#this was one of the most complex book I have ever seen. The plot was something else

[hekateinhell]

definitions of grooming: a quick & dirty analytical comparison

tagging this for vampire chronicles only because i don’t think the star wars folks will know what the ever loving fuck is going on unless you happen to be in the niche position of being in both fandoms, but i think a lot of people at least have a sense of the narrative of star wars whether you grew up watching it or you’ve absorbed the major plot beats through cultural osmosis. but i’ve been brooding on this comparison and contrast in how i’ve seen the concept and definition of grooming discussed in both of my current fandoms

i’m gonna start with star wars and tie it into vc in a second, bear with me please! so for me relapsing into star wars as an adult and noticing just how many Dark Adult Themes are built into the foundation into of what george lucas once called “children’s movies” has been a fascinating experience lmao reevaluating my favorite piece of preadolescent media blows my mind because a lot is subtext, but a lot is not, in fact a lot is extremely explicit! for example, i absolutely agree with how this user frames it: [the relationship between Anakin Skywalker/Darth Vader and Sheev Palpatine is one of the most hideously abusive relationships ever realized in fiction] as well as the addition below it -> [It’s also probably the most substantial depiction of grooming I’ve ever seen in the PG-13 action/sci-fi blockbuster genre]

now as for where vc comes in?

well, i guess i’ve just been cooking in the trenches of vampires chronicles fandom tumblr for three solid years and i can’t remember a time when there wasn’t Discourse™️ about marius de romanus being a groomer, manipulator, and abuser—tbh this whole thing came about because it occurred to me that i feel like a lot of the discourse surrounding marius positions him as being a groomer somewhere in the same realm as a selfish, abusive, reprehensible villain like palpatine!

but there’s multiple definitions of grooming, my friends. it’s wild to me that an all-ages pop culture phenomenon like star wars features a front-and-center portrayal of what actually is a horrific abuser-victim relationship. it gives us a heartbreakingly clear example of grooming used as manipulation and coercion (what palpatine does to anakin/vader from the time he’s nine until he’s twenty-two when palpatine succeeds in breaking him down so systematically that vader essentially becomes his enslaved enforcer up until his death at palpatine’s hands decades later) vs. grooming as a much more neutral term—third definition down on merriam-webster’s (marius stating in his book that he groomed amadeo/armand for vampirism)

you want a guy that was purposely written to be a villain? palpatine is your guy! george lucas explicitly calls anakin/vader palpatine’s victim. palpatine grooms him from the time anakin is a nine year old child, isolates him, radicalizes him, and uses him as a custom-designed weapon to further his own agenda, finally spending the next twenty years torturing him physically, spiritually, and psychologically. star wars not your vibe, you want a vc analog? okay, i raise you santino and the children of darkness (no hate to my santino girlies lmao if you can’t tell, i’m very much a proship blog 🫶🏼)

george lucas famously said about anakin/vader: [“I like the idea that the person you thought was the villain is actually the victim, and that the story is really about the villain trying to regain his humanity.”] and this was actually the route anne ultimately took with armand as a character, insofar as the ‘villain as the victim’ arc goes (not to say they’re mutually exclusive, george right there labels vader as both victim and villain, because he is without doubt a villain; anne said armand was the villain in the first two books but that he became a good person in qotd through his relationship with daniel, etc etc)

[Star Wars is not about morally complex situations where it's hard to tell who the villains are. Star Wars is about how easy it is to become one of the villains] and [#it's about how easy it is to become one of the villains but also that you can ALWAYS choose not to be no matter how far down you are #that part ISN'T easy - in fact it's very difficult - but it's worth doing] — imo this is the biggest strength of star wars, because it makes what is a space opera/greek tragedy palpable to a broad audience! and obviously vc, which was written as a gothic horror series for an adult audience, is more morally grey, of course i get that. and i understand that grooming takes on different forms and there’s a wide variation. i have lived three decades of life somehow. it is two very distinctly different genres and scenarios that i’m trying to compare here… but they do share some similarities, enough that anne rice could take something away from it and use it in her own creation (you think i’m being hyperbolic? she got some of her inspiration for qotd from darth vader LOL i can’t make this up, i wish i was making it up 💀)

and as clear as george lucas was on palpatine being anakin’s abuser and jailer, anne rice was just as clear on marius being armand’s savior and liberator (she called him a hero, actually). your closest star wars analogs to marius de romanus are either qui-gon jinn: the man who freed nine year old anakin from slavery and brought him before the jedi council to be trained as a jedi knight because he saw the potential in him and/or obi-wan kenobi: the man who following qui-gon’s death, subsequently dedicated the next thirteen years of his life to raising anakin and guiding him, forming an attachment to him that was so strong it blinded obi-wan to anakin’s darker qualities—george lucas used the word “seduced”, which is crazy work—and who never stopped loving and honoring and mourning the memory of anakin even after he rejected obi-wan’s teachings and became darth vader, even though in his heart anakin skywalker died when anakin took on the name darth vader and swore his loyalties to palpatine (under extreme physical, emotional, mental duress btw don’t get me started on the obikin x marimand parallels)

in summation:

the jedi grooming anakin to become a jedi knight ✅

palpatine grooming anakin by isolating him radicalizing him and abusing him ❌

marius grooming armand to become a vampire ✅

santino grooming armand by isolating him radicalizing him and abusing him ❌

finishing this off with the usual round of disclaimers because i know where i am:

1) i said vampire chronicles and not amc’s interview with the vampire. i’m not discussing marius’ character or his relationship with armand as it’s portrayed on the show—those are two very different beasts and this has nothing to do with that. it would be a very different essay if i was going to go in that direction

2) i have read TVA and B&G, i know there is a sexual element to marius and armand’s relationship, however in my opinion this does not constitute either definition of grooming. there is no manipulation and coercion involved and it has nothing to do with marius wanting to turn him into a vampire, it occurs because armand wants it and finds pleasure in it

3) this is me engaging in a creative exercise and making a case for my own interpretations—you’re welcome to do the same for yours, it’s a free country man!

[andypantsx3]

andie's wips for gaza — ˖˚˳⊹

hi all! i'm not sure if this is something anyone would be interested in but i'm giving it a shot. i have a little capacity to contribute to fics for gaza's option to sponsor a wip. below are a couple of my wips i think i can realistically deliver all or most of before end of year, divided into current wips + a few smutty one shots i hope you might be interested in. if any more of my time clears up i can add more & let y'all know!!

i'm setting the threshold at the standard rate of $1 donation per 100 words, any extra would be sooo incredibly appreciated but obviously not at all required! notes on how this will all work below my wips.

update 5/29 — ˖˚˳⊹

All of my WIPs have been fully funded! I am so deeply grateful to everyone who donated and/or helped spread the word. I promise to work hard and write fics that live up to just how much this means to me. If you still have capacity to donate, I encourage you to check out the other authors participating and help fund their WIPs too. Thank you so much; your generosity means the entire world to me.

current wips — ˖˚˳⊹

something in the water : todoroki shouto x reader

As a future marine biologist, you’ve scored big on your final internship: a summer in the tropics, researching the waters off the coast of a lush, sunny island. But what you thought would be all beach days and piña coladas turns out to be the revelation of a lifetime when you haul in a handsome merprince, and discover not everything in these waters is quite as it seems. — estimated remaining wc: 3 chapters @ 3k each (9,000 total words) — donated wc: 9,000/9,000 words fully sponsored! — progress tracker: 3,800/9,000 words

ready or knot : todoroki shouto x reader

Todoroki Shouto is so unsettlingly beautiful, you’re certain he has to be an omega. That is, until a chance encounter with a pushy alpha reveals you were incredibly mistaken—and the surprises don’t stop there. Shouto's suddenly mystifying behavior adds another layer of complexity to an already confusing inter-agency investigation. It would be so much easier to figure things out—and suppress your growing feelings—if only Shouto would stop being so strangely attentive to you... — estimated remaining wc: 5 chapters @ 2.5k each (12,500 words) — donated wc: 12,600/12,500 words fully sponsored! — progress tracker: 200/12,500 words

new wips (smutty one shots) — ˖˚˳⊹

by the book : midoriya izuku x reader

When your pro hero boyfriend comes home to find you studying, he suddenly takes a great interest in helping out. You find his methods... questionable. contents: nsft, hysterical literature (reading out loud while sexually stimulated), pro hero deku, slight intelligence kink, gn + afab reader, cunnilingus, established relationship, fluff — estimated wc: 2,500 words — donated wc: 2,500/2,500 words fully sponsored! — progress tracker: 3,000/2,500 words completed!

loads of fun : todoroki shouto x reader

After moving into your first apartment together, Shouto seems more amorous than ever. You're not sure why—but when he catches you doing a load of laundry, more than your clothes are about to get tumbled. contents: nsft, pro hero au, domesticity kink, gn + afab reader established relationship, fluff, emotional sex — estimated wc: 2,500 words — donated wc: 2,500/2,500 words fully sponsored! — progress tracker: 2,800/2,500 words completed!

filling in : bakugou katsuki x reader

A production assistant for an erotic arts studio, you think you've seen every ridiculous plot line under the sun. But not even porn tropes can compare to the absurd reality you find yourself in when the on-screen talent goes missing, and you're asked to fill in opposite the studio's number one star Bakugou Katsuki. contents: thee classic oh-no-the-porn-talent-has-gone-missing-let's-sub-a-rando-in trope, no quirks au, pornstar bakugou, soft dom bakugou, gn + afab reader, unrequited-requited crush — estimated wc: 3,000 words — donated wc: 3,000/3,000 words fully sponsored! — progress tracker: 8,200/3,000 words completed!

