouldn't have so many parallels with Taylor. The TK of it all, the helicopter of it all, the kiss that happens because Eddie is injured, Buck is even wearing a shirt that looks like the one he's wearing when Taylor comes back, like, seriously, what the fuck? And that's not going into the symbolism they have to know is there on the way the loft itself is a symbol of romantic doom, because Buck got it in a relationship that instantly Ended and the 2 times he started something there it went up in flames, so like 🤨🤔 I'm curious to see where it's going, but, personally, don't see them actually lasting the rest of the show. At least that's what I'm telling myself to calm down when I panic and trip into the bad place lol

[amethystfairy1]

hiya it’s been a hot minute since I sent an ask but I want you to know that I’ve been reading all your stuff for months now, refreshing multiple times a day bc I can’t get enough and I adore everything you write <3<3<3 I think your more recent writing with the darker themes is well done, it adds the perfect amount of angst and stakes to the story, more than vague threats of getting hurt, esp in the under city, but it’s not too much at the same time. Also your newest TT treebark is probs my favorite fic thus far, and treebark isn’t even my favorite ship lmao. It’s so arghhh yesss with Rens acting but Martyn can’t tell nooooo 😭 I REALLY want to know what Ren was thinking that whole time negotiating with the bandits, esp when he finally looked at Martyn bc he could probably hear his cries the whole time and UGH it breaks my heart in a good way. AND MARTYN ACCEPTING THAT REN WOULD DO THIS, AND FORGIVING HIM????? The angst, the FEELS. Stunning. A masterpiece. I start my days checking to see if you’ve posted I’m so obsessed XD. Might have to draw the scene… anyhow. I see you get a lot of requests to write certain ships now bc all the stories r so captivating we just HAVE to know more. But. I hope you don’t feel pressured or stressed about it, make sure to prioritize your own wants first. The quality is worth the wait <3 that said, I’m going insane over Martyn. oH also!!! Ren grabbing the wolf pendant!!!!!! He knows how much it means to Martyn my HEART they’re so AAAaAAaAaaaaA!! And he waited until he was between Martyn and the bandits to attack! To protect him! 🥺🥺🥺 the little details are so sweet I’m dying to know rens thoughts. He probably has the rage of a thousand suns in him after seeing Martyn tied up, hurt, crying, bc they would DARE lay a finger on the only one who protected him, who was nice to him. Just. Tomorrow can’t come fast enough. I’m def gonna draw this. Also side note love the new pfp

Hello!!!! Good to see you!!!!

I'm so glad you're still reading and enjoying my works!

Also very happy to hear you're enjoying the darker themes that have been coming up recently in both TTSBC and TT! You're exactly right, that's exactly the sort of thing I was trying to nail...oh yeah ANGST with Treebark right now!

I mean. If you feel inspired. I would LOVE if you drew this scene. Because like, I have that art you did of Ren asleep on Martyn's shoulder as the cover image to my Treebark fanfic doc 🥹

Thank youuuu I appreciate the thought about not feeling pressured or stressed, I promise I'm not! I know everyone is just excited for their favorite/most compelling storyline to continue! And like I've said elsewhere, I plan to stick to my mantra...when I try to write something I'm not in the mood to write, I burn out and don't feel like writing at all. That's what happened to me the last time I stopped writing, and I didn't post at all for nearly a year. I HATED THAT. So TTSBC and TT is the perfect situation for me! Lots of ships, lots of characters, lots of dynamics, and between the two I can write BASICALLY anything I feel like at any point in time! So yeah! I'll write what I feel like writing in the moment, because that's always when I come up with my best stuff!

THE WOLFS PENDANT YUP GOOD CATCH. Ren's a good guy, he pays attention to that sort of thing 💖

I'm glad you like my new pfp!!! I love it! It's by my same friend who drew my old pfp, but THIS one is of an original character of mine everyone who reads TTSBC is very familiar with and people very scared of, but I assure you, any resemblance to characters previously mentioned is purely coincidental, hypotheticals should be, should be, should be dismissed, and there is no need to be concerned. 😉

Thank you for coming by again!!!

[satelliteinasupernova]

Lavellan revist: Haven Edition

Since finishing Dragon Age: Veilguard, I've started up a new playthrough of Inquisition as an excuse to revisit my Lavellan Inquisitor. I'm not changing much from my original playthrough from 10 years ago, but I think it's fun to consider how my playstyle and the writing of the game informs her as a character.

First, her backstory: Lavellan is a rogue and skilled with a bow and arrow. Among her clan she was kind of known as a problem child, and even though she is well into adulthood that reputation has stuck. In truth, she is very observant and intuitive about the emotions of others, it's just that sometimes her curiosity gets her in trouble (so maybe she's a little too inclined toward breaking and entering).

Lavellan has been helping with trading among her clan and outsiders for years, so she is relatively comfortable in spaces away from her clan (for the most part). Her new position in the Inquisition means that her opinion caries a lot more weight than it did with her clan elders, and she's decided to embrace it and make an impact where she can.

She thinks the whole Herald of Andraste thing is ridiculous, but she recognizes it's political power and is willing to make use of the impact it has.

Her favorite thing about travelling with the Inquisition is 1: learning songs she hasn't heard before, and 2: exploring ancient ruins. (If things had gone different for her, she absolutely would have been a Veil Jumper.)

