#show these silly romance writers how it’s done

[d3lly1000]

About Sonic and the others forgetting the events of Sonic '06 + The Twitter Takeovers are semi-canons

Okay, here we go... I saw some people mention this answer about Sonic forgetting Elise and being upset about it, and thankful that the Takeovers are "not canon", so I'll share my point of view on that and talk about why the Takeovers are semi-canon! (oh boy a long post-) ~~~~

To start: "But Sonic forgetting Elise is absurd! He was the one who put out the flame with Elise, they both should have known about each other." No. They shouldn't have. From the moment the flame went out, everything was reset and started at the point where Sonic was going through the festival. There was no invasion by Eggman at that moment, Elise was not kidnapped, there were no Events of 2006 EVEN though the game is canon. THIS has ALWAYS been a fact since the game's release. And it keeps gaining strength with new media (Sonic x Shadow Generations and mentions that Sonic make in external media).

And I dare even more, not even Silver should know about the events. But if he knows, it's only him and Mephiles, who was ERASED from existence and ended up in WhiteSpace, the Limbo of Sonic's Universe. (As for Silver, he constantly travels through time, he could be the only one who remembers, but I doubt it a little) But the point here is: The representation of the flame going out at the end of 06 is that everything was rewritten in a new way. Things didn't happen that way and that's it.

"But it's absurd. Sonic would never forget Elise, they liked each other!"

I know that in some way there are fans of Sonelise, but I don't think it's right to support their romance so much when it was rushed and totally done in a hurry to make us get some kind of "emotional attachment" to Elise. Elise was the one who showed the most interest in Sonic, even kissing him (geez...), while Sonic, even choosing Elise in the "Trial Of Love", sometimes the game still throws you to Amy's option in a strange glitch. Which doesn't make much sense since theoretically he "would be in love with Elise."

Elise had the potential to be an excellent character and I still believe in that! She was introduced in an obscure game (just like Silver) and we can't deny that fact. She always couldn't cry because she had sealed the Iblis Trigger in herself, she lost her father and had no mother and yet she was the governess of the kingdom of Soleanna. Have you ever thought how much she could have stood out by working on this issue of pressure that she suffers in a deeper way? Instead of Sonic's entire campaign revolving around a somewhat embarrassing romance, have you ever thought how incredible it would be if it focused on how far the line of our responsibilities goes and the fear of failing everyone? Elise could potentially even be an incredible parallel for Blaze being what she is, even if indirectly! There's the other idea of ​​Sonic and Elise being a parallel of sisterhood like Shadow is with Maria, and that's much more captivating than a romance, and I'm sure we'd get much more attached to her knowing that!

Sonic 2006 and plot holes...

Sonic's campaign is the weakest;

Elise is a character who has potential for much more than what we were given;

the time travel issue has many holes like the Blue Chaos Emerald being with Elise the whole time;

Blaze is in the game and we don't even have an explanation for it;

We're very vague about Silver and his future; So, the fact that Sonic and the others "forget" the events is something canonical since the end of the game and has always remained that way.

Now, about the Twitter Takeovers:

The Takeovers are silly and focused on humor, but that doesn't mean there aren't writers behind them!

(Social Media Manager for Sonic's official Twitter account.) This same script is thought by the entire team, since the company's characters are acting! There is a lot of work behind it, which must be recognized! In other words, the information becomes "canonical", since it covers and gives us answers about things that we don't have in the games yet. It's an expansion of the characters, the universe and the story that hasn't been told or fully explored yet, and that's fantastic! The questions are selected based on what they can probably tell us. Whether it's just about Sonic's fur or Shadow's taste for coffee, or even about the Super Transformations and the relationships between the characters. They are Semi-Canons. They are information that adds to our knowledge as fans, but they are not necessarily real, like Sonic breaking the fourth wall. As a fandom, we have to know how to separate some things! That's what makes the Sonic universe unique. Everything can be considered more clues to add to the franchise, but we need to know how to understand the reasons and whys behind it!

Conclusion

I still hope that if Sonic '06 gets a remake, they'll do a good redemption of it, because it deserves it! And who knows, maybe we'll see more of it in the future?

If you want to comment, feel free, this is an open field for that discussion. Just keep it respectful and friendly! I'd love to read and participate too!

Thank you very much for reading! Sorry for the bad English... Stay determined! 🤍

[iboopedyournose]

My favorite little family in the whole world! I’m just always in pieces over dad-Ben and his precious family. Sobbing. 🥺🥺🥺😭😭😭😭

This is everything, seriously. They mean the world to me. 🥹🫶🏻

Merry Christmas, Faye!! 🎄

Moments: Christmas Moments

Moments Masterpost

Pairing: Benedict Bridgerton x fem!reader

Summary: It's Christmas and the Bridgerton clan are gathering at Aubrey Hall to celebrate together. Benedict and his new wife of almost five months have some news...

Warnings: none... the last few lines are a little suggestive, but otherwise this is just pure fluff/humour :)

Word Count: 2.8k

Author's Note: Happy Holidays everyone! Here, is the festive one-shot for Moments. It incorporates some ideas from this ask. I hope you enjoy <3. Thanks to @makaylan for beta and @margowritesthings for the beautiful Moments moodboard above.

Set 4½ months after Epilogue 1

“Can I tell them, mummy? Daddy? Can I? Can I?” James bounces up and down with excitement as Aubrey Hall hones into view.

It's been four and a half months since your wedding at this very place, and you are excited to return and see the extended Bridgerton clan again, gathering as you all are to celebrate Christmas together. Your life has changed almost beyond recognition in the months since you last approached the house in a carriage with your son. Now you have so much more with you, including the man holding your hand tight as James bounces excitedly on his knee. Your husband, Benedict.

You both chuckle at your son’s excitement and share a look and a nod. “James darling, yes, of course, you can,” you smile indulgently.

He whoops with delight and jumps out of the carriage before your footman can so much as bring out the step.

“James!!” you call out, “wait!”

But he doesn’t heed your words. He sprints up the steps of the house and launches himself at Violet, standing in the doorway.

“Grandmother!! Hello!” he cries.

Even as Benedict helps you out of the carriage, you can see the emotion on her face at the title James has greeted her with.

“Oh! Yes, my darling boy, that’s right, I am your grandmother,” she confirms, swaying him in a tight hug.

“Benedict! Y/n! My loves!!” she calls, not letting James go, “it’s so utterly wonderful to see you!”

“You too, mother,” Benedict says, kissing her on the cheek, unable to embrace her fully as his own son keeps hold of Violet so tightly.

“James, let go now,” you cajole, leaning to kiss Violet on the cheek lightly.

“Let's get inside out of the chilly air,” she suggests, running an affectionate hand over James’ trademark Bridgerton chestnut hair.

“I've got some news for you, grandmother, but it shall wait for dinner,” James spoils with a big stage wink, taking her hand and practically dragging her inside.

Violet laughs and happily allows James to pull her through the hallway and to the drawing room, where the sounds of a gathering spill from.

“He is terrible at keeping secrets, you know,” Benedict chuckles. “I doubt he will keep it under wraps for more than five minutes.”

“To be honest darling, once my cloak is off, the point may be moot,” you remark as you trail Violet and James.

“I thought you chose that dress specifically?”

“I did indeed. And I suspect it may fool the Bridgerton men; I'm not as certain about the women. They have greater possession of the family intellect,” you jest, raising an eyebrow at him.

“Will that joke never grow old?” he deadpans as he helps you out of said cloak.

You just giggle as you both walk into the drawing room together, arm in arm.

The room is lit with festive red candles, and garlands of holly and ivy drape across the mantle above the roaring fire and over various furniture. Everyone is in small groups and talking animatedly. The whole family (and their children) are gathered, the only exception being Francesca, who apparently will arrive the following day.

After a warm greeting from all, and with a quick squeeze of Benedict's arm, you move away from him to make a beeline to sit on the sofa; your ankles appreciate any break they can get lately. As you do so, you watch James ingratiate himself into the Bridgerton clan, walking around the room, so at ease.

“Hello, Uncle Colin!”

“Hello, little Benedict,” Colin quips back, his running joke about the uncanny resemblance.

“Benedict is my daddy’s name,” James frowns, not completely catching the in-joke.

“I know, my little man,” Colin ruffles his hair. “How is the rock collection?”

“Bigger,” James beams, “I've also got some news! But daddy says I have to wait for dinner.”

“Can't wait to hear it,” Colin responds amiably before James moves along to the next person that catches his eye.

“Hello, Auntie Eloise!”

“Hello, little nephew. I do hope you have been getting into all kinds of mischief!” she winks.

“Eloise,” Benedict warns from across the room, “I do hope you are not encouraging my son to engage in hijinks,” he orders with a shake of his head and an avuncular air.

“I preferred you when you weren't a father, brother,” she sniffs derisively, and you watch them exchange their usual sarcastic expressions at each other before his gaze cuts to you with a wink. Every single time, it makes butterflies dance under your ribs—every single time.

“Hello, Auntie Kate!” you watch James approach your sister-in-law seated opposite you.

“Oh my darling James!” she exclaims, drawing him into a hug, “yes I am your aunt, thank you. And don't you look just beautiful in Bridgerton blues today,” she comments, touching his little jacket admiringly as you exchange smiles.

“Hello, Uncle Gregory!”

“Well, that just feels peculiar.” Gregory frowns. James seems unphased by the sullen teen’s mood.

“Hello, Auntie Hyacinth!”

“Hello, little man,” Hyacinth singsongs back. “So if I’m old enough to be called auntie, surely, I’m old enough to have a glass of whiskey?” She pipes up to the entire room.

“NO!!” is the responding Bridgerton chorus.

