#this is going to be - and i cannot stress this enough - SO funny to reread when i post my response to your prompt

[thebindingofpillo]

hi, for that ask game. 8, 11, 12, 14, and 18 for bethany (sorry)

This came out SO MUCH LONGER than I expected I’M SO SORRY anyway

8 - Favorite food: these are the kind of questions I can never answer because I literally never think of my characters’ fav foods and whatnot. BUT. I’d say that living with Lazarus (who cannot cook to save his life) and mostly subsisting on ready-made meals, instant ramen and coffee made her incredibly appreciative of anything homemade. Currently she doesn’t know how to cook that well (just enough to not die) but she’d love to learn once she’s done with her studies and won’t be as stressed.

If I had to pick a favorite food above all else… probably something comforting and warm like stew or potato soup, earthy and spiced with lots of meat. Or some other comfort foods like fries or chicken nuggets, but those are for when she’s really down and in need of a pick me up. Dino nuggies, even. I also thought she might like ice cream in some gross artificial flavors like blue raspberry or bubblegum because I think it’s funny.

11 - Biggest fear: Probably being left alone and being singled out as an outcast like it happened in her childhood. She’s spent basically all her elementary/middle school years with only her brother’s company, and while Lazarus did his best to entertain her, he was still 11 years her senior and couldn’t always be there for her. This is also where her faith helped her the most, since she felt that God never truly left her alone. It wasn’t much but it helped push through. Another big one is coming across as fake, more on that later huehue.

12 - Biggest fantasy: OKAY so. This is going to sound hella stupid but Bethany is a hopeless romantic, and being so young she lived right through the YA supernatural paranormal romance craze. She still has a huuuuge collection of books about sexy angels and demons turning into angels and falling in love with pretty human girls. While she’s an adult now and recognizes that many of the tropes used in such fiction were often problematic at best, Bethany still thinks about them and rereads her favorite schlocky books from time to time. Oh to be swept off her feet by a handsome angel man who will love her unconditionally and be united with him in lawful marriage…

Being fiercely catholic, this was also a way for her to explore her desires in a safe space without feeling guilty all the time. She might also have written fanfiction about the Bible but that’s a period of her life she’d rather be buried forever. She’s never let anyone read them (something something catholic guilt about rewriting a sacred text) not even her brother knows about it.

14 - Biggest regret: probably enrolling in university in a major she doesn’t like. She actually really loves learning but she chose in Medicine because she felt the “need” to help people like her brother, not because she was particularly inclined or interested in it. In fact, she’s quite squeamish, and while I don’t actually know if dissecting corpses is part of any medicine curriculum, she’d die if she had to do that. But now she’s in, and she can’t possibly drop out now, not after her parents told her how proud they were and already told all her relatives she’s going to be a doctor, right? That would be such a disappointment, and she’s always been the golden child! Man, I sure hope she doesn’t suffer a major breakdown that will make her rethink her life choices!

18 - Biggest insecurity: oof, she has many. First, the fact that she’s actually quite introverted, but doesn’t want to be “a bummer” so she usually hides it behind a bubbly facade. She’s not really that good with people but dammit, she tries her best. And this usually turns her into a bit of a people-pleaser. The only people who really know her are Lazarus (her brother, 11 years her senior, looked after her since she was born) and the twins (Lazarus’ best friends, basically extra brothers to her) with them she can truly let go and be silly stupid.

Also: her body. She’s had a massive growth spurt during puberty which turned her into a beanpole. She’s around 5’8’’ and flat as a board, which garnered more ridicule in her formative years, so she’s quite self-conscious about how she looks. She tries to play it casual and wear comfy clothes to not drive attention to herself, but deep down she doesn’t really like her body.

ALSO ALSO: she only has male friends. Gee, I hope she doesn’t latch onto Maggy the first girl who shows her a modicum of kindness! She needs some girlfriends.

Last thing, and this is a bit more serious: Bethany is extremely judgy. She’s thoroughly convinced she’s the Most Righteous Person Of Them All, but usually keeps it very well hidden. She’s the type of person to laugh with you while at the same time despising you and she HATES IT. She knows, objectively, that she’s not more right than anyone else, so she tries to act accordingly and not be a bitch, but she still feels those feelings bubble underneath the surface, and she’s deathly afraid her friends and family will see her for the horrible person she secretly is (spoiler alert: she’s not a horrible person. She just has a lot of catholic guilt to work through and will have to learn that just thinking bad things doesn’t make her a bad person. Maggy will probably help her through it, once Bethany takes the stick out her ass and accepts her best friend is poly or something. I promise I have thoughts, it’s just late and I want to get this done sdlkjfhslfkgh)

[valle-de-sombra-de-muerte]

Homestuck Reread: Act 2, Part 3/3 (p. 615-759)

Read the previous post here.

Time to finally wrap up Act 2.

John builds a tent which Rose promptly tosses out the window. Umm... based???

This is Rose's polite way of saying that she's speeding things along since John has mostly been puttering around up to this point.

How many times can Hussie write "listless octoroon" before the NAACP is notified? Seriously, what's his obsession with that phrase? Is it because it sort of borders on being a racial slur without actually being one, so he can use it to his heart's delight and not worry about being called racist? This is the same dude who made Team Special Olympics so I'm not that surprised by his sense of humor.

I'm sure this spurious anecdote of Harry Anderson accidentally chopping off some dude's finger might be amusing for some. I'm not familiar at all with him though, so this does nothing for me.

John's lazy ass sure isn't taking this whole "saving the world" thing very seriously. This is like trying to get your Sim to do chores but they'd rather play video games instead. If only this really was The Sims and she made him drown in a pool or trapped him in a room with no doors.

Rose has honestly been holding his hand the entire way, building up the path to the gate, and even killing most of the imps herself. This is really Rose's game and John is a pawn she has to nudge along toward the goal. I should really accept at this point that John is not the protagonist this story deserves.

Jade's silhouette is briefly teased during this flash where John is asleep. Hussie really wants to keep hyping her up for some reason.

Jade's conversation with John plays out similarly to the one she had with Rose. However, while Rose casts suspicion on Jade's eerie precognition, John is a moron who just goes along with whatever she says. She's straight up gaslighting him here.

Rose and Dave throwing shade at Jade behind her back, combined with the fact that neither of them told her about Sburb, makes it seem like she's an outsider in her own friend group. The way she's able to manipulate John despite the caution expressed by his other friends makes me question again why exactly she wasn't cast as a villain. The pieces are all there!

You know, Nannasprite is also selective about the info she provides to John, but it's explained that the sprites are programmed to act that way. The game intends them to be helpful little tutorial NPCs that dispense info but not too much as to spoil the mysteries of the game. What's Jade's excuse, huh? Is she an NPC too?

And she immediately changes the subject and John rolls with it because he only has one brain cell. I cannot stress enough that Jade's pesterlogs are the most aggravating thing to read thus far.

These ogres have been tailing John for quite some time. We've been getting occasional shots of them getting closer and closer, leading up to this moment. It's some good tension and buildup to what should be John's first big challenge in the game.

But instead of following up with that we go back to Dave for his confrontation with Bro. Okay I guess? I didn't mention it before, but it's a cute detail that Bro makes a reference to Dave's comic in his note.

This is a really good flash, all things considered. Maybe we can execute both fights simultaneously and establish some parallels between how John and Dave overcome their respective adversaries.

The Strider fight is interrupted so we can turn our attention to... the Wayward Vagabond. Oh yeah, there's a brief moment in the flash where it seems like we're going to pivot to Jade's intro, before we turn to WV. I don't know why Hussie keeps pretending like it's going to be so huge when she's finally introduced when all it's going to amount to is a kick in the balls.

Up to this point, we only really got to know WV through his use of the command console. I really did not care for his little "conflict" with John during this time. It wasn't funny, it dragged the pace down while these two butted heads, and it felt like an unnecessary addition to how the storytelling works. What is there to be gained by introducing these command centers where third parties can interact with the characters? If WV can talk to John, who's talking to WV? We had an established third-person, omniscient "reader" that could interact with all the characters, so I suppose it's supposed to be them. But that whole mechanic has become all but obsolete by this point.

Once again, this is not Problem Sleuth. This command interface doesn't work since the reader doesn't have any control over these characters. Hussie clearly had aims to tell his own story without user influence, so this whole storytelling device really shouldn't have existed in the first place.

