#so you don't care about the plot characters or anything except for the speed in which the scenes and dialogues are put together?

[scarefox]

Scroll through MDL page of a currently popular series, find at least 2 people in the first few comments who straight up insult actors appearances as ugly or body shame them in some way the moment they are not generic looking (or feminine men or even worse women...).

And then there are people on that page since ages who told me they never saw a bad comment ever... you are either part of the problem or blind if you don't see the toxicity of the userbase on there.

[azsazz]

if we're being honest sjm was never a phenomenal writer, every book lacks depth in some way and she never actually explains much about powers/characters. there's also a big theme of telling not showing (especially in cc - i mean she keeps telling us bryce is super cool and all i can see is a try hard). i only read parts of cc3 and parts of tog but i think tog and the first 2 books of acotar aren't terribly written even with a couple of the problems i said before but after acowar it really went downhill. i think it's part she has shooters now (i mean some ppl were being attacked for saying cc sucked which it does) so if it's not good they'll still read it and hype it up and she keeps writing things too fast and that might not fully be her fault so i'll giver her that. but yeah writing a whole 800 page book in a month? is not impressive, to me it just shows she didn't care to make it better and barely reviewed it. if that's the speed she's writing at then i can see why her latest books have so many problems and plot holes. she also got greedy lol. im sorry but there were what? 4 or 5 bonus chapters? and this book still feels like a cash grab idc if it makes a multiverse or not, id actually rather not ever see any of the other characters in each other's books

anyway all this to say i don't really like sjm (as a writer and now im a bit iffy as a person too), what got me was the characters but i learned a lot more about them through fanfiction than the actual books

PREACH SISTA LET IT ALL OUT because you did not miss with this!

i've also said that the 5 bonus chapters of cc3 are def feeling like a cash grab...when i tell you i saw a tiktok of some girl showing all of the different bonus chapter books off i was sick to my stomach. it's kind of out of hand some of these people lol (like the acotar balls and stuff, the ugly men they try to put into the roles, ruining the characters we love...they're fictional for a reason plz stop)

if cc has one hater it's actually me. if bryce has zero haters im dead. i most of the other characters, but bryce is a total miss for me. i love how sjm the entirety of cc3 is that the fae women aren't allowed to do anything except breed lol likeeee what? then it's basically just bryce and the men fighting the war or whatever...like what about the other women or her friends? mad side eye

thankfully i haven't been attacked about my cc opinions because ive never been quiet about them lol

i think that tog was better written, and i also liked most of acotar...maybe it's the modern setting and bryce's total cringiness that i can't get on board with

[cherokeegal1975]

The Degan Incident series, trilogy review, it's mostly okay...

...and parts of it are on the icky side. Worth overlooking because the overall plot is okay.

The Degan Incident, The Cassini Mission and The Degan Paradox by Rob Calton. I have been looking and thinking about whether or not to buy them for a few years now. Finally I got them on Kindle.

I am off and on exploring books I normally don't pick. More often than not I do this on YouTube and found some really good ones I'd love to buy. I'll list those off later for you to check out later.

My favorite books are by authors like Mercedies Lacky, Heather Graham, Terry Brooks, Terry Goodkind, Robert Aspirin, Stephen King, Anne McCaffery, Dean Koontz...well, you get the idea.

So, in an effort to get out of my comfort zone I went exploring and found these three books. Now I don't mind this book is gay oriented, not to my taste, but I no, I really don't mind it. And I don't care how it's oriented, I generally don't care for romances. Stories with romance mixed in is fine, but the focus of the story has to be balanced...like The Outlander series by Diana Gabbledon for example.

In spite of being gay (no offense intended and I have no room to talk because I'm in the ace spectrum and some would argue that I am part of the LBGQ+ community in spite of being hetro as well as demi...it's really a matter of taste and nothing more) the overall story is a good one. Nicely balanced and has a good story plot.

The parts I didn't like has to do with the love scenes. Ugh. No class. It's not that there were two men making out that was off putting, it was the highly detailed spurting described that could have been toned down and left purely to the readers imagination. Any adult knows how disgusting anything primal a human does is. Even eating if you think about it. So that was over kill...and it seems to be a common thread with the few gay romances I've run across on YouTube and listed to because I was extremely bored and I am exploring. Haven't tried romances between two women yet, but there was a sci-fi story about a woman who loved her land and had to choose between it and the woman she loves. I saved the listing to check out in more detail later, but it seemed interesting. Another common thread is one man is more dominant than the other in some way. Why?

Fortunately I don't buy books like this except this trilogy and one other book, and after that I'm done. So done. I'd rather go back to the more mainstream stuff. Not that I hated the books, even the one I'm reading now seems like a good story so far. As I said, matter of taste, not prejudice. I don't even understand prejudices anyway.

So, I don't remember all the details exactly, just general plot lines (and yeah, I'd read this story again sometime). So there won't be too many spoilers. The main character is a war orphan all grown up living and working in a space station with his best friend and adopted brother on the same station. He meets an alien that's wearing a cloak and on a mysterious mission. They hit it off and that leads to the adventure.

Eventually the main character is mistakenly seen as a threat and kidnap him and hold him prisoner...I'll leave the why of that for you to find out.

And in the second book, the main character's adopted brother gets involved with another alien of the same species and both their DNA stolen for an illegal experiment involving the making of cyborgs. Or was that the third book?

Anyway, in spite of the over descriptive bits about sex fluids. And for me, strongly suggested sex or just implied is enough and have more focus on the adventure is more my speed. Not that I'd turn my nose up at a book with smut in it, so long as that's not the main focus of the book. Balance is key...and I'm not so bothered by smut that I won't enjoy something by Laurel K. Hamelton or the Earth's Children series by Jean Auel. I just prefer not to focus on...people doing it. Some people love that sort of thing, I just don't care and would prefer to leave it to the imagination rather than having it described in detail...and if it is, have some class by not describing bodily fluids in too much detail. Strongly suggest it and then move on.

This is my only complaint about the stories in this trilogy. Other than that, the overall plot is just good sci-fi. I'll hopefully get better at these reviews and still be mostly spoiler free. There is a balance to the romance, sex and the plot as a whole, so no problem there. But, just eww sometimes.

[unproduciblesmackdown]

billions sighing game where every time mase cap ppl are hanging out after market hours interacting it up and winston’s not there (he is never there) you heave a sigh and wonder what he might be up to in the meantime

[h50europe]

Why the myth about Steve's PTSD doesn't add up and other inconsistencies

In the last few episodes of H50, PL tried to sell us a mentally broken Steve suffering from PTSD. Only the whole thing came a bit too late. The clip you see is from season 4 and ended up - no, not in the series - but somewhere on the floor of PL's editing room. And why? after Kurtzman and Orci departed, along with their writers, PL took the helm and started turning Steve into a super-soldier. He stylized him into something that wasn't meant to be. Instead of developing the characters, PL began to incorporate more and more hair-raising action sequences into the series and then let Steve fight on the front lines. There was no mention of Steve's mental state, and a lot was explained by PL with: it just happened "offscreen." Yeah, sure. PL can't create a decent character. He can only produce stereotypes and one-dimensional beings. Like Adam. What potential would that character have had had he been turned into Five-0's antagonist? But no. So his role remained diffuse and monotonous. Sometimes even tragicomical.

Back to Steve. When SEAL Team started on CBS, PL also lapsed into SEAL mania. If someone who writes fanfiction were to produce as much garbage as this man did, he would be chased away from every writers' platform in disgrace. PL's Super SEAL also had to rescue his team members from a blazing inferno. Not man by man, no, he flew a helicopter right into the danger zone and lifted a whole cabin out of the burning jungle. If lunacy had a name, it would be PL. While the action became more and more exaggerated and unrealistic, the same happened to the protagonists. After the departure of Daniel Dae Kim and Grace Park, PL completely lost his mind. And please, don't blame the writers for the nonsense that was thrown at you. A series stands and falls with the showrunner. He dictates what he wants and passes it on to his staff.