____

Dinner is just as you remember from the night you first met Benedict’s family months before—loud, friendly, teasing and rambunctious; this time, with the addition of being delightfully festive.

You chat cordially with almost everyone within earshot as delicious food is served and shared. Stories are told, and idle gossip about the Ton is debated, although as Whistledown does not publish outside The Season, it is decidedly less juicy.

James leans in as dessert arrives. “Mummy, when can I tell everyone?” he whines with a tinge of impatience. To be fair, you are quite surprised he has managed to keep quiet for this long.

“Finish your pie, my love; then you may tell everyone,” you promise.

He eats in record time and holds his empty plate for your perusal. Benedict nods, and James pushes back his chair and climbs up onto the seat, much to your chagrin. Before you can chastise him for doing so, he clears his throat and gathers everyone’s attention. A hush descends around the table.

“Everyone, mummy and daddy have very special news, and they promised I could tell you all. They say it’s the best Christmas present I could ever get,” James declares proudly and solemnly, loving being the centre of attention.

“What is it, James?” Colin pipes up.

“It’s growing in mummy’s tummy, and it’s my little sister!!!” he announces with a dramatic flourish, pointing at you as you dip your head and smile fondly at your son.

The table erupts into cheers as you feel Benedict's hand slide into yours, and he shoots you a devoted smile.

“We obviously don’t know if it’s a boy or a girl,” Benedict adds, addressing the room but looking pointedly at his son with loving exasperation, “but yes, we are expecting a baby!” His smile lights up his whole face, and you can't look away from him—every fibre of your being so in love with this remarkable man.

“It’s my sister,” James retorts decisively as everyone breaks into good-natured laughter.

“Alright, darling,” you placate with a pat on his hand—the idea of a girl to compliment your darling boy does sound lovely.

“Well, I think this calls for a toast, don't you?” Anthony opines, and soon everyone is holding up their glass.

“All of our very best wishes to my brother and his lovely wife,” he signals to you as Benedict squeezes your joined hands, cradling your baby bump, “and to the ever-growing Bridgerton clan as we approach the Christmas holiday. May we always be able to gather! To family!”

“Here, here!! To family!” Simon echoes, and there is a chorus around the room before everyone takes a sip; as convivial conversation breaks out again, Benedict leans in and taps his glass against yours in a private toast, his other hand still laced with yours on your bump.

“To our growing little family, my love. Thank you for giving me the whole world. I love you so much,” his voice is soft and filled with emotion.

As you return the sentiment, pregnancy hormones making you almost tearful, your intimate moment is interrupted by James climbing into Benedict’s lap,

“Did I do good, daddy?” he asks keenly, practically fizzing with energy.

“You did wonderful, son,” Benedict assures, kissing his forehead.

James grins, then leans down and addresses your baby bump in an exaggerated stage whisper. “I introduced you to everyone, sister!”

You and Benedict share an indulgent smile and a quick kiss over your son’s head. Neither of you realises Violet is watching the three (well, four) of you from across the table, subtly dabbing away a tear from the corner of her eye.

____

After dinner, the adults wander back to the drawing room, and the nannies take the children upstairs to be prepared for bed. You find yourself standing with Kate and Daphne, the other married women.

“Congratulations again!” Kate exclaims, “I really couldn’t tell!”

“Oh,” you demure, “I chose this gown intentionally not to give it away too much but…” you pull the dress back flush against your body, and your bump becomes very visible.

“You are further along than we perhaps thought!” Daphne comments with a cheeky eyebrow raise.

You lean in a little closer, almost conspiratorial, and they mirror your stance.

“What can I say, ladies? This man really likes to get me pregnant on my wedding day,” you aside quietly. “Two for two so far!” you add, and they both peal with laughter.

“What’s so funny?” Anthony calls out from across the room, his fear of missing out on anything that makes his precious Kate laugh of instant intrigue to him.

“Nothing, my dear,” Kate answers over her shoulder with a dismissive hand gesture, “just unimportant married ladies' chat.”

“Yes, and whenever I hear that excuse, I get nervous,” Simon says drolly, “it’s usually a vast oversimplification or an intentional dismissal of a gentleman’s interest in a topic.”

“Sometimes it’s both, my darling,” Daphne responds with a cool tone, and they exchange challenging, heated looks as you ladies stand up and drift towards them.

“See?” Simon raises an eyebrow and looks to the other gathered men for sympathy for his plight.

“Well, I’m just excited as this time I get to be there from the very beginning,” Benedict beams with pride as you draw up next to him.

You touch his face affectionately as he reverentially slides his hands over the swell of your belly. You can’t help but push up and kiss him.

“Less of that, please, you two,” Anthony chides but with no heat.

“Can I not be terribly in love with my beautiful pregnant wife, brother?” Benedict argues, pulling a face at him as he slides a hand protectively around your back.

“Yes, you can, in the privacy of your rooms upstairs,” Anthony shoots back.

“You were just kissing Kate senselessly against the wall, but three hours ago!” Colin argues, pointing out his oldest brother's hypocrisy.

“That’s different,” Anthony dismisses.

“Why?” Kate challenges, smirking at her husband.

“Well,” he splutters, “…this is my house!” the reason sounding feeble to everyone gathered.

“Oh, so that’s the rule, is it? Fascinating,” Eloise pitches in her usual deadpan manner, arms crossed.

“Well then, I suggest perhaps you don’t take up our offer of a visit to Darby House, Lord Bridgerton,” you pipe up with a wink. “Because that is my house, and I happen to like kissing your brother senseless whenever the mood takes me.”

The assembled audience guffaws as Benedict twitches his adorable demure smile, his cheeks a touch reddened.

“Oh, I've missed this one,” Colin grins at you as Benedict leans in and kisses your hairline, whispering in your ear how much he likes it when you do that.

____

As the evening progresses, the women drift into a group around the sofas as the men congregate around the whisky decanters.

“Tell me about James when he was little,” Violet asks, after a while, her hand briefly covering yours. “I wish to hear about the years we missed with the little darling.”

“Oh, he was and is a wonderful child,” you assure, “so compassionate and empathetic. Do you know, when I was grieving, he would intuit my needs, bringing me a handkerchief before even a tear had fallen,” your lip quivers as you recall the bittersweet memory.

You see Violet clasp a hand over her heart as you continue speaking.

“Just like his father—who always knows what I need before I do.” You smile and look over to the group of men, hoping to catch Benedict’s eye, but strangely he is no longer there.

“That is so Benedict,” Violet concurs emotionally.

“James is so very much like his father,” you sigh, agreeing happily.

“How was your pregnancy?” Daphne inquires.

“Oh, it was incredible,” you recount, “little James didn’t make me sick at all. The whole nine months were a total joy. To be honest, I felt like I was aglow. Like I was carrying the most precious gift. Which it turns out I was. And I am again now,” you glance down at your burgeoning bump and run your hand over it lovingly. Unseen by you, the ladies share knowing and understanding glances.

“Yours is quite the love story,” Kate says gently.

“From what I hear, every Bridgerton sibling so far has a rather epic love story,” you counter with humour, and she raises her eyebrows in thought.

“You know, I think you may be right,” she concedes with a laugh and a nod.

“That's because all my children, so far, have chosen love over anything else,” Violet contends, “and I hope they always will. Even if it does cause some… memorable moments,” she adds with a wry chuckle.

“The course of true love never did run smooth,” you quip, quoting Shakespeare.

“Oh good god, I know exactly why Benedict fell so hard for you,” Eloise chortles next to you.

“I love you too, sister-in-law,” you wink and bump her with your shoulder.

Kate is the next to ask you about life in Darby Hall, and you happily answer more questions and provide anecdotes about your early years with James, enjoying the company of the Bridgertons so much.

Unseen by you all, Benedict stands off to one side, concealed behind a large plant, absorbing and memorising every precious word you speak and all the detail you share about his darling child.

____

You stand out on the terrace under a warming torch, staring up at the starry sky, rubbing your bump absent-mindedly, and enjoying some fresh air as the evening draws to a close.

“Y/n, you will catch your death out here without a cloak!” Benedict frets, his voice full of concern.

“Darling, I’m fine,” you protest, “honestly, the baby keeps me surprisingly warm these days, and there are these torches,” you gesture.

He looks sceptical but steps into your arms as you hold them out. Hugging you close.

“You know, Eloise hates Shakespeare with a passion,” he huffs a laugh into your hair.

“Well, that explains it,” you giggle, then pause and twist to look up at his face. “Wait, how do you know I quoted Shakespeare?” you query.

He looks a little sheepish. “I was rather bored by Colin’s stories of his travels and Anthony and Simon’s talk of crop yields; I may have… drifted to listen to you talking instead,” he shrugs.

“You choose to listen to ladies' conversation rather than the company of men?” you tease lightly.

“Maybe not all women,” he concedes honestly, “but the ladies of my family are quite the most sensible I know. And then there is you,” he adds, feathering his fingers down your spine and catching your eye intensely, “I always listen when you talk. You are often the only voice of reason in any given situation; in fact, in most situations. The world would be a much better place if it were filled with people like you.” The most wonderful compliments just drop from his mouth instinctively, as if what he speaks is empirical truth rather than merely the biased opinions of a man in love.

The tide of want in your body is sudden and prickles hot over your skin. Pregnancy hormones just heighten everything you feel for this man. Before you know it, you have spun him around, tackled him against a pillar, and pressed yourself urgently into him, pulling his face down and kissing with a passion that surprises even yourself.

“What are you doing?” he asks, breathless, as you emerge for air and start to undo his jacket.

“I am having you right now, husband,” you assert with a twinkle in your eye.

“Out here? On the terrace?!?” his voice thready and incredulous, his breath panting quietly as your hands yank roughly at his trouser buttons.