notes — ˖˚˳⊹

rate: $1 (USD) donation per 100 words, any extra would be sooo incredibly appreciated but obviously not at all required!

how it works (you): send me an ask with the wip you're donating towards and a screenshot of your donation to any fund from this list, a charity of your choice (please make sure it's verified), or my preferred one here! please do not send the same screenshot to multiple authors, and please make sure any personal information is scrubbed from your screenshot as i will be supplying @ficsforgaza with the proof of your donation!! i will aim to update the donated wc section of each wip in this post so there's not overlap in what people are donating for.

how it works (me): i will log my progress below each wip (the progress tracker section of each) & will commit to updating that count weekly. i will work in the rough order of donations received, by adding that number of words to each wip. this also means that for $5 i could add 500 words but not publish until the chapter or oneshot is completed, so please be aware of that!! my goal is to at least publish every single word people have donated for by end of year, but obviously things can happen & i will provide updates if anything gets in the way of that!

if you have any further questions please let me know!! i've never done something like this and it's very probable i've left something unclear lol.

lastly i'd like to thank you in advance for helping out if you can, but no worries if not! i also know times are tough and money is tight, and i'd encourage you to check out the other writers on @ficsforgaza's list of participants when published to see if you'd rather spend your money on one of their wips (or their custom requests!) before selecting mine!! the money goes towards a good cause either way.

[heybabyricecake]

I would have to say my favorite character of all time is Andrew Minyard, my favorite *main character* of all time is Neil Josten. There’s an important distinction.

Andrew is one of the best characters I’ve ever seen written. His moral compass is skewed but it also makes perfect sense once you understand him. He’s deeply complex and layered and for someone always portrayed as strong he’s also kind of a mess. His past is so disturbing but it makes his values in different relationships clear and healthy and he communicates that well. He’s violent and dangerous and GOOD to his core, he protects everyone and he had an impossible hand dealt to him in life but somehow he makes it work. He has major trauma and ptsd and touch aversion and he works to better himself, he has one of the best relationships with the team psychiatrist and one of the most interesting sibling/family dynamics out there. Add to that the fact that he’s funny and he’s the best goalkeeper in his sport without even trying and you have one of the most thought provoking and beloved characters of all time.

Neil as the *main character* was absolute perfection. He’s a liar and a fraud and he has little to no remorse for his actions especially at first. He loves one thing so strongly (Exy) but has one of the best character developments ever written as he learns to trust the Foxes and Andrew. Watching him fall in love was comedy gold given his obliviousness and demisexuality. He’s so lovable right from the start and he’s FUNNY as fuck. He’s also brave and he grows so much over the course of three books as he learns to protect others and stand up for himself. He’s such a great narrator and his character is so consistent and simultaneously unhinged. His backstory pulls you in and makes you keep reading long past any plot holes or timeline inconsistencies. He’s so instantly lovable and was the perfect pov to experience these books from.

Rambling but these are my thoughts

Don’t even get me started on Kevin

[lakesbian]

i have had like 10 friends rec worm to me but nobody’s given me a good like, gist of its vibe and what its abt because ‘its best blind’, could u please give a like brief summary and vibe check of it 😭 it’s so long i dont wanna try and invest that much time without knowing much abt it

so, worm is a 1.7 million word long webserial written in 2010. 1.7 million words seems like a lot, but it was also written over a relatively short period of time, which means the writing style is very easy to parse--the ideas aren't without complexity, but the language itself isn't intimidatingly dense. you can get through it at a very decent pace. i agree with your friends that there are vast portions of worm that hit best when you're unspoiled, but the thing is that worm is long enough that giving you the basic plot pitch is in no way spoilers for any of the things that i wouldn't want to see spoiled for someone. i'm actually kind of baffled they're not telling you Any Thing, because it is in my estimation one of the best books i've ever read, but it also Needs a briefing before you get into it for like five different reasons. which i will now provide. i swear to god this is brief by my standards it's just that i am very thorough

worm is a story about superheroes and supervillains, set in a world where superpowers are traumagenic--rather than appearing randomly or innately, some people gain powers after a traumatizing event happens to them. the protagonist is taylor hebert, a 15yo girl who has the power to control insects and desperately wants to be a superhero. and then accidentally finds herself scouted by a team of teenage villains instead. who's to say how she's going to react to all that!

one of the most compelling things about worm is that the superpowers in it serve as visceral, hyper-literal metaphors for the trauma and traumatized coping mechanisms of the characters with those powers. each power is incredibly specific and thematically relevant to the person who has it, and it's incredibly interesting and evocative. it feels so natural and well-done that it comes off like how superpowers are just meant to be written.

the fact that superpowers stem from trauma also means that worm is fundamentally a narrative about trauma. specifically, about traumatized teenagers and the relationships they form as they cling together while struggling through growing up traumatized & mutually coping with an increasingly intriguing, intense, and far-reaching escalating plot. worm's depictions of trauma + mental illness--including unpalatable trauma responses, including traumatized characters who are allowed to be complicated and nuanced and messy while still receiving narrative respect--are deeply real-feeling and impactful, and they're placed in the context of a well-spun + engaging story.

i really do have to stress how excellent the character writing is. worm is fully deserving of being as long as it is. over the course of 1.7 million words of character development, the average reader's reaction to the main characters goes from "sorta interesting" to "okay, i want to see where this goes" to "augh...really likable" to "i am now on hands and knees crying and these characters are going to stick around in my brain forever." wildbow has incredible talent for efficiently conveying complicated, real-feeling, and viscerally evocative characterization. many of the interlude chapters (chapters written from the perspective of different characters other than taylor) are so interesting, fleshed-out, and emotionally affecting that they make you wish you could read an entire novel about just the side character being featured. with that level of characterization for just the side cast, it's not surprising that taylor (& co) are genuinely just downright iconic. and i do not say that lightly--taylor is truly one of the best-written protagonists i've seen in anything. ever.

the other main pitch-point for worm is that it's a fascinating deconstruction/reconstruction/examination of the conceits of the superhero genre. it answers the question of--what would the world have to be like, for people with superpowers to act the way they do in classic cape media? and it does this well enough that it's interesting even if you have only a passing familiarity with cape media. i am not a big superhero media fan, but worm addresses virtually every aspect of cape media that was under the sun around 2010 in a way that's so interesting i still find it incredibly engaging. the approach it takes makes the narrative very accessible even to people who aren't usually cape media fans.

and speaking of the narrative: the end of the story is coherent and satisfying and deeply thematically resonant*. the way worm follows through on all of its main mysteries & plot threads is excellent. you don't have to worry about getting thru 1.7 million words and being dissatisfied by the author shitting the bed at the end, or anything like that. he does an amazing job of weaving together plot events in a way that makes each successive one feel rationally, thematically, and emotionally connected to what came before. there's really only one part where i feel the story stumbles a bit, but i think it was the best option he had for the narrative, and it's by no means a dealbreaker. it's in fact really impressive how cohesive and satisfying worm is for such a long webserial released over such a brief period of time.

*this is subjective ive seen some people who didnt love it but ive never seen anyone who downright Hated it who didnt also demonstrate egregious misunderstanding of literally everything worm is about. so thats a good sign

as for the downsides of worm/things that might put you off:

there is a very long list of trigger warnings for it. if you have any trigger warnings you want you should ask your friends to let you know about the relevant parts, because the fact that it's About Trauma (& about typical cape media circumstances presented very seriously) means that traumatic and violent things & their realistic aftermath are constantly happening and/or being discussed. i would not classify worm as needlessly dark or spiteful to the audience by any means, but it is intense and covers a lot of heavy topics. i do assume if your friends are all recommending it to you, they think none of the material would be too much for you, though!

worm was written in 2010 by a white cishet guy from canada. it's typical levels of 2010-era bigoted, it has a deeply lesbophobic stereotype character, it has some atrociously racist stereotype characters, the author really hates addicts, It's Got Blind Spots. i think worm is generally fully worth reading despite these, but very fair warning that it can get bad. i think what exacerbates this is that worm is generally extremely nuanced & sympathetic regarding ideas such as "crime is a result of systematic circumstance vs people just being inherently evil" and "mentally ill people who are traumatized in unpalatable ways are still deserving of fundamental respect as human beings" and so on and so forth, so it's extra noticeable and insufferable when you get to a topic the author has unexamined biases on and all that nuance drops out. the worst part is that a lot of this is most concentrated in the early arcs, so you have to get through them without being super attached to any of the characters yet. it is worth it though.

worm like. Does have a central straight relationship in it. and it's a very well written straight relationship for the most part and i like it quite a lot. but worm also passes the bechdel test with such flying colors that it enters 'unintentionally homoerotic' territory. which means a lot of people were shipping the main character ms taylor hebert with her female friends while the story was being released. which caused the author to get so mad he 1. posted a word of god to a forum loudly insisting that all of the girls are straight and 2. inserted a few deeply awkward and obvious and out of character scenes where he finds an excuse for the girls to more or less turn to the camera and go "i'm not gay, btw. this is platonic." This is fucking insufferable, and will piss you off immensely, but then you will get to any of the number of deeply emotionally affecting scenes between them, and at that point you will be too busy sniffling piteously and perhaps crytyping an analysis post on tumblr to be mad about all that other shit. also they're only a couple tiny portions out of an entire overall fantastic novel

overall: if those points don't sound like dealbreakers (i hope they aren't they're really massively outstripped by the amount of devastatingly good moments in worm, worm still has a thriving fandom over a decade later for a reason), you should absolutely give it a shot and see what you think. my final note is that you have to read up until the end of arc 8 to really see where what makes worm Worm kicks in, so aim for at least there to see how you feel about it if you're just thinking about dipping your toes in vs fully committing. i hope that was helpful and not too long :)

oh and don't go in the comments section on wordpress if you don't want spoilers. or anywhere else in the fandom at all. you will be spoiled. quite possibly for things you could not even have imagined were topics to be spoiled on.