What she things about her companions and advisors:

Cassandra: She's a bit surprised by how much she has come to like her, though Cassandra's growing belief that Lavellan actually is the Herald of Andraste is a bit concerning. Lavellan actively ignores the disapproving frown Cassandra gives her whenever she expresses her opinion that mages should live freely.

Leliana: Unnerving, but her ability to speak to the point is actually a bit comforting.

Cullen: Honestly she kind of forgets about him outside of council meetings. Thinks of him as "the templar guy."

Josephine: So sweet. Josephine's insistence in addressing how Lavellan is treated among the Inquisition is unique among Lavellan's companions/advisors. It does sometimes mean Lavellan gets pulled into difficult conversations that she would rather avoid, but ultimately she trusts Josephine more than most.

Varric: It's good to have someone around who knows how to lighten tense situations. She is a bit worried about what kind of tales will come out of all of this and how she'll end up being presented.

Solas: He's different from anyone she's met before. She gets the sense that sometimes he says radical opinions just to see how she'll react, and she refuses to rise to the bait. (It helps that she was never much of a traditionalist anyway, and she is genuinely very curious about ancient elves.) She really enjoys having his attention, but hasn't started interrogating this impulse yet.

Vivienne: Devastatingly attractive. Lavellan often finds herself nodding along as Vivienne talks, but the minute she steps away from the conversation and thinks back on it, she left thinking "that was all bullshit..?"

Sera: Sera often acts in a way that Lavellan's clan thinks she acts. Because of that Lavellan gives her a lot of grace, but she doubts they will ever really be buddies.

Iron Bull: Lavellan thinks that he and Solas are the two people among her companions with the most sense. She's happy to have him around.

Blackwall: She was genuinely excited at the prospect of meeting a Grey Warden, but it turned out to be a bit of a let down. She hasn't really gotten past that yet.

Dorian: Has only met him briefly. She thinks that maybe she should dislike him, but finds him oddly compelling.

Cole: They have yet to meet.

....

So far I'm having a lot of fun with this revisit. I'll see about making another post when I am mid-game!

[fallenhanari]

Hello! Sorry if this is abrupt, but I’m a new follower of yours, and I’d love to hear more about all of your Amnesia WIPs if that’s alright! It’s one of my favorite otome games and I love to see it getting new fan content 😄

Plus I’m also considering starting to write fanfic for it myself (but am still nervous about putting my writing out there lol)

Omg anon, you just made my day. I've been getting back into tinkering with a couple of these WIPs this past week actually, so they're fresh in my mind too. Amnesia was one of the first otome games I played when I was getting back into them after a break a few years ago, and I'm so attached to the worlds and characters honestly. And Shin unexpectedly became a big muse for me for a while, though I do have stories for multiple other characters even if he features most often lol. He's not even my favorite overall, but something about him just absolutely compels me to write, it seems. I'd also love to see if you get to putting any future writing you do out there!! Honestly, just the act of writing can be really fulfilling if you're not ready to share - I have some WIPs for other fandoms that probably won't ever see the light outside my docs since they're more for me than for posting - but there's such fun in sharing with the community too. Fandoms for specific console/PC otome games tend to be on the smaller side since most players spread themselves across many games with time, so all the writing we can get out there is exciting imo. Anyway, moving to what you're here for haha. So for Amnesia I have four WIP documents in various states of worked on. I'll break them down under a cut since I might just ramble on a bit much, knowing myself lol. Also heads up for mild smut discussion though there won't be much detail.

Shin/MC Sequel (E-rated, PWP, post-canon Heart World) This one is the oldest file, but I haven't actually worked on getting down concrete ideas for it until literally this week, woops. Last year I posted my first Amnesia fic which was a PWP/smut oneshot for these two involving Shin initiating a kind of sex game to try to ease MC into more direct intimacy then getting in over his head by the end with her. Right after finishing writing and posting I decided I wanted to do a sequel fic where MC proposes a similar type of game and gets a bit of a taste of her own medicine. Where the original focused on edging, this one would focus on overstimulation. At the time I quickly got distracted and in too deep with another WIP in this list, but I reread the posted story recently and got back in the mood for exploring those two in that vaguely post-canon verse. If the smut writing wants to cooperate with me I might be moving forward with this one soon enough~ And though none of them have documents yet, I have started considering some other ideas to explore in this series, mainly one for their first time having penetrative sex and one where Shin bottoms for MC for the first time. I just find the particular dynamic I wrote them with here weirdly comfy to settle into, so it makes me want to explore their evolution of intimacy more and more! Math Fools (E-rated, PWP, poly, tentatively Spade World but probably doesn't matter if there or Clover World or AU) This one has the least meat to it so far, but it's probably obvious who it's featuring by the name lol. There's a particular scene in Ikki's story in Amnesia Later that I was reading and made me stop to create a new document. Ikki, Kent, and MC engage in silly roleplay shenanigans and all get hilariously into it, so of course my brain went and extrapolated that into a potential smut scenario. In its current state the document is a literal single sentence: "So y’all are into roleplay now huh? Ikki, Kent, MC, I see all of you." And that basically is the extent of my thought into this one so far. I have no idea what kind of roleplay they might get up to, and it's even possible I'd turn this into a sillier comedy fic instead of smut if that's where the characters took me when I started writing. But they're all absolute goofballs together, and I think it'd be fun to explore one way or another! Not Even a Real Idea TBH (G-or-T-rated, post-canon Spade World, pre-poly, fluff and silliness) Despite the title, this is moderately more developed than the last one! I just didn't have a title idea when I made the document and have yet to change it since I still don't have one and didn't want to just make it a throuple title only lol. Since it's post-Spade World, Ikki and MC are our established couple here. Near the end of Ikki's Amnesia Later story, there's this part where the best way I can describe it is Shin being very earnest toward and observant and fond of Ikki and MC's relationship, while Ikki is a complete menace toward Shin in every capacity. I don't even remember the exact content of the scene as I think about it right now, but that was the whole vibe that came across to me. And I just think Spade World MC totally has the capacity to become a bit of a menace toward Shin too if she wanted. So these two start teasing Shin in various slightly flirty ways after talking to each other about their mutual interest in him. And Shin isn't really getting it for a while, too much a shipper on deck to realize they're individually and together flirting with him and sort of courting him in their strange roundabout ways. So they probably eventually end up having to be direct with him, and then the throuple antics can begin. This one truly is vibes-based and not so much concrete writing/scenes/ideas yet for me, but I think it'll be neat lol. It could be a longer oneshot or a smaller multi-chapter thing; I haven't fully decided for it yet. I think I'll need to go back and replay the scene that got me thinking on it to iron out their dynamic before I get into it.