“Indeed. Consider it an additional Christmas present,” you smirk, and his face is an absolute picture as you slide to your knees before him.

Some Christmas Moments are decidedly precious indeed.

Author's Footnote: For those who know the Moments story, yes indeed, James is correct. She is pregnant with his (first) little sister, Isobel :) Also, yes, this fic continues the running joke of s1/s2 - Francesca is just never around. ;)

Benedict taglist: @makaylan @foreverlonginguniverse @iboopedyournose @wysteria-clad @colettebronte @aintnuthinbutahounddog @severewobblerlightdragon @margofiore @writergirl-2001 @heeyyyou @enichole445 @enchantedbytomandhenry @ambitionspassionscoffee @chaoticcalzoneranchsports @nikaprincessofkattegat @baebee35 @crowleysqueenofhell @bridgertontess @fiction-is-life @lilacbeesworld

Moments only taglist: @queenofshinigamis @khaleesjj @starslibrary @magical-spit @honeylovemoon @justwant2read8421

[maelancoli]

Adding Tension After the Ship Happens

i feel a lot of slow burn ships lose steam after the characters finally get together, whether it's just from sleeping together or them actually engaging in a relationship, so here are some ideas for how to maintain steam.

their problems are not solved now that they've crossed the thresh hold

first things first, the plot itself i'm sure has other details than just their relationship. even the most fluffy of fluff has other things going on than kisses and giggles. don't abandon these details once the relationship truly begins. and if there was any kind of unresolved tension point or previously mentioned ex/trauma/insecurity/fear bring it back! bring things back around that might put a strain on a new, tender relationship. this can either make them have problems or be a way to develop their bonds and *show* it in action. any of these foreshadowing/resurrected points can be added in edits if you didn't start out with them or with retconning if you're writing rp/fanfic. all the writers do it. we see it in tv everyday it's ok if u gotta pull a rabbit from a hat.

their relationship will not be suddenly smooth and solid as if they have been married 20 years

okay they kissed/fucked/agreed to be together. now what? what circumstances kept them from getting there sooner? are those circumstances still present and how will they deal with it as a team? you also don't have to have characters officially together once they've done something physical. there is still discussion to be had and boundaries/expectations to establish. those conversations could be interesting to explore. and, even more-so, this is the perfect point for plot to happen and keep them from being able to have those conversations when they should. you can add angst, you can add miscommunication, you can add anything that tickles your fancy. especially a perfect time to have an ex return to cause some tension and uncertainty if they haven't made it official. they don't know what they are yet and that uncertainty is a delicious point to write it and really give the characters a hard time

utilize the main plot's tension

again, if you're writing more than just a contemporary fluffy romance, the romance should enrich the main plot. the romance as a subplot should be a component which merges with the main storyline and does not take away from it. if you don't want to milk the will-they-won't-they anymore than you already have it's time to build the relationship up in the midst of OUTSIDE conflict. let them disagree about how to resolve problems. let them butt heads. let them be scared and do and say stupid shit because they're scared. let them be worried or angry or frustrated and have to figure out how to balance their newfound vulnerability with who they are and were before that point. let them hurt each other a little so they can come back together stronger.

utilize the characters around them

if it is a plot which is mainly romance filled, then think about the tension from the lives around them. think about their loved ones and how their own issues could influence the plot points the characters have to face together. this could be a time for them to be introduced to loved ones. you could throw in a group trip with silly mishaps and shenanigans. you could even have loved ones try to break them up or doubt the love interest. navigating new relationships while also dealing with friends and family can be a source of plot and tension in and of itself. this can be a point to let love interests reassure each other and prove their salt. it can help them grow closer. it can be the heroic moment for one of them to stick up for the other or prove they're there for them no matter what.

overall if you're struggling with what to do after the slow burn feels like it's sizzling out it's time to zoom out. make sure you are not losing the whole picture of their environment or steamrolling past the real development of new relationships.

[honeyhotteoks]

do you have any advice on like getting better with writing?

hey! i definitely do!! i’ve talked about this before but i have a lot of new readers, so ill start off by saying i’ve been writing for my entire life, and im 30 so thats a lot of years. if you’re a new writer, trust me i used to be there and good god if you guys could see the stuff i published in old fandoms 💀 really, really bad haha

i only say that because i by no means consider myself a great writer, there are fic writers in this space alone that i’m always so floored by and look up to…. but people have been very kind about my writing style and it’s something that took time to develop it’s not something i just “had”. outside of fic, i was a literature and creative writing major, and got very used to writing and workshopping pieces.

now! onto some actual advice —

1. read a lot and read more, but read stuff you actually like and not stuff you feel pressured to read. i love high brow litfic as much as the next pretentious english major, but i started writing a ton after reading a bunch of kindle unlimited romance because it was fun and it got me inspired

2. watch well written television for dialogue and pacing. people do not talk in proper english, they don’t say things eloquently, and there’s a lot of filler and fluff. that’s good! that’s real, so i love well written tv to show me how it’s done

3. get comfortable writing in weird ways. for years i used to sit down and be like “ah okay so chapter one” and then i was stuck, stalled out, and just felt bad about the process. when i started writing both aurora and tnt, i started in the middle. i had an image of a scene in my mind (for tnt it was actually the claim attempt) and i just wrote it out and then bounced around later

4. outlines are your friend! sometimes i’ll get a random line of dialogue in my head or an image but that doesn’t mean i’m ready to write it. i throw it in one big outline so i don’t lose it.

5. if you’re wanting to write really good smut i have two suggestions but please only do this to your personal comfort level. this is what works for me but do not make yourself uncomfortable— for good smut, i watch porn for reference and for good dirty talk, i listen to nsfw audio. i like to really write the visuals for smut and make it immersive but lol i haven’t experienced everything ive written about and logistics of the body are hard!! i usually find a video or an audio and let that help guide the imagery im writing.

6. be comfortable with the editing process. i know the temptation to post something the minute you finish it is there, but sleep on it. come back and edit it, read the dialogue out loud if you have to. i swear you’ll make the piece better just by leaving it and coming back.

7. don’t be afraid to post. most people are kind, and the worst thing that will happen is you don’t get a lot of notes. that’s okay, it’s a process.

8. research! as i’m writing anything, even a silly little oneshot, im doing research on something. i am hyper aware that im not korean and have never spoken korean or lived in korea, so for my fic i try my hardest to ground elements of that in reality. i truly cannot tell you how many hours ive spent reading like korean case law on revenge porn just for like 3 lines of dialogue. and you don’t have to go that crazy, i’m arguably too intense, but i do think some of that helps the story and the dialogue feel real.

9. describe something real- every place in my writing is based on something real. every apartment, hotel, cafe, venue, etc., they’re all either something i’ve found online or drawn from my life and use that to my advantage. i use apartment listings and save photographs, i do google map walks to see what neighborhoods look like, anything to get the feel of a place or an experience. for the christmas chapters of aurora, i watched hours of gwangju walking tour videos on youtube while i was writing just to understand how to describe their walk in the snow. it really helps me to have a visual that i can put words to.

10. find your weak points and see what other writers do differently. if you want to improve, you should find a small place to start. is it dialogue? overall plot? smut? etc. - i’ll never forget being on a creative writing retreat, and a very important writing professor said to me “everything you write is very pretty but you haven’t said anything. you have to decide to say something.” that feedback hurt, but sent me down a much better writing path when i realized where i was falling short and not challenging myself.

okay i hope some of this was helpful and if it’s a mess im sorry im on mobile. i really just love writing so deeply and will always talk about it, so i hope this was helpful 💗

[genericpuff]

I dont think snailords is literally going to end the series in 20 episodes. I think he is plotting the rest of the season and has the option to extend it 10 or 20 episodes.

That's not what he implies in his post, though, at all. The wording is very clear:

He's not saying "I have the ending for Death : Rescheduled planned out but I have this one mini arc I want to do before it", he's literally saying "the comic is ending whether you like it or not, but if you give me $1k I'll make sure it's 20 weeks from now instead of 10." He doesn't say he's plotting out the end which is however far from now, he just goes straight into "I'm gonna end the comic in either 10 episodes or 20". And then of course even goes to say "decide whether you want 20 more weeks with Kissae and Kreyul, or 10 more weeks to say goodbye". If he didn't want to give his readers the impression that that meant it was ending within that time range... then why phrase it like that? It doesn't help either that his phrasing is supported by his updates, where he says shit like:

(Also I couldn't find them but there are other screenshots out there of him saying shit like "thanks for showing you love the series" in a way that's frankly rude af because it's basically like he's asking for money for his readers to 'prove' they love him and his work, and that wouldn't be the first time he's done that either.)

If he is saying what you're suggesting, then he's not being clear about it at all because the language is very seriously implying that it's going to be ending when it returns. Which I'd hope it isn't considering what other readers are pointing out that the story has basically just gotten going and I'd hate for this to turn into another Freaking Romance situation, but I don't know how else we're supposed to read "

And, as I mentioned in my post about it, why on earth even contemplate putting in this mini arc that he's asking for $1k as a deciding factor over if he doesn't even have it written? He says he's way more confident just writing the finale arc as is, so why drag it out with an arc he's not completely confident in?

And of course, there's the urgency. If Death : Rescheduled isn't entering its ending arc after it returns from midseason hiatus - if it still has potentially years of storytelling left - then why now? Why suddenly ask your readers to buy $1k worth of merch in 24 hours or less to help you make a decision... if the actual consequences of that decision won't be made apparent for ages?