[mermaidsirennikita]

ARC REVIEW: Give Me a Reason by Jayci Lee

4.25/5. Releases 7/29/25.

Heat Index: 7/10

—Persuasion retelling

—K-drama heroine, firefighter hero

—first love to last love(?)

The Basics:

Frederick Nam and Anne Lee were once wildly in love; until Anne left for Korea to become a K-drama star, leaving Frederick bitter and brokenhearted. A decade later, Anne is back in the States, and Frederick is now better than ever. Her feelings linger; he's, despite his best efforts, still resentful... and still longing for Anne. The pain is intense—but so is the wanting. Is that enough to overcome years apart?

The Review:

There are retellings that basically exist to capitalize off fanservice, and there are retellings that exist in name only. Give Me a Reason is neither of those things—it's a retelling that considers and takes into account its modern update (and its focus on Asian leads) while honoring the original. In a lot of ways, this is a better adaptation of Persuasion than a lot of the movies we've seen (it's certainly better than the most recent).

Persuasion is a story about aching longing and regret; it's deeply romantic, but it's also relatable in a way I think some Austen books aren't. This has the same effect. We all have "would've, could've, should'ves" in our lives, and while breaking up with Frederick is Anne's BIGGEST regret, it's not her only one. Because she's in her early thirties now and she can look back on time that feels wasted and choices she would redo, and that is just... so real. I'm about Anne's age, and I'm certainly feeling it!

But the romance of it all is that you don't usually get this kind of second chance in real life, and boy does it hurt so good in just the right way here. This isn't a super plot-heavy novel. For much of the book, Anne and Frederick are both very internal (thank God we have dual POVs) and yeah, they do struggle so spit it out. I know that this is "miscommunication" and miscommunication is apparently a sin, but... It makes so much sense here. You don't end so badly and spend a decade apart and just leap back into love. There's a lot of fear involved! A ton of anxiety!

And so, when Anne and Frederick do get it together, it feels that much more impactful. I'm a hard sell on a slooow burn, but this one is very satisfying, and it's a great blend of complex feelings and the kind of Austenian romance that's very hard to capture in contemporary right now.

The Sex:

You know what's not Austenian? The sex scenes. There aren't a ton, and you do have to wait. But what you get after the wait is GOOD. Passionate and fraught, and mixed with just enough roughness that it feels like two people who've been waiting... and waiting... and just can't wait anymore. HOT.

The Conclusion:

A book of pining and longing and heavy emotion that nonetheless hits the romance beats that will leave you swooning. That's a success in my book!

Thanks to St. Martin's Griffin and NetGalley for providing me with a copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

[alinaastarkov]

I kind of fell down the jonrya rabbit hole and would like to hear more opinions. I'm not convinced that George gave up on JonArya. No one has proof of this or can pinpoint exactly where he was abandoned. No character has replaced Arya's importance to Jon and vice versa, and I don't think that will ever happen. Their relationship is the strongest in asoaif and is treated as a driving force and something separate from the rest, and I ask myself why. What is the reason for so much emphasis? ADWD is the book with the most clues, since Jon spends a lot of time agonizing over her. He dies for her in the end, and she is his last thought. Not to mention that famous line about the heart, which is very romantic coded. The foreshadowing didn't vanish with the first books, and I truly wonder w h y. Does anyone have any interesting theories about them or speculation?

When I re-read an AMA from George, I was quite surprised by this response.

Has there been a character that you have given a reprieve to, or maybe deviated from the path you originally were going to send them on? If so, whom?

No, not really.

In some cases the chronologies have diverged from what I originally intended, but the overall character arcs remain the same.

This was years after the 1993 outline. And in 2016, he stated that he would continue with the endings he had in mind since 1991.

Also, this is from SSM:

Question: How different is the plot from what he originally envisioned?

GRRM: Not different - just more of it. It has grown in complexity but he likes it that way because it feels real to him. - SSM 2010

Some more quotes.

"But the size is different, and I've introduced some other elements to the books, but it's still the same characters, the '91 characters."

"Some major characters — yes, I always had plans, what Tyrion's arc was gonna be through this, what Arya's arc was gonna be through this, what Jon Snow's arc is gonna be. "

"Who is the most major character you've changed you mind about your plans for?

I don't want to reveal what I've planned for some of these characters, but I'm pretty well on track with most of the major characters. It's minor characters like Bronn that assume greater importance."

After a re-reading, I started to wonder… Why did they give up on being together if they did everything to be by each other's side? They are their true selves with each other, so why shouldn't they be together? Or share their lives together? I've seen some people claim that their relationship will never be the same. And yes, that's true. But isn't that applicable to any relationship in asoiaf? They are deliberately written as something too deep and an intense transcendental bond that no one else has; if they have no chance of thriving, no one does. And as much as George is accused of doing things for shock value, he cares about consistency. He definitely doesn't treat this relationship as trivial to be shattered. Jon is Arya's first priority. He is her home. They love each other unconditionally, and there’s no one Jon loves as much as he does Arya, no doubt on that. My impression is that George may have created an infrastructure for them to end up together somehow. Not necessarily in the way he initially envisioned it, but as soulmates who find refuge in each other and are saved by their unique bond that inspires them to live. Resurrected Jon will probably take the FitzChivalry Farseer route. I doubt he'll come back super damaged because he needs to be reasonably okay for some plot lines. And George always intended for all 5 main characters to survive so.

I would be more inclined to think that everything was scrapped if Jon's arc in ADWD was vastly different. George not only deepened their connection and recycled an old plot line, but also introduced powerful new themes. They are each other's hearts and homes. This approach is very rare in this universe. And no other relationship is treated with this same importance. Why should we pay so much attention to them? What is George's point in this? Like, a lot of time passed between 1993 and 2011. He had more than enough time to rewrite Jon's arc and remove Arya's influence. But he continues to keep these characters intensely and emotionally connected throughout all the books. If he accidentally wrote them as soulmates, wouldn't it be easier to remove it after the first book? I have some vague ideas of what he's going to do with them. But I genuinely don't think it's out of the question as so many fans confidently claim

sorry for taking so long to answer this anon! it was mostly because i agree with everything you said and couldn't think of what to add. i agree there seems to be consensus that george initially planned for them but changed his mind, probably after the first/second book. however, as you say, it then makes no sense that jon's adwd arc is the way it is. for me, it's the most explicitly romantic we get, with many of jon's thoughts (i want my bride back, imagining arya in ramsay's bed, winter's lady etc.) being things a brother cannot innocently think about his sister (despite what some people say and i worry about their relationship with their sibling tbh). if it was scrapped, i wonder how they explain adwd? (they mostly don't, explain it away as platonic, or pretend these thoughts are just about his 'family'). there's also the fact that george's affc outline (before affc and adwd were split) had jon going to and probably dying in hardhome, removing his rescue of arya and betrayal because of that entirely. george explicitly altered his adwd plot to include more arya. i frankly would be amazed at the ga's lack of awareness of the books they claim to love if j*nsas didn't exist

[ashsirens]

Now that Oshi No Ko is over and the fandom is slowly starting to die down, here are three of my controversial opinions:

Aqua's ending is no surprise.

I know many were disappointed with Aqua's ending, but honestly it didn't really surprise me. I've seen a lot of revenge plots in the media, so when Aqua said he wanted to avenge Ai in episode 1, I immediately understood how this story was going to end.

Also, there were some foreshadowings in the season 1 ending and in some manga panels that showed how Aqua would end up. Of course, that doesn't mean the ending is well written, I just mean that the ending wasn't completely unexpected.

However, it remains cliché with the sadness pushed to the extreme that it is difficult to feel bad for the characters.

Kana's stans ruined her character for me.

Long story short, I knew a bit about ONK's plot before watching the anime via TikTok edits. I knew there was a love triangle and that Kana was the most popular character, but when I looked at edits about the other girls, especially Akane and Ruby's edits, there wasn't a single comment that said "Kana is better".

Then I watched season 1 and honestly her character didn't really appeal to me. Even after finishing the entire series, I never understood what was so great about her, other than the fact that her abandonment issues and insecurities were relatable.

The more I looked at the fandom, the more I felt like this Kana hype was cult-like. In fact, Kana fans on Twitter and TikTok are the biggest condescending gaslighters I've ever seen.

Always saying: "I feel like I'm the only one who likes Kana", "Kana is underrated", "She doesn't deserve all this hate", "Kana haters don't understand the story"... WHILE ABSOLUTELY NOBODY HATES KANA! On the contrary, you say a single wrong word about the best girl in ONK and you get blasted by @kanasolourfav who will write you paving stones about why you are wrong, how much he understood the story unlike you and how much Aqua loves Kana (when that is not even the subject).

This kind of behavior made me end up liking all the girls in the series except Kana. Plus, I absolutely hated how the fandom excused or even admired her despicable behavior at times.

I understand that her bitchy attitude is part of her charm, it made me laugh sometimes, but there are still times when Kana was really a bitch with a capital B for nothing.