And I'm now hitting a new character limit I didn't even realize Tumblr had, so uh. Look to a quick reblog to see the last WIP and the end of my message to you anon! Sorry for the weirdness lol

[altschmerzes]

oh i'm FASCINATED to hear what your thoughts on lost are so far

FAIR WARNING this is probably not going to be very nice to the show so if you're a big lost enjoyer and don't wanna see that this would be the time to keep scrolling. sorry for the delay also. guy who has been typing his thoughts and then getting distracted on a loop for several days.

basically: i don't know why, but i have been deeply compelled to watch the show lost recently. like, i genuinely don't have an explanation. i know i'd seen like, half of season one about a million years ago and have no memory of any of it so this is functionally my first go through it.

in short: i think it has its strengths and its weaknesses. to me, more weaknesses than strengths. i know opinion degraded as time went on but even just where i am now, i do not know why this thing has the like 'one of the best shows of all time' reputation that it has. i really, truly don't. like, it's fine, sometimes it's even good, but like. why do people talk about this like it is the pinnacle of television. it is however like, almost hypnotically watchable, and i keep going through like, handfuls of episodes at once.

more under the cut.

in long: so i'm on the early early episodes of season 2 and i already know that most of this show is mystery boxes inside mystery boxes half of which never really have a payoff that's satisfying and so i'm pre-emptively frustrated by that. it's like.... i would love to be excited by the mysteries that come up, but instead of getting to excitedly wonder 'oh wow i wonder what the explanation for that will be!' i'm instead sitting here thinking 'gee i hope that's one of the ones we get an answer to.' it's not a great feeling, and mostly i'm like. man why do they keep giving jj abrams creative authority over things. he's a good director, why do they keep ruining that by letting him WRITE too.

also there is so much weird racism and misogyny in here lmao. gd.

anyways. moving on to specifics.

i will confess i am a sucker for disaster survival scenarios. it's half the appeal of any apocalyptic thing to me, and this delivers. i'm enjoying the mystery boxes when i can put aside the fact that i might not get to see inside them at all, depending. i think the flashbacks are well structured and sprinkled in with effective timing and degrees of revealed information. i think one of my fave parts is how much of like... the Weird Shit in the flashbacks is just. not clear about whether or not it's related to the island? were the numbers hurley used to win the lottery actually cursed? does disaster and death follow walt around or is his former stepdad just an asshole and it's all a coincidence? what was up with the fucking psychic claire talked to? etc. that's one of the ones where i'd be fully comfortable with that question never being answered. it's satisfying as hell just to wonder.

characters! the extent to which i do not give a single fuck about jack, kate, and sawyer is amazing. like. they're all so resoundingly uninteresting to me. i actively think everyone here would be better off if sawyer was dead, because even for me (noted asshole with a heart of gold enjoyer, I KNOW, I KNOW) he is A Bit Fucking Much. if he does not ease up soon it's gonna be Bad. i mean it's already bad but. lmao. his best moments so far were telling jack about what jack's dad said to him in the bar and saving michael after the raft is destroyed. kate is just... everything about her is so overwrought and i'm just bored and a little embarrassed every time we have something focusing on her. i do like that she's abjectly doing shady shit sometimes, they should lean into that more. gaslight gatekeep girlboss etc. jack is so nothing it's amazing. he is baymax to me. he is not even baymax, baymax had more of a personality. why is he the protagonist of this show, he is such a generic white dude audience insert character.

i really love sun, hurley, charlie, claire, michael, walt, and - when he is not YELLING AT HIS WIFE - jin is okay too. i also really enjoy sayid and i have to say that like. i think they have massively fucked it up with his writing in several points, it's like. stereotypical and almost comically racist at times but i also have to like... idk, i do have a significant degree of legitimate respect for the swing they took with him in the first place, to be honest. it's like. idk. this was a show that aired in 2004, written and filmed before that, and i know his character made a lot of people Big Fucking Mad to have in a show about a plane crash as an unambiguously sympathetic and positively depicted character, missteps in his writing and all. it doesn't excuse the mistakes made with him obviously but the context in which he was written makes me like. idk. appreciate the fact that he exists, and kinda tip my hat to like. you guys Tried saying something here. i gotta respect that.