And at the end of the day, even if it's a possibility he meant what you're suggesting, that doesn't make it any less scammy to hold the comic's potential ending for ransom? Speaking as a comic writer myself of the last 10+ years, getting money from the audience in this kind of way has never ever been a deciding factor in how I write my work. Sure, things like stretch goals and Patreon milestone rewards are a thing, offering bonus chapters or NSFW art or just additional goodies if you hit a financial goal or if people sign into a certain tier, all that makes sense, but if what you're offering is worded specifically to make your audience panic - not saying "hey , you guys get an extra bonus 10 episodes if I hit this goal by this date" but rather "hey, you guys won't get AS MANY episodes if you don't pay me $1k in 24 hours or less" - and ultimately gets your readers an extra 10-15 episodes of an arc you're not even confident in writing ... the fuck is that, even? Just write the story you want to write, why do you gotta make your audience freak over not getting as much comic as they might want only to twist it into "surprise, it was for charity!" in the end?

The whole thing is silly and yeah, I'm calling it for what it is - a scam - because it's not the first time Snailords has taken advantage of his audience and played on their emotions and need for short-term gratification all for his own financial benefit. It's not even the first time he's tanked his own comic from rushing the ending simply because he was done playing with it. So at this point I wouldn't be surprised if the comic does come back and proceeds to spend 10-15 episodes waffling on a directionless mini arc before rushing into a 10 episode finale.

That said, that's all my two cents on it, you don't have to agree with me. I really don't feel like I'm misinterpreting his words but maybe someone else could enlighten me if there's something I'm missing here; that said, considering even his own readers were calling him out on this and that he never actually made efforts to clarify what could be poor language, I don't think I'm an outlier and I don't think there's even any misinterpretation happening. Maybe he'll prove me wrong, but I've yet to see this guy do anything to prove that he's capable of doing the right thing. And frankly, even if what you suggested turns out to be true and the comic goes on for a long while before actually hitting that $1k-funded mini arc (and again, I kinda hope it does just so we don't end up with a repeat of what happened with Freaking Romance) it doesn't make any of this feel less gross IMO.

[generational-atrophy]

Hi!!!!!!

Can I request the main 8 with a poet/writer s/o?

The main 8 find their s/o's poems or writing about them and it's like how much they love them !!!

(hopefully this makes sense :D have a nice day!

Also your writing super coolio )

hetalia allies + germany with a s/o who's a writer

1.6k words ~ gender neutral heacanons + mini scenarios

tw: swearing, thats it!

a/n: i believe this is after the cutoff so its only 6 characters sorry! also ty :)

America

Alfred may not seem like it, considering his less-than-stellar attention span, but he can be quite an avid reader if he wants to be.

In fact, when he was travelling the western frontier, he often wrote poems himself.

He loves your work, (he’s always the first one showing up on release day!) but he doesn’t love how much time it takes away from you.

Seeing you exhausted and frustrated after a long night, trash can filled with discarded drafts, just breaks his heart. He’ll make sure your office is always stacked with 

Alfred wasn’t usually so easily swayed by cheesy romances, despite his sweet soft for them. But now, reading your book, he couldn’t help flushing at every interaction his favourite couple had.

The one he was reading now, well, it just took the cake. Spending the day wandering East Potomac Park? It was something out of his dreams- just endlessly… familiar?

Wait, hadn’t he done that recently with you?

Oh.

He set the book aside, burying his face in his hands as he blushed wildly.

Guess the blue-eyed, blond love interest hero was a bit more than a stereotype after all.

England

Ah, a writer. Arthur has long admired the literary arts, having many a classic writer come from his home. Yes, he’d quite enjoy someone like that.

He loves reading your work, regardless of what it is, but he’d prefer you read it to him. Then he can get all of your silly little notes along with it. Just for him <3

Although he wouldn’t appreciate you spending all day working. He’s not needy usually, but by the time you two go to bed, he’s DESPERATE for your attention.

He tries not to disturb you, though.

From the moment he picked up your work, he could tell where your inspiration for the main love interest came from. Sandy-haired, green eyes, tall but not too tall, always how you had described him.

Of course, that made his reading even more of a joy.

The only thing that bothered him was how the protagonist described themself. Always dismissed, below-par, never worthy of his love. Now, that just wouldn’t stand.

So he began to write as well. In between the margins, on attached papers, on the sides, everywhere. Correcting every disparaging thought.

Then when he finished, he handed the book back to you, with a cheeky comment.

“It was absolutely wonderful, my love.”

Whether you ever saw the notes or not didn’t matter. He had made the book even more perfect, at least to himself.

France

As said before, Francis is a very artsy guy. Very artsy. Although he’s not always skilled at making art himself… so having another artist would help with that.

He’s absolutely the number one collector of your works. Every scrap, every trashed draft, every misprint, he’s keeping everything.

He’s also pretty ok with how much time it takes! It gives him time to relax, or maybe even join in working on creative projects.

Although he would insist on regular breaks. Fortunately, Francis is a hedonist at heart, so those breaks will always provide much inspiration.

True beauty is rare. Living for so long had proven that time and time again for Francis. It isn’t natural, it isn’t easy, and it never lasts. But…that doesn’t make the pursuit of it any more meaningless.

Even more rare than its existence, is the constant presence of it.

But when he read your poems, venerating and elucidating your own feelings, he felt as if he had found it. God, it was beautiful. Your words, unlike any other’s he had read in his many years, made him feel as if he was falling in love all over again.

Instantly, he was transported into your shoes, viewing himself in a light that had never been shone on him before.

He wasn’t entirely sure what to do with himself now. It felt wrong- wrong to not give absolute reverence to this piece of art.

If he had had access to the Louvre, he would’ve kept it there. But, well, his kitchen wall would have to do for now.

China

Finally, some good fucking talent. He's very excited about his S/O being an artist! He's not much of one himself these days, but it's good to see the youth catching up to the old masters.

As much as he loves you, he's very opinionated. Everything you write he either LOVES or HATES. Though he's always excited to show off his favourites of your works, he's very proud of you.

Though he absolutely is not stand by while you spend all day sitting around and writing. Get off the couch and come with him, you're never gonna write anything real good if you don't have any life experience!

Because of that, he's gonna be a little hesitant to cater to you while you're writing.

Your last work was good, to be sure, but nothing like this. Your newest release blew him off his feet with ease, captivating him with every turn of the page. One of his favourites, he thought to himself, that'll be one he'd have to return to.

The only problem was that it was almost over already. He wasn't that much of a fast reader, was he? Well, I guess it's easy to go quickly if you love it.

And love it he did, to the very last page. Wait, this is the last page, isn't it? Why are there three more?

He flipped through them, his eyes quickly widening as he read the last page.

A love letter? To... him?

“Is this in every edition?” He asked you shakily, looking to you for reassurance.

“Yeah?”

“That's...”  He brought a hand to his mouth, covering his blushing cheeks  trying to hide the tears welling in his eyes, “That's such a waste of paper...”

Russia

Frankly, Ivan doesn't care much what you do. The most exciting part of you being a writer to him is just that you'd need to spend plenty of time at home.

But he'd always read your work. (Especially rough drafts, he's really good at being blunt but not mean.) And as time goes on, he'll fall in love with your talent more and more. Despite his country's many famous writers, he thinks none of them stack up to you.

He wouldn't mind how much time you dedicate to your craft, but he'd make sure to take good care of you while you're writing. He's truly very worried about you withering away in that desk chair of yours...

“Oh, I absolutely loved the part where-“

Ivan had been ranting for hours, going over every single detail that had caught his eye. Every time he thought of something new, it would lead to another excited train of thought. But there was one thing they all had in common... he really loved one character.

”He's strong!“ He'd gush, ”He's kind, and loving, and I just want him to have a happy ending!“

You let him explain over and over again how much he looked up to this character, wanting to change to be more like him in every way.

But it wasn't until he calmed down a little bit that you felt it was time to reveal the truth.

”Yeah, you know... he's based on someone I know.“

”Really? Who? I must meet him!“ He clasps his hands together in excitement.

”You, you big dummy.“

He pauses for a moment, his smile fading. He looks upset for a moment, trying to figure out how.

”But... but I am none of those things.“

”You are to me. I mean, whenever I thought about you... I'd just write that character.“

He laughs awkwardly, “You are joking, right?”

“No, of course not. You're strong... and you're kind....” he shifts away from you, tears welling in his eyes, “You're loving... and... and I'll give you a happy ending, ok?”

Before you can react, he wraps his arms tightly around your waist, burying his face in your hair.

”Promise?“

”Promise.“

Germany

Ludwig would definitely love a S/O who writes. Mostly for one specific reason, though. Writers, well, they see the world in a different way. Whether that be in a more romantic, more objective, or more sympathetic way, he doesn't care. He wants to talk things through with someone like you.

He wouldn't be a total fanboy, but he'd still love your work.  Although, he might not show it the way you want... it's hard for him not to criticize. He wouldn't be too harsh though!

He wouldn't mind how much you get sucked into your writing either. He knows what it's like to be dedicated to your craft, and he won't bother you too much.

Ludwig had never been an emotional person. Never, not once, throughout his many years was he truly moved to tears by fiction. Art depicting real life? Of course, many times. But he simply never found fiction as compelling as reality.

That was, of course, until he read your own works. Now, going through what you had so effortlessly created, he couldn't help tearing up at nearly every turn of events.

The way you were about to put him into the character's shoes without him even realizing, forcing him along the same journey they had gone through. It was... stunning, to say the least.

But when one of the characters began to fall in love, it was like nothing he had experienced before. Not because of any significant jump in quality, but just because... you had written it.

For a moment he sat in silence, pondering the book when he realized.

Was this what it felt like for you to fall in love with him?

It sent a chill down his spine. No, he didn't feel any differently, not at all. But... he had assumed you couldn't possibly love him as much as he loved you. Except... now?