Like that scene where she makes fun of Akane in front of the entire theater troupe. As someone who has already experienced public humiliation in front of my class, I really found that moment disgusting on Kana's part.

What I also find ironic is that Kana fans have often called Akane a pick me for imitating Ai, yet the time Kana made fun of Akane in front of everyone and bragged to Aqua that her relationship with him is special while reducing Akane's worth, is much more pick me behavior than simply imitating someone to survive on a reality show.

Because yes, today we use the term pick me to designate a woman we don't like, but the real definition of a pick me is a woman who pulls other women down so that men understand that she's better.

(if that's not pick me behavior, then I don't know what is)

In short, aside from the fact that her attitude is sometimes borderline, objectively Kana's character is interesting and relatable, but this girl really deserved a better fanbase.

In Ruby’s defense.

I know that after the reveal between Aqua and Ruby that they are Goro and Sarina, there was a massive surge of hatred for Ruby's character as she started to see Aqua in a more romantic light.

But I think many have forgotten that in her first life, Ruby died at the age of 12. Which is very young, and it is reflected in her attitude throughout the series. For example Aqua read complex books while he was still in kindergarten because he was an adult in his old life, so he has the mentality of an adult. Same thing for Ruby, need I remind you that she literally rolled around on the floor stamping her feet so that Miyako would pressure the music producer to give them a song.

Because that's what Ruby is: a child.

Also, since she was seriously ill to the point of not being able to move, her former family literally abandoned her and she found herself isolated with no one. Isolation causes great mental damage, so imagine in someone young.

With Goro being the only person who cared about her at the time, hinting that she might have a chance with him when she's 16, and promising her that he'll be her #1 supporter when she's an idol, I understand why Ruby changed her attitude when she realized that Goro was still alive through Aqua.

Ruby, in both of her lives, never grew out of childhood. Childish immaturity combined with Ai's death must not have helped her be reasonable about her feelings towards Aqua.

There's also this: a lot of people underestimated the impact Ai's death had on Ruby. Now, it's understandable because the show didn't explore Ruby's trauma as much as Aqua's, but Ruby also hadn't moved on from Ai, hence her obsession with becoming an idol. Also, Ai was the only person who gave Ruby some joy when she was lying in her hospital bed, she gave her a purpose to accomplish in life, gave her love and affection by being her daughter, she helped her surpass herself (the scene where Ai and Ruby dance together). Ruby lost all of that.

Imagine: your family abandoned you because you were sick, you died at 12 without having been able to realize your dreams, you reincarnate in the child of the idol who gave you hope when you were at your lowest but who ends up dying before your eyes, you try to find the only person who gave you affection in your life but you learned he is dead, but in fact no he is not dead he was your twin brother from the beginning, who ends up sacrificing himself to save you from your psychopathic father who wanted to kill you.

So yes it's true, we can blame Ruby for a lot of things, but I don't think she deserves so much hate, because in the end she's the one who suffered the most in this story.

[insanityclause]

EXCLUSIVE: One year ago we told you that a second season of John le Carré adaptation The Night Manager was quietly being developed under the codename Steelworks.

Now, Deadline can reveal that the BBC and new co-pro partner Amazon have gone big on a supercharged two-season order of the thriller, with Tom Hiddleston returning to lead, Hugh Laurie coming back as EP and with a new director in I Hate Suzie’s Georgi Banks-Davies. A third season has also been greenlit. David Farr returns as writer and Stephen Garrett is showrunner.

The Night Manager Season 2 will begin filming later this year and will pick up with Hiddleston’s Jonathan Pine eight years after the explosive finale of Season 1, going beyond the original book, which was written by the celebrated British writer in 1993. Additional plot details are being kept under wraps and there is not yet confirmation as to whether EP Laurie’s Richard Roper, who was last seen in the back of a paddy wagon driven by arms buyers who were not best pleased with him, will return to star. Hiddleston will also EP and will discuss in more depth on tonight’s Jimmy Kimmel Live!

Produced by The Ink Factory in association with Character 7, Demarest Films and 127 Wall, and in co-production with Spanish partner Nostromo Pictures, The Night Manager Season 2 was sold to Amazon by Fifth Season. The first was co-produced with AMC.

New director Banks-Davies, a BAFTA-nominee who takes over from Susanne Bier, has credits including I Hate Suzie, Garfield and upcoming Netflix series Kaos.

The Night Manager Season 1 was a huge success, watched by millions and winning multiple BAFTAs, Emmys and Golden Globes including best actor for Hiddleston. Also starring Tom Hollander, Olivia Colman and Elizabeth Debicki, it followed Pine – who ran a luxury hotel in Cairo – as he attempted to infiltrate the inner circle of Roper’s crime syndicate after being hired by Foreign Office task force manager Angela Burr.

The first season was commissioned more than 10 years ago and the show has since been remade in India, lapping the UK version by swiftly having a Season 2 greenlit for Disney+ Hotstar in May last year.

Simon Cornwell and Stephen Cornwell, le Carré’s sons who run The Ink Factory, said Season 1 proved “a landmark moment for the golden era of television – uniting on-screen and behind-the-camera talent at the top of their game – and an audience reception which was beyond our wildest imagining.”

They added: “Revisiting the story of Pine also means going beyond the events of John le Carré’s original work: that is a decision we have not taken lightly, but his compelling characters and the vision David has for their next chapter were irresistible.”

Amazon MGM Studios Head of Television Vernon Sanders said: “We are elated to bring additional seasons of The Night Manager to our Prime Video customers. The combination of terrific source material, the wonderful team at The Ink Factory, a great writer in David Farr, an award-winning director in Georgi Banks-Davies, as well as the talented cast truly make the series the full package.”

Hiddleston said: “The first series of The Night Manager was one of the most creatively fulfilling projects I have ever worked on. The depth, range and complexity of Jonathan Pine was, and remains, a thrilling prospect.”

BBC content boss Charlotte Moore added: “After years of fervent speculation I’m incredibly excited to confirm that The Night Manager is returning to the BBC for two more series.”

The Night Manager series two is created and executive produced by Farr, based on the characters created by le Carré. Additional executive producers include Garrett for Character 7, Banks-Davies, Laurie and Hiddleston; Joe Tsai and Arthur Wang for 127 Wall; Stephen and Simon Cornwell, Michele Wolkoff, and Tessa Inkelaar for The Ink Factory; Adrián Guerra for Nostromo Pictures; William D. Johnson for Demarest Films, Nick Cornwell, Susanne Bier, Chris Rice for Fifth Season and Gaynor Holmes for the BBC.

[ofliterarynature]

APRIL 2025 WRAP UP

*I have no idea what went wrong with Storygraph's graphic generation that my books are so out of order? but here we go.

[ loved liked okay nope dnf (reread) book club* ]

Ninefox Gambit • The Ballad of Jacquotte Delahaye • The Priory of the Orange Tree • Mira's Last Dance • I Shall Never Fall in Love • Case Histories • The Care and Feeding of Waspish Widows • The Prisoner of Limnos • (All Systems Red)* • A Stranger in Olondria • Everything is Tuberculosis • The Prince and the Dressmaker • The Cloud Roads • The Diary of a Bookseller • The Seven Moons of Maali Almeida • Axiom's End • Dog on It

* * * * *

Ninefox Gambit - I feel so bad saying this, since so many of my mutuals like this and it includes several things that *I* usually like, but this one just did not hit for me. It was interesting enough that I probably could have pushed my way through the other books, but I didn't want to sour my relationship with the author.

The Ballad of Jacquotte Delahaye - What a disappointment. Maybe this is just on me, but I was expecting a grand sweeping historical fiction of trials and tribulations... and this is not that. As a story, this is fine. It's an okay read! But as someone who likes historical fiction and loves a good boat book, there wasn't much depth to the history or tension to the plot or grit to the pirate of it all. It *did* feel like I was being bludgeoned over the head with "found family" and preaching about social injustice - not that these can't have their place, but their presentation was so modern that it felt massively out of place. I think this would be a great read for someone, but not if you're looking for engrossing queer historical fiction.

The Priory of the Orange Tree - this was...fine. Fine, but absolutely not worth the hype. Honestly I keep thinking about what @asexualbookbird has been saying about The Bone Season - that the author has really great ideas for her worldbuilding and then uses almost none of it, because that's exactly what's going on here! Ugh. No plans to read another Samantha Shannon book ever again.

Mira's Last Dance - a direct continuation of the same story from the previous novella, which was great! I found this one hysterically funny, despite the tense situation - I know it's not necessarily the best look, to laugh at a guy in drag, but this really felt like the first book to really bring forward the inherent gender/queerness of Penric and Desdemona's situation! Also everyone's consternation at the situation - including Penric's! And Des was having so much fun <3

I Shall Never Fall in Love - head over heels for this one!! As soon as I saw the cover I knew I had to read it (it was giving me incredible Greenwing & Dart vibes lol), and it was so much more than I expected! This is exactly the niche of queer historical fiction I enjoy reading, and the depth and complexity of story that the author managed to fit into a graphic novel!!! I've never seen anything like it, plus the art was fantastic. Absolutely adored it <3

Case Histories - What an interesting book! Rather than the tale of a hard boiled PI doggedly on the case, this is very much a character study of human foibles, using the unsolved mysteries as a center around which to explore our investigator and those left to live with tragedy. I think this connected with the parts of me that enjoyed The Spellman Files once upon a time, though this certainly seems less frenetic. I think I might continue the series at some point.