WV's love of democracy and his desire to be a mayor feels at odds with how bossy he was with John. He didn't try to foster a rapport with John at all, acting more like the tyrants he very much despises.

WV's character is very erratic. He has delusions of grandeur, wishes to be respected and taken seriously, and apparently has no patience for the antics of others. He hates it when John is screwing around and also voices his displeasure when the "reader" inputs a command he finds to be nonsensical.

Yet he is also quite prone to silly behavior and quickly becomes a source of comic relief. This kind of unpredictable behavior can be explained later when we learn of the trauma he suffered on the battlefield. But looking at these antics through that lens does suck a lot of the joy out of them. It's like watching your senile grandfather playing with toy soldiers and reenacting the battles he fought in.

Knowing his backstory and how much of a tragic character WV later turns out to be, it's a little disheartening to see how the fandom at large treats him as this quirky little mascot/pet for the other characters. I don't have anything else to add to that, I just think it sucks.

Anyway, I don't mind the WV stuff too much, but I have to question why we're taking time to focus on him when we could be focusing more on the other characters' plots. This whole section is 91 pages. Surely something more productive could've been used with those pages before the act's end. Why couldn't this have waited for the next act? It's jarring to have this random bout of comic relief at a point in the story where important conflicts should be resolved.

WV finds a stockpile of Tab and becomes enamored with the drink. I don't understand why it's constantly referred to as sugary. It's a zero-sugar soda, so is that part of the joke? Tab is a really dated brand to reference. I don't even remember being it widely available by the time Homestuck was being written. So how many readers would be able to catch that joke? I don't think Hussie knew just how young his audience was going to skew.

Yes, WV's commands were a real waste of time. A rare moment of self-awareness by Hussie, even if I doubt that it registered with him.

It's worth noting that WV considers the green slime unappetizing, even though he previously ate chalk and uranium purely because they were colored green.

[S] WV: Ascend is the End of Act flash for Act 2. It's much grander than Act 1's flash in every way. Lots of great shots, and "Explore" is a really good track. It also goes to show how much more complex things have gotten since Act 1. While the previous flash was focused entirely on John, this one teases the cliffhangers for WV, Rose, Dad, and Dave's individual plots. This cast of characters is ballooning quickly and things are only going to get more convoluted from here.

Is it ever revealed who exactly built the frog temple when the meteor crashed on Earth? This was during the distant past when there wasn't even an ocean, so life didn't exist yet. Did it come into being on its own? I don't care for that.

Enter: Bro. Out of all the cliffhangers presented in this flash, this one is the most hype. Look at the imposing figure his silhouette cuts. You just know this fight is going to be big when we finally get to it.

Act 2 is a mixed bag. I appreciated Rose and Dave's segments, but John and WV's were a big letdown. The plot (or at least John's side of it) is moving along at a snail's pace when it really shouldn't have been. This should've been a big tonal shift where we leave reality and are plunged into the game's world, yet it's mostly trudging along at the same unhurried pace as the previous Act.

The Act should've been very straightforward. It presents us with a clear goal quite early on: John needs to get to the gate that's far out of reach. Okay, how is that accomplished? By John futzing around, arguing with WV, and occasionally fighting imps and collecting grist. Not exactly the most engaging means of solving this problem. And by the end of it, he hasn't even reached the gate! Nothing of note has been accomplished.

We learn about punch card alchemy and more about the cosmology of the Furthest Ring, but I honestly couldn't care less about this world building. It's all so expository and the story takes a great big halt whenever we have to read about it. Yeah Hussie, it sure is cool how you can craft items by combining their cards. It's also great how you made this chess society that's perpetually at war. I sure hope this has some payoff and isn't just window dressing to disguise how little the plot has actually progressed.

I was hoping this Act would lift my spirits and get me engaged with the comic, but all this meandering has left me discouraged. Maybe Act 3 will be better? Oh wait, that's the real Jade-heavy Act, isn't it? Oh fu-

Read the next post here.

[vampirealpaca]

My thoughts on the pjo show (now that the season is over) (this is going to run long) Overall Rating: 8/10 :

Ok first of all, I actually LOVED the show and the cast is literally awesome; I do have some thoughts and feelings tho.

The GOOD :D

The visuals were eating ngl

THE CAST!!!! they literally were amazing cannot stress this enough

I think a lot of the changes were handled super well, especially Medusa (although I don't love all of the changes...see below in the next section lol)

I LOVED the set design for pretty much all of the scenes!!! Like the set & costuming was literally so good; sometimes it looked a little Volume-y but I think it's ok since they also clearly did a bunch of on-location stuff

Driving scene was literally so funny like no notes on that + the acting was On Point pretty much All of the Time.

I actually think they slayed with the special effects

Pretty accurate! (overall a waaaaaay better adaptation than the movies)

BLUE FOOD!!!!

More Sally content was awesome!! And I cannot stress this enough the ACTORS WERE SO GOOD in their roles!! Like I think they were the perfect choices ngl and I hope to see more of them in season 2 (if we get one, idk if its greenlit yet)

I also liked how they focused on Grover's character more (lowkey my fav now)

Genuinely had a great time watching the scenes from the books I've loved since Forever come to life onscreen!

The character dynamics were GIVING

Loved getting more info about Percy's backstory

The way they showed the Mist was honestly so cool!! This might be filed under Visuals but still...it was so cool

Fight choreo fluctuated, but I liked the Percy vs Luke fight (altho the scorpion erasure ;-;)

Again the chemistry with the actors like adkjhfdkjdfkjhdfjkhk I think the acting may have been my fav part honestly lol

All of the easter eggs for the fans!!

Rick's subtle rewriting of the story was sometimes very cool! (Like with the water grabbing Percy etc) --- you can definitely tell that he's thinking about how he'd change the story if he were to write it today

...HOWEVER i have gripes :(

THE LIGHTING WAS TOO DARK IN NIGHT SCENES!!!! HATE THAT TROPE WHY CANT I SEEEEEEEE (looking at u medusa scene)

I feel like they should've fallen into like…at least one trap without Knowing Everything about it. Like, I get the Medusa change and am pretty on board with it, but I feel like a few of the other changes weren't really necessary & messed with the stakes. A lot of the time it felt like I was watching them explain "Oh you're THIS person so you will do THIS so I will do THIS" instead of like...showing me.

Not enough blood (this is prob a Disney problem, not the show creators fault but like...cmon Disney...they have swords, let the children get More Injured...they are Fighting for their Lives)

Felt kinda...dryer than the books? idk how to explain it...like it felt like there wasn't the same Vibes in some parts if that makes sense, like they switched out a lot of funny moments (esp with how they changed Charon and the Crusty scenes lowkey im bitter)

the tone was definitely sometimes waaay different from the books (like it was way more serious I think, which is good sometimes and less good other times)

Idk if this is 100% true bc my last reread was a few months ago, but I think they separated the main trio more than in the book (?), it felt like they were duo-ed with diff members for a lot rather than building off of their main dynamic -- they had some trio moments but ig i just wanted more (again, I could be wrong on this one tho)

Lotus Casino not really being as Fun (the pumping lotus flowers in the air was a cool detail tho!)

It generally felt like they took a lot of the funny parts in favor of talking more about how messed up the gods are (which I liked sometimes!! but the kids are 12 let them have more funny moments too yaknow) (Rip the Died in the Bathtub line...gone but not forgotten)

I really didn't love the changes that made the story feel more Cliche and Basic (the ones that annoyed me were changing the entire DOA to just Some Standard Death Eater Looking Fellow & Annabeth's interactions with Cerebus being completely changed)

Mixed feelings on Gabe...I wanted him to be more evil at the beginning but I get why they changed it ig. Plus he was literally so funny when he (spoilers?) got murdered by opening someone else's mail. That's what happens when you commit a federal crime ig.

General Character Thoughts:

PERCY: Walker Scobell was such a good casting call... like you can tell he really cares about the books & getting the character right. Acting was on point, sass was on point (but I do wish he got to be sassy a bit More); Really gives off the energy of Percy Jackson and definitely was AMAZING in this role!