Well, if this was how you had felt. He couldn't possibly let you go anytime soon.

[herefortayloronly]

Since the very beginning, I said it was a mistake to make Colin a "rake" because that's not his character and it's a complete misunderstanding of his character.

Colin is never meant to be the sexy flirty ladies man. He's a little awkward, silly and mild-mannered, if you can recall that's what he was like in season 1 and 2. He's a soft cinnamon roll but we never got to see him be a soft cinnamon roll. People tried to convince others who criticize this choice by saying it was done on purpose, you are supposed to get "the ick", you are suppose to not like Colin's new personality because it's fake!! That people lack media literacy!!! The point is to show that he's pressured to be a rake because society pressures men to be a MAN™ and Colin will eventually learn that he doesn't have to conform to society dont worry!!! It's a commentary on toxic masculinity!!!!!!!!!!

I disagree lol

Actually the thing is I usually would agree with this except there are many glaring errors and inconsistency that suggest that's not what the writers went for. That's not the message and theme they were going for. They definitely did not intend to make Colin's rakish behaviors cringe and icky. They seriously wanted him to come off like he's this suave hot playboy. They wanted us to believe he is a catch and that he is hot and sexy.

1) No one in the Bridgerton world found him cringey.

Now people are gonna say the writers are going for a dramatic irony where we, the audience, are meant to find it cringe but the characters don't. But when has Bridgerton done any sorts of irony ever?? It's not that kind of show and it's not that kind of story. We are meant to find him sexy and hot because the characters, the young debutantes of the ton, find him sexy. What is the purpose of having the people in-world find him sexy if not to signal to us that we are suppose to find him sexy too? Why would a romance show want their predominantly female fanbase to find the male lead unsexy and cringe? When in the history of good rom-coms have you gotten "the ick" from our lead hero?

2) If he was faking being a rake then why do we never see him be..... himself?? LOL

Let's say he was faking it. If he was putting up an act then why do we never see him break from that act? The way he was behaving at that brothel with those prostitutes is exactly the same way he behaved with his friends and family. No difference!

This is probably the most glaring issue with the writing because they spent way too much time dealing with the LW situation and all the subplots that they forgot to really lay the groundwork for Colin. If they truly had the intent to show us that he is just faking being a rake then we should see him when he's not faking it. We need to see him when he's just being himself. We need to see him when he has his guard down but for all 8 episodes I never see that. The only time he really let his guard down was to admit he was jealous of Penelope's writing but that doesn't explain why he started having threesomes. What about his insecurities for his writing all of a sudden made him horny? We just didn't get to spend enough time with Colin to really understand him. Sure we can infer and read between the lines but we're veering into fanfic territory for me. We shouldn't have to headcanon who Colin is because the writers are too lazy to flesh him out. I don't need to be spoonfed but I was definitely not fed at all lol.

I don't want this post to be too long but I'm just gonna add this. Even the Luke Newton was surprised people found Colin icky!!! And he knew it was a wrong choice for the character but the director and writers have other interpretations clearly.

Now how could they had done Colin differently? Of course I can't make a critical post without actually giving some constructive criticism. First, if they really did mean to make him cringe and icky then we need to see him get rejected. We need to see the ladies turn him away because he is so bad at flirting that they can't take him serious. We need to understand clearly that the people of the Bridgerton world also find him cringe and weird. I personally would love to see him fumbled during sex with the prostitutes. It would be funny to see him try to force himself to make the act work and realize he is completely out of his depth. If he's faking it then we need some scenes where we see his real personality. It would be nice to see scenes where he's flirting and hamming it up at balls and then later at night he goes home alone and work on his writing.

Second, his character would improve so much if we see him have some sort of direction. We know he writes. I kinda hate that they made his love for travel into him having sex across the continent of Europe. Would be great to see Colin's love for writing be about his fascination for linguistics and literature and that's why he travels because he wants to learn about other languages and culture. He could've come back from traveling with a new found love for knowledge and learning instead he came back as a manwhore.

Finally, I said I rewatched Emma (2020) the other day and I had an epiphany. I realized that Colin has "Jane austen's male lead" energy. Now I'm not saying Julia Quinn/Brigderton and Jane Austen are even remotely comparable. They are not even in the same stratosphere. However, Colin has that sweet, mild-mannered, calm and subtle humor personality that a lot of Jane Austen's male leads have, at least the Colin in season 1 and 2 did. They could've played into this in season 3. I need to see Colin chasing after Penelope the same way Mr Knightley chased after Emma all the way to her house after dancing with her. I need to see Colin be all disheveled and distraught when he realizes he's in love with Penelope. I can't believe there is a scene right before the fingerbanging scene where Colin does chase after Penelope's carriage but we don't actually see it happen. We don't actually see him running. Like that's actually a great moment to see Colin fully realize his love for Penelope. Mr Knightley getting all flustered running after Emma's carriage and then missing his chance to tell her he loves her is hotter than Polin's fingerbanging scene! In fact now that I'm writing this there is a lot of what Emma (2020) did with Mr Knightley that the writers of Bridgerton could've done similarly for Colin that would've helped his character a lot more especially with the LW situation. But that's another post I think!

Ultimately, the writing failed Colin. This has nothing to do with the lack of media literacy or people not finding Luke Newton attractive and hot. It's just the writing did Colin and Luke a huge disservice.

Thank you for coming to my TED talk!

I was gonna include some quotes from some of my favorite reviews of the season about Colin but I just really wanted to put it all in my own words but here are the videos that made me finally put my issue with Colin into words. Video 1. Video 2. Video 3.

[chaifootsteps]

saw a post saying something like "you guys are just doing catradora again because you can't handle toxic yaoi/yuri"

and like one, this is kinda saying the quiet part loud to compare these two. like it's admitting Stol1tz is fundamentally toxic and abusive

but more than that, I have no problem with toxic relationships. I'm fine with writers exploring messy relationships and the way hurt people hurt each other. in fact I love that stuff, when it's done well

But that isn't what Stol1tz is, is it? we're supposed to want these two to get together, not in a "it's a car crash but I'm going to bring the popcorn to rubberneck way" but in a "it's so sweet and wholesome that after 25 years the 'childhood friends' got back together! it's true love! thank goodness Stolas taught Blitzo how to love and broke his spirit utterly"

and more than that, Viv can say on X all she wants that they both did wrong, they're both messy individuals etc etc

but the show isn't written like that. it's written to be the story of a poor misunderstood prince who's just a little oblivious to his flaws (after having 5 dozen opportunities to grapple with them) always loved his messy, toxic childhood friend (while giving him no grace for his own trauma whatsoever) who was just tragically too late to have a real romance with him because he was too blind to see what was under his nose all along (I'm hoping you can hear the sarcasm that was implied there)

it isn't framed as "look at these two toxic spike balls bouncing off each other, we won't woobify them, just let the story play out"

it's framed as "look at poor woobie prince who was the real wronged party - if you wanna see him do character development you're gonna having to sit through episode #3433 of 'it's all Blitzo's fault, Stolas is perfect and sensitive, get all the characters into the Blitzo pile on while we insult Striker some more!"

that's not how you write a toxic relationship. that's how you write a creator's pet and the poor victim who's doomed by the narrative to be stuck with him forever

"Look at these two toxic spike balls bouncing off each other, we won't woobify them, just let the story play out" is the argument some Stolitz fans are still holding onto, still insisting is the case. It would make for an interesting story if it were true, but the fact is that Viv's never going to hold Stolas accountable for anything more than being a silly little guy who's bad at reading the room. Blitzo will spend the rest of the story "earning" Stolas and the rest of the time jumping through hoops to prove to an audience that's increasingly out for his blood that he deserves to keep him.

The way Viv views Blitzo, I don't know why she even wants him anywhere near her precious self-insert bird.

[ipatrichor]

dead boy detectives episode seven thoughts

hey what if i cried. what if I lay down on the floor and curled up in a ball and wept and wailed my little heart out?? what then???

ohhh my god. oh my god. i've said like twice now that this show keeps giving me everything i've ever wanted but it just keeps being true!!! i'm going to sob how does every episode just keep getting better How do the writers know exactly what i want and then do it better than i thought of are they in my head??? oh my godddd this episode was devastating

hey i'm gonna cry. what do you mean edwin died scared and alone so he made sure charles didn't. that's devastating actually!!! he died in the dark and he was scared and he had no one, so he brings charles a lamp and answers his questions about ghosts and reads him a detective story with silly voices. what the hell that's so. i do not have words for this it hits so deeply!!! edwin is so deeply kind in a way that doesn't always come across because he's also a prickly bitch, and i love him so much holy shit

hell was genuinely so unsettling what the fuck. the spider MADE OF DOLL HEADS(??!!!?!?!?!?!) was bad enough, but it was such an incredibly good choice to have it appear empty on the way in and only be able to see all the suffering on the way out. it really upped the creep factor in the first part, and then really made the escape feel frenzied. very well done!! the imagery was insane, i really Believed that this was Actual Hell

actually on that point. there was one detail that meant so so much to me, in a way i'm not quite sure how to explain but will give my best effort. after edwin's conversation with simon, after they reach some kind of closure, the blue light implying that simon is able to move on in some way and maybe leave hell... if someone wasn't raised christian & subsequently deconverted idk if that stands out to anyone else, but. okay basically there's a conversation about how hell, by definition, cannot be just because it's infinite punishment for a finite crime. and that wasn't necessarily the point of the scene, but as someone who's been doing a lot of unpacking stuff around this recently it just. it hit hard man. in a good way! that scene actually means so much to me... god this whole episode is fantastic

crystal confronting daniel!!! my god i am so proud of our girl!!! yess take your agency back and regain control of your life!!!!! also jenny frequently being annoyed by crystal but still following her to a spooky abandoned area with a knife just so she won't have to face her abusive ex alone... god i love jenny. like yeah she's abrasive and kinda a dick but also she truly cannot stop herself from providing support to these two weird as hell teenagers living above her shop.