The Care and Feeding of Waspish Widows - I don't know. I definitely liked this more than the first book and appreciated the slow-burn of the romance, but I'm not as into it as I'd like. Conflicted about whether I want to bother with the third book.

The Prisoner of Limnos - another Penric! Still pulling on the same story thread, but at a slightly further remove from the previous book this time. As enjoyable as these always are, but most commendable for the fact that Bujold let one of the female characters step in as a second narrator.

All Systems Red - wonderful as always! I'm so glad that the book club loved it, and it was nice to read it in print for the first time in a while (I listen to it on audiobook a lot)

A Stranger in Olondria - I absolutely did not enjoy this book, but that's on me I think. The writing is very poetical and dreamy, and the story didn't really go the way I was expecting- if I hadn't wanted to read this for so long that I bought the audiobook myself I would and should have DNF'd it in the first half.

Everything is Tuberculosis - good! This was absolutely interesting, and I think John is a very thoughtful writer - I'd absolutely read any nonfiction he may choose to write in the future. I listened to the audiobook and honestly his voice is just very familiar and soothing 😄

The Prince and the Dressmaker - finally finished this! I read *most* of it a few years ago before my brain decided not to cooperate, so it's a relief to finally see the end. The art is absolutely stunning and the story is quite nice, but at least for me seemed to lack something.

The Cloud Roads - I am having such a good time with this series! (I'm actually on the second to last book as I write this). It's not the best series I've ever read, but it's wonderfully imaginative and like nothing I've read before - Martha Wells really built the world and its inhabitants from the ground up, seemingly on the principal of 'what would look really cool' (It's a bit handwavy, but it works!) Also a lot of thought was put into differentiating the different cultures, though obviously we spend the most time with the Raksura. And Moon! The saddest, wettest creature you've ever seen. Extremely similar character traits to Murderbot in all honestly, but I really enjoy this type of character so I'm all for it if that's what Martha Wells wants to write.

The Diary of a Bookseller - I wasn't entirely sure on this one at first, but it won me over eventually because 1) I do enjoy the petty day to day inconveniences of humans being humans, and the author is upfront about being a grouch and doesn't go out of his way to make himself look good, and 2) I'm fascinated by secondhand bookselling! Who knew? (I knew, haha. And having dabbled in the online portions myself I had much sympathy) Also the little tension with every diary entry of orders received vs books found :) This ended up being a very soothing and comfortable read, and I'll definitely read the next one. I feel half convinced to try starting a diary myself.

DNF

The Seven Moons of Maali Almeida (7%) - this one has definitely been polarizing with readers, and I can see why! I really tried and stick with this a lot longer than I wanted to, but it never clicked for me. It might have just been the wrong time.

Axiom's End (7%) - honestly I was just in a really bad streak and DNF'd all three of these within two days. Was absolutely not feeling this one, and it's not quite the flavor of sci-fi I prefer so I probably won't try again.

Dog on It (6%) - you all were right, darn it. This series was voted out in the original TBR Takedown series but I stubbornly hung on to them. On a good day I might have made it through this? But it was not a good day, so I gave up and moved on. I'm sure they're a great pick for someone.

[venusrising91]

The Demon Prince

Pairing: Demon Wonho x Male reader

Genre: Fantasy/horror & Smut 18+ (thinly plotted, just something fun, twisted and dirty for the spooky Halloween season 🎃)

Summary: Broke and down on your luck, an encounter with an ancient artifact brings you an otherworldly opportunity to change the hand of fate, but at what cost?

Word count: 2,685 (about 4 pages)

T/W: Dub-con, Bondage

PROLOGUE: You didn’t expect the pages to start glowing. First mind is usually the right mind and you should have followed yours. But curiosity had gotten the better of you. 

Times had been tough. A lay off at work followed by an eviction notice taped to your apartment door was the perfect recipe for desperation. Plenty of it filled you. 

In less than two weeks, you needed to be out of your complex. Most of your belongings were in boxes. You’d cleared out the place and had every intention of moving all of your things into storage since you didn’t have enough money to pay for a security deposit (and no landlord would accept a newly evicted tenant). In short, you’d resigned yourself to homelessness thanks to your overdrawn bank account. 

While you packed it was all you could think about: how little your life amounted to, how little you owned. 

Pessimistic tears sprang to your eyes as you cleaned out one of the closets in your bedroom. When you reached to the back for the last few items against the wall, a panel came loose. It fell straight out with a soft thud. Great, damaged property. There goes my security deposit.

But something else had fallen too. A book. It was large, and its cover appeared to be made of solid gold. No wonder the panel had fallen down—without the weight of the items you usually kept pressing against the wall, there was nothing to keep it upright.

You jammed the panel in place, then peeled back the book’s heavy front cover. Its design seemed intricate, ancient. The entire face was inlaid with jewels of the finest quality. One alone would probably fetch you enough money for an entire year’s worth of rent. You should’ve tried to pry one of them out, but it was too late for that. Curiosity had taken hold of you. 

The pages of the book began to glow hypnotically as you gazed at them. Faint embers at first, then brighter, bright as the sun almost. You’d never seen anything like it. When the light grew so intense that it felt as though it would blind you, it began to fade. Slowly ebbing away, bit by bit until it was gone. In its wake there remained an inscription. Written in a thick, dark red ink were the words:

“An Emêl-fëy requests an audience,” you said the foreign sentence out loud. As soon as you uttered it, a searing pain throbbed in your left wrist. You stared at it in disbelief, teeth clenched as the inscription Emêl-fëy burned itself into your flesh. “Stop!” you shouted, “Please, make it stop!”

“As you wish, little human.” The pain ended and you whipped your head in the direction of the voice. Standing behind you, right in the center of your bedroom, was the most formidable being you’d ever laid eyes on. You rose from the floor of your closet and cowered against the door frame, leaving the book inside.

“Who a-are you?” you stuttered, trembling. The being came to stand before you. His skin seemed carved of porcelain, and his face, though menacing, was rather beautiful. Your eyes met and you gasped. The color of his irises glowed red, sparkling in their sockets like rubies. He wore robes of deepest black, and atop his head  sat a many horned crown. Midnight black hair rested beneath it. He smiled and revealed a set of long, bone-white fangs.

“You should be flattered that I came when you called, little human. It is the greatest honor to be graced by the presence of the High Daemon Prince of the Seven Hells.”

“I-I didn’t call,” you said.

“But of course you did. The incantation presented itself and you spoke it. You summoned me, Emêl-fëy.”

“That’s not my name.”

“It is now.”

“What does it mean?”

He laughed. “We’ll come to that. What do you desire?”

“I don’t understand.”

“As part of the agreement that binds you to me. What would you have in exchange for becoming my Emêl-fëy?”

Why does he keep saying that word?

You scratched your head and looked around. There was no escape. You wouldn’t make it to the door in time. His legs were too long, and his muscular frame towered over yours. He had to be at least six foot seven in height and you were a lot shorter than that. He'd catch you in an instant if you tried to run.

“Please, I don't understand. I need you to explain.”

He raised a dark brow and sighed. “Very well. Ignorance will cost you. I’ll add it to your debt.”

“My debt?”

“Mm, to be paid in servitude for what all I shall grant you. Consider yourself lucky. I killed the last one that beckoned me. He was not to my tastes. But you…” he dragged a sharp, pointed nail along your jawline, “You I very much like the look of, my little Emêl-fëy. Not just any human can turn the head of an Incubus. We are a race as ancient as time itself. I have seen many wonders. Few have captured my interest as thoroughly as you have.”

“And who are you, exactly?”

He showed his fangs again and your heart raced. “I am the High Daemon Prince Hö-Suk. Now tell me, What would you have of me? I will grant you anything you desire.”

You widened your eyes. “Anything?”

“Do not make me repeat myself, little human.”

Money. You needed money. And a lot of it. You had no job, no place to live anymore. But money would change all of that. “I need wealth,” you said, heart racing. “I want to be rich.”

“Done. I grant you riches.”

Your phone vibrated against your thigh. It was a text from the landlord thanking you for your backed rental payments. But you hadn’t paid her any rent. Not in months. 

You checked your bank account. It was in the negative the last time you opened the app. Now, over eight-hundred million dollars sat in the account.

“Holy shit,” you gasped. “Did you do this?” 

The High Daemon nodded, half chuckling. 

In an instant all of your problems had vanished. You could move anywhere you wanted, do anything you desired with your life.

“Onto your hands and knees. Now.”

You looked at the High Daemon Prince with furrowed brows. “Excuse me?”

He grabbed your wrist and smoothed his thumb over the tender flesh, reminding you of the branded inscription. “It will be a long night. One of many as my Emêl-fëy.”

That word again. You tried slipping your hand from his wrist but he refused to let it go. “What does it mean? Emêl-fëy?”

“In your language? Fuck toy. The incantation you spoke was an agreement. I have granted you a desire and in return, you will be mine, little human—little Emêl-fëy. For as long as I want you. And I have an appetite as deep as the oceans for pretty men.” He waved his hand through the air and your clothes disappeared. The next instant something cool and hard slithered between your legs, caressing the back of your thighs. Cupping your buttocks. You peered down and realized it was the High Daemon’s long, thick tail—hairless as a python, smooth and pulsing. 

The High Daemon had shed his clothing too. He was carved of pure muscle—so hard bodied that he appeared to be made of stone. His tail coaxed its way between your cheeks, circling your rosebud. He forced you onto your knees.

“Open your mouth. It is mine to use, little Emêl-fëy.”