ANNABETH: She was spectacular in this role!! Leah got literally all of Annabeth down to a T --- her kindness, her pride, her wisdom, etc etc without resorting to any kind of "stock smart girl" vibe. She was literally SO GOOD! I loved seeing her talk about her dad, and the detail about her not having seen a movie is such a mood and so in-character lowkey. Leah really nailed Annabeth's dry humor and general vibe like dfajkhfdjhkfdhjk

GROVER: He was my favorite! Like, his acting was AMAZING fr!!! They brought a lot of newer things into his character that I think worked really well & it definitely strengthened his characterization --- he was also really funny & so sincere I just loved his portrayal of Grover!

HOWEVER I think some of the arcs are shakier since the characters didn't struggle as much, since they were figuring out a Lot of things

Overall, I took 2 points from the rating because the Spirit and Humor weren't fully there and I felt some of the changes made it feel less like the OG and more cliche (looking at u Charon). However, the great acting, pretty slay writing (except for the tone stuff), Vibes, and all the other stuff I think they did right pulled through to get it ranked a little higher lol. Plus, I liked it, even if I didn't like all of it.

No hate if u loved the show adaptation tho!! Feel free to disagree, these are just my thoughts lol. I really genuinely hope there's going to be a season 2, although I would like if they fix a few of these problems in that potential season (please...let me see what's happening in the dark scenes...please...)

[lesharl-eclair]

lewis ot3 fic recs

for @f1ot3fest !! i promised myself i wouldn't ramble but this turned out ridiculously long so ... i actually need to learn to shut up

all fics below the cut; if you enjoyed these fics, please show the authors comment and kudo love; should you be the author of a fic that's here, and don't want to be here, please reach out to me and your wish is my command :)

NO this is so funny bcs half of this is fics by the creator/recced by the creator BUT ITS OK. THESE LITERALLY ARE SO DEAR TO ME *clutches to chest* please go read please go read

***

heist AU by @sionisjaune (sebcedes)

on golden sands (T, 6.2k)

Mark rolls his eyes. “Skip the crap, Jense. Who’s the mark.” Jenson lifts his whiskey and swallows the dregs. “One Baron Nico Rosberg. Currently installed in Greece, inherited the title from his mother. His father—” “Keke Rosberg. 1982 Formula One World Drivers Champion,” says Seb. The others look at him like he’s just materialized out of thin air. Lewis cocks his head thoughtfully, and the bizarre sleeves of his jacket rustle with the movement.

the ships that go sailing (E, 11.7k)

As it turns out, threesomes are not especially logistically challenging when two of the participants are experienced organizers of high-profile heists, and the third is determinedly horny.

err okay i think this was something i read before i had the concept of sebcedes or like ot3s. so it was a pure yOU CAN DO THAT??? visceral reaction the first time i read on golden sands. i was quaking in my seat. anyway upon sufficient rereads i have apparently collected my thoughts enough to say that the first part of the series is nothing like the second in terms of content (i read all the way to the middle of the ships that go sailing and suddenly realised that it was a sequel and uh. had a very violent reaction.)

the premise is wonderful, oceans 11 is great to begin with and the way every detail is taken care of in the au!! the characterisation of it all... the tangled mess of interpersonal relationship... it feels like every character has their space to shine, and this on top of a quasi-convoluted plot is quite incredible. aND THE SEBCEDES OH MY GOD THE SEBCEDES. the denouement. the start of something that seb can;t even begin to imagine. lewis and nico both being batshit crazy. sex retirement fic. somehow you managed to capture all the nuances (brocedes + seb + the emotional push pull + the competition?? a bit of quiet almost fragile sico? the boat scene hello??? brocedes being so chaotic it gives me whiplash?????) i actually cannot get enough of the way you write them

i can probably write so much more about this but i will stop here :0 maybe one day i will rereview this and end up with a five page essay or something. who knows.

***

Circle Endless by @antimonyandthyme (E, 2k) (brocedes + seb)

“It’s a two-for-one deal,” Nico said, very salesman like, as if he sensed Sebastian just needed an extra push.

the vibes here are so horrifically good. lowkey unhealthy. probably one of THE defining brocedes + seb fics - it's set up and played out as a 2v1 (in 2016!!), and the toxicity of it all is so asasasandsjfadjsfasdfs . there's so much conflict everywhere: within seb, the way brocedes also fight for dominance on the bed (bc of course they do), seb needing more despite whatever it's doing to him... that scene with kimi is pure poetry. so much to unpack in so little, and excellent excellent sex

***

made a hundred good stories by @red-flagging (E, 24.6k) (for a kinkmeme prompt) (alex + sewis)

“That problem you were telling me about,” Seb says, giving Alex a meaningful look. “I wanted to know if you wanted us to help you take care of it. Lewis and I.” This isn’t happening. Alex is having the most stressful, least erotic wet dream of all time. Helmut has gotten bored of subtle nudges and has graduated to full-on psychological warfare to get Alex to quit on his own and save the team from having to buy out his contract. Lewis actually did give him a concussion in Austria, and the long-term brain damage is only now starting to set in. "...You can't be serious," Alex says weakly. Seb shrugs. “You don’t have to say yes,” he says. “But if you’re just looking to have some fun–it might as well be with people who know what they’re doing.”

ok claire. coherence.

I CANNOT BE NORMAL ABOUT THIS FIC LIKE AT ALL??? i have tried so many times

the alex characterisation. the hellhole that is redbull. the exhaustion. so much DETAIL that it's painful to look at

the galex? the galex. oh my god the way it meanders in all the little spaces between alex's frankly ridiculously busy life, the LAYERS. the so much unsaid & the way they dance around each other even in texts. the way alex holds himself back but still wants.

alex/seb. seb being an all round menace to society (Quite honestly, he sort of forgets the conversation with Lewis even happened up until Bahrain, when Seb sidles up to him on some balcony on Thursday and says, casually, “So, gay cruising, eh?”) ?????? ? ? ? ? the perfect timing of seb's proposition. so much else but the deviousness of it all..

that little bit with alex and lewis. the painful awkwardness of that conversation (but also how much lewis eventually got out of it). seb's retirement & lewis' instant protectiveness!! ^^

the racing metaphors are so apt somehow (and even more fitting because alex has basically been consumed by the redbull grind........) this is a detail i personally really really enjoyed

THE SEX bro i cannot even?????? ???? i cannot do it justice here but um. the sewis is clearly there and framed so strikingly against a hesitant tired alex. the games sewis play. LEWIS GUIDING ALEX.SFSHHGSHGHHHHGG the car's still spinning and the walls that don't exist...... how at the end of it all it's still only glimpses of sewis that alex gets but how it's enough for him to maybe start figuring things out with georgie.... the post sex clarity....

oh this was so damn incoherent wasn't it. this fic made me, to quote @kritischetheologie, reconsider everything i thought i knew about alex albon.

***

a bedroom where your heart is by @hungerpunch (M, 1.5k) (vasewis)

“Someone will have to go for ingredients,” Valtteri says. He does not happen to keep vegan cheese stocked. “I vote the youngest,” Sebastian says, grin sly. Valtteri blinks. “Wait—” “Sorry,” Sebastian says, affecting a suspiciously convincing faux innocence, as if he’s truly apologetic but his hands are simply tied. “Seniority rules.”

closing this with some good achingly wholesome content. FOOD AS LOVE and i am so so so here for it oh my goddddd ... val taking care of sewis and finding the greatest satisfaction from it/it not being always about the sex (though the sex IS good!) and finding contentment in those small domestic-bliss moments/the scene-setting, the food described as lovingly as it's prepared, the quiet early-hour moments and seb in a way the middleground between val's discipline and lewis' indulgence when it comes to mornings... there's so much to just revel in and enjoy here!! a comfort fic in the truest senst of the word. :)

***

that was long. and probably extremely incoherent. oh well. thanks for reading till the end and remember to show the authors some love!!

as always, if you enjoyed this, or if i missed any fic, please let me know :) drop me an ask mayhaps if you would like more fic recs, and i will try my best to give timely unqualified opinions <3

[firesign23]

Can you tell me about The Queen's Thief at middle? (at length might be too much for my currently achievable level of attention 😅)

WELL, good news, I did something very stupid yesterday and mid-length is probably the most I can type right now 😂

So, my caveats I always supply before starting my rec:

The first book in the series is middle grade fiction. It’s good middle grade fiction with a lot of the same skillful execution that makes me feral for the series, but there is a maturity jump from book one to book two, and I recommend you read at least a little into book two before deciding if the series is for you. AFTER book one.