And so, lovable Steve became a soulless robot who only showed feelings here and there. Danny diminished more and more into a sidekick. McDanno became a ship that drifted anchorless through a stormy sea and threatened to capsize again and again. From season 8, it became a reboot of the reboot. PL tried an ensemble show and failed more than miserably. Often the actors just stood around bored. At least that was the impression. The only highlight was episode 8.10. A feast for all McDanno fans. But even here, the outcome of "who shot Danny" was more than insubstantial.

Wait, there was something about SEALs... Oh, yes. Junior appeared on the scene and became Steve's lapdog. I really wondered when there was going to be an episode where he would fetch sticks for Steve. Luckily we had Eddie for that. And because he thought he was so clever, PL invented the episode speed dating. How many subplots can you squeeze into one episode at the same time? In some episodes, you couldn't even take a look at the bag of potato chips without losing the thread.

The case of the week became the yawn of the week. There were so many loose ends that PL then came up with something called retconning. That's what you do when you're no longer satisfied with what was once established in the series years ago, or it no longer fits. But PL went one step further and did the same with the characters. The more the series was dragged out, the more the characters deteriorated and became OOC. It means, often, they were not recognizable at all. And that's where we come to Steve. Because PL, in his desperation, didn't know what else he could do to Steve, and so he killed Joe White. He did it in such a cheesy way with a fake sunset that it made you sick.

Of course, one episode later, there had to be another gig of PL's favorite Barbie. He stuck a fake beard on poor Steve/Alex, so he couldn't even hug Danny/Scott properly. The episode also raised more questions than it answered any. And Steve? He still didn't suffer from PTSD, even though he had now lost Joe White and a fellow SEAL. Everyone is dropping like flies, except for Steve, who is standing like a rock. No matter what. He doesn't need in-depth talks with Danny, nor psychological care, nor any sleeping pills. No, he's doing great. He also opens a restaurant with Danny because apparently, the carguments are already getting on PL's nerves. Unfortunately, this plot device leads into nirvana. The idea was nice, but nobody thought it through to the end. And the merry-go-round continues. Until we get to season 10, where it gets even more absurd. Now PL is almost bombarding us with McDanno episodes, or at least it should seem that way. Oh well, he's already planning for season 11, so a new character has to come on board quickly. While in the beginning, Steve's mother, Doris, dies.

Alex was allowed to take on the subject. Of course, only under the strict eyes of PL. He then nullifies Alex's idea that Steve kills his mother. Because a good soldier and Super SEAL won't do that. Little does PL know. THAT could have been the opening of a PTSD scenario for Steve. However, apart from that, this episode would have had any potential for a multi-arc. Just imagine Steve chasing his mother across multiple episodes. Again, PL stepped in and butchered Alex's episode. You can really feel sorry for the guy. PL at his best or worse? He just can't help it. And then, on the very last meters of the series, he brings someone new, who is allowed to cruise around with Steve most of the time. Because Danny was kidnapped by Wo Fat's widow, PL also invented quite late to have some villain at his disposal. This wannabe mastermind must really have been living under a rock somewhere if she wasn't even mentioned by her husband or appeared earlier.

Because towards the end, PL obviously ran out not only of steam but also of ideas, everything culminated in a wildly illogical scenario. Steve has to live through a dramatic day with Eddie, who stands as a metaphor for Steve (as I said, PTSD was never a thing for Super SEAL), Danny bangs his brains out in a ladies' room with a complete stranger, who dies shortly after that in an accident with Danny's rental car. Apparently, there was no budget to turn the Camaro into scrap metal. Danny then also goes home alone, ignoring the incoming emergency vehicles. Everything remains open at the end of the episode. While Steve expresses his gratitude to Tani and Quinn and says, he would be just as lost as poor Eddie without the dog and all of them. The strange thing is that you never notice anything until that sentence. A few forced dialogues are supposed to make the drama visible, but they all happen way too late or are so poorly written that you miss them.

PL had decided early on to make Steve a Teflon hero. That also means he didn't need to put much substance into the character. Which you can clearly see if you compare the first three seasons to the rest of the series. But towards the end, PL wanted to turn the tide and forcefully rewrote Steve's past. There is a huge difference if you compare Steve from seasons 1 to 3 with Steve from season 10. It is only a sparse remnant of what made this character so great. This change in Steve's personality also affects his relationship with Danny. The witty, affectionate banter degenerates into a snappy, humorless bitch-fest that takes all the joy out of it.

The final two episodes could have been written for any other crime show. As mentioned, we have Cole, who even gets a book'em Cole from Steve, which can only be described as out of line. And it begs the question, was that what Lenkov originally had in mind? Danny out of the show and Cole in? Was the last episode, which mainly featured McCole, something of a test run? Did all the McDanno moments happen only to tear the two apart eventually? Was the real final scene the one where Steve and Catherine take Danny's coffin back to Jersey? Was Danny not supposed to survive? Was that the real reason Steve wanted to get out of Hawaii because he wanted to pay his respects to Danny? And would he really have returned to Hawaii later? Or would he have turned his back on Hawaii? To me, this ending is more plausible than what PL served us. Then, Steve handed over his credentials to Cole instead of Danny, his second in command. Honestly, you can't make the end of a series any more sloppy and dumber than that. And I won't even lose a word about the last 1:30 minutes because I think everything has already been said.

No PL, mission absolutely not accomplished. You created Teflon-Steve. You never wanted him to show any weakness. You turned him into a superhuman who can survive anything. Only to pull the rug out from under him on the last few meters to the finish line and spit on his legacy. How can you dismantle such a great series and its characters like you did? How much do you have to hate something to do that? In the final interviews, the showrunner didn't exactly cover himself in glory either. Everyone who grew up with the series from day one knows that its end was wrong on all the possible levels and that the showrunner is solely to blame for that. It takes a fair amount of egoism and carelessness to drive 10 years at full throttle against the wall. Not many people can do that. Whether you can be proud of that, however, I doubt.

My respect if you have made it this far. Each of you gets 10 extra brownie points for it.

[theladyofbloodshed]

I mean *I* personally don’t want a Manorian novella lol but I for sure don’t want the crossover. I think she’s running out of ideas at this point. CC is honestly an indication that, even though it was a rough idea in her mind (bc she did have a Pinterest board for it for a long time before it sold), it wasn’t fully formed and she went with it because she wouldn’t have had anything after TOG and ACOTAR ended (it would also explain why she even extended ACOTAR past the third book). It would also explain why CC is her weakest series, and one most readers aren’t really into that much it seems. She just doesn’t seem passionate about it

You mean you don't want to read about manon pegging dorian?!

I think she said she worked on cc for a long time in between books but it's the least memorable. Putting a read more to not clog up people's dashboards with my ramblings.

When teasers were released of cc2, I honestly could not pinpoint a character who would have said it, for example the counting abs one, that could have been pretty much any of her male characters except for maybe Lucien or Chaol.

I really liked Bryce in the first book, but then in cc2 she felt way too much like Aelin in terms of "I have a cunning plan that has saved us all - which nobody, including the reader, had any clues about!". It's sloppy writing to not even drop crumbs for the reader about plans. It's the same with Danika. I really despise her character because if I was Bryce and I'm uncovering so many secret plots from my best friend after her death, I'd be so insecure about our friendship. Danika knew Bryce's heritage but didn't tell her about her father, her mate, the rebels' plots, working with Sophie. I'm sure Danika will also have somehow contacted Aelin or Rhys in their universes too. It's lazy writing!!!

It's annoying as I really liked Bryce and Hunt together too - but sjm has a habit of making her couples so damn boring once they're together. The women lose personalities and are always so submissive whereas the men can do no wrong either - and I don't want that to be hunt and bryce.