His cock was immense. His skin burned as warm as a furnace. You looked up at him and saw a smirk on his plump lips. Something about the sight of it made your cock stiff as a rock. His tail probed your entrance and you opened your mouth to let out a moan. 

As he shoved his tail into your hole, you took the High Daemon’s rigid length to the back of your throat, having little choice in the matter.

“Good boy,” he growled as you sucked him off. “Shall I give you a reward for this?”

Before you could answer, the appendage inside you began to vibrate. Your eyes rolled back as his tail buried itself deep inside you, oscillating against your prostate. “This is the spot, yes?” the High Daemon asked, shoving both his cock and tail deeper inside both your entrances. 

At the back of your throat was his large cock, and stuffed between your tight ring of muscles was the smooth pleasure of his tail, quivering inside your cheeks. Tears spilled from your eyes as he slipped his cock from your mouth and slapped it against your face. “You did not answer me, little human, little Emêl-fëy. You leave me with no option but to punish your insubordination.” 

“Yes, yes it’s the spot.”

“Address me as master, henceforth.”

“Yes master, it’s the…aahh,” his tail went deeper, vibrated harder, you couldn’t speak.

“Too late.”

He yanked the tail from your hole and the force with which it ripped from the space drew out a rope of come. It shot from your tip, long, fast and hard. You whimpered as the jet of milky semen left you. No one had ever made you come that intensely. Your entire body convulsed as the hot streams left you. Your knees would be weak if you weren’t already on them. With a mewl you collapsed to the floor, chest and stomach flush against the carpet as you struggled to regain your breath after the orgasm. The High Daemon seized both of your wrists. 

In an instant, a cord wrapped around them.

“What the—”

“Do not speak unless spoken to. And do not bother trying to free yourself. These knots are forged of darkest Daemon magic. You will not be released unless and until I unbind you.”

The High Daemon lifted your body from the floor.

“Wait, please—”

He clamped a hand over your mouth and sank his fangs into your neck.

“What did I tell you about speaking? About addressing me?”

“Sorry m-master,” you whispered, hands behind your back, chest heaving.

“That is more like it. Quiet now. Only your moans are allowed from this moment on. It is the only sound I wish to hear leave your lips. Is that understood?”

“Yes master.”

“Good boy, good little Emêl-fëy. Now. I am going to make you come for me again. Many times.”

He lowered himself onto the edge of your bed and sat you in his lap. His muscular thighs felt hard as steel beneath yours. In seconds his cock was pressing against your hole, still stretched wide from the girth of his tail. 

His cock gaped you even further.  It was twice the size of what had previously penetrated you and you gasped as it slid inside your opening. You squirmed but he held you still, hands securing your chest and waist as he fucked into you.

Your cock had hardened again in spite of your earlier orgasm. You looked down at it, slapping wildly against your abdomen. The High Daemon’s tail slithered across your body. It wrapped itself around your hard length like a fist, then began stroking. Your head fell back, lolling against the High Daemon’s shoulder as he worked you, pumped you, fucked you.

He kept your body pinned in place while he thrusted his cock in and out of your hole. His length seemed familiar with all your deepest wants. He kept the pace you liked in the back and in the front. The pleasure from each was almost unbearable.

“M-master I’m going to c—”

“Come? Not yet. You do not have my permission.”

“Master?” 

“Only after I have filled you.”

“Yes… master, but—”

“Silence. I will hear no bargaining. Only moans.”

You shut your eyes. He was bringing you dangerously close to the brink of climax. A few more strokes from that tail of his and you’d shoot like a fountain. How could he expect you to resist coming when he fucked like a god?

You tried to obey his orders, but his tail constricted even tighter around you. It gained speed and stroked your cock with an unrelenting rhythm. And to make matters more precarious, you were stuffed full of him. With each stroke he ran his cock through you like a sword, from base to tip. He fucked you faster, and a bead of slick spilled from your head. You fought against the restraints that tied your hands as your peak began to build. If you had access to your fingers, you could pry his tail off your cock and reduce some of the pleasure he was giving you.

But it was impossible to drive back the sensation of orgasm when he was fucking you so expertly. The high washed over you like a wave and you moaned.

You lost your load in a thick hot rope. It covered your chest, and trickled onto the High Daemon’s tail and thigh. He growled, wrapping a hand around your throat. The strangling made you come even harder.

“You disobeyed my commands, Emêl-fëy. I said only after I have filled you and yet…” his tail unraveled itself from your softening cock. This orgasm left you weaker than the last but the High Daemon didn’t care. He laid you on the bed and rolled you onto your side. “I shall have to punish you again.”

“Master, please.”

The same magical restraints that had bound your wrists now secured your ankles. He’d linked them together, tying you like a hog to be roasted on the spit.

“You will learn to follow orders, little human. And if I ruin you during the process, all the better.”

He laid you on your stomach and mounted you like a knight mounts a horse. Now both his cock and tail were inside you. Working you to an ecstasy you were sure would wreck you beyond repair. Nothing existed except the pleasure. You forgot your name, your age. You forgot about the High Daemon riding you. All you could see were stars as the tail vibrated in the depths of your hole alongside the cock this hadean prince of the underworld had stuffed there.

For the third time in one night, you hardened again, feeling the beginnings of another round of shooting ropes. But you didn’t have to hold them off this time.

Hot semen filled you as the High Daemon emptied himself inside you. The feeling alone triggered your release. Your cock was trapped between the mattress and your stomach but that didn’t stop you from soiling it with your come. A harsh grunt escaped the High Daemon, drowning out your shrill moans as your third orgasm rippled through you.

While you shuddered there, the bonds on your wrists and ankles disappeared. You rolled onto your back and tried to recover.

“Good little Emêl-fëy,” the High Daemon said, running his hands along your slick abdomen, “You took me well. That little hole of yours is…exquisite. Quite rare for a human to withstand the stamina of an Incubus as ancient and strong as I. You quenched but an inkling of my thirst—my lust, but I can already tell that you will make a fine servant. Soon you will learn my tastes.”

In a flash he dressed himself again. 

“Master,” was the only word you could manage.

“Find yourself a better dwelling. You have riches now with which to do so. When I return again to fuck you senseless, I expect to be met with luxury as fine as the orgasms I have given you. Do you understand?”

“Yes, master.”

“Good.”

The High Daemon Prince of the Seven Hells disappeared like mist and you let out a contented sigh, still feeling tender and sensitive from being used so extensively. Despite the brand on your wrist, and the agreement of indefinite servitude, you smiled. Three orgasms and being the High Daemon’s Emêl-fëy was a small price to pay for becoming a millionaire. Already, you were craving another high, another night spent serving your new master.

[thedreadwolfslullaby]

Re. JitD finale - granted I gave up on the novel and have only seen the ep raw so no idea what's being said, but were there substantial cuts made? Because (and sorry to be a downer) it seems a little insane to me that in an almost hour long episode, we didn't get one meaningful (two-way) conversation tween them - in fact I did a rough count and they were only together on screen for 3-4 mins and most of that was in slowmo and in silence! The way it was cut makes it look like LWZ dropped him off at the hospital and then they didn't see each other til PS found him on the bench! Even in the happy montage the camera spent way more time lingering on the couples messing around back at the flat than on our mains! As a finale, it just felt incredibly and jarringly underwhelming to me in terms of the depth/intensity/complexity of that bond/love the show had built up, especially compared to the rest of the series where I thought they did a fantastic job, despite the restrictions, at conveying everything that was between them. This is probably the first time across all 30 eps that I actually felt the censorship on a visceral level, and felt that something was really lost, emotionally, as a result. It's just a bummer cos up til now I had no complaints whatsoever. I mean, forever grateful that they got a happy ending, don't get me wrong! But when the camera panned to the fireworks and I realised it was staying there, I was like '...that's it????' Maybe that's the only way they could get the happy ending approved? If so, sucks!

Regarding the cuts - yes there were lots and lots of them, one in particular was Luo Wenzhou taking the collar off Fei Du’s neck. On the Chinese socials there are even a few photos(?). But with AI being used to oblivion tis hard to tell what’s actually legit. This what the national television and radio association (NTRA) do with all their dramas. This was not going to be an unedited version solely because it aired in Japan. This is the product of post-censorship review/received airing licence from two years ago.

Now, I always say drama watching is a personal experience. Full disclosure I have read the book three/four times. I love it. And the drama really really tried to convey what was in the book in the drama as best they could-ish.

In regards to the finale episode 30:

We saw Fei Du’s strength and courage all on his own in the dialogue and speeches and bravery, the little flashbacks that nodded to Luo Wenzhou is his soulmate/partner etc as best they could. And Wenzhou finally got to save him for once.

But still I truly expected one or both of them to not make it. I was prepared for it ever it came back on the air. It was the worst case scenario (bad unforgivable ending).

Or the best case scenario (open and leaving a hollow feeling of sadness) where they both live somehow but go their separate always. Imagine Fei Du to go somewhere far away “all better now “to start a new life and allude to never see/speak to Wenzhou again the end (open ending).

Instead, and I don’t know how they managed this because Fei Du got hurt a lot - I am surprised censored allowed this. For us to ultimately by their standards get a plot twist scenario by censored BL standards of them actually together - with a little sass, enjoying new years and I found it amusing how they cut from one couple to the other and then to Fei Du and Wenzhou with the rainbow hearts and the rainbow fireworks like “do you get it? They’re couple number 3” *wink wink nudge nudge* they tried so very hard. They got away with it.