jin and michael's odd-couple friendship is extremely charming to me. hurley is the sweetie of all time and i really love how he just... is willing to interact with people on a straightforward level no matter who they are or what's going on? locke cracks me the fuck up. like all his magic healing disability and general premonition shit aside, it's extremely funny to me to watch grandpa survivalist finally get to LARP his dreams of being a hardcore jungle man. he is fucking insane gd blass.

i will say um. the less said about shannon and boone the better. eugh. literally why would you do that. like... it throws me so much every time someone finds out about That Whole Mess and literally does not react at all. before somebody screams and whines and cries about how IT'S FINE TO EXPLORE TABOO SUBJECTS IN FICTION STOP BEING A PURITAN YOURE BEING A FAN COP WAAAAAAA i'm not saying you can never write this sort of thing just like. literally why is the entire narrative framing of it a tragic starcrossed lover thing. why is nobody reacting like this is as nasty and weird as it is. lmao.

anyways.

here's some clips from my watching it, mostly based in how fucking funny i think jack's whole Situation is.

[dyke-quixote]

Any thoughts on Gregor? Either by himself, or with other characters. I've seen a few posters note how often he's casually mistreated by others, and that he seems to be a bit more withdrawn as time goes on...

I don't have a lot of thoughts on Gregor besides some general nsfw headcanons so I know how to write him into my fics/aus/settings. Sadly I am a huge lesbian and I cannot headcanon him as anything but a transman so I don't have much interest in him as a stand alone character..... unlike the other he/hims I headcanon as butches....

He is a very complex and compelling character and I'm excited to see more of how they handle him. As far as mistreatment, I haven't really noticed that from the Sinners (if anything they seem more protective...) but casual comments from outsiders has always been a thing I just think they're drawing more attention to it.

I think Gregor is in awkward place because his 'arc' can't end so long as Hermann is around and so it seems almost like the writers don't know what to do with him because they can't exactly give him closure. Which I think is also what he feels in character. He knows there's this lingering tension and issue he will have to face and it's compounding as he sees others start to finish their goals. He's scared of getting left behind again, another relic of a past age, unneeded and unwanted.

I hope we see more body horror with him and his limb do crazy stuff. I hope they also bring up the elephant in the room with his EGO and the Library symbols.

[bookaddict24-7]

REVIEWS OF THE WEEK!

Every week I will post various reviews I've written so far in 2024. You can check out my Goodreads for more up-to-date reviews HERE. You can friend me on Goodreads here.

Have you read any of these? What were your thoughts?

___

385. Always Mine by Laura Pavlov--⭐️⭐️⭐️.5

I'll admit that this was a complete cover buy for me. This was a special edition and the synopsis sounded really cute with some tropes I love, so I couldn't resist. And honestly, for the most part, I don't have any regrets.

ALWAYS MINE was one of those cute and fluffy reads that went by super quickly. The connection was already built in because of the friendship that was obviously going to turn into something more eventually. The sexual tension ramped up and we got some spicy scenes added to the mix. Overall, the writing was light, quickly paced, and kept me wanting to read the next chapter.

My issues come from some of the funnier aspects of this book. Mainly, the crying. Man, it's a good thing these characters live by a lake because damn can they cry. I'd blink and suddenly the phrase "tears streamed down [their] face" was being used. It was a very popular phrase. If I played a drinking game with this book, it would be "take a shot every time someone cries in your book." I'd be gone and drunk by the middle of the book.

Other than that, I liked the suspenseful edge to the book and how it was prominent, but didn't overtake the main storyline. I find that I really enjoy romance books like this that have that extra twist to make the story more compelling.

I loved the side characters (mainly the sisters, especially Dylan) and this book DID succeed in making me want to read the rest of the books in this series since they are all for each sister.

Though the romance was built on the back of this lifelong, will-they-won't-they best-friendship, I still found that it moved a bit fast. I wish they'd given themselves a bit more time to adjust to their new reality. But I WILL say that other than one little moment that I'll let go of because it felt very realistic, the communication between these two was great.

I know it's winter right now (in North America--Canada, in my case), but this book is an excellent romance novel to read in the middle of the night in summer--even if it takes place in winter. It just has that binge-worthy vibe that would fit best in the summer.

ALWAYS MINE was quick, cute, addictive, and didn't have a third act break-up.

___

386. My Darkest Prayer by S.A. Cosby--⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

MY DARKEST PRAYER isn't my favourite Cosby book, but it still holds that sense of exciting possibility that I'm really growing to love in his writing. That dark level of revenge, mixed with some cool action scenes, is vivid in this one and to make it even better, it's all washed in that gorgeous noir writing style that Cosby has perfected.

I thought, of all the books I've read by Cosby, the MC in this one had the most interesting job that had a lot of potential for future detective-like, high stakes mysteries. I liked the connection between the MC and his cousin and how it led to show us what certain family love looks like. The way he was pulled into the mystery was great, especially because we see him having to confront his old coworkers from when he was a police officer. Which is another thing I like about Cosby's writing--he's presented us so many different aspects and relationships Black people have with the police in all of his books. It's eye opening and so important.