The repetition is dull now. I don't want Flynn and Ariadne to be mates but they probably will be because he feels a pull to her. I don't want Ethan and the alpha wolf from the mystics being mates but they probably will because he feels a pull to her. I don't want Ruhn and Lidia to be mates but they probably will because he feels a pull to her. Not everybody needs to be mated. It's not rare when everybody has a mate bond. Mate bonds could be really interesting if the bond happened when someone was already in an established relationship with another, if they absolutely detested each other, if they were enemies, if they rejected the bond. Love without the presence of magic forcing them together is also good. I think it's more special to find love simply because you love that person rather than "I can feel a magical pull and we will be together FOREVER".

Nesta's story now just seems to be a set up for finding the trove for Bryce which makes her "healing arc" even worse and shows how little the author cares for Nesta or Cassian. The plots for both cc books were slow, slow, slow.

The hype for CC2 lasted a few days and all of it was detracted by the spoiler leak/final page. Are you really telling me the leak wasn't an inside job to drum up sales too? Conversation straight away went to all about Rhys and ACOTAR. I felt angry for Bryce, like this is her book and Rhysand has taken the attention. Even Feyre doesn't get names, she's just that woman covered in paint. Just as in Nesta's book, it was the Feysand show again. People who argue that Elain will get a book because the story is about three sisters... no, it's about Rhysand. It's always been about Rhysand. Even when Aelin was blasting through universes at the speed of light, she could still notice how handsome he was. Like we get it, you have a hard on for your imaginary character and can't function without mentioning him!!! But it is so freaking dull by now.

The thing that bothers me most is that sjm has somehow been given this crown as "the queen of foreshadowing". There are so many details that she skips out, under develops or completely ignores down the line. She wrote that Lucien resembles Beron in ACOTAR then retconned that so his father has a whole different ethnicity and now Lucien suddenly has Helion's nose. Feyre had to teach herself to swim in a pond, but nesta says their mother ensured they could swim because her cousin (?) was drowned by fae. One sister says the only person their mother respected was the father, the other says she was cold with their father. We still do not know the name of any of rhysand's family, none of their surnames, no cousins/siblings are ever mentioned, no other places names are ever included. In acotar, Kallias is described as the cunning lord of winter... and we never see any of that. arghhhhhhh so many inconsistencies and lack of development but I can get 3 pages of cassian's juices still seeping out of nesta's gleaming sex

[pretoriafics]

Russian Roulette - Pt. 2

In this series, you will find Alternative Universe, Soulmate plot, Angst, Fluff. In this chapter, you will find: You met the creepy man from the black car, finally! But things began to get weird for you. Word count: 1.560 Pairings: Reader x Derek Original characters of this chapter: Bennie, your host mom; A weird ginger lady Warnings: English is not my main language <3 Yeah, it was based on Russian Roulette by Rihanna Russian Roulette series: Chapter One | Chapter Three RUSSIAN ROULETTE MASTERLIST TEEN WOLF MASTERLIST

You were without a sign of clues.

Well, you were pretty sure that the creepy guy who was talking with Scott and Stiles that day at the school had the answers you were asking for. However, you don't even know his name, and do this question to Scott and Stiles wasn't a viable option. They will never tell you anything about it. You have just one choice: To stay alert and watch things as close as you can.

But, you know, sometimes things happen funnily. The universe has a weird sense of humor.

You were driving through the city in the afternoon, going to get the girls from ballet, and thinking about a plan or something that you could do. Beacon Hills was a tiny city, so if you find out the name of that guy, you could look for a few pieces of information about him. Actually, you were so absorbed in your own thoughts that you just didn't saw the traffic lights become red. The car in front of you stopped, but you didn't stop the car. In fact, when you saw the red light, your eyes got wider and you stepped into the car brake. The loud sound of the tire sliding in the asphalt echoed through the entire street, and your car crashed in the back of the car in front of you.

God, you were so fucked up! You had just screwed the car of your host family! Sebastian and Barbara will be so upset with you!

Immediately, you come out of the car with your face red with anxiety and anger. How could you be so inattentive? But when you saw a man coming out of the car, the color of your face changed from red to white in fear.

You'd just hitten in a black car. A Camaro, you thought without sure. The man was that creepy guy, who you saw talking with Scott and Stiles. Oh, God. You felt your stomach fell in fear, and you froze. He will take a gun to point of you, you are pretty sure about it!

But instead of it, he just looked at you, watching you attentively. His face still looks serious.

"You okay?"

Well, at least he is a polite criminal. Which market does he work at? Is he a drug dealer? A killer? Or he's some kind of... pimp? But why Scott and Stiles would get into a deal or something like that with a pimp?

He doesn't sound like a pimp for you. Actually, he seems like a killer. Maybe he is a killer and a drug dealer...

You breathe in deeply and finally replies him.

"Yeah, yeah. I'm sorry! I don't have so much time with a driver's license. You okay?"

"I noticed that." His eyes become narrowed, and he gave you a discreet smile "Don't worry about me, I'm okay."

He looks at the damage done, and you follow his gaze. Fortunately, you stepped into the car brake soon enough to get just a little smash on both cars. Of course, your low speed helped to minimize the damage.

"Oh, God." You complain, letting out a long sigh. "Wait."

You went back to your car and took a pen and a post-it from the glove compartment. You weren't giving him your phone number just for being fair with him about the accident. It was just an excuse to, finally, find out his name. Quickly, you wrote your name with your phone number and gave the post-it for him.

"Could you give me your phone number? I'll fix your car, don't worry." He told you the numbers, slowly, and you could make the one million dollar question. "Okay. What's your name?"

"Derek Hale."

Oh my gosh, now you know his name! You would finally find out what the heck is going on.

"Alright. I'll send you a message to talk about the car. And sorry!"

Well, you were a lucky Au Pair. Your host family didn't get angry with you. Actually, they were happy you were okay and said that you don't have to worry about the car fix costs. It was great because 200 dollars per week as a salary really wasn't too much money. They just asked you to be careful while driving.

After taking a look at the girls, you ran to your room on the second floor, the last room in the corridor. Quickly, you took the laptop and begun to search on the internet about Derek. You found a piece of news, who was talking about a fire in a house. Reading that news, you found out that it was his house. Almost everybody died, except for Derek and his uncle, Peter, who is actually hospitalized in a clinic, with his whole body burnt.

Well... Maybe you were being unfair to him. It is such a sad history! But you need to continue your search. You need to prove yourself he isn't a criminal or some sort of it because, in the end, you need to protect your boys.

The next day, you were at a restaurant, lunching with Barbara, your host mom, and boss. You call her lovingly Bennie, and she was born and raised in Beacon Hills. If there's one that probably would know about Derek, that person would be her.

"So, Bennie... What about the car fixing?"

"Oh, dear, don't worry about that." She looks at you with a soft smile. "I'd talked with Hale about it. Everything is solved."

"Uh, really? That's great! And what do you know about him?"

Barbara was more than a boss. She was your friend, your second mom. And, sometimes, like every mom, she had the power to let you embarrassed. She was doing it right now, looking at you suggestively.

"Oh, you're interested in him? Why you didn't tell me before? I would talk with him about you! I don't judge you, I mean, all that bad boy kind... Wow! Don't lose this opportunity, girl!"

Bennie has the amazingly cringe-worthy manner ever: she loves to show you a few guys, telling you to call them to date. It wasn't being different now that you're asking her questions about Hale.

"Gosh, Bennie!" You laugh "Luckily Sebastian is not here."

"Well, I met Derek's mom once. He reminds me of her... You know, with all of that 'sweet' personality." Bennie gave a soft smile for you. "But she was a good person. Her name was Talia. Derek was out of the town since a few time ago but seems he came back. I didn't know about it." Bennie narrowed her eyes and gave you a large smile "And you know what? I think Talia would love to meet you!"