There was no secret clip hidden behind a music video/epilogue. There were no deleted scenes of a maybe happy ending. No “meet up in the afterlife”. No cliffhanger or open ending nothing - we actually got them together watching rainbow coloured fireworks. I’ll take it. It’s the bare minimum but it’s pretty great by China’s censorship standards unfortunately. We can read the novel or write fics to add to the missing elements.

Just seeing them together at the end enjoying the fireworks and such was enough for me. Because they spent 30 episodes establishing their relationship, their growth, the conversations, the hospital scene the humour, moving in, they did all of it and showed off their love as best they could with all the restrictions. Luo Wenzhou finally got to save his life and they were together in the end. They’re living together they have their child (cat). It’s a miracle.

The last time I saw a happy ending between two very obviously in love guys was when they reunited and met up across a crowded floor of the Shanghai stock exchange and smiled because “we’re on the same side now, Comrade.”

[liketwoswansinbalance]

What do you feel about the fandom making Rhian less evil? And nicer and misunderstood? Do you feel he was faking being good? Or was he corrupted? Also, how do you it would have gone if Rafal was truly good? What do you think would have happened if he came in good and stayed good? Do you feel both of them were corrupted? Why do you feel Rhian and Rafal were so '𝑆𝑐𝑎𝑟𝑒𝑑' to be vulnerable around each other? And display affection? I get in public, but behind closed doors?.

Haha, I know this is a lot of questions, but I've been thinking about this for a while.

Thank you for your time - Harmony. 😁

I will answer each question/perceived unit in order.

What do you feel about the fandom making Rhian less evil? And nicer and misunderstood?

I do not think this is necessarily true. Some people prefer Rise Rhian's characterization and there's probably still a contingent of people who like Evil Rhian specifically. Although as far as writing goes, I more often see some version of Good Rhian (or a morally grey version of him) portrayed.

Though, the "niceness" isn't wrong in my eyes. (Let me know if anyone disagrees.) I think, occasionally, he can be characterized as unexceptionally/insipidly nice as if he were "weak." I think this (perceived) "mistake"/differing interpretation could stem from how people choose to interpret Rhian's motives. He's often not nice merely for the sake of it or true kindness—he seems to urge himself to behave nicely to soothe his conscience, to prove himself better in various ways, or to uphold an ideal image of how he believes the Good School Master ought to act and treat others. So, I think his Good actions/Deeds could be taken for what they are, even if they might be ill-informed or not "pure-of-motive" underneath.

I'm not sure I've ever seen the (widely?) "misunderstood" characterization in fics, but in canon and elsewhere, Rafal certainly doesn't understand what Rhian wants out of life.

Do you feel he was faking being good? Or was he corrupted?

I could see the answer being both since we have no absolute confirmation in canon.

Personally, I view him as Storian-corrupted/-possessed, while always having had the potential for Evil and selfish behaviors like nearly anyone else in the Woods.

Also, how do you it would have gone if Rafal was truly good?

He was truly Good... allegedly.

Actual answer: Even if Rafal was "Good" according to the narration, I think he was grey at most, and lost complexity by the end if he ever had much (since "he" was originally established as somewhat flat in TLEA). If he had been Good, I suspect he would've known how to properly react to Rhian's flare up towards the end, perhaps would've conceded eternal power entirely or not taken the Storian's offer of being the One and immortality under the implicit condition of Rhian being the mortal loser.

What do you think would have happened if he came in good and stayed good?

If Rafal had been Good all along, the plot of the prequels would've ceased to exist. Both twins could have potentially accepted themselves, and learned to live with their souls. Then, with no Great War, the main series events wouldn't exist either. Ergo, no Sophie and Agatha.

Do you feel both of them were corrupted?

Yes, especially in Fall. But I don't think I can attribute all corruption to external forces. They were both most definitely capable of Evil, hence their thoughts/schemes throughout.

Why do you feel Rhian and Rafal were so '𝑆𝑐𝑎𝑟𝑒𝑑' to be vulnerable around each other? And display affection? I get in public, but behind closed doors?

One point I'd like to bring up first: one of the book jacket reviews of Rise, iirc, speaks to a rarely-depicted emotional/brotherly bond, something apparently not common among boys, so I think that if we are to believe this is true, the brothers (clearly) had affection for each, but did not show it due to their Woods' sexist societal conventions/for the sake of maintaining masculine reputations, even if these decisions weren't conscious.

Or, if their lack of visible affection isn't image-management, then I'd only assume its their natures at play, whether it's individual personalities or something about the male brain. (As contrast, Sophie and Agatha were more openly affectionate (and marginally less violence-prone?).)

In addition, we don't often see them behind closed doors—and for the books to constantly further their plots, we need conflict to drive them/the story forward, even behind closed doors. (I.e., Soman's writing is fast-paced and exclusively nice, warm, or "pointless" interactions are infrequent.)

Feel free to argue with me or bring up counterpoints, anyone! (You will likely just have to wait for a response as my commenting function is still broken or send a follow-up ask instead.)

[trustywukkiii]

Im such a SUCKER for the characterization of Dungeon Meshi. Ryoko Kui and her editor Hiroi Masaru are incredibly great at subverting character tropes and archetypes with a perfect balance of strengths and weakness.

LAIOS to a bystanding viewer could easily seem like a himbo. He’s strong, a little bigger than average with his BMI at 26, and capable at fighting, but his lack of social skills is a BIG weakness. The thing is, that doesn’t make him unintelligent. Whereas himbos are just handsome goofs, his autistic coding is written so maturely. Although he can’t pick up on social cues, what makes up for it is his knowledge on monsters. His book-smarts sets him apart from the himbo spectrum. Regarding his past as revealed by the Winged Lion, Laios is a fairly flawed man who has complex desires. He just happens to be incredibly appealing. I love Laios.

FALIN, admittedly can be seen as a beacon-of-hope-damsel-in-distress that centers the entire plot and conflict. But what deepens her character is the additional conflict and consequence of resurrecting her, turning her into a Chimera. Her time as a Chimera can place her as morally gray, since she’s not actively thinking on her own accord during the confrontation with Laios’, Toshiro’s and Kabru’s parties. (Should also mention that scene where she doesn’t care where she teleports the crew as long as they were safe, even if it meant at the cost of hurting others.) She may be a beacon of hope, but only to the main cast. During her childhood, she wasn’t praised and treated like a princess by everyone. Falin is a fairly beloved woman in need of saving AND stopping, for she is capable of many scary things.

MARCILLE, oh Marcille is my favorite subversion. So easily can she be seen as the clumsy fanservice nerdy lady who complains about every single thing. But no, she’s metal as all hell. First off, she may be clumsy as is established by Chilchuck, but thank god she’s not sexualized. No fanservice in SIGHT. The only attractive thing I see is her strength in magic. She’s incredibly smart but in a way that is not universally approved. Her ancient magic and selfish nature to resurrect Falin through whatever means makes her so mature and powerful. Plus, her complaints with eating monsters are pretty valid. They’re not out of childishness, and she eventually gets used to it anyway. She is so so so complex in nature. She’s a scary elf lady but also incredibly endearing towards the people she loves the most to the point she can’t EVER comprehend the idea of losing them. Marcille is the epitome of “whatever it takes.”

CHILCHUCK very carefully bypasses that “small but a million times older than you expected” trope in lots of shows/animes. Being a half-foot, he’s usually babied by Marcille and Senshi. Despite this, that man so blatantly acts his age as a father of three: he has a habit of drinking, cusses a lot, acts the most reasonable out of the party, and he’s overall just so.. questionable, considering that “other plans” joke he did about Toshiro towards his party. Despite all these flaws, Chilchuck is just trying to do his job. He’s quite knowledgeable and responsibly when it comes to his work and adventuring with party members. He just happens to be a divorcee father.

SENSHI surprised me the most. He’s set up to be such a knowledgeable father figure to the cast. He’s incredibly caring of the dungeon and the habitants, and he cares for the “young-ins” like a good father should. He could easily pass with that trope, it’s not a bad one, but they decided to dig him deeper with his traumatic past. I’ve read another’s blog that describes him as just another kid at heart who is happy to have friends and it wrecks me. He may act overprotective and help guide the others, but he certainly doesn’t knowing EVERYTHING. Senshi is a man with the sincere intentions of protecting his friends, he just has a misguided sense.

IZUTSUMI I’m sure has been covered already by someone on here but she incredibly stomps away from the catgirl stereotypes of acting cute and cuddly. She’s aggressive, mean and loud. Only time she acts kitty-like is subtly— she likes sleeping on top of Chilchuck. Besides, she doesn’t really want to be a beastman. It’s her whole arc. You would have expected so much fanservice from her if this was a completely different show. Thank god, that’s not the case. Izutsumi is just a kid who knows what she wants albeit not gently, but she’s still a caring individual who is in the journey of exploring her freedom.

And KABRU is a funny case. His first introduction has a beautiful way of setting him up as a perfect leader, y’know, just that average “I’m effortlessly strong and witted and will rid of all evil” trope. Reality is poor Kabru lacks experience. He may have perceptive abilities, but throughout the early parts of DunMeshi, his party is shown to be easily taken down by monsters. Regarding how he and Laios are meant to be each other’s foils, Kabru’s strong advantages come at the price of his lack of knowledge in monsters. He just HATES them. Social cues are his own special interest. Kabru has the valid motivations, he just unfortunately doesn’t have the power to execute them.

This is my own little love letter to Dungeon Meshi. I love the characters so much, and I wanted to give praise to its writing that I can easily tell came from love and care. If you’ve read this far, thank you for sticking around! I love rambling about this beautiful world. I’m sure I’ve missed a few facts here and there, so let me know what you all think!