GO IN BLIND. I cannot stress enough how good it is to go in blind. No art. No reviews. Just buckle in and see where you end up. The series is good even when you know what is coming--and that’s a whole point later on--but that first exquisite moment where all the threads pull together? Experience it, you’ll thank me

Now, to keep this short I shall bullet point. Or try to. Parts of this will require a lot of “Trust me, it’s worth it” because, well, see above re: spoilers.

The series is set in a historical pseudo-Mediterranean locale, which is honestly fantastic. Really sort of blends the worlds of Greek myths and Tolkien bucolic fantasy that was many fantasy fans gateway drugs, while also feel entirely distinct. I know fantasy has spread out its influence to cultures beyond western Europe nowadays, but the first Queen’s Thief book was published in 1996 so it was definitely early to adopt that. 

The actual fantasy element is handled in such a fun way? To say too much means spoilers, but it is a story about people first and foremost, and the fantasy elements just give the plot a push from time to time. 

And oh god, the people. THE PEOPLE. I love these characters. I named my cat after one of them. My youngest child has decided that Gen is his favourite character of all time and dressed up as him for a school event. But the characters in this series are just… they’re wonderful. They are complex, with their own motivations and histories and views. My kid went from hating to loving a character in the second book in a single chapter because we got to see who they were and how they came to be that person. There are disabled characters and queer characters, but never in a way that feels checkmarky. They are funny and harsh and kind and just… human, in a way that brings me so much joy.

And not only are the characters great alone, their relationships? Again, spoilers, but this series has so many good relationships. Romantic and platonic and antagonistic. Family of choice to the EXTREME. Unlikely friendships. There is a moment in a later book where two characters hold hands and I teared up. 

THE. WRITING. I could go on and on and fucking ON about the writing, whole post in itself. But it makes me feral. The books’ use of perspective are art, absolutely exquisite. Each book does something unique with the narrative point of view, and does it deliberately. The first person perspective is telling us a story, and tells us what he wants us to know. The historical record makes the characters the most human by letting us see behind the Great Events. It’s just one of my favourite examples of POV I’ve ever read.

The narrative never lies to us, but trusts the reader to draw connections. This is one of those “Makes more sense with spoilers” moments, but the writing is incredibly good at telling us everything we need to know exactly when we need to know it, and not before. And it results in this fantastic joy when it all pulls together--it’s not really plot twists, because we have been told (almost) everything, but you get an incredible payoff.

The books get better with every reread. I was recently working through the second book with my kid, who devoured The Thief two years ago (and probably a dozen times since) but wanted to be a bit older before tackling the rest of the series, and I was still catching details that I had missed or forgotten from previous reading. 

The contents of the stories are just… there’s war and grief and rage, politic machinations, trauma, betrayal. And the narrative doesn’t handwave those things, but it doesn’t wallow in delight in them either. It’s just a series that takes you by the hand and says “Bad things happen, and we will live with those things forever, but it doesn’t have to define you. What’s important is the connections we make with other people, who will catch you when you fall.” Reading the series leaves me with that same hopefulness that drew me to Discworld? I may not be explaining it well.

The actual writing style, on top of being masterful, is so much fun. It’s sparse, but in a way that makes every word feel important. It’s delightfully funny, heartbreaking, evocative. Just a joy to sink into. 

And I just realised this is definitely getting long, so I’ll stop for now. But I highly, highly, highly recommend the series. And hey, if this made anyone want to vote for The Queen’s Thief, the poll is here!

(Also, if you do read it and like the series, the author is on tumblr and is an interesting person to follow. Just don’t do it before reading, because occasional spoilers)

[apricusapollo]

Your last post is so right. It's sometimes so absurd it becomes funny. Like i have distinct memories of being asked in elementary school who has someone in their family who has been deported, and like half the class raising their hands. It's not just numbers on wikipeadia for us. It's our heritage.

And like how does anyone have illusions that the USSR was good in general, even excluding the obvious genocidal acts. Like you often couldn't get basic commodities. None of these american lefties could handle that lmao. But yes, it was definitely very fun for us, hiding national flags in the deepest corners of the house, being afraid that your neighbors could rat on you and you'd get sent somewhere who knows where or get shot in the head in the Corner House. Exceptional poets being censored and having to toe the party line. Mhmmmm how I'd love to go back

I truly think that the people who genuinely, wholeheartedly believe that ussr was good they just have never opened a history book. like. I cannot even stress it enough.

"but– but living was affordable–" MY GUY THEY MURDERED PEOPLE WHO SPOKE A WORD AGAINST THEIR DICTATORSHIP??? WHAT LIVING ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT???

I'm so tired of westerners being so fucking ignorant like so many people died because of that tyrannical rule and maybe if they bothered for a second to look up 1937 repressions WHICH IS LITERALLY CALLED GREAT PURGE, they wouldn't be saying whatever the fuck came first in their minds.

OH MY GODDD DON'T EVEN GET ME STARTED ON THE CENSORSHIP JESUS there's this one short georgian story and there's a scene where a couple of writers from 1960s are waiting for their writing to be approved but the papers come back covered in red lines because of censorship. I read that story at the age of 11 and recently remembered the name and printed it out to reread it because the impact it left on me is unexplainable.

like, the russian empire from 1800 to 1917 and then ussr from 1921 to 1991 did everything in their power to destroy everything that was valuable to us georgians - our religion, our ethnicity, our culture, our language, our traditions - so fucking pardon me if I don't want to hear what rebecca from arizona has to say about the soviet union and how "hot" stalin was in his youth like FUCK OFF AND KYS!!!!

[bonesandthebees]

Okay so I don’t have much time, cus that chapter took me like 1, 5 h to read (a combination of my dyslexia being a bitch, me watching Phil’s qsmp kitchen building stream in the background, and me constantly having to take a moment (TM) to process, scream and or squeal because you writing is giving me many emotions tonight. Anyway, have some delayed ‘live’ reactions.

So the chapter summary in combination with the chapter starting before they are back at the temple instantly shot my anxiety through the roof. My adrenaline was pumping (for most of the chapter actually).

Also, it’s good that you reminded us Wilbur hit his head cuz I had legitimately forgotten that bit. And the fact that he hit his head is important because my mans is bleeding. BEE, this is head wound number TWO! BEE, aren’t you put him through enough? Doesn’t he have enough trauma? Does he need the physical injuries too?

Anyway, I’m sure Wilbur walking in Injured was good for Phil’s heart rate. Not as bad as finding out both of them are missing though. But the realisation that Wilbur is bleeding reframes that entire scene because Phil was looking at Wilbur for an entirely different reason than he thought it was. I have yet to reread it, but I look forward to doing that tomorrow.

I gotta love Tommy getting grounded. Welcome to the average teenage experience. [Without thinking, the Pythia huffed out a, “Or what, you’ll ground me too?”

Phil gave him a flat stare. “Yes.”] let me tell you, I cackled. I have to pause for a solid minute to laugh. Congratulations, Wilbur, making up for teenage experience you’ve never had.

And the rest of this chapter is basically just sand duo. There is so much sand duo. I am living my best life. I am being fed. I have so much to analyse. But the summary the chapter summary should have been Wilbur speed-running getting adopted by Phil or Phil speed-running adopting Wilbur. Listen it’s some good father-son bonding with the regular dose of trauma dumping form Wilbur. And an equally expected dose of Phil hearing how shit Wilbur has been treated and adopting him on the stop. And I’m starting to think Kristin has been trying to pspspsps him so she can adopt him since the moment he stepped into the temple (and let me tell you I SCREAMED at that chapter end).

(also, rip Tommy, also, also, Techno burned the Aardvark, I’m sure he’s having a fun time with Tommy bored out of his mind, also, also, also, Wilbur still complimenting Niki’s bread even if he probably hasn’t talked to her in a week).

Anyway, I gotta go now! I’ll be back to scream more later! Thanks for the content! Thanks for the sand duo! I’m going to pray my room has cooled down cuz I will not be able to fall asleep when it’s 30 degree Celsius.