"Jesus Christ, Bennie, stop!" You hide your face with one of your hands, blushing while Bennie laughs about your reaction.

"You!"

A female voice came out of nowhere. A ginger woman, with a red dress, approaches you and Bennie. She seems so... Impressed. And she was looking at you.

"Can I help you?" You said, confused.

"I know what are you looking for, (Y/N)."

You froze. How did she know about your name? You had never, ever seen that woman in your entire life.

"...I'm sorry, I don't know-"

"Look for Haytham." She took a pen from her bag and wrote an address on a napkin from the table. A cold shiver ran down your spine when you noticed that her eyes were so empty and distant as a dead body's eyes. "He's a priest. But look at me, child: You are in a decisive moment of your life. You have two paths to choose from. If you continue to look for answers, you will know the truth and the truth is not what you're expecting. This truth will change your life forever, and your life will become a truly Russian roulette, girl. But if you give up on the call of Selene, and give up on your search, your life will be peaceful, but you will spend the entire life knowing that you lost something and you will never know what it is. You will look for something for the rest of your life that you know it's yours, but you will never find it. The choice is yours."

At this moment, you were so terrified, that you have cringed in the chair. Bennie was equally scared, and she was already looking around for some help. Everyone was looking at the table you were on.

Suddenly, after look at you with her dead eyes, the woman fell to the floor, unconscious. Bennie got up from the chair while everybody was looking at the woman, terrified and worried. Bennie instructed you.

"Call an ambulance!"

Terrified and with your hands shaking, you followed her ask while Bennie was watching the lady. As a doctor, Bennie could give her first aid until the ambulance comes in. But when Bennie took the woman's wrist, she contracted her lips in anxiety. Immediately, Bennie put her hands in the woman's chest and...

Oh, Gosh, she was trying to resuscitate the woman.

Bennie was doing a few chest compressions on the woman, which is obviously wasn't a good sign. After a few trying, Bennie shakes her head negatively. Nervous, you asked for her.

"She will be okay?"

Bennie contracts her lips.

"No, (Y/N). She's dead."

[belle-keys]

OK controversial opinion... I don't like Lucie, Jesse or ghostwriter...

Like I don't hate or even dislike them but I could care less about what happens to them. The only thing is that I hope Lucie doesn't die because the characters I care about would be sad

I dunno they feel rushed/underdeveloped to me... I still don't know what Jesse's personality is like and we have had 2 whole books now. I can only think of quiet and kind

As for Lucie I just find her forgettable..like I can't tell you ANYTHING she did except the major plot points

In every TSC series, there's always that one ship I just don't care about. In TMI, it was Izzy and Simon. In TDA, it's Cristina, Mark and Kieran. In TID, it was whatever was going on with Jessamine and Nate in CA and CP. In TLH, it's unfortunately Lucie and Jesse.

I like the fact that they communicate well and that it's got gothic elements to the ship, with the ghosts and necromancy and secrecy and demons and all of that, but the ship is pretty basic for me apart from those elements. Doesn't exactly make my heartrate speed up or anything.

Jesse is cool, but in TLH my energy is focused towards loving Jordelia and the Thieves and Grace. I just don't really *think* about Jesse. And when Lucie said that thing to Grace in ChoI when she was like "I wonder why my brother ever loved you" or something akin to that, it rubbed me the wrong way, ya feel? Lucie has not the least idea of what Grace has been going through and was quick to judge her, and because I love Grace so much, I took a step back from Lucie-loving since then.

I mean, Lucie is a bad bitch and all and I want everything with her and Jesse to work out. Cassie is in no way gonna kill off one of Wessa's kids so we don't have to worry about that. And she's not gonna have Jesse die-die cus that'd be contrary to the entire Blackdale arc. So I don't even see the need to fret about them as a ship. But yeah, can't say I'm crazy about Lucie ever since ChoI.

[thecynicalcinephile]

So, About Boar,

This is the sort of horror movie that people who don't like horror movies think all horror movies are like. Really nothing at all to see here except shoddy writing, two-dimensional characters, and bad cgi. There are a few vaguely interesting uses of practical effects, but that's about it.

This is exactly the terrible sort of Jaws knock-off you'd expect it to be from the description. It does absolutely nothing new with the premise. There are dozens of movies out there functionally identical to this one, because somehow we've got a creature feature where the whole thing is so poorly written you could replace the titular creature with literally anything and it'd make no difference to the plot.

The whole thing is also absolutely riddled with every single negative thing associated with its subgenre. There's no small amount of things like sexism, racism, and objectification, plus more plotholes than actual plot. Like, first of all almost every female character serves no purpose except to be a sex object or damsel in distress to the extent that I wouldn't be surprised if you'd told me the writers had originally wanted to make a porno instead of a horror film. Beyond that, in respect to the plot holes, even though the titular boar is absolutely massive and the loudest possible thing imaginable, the film expects you to believe that whenever it isn't on-screen it's somehow stealthy as a ninja. Like there's straight-up a scene where this car-sized thing with t-rex level footsteps manages to sneak up on people (who are aware of its existence at this point) while running across an open field at full speed. Even though there's literally no way they didn't see it coming, no one notices it until just before it enters the frame. I'm sorry, was the big scary megaboar walking around on its tippy-toes during that run, or is everyone in this film secretly both blind and deaf? This isn't a one-off occurrence either, this sort of thing happens consistently throughout the runtime to the point where almost every major plot point is dependent on it. Would the writers just admit they don't care about quality and get out of everyone else's way?

On the effects front, one scene in particular has some vaguely decent gore effects, and the boar itself looks okay at first. However, after its first initial appearances it becomes readily noticeable that the boar's animatronic is nothing more than the sort of cheap run-of-the-mill thing you can find at any well-funded haunted attraction. The cgi used in other scenes isn't much better, and would look more at home in a cheap iOS editing app than in a feature film. Seriously, whoever did that cgi should show me where they stashed their time machine becuase they're definitely a decade or two behind the times in terms of skill level.

Skip this film. Forget it ever existed. Burn any copy of it you find to save anyone else from accidentally wasting their time on it. This is the sort of film that belongs in two places and two places only: the syfy channel and the deepest darkest passed-over dregs of the bargain bin. You'd be better off watching Sharknado, and I do not mean that as any kind of compliment.

[askandreth]

Rules

This is a sideblog. I will like and follow from @irisseireth .

This should go without saying but at least when interacting ooc, be nice and I'll do the same.

On that note, Andreth may not always be happy or friendly to every new character she interacts with. Doesn't mean I have anything against you personally, or against your character.

Related, if we have never interacted before and you want to get something going, I prefer being approached via DM first, even if you just say hi and that you'd like to write together. I'll ask what you have in mind and we'll take it from there. I'm always up for plotting.

Characters that haven't interacted with Andreth in canon are very much appreciated and encouraged, but I appreciate a bit of previous plotting, or at least a general idea.

This is an ask blog, so asks on and off anon are welcome, I'll try to answer in character most of the time.

Andreth is the main muse here. Her siblings on request only.

I don't do ships that aren't Aegnor. I headcanon Andreth as asexual with only one exception. But I welcome any other sort of interaction.

On a related note I'm over 21, so even if I'm not planning on writing NSFW, it might happen, so be warned. I will tag appropriately.

I will tag most common triggers but if there's anything specific you would like tagged, let me know.

I don't care about formatting or icons. I'm mostly on mobile and I won't see it, or it will make it bothersome. If it works for you, though, go ahead. I don't require them, enthusiasm about the character and a willingness to have fun are more important to me.

I don't care about reply speed either. If I message you it will be out of a genuine desire to share something, not to urge you to reply. Take all the time you need, or drop threads if you aren't feeling them anymore, I will understand.

I'm absolutely open to duplicates. Put Andreth in an Aegnor sandwich.