I loved the female character in this because even though she's presented in a way society would deem demeaning, I loved that she owned who she was and was completely unapologetic about it. So many people tried to take her identity from her, so watching her own it was powerful. Which by the way, I didn't like how the MC revealed a dark experience of hers with someone else. It wasn't his story to tell. And that and some of the commentary on women made me uncomfortable. If there's one thing I wish Cosby did better was his treatment of female characters in his books. The one female character in here did own her identity, but I don't know if this was intentional or a positive coincidence.

Overall, I liked this for what it was and the mystery had me hooked. I think this would make a fantastic movie--especially since so many of Cosby's books feel cinematic. There was also an interesting Easter Egg in here regarding one character that appears in another book!

___

387. Fearless by M.W. Craven--⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

FEARLESS is one of those books that just scratches a specific itch in my brain that I didn't know I had. These adventure/mystery/main character hero-complex books are like honey to my bee--I can't explain why they get me every time. AND this book was self-aware? LOL. There were some very pointed comments about REACHER that had me cackling.

I also love books where the MC is severely underestimated (think John Wick) and then goes and proves everyone wrong. And since this guy is literally fearless, it made this part of the book so much better.

The story itself was fun and I liked the mystery and how it took the MC on a wild chase around the US. There were some choices that were made that made me side-eye where this story was going, but it still had some exciting and entertaining moments after the questionable situation. This could also make a great movie and you know what? I'd watch the hell out of it. Or a TV show.

What did take me out of the story was the continuous mention of a certain place. I get it from a government employee perspective because they ARE military experts, sigh, but of all the places to choose. WHICH, if I rant about this: I have read so many books that will casually drop the name of this place when you could literally pick ANYWHERE. It runs deep, even in literary works. Ugh. /endrant.

Anyway, other than that, this was an exciting story with some fun twists and some badass moments. I loved the whole concept of a fearless action-hero detective. I want to read the next one!

___

388. The Suspicion by K.A. Applegate--⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

THE SUSPICION felt like a filler book. This honestly felt like one of those books where the author needed to meet a deadline and had to have content ready for her publisher, but needed more time to cook for the main storyline. It was like a side-quest.

I liked the adventure and thought it was hilarious, but it felt like those episodes of shows that pop up just because they needed more content to appease viewers. Especially because of how over the top and ridiculous it felt. There was a moment that could have ended everything and saved the world, but of course, it's too early to end the series.

I thought it was interesting though because it shows us more alien beings not affected by the enemies of the series. It DID challenge the MCs' sense of anti-war thoughts for a bit there, though. That was interesting and made me wonder if there would be a limit at some point in the series where pragmatism would have to override their anti-war mentality. In this book, it felt like they only remembered their moral compasses near the end.

And even though this definitely felt like a filler, it made me more curious about what else we will see in this series, what other challenges the MCs will face, and how they will overcome their inability to cross that line they straddle so often. But realistically, these are children and it is a children's series. Not that I haven't read children's books that have crossed that line many times.

Onto the next one!

___

389. Lights Out by Navessa Allen--⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

If you like audiobooks and romance, do yourself the biggest bookish favour of this year and listen to this. It is absolute gold and I would recommend it to everyone who likes their romance with a lick of darkness and a lot of spice. The voice actors KILLED it and gave this book so much life.

LIGHTS OUT was absolutely hilarious. It was dark, but so completely self-aware. I had to go out and buy a physical copy because I absolutely needed this in my personal library.

One of my favourite things about this book was the cat and how he was essentially a character in his own right. He was the pride of his parents and the most welcoming little asshole to his new dad. The way the MMC talked about him made me love him even more.

This was a dark romance, but not to the extent that made me nervous. I've seen some of the dark romances out there and while this had some themes and the potential for it to be really dark, this was actually strangely wholesome? I mean, besides the stalking and murderous father, of course. I actually loved the connection between the two MCs and how much communication they had. Their reactions to certain situations were realistic and so were the moments they took to talk themselves through their emotions.

Where this book took a darker tone was so unexpected, but also entertaining. It added a whole other layer of hilarity and surprise that I was NOT expecting.

Also, please, the one-liners from the characters? Absolute gold. I'm so glad I finally gave this one a shot and I absolutely can't wait for book two! This is definitely one of my favourite books on the year.

___

390. Brother Odd by Dean Koontz--⭐️⭐️⭐️

BROTHER ODD is not my favourite book in this series so far, simply because I thought it felt a bit…boring and long-winded. It also felt a bit random and I had to check to see if I had missed a book between the last one and this one. Regardless, I thought it was interesting and had it's entertaining moments, especially the paranormal turn it took. That aspect alone makes me excited to see what else Koontz puts into this series.

I loved that grief was more explored in this, especially since it was one of my comments about the last book. I definitely think Odd is experiencing the different stages of grief with these last two books. This one felt like Odd was definitely caught more in his grief and wasn't numb anymore. And it was certainly interesting seeing that grief manifest itself both through his abilities and how it affected those around him.