-🌲

I have no idea how you were watching phil's stream while reading the chapter I cannot watch streams while reading fics (tbh I can't do much of anything when reading I have to put my full focus in it to process the words) so kudos to you for that even if it took a bit longer to read

oh yeah I knew everyone was going to brush over wilbur hitting his head at the end of the last chapter. it was such a 'blink and you'll miss it' moment bc I didn't even include it 'onscreen' and just described it happening from afar. it was meant to be very subtle so that when it gets pulled into focus in the next chapter the readers are just as surprised as wilbur is about it

also it was a MINOR wound i swear he did not get head trauma from this one he just cut his eyebrow he's okay 😭

phil was lucky he didn't have a damn heart attack that night. the man went through so much stress and then his son and the pythia they kidnapped stroll back in all casually, and the pythia is BLEEDING and neither one of them even seems to notice

wilbur's gotta get the average teen experience at one point in his life right?? I was very proud of that line lol it was so funny to me

this chapter was especially fun for me to write bc of all the sand duo. god as much as I love crimeboys I had so much fun writing sand in stars, that I was SO happy getting to dive back into their dynamic in this chapter. sandduo just hits different fr. they did so much bonding.

techno felt a headache coming on the second he heard tommy call his rag 'clementine' he is suffering so much to make sure that kid does his damn chores

glad you saw the subtle nod to complimenting niki's baking even if they're still in a very uncertain place with each other :)

can't wait to hear the rest of your thoughts!! also oh god 30 degrees that's really not fun. I hope you get a cool breeze through your windows tonight o7

[lucysarah-c]

*deep breath*

Hello.

I dont think there are words in the English vocabulary to explain how much I love holy ground so I wont even try.

But but, I just wanted you to know that I started this series yesterday and I finished it today. I LITERALLY HAVE EXAMS GOING AND I CANNOT BRING MYSELF TO GIVE A FUCK BECAUSE WOWOWIWEOSJSGHD YOU WRITE SO GOOD I AM CRYING LAUGHING I LOVE YOU SMSM PLS DONT EVER STOP WRITING PLS WRITE MORE AND MORE BECAUSE YOU ARE AMAXING EXTRAORDINARY SUPER COOL AND HOLY SHIT SO POETIC SO BEAUTIFUL THIS IS THE BEST LONGFIC I'VE EVER READ THANK YOU SM FOR WRITING THIS.

okay, I'm sorry, I'm normal now.

But literally I love you so much. Not only can you write so well but you can also draw?? Wtf?? Can you step on me please? So maybe I could have some shred of your talent?

Literally love your sense of humor. Can't remember the last time I laughed so hard. The banters between levi/mike and levi/reader was hilarious. I also cried a hell lot because i relate a lot to how you wrote reader and I think so reading the story kind of healed me because Levi is the type of person I need in my life.

I'm sorry I rant a lot.

Byt thank you.

And I love you.

<3

Ok… I… I simply have no words to thank you enough for this, for your sweet words, your enthusiasm, your support, everything! I wanted to take my time to reply to you properly, but since I read your message in my inbox, it made my day, my night, my week, haha. I was almost in tears-

100% no fake picture of me reading your message:

Don't ever apologize for ranting! This was amazing! Thank you so much, from the bottom of my heart <3

Hahaha, honestly, nobody has asked me to step on them before; it was hilarious. I bet you're extremely talented on your own, and there must be a bunch of people who admire you <3 You truly don't need me to be talented <3 But thank you! I always say that writing and drawing are both a blessing and a curse. When I'm writing, I think I should be drawing, and when I'm drawing, I think I should be writing. Haha, the stress never stops.

Ahaha, I'm so glad you find my sense of humor funny. Sometimes I have a blast while writing certain chapters, particularly the "guys" hangouts (Erwin, Hange, Mike, and Levi). I think, "Does anything that I write ever make someone laugh?" Sometimes, I reread old chapters, laugh, and then say, "I'm hilarious." So thank you! Thank you for making me feel I'm not laughing alone, lol.

BTW, a little spoiler for you! In the next chapter, the boys' hangout is back. Mike, Hange, Levi, and Erwin will have a blast, so I hope you have a good fun time reading about them again <3

About the reader, I'm happy and also sad you relate to her. Happy that I was able to write an MC that made you feel seen and understood, but also sad because I wish no girl in this world should feel the way she feels. So I'm sending you the TIGHTEST hug in the world, smooches with a lot of love, and, obviously, my best successful wishes for your ongoing exams! I'm not wishing you luck because I'm so sure you've got this; you're already succeeding <3

Don't thank me; thank you for reading, coming here, leaving this beautiful message, and supporting me and my art <3

I love you too from the moon and back!

Stay safe!

[strititty]

per my last reblog i decided to ramble in about nerds aint got shit, my most popular fic.

well, ostensibly i’m rambling about that but honestly i have 3 am motormouth and i took an edible so im just in that sort of mood, you know. all philosophical like. more under the cut

i wrote that fic in 2015 for drone season, when i was living in - and i cannot stress this enough - the MIDDLE OF FUCKING NOWHERE, though not as much as i would be the year afterward. my internet was shitty cornfield hotspot net and it was the summer after my first year of college so i had a helluva lot on my mind already.

the original document was just a little notepad file with word wrap turned on cuz that’s how i used to write all my shit, and i’d send people wips via pastebin. can you even imagine? PASTEBIN? i use google docs now but sometimes i wonder if i should go back to notepad lmao. smaller size, less evil google involved. when i was a kid i used word, though i can’t remember when that stopped being a thing. might have been during high school.

since i wrote nerds aint got shit so shortly after i had graduated high school i had a very clear picture of my OWN high school in my head, which probably lends itself to some weird stylistic quirks. my high school was very very small. i shan’t name it, of course, lmao, what am i some sort of fool? but it was tiny as hell and that tends to infect any sort of high school adjacent au i write. rereading it i can so clearly picture MY high school that it’s frankly a little funny.

fortunately my high school only had one creepy teacher and it wasnt the PE teacher + we got his ass fired, but fiction makes for a much more fun place to explore these sorts of ideas for me. idk why i have such a thing about age differences & teacher/student fics but i SURE DO.

i can still remember the summer days writing this fic, kind of, in a hazy way. i remember my phone being the only way i could connect with my friends and loved ones, and the sun beating down, and the way things were far too hot in my little room. my cat had gotten out and gotten pregnant by a farm cat, so i had to cough up money to get her fixed - she should have been already but the people i lived with were less concerned about that sort of thing and i’d been at college so i hadn’t been able to make my case. the kittens were cute but tiny and stunted b/c my cat was very young and small & only two of them survived. i think the third one was stillborn and that my cat ate that one, but since i wasn’t there when they were born i didn’t get a lot of the details.

i still think about this fic sometimes for the memories it draws up and the plans i have to revamp and add on to it--my initial idea was a sort of 7 day format where dave goes back to bro every day of the week, but that was a plot for when i was a more prolific writer with a clearer grasp of smut. now im lucky if i can get a coherent smutty fic down in a few weeks god save me lmao. i don’t know if it’s because i’m older or just a little more burned out.

it was a fun idea though and i do semi frequently consider revisiting it, especially when i get the energy and inspiration to write strider stuff. right now that energy is being conserved for certain other works but hey you never know.

i feel like there’s also a hundred points i could make about how my most popular fic is also my oldest homestuck fic, like. yeah, okay, homestuck was more popular back then, so it makes sense that it would have more kudos and what not. hs fanfic is a much quieter affair now, between the fandom controversy, the natural drop that happens after something ends, and how half of all fandom seems to be girlbossing too close to the hayes code. brodave used to get you 200 kudos and now you get like 20!

and you know i don’t like. hate that. i do post for engagement but i never really expected to be POPULAR you know what i mean? more like sharing this thing i wrote about something i’m interested in-- “i wrote this for me but you can read it too, please enjoy!” energies. but i think that it’s so interesting that something that is now approaching its eighth birthday (What The Fuck) had its biggest surge of participants ages ago. i wonder what they’re doing now and actually whatever theyre doing i hope theyre having fun with it but i don’t need to know because i’ve been burned before okay. ppl turning into fancops or whatever. shitty as hell.

the hour grows late so i shall return to the actual topic at hand:

nerds aint got shit’s ill-begotten romance. that shit was gonna be so toxic. i was definitely gonna write dave growing to sympathize with bro, kind of, with his crush fueled by terror kicked into overdrive. bro’s kind of a sad and pathetic weirdo even though to dave (and this is real, not imagined, dave’s not making it up) he is a significant threat. and dave was going to start to pick up those sad jerk vibes in addition to the horny vibes and start to, in an almost lalondian fashion, romanticize the shit out of it.

in a manner of speaking, anyway. im not sure if that was my full plan or what but there’s also just the gremlin brain breathing heavily going “god this is my favorite dynamic” which back then was fairly true. i had also written almost 20k of original teacher/student fiction so romanticizing that was not a new concept to me. i think there’s a part of me that does want to be in that place, you know, but from a safe distance where it’s also just fun and games.

that’s why fics are fun! that’s why trashy romance is fun :) insert something about ace kink here. i do not want to actually touch it but mentally touching it is ok.

nowadays i don’t write so much teacher/student fic tho im still hells of deep in my love of age differences. more often than not i find myself kind of drawn to a cougar/kid in their late teens dynamic nowadays for original fiction, tho i also love ancient vampire/regular human and just minor age and experience differences.