I'm super happy to get DMs to discuss our characters, plots, or anything else related to this blog, so feel free to approach me, even if you're not a RP blog. Be nice about it, that's all I ask.

Please don't reblog RP threads. Asks (as long as they arent RP threads), headcanons and any other posts are OK to reblog, unless otherwise tagged.

[lamphous]

1, 3 & 6!

1. Tell us about your current project(s)  – what’s it about, how’s progress, what do you love most about it?

gene, there are so many......... quick rundown:

the 18 episode alternate s15 that diverges with becky NOT dying and instead realizing she has godlike powers: it's chugging along! i mean, it's 18 television scripts written by one person in their dwindling free time lmao, but I have the shape of most of it and there's a lot to work on, so it's easy to pick up a different part when I have time. what I love most are the gay parts: dean and cas get together around episode 12 (there are empty deal loopholes lol) so they're just like. together. in the background of all the plot. I really like the finale too: it's all got a lot of moving parts to move around but I think they're landing pretty well so far

the other 3 chapters of the current baby jack au WIP, plus two spinoffs of some upcoming scenes that might be a twoshot and one I also started this morning with gabriel FINALLY: the baby jack ones are mostly done except for the last chapter, which is more involved since it's not just mary observing. (and then one of the spinoffs is a coda to that while the other is a coda to the 5th chapter and, well, basically porn. they're very loosely related lmao)

claire tries to time travel to save kaia and ends up in 2004 with dean: SO FUCKING FUN, it is SO FUCKING FUN TO WRITE, holy shit, what a character combo

sci fi writer dean: after the god stuff, they retire to a little house in minnesota and dean learns to cope with years under the author god by becoming an author himself. it's interspersed with chunks of dean's book, which is basically a mismatch of s4-8 but the cas character is an alien. it's really fun! it's got therapy and nerdy shit with charlie and lovely family curtain fic stuff lol

THIS IS TAKING TOO LONG: speed run

the man who would be king scheherazade meta coda I keep meaning to finish: VERY fun, it's cas mentally running through every possible scenario of that conversation they have at bobby's but if they kiss at one point, to see if there's any way it could've ended well (there is not)

grief! at the h&m: between 12x01 and 12x02, how does jack get his own clothes? well claire finds out cas died and insists on meeting up with them, ends up having weird bonding with jack in, yes, h&m. it's a really interesting timeframe to work in!

bashing my head in, there's so many

there's a 1x09 home coda I started for sam's birthday that I keep meaning to finish. he never knew what mary's voice was like—or did he? ohoho

one where dean accidentally confesses mid argument after stuck in the middle: now THAT ONE is FUN. I rarely write arguments but this one, oh man, it's electric, I love it (also has cas saying absurdly romantic things, always a fav)

vignette series of people touching cas's face: in anger, as a threat, with care. idk if it will stay one big oneshot but there's a section already done about dean taking care of him after the attack dog spell that, every time I work on it, I end up just repeating "oh my god they're best friends..."

dean genderswap spell but it's sam's POV: apparently he missed all dean's character development bc he's totally well-adjusted about it lmao, oblivious sam my beloved <3

and then I just started one this morning where jack turns himself into a 3 year old after becoming god and can't tell them anything but IS obsessed with monsters inc. there's a bit where he and dean try to watch nemo and shut it off before the title card. jack sees himself as boo, sam and dean as sully and mike respectively, it's his coping mechanism <3 I haven't written all the middle yet but it ends with cas coming back offscreen like the end of the movie

honest to god, that's not even all of them, I don't think. there's a couple drabbles already done. one about the fanfic gap where cas takes a bath. regarding dean but cas is there BUT it's like the aaron bass meeting. one where dean and cas make out in the s8 finale between naomi tells them about metatron (last! night! on! earth!). I have the whole outline of a fic where dean and cas are dancing to astral weeks and mary's like oh I love van m— ohhhh no, I saw nothing! backing out of the room now!

and these are just the one's I've got words down for! there so many more plot bunnies and premises in various note apps too lmao

3. What is that one scene that you’ve always wanted to write but can’t be arsed to write all of the set-up and context it would need? (consider this permission to write it and/or share it anyway)

I don't really have anything like that since I've basically had to give myself permission to post contextless scenes as drabbles lest they languish forever in my drafts lmao

BUT I do have a bunch of song lyrics I want to use as titles eventually with like a vague idea of what they go with & one I really want to figure out is just the sword swallower verse of bob dylan's "ballad of a thin man" which goes:

Well the sword swallower, he comes up to you And then he kneels He crosses himself And then he clicks his high heels And without further notice He asks you how it feels And he says, "Here is your throat back Thanks for the loan"

and it goes like something something michael!dean or maybe casifer, depending you read "sword swallower" lmao (swallower of swords, sword that swallows, I'm very funny) doing something destiel and then peacing out to leave them with the consequences. here is your throat back! thanks for the loan <3

6. What character do you have the most fun writing?

in terms of POV I think probably either dean winchester, my specialest princess, or like. newt geiszler. it's the adhd <3

no but I love writing dean cuz 1) I get to do all the references I WANT 2) cas girl on main 3) everything he says and does has so many fucking layers of intention and performance and it's so fucking fun to pick at them lol

ask me a fic writer question

[letterstothemidnightsociety]

Alright, so if you've been following along with me, Supernatural season 3 starts out on a trio of episodes that are Really Fun, slides into some episodes that are Pretty OK, then takes a real nose dive into Bummersville. Hoo boy guys, I really hope that this season picks up. I mean, it won’t, but I can still dream. 2021 was maybe not the year to start watching this season. Fair warning.

The next three episodes for this season are just, like, real downers. First we get “Fresh Blood,” which, aside from the terrible title, starts out on a high note. Gordon (gross) somehow manages to catch up with Bela (HOW??) and threatens her if she doesn’t hand over the Winchesters. Bela, in all of her class and grace, won’t give them up because she has a high price point and Gordon is really lowballing her here. Just like, yes, ok, please stay forever, you’re amazing and I love you. And what a scene this is! You have two characters, one with a strict moral code (albeit one that allows for violence and winning at all costs) and the other with almost NO moral code, but an allegiance that can be bought with the best price and it’s such a fun back and forth until Gordon pulls out a gun. And then she pulls out her phone and just has Dean on speed dial and that’s maybe my fav part. Bela has run into the Winchesters twice and they maybe legit hate her but she’s very much like, oh yeah, my BFF’s the Winchesters, I love those idiots!

I love that we come back to this moment later in the episode when Bela, like, three days later, is like, Oh! I guess I should warn the Winchesters that some crazy guy is after them! She’s just so casual about it you kind of get the feeling that, even though technically Gordon was threatening her life, she doesn’t view him as A Threat. She gives the Winchesters a heads up just to be like oh yeah, you might want to watch out for this mild inconvenience, and she seems legit shocked when Dean freaks out. There’s this moment that plays across her face like, oh shit, did I...did I fuck up? And it adds a nice bit of depth to her character. She’s seems honestly worried, both for the lives of the Winchesters but also that Dean won’t like her anymore and that is just a charming bit of A C T I N G!

I am gonna miss her SO MUCH when she dies at the end of this season. WHY did we CANCEL HER???

But despite the fun beginning, this episode is about monsters and how people become monsters and how other people are probably the reason. Because our main baddie is a vampire who hunts to...well, listen if we look at the facts that he lays out in his monologue, it’s a little more tragic - he’s trying to replace the daughters that he lost hundreds of years ago, cool motive, still murder. In practice though, he goes around turning hot blonde coeds into vampires and then ?????? Who knows. I’d like to believe that this was a problem with the CW executives or maybe casting/directing and not with the writing, but it’s SPN and you really can’t be sure with anything. The fact is, this is a CW show from the early 2000’s and a lot of their extras are cast to type. And that’s maybe me exhibiting some girl-on-girl crime, but there are other episodes that did a much less blatantly gross job casting their extras/Very Special Guest Stars.