AND NIKO!!!! god niko was absolutely brilliant this episode... absolutely the mvp of the entire show goddamn, she really read the rules and made that the night nurse's problem <3 i love that for her so much. however i will say something has been worrying me. that magic 8 ball that's supposed to tell you when you're going to die has apparently been consistently saying 'outlook not good' and it's been mentioned twice now. and given that this show doesn't establish things like that and let them go to waste... i am Concerned. not to mention, the scene where it was her and the night nurse talking about zombies?? like idk it could be nothing!!! but also that is classic foreshadowing so i am simply concerned!!!

alright i got most of the immediate thoughts CONFESSION SCENE. HOLY SHIT. okay so i know i'm not super into confessions and i tend to nitpick when fictional characters behave certain ways pertaining to romance depending on whether the narrative promotes it or not (yes, i have a complicated relationship with romance, it came free with the demiromanticism. but also my partner is amazing so if written characters aren't that's just kinda a skill issue? lol). ANYWAY. this scene though was amazing. edwin tells charles how he feels, putting no pressure on charles to respond or feel the same. and charles clearly isn't sure how he feels- it doesn't seem like he's ever thought of edwin in that way before, and he's awkward about it but still assures edwin that even if he doesn't know if he can return those feelings, edwin is still incredibly important to him and nothing's gonna change that.

god it's just. such a good way to handle that scene!! literally everything i hoped for ^^ even if charles doesn't feel the same (which i didn't think he would given they've been hinting at romance with crystal and not building romantic feelings towards edwin the same way they've been building edwin's feelings for him but as always who knows) he still reaffirms how much he cares about edwin, because like i've been saying they're the most important person to each other and it truly does not matter if it's platonic or romantic!!!

i also love how well this lined up with established characterization haha. like, of course charles made a deal with the night nurse and leaped into hell headfirst and alone to rescue edwin, he's impulsive even when he isn't emotionally compromised and he'd never abandon his best mate. of course niko tries to connect with the people around her and ends up being incredibly helpful with a unique insight, that's what she's been doing this whole time! of course crystal runs off to find her own way to hell after being stopped from accompanying charles, she hates feeling useless and consistently endangers herself for the sake of her friends. of course edwin tries to convince simon to escape hell with him, he's heartbreakingly good and has spent the whole show trying to help people no one else can. it's all so... god, they are who they are and i love them so much

anyway i will leave u all with a funny thought i had. i haven't engaged with the fandom outside of my pal noble sorry if this is a joke everyone is already making

the cat king: i'll be here waiting when he escapes hell again, god i'm such a romantic meanwhile, charles breaking into hell:

[miraculouslbcnreactions]

Sorry if you've already talked about this but I just found your blog and I have a question. I basically stopped watching the show and Gang of Secrets but I'd like to know your thoughts on how the show handles secret identities?

Personally I really like secret identites as a trope and the way you can use it to make different character dynamics, and I feel like the show underutilizes it at best and at worst seem actively annoyed by the constraint they gave themselves.

Like this is somehow a show where when Alya and Nino found out each other's identities, it directly contributed to them each getting taken out in Heroes' Day, and when Marianne got Akumatized she instantly spilled the Guardian's existence, and both time the two leads have had identity reveals it lead to a world-destroying catastrophe, and yet half the fandom and seemingly the writers act like it's at most and inconvenience?

Let me know if I'm off or seasons 4 and later do anything to contradict me but it was one of my issues at least and I felt like there were so many fun things they could have done with the set up. Sorry again if this is too long/rambly or whatever lol

Long asks are fine! Heavens knows I tend to make long posts. It's why I use the queue instead of just posting things as I get them.

Anyway, secret identities and identity shenanigans are the things that brought me to this show. They're nothing new in superhero setups, but most shows in this genre have the identity stuff as more of a fun bonus element than the main focus. The idea of a show that was more centered around these concepts via a romance plot sounded like a blast!

It has not been a blast.

The main problem with the identity stuff is that the show's guiding rule seems to be maintaining the secret identities at all cost because a reveal means no more love square and, at this point, it's pretty clear that thy're going to drag the love square out until the bitter end. This means that they actively avoid anything which puts them into a position to push a reveal. The problem with that is that the love square isn't some cute running gag that has no real impact on the plot. The love square is the show's main focus, so you cannot treat it the way you normally treat an identity shenanigans setup.

To give an example for contrast, the show Phineas and Ferb has a running gag involving the titular characters' pet platypus Perry. Unbeknownst to the boys, Perry is a secret agent who saves the world on a regular basis while his "owners" remain oblivious to the fact that Perry is anything more than a normal pet platypus. It's a good running gag because there's no reason why the boys need to find out Perry's secret. There is no overarching plot that's in limbo until this moment happens. It's just a silly thing that could be completely removed from the show without any major impacts.

Consider the difference between that and the love square. You remove the love square and you have a wildly different show because the love square isn't a gag, it's a plot and plots need to progress to feel meaningful. Marinette and Adrien should be growing closer on at least one side of the masks and they should be doing so in a way that makes it feel like the reveal is drawing ever closer.

For example, the fact that they're now dating should be a source of tension. The last time these two dated someone, they both ended up single due to the lies that come with a secret identity. But while Lukanette and Adrigami both lasted a few weeks at most, Adrienette got a whole season without a single identity-based conflict because acknowledging the identity conflict means progress on the reveal and we can't have that because the reveal is apparently being saved for the end of the show.

We don't even get much in the way of developing their relationship because letting them grow closer in a meaningful way means knowing more about each other which, once again, means that a reveal becomes inevitable. This is probably why we got the Derision retcon where Marinette suddenly couldn't talk to Adrien while dating him. No talking means no growing meaningfully closer means no reveal.

It's incredibly frustrating because reveal plots simply aren't structured to be long running plots. This is why most identity shenanigans media either focuses on the reveal and ends up relatively short (ex: the movie You Got Mail) or does the running gag thing where the identity stuff is a source of comedy, but the actual plot is something else that would technically work perfectly fine even if you removed the identity hi-jinx (ex: the anime Spy X Family).

When it comes to the love square, my preference is to take the first option and make it resolve within the first few seasons, but if we must draw it out until the show's end, then I would make all of the following changes to turn the square from a serious plot to more of a running gag:

Do NOT let Chat Noir confess. Instead, make it that he's always setting up romantic dates or confessions for Ladybug that end up stopped because of an akuma or fans or whatever. This would make Marinette's ongoing failures feel more balanced as they're both doing the same thing. It would also turn the confession into more of a comedy element instead of a dramatic one.

Focus more on plot elements unrelated to the love square, distracting the audience from the romance with shinny subplots like a Lila take down.

Don't have the secret identities be a source of conflict. Have Chat Noir totally uninterested in a reveal.

Have Hawkmoth be someone other than Gabriel. The less serious the show's basic setup, the less serious audiences will expect it to be

Of course, all of those are pretty massive changes to the show's basic setup, which is why I say they should have just let the reveal happen. Then they could have actually let all sorts of fun moments happen as we build to the reveal because it's no longer a thing that they writers have to avoid. As someone who has written multiple stories with a reveal, the fun really is planning it all out so that the tension and/or the comedy builds and builds to a dramatic crescendo where everything feels oh so satisfying.

When you live in fear of the reveal and awkwardly shoehorn things in, you get boring things like Gabriel's identity being leaked from a random play, Marinette's crush being revealed by freaking Andre, and Nino's identity reveal leading to nothing interesting because it can't because then we'd be drawing closer to a love square reveal and, well, you know the drill. It's also why you get messed up crappy episodes like Chat Blanc and Ephemeral. Episodes that are just there to prove that the reveal is a bad thing you shouldn't want!

There actually is solid logic as to why a reveal might not be the best move, but we don't even get to see that discussed. Chat Noir just pushes for a reveal because love while Ladybug stays focused on risk mitigation and it's so boring because a good show would let them have an honest discussion of the risks verses the rewards to help drive the conflict leading towards a reveal as a lot of the rewards are only realized if these two already know each other, which is a great tension build! But we can't build tension like that because then you'd be letting them have actual team dynamics where they talk about things and talking about things means bonding which means a build up to reveal and I think you know the drill by now...

This was a bit of a ramble, but hopefully it addressed your question! This is a broad topic that has a lot of ground to cover, so feel free to clarify if you wanted my thoughts on something else. I love identity reveals, so I am happy to babble about them. There's nothing more satisfying then setting up a good one, even if it takes tens of thousands of words to make it hit just right!

[kdramaxoxo]

Sorry if you've been asked this a million times, but who are your favorite couples from the last couple years?

Congratulations Anon! This ask is AMAZING and I've never been asked it before! Shocking right?? :P

My favorite K-Drama Couples 2023- Spring 2024

NOTE: I tried to include 2022 but my list got too long :)

Moving (Bong-Seok & Hee-Soo, Joo-Won & Hye-Won & Doo-Shik & Mi-Hyun): It's very obvious by this list how much I love this drama and how many blorbo-from-my-shows it created for me. And I know I'm only reviewing couples, but I was blown away by this drama. I don't even LIKE superhero shows, but I made an exception for this one and I'm so glad I did. If you like character development and plays on good vs. evil, I highly rec this! Bong-Seok and Hee-Soo are one of my favorite couples EVER and I loved the softness and epic romance of Joo-Won & Hye-Won. (And we all know that scene at the rainy window with Bong-Seok and Hee-Soo). These couples are really EVERYTHING.