(jotting down ‘rose lalonde as a cougar’ for a future fic idea thanks)

i think ive grown away from this fic mostly, but it feels like a wild time capsule to me, and maybe one day i will unearth it to add more. maybe in 2025 for the a ten year anniversary.

[lavena]

Adding my list here because I cannot get enough of this boy, there is alot, I have a problem

Frozen peas by RoseGanymede95

Sandberg movie billy dealing with what happens in the foster system and realizing that the Vasquezs are actually good. It surprises him. (Amazing billy and Victor moments and just aughh he gets a dad perfect)

Learning to Live by ChaoticallyFluffy @chaoticallyfluffy

Where the League thinks cap is just a creation type thing and never got to live which yknow they're not wring about, but this poor homeless boy lis just a little confused

I'm Still Here by Always_tortu

2nd book, so read the 1st one, it's super short. Pretty much billy was hurt pretty bad, is now mute, loving with the batfam who don't know he's cap. Meanwhile the League finds that cap is missing, and the animals of the world, the weather, and foreign governments are all angry that the champion is missing.

The Champion of Magic and His Silver Tongue by Kinglvffy

Billy is placed in a meta fighting ring, kicks but and finds out batman is his dad. (Features uncle Constantine which batman in jelly of and auntie and uncle Rulers of the underworld)

Young Is The Age, But Old Is The Mind by That_one_demonic_entity

The usual shenanigans of deaged cap but really just billy. Need more of these stat

I didn't lie! You just assumed! By boing

Deaged shenanigans again but this time everyone thinks he is an ancient Greek. Also need more of this asap

Play Pretend by Electricdazeworld

More deaged shenanigans, quality and tawky tawney makes an appearance

Billy Bat Son by Maru101

I think you can figure it out. Really funny

Weep, Little Lion Man by Shleapord

From a tumbler prompt of billy throwing a brick at a cop car and confusing the jl

Of Gods and Bats by Splitmeadow

Amazing billy adopted by the batfam

Preteen Parenting: The Marvelous misadventures of the worlds weirdest found family by ImNotBuyingItEither (hmm winder why that names looks familiar, I'll give you 3 guesses as to why)

Billy does a good job parenting the technically baby, teenage superboy

Lightning In A Bottle by WingsOfTheDamned

Cannot stress enough how good the oneshots are like, you have to read all of them and then follow their next book of the same type and make sure you have notifs on cause I swear when I get the emails that they update I will drop everything, including but not limited to sleep, math exams, people talking to me, and probably an emergency should one arise, just to read everything they post.

5 Times The Justice League Met Members Of The Shazamily (And The One Time They Realised Why They Hadn't Been Introduced) by Amanita_Cynth

Shazamily meets jl need I say more

Marvelous Traditions by Oka_Hills1232

Holiday themed eldritch horror and elsewise cap. Love it ×100000

we have nothing to fear except ourselves by suzukiblu @suzukiblu

The one in which cap doesn't understand why superman can't take superboy, and once given the means to, he adopts the boy himself. And he is doing so good. ( this is the first book, that's just him deciding to do it the others have more story so read the whole series)

Billy Batson: The Patron Saint of Child Heros by Billy_and_Friends

The highest of quality billy looking out of the other kids emotionally. Amazing have reread so many times, including last night

Billy Batson is Tiny by Billy_and_Friends

The rest of their fics with billy in them

In which Billy Adopt a Clone by Achilliesikea123

If superboy had been rescued sooner. Featuring billy singing a lullaby and being the only rational being in the jl

A Marvelous Hero by Reyra98

An absolutely amazing must read istg

I told you I have a problem, we aren't even halfway done with my bookmark list. I'll be back to edit this more as I have more time.

I have to go do math :(( I hate calc

hi hi very politely requesting Billy Batson fic recs

Well I can’t not instantly answer that question in saying Wolfsbanesparks and Starkvenger have a lot of my go to and favorite fics for the little guy, just off the top of my head.

“Man’s best friend” is a Starkvenger fic I really liked, among the many others they have.

Kenandelzia has some hilarious fics based off the art they make.

“PowerPoints, property damage, and child soldiers …among other things” makes me laugh

“A total cat-astrophe” by Fluffypanda

“Stripes” by CheeseSnack is a sweet fic

“The Fawcett Underground” by blue_bees is a really sweet fic with Billy and Plastic man, which is a friendship I find myself really liking especially with the homeless Billy fics

“No one is going to believe you” by Oka_Hills1232 is a funny identity reveal fic

“A day in the life of Batman” by TaxiCabToSlowtown is the one shot that inadvertently inspired Bat-Swap for me, and ironically Bruce and Billy aren’t the ones body swapped

“Charred” by AzuraJae also an inspiration and angsty

Not exactly Billy but I’d be remiss if I didn’t recommend “Marvelous assumptions” by Jedi_Olympian. I really liked it and think it’s cute

“I am not a prince” by Oka_Hills1232 is delicious and I cannot get enough of it. Black Adam steps up and does the “is no one going to take care of this small child?” And didn’t wait for the answer

“Conspiracies, friendships, and superheroes—oh my!” Is funny

“Statute of limitations” by Oka_Hills1232 is another funny reveal fic

I’ve got others, I don’t keep track well and just use my browsers “add to reading list” to save and store fics

[paper-girls]

A’s fic recs to cry your heart out to

aka fics i cried over.

hey lads. it’s been a while. so i return with sad stuff! that says a lot about my mental state probably. oh i started uni and it’s been awful. cold pizza is shockingly good. anyway. these are all gonna be angst with a happy ending cause i’m weak and don’t like characters to be sad forever. there’s gotta be a resolution. or maybe some sickly sweet fluff. it’ll be a fun surprise. just read the tags.

fic rec masterlist

sad bois away!

SakuAtsu

The Story of Us by thesweetestnerd

a classic, i know. if you’ve been around for a while you’ve probably at least heard of this one. or i’m biased. anyway it’s a great read. i’ve reread it like five times and i cry every time. i bet you two crisp high fives you’ll cry too. 

Do I dare disturb the universe? by han_ying

have you ever wondered what a different choice would make your life like? have you ever been offered a cookie by a small orange man? no? well kiyoomi gives it a go. take a hard look at your life after this one. 

Quarantine conversations by lettersinpetals

hey covid coping mechanism! how about you incorporate realism! you’d think spending all day every day with someone you love would be heaven yeah? well. sometimes people are emotionally constipated. i’m looking at you kiyoomi. this is a call out post. 

When Atsumu Thinks About Love by GlitchyCookie

stress stress stress and feeling left behind. all things weddings bring. dances are also things that happen at weddings. so do kisses. took my heart out and put it in a bag with broken glass. at least it was polished at the end. 

a soft place to call home (series) by yee_haw23

it’s so funny to me someone called yee_haw23 can deliver such and emotionally devastating series of fics. the one’s about loss and loneliness really get me can you tell. but yeah. being alone is never fun especially when it’s rubbed in your face. 

Bound by internetpistol 

not a bondage fic. shockingly. it is about being bound to someone and something though. and about fate. how something is bound to happen based on your decisions. 

IwaOi

Ruin the Friendship by thesweetestnerd

some things were made to be messed up. like finger paint, tissues, and socks after a long day. what’s important to know is that messing something up is not the end of it, but a change of its’ shape. 

Desperado by Verbrennung

hey kid you wanna read a heist au? what about a getting back together fic? yeah? yeah i got you. crime and love what a perfect combination. honestly, this is one of my personal favourites like ever. i cannot recommend this one enough. i may have also made a playlist inspired by it and if anyone wants it simply ask. 

please disregard my house of cards (built from mistakes) by rekamohcs

softish. gratuitous plant imagery. shenanigans and tomfoolery. and it’s a university au. what more could you ask for. this fic gets a big fuzzy hug from me. and it made me feel things that weren’t necessarily sadness but made me cry nonetheless.