Anyway, the POINT of this guy is that he’s a monster because someone killed his daughter and he’s just been trying to fill that grief hole inside of him for centuries. This is not unlike Gordon, who ALSO has been trying to fill a grief hole that he’s had for decades, except he’s not killing people and resurrecting them as blood suckers, he’s just killing them. And then, when the Vamp decides to turn Gordon it’s a real sweet moment of comeuppance for like, a HOT second and then you’re like, awww dude, ya done f’ed up. That was a bad idea. You’ve made a HUGE mistake.

More importantly, our Vampire In Question finally runs into the Winchesters and get’s to say things like “I was desperate! You ever felt desperate? I've lost everyone I ever loved. I'm staring down eternity alone. Can you think of a worse hell?” and also “I just ... I didn't care anymore. Do you know what it's like when you just don't give a damn? It's like ... it's like being dead already.” and Dean’s v. much like, THIS IS TOO REAL ROY.

Sam may ALSO be feeling Too Real feelings because he is DONE dicking around with Gordon and honestly yes, I like this, this is good Sam development. It’s nice to know that Sam has a breaking point. And I admit I’m of two minds about this moment because 1) I love the idea of Dark!Sam this season and that maybe Sam’s decision to actually kill Gordon is just one step in that process but 2) I ALSO love the idea of Sam Lite finally having a breaking point and Gordon is IT. I don’t know which theory I like more in this scenario, but they are both good theories.

I think as much as this episode wants to draw parallels between the monsters and Dean (thank you artful editors), you can’t look at the “I’ve lost everyone I ever loved,” line and not think of Sam? Cuz he’s got one (1) person left in his life that hasn’t died horribly, so how desperate is he about to get through the end of this season? I’ve definitely been watching this season with eyes on all the ominous Dean foreshadowing, but the Sam foreshadowing is also there, just buried under the heavy weight of a thousand smulders and suicidal levels of denial.

And also, FUCK the tag on this episode! Guys, it is CUTE but it is also HORRIBLE. Dean starts teaching Sam how to fix the Impala and at first it’s all, “Oh! Adorable Brothers Being Brothers!” and I loved it but then I almost immediately hated it because you realize this is about making sure Sam can get along without him once he’s gone and Dean just accepts his own death with such casual ease that it’s just...INFURIATING!

This scene was rude and I HATE IT!

Cut to - “A Very Supernatural Christmas” Special!

Guys, I was so excited when I got to this episode. THIS is Classic Supernatural Shenanigans. Plus, you know a Holiday Special is the ultimate sign that this show has Made It, right? Or it could be a sign that they’re selling out, who knows, but I think we can say that at this point in the series, SPN is established enough to start having fun with their fans. That’s what this says to me. BUT THEN what we get is like...oh boy.

First - like, I’mma beat this horse to death, but what is WRONG with this FAMILY? John Winchester very quickly devolved into the sort of father that forgot about every single holiday and did not ever, even a little bit, make up for it. It’s not a surprise, but it kind of wrecked me seeing a flashback where Baby Dean is just so attached to a father who can’t be bothered to actually care for his children. I know he’s not in this episode because Jeffrey Dean Morgan was tied up in other projects, but the fact that John doesn’t show up at the end to button the flashbacks with a But then he DID show up for Christmas! just makes this plot line that more gutting. And despite Dean’s hero worship of their father, this is maybe the Christmas where Baby Sam stops believing in his own father. The only bright side to this is that it continues to enforce the fact that Bobby should have sued John for custody. Bobby should maybe STILL Sue for custody so that Dean at least would feel like someone wants him for once in his life, damnit.

And then we wrap this episode up with the Best Worst Christmas of all, because we see Sam start to...also?? accept that Dean is about to die? Cuz that’s what this episode is really about - Dean’s Last Christmas. And everything about that makes me ~ u p s e t ~.

So Sam decides to put his curmudgeonly grinchy attitude aside in order to make it a special day for Dean and ugh. UGH. UGHGHGHG. Season three is the worst guys, and I can’t believe I didn’t realize that until right this second now.

So let’s wrap this up with "Malleus Maleficarum", honestly an episode that is mostly forgettable until we get to, like, the last five minutes. Sure, witches and curses and selling your soul, woohoo whatever.

But then we get some real Ruby centric reveals and like, WHAT is happening?? First off, the scene where Ruby and Tammy have a moment is a real Moment. There is some baggage and tension here and it is heavy. And then Tammy drops the mic when she reveals that Ruby used to be human.

THEN, Ruby legit saves their asses by killing Tammy with a fancy magic knife. Ok, Dean does the actual killing, but Ruby brought the fancy magic knife. So between the hot and heavy tension with “Tammy” and her repeated attempts to keep the Winchesters alive, we’re left wondering what IS Ruby’s deal? I personally wonder how much of the show’s mythology the show actually has figured out at this point? Because interviews with Kripke definitely walk the line between “Oh we definitely have this whole thing worked out,” and “yeah, we’re sort of finding things as we go along,” which is maybe why it’s able to last as long as it does. More on that later.

Of course the big kicker is the final scene between Ruby and Dean. Dean is almost on board with Ruby at this point in the season, and much like his scene with the demon in “Sin City”, they share a kind of vulnerable moment together where Ruby admits that, yeah, she was human once and yeah, Hell will destroy you, body and soul, and yeah Dean’s worst fear will probably come true - he will become the thing he hunts, no ifs, ands or buts about it. And Dean knows that Ruby knows that Dean knows that there’s no way to save Dean from his fate, but they both agree that they can’t take Sam’s last ounce of hope away from him because, for both of them, Sam is their hope. Ruby and Dean both see the war happening around them and they know that with Dean gone, Sam’s maybe the last guy holding back the tide to save all humanity.

Which, honestly? Bull shit. Do you know how many hunters are out there? Neither do I, but this season seems to indicate that there are a LOT. We have barely scratched the surface on the hunter community and it’s a damn shame that they are all weirdo loners because there is a war going on. You know what works great in a war? An ARMY. Buncha mentally unstable, martyr-complex ijits who can’t put their differences aside for one damn MINUTE so that maybe, JUST maybe, the could actually defeat the evil they’ve spent their entire lives dedicated to fighting. And if Ruby and Dean wanted to help Sam, what they should probably do is get him plugged in to that community. I do believe that of all they backasswards, self-obsessed, painfully anti-social crazies out there, the Winchesters are THE WORST.

Listen tho, this was like, a solid scene between these two. Just a lot of work goin' into this and it paid off.

Anyway, back to the mythology for a hot second - This sort of loosey-goosey stumbling into your own world building is probably another one of those things that you’ll only really get in a show with this many episodes per season? It’s that room to play and experiment and just make stuff up as you go along. I think the slow drip method of releasing episodes ALSO helps in this scenario because you’re able to see what fans are reacting to in almost-real time. When viewers are binging episodes, I think you're less likely to see what specifically they’re reacting to and more wholistically they’re reacting to. And that’s not to say you won’t see those specific things that they like/love eventually, but by the time you get there, your season’s been produced in its entirety and you’ll have to bear that in mind for (hopefully) next season. But with SPN, they were writing and producing the show at the same time that some of the episodes were airing. That’s why they were able to make decisions on the fly, based on what fans responded to. And definitely by this point in the show, there was a sizeable and vocal fan base that made their feelings VERY well-known. We’re only in season three, but they’ve already had a number of con appearances and a pretty active online presence. That kind of feedback has got to be helpful, from a writing perspective, but it also allows for things like characters getting cut because nobody liked them for some dumb reason. BUT, if you’re fighting to stay on the air for 100 episodes or longer, responding to fan reactions is what’s gonna do it and that’s a fact.