Tale of the Nine Tailed: 1938 (Lee-rang & Yeo-Hee): This is the only time I've ever watched a season two and liked it better than season one. It's probably because it featured my favorite tragic half fox Lee Rang and gave him a love line with a mermaid. The two are SO sweet together---SOB!

Tell me That You Love Me (Mo-Eun & Jin-Woo): Wow. Maybe one of the softest couples I've ever seen in existence. Just watching them together was like a warm blanket in front of a cozy fireplace. I didn't like the ending choice which is a shame, but the drama was super well done and I still think people should watch it. There is also a very cute high school couple too!

The Eighth Sense (Jae-Won & Ji Hyun): not to be dramatic (just kidding!) this is the best bl kdrama I've ever seen. Literally this is it! I don't even want to tell you about the couple because I want you to just watch it! I'm dying for the writer to make another one because we need more queer media like this one!

Crash Course In Romance (Haeng-Seon & Chi-Yeol): Give me a noona romance featuring a man who has not felt warmth in 1000 years (ok not literally but this dude needs to have a warm meal made by an amazing lady!) This drama fell apart at the end (this seems to be a theme this year) but the couple makes it worth watching.

King The Land (Gu-Won & Sa-Rang): If you're looking for a low stakes, totally fluffy, rom com with TONS of chemistry (featuring MY BIAS!), King the Land is for you. Amazing skinship, kisses and just like a really fun duo to watch. Plot? Not so much but there are a billion good moments-- just look at the tags: They are full of cuteness.

Love After Divorce Season 4 (Benita & Jerome): Listen, I know I'm cheating by putting a reality tv show on this list but if you're in the mood for one, I highly recommend this season (it's on Netflix). Benita and Jerome will steal your heart and they are still together! I'm rooting for them. <3

See you in my 19th Life (Ji-Eum & Seo-Ha, Da-Hoon & Cho-Won): My bias Shin Hye Sun kills it in this drama featuring past life romance. Honestly it's not fair because this drama is totally my vibe so I'm obviously going to love the mains. But when a drama gives you more than one love line and they are both interesting and lovely?? Chef's Kiss!

Dr. Slump (Jeong-Woo & Ha-Neul): This drama TOTALLY fell apart at the end and left us all very disappointed, but that's not because our leads weren't a perfect couple! They bonded over mental illness and even took their meds together. Communication: check. Comfort/Healing: check. Chemistry: check!

The Story of Park's Marriage Contract (Yun-Woo & Tae-Ha). You probably don't know this but I've been following Bae In Hyuk's career since we was in silly little web dramas. Seeing him as a lead is really wild! To be fair, he's not nearly the actor that Lee Se Young is, but do we care about that when there's a time slip romance drama featuring a historical lady who's been thrown into the future and has to fake marry someone who looks just like her de*d husband for reasons??

Thank you so much for this ask - it was super fun!! Maybe I should do 2022 next?? :D

[boxed-n-bottled-arson]

DO YOU WANNA SUPPORT A WICKED SICK INDIE PROJECT? PLEASE PAUSE FOR A SEC AND GIVE THIS A READ!!!! 

Hi! I don’t really make posts about the shenanigans I get up to nowadays, but for the past year or so me and six other friends have been pouring our heart and soul into a neat little indie project called “Project Ghostie”. It’s a mystery/comedy/minor dystopia audio drama about a found family of graffiti artist ghosts trying to discover how they died. The entire story is seen through the perspective of a reporter character aka the viewer! I would absolutely love it if you guys would give the first episode a quick watch/listen, as I am the co-creator and one of the main VA’s of the show! 

So, if you like:

Shows made by queer people (all of our VA’s are trans and queer! With the creators being an Aroace demi-guy and a beloved unlabeled king :) )

Shows featuring queer characters (We have main characters that use a variety of pronouns including it/its, they/she/he, he/they, and they/them!)

Shows focused on found family dynamics instead of romance (I as the head writer am aroace and can 100% guarantee there will be no romance plots in this show and instead just a lot of family dynamics and friendships)

Shows with anti-capitalist themes and crime (yippee!)

Shows with cool silly references (Our banner totally doesn’t features refs to a mcyt creator I adore or a fake singer with blue pigtails hehe)

Shows that you can listen to and/or read! (Yup! Don’t wanna listen to Project Ghostie? We have a fully written/novelized version instead you can read for free! Link to it is in the video description :D)

Shows that can GUARANTEE no AI used ever in the creative process (This series will never feature or endorse generative AI in its writing, art-making, or voice acting process. Fuck generative AI, that shit can burn in hell)

Shows that can be enjoyed by ANY kind of viewer (I used to listen to a lot of audio dramas that had a character that was supposed to ‘be’ the viewer, yet never really encompassed everyone. So, I've done my best to make the viewer's character (known as just “the reporter”) fit people of almost any gender (they are referred to with they/them pronouns), weight, race, background, etc!)     

Curious about the characters included? Check them out over at The Project Ghostie Tumblr, where we have some silly meet the characters posts!

Again, it would genuinely mean the world to me if you would even just skim through the video, follow the YT channel/Tumblr, or reblog this post. This project is legit my child and is basically a ton of unfinished projects lovingly sewn together to make something I am unbelievably proud of. Me and my friends make absolutely no money off this, it is just our silly passion project, but we intend on making 25 episodes plus some cool bonus stuff, and I’d love to have you along for the ride!

(And hey, even if you don’t like the story, maybe just follow the Tumblr for some cool art? I’ve improved a lot since I last posted my art on here, and I know it’s not fandom related anymore, but if you like my goofy style, check it  out ^w^)

Anyways, watch the first episode: HERE

Or read it: HERE

[absolutebl]

This Week in BL  - solid showing

Jan 20232 Wk 3

Being a highly subjective assessment of one tiny corner of the interwebs. Organized by which ones (in each category) I’m enjoying most.

Ongoing Series - Thai

My School President (Fri YT) 7 of 12 - Tinn flirting using a periodic table is such a simp. I can’t with this boy. This ep made me laugh so flipping hard. Who let my BL be this wholesome and funny? GMMTV you tricksters, you. I’m sorry to say that even the catfishing part made me laugh. What a wonderful show. 

Never Let Me Go (Tues YT) 6 of 12 - I loved the part where Pawin speaks multiple languages: English Thai, and Mandarin. Pawin is good! Lovely diction. I like the discussion over The Kiss and I liked how clear N is about who he is and what he wants. P is the opposite, doesn’t really know what he wants, and wouldn’t know how to express himself even if he did. Yet they are still somehow sweet with each other. Pond is so cute when he smiles. 

Between Us (Sun iQIYI) 10 of 12 - I gotta say that this level of miscommunication at this point in the drama is merely ep 11 bullshit manipulation. And it is annoying. Even though i know the story has no other vehicle to drive crisis at this point in the show, I’m not happy about it. Dare I say this BL is a touch disappointing? Well, if I don’t say it, who will? WATCH ALONG HERE.

609 Bedtime Story (Fri WeTV) 9 of 11 - OhmFluke are always good, but because of the cheating thread I find it really hard to support this couple. I liked the “who done it” twist. I did see it coming, but I watch too much TV. I love GamesVee but Vee’s hair is truly terrible. 

Cutie Pie 2 You (special) 3 of 4 - Disastrous sun glasses, Zee. TutorYim did an awesome job on their sexitimes. I admit to being worried, I was a little scared they couldn’t carry physical intimacy off (holding down 3 series this year). But they did good job. Although, Nuer, if your boy is that twitchy and ticklish? Strap him down and bite. Hard. Presumably he’s not called Syn for nothing. 

I Will Knock You (Fri Gaga) 10 of 12 - Just too much blushing maiden for me to stand. And Noey’s odd blinking thing? What is with that?

Ongoing Series - Not Thai

The New Employee (Korea Weds Viki) 5 of 8 - Backstory of the pen is explained, and daddy forces a conversation about it, which I LOVE. I thought his first reaction was a bit harsh, but I’m on his side. Get over your college crush, baby. Pay attention to the guy that’s in front of you. Also cat fucking things up more = classic. The guy walking by in the street who called them “cute” for a hug is my hero. I love this show so much. 

HIStory 5: Love in the Future (Taiwan Weds Viki) 4 of 10 (or 7&8 of 20) - Rich boy getting jelly. Jonny getting savvy. Boys holding hands and falling asleep together after an earthquake is cute. Office sides = best couple on air right now. I love how Vincent just casually cuts up his food and gives it to his baby boy. Tony remains evil and manipulative but hot, I shall call him: Pouty McHotterton 

Candy Color Paradox AKA Ameiro Paradox (Japan Fri Gaga) 5 of 8 - I think they made a mistake of putting Izuka Kenta into this one. He’s so good everyone else‘s performances look weak by comparison. 

Individual Circumstances (Korea Thurs Viki) 8 eps - A reunion romance between a movie director who was once promising and a writer who disappeared due to past wounds. Stars JunQ (main rapper of 2nd gen group MYNAME) and Han Jung Wan (Mr International Korea winner). I like this more than I thought I would (reunion romances are not my thing) mostly because of the bratty director character. Using a guitar to torture someone is entirely appropriate, in my book/BL world it happens all the damn time. It’s an interesting promise, I do want to know what happened in the past. The bike is silly. 

It’s Airing But I’m Not Watching It

GMMTV’s Midnight series - first segment has begun bit it’s not the EarthMix messy gays. I’m so not interested in messy hets, so I’m waiting until they grace my screen. Moonlight Chicken (Weds YT) 1 of 8 eventually.  

Gossip

Be On Cloud (the KinnPorsche people) announced its 2023 line up. Descriptions and discussion here. 