I liked that he was outside of his small town and bodes well for the rest of the series. While I liked the little town that the first two books took place in, I also know that I'm in for some entertaining adventures as Odd makes his way through his road trip. He both needs to experience that outside world he felt so apathetic towards in the past, and needs to learn more about his abilities and what else exists out there.

I also like his sassiness. I always like Odd's sassiness and how it comes out of nowhere, or in the most inappropriate times. Makes me think a lot of how this was a characteristic of so many main characters in the early 2000s, especially in this genre of fiction.

I want to read the next book because I want to know what else Odd experiences! Hopefully the next book is a bit more exciting (even though this one had some creepy and unique situations).

___

391. Ends of the Earth by Keira Andrews--⭐️⭐️

I LOVE this author, but this was probably the weakest one for me so far. It lacked that sense of urgency I sometimes get with her writing, which leads to me binge reading it (which I usually do with her work, but this one just didn't grip me the same way).

I liked the characters, but this was one of those insta romances that was a little hard for me to swallow. I get that surviving a horrible situation can bond people--much like we've seen in other books by Andrews, but this one lacked a bit of believability for me. I couldn't wrap my head around the immediate attraction that led to such intense feelings and, technically, sacrifices from the characters after they spent the majority of their adult lives not wanting to do the very things they suddenly decide to do for each other. There is a lot of potential here, but it was just all so quick. I think if this book was a bit longer; if the story had cooked some more, it would have held more of an emotional punch, which is what I usually love about Andrews's books.

I love a good age gap romance and save for some side-eye worthy moments, I liked this aspect of the story.

ENDS OF THE EARTH took a bit to get to the main event, which is fine because we're building those connections and setting those scenes, but then it was over quicker than I was expecting--which isn't a bad thing, but this added to the sense that this book just had a slight problem with pacing. I wish we got to see the two MCs together as a couple for longer than just that happy ending. I want to care for them and connect with them, but it just didn't feel like it was long enough for me to love them.

i think thats the main issue--it was too quick. I wanted more. And while I enjoyed this story for what it was, I think it could have been more. I'll still check out more of Andrews's work because she's still one of my favourites, but this one was a little bit disappointing.

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392. Lost & Lassoed by Lyla Sage--⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.5

Lyla Sage does it again with another cute addition to this wonderfully satisfying series! I must have the next book. I MUST HAVE IT.

One of the things i love about this series is how low-angst/low drama the stories are by the end. I can just enjoy them knowing that these characters won't be idiots when it comes down to it and there isn't a third act breakup waiting for me. I just want a love story--whether it's an enemies to lovers or something else--that is simple and enjoyable, and this delivered.

I knew sparks would fly between these two characters because we've known since book one that they "hated" each other. For a good chunk of the first half of the book, we see this animosity in effect--almost to a detrimental level? The MMC was really mean. His judgment of the FMC had my hackles up for a bit and it took me out of the story a bit. But I did like seeing how the relationship between the two characters changes as the story progresses and I like that though this is a short novel, it still takes its time in growing this relationship organically.

The MMC's daughter is adorable and I loved the relationship she has both with her dad and with the FMC. Which brings me to how much I loved the FMC. She loves her best friend and the people she cares for so fiercely, that it immediately endeared me to her. I also felt her emotions of how she felt so forgotten while everyone around her experienced such big changes. I think one of the reasons why I liked her so much was because of how honest Sage was in writing her character and her conflicted emotions. Also, that battle of "what will I do with my life?" runs super deep. Of all the FMCs in this series so far, she's my favourite.

Finally, this was SPICY. Holy crap. It wasn't dark romance spicy, but for a traditionally published contemporary western romance? Phew. Yes, ma'am, get your man. I had to wave my hand in front of my face.

I know the next book will probably be the last in this series, but I will be so sad to see it end. I love these characters and their simple but comforting lives in their small town.

___

Happy reading!

[esther-dot]

In spite of GOT's shortfalls I was someone who found Sansa and Theon's relationship compelling. The show placed a lot of emphasis on what was in many ways their twin character arcs. What, if anything, might this mean for the books? Will the two of them become simpatico like that because Sansa is going to face another abusive relationship? I can't help but think of the "girl in gray" vision where she (?) is said to be fleeing the marriage they made for her. I wonder if Sansa and Theon are really only a fantasy of the show runners.

It was beautifully acted! That moment back in s5 when Sansa grabs Theon's face and yells at him about his "brothers" until he admits he didn't kill the boys has had such staying power with me. Loved their scenes together. Their s8 reunion was very moving too, and I know the soup scene in s8 was very exciting for shippers.

I can't help but think of the "girl in gray" vision where she (?) is said to be fleeing the marriage they made for her. I wonder if Sansa and Theon are really only a fantasy of the show runners.

I think what happened is that Martin told D&D that Sansa would be the girl in grey and return North, so they needed to write that story, but they liked Theon and Jeyne's storyline so much, they decided to weave them together. In the books, Theon and Jeyne have escaped and been reunited with Asha, so I’m not seeing the opportunity for Theon to create a deep bond with Sansa similar to the one they had in the show. Also, I’d assume Jon will be far less forgiving (without that incentive of Theon having saved Sansa) than he was in the show which would be a barrier.