[kimmyyang]

My views on ‘The Untamed 陈情令’

I never thought I would write a review on a drama although I have watched a lot of dramas of different genres for about 15/16 years. There is something about ‘The Untamed’ that made me want to write a review or at least write out my feelings. I’m not going to write too deep and get into all the details. But I guess this could be a way for me to get out of this trap or try to get it off my chest. 

I’m not a fan of the original novel (well, not yet) as I don’t like reading so I haven’t read it yet. However, I have decided to read it as I have finished the drama and couldn’t get over it no matter how much I want to escape from it. 

Trust me, I don’t usually get THIS attached to a drama or any characters, I mean yeah, the casts are handsome and all, but I stayed for the plot and the characters, not just the good looks of those actors. Especially if it’s 50 episodes long, I wouldn’t stay for someone’s visuals like I ain’t got time for that – I can just watch the cuts of that actor lol. I’m quite picky because I have seen A LOT of dramas, if I watch 2 episodes and it bores me then bye and I don't like long dramas. But after the 50 episodes, I felt so empty like I wanted more??? I know that's normal since I have experienced that before but this time was slightly different.

I personally think everyone portrayed their characters very well, despite most of them are young actors/ actresses. I usually skip or play supporting characters’ parts in 1.5 speed if they’re not as interesting as the main characters. But they kept me riveted throughout the entire drama, I didn’t skip one bit. Most characters hit me at some point during the drama, and I loved it (while shedding buckets of tears haha). 

Apart from WWX and LWJ, my FAVORITE character is Jiang Yan Li - notice how I capitalized the word and it's in bold, that’s how much I loved her. She’s the best shijie/ sister that anyone could ask for. I feel like she’s WWX’s half mother, she takes care of him. She is a gentle and polite woman. She isn’t powerful in the Cultivation World (she mainly just focused on cooking tbh lol it's cute tho) but she doesn’t hesitate to protect WWX. She stood up for him even in front of her future mother-in-law, she trusted him until the end even when everyone went against him, and when her parents got killed, she didn’t blame him (it wasn’t his fault anyway) and eventually sacrificed her life for him. Her death was just so tragic like I was bawling my eyes out, she didn’t deserve it, she really didn’t. She was just a simple girl that wanted the best for her family. But she is the last straw that broke the camel’s back aka WWX, if she didn’t die for him, he probably wouldn’t get out of control. It was so cruel to WWX but I kind of understand why the author did it. 

I also enjoyed the cinematography, scenery and OST, all of it was so astounding. Even the name of the locations were beautiful like 云深不知处 – it sounds so poetic. I loved how each sect had their own colors which reflected their characteristics in the Cultivation World. The characters also had their own OST, my favorite ones are Wen Ning’s & Jiang Yan Li’s songs – it still hurts when I listen to them, and I nearly cried few times (yes, I have a soft spot for Wen Ning, too.) I want to add that Jiang Yan Li & Jin Zi Xuan's song hurts a lot as well, the lyrics are like a fucking knife stabbing me in the chest. I thought I was strong enough to watch the MV, but I couldn't control my tears gdi. You know when you're cutting onions and tears just streaming down your face, that's what happened to me - except there were no onions.  *I was a fan of the singer when I was younger so watching him singing the song on the stage also took me back to the old days ah~ This song gave me double feels lol ;~; 

A part of me regrets that I didn’t watch it last year but a part of me is thankful that I finally got to watch it this year. It was already a hot topic before it even aired in China, so of course I have heard about it and I know briefly what it is based on. But I didn’t want to jump on the bandwagon and be like I’m a huge fan of the drama just because it’s popular (it’s hard to explain but I’m quite stubborn sometimes lol). Many said that you wouldn’t understand the story or the little details in the drama if you haven’t read the novel (I watched the animation before the drama, so I know a bit of the story). I don’t like reading anyway so I didn’t bother with it. Also, the genre of the novel isn’t something that I would read so that’s another reason why I left it. I’m not against any type of love, I just feel a bit iffy about reading it, which is kind of stupid now that I think about it lol. Another reason is that I don’t like depressing dramas, I used to watch a lot of those in my younger days, most of the plots are quite cliche. Although 'The Untamed' is sad, there were sweet, happy moments and it has a happy ending, so I loved it.

A lot of people didn’t like the ending, but I think it was a good ending. I mean they can’t really do much as they have to pass the censorship. My interpretation of the ending is that LWJ went to sort out everything in the Cultivation World so that he could be with (or protect) WWX later. He found WWX (maybe a few years) later and called WWX’s name. In that scene, WWX’s black outfit is different to when they parted, so it can’t be LWJ came back to WWX right after they went separate ways – that would very irresponsible to do since he is the Chief Cultivator. It’s an open-ended ending, so it’s up to the audience’s imagination, you can interpret it however you like. The camera didn’t show LWJ at the end so it could also be WWX imagined that LWJ called his name. But I believe that they got together, you can just tell just by looking at WWX’s facial expressions. It isn’t that difficult to figure it out, the novel has a happy ending so yeah. I also read it somewhere that when LWJ went to meet up with WWX, he also changed his outfit but apparently that part didn't pass the censorship (wtf?) so maybe that's why they didn't show LWJ at the end. 

I guess the good thing is that I can’t get all the related merch, if I watched it last year, I would definitely ask one of my relatives to buy and send everything over for me lmao goodbye my money. But I would buy the physical novel when I get the chance. If a drama left a big impact on me, I would buy the novel (if it has one of course).

I think I need a long cool-off period after this drama, I don’t want to watch anything else except their bts, interviews (even supporting actors’ interviews, I usually don’t watch those), crack videos lol, variety shows, fan meeting – basically everything that I can find, I don't think I have watched everything though. When I watched a cut of the cast saying goodbye to their characters on the fan meeting, I cried again (ffs just get over it). It’s definitely one of the best dramas I’ve ever watched and would definitely recommend to those who likes Chinese dramas. Not that anyone cares, but I would rate it 9/10 (if shijie was alive, I would give another 0.5 lol). I don’t know how good the subtitles are, but I did see some odd bits here and there (I watched it without the English subtitles). Sometimes it’s really hard to translate Chinese especially when it’s a xianxia drama – making it even more difficult. Anyway, if I get to finish reading the novel, I might write my views on the novel if I can be bothered lol – I’m a very lazy person XD

I kind of want to write another post just about WWX and LWJ, and how good Xiao Zhan & Yibo’s acting skills were. Basically, complimenting them for 2 pages haha. Ngl, I did fell for Xiao Zhan. I might watch it again just to focus on them a bit more. From the interviews I have seen, Xiao Zhan seems like a very humble, kind, genuine person – you can just tell from his eyes. He’s definitely a treasure boy (硬翻'宝藏男孩'). I don’t think I need to say much about Yibo, he’s super talented, I was already a fan of UNIQ when they were active. The character really suited Yibo and he did a great job portraying LWJ.

Anyway, it’s time for me to say goodbye to 'The Untamed', I don’t know how long I will feel attached to this drama but hopefully there’s another masterpiece that could help me to get over it.

忘羡一曲远，曲终人不散。

[misfits-den]

Salty Ask List: all the prime numbers

Salty Asks

Alright then, from the top, 1 is not a prime number so 2- or is it?

*spends the next 5 min in existential crisis instead of just googling it*

IT'S NOT! [It's Inuyasha/Koga, just why are you doing this to him?]

2. Are there any popular fandom OTPs you only BroTP?*

If I have to pick one, I would say Tony/Rhodney. I 100% see why it's a top tier ship, I just ship Tony with other characters more.

3. Have you ever unfollowed someone over a fandom opinion?

Yes, once, it was a very peaceful unfollow. That person had a very negative opinion about character I liked [I can't remember if it was "they're very problematic" or "they're the source of all evil", but something along those lines], so it was just, "alright, thanks, bye"

5. Has fandom ever ruined a pairing for you?*

Considering I stick to my ships that are either popular or rare enough for most people to not know it exists, I have largely escaped that fate, with two exceptions.