In Case You Missed It

The Star Always Follow You (Vietnam YT) ended amorphously so yeah not my thing. 

I posted a meta of all my 2022 wraps, top picks, industry stats, etc..

I ALSO posted the 2023 forthcoming BL master post. (see comments some are inaccurate) 

Next Week Looks Like This:

Frigay is BACK with a vengeance. Honestly, I like this line up. This is about the number I can handle in a week. 

Still (supposedly) to come in January:

The End Of The World, With You

Hit Bite Love

Luminous

Nilundon

Time the series

BL Fashion Hall of Shame

THIS WEEK’S BEST MOMENTS

They are my children. MUST PROTECT. 

World’s best wingman. 

What did I say about biting? Tinn gets it. 

(last week)

Current Kpop earworm? And this week my OG bias has a single, two actually, but the comeback isn’t good, so I’m opting for: Letter from Park Jinyoung (GOT7). If you listen you’ll understand why I also love Leo so much. Honey voices are my weakness. 

[aevyk-ing]

So I finally watched Over the Garden Wall. I had been wanting to watch it for a while and I'm glad I did. It's been a while since I last saw something like that: great storytelling, art and characters (maybe since Trollhunters?). However...

I made the mistake of watching it in batches of three (four on the last day). So my second day ended up with Wirt discovering that Beatrice had betrayed them.

Just like ATLA, I first found out about OTGW thanks to cosplay and, more especifically, the gallery of Arda Wigs:

(The Beatrice is Schemy Cosplay and the photoshoot was done by FullFrameShooter)

Of course, that being my first contact with OTGW, I supposed those two characters were a couple... add that to the fact that I'm a hopeless romantic and I have an awful lot of imagination.

So my writer side started making up how the story was going to continue. And I created this whole story in my head about how Wirt's secret love was actually Beatrice but he didn't even know her name.

Fast forward the next day and, instead of them continuing where they left with Beatrice, I have to sit through a Cloudy Silly Symphony with floating baby heads.

I was disappointed.

And then, Wirt starts blushing with this new girl.

And then, it turns out that there was yet another girl this whole time.

And then, Wirt and Beatrice say goodbye in a sad way.

So I went through a small heartbreak (my heart is feeling quite soft lately).

However, now that I can see the series as a whole... I still like them. "Greg in Slumberland" makes more sense once you can understand the themes and the story structure... even though it can be a little unnerving to know there aren't many episodes left and they use a whole one for that.

Do I still ship them? I don't know. I'm not sure. Thinking about it, maybe Wirt's relationship with both Lorna and Beatrice (romantically speaking) could be him growing up and not being as close to his brother as he was before. He is clearly shown feeling something towards Lorna and I'd like to think that he has feelings for Beatrice but is not sure of what kind, while Beatrice does like him (or ends up liking him after spending some time together). The series only showed us that he really likes Sara and she likes him back. I just didn't like Sara much because she wasn't as developed as Beatrice, but she seems sweet and caring and, even though Wirt talks a lot about her, romance was never the main focus of the series. And that's not a bad thing.

I still had to draw my idea, though.

[cherish--these--times]

i just want to tell you how much i loved your post on media literacy & tedbecca!! really well put and what i hope reasonable fans not on our side would read so they’d realize where we come from! 💜

You absolute sweetheart. Thank you for telling me that. I should have been kinder in my approach but I am simply appalled, and sick and tired by a lot of people and now Brendan Hunt (not even gonna mispell his name, I'm fucking mad) for claiming that wanting Ted and Rebecca to get together was purely us silly fans being girly girls conditioned to want the male and female leads to end up together, so we could spice up our dull little lives with some sweet sweet Disney romance. I am INCENSED. I have seen quite a few queer people here rooting for them as well, which makes this reasoning even more offensive. Also to claim that he was surprised people would take it so personally is hilarious to me. Dude... have you ever been a fan of anything before??? Don't you know how much stories matter to people?? Wasn't it the goal when you made this show????

What antis don't seem to understand is that nobody in the TedBecca fandom was claiming that there were any romantic feelings between Ted and Rebecca. That would be insane because it just wasn't the case.

However, anybody with a modicum of critical thinking could see that they were playing with romcom tropes with them. But that's not even why I think most of us began to think we were heading there. What the writers did, in what remains a beautiful, masterful way, was lead the audience paying enough attention to understand that they were MEANT to be together. In a way far more profound than mere infatuation or physical attraction. No. They were each other's guarantee of true, long-lasting happiness. That's what they've established. Because they were similar in fundamental ways (a bit silly and immensely kind for instance). They had gone through similar things, including life-defining traumas on the same fucking day, at the same fucking time, and therefore could provide the other with all the support, the care, the devotion that the other needed. And they were doing just that! They could even communicate without words. They were undoubtedly making the other greater, which is exactly what Higgins wanted for Beard and Jane. They just had not realised it yet. Better still, I thought it was fabulous to have them go on their healing journey first, reach the top of the mountain, and THEN have them realise they were the love of each other's life. WHAT A BEAUTIFUL CONCEPT. Truly a spectacular story, and one they hinted at RELENTLESSLY. And until the very end. When in truth, they could have stopped this many moons ago by having Rebecca meet a nice, sweet guy (not Dutch guy, fuck him, he was creepy as hell) as soon as series 1 ended and be done with it. But no. Ooooh no. They kept that shit going until the very last episode. Even Rebecca begging Ted to stay was yet another romcom trope they dangled under our nose. They shot themselves in the foot with that one too, because Ted's determination to leave felt even more stupid and irrational when perfect solutions were handed to him on a silver platter by her (OUT OF LOVE). No wonder he didn't say a word, because nothing he could have said would have realistically justified his departure after what she offered. Nope. He kept his mouth shut because the true answer he had was: "I don't want to leave but the writers insist I must be this Magical Being that comes into people's lives to make them better and then go away in a poof of smoke and glitter. Mostly glitter. Ain't that a damn shame. I appreciate you, though."

To claim their story was never intended to be understood as such and say it was all on us for making shit up is simply untrue (and insulting, and you can fuck off). It was all there. Beautifully woven through every episode, in subtle but undeniable ways. Using, one could argue, The Lasso Way. A series of imperceptible moments all leading to the inevitable conclusion. Even this, I thought, was another hint……

And yeah, on top of that, I am FUMING over the misdirects (Bantr texting and matchbook in Ted's pocket, the latter really making my blood boil) and Dutch Guy being shamelessly Ted-coded (and all of a sudden everybody was overjoyed because he was the perfect guy for her even though everything he did that day, Ted had already done first. Minus the kiss on the ankle, offering her a foot massage and shaming her into drinking because that was fucking creepy and also Ted would never bad-mouth his ex).

I do take some comfort in seeing now a couple of articles online denouncing the way we, as an audience, were treated. You know, people who have media literacy, unlike us, apparently??

I'm angry, annoyed, insulted, but mostly I'm just sad. Because they ruined that show for a lot of people, including myself, and a few of their own characters in the process.

[thousand-winters]

just in general 😸😸😸

Alright, sorry for the wait! I'm throwing a bunch of random ones at you.

Saiki K

crossing bridges, by galacticbestbuds: It's basically Reawakened extended. It has one very fun plot twist that made me go a little insane when I realized, and overall I think it handled very well Saiki's plight about his identity related to his powers. Featuring Terusai and Kubokai as guests, though not really the focus of it. 10/10.

The Road Ahead of Us, by LilacNoctua: Kubokai on a roadtrip on their last winter holiday before graduation. It's sweet and the dynamic is written in a very fun way. Also the little bits with Saiko had me so endeared, he would act like that fr.

MP100

Mama, Just Killed a Man, by beefstatic: Absolutely delightful exploration of Serizawa's mother's journey through trying to help her son, seeing him go away with a stranger, learning about what happened and finally reuniting with him. It's so so good.

Like Acid Reflux, or Love, by partingxshot: I always recommend this one but it's just so fun. Don't be afraid of the 2nd person, it can add so much flavor to a narration and it sure does here. The fic is about this poor pawn shop person trying to date Reigen and realizing just how much their boyfriend's life is shaped around a bunch of kids.

The Owl House

Let Me Apologize, for the Mistakes I Don’t Regret, by NeonLite: I'm still thinking about this one. It's a Dadrius fic in which Darius gets hurt while protecting Hunter and Hunter does a wonderful job being normal about it (he does not). The narration is so wonderful to express Darius' panic and the interactions are so well done. I cannot recommend it enough.

love will hurt you, but love will never mean to, by randomramblingsofme: This fic always pops up in my head whenever someone asks me for recommendations. It deals with Hunter learning how to let himself be loved, interjected by verses of a poem. The style is just so beautiful and it makes me cry.

Wake, Hurt, Sleep, Repeat, by randomramblings of me: Properly the fic that got me very well hooked into Dadrius fics, I believe. Canon divergent since the show wasn't over at the time but it's just such a good one. It's been a while since I've read it, but it's very dear to me.

Precision, by Tinglecannon: One of the best Darius writers, in my opinion, and this fic really drives the point home with how good the characterization is. You have the first chapter with Hunter and Darius' playful dynamic and then the second one is the rebel trio in one of their many times working through the plans for the rebellion, all in all flawless.

Star Wars

Magic Blankets, by Lady_Lombax: This is such a sweet, comforting one. Kind of a fix it fic, featuring the magic of crocheting and the magic of love, pretty much. It's very woth reading even if you're not super familiar with SW, in my opinion.

Pen Name: Fulcrum, by twoseas: Silly romcom-like shenanigans Kalluzeb. In which Kallus secretly becomes a romance novel author and becomes unexpectedly famous while grappling with his own feelings for Zeb. Featuring a lot of fun interactions between Kallus and the Ghost Crew.