AsaNoya

Vienna Waits For You by Pouler (poulerslashes)

emotionally destroyed me. do not read if you’re not looking to be sad for a few days. or a few hours. depends on how fast you read but the aftermath is certainly long. loss is hard, but sometimes things aren’t as far as you’d think.

BokuAka

Behind Bricks by DeathBelle

it’s been around for a while but still gets me. prostitute au. sometimes plans get changed, for better or for worse. and sometimes things simply fall into place. 

Rules by ConesOfDunshire

also a fan favourite. it’s me i’m fan. i just cannot get over positive depictions of autism. like. it’s not that hard but they went off in this one. do i cry? yeah. sometimes i remember this and go back and read a section of it. it’s not just a fic it’s an investment.

the strange music of your heart by caniculeo

someone’s gotta fall first. who better than akaashi? bokuto is unsure. they work it out. i would like to pack this fic a lunch, give it a little kiss on the forehead, and send it off to school. 

DaiSuga

Black and Blue by MTrash (Makaria)

so first things first this fic has references to abuse so note that down. secondly, everyone lives in the same building but it’s a very gay building. thirdly, yeah i cried reading it sue me. this is my sad fic rec list.

Just Another by Mooifyourecows

so moo is actually a favourite of mine, and if you’re in the market for daisuga content, they have a lot. i love me a good unrequited-love-but-not-actually-it-just-took-some-figuring-out and also emotional constipation breakthrough fic. 

Misery’s Company by Mooifyourecows

i wasn’t lying about loving their content. so take another. but this one has a clever plan that may or may not work. sometimes relationships don’t work and sometimes you gotta fuck with everything to get everything right. 

i for sure have more but i don’t wanna put everything on one lest i overwhelm you. i realize some of the descriptions/reviews sound like tarot/oracle card meanings and i have nothing to say to that. i wrote this whole shebang in one go where the other ones can take days to months. maybe i’m procrastinating studying for exams. i hope you enjoy reading them as much as i did. and feel free to request more. i’ll get around to it eventually. 

go forth and read my dears. 

[sassynosubete]

everything wrong with show colin bridgerton

It’s 2am but I’m SO disappointed that I let go of any thoughts of sleep and welcome the one emotion I usually do not harbor. Anger. Season 2 of Bridgerton was a mess for sure. If you enjoyed it, fine, no offense. But for readers, it was a mess. Kanthony is my second fave ship from the book series and although I loved the (super duper sexual) dynamic between actors, I didn’t get enough of,,,,,kanthony? Like, the season wasn’t about them.

It was about ruining characters. You might argue that how can they ruin something they barely established in the first season so I’ll repeat, I’m a book stan. I’ve read Romancing Mister Bridgerton more than I would like to confess. It’s embarrassing. Since my fave Bridgerton is this guy named Colin Bridgerton, just like any other Polin stan, I had expectations.

They were destroyed by the first season. Colin is a very complex character and he has his own share of flaws. I would never argue that he is perfect because he clearly isn’t. However, the book Colin never had a major romantic plotline before Pen. He wasn’t even particularly interested in relationships in my opinion. He had issues with his place in the world, society, in his own family. Obsessed with leaving a heritage or “something of importance” behind him, he tried to escape his demons while traveling around the world. He couldn’t.

Penelope helped him to chase away his demons.

Instead of this well-written version, we had a heartbroken, traumatised boy full of trust issues because of the most unnecessary plotline. Whatever, I got over it.   Then boom! This dumb, pathetic manchild literally went to the house of a married woman with 2 children, tried to get her back after rejecting her, and got DRAGGED by the same woman. Tbh, I’m not a huge fan of Marina but I was rooting for her when she simply said: What the fuck is wrong with you?

Because, same, what the fuck is wrong with this guy? This is not Colin Bridgerton. This is someone else!

You might say: “Well, the writers are doing it to build a base to make him more mature in next seasons!” The man acts like he’s 13. He cannot get any more childish than that. The way he handled the Featherington scheme was so hard to watch. Still, he tries to escape the reality, funny dude, we get it - but on top of all that, they decided to add the FAMOUS “I would never marry Pen” line.

It wasn’t the OG one, it was just there to sprinkle more pain onto Pen.

BUT:

We didn’t see the reaction of Colin seeing Pen hurt. 

The talk wasn’t between brothers but a chat between members of the society that always excluded Pen. 

Its effect on the story was barely seen because the timing was off.

Basically, Colin was a full asshole this season (except like... 2 scenes). Notice how I didn’t include the part where he said that he doesn’t see Pen as a woman. Because that’s book accurate. However, the Marina plot and the following pathetic manchild vibes throughout the season.... ruined him for me. I don’t know how the writers plan to develop his character after this point, I honestly have no idea how he can be saved from being the worst ML of the series.

I still can’t believe Marina had to tell Colin about Pen’s importance. I can’t stress this enough, this changes the whole dynamic of the book. Colin was the Bridgerton who had to learn how to be in peace with the fact that he’s a Bridgerton. He struggled to find an ideal and shape himself to fit the standards that weren’t expected from him. He was full of flaws yet perfect in the eye of everything he wanted to escape and serve at the same time. His relationship with love was supposed to be this weak link, barely visible, mainly connected to how he never let others perceive the real him as he never let himself perceive the real Pen.

I’m so sad. One of my favorite characters got destroyed by Netflix. I want to say that I’m hopeful for the next season but I am not. I wish, I were. If you excuse me, I’ll go and reread Romancing Mister Bridgerton again. I’m mourning the loss of a loved one.

[malt-rants-and-stuff]

okay switching to reblog bc its easier than just replying. ignore the time it took to get these i was rereading come of them and got emotional but here are some from me, though most arent very recent lol:

The Children's Rebellion is forever a huge recc of mine, classic dsmp fic and the series is just such an amazing read. Though be warned the sequel hasnt updated in a year but it doesnt really matter when the rest of it is completed. Awesome sci-fi star trek inspired space au mind the tags :)

going the complete opposite direction, All Together Getting Out Of The Hole Together is a newer fic but still amazing, boreal trio supremacy!! just a warm and healing fic about mental illness and healing together :)

The Dread Pirate Ranboo is yet another classic that i hold so close to my heart. techno and ranboo found family my beloveds, with good heaps of beeduo and just general sbi extended family content to heal all wounds and create them at the same time.

there is this fic which is just pure crack. you can check it to see the name yourself it is just all around a funny time and a good throwback to how we were all coping with limbo being a thing.

His Curse of Binding you may of heard of from others, it is THE tommy au fic i can not reccomend it enough. the angst is supreme the dynamics are amazing.

Hush Now is probably one of my favorite fics that came out of the dsmp superhero au boom, classic and a good read. lots of awesome whump. sadly incompleter but it has lots of chapters!

i saw youve read tumoasd and i know most people dont really mention it but eneli wrote many awesome fics while in the fandom not just that, so if you liked their writing they have a series of their other works called the ecu which id say are all amazing to read.

Lost In The Woods Somewhere fae tubbo beeduo horror au, one of my favorites, along with just about anything Hellenite has ever written like the Event Horizon series or my absolute favorite beeduo fic of all time Fading Lights. would reccomend all of them though be prepared to get very scared, very stressed, and then break down crying in order of fics.

the Honeybee series is for sure one of those things you have got to experience if you like c!tubbo. its That Girl when it comes to non-tommy-centric superhero aus and i love it to death. lots of awesome beeduo and clingyduo stuff here to enjoy

baby steps micheal is a part of techno's chat and its sweet :)

I don't want familiarity with your mind sweet mind reader tommy fic very comfy

speak the only language they can understand ohhhhh THE SYNDICATE!!! very good very fun would read again

if you would like some runaway tommy goodness, there is How to Balance a Kid and a Career as an Entertainment Fighter and Vibrations which also have some dadinnit in there too if youre down for that

Fuck You I'll Do It is pure gold, tailor tommy with lots of fantasy bullshit and angst to go with it

The L'Manberg Stories unhinged, messy, everyone is going through it.