Sansa does come up in Theon's ADWD chapters in relation to Jeyne as well as in relation to the hero/hero in a song idea so she feels kinda present which may be what gave D&D the idea to just go ahead and bring her into Theon's story:

It was not right that she should look to him for rescue. What had she been thinking, that he would whistle up a winged horse and fly her out of here, like some hero in the stories she and Sansa used to love? He could not even help himself. Reek, Reek, it rhymes with meek. (ADWD, The Prince of Winterfell) We are all dead, Theon thought. I told them this was folly, but none of them would listen. Abel had doomed them. All singers were half-mad. In songs, the hero always saved the maiden from the monster's castle, but life was not a song, no more than Jeyne was Arya Stark. Her eyes are the wrong color. And there are no heroes here, only whores. Even so, he knelt beside her, pulled down the furs, touched her cheek. "You know me. I'm Theon, you remember. I know you too. I know your name." (ADWD, Theon I) Theon grabbed Jeyne about the waist and jumped. (ADWD, Theon I)

Sansa loves Jeyne, so if Bran and Rickon turn up alive (she believes Theon killed them), maybe she would have a nice interaction with Theon once she is in the North, but I assume the GoT bond was largely a result of D&D replacing Jeyne with Sansa.

[queerfables]

911 || 8x01 Buzzkill!!!!!

Aaah the tone at the start of the episode gave me an immediate dopamine rush i'm so psyched

Oh we're doing sex trafficking narrative devices? sigh I'm really not gonna be able to take this seriously am i

that said as a catalyst for athena to reconnect with her fiance's killer i'm into that

Ad break 1. We're off to a solid start, I know where all the characters are in their own stories and we've got some exciting emergencies set up.

Oh it's a good thing I'm watching ahead of my wife, I think they will want some more specific warnings for this episode than just "bees"

Wow I spent the whole call on the edge of my seat, this is a great example of how a call doesn't have to be "big" to hit hard (though to be fair I'm always especially sensitive to kids and parents in danger)

Buck figuring out to use smoke and Eddie immediately backing his call T____T I love it so much!!! Honestly Buck slowly edging his way through the bees was very cool and sexy, a++

Ad break 2! That was intense and super compelling, I loved it

This Bathena scene is really strong and I love Athena being so tunnel vision about why this guy would request her specifically ie his entire existence revolves around hurting her. it's so her to assume the worst of people to the point of comedy, especially when she has a reason to write them off.

HOLY SHIT BUDDIETOMMY REAL NOT CLICKBAIT THIS IS AMAZING Tim Minear you are a blessing

Lmfao I love the dramatic pan up to the bees lurking in the shadows. Dumb horror movie vibes i love it.

Ad break 3. Keen to bounce into the next crisis.

Buck being clever about bees again! So proud of my special interest king.

And Chimney being clever about getting the stingers out, I love it

Gerrard is of course infuriating, but they've done a pretty decent job of making him, like, just this side of bearable (ie he's a fun antagonist rather than making the show miserable to watch)

Ad break 4. So far I am really enjoying the episode!!

Oh this is a really great arc for Athena imo. It's also kind of the inverse of the Bobby-Amir arc from last season, though I hope this plays out a little less infuriatingly.

Man I really hope Elaine doesn't turn out to be secretly corrupt I'd be so sad

Holy shit Buck snaps and murders Gerrard was not on my season 8 premier bingo card

(I'm also psyched about the ambiguity of was he reacting to the flying blade to protect Gerrard or did he just lose it? He definitely moved right after it came loose but did the sound just trigger him?does he even know why he did it?? I assume there will be an investigation and this will be a central focus)

Aaaaaah the cliffhanger ending was super rad!!

The teaser for next episode looks super good. I loved Bobby being like "of course my wife is flying the plane" delightful!! I'm also very interested to see what happens with Gerrard omg. Buck not being able to cope with being berated by him was pretty interesting, it definitely gave me c-ptsd vibes but idk if that was intentional or just my baggage lol.

[evelhak]

Hi ! For the character ask game, could you do 1, 7, 10, 15 and 18 for Kise ?

Hi ~~It's so funny that you sent this the exact moment I was writing my fic and Kuroko was just about to answer a phone call from Kise, thinking that he had been too harsh on him about something. (It's funny because Kise hadn't appeared in several chapters.)

Why do you like or dislike this character?

I have a soft spot for Kise, for sure. It's initially because he resembles the type of person I have a soft spot for in real life. Basically it's people who can just show up, act exactly as annoying and self-centred as they please, and yet, a lot of people just can't help but like them (some obviously and some reluctantly). First of all, because they are so pretty and charming, and second of all, because it's like they don't know better, so you feel compelled to forgive them.

On a more specific note, I like Kise because he brings a light-hearted feeling to the story where most characters could not. I like how he can decide to have his act together when it suits him, and then be a big baby with his true friends, there's something disarming about that. Even though I don't particularly love that he seems like the kind of person who can sort of dehumanise others when it suits him, I also understand that it makes sense as a defence mechanism against the overwhelming attention he gets. So, it also makes sense that he would feel more at ease with people who don't fall at his feet just like that. Um, my point was, that I appreciate that he doesn't feel like he owes anything to anyone he doesn't have a truly reciprocal relationship with.

Also, I just can't help but like people who move through the physical and social world with ease.