InuKag and InuKik. It started with "you do you" and devolved into "can you people just stop?" due to wars. Thankfully since then I've learned how to avoid it, but the sour-taste remained.

7. Is there anything you used to like but can’t stand now?*

Can I say the entire later plot of Inuyasha? Because I remember the time I could literally quote first volumes from memory, but recently going through them just to confirm something feels like pulling teeth with a string and no doors at hand.

11. Is there an unpopular character you like that the fandom doesn’t? Why?

For every character that I like that has a group of people who hate them, there's a group that likes them.

Senju Tobirama. I think he's hated mostly by Uchicha fans, because he's a partially guilty and convenient scapegoat for what happened to them; for missing Danzo; probably some more stuff that I never cared enough to check;

I think he genuinely believed in possibility of peace, was just to pragmatic to match Hashirama in that belief, still he tried his best while being a product of his time and working with what he had [he had a village full of people who tried to kill each other last week, give him a break; and chances are he was the main if not the sole brain behind infrastructure]. Honestly, I would like to see him plucked from his time and dropped in the modern Konoha [even pre-massacre one], and see what he would do then. Would he get a 100 on report card? Probably not, but he would definitely learn something new.

Also, ultimately, characters are tools in the hands of the author, and they will do whatever author wants.

I think what I like the most in him, is his practicality, the fact everyone thinks he's this cold and serious person when he's very much not, the fact that he was not inherently this good, perfect person; the potential he had if only given a chance to live in peace without worrying about everything. And I do have a thing for characters that rely on speed in their fights.

Inuyasha. I know, he's a main character, but I've seen enough "what Kagome sees in him?" posts, to believe he's unpopular in at least some circles. He's loud, he's brash, childish, jealous, overbearing at times, stubborn, rude, overconfident at times, basically he has a lot of flaws, so I can see why people who regard Kagome as close to perfection think less of him [also, I think this fandom is the one where the belief that mature = 'calm and composed at all times' is the most prevalent]. How much of it is his personality, defense mechanisms, lack of social education? No one knows. At this point they're probably too merged anyway. Why I like him. He confident, he's proud, he's in your face, despite the whole world trying to put him down. He's still there and kicking despite basically everyone being his enemy. And he still was able to give people chance [I don't care how wonderful Kagome or Kikyo are/were. If he truly didn't want to trust others, o matter what they did, he wouldn't have]. He lives in a times different than ours with different values and rules so it might be hard to see, but he's a kind person. Not nice, very much so, but kind none the less.

MCU!Tony Stark. Just go into his tag, and you'll find plenty of explanation of why he's hated and why I like him.

Gilagamesh is the character that people love to hate, and he makes it so easy to do. Archer Gilagmesh ticks like every single box on the jackass list. Twice. And then comes Caster Gilgamesh, and you have a great example why cancel culture should be chucked into trash. I like the one that doesn't have obsession with Arturia the most, since that's when he seems to have 3 dimensions, but he's still an asshole.

Nie MingJue, come one people, he's just so huggable.

*realizes most of the works I read/watch are small enough to not really have fandoms, and I'm hapy with that*

13. Unpopular opinion about XXX character?

TESSAIGA IS THE SOURCE OF ALL EVIL AND SHOULD HAVE BEEN LEFT IN THAT GRAVE!

17. Instead of XYZ happening, I would have made ABC happen…

See above [it could have made things so much more interesting]

19. What is the one thing you hate most about your fandom?

I've had my little cosy nest in some random corner from the very start, so I've avoided most of it, and quickly learned how to deal with the rest.

23. Unpopular character you love?

Define unpopular.

Everybody hates them? I would lean toward Tobirama.

Nobody cares about them? That's probably Nie MingJue. There's a blog that helps with getting merch for MDZS, they post info about new items, and so far not a single one was with Nie MingJue. Right now I'm waiting for MDZS Q to have a scene with him, so I can get a screenshot and custom order a plushie or something.

Thanks for the ask

[stuffylana]

Hey it's okay, don't apologize! It's so sweet of you to try to help me. ✨

1. Well, I don't really remember, to be honest. I just once was talking to my best friend, precious @babyblueeyesforever, and she suggested writing a story about a character who doesn't feel comfortable with their birth name to show what I felt like, and I thought it would be interesting to write but it also couldn't be a main plot line. I forgot about it for a couple of days and then it just came back to me. So I thought about how to not offend anyone with a name I would choose for the MC, and decided that it should be fantasy. That name change also had to have sense and consequences, so that's how I came up with the superpowers. And also I don't feel like I have enough LGBT representation in my stories despite being bisexual, so I thought lesbians would be awesome to write about :)

Well it's probably too much and also there's some question 4 answer in it but anyway.

2. Hmmm, I don't really know. I don't remember reading or hearing about anything like this (except for @amongwriters' Star Chasers) but I would love to 🤔

3. I always create characters and plot while writing, it makes me feel so much more engaged, and I love finding out stuff in the process. I have a small outline of this wip but it doesn't make it easier at all. Though, when I started my other wip, the second chance, I didn't know it was going to be a contemporary fantasy thing, I didn't even know it was going to be a novel. And when I decided to do some character development, I filled out the questionnaire but I don't remember when was the last time I opened it. About my new MC, I only know she is 20-ish years old, probably 22-24, a lesbian, some of her same-age friends have families while she lives with her parents, loves reading, doesn't feel comfortable with her life because she doesn't feel like she fits in the world she lives in, it's probably future (but I might make it contemporary because I just love contemporary stories), and also I have some superpower ideas but I haven't picked anything yet. All of this, except for the first two facts, I figured from those 156 words I have written so far. And oh, her current name is probably Carthie. I love it. And also she probably doesn't care about relationships after some bad experience. I don't want her to be excited about the soulmate thing, I want her to try to resist this need :l

I have no other characters so far though. Like I know there are going to be two more characters, I know who they are but I don't know as much about them as I do about Carthie.

4. So far, it's a fantasy novel about a girl who has a hidden superpower which gets totally out of control after being revealed, and now she has to find her soulmate who has an opposite superpower (ie speed/time manipulation, ice/fire etc) because they are the only one who can help.

It has to be more developed, I know, I just don't want to spoil anything.

Thanks for the questions, it was so kinda refreshing to reply to them (mostly because this is the stuff I had already figured out), and I'd love to get more! You're such a treasure ♥️

okay my writer’s block is official.

why did it just have to begin right after I got a great wip idea

I wanna sleep and cry

[scruffyssketchbook]

"If no one noticed Speed and co were wilds, and they never were discriminated against in the comic series, what is the point of that plot point from the journals in reference to the main cast in the comic?"

you should ask EV about not a bunch of anons

also it sounds like you don't read the journals out of spite

Author chan: I genuinely don't want to disturb EV with my world building nit picking. Like. The man deals with enough, he doesn't need more of that, especially because the ES we know has ended and he rushed the end of it. (Plus, its scary to talk to him). On the other hand, its really fun talking about ES, and I have nowhere to talk about ES in except this blog (and comic discuss on my server but this blog exploded with ES questions for some reason.)

Its not that I don't want to read the journals out of spite, I just have no interest in reading them. Like. Its so much reading for things that don't even have anything to do with the things about the story that I care about. Kind of the same reason why I skipped through all the berserker virus explanation and only looked at the pictures.

I care about the main characters and their interactions in the comic itself. I couldn't care less about the plot. And if there is something in the comic about the characters that's explained in the journals, I assume its extra info that is not needed to understand the story. The sad thing about ES for me tho, is that the characters and their interactions with each other/development were shafted for that plot in the end.

If I were to make the cheesy Black x Speed fanfic tho, I prolly should sift through the journals to read ones that are strictly world building/ not virus related ones.

🤔

I really don't want to read them though.

HMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM

😐 My mind literally is screaming that it's not worth it.