30 Days to count the stars is a big hear me out because i know this is supposed to be dsmp but if you enjoy 30 days smp beeduo and all that comes with that, this heap of angst will be a spectacular read for you

The Knight, the Bard, the Soldier and...Ranboo? is incomplete but if you enjoy characters going to alternate universes and having A Time then you will love this, c!tommy and his journey through a messed up fantasy verion of his world

dead relatives and daddy issues is life-changing i swear. not only a beautiful story about love and healing and chronic illness but also the complexities of everyone's relationships is just so damn amazing. uni student government au ranboo pov mostly as well as tommy and tubbo, THE bench trio series i cannot recommend it enough and also while most is complete the most recent one is still being updated so you can follow along if you like to ^^ plus kale is actually hilarious in the authors notes and very detailed and can you tell im obsessed with it yet lol, coming up on 3 years of being a reader so i need everyone who want to hear about it to read it <333

Any good dsmp fanfic recommendation?

Im looking for more dsmp fanfics to read cause im slowly running out lol.

No x readers, just like, fanfics, yk?

Ive already read Tcfsv, Tumfasd, Passerine, Shrike, Accelerate, and im planning on reading Butterfly reigon. Also, idc if ir has Wilbur or george in it, honestly.

Thank you thank you!!!<3<3<3

[lord-squiggletits]

Okay worsties I just finished rereading Autocracy and now I have some crumbs of words about my Favorite Character. But mostly what I have to say is that I love how fucking gay Megatron is for Orion, not like in a sexy way but in an obsessive way. Like, Megatron is already planning for the downfall of Cybertron’s government, he has his plans to kill everyone (including Orion) but in the meantime??? He pretty much is laying on his bed kicking his legs in the air going “I wonder how Orion will react to this owo”

Like, I cannot stress enough that in Autocracy Megatron keeps saying ‘I just want to see how Orion will react’ and insists that it would be more fun more effective to let Orion uncover government secrets and tear apart the regime himself rather than Megatron and the Cons themselves kill everyone. Like Megatron basically already feels like he’s won, he’s just waiting to see the fun happen, and he wants to see how Orion reacts!!! It’s so fucking funny!

And Orion is so tsundere about Megatron’s attention too, they have a conversation that’s like (actual dialogue btw)

Megatron: "we could accomplish great things together"

Orion: "don't bet on it"

And it’s just klsdfljskllkjds it’s so funny how Megatron is the one that’s like “come oooooon Orion I know you could tear down the government with me if you just decided to agree that I’m right about everything :3 “ and Orion is like “fuck you Megatron you don’t know me” and Megatron is like “but I DO know you” and it’s just lkdsfjlksdjlkf I love how pissed off Orion is and how OFFENDED he is at Megatron’s attempts to woo him to his side.

Meanwhile Starscream is in the back like “so Megatron are you just going to like kill these guys yet” and Megatron is like “NO I want to see what Orion does next :3″ and there’s even this part where Orion comes back from the dead and Starscream is like “bitch you said you killed him” and it’s just lskjdfklsdlk

In conclusion Autocracy is hella gay with megop and it’s not even the best part of the Autocracy trilogy (as of this point in my ~3rd+ reread I actually think it’s the least good of the trilogy). I can’t wait to read Monstrosity and Primacy

[milk-and-egg]

oh my goddd (;_;) deadass crying a little bit over the Sliding Glass Door ending it’s so perfect i love that whole fic so much AAAA (;_;)<<<333

i cannot stress this enough (and this is the truth) that was the best fanfic i’ve ever freakinggg read!! i’m not kissing up to you i swear this is TRUE it’s just so good!! and not just the situations you came up with but the actual writing itself, all the little details you throw in there and how you describe their actions and conversations and the locations they’re in, and the dialogue is so natural and it’s so FUNNY too?? the amount of times i actually laughed to myself imagining their shenanigans it’s too perfect……. and the angst and love and character development i just…. AUGHHGHGHHH [head cracks open and little pink hearts come pouring out]

you really have an amazing talent for writing, i can’t wait to see what else you share with us in the future! (the secret bonus chapters i heard about~~~???) but meanwhile i’ll be rereading that fic over and over again and hyperfixating on it for the next 50 years hnnghh <333

(sorry for gushing abt this so hard i’ll try to be gentler next time lol)

-✮

AHHHHHHHHH THANK YOU SO SO SO MUCH!! That was one of the nicest comments I have ever gotten on one of my fics before!! I’m so so happy that you love it so much, because I love it too!

I tried to keep everything accurate but add a bit of my own touch to it as well and I’m glad it paid off!

I already have lots of plans for little bonus chapters I’m going to add on! I lm just trying to figure out which one I want to write first. I’m not going to be satisfied until I write them going on many boyfriend adventures! I hope you enjoy those too!

[vidaflxwer]

some random idv fic recs

because i just wanted an excuse to gush about some of my favorite fic authors and maybe get some of you into them as well! or idv in general.

sub rosa by xioying: okay this author has another fic i’m a huge fan of - lily of the barren valley, it’s still on-going and i’m glad for it because i can’t wait to read more - but sub rosa is genuinely one of the most precious things i’ve ever read. the way they write eli is absolutely fucking adorable - and this goes for all of their fics, so if you like the way they write eli in this, definitely read lily of the barren valley too! - and i love the way that aesop doesn’t really know how to handle him because of his social anxiety, but he still weirdly appreciates this strange man who showed up outside his door, begging him to come with him because he saw into the future and it said he’d die today. them eating breakfast together, aesop buying him new clothes, it’s all so cute. the ending is what really makes it for me, though. i just cannot stress enough how if you love elisop, you need to read xioying’s elisop works. please and thank you.

a red darker than roses by starlightsonatas: aka the michimary smut that made me sob hysterically that i still reread and cry to quite often. like i said, this is smut, so please be wary of that but this author is an absolute sweetheart, and i cannot get over how ridiculously talented she is. the way she writes about michiko’s love towards mary, and really indulges how both she and mary are actually hunters, is beautiful. the way she writes, in general, is beyond gorgeous and i don’t even know how to articulate how talented she is. i’ve read another fic by her, as the tide rushes in, and that had a similar affect on me. what i love about the works i’ve read from her is they’re hot, yes, but they’re also written with so much love built into that, and it’s lovely. truly lovely. absolutely check out their work if you’re looking for really well-written adult wlw content for idv!

his faith, illusory by eversleeping: i read this one just a few days ago and it ripped my heart out and stomped on it, in the absolute best way possible! i knew it was going to be sad going into it, but it was totally worth it. the ending’s probably the best part, solely because of how it references the title, and i’m a sucker for when fics do that so i will forever adore this one and remember its title solely because of that last scene. the amount of angst, compared with the amount of fluff, is such a perfect balance for a fic like this. you really get attached to aesop and eli and their dynamic in this, and then when a certain thing happens, well. it just makes it hurt that much more. i love whenever fics do that - build up a relationship in such a perfect way, only for something awful to happen - because it just makes it all the more painful in the end. i love this, truly, and highly recommend it.

heartstrings by snappleguts: heartstrings, my beloved. an absolutely precious elisop battle of the bands au where eli gets his high school band back together and has a very bad habit of breaking his strings, and learns very quickly that the new cashier at the local music store is quite adorable. this fic just makes me smile, there’s really no better way to put it. i love eli’s friendship group with norton and naib - how they lovingly tease him about his crush on aesop, how naib’s mom cooks for them whenever they go to his place to practice, how they jump at the chance to get the band back together because they wanna see each other again - but the moments with eli’s other friends are pretty great, too. especially that one scene, later in the fic, with victor who’s his roommate, it’s so fucking funny. really, if you need something to cheer you up, this is your best bet. i know i reread it a lot when i’m sad, and the smile on my face everytime i do is just as wide as the first.

i wonder who you pretend i am by daguerreotype: a lucadrew fic that made my heart ache so bad for andrew. the way luca interacts with him is so needlessly soft in the best way, and all of the kisses and handholding in this just feel gentle in the nicest way. like it’s angsty but it’s weirdly kinda wholesome at the same time so i’m an absolute sucker for it. the way andrew describes luca, and how much comfort he clearly brings him, but the angst of him feeling like it’ll never go anywhere, because it never has, and probably never will is so great. i don’t really know what else to say about this fic other than please read it, i promise it won’t disappoint. though i don’t know how anything with andrew in it could disappoint, but this author wrote him exceptionally well and i’m positive you’ll enjoy it if you’re an andrew and luca stan like me, which is kind of why i started shipping the two of them in the first place, but that’s besides the point.