Okay, basically Kise is a lot of things I wish I could be but never will. :D

7. What is something the fandom does when it comes to this character that you like?

I'm a sucker for all shenanigans there's not that much room for in canon, so I love that the fandom never gets tired of putting Kise in silly situations and having him act like a goof ball with characters who have that side in them too but wouldn't have it brought out of them so often or in quite the same way without Kise.

10. Could you be best friends with this character?

I wouldn't say best friends, no, for that our comfort zones would be too different. Good friends, yes. There's a lot that I lack that a person like Kise can bring into my life and strengthen in me, and I'm fairly certain the same is true in reverse.

15. What is your favourite ship for this character?

I don't have any canon character I ship with Kise, since I see him as the sort of person who keeps friends and lovers separate to avoid drama. Like, his friends are too important to him to risk conflict because of sex which he can get anywhere, anyway. Possibly he's even aromantic. I don't know, I have a hard time picturing Kise at least traditionally in love. I've written him in my fics for a long time, and so far he has casually dated two OCs which both have some good chemistry with him, and I think in this little head world of mine he seems to be opening up to a closer and more genuine connection in that department, but I don't know if I see him in a long term relationship or not. So, I can't say I have a favourite ship.

18. How about a relationship they have in canon with another character that you admire?

This is a difficult one, no one pops into my head as special to me. It's more like I admire an aspect of Kise's closer relationships in general, and it's how unconditionally he uplifts and admires the people he really cares about. He's not egotistical or insecure in that sense that he would withhold his admiration when he feels it, which I find very sweet and healthy. Also, he has no ulterior motive, he's just genuinely excited about his friends. Sorry if that's not a good answer, but I don't have a particular relationship that speaks to me more than others.

I hope there was something worth your time. ☆

[croik]

I'm curious now to ask what you like/dislike about Yellow (different anon)

I'm trying to reserve judgement on Yellow until he comes back. I don't think what we've seen so far is particularly well written, in the sense that he comes out of nowhere, he leaves very abruptly. His heel turn is clunky and leans hard on the Faust reveal, which I'm also not a fan of (man I'm a negative nellie I guess!). And Arthur is sooo determined to remember him as a pitiless villain after the fact, way more than he actually was, so learning that he's paired with the villain now worries me. If he really does become that terrible villain, does it mean Arthur was right about him all along, even though Arthur had no reason to be right? Malev is kinda falling into a rut of characters magically knowing things just for the plot's sake.

BUT, I sure do like the IDEA of Yellow! He's the one thing I'm actually excited to see again and learn more about. I have so many questions about how he and Larson fit together, what their relationship is as compared to Arthur and John, if he'll even still want to be called Yellow, if he has goals now outside of Arthur. There's real potential there, things that can be pondered. Kayne's motives are utterly unknowable, no point wondering what he's up to. Collins is just following orders. But Yellow, we know enough about him to base speculation on, but not enough to know for sure, and that makes him way more compelling to me.

We've seen him vulnerable. That matters so much in terms of villain writing, and I hope he comes back soon.

thanks for the excuse to babble about Yellow <3

[blazichu]

I really love your fics and snippets with special emphasis on how you write Ingo and Emmet. You are very consistent with giving each of them interesting emotional development without diluting it into just sad times for sadness sake. I'm not saying it's bad to write things just to feel a strong emotion, but those emotions are more interesting and compelling to explore when characters get to feel them and come back stronger or even just learn from them in general.

I know I probably touched about this in the fic comments on AO3, but MHIMH was a wonderful example of this. I thoroughly enjoyed the ups and downs of Ingo's learning process where he has to push forward in an unfair situation. In the end he not only survived, he is now stronger and more in tuned with his ideals than ever while still holding his emotions and resolve to go home close to his heart.

I am so excited to see Emmet's side of this story in AGAS. I love the start and how it talks about how, while the pain is still there, he manages as well with life even if it is with a heavy heart. Emmet is also a very strong person and I will enjoy seeing his emotional development through his side of the story. As he learns of his brother's trials and resolve.

It is so rewarding to see that even when they are so far apart they will find strength in the other to move forward.

Oh, thank you! It's really kind of you to go out of the way to share your thoughts, and I'm very happy to hear that you enjoy my writing enough to break it down like this!

I agree that there's absolutely nothing wrong with a fic where bad things happen just because that's the story someone wants to tell-- and frankly, I see shades of that in one of my own pieces-- but in general, I believe that the depth of angst, horror, or what have you will always be enhanced by giving the piece moments of levity and hope. I think that probably contributes a lot to characterizations, too-- allowing them to fall into both extremes.

Admittedly, I do get a bit self conscious about my interpretation of the twins, because there are certain fanon conventions that I've started pulling away from in the past year. I feel like it's more visible with Emmet than Ingo, and that's going to be coming up in AGAS. As to your hopes for seeing him develop as a character, I think that definitely does happen, but I'm not going to go any further into that for now.

Ingo in particular… it's funny. I know you described Emmet as an "unstoppable force" in an earlier comment, and I see Ingo as being very similar, just in a more subtle or gradual sense-- like an inevitability. They have two very different connotations, but at their core, are very alike; it's an interesting interplay and part of what makes the characters fun to work with. Idk, maybe I'm being pretentious again xD

"It is so rewarding to see that even when they are so far apart they will find strength in the other to move forward." Just wanted to repeat that, because I love the way you worded it. I absolutely agree!