[20kmemesunderthesea]

AMC's Nautilus

Action, political intrigue, plot twists and a healthy amount of sea monster skirmishes:

These are just some of the many reason why even those unfamiliar with the works of Jules Verne will find "Nautilus" to be an engaging SciFi adventure series.

Here are my (spoiler-free) thoughts on the show.

Note: as I write this, "Nautilus" is airing only on SVT: This is How I Watched it Living Outside of Sweden

When I heard that there was going to be a TV series about Captain Nemo's backstory, I was mightily aprehensive. The main reason for this apprehension was the mere fact that Captain Nemo's past is so dark and tragic. Thankfully, the series begins after the horrific events of the 1857 rebellion and just as the Nautilus is launched. What happened to Nemo's family is shown in flashbacks which explain the events without being graphic.

When I began the show, I honestly had very low expectations. I didn't really expect to like it. To my delighted asonishment, it turned out to be one of the best film tributes to Jules Verne I've ever seen - no hyperbole.

Throughout the series, there are fight scenes, periodic depictions of people bleeding and a couple "blink-and-you'll-miss-it" innuendo jokes, so I wouldn't watch it with a small child, but I think it would be appropriate to watch with most young teenagers (13+).

I believe both well-read Jules Verne fans and those who've hardly heard the name "Captain Nemo" will enjoy the intriguing storyline, likable characters and aesthetic scenery. There are many other factors which made me fall in love with "Nautilus" as well:

The Man of the Seas

The character of Captain Nemo has always facinated me. I was blown away by how perfectly and accurately Captain Nemo was portrayed in this series. Shazad Latif, in my opinion, is an immaculate Captain Nemo and he really brought the character to life with all his complexities. Out of all the film portrayals of Captain Nemo I've seen, I'd have to say his has been by far my favorite.

Tributes to Indian History and Culture

I'm American an my husband is Indian. He and I were both very impressed with the way in which Indian culture and history were presented. I want to see more shows like this to teach our son about his heritage. 

Many of the action scenes reminded me of South Indian cinema. In one episode there is a scene where the Nautilus crew is playing cricket against some Englishmen, which may seem a little disconnected from the rest of the story, but Bollywood fans may recognize it as a delightful tribute to "Lagaan."

The Writers Were Well-Verse in Vernian Lore

Although the story wasn't 100% accurate to the book, the writers obviously had read Verne's books and knew the nuances of Nemo's story and background quite throughly.

There were certain details which made me excited, such as when Nemo has an enigmatic exchange with an Englishman in which they greet each other warmly and seem to be thanking each other for...something. Nemo ends the conversation by saying, "Give my regards to Phileas!"

In Verne's other classic, "Around the World in 80 Days," Princess Aouda is the widow of the Raj of Bundelkhand. Since Jules Verne often dropped little hints that his books existed in the same universe, I always wondered if Aouda and Nemo were distantly related, since Bundelkhand is Nemo's kingdom of origin.

A question is posed: in this conversation, was Nemo thanking the Foggs for saving someone he cared about? This is the first time I've ever seen anyone address the detail that Aouda and Nemo might be relatives.

Tributes to the artwork of Alphonse de Neuville and Édouard Riou

I noticed several shots which were obvious tributes to the first-edition illustrations of Jules Verne's classics, such as Captain Nemo standing on the submarine deck with his spyglass, and the map of Lincoln Island on a cave wall. Those details absolutely thrilled me! 

Everything I've Ever Wanted in a Verne-Inspired TV Series - Except for That Cliffhanger!

Everything about this show absolutely floored me. It was everything I could have hoped for in a Captain Nemo TV series...and then it ended.

Such a well-done series ending with fairly significant loose ends felt like a punch in the gut more forceful than the maelstrom itself. I've been trying not to let it overshadow the rest of the show. I wish with all my heart that there could be a season two!

If anyone's curiosity gets the better of them, I compiled a list HERE of questions I desperately want to know the answers to. I hope someone may be able to answer my questions one day!

I want NEED more!

While I'm still coping with my post-series let down, I find myself pining away for more shows like this; shows based off of classic adventure novels which honor the spirit of the origional author.

I want shows which are imaginative, exciting and engaging, but have snippets of real-life science, culture and history woven in. Incidentally, I daresay these are the same elements which make the stories of Jules Verne himself so timeless.

[deirdra-hearts-nadia]

I've been thinking about the fandom for The Arcana, and I have come to the conclusion that it's weird as hell. In my 20+ years participating in online fandom spaces, I've never seen a fandom quite like this one. I've seen drama, sure, but the core of most fandoms is a large community of people who love the same media and come together to celebrate it.

The Arcana fandom is not like that. From the very beginning we're more fractured, more factional, more fragile than most. You just have to look around at all the posts lamenting the death of the fandom every 2 weeks to see that something is really wrong here.

And I think a lot of it has to do with the nature of the canon. I am not saying this to criticize The Arcana, the devs, Dorian, or my fellow fans. I have just noticed that, as a piece of media, this game occupies a very unique space that is reflected in the way its fans interact with canon and with each other.

Welcome to the TED talk ain't none of y'all asked for.

Part of what makes this fandom unique is the evolution of fandom as a whole in the face of new types of media. As gaming becomes more mainstream and games themselves become more complex, the way we engage has necessarily changed in response.

Books/ movies/ shows are slightly more static in terms of canon than video games; canon is what it is and how you interact with what is there is largely to do with who you are. Everyone has the same base material to engage with, and that results in a certain amount of constancy. You can't interact with The Princess Bride in a way that changes the movie, only in ways that change your own perception. There isn't a whole lot of room for OCs without rewriting canon, so fans tend to consume OC-based fiction and art with the assumption that it's likely to be self-insert wish fulfillment fantasy time. That isn't always true, but there is a reason the term Mary Sue was coined.

Otome games and other choice-based video games make a very different fan environment, because the way you interact with canon is completely different. You have to build a character in order to interact with the story, and your choices directly impact your experience of canon.

But most western choice-based games are in the context of a larger RPG universe, e.g. Fallout or Dragon Age. There is a lot more to the story than the romance plot and so there's a lot more world to experience, contextualize, and build upon. There's certainly plenty of unhinged ShepxGarrus erotica, but there's also an abundance of fanworks that engage with the plot, the worldbuilding, and the canon characters with relatively little of the player's character needing to be on the page at all.

By contrast, most otome games that make it to English-speaking fandom spaces are Japanese. The romance is the point, but we also start from a place of wariness of our fellow fans. Because there's a huge difference between "harmless weeb" and "orientalist fetishizing creepo," and you know going in that both ends of the spectrum are possible, there is an amount of caution. We curate our space, looking for the creators who align with our expectations and values before we ever begin to interact.

The Arcana falls in a very unique and odd space because it is an otome, but made by Americans, with an attempt at a diverse fantasy cast. It's intended to be for American/ English-speaking audiences and is marketed as such. But making a romance game in America is challenging. Our way of approaching online media, especially smartphone-accessible media, is super fucked up, right? We are constantly trapped between the dichotomies of moral duty (Must Protect The Children) versus appealing to the customer base (Boom Anime Babes with Tig Ol Bitties). Because this is a mobile game, the developers can't make money if the game is removed from the app store, so they want it to be rated teen at the most. But the enticing bit, the thing that captures a potential fan's attention, is the flirtation and sexy implications. So from the jump they're in a weird space purely because they chose to make a mobile game instead of an indie video game released on Steam or similar.

So now you have an inherently split audience: mature adults who know they're getting into a potentially explicit romance game, and young adults/teens who have grown up in a more insulated internet culture where normal words are replaced with Orwellian doublespeak, like "unalive" and "spicy time".

THEN you add in the fact that the developers tried to build a diverse fantasy world, which is a fantastic idea both from an inclusionary standpoint and a broader audience standpoint. But because they didn't employ any actual sensitivity readers (did they think they didn't need them because fantasy can't have racism? Did they justify it as not being in the budget? Would love to know what's going on there) they fell right into a lot of the classic traps. We've been over these time and again, so I won't get into them here. Suffice to say, there has been Discourse. The presence of those issues means that more experienced fans will see those things and call them out, and that criticism causes even more of a split: the zealous apologists versus the critics. And critics can fall into two further categories: those who love the canon and want to see it do better, and the bitches who just love having something to bitch about.

Unfortunately, this combination means that there are inherently factions to this fandom, with staunchly opposed approaches to the media. So even before you enter a fandom space, it's already wildly fractured simply because of the nature of base canon.

THEN add to that the fact that this game is a dating sim. And to engage with a dating sim, you have to build a character and make choices based on that character. Some people will approach this work as storytelling, and some will approach it as an escapist expression of self. Neither of these ways of engaging with canon is wrong. Enjoying a dating sim as Me But Better is fun and completely valid! Engaging with a dating sim as a storyteller collaborating with the developers is fun and completely valid! But the two approaches are opposed in purpose, and that can make it difficult for the two types of fans to engage with one another's work.

Storytellers will well and truly invest in building a character. They may even build out communities, countries, cultures, and languages to make their world all the richer. They are investing hours of blood, sweat, and tears into Their Craft, pouring themselves into an opus of quality fanwork. Unfortunately, this can sometimes lead to big feelings. Fan artists and writers may feel underappreciated if all they get out of their hard work is 2 likes and a gif of a wolf making AWOOGA eyes. They may feel that critique of their work is unwarranted, or that there's no point creating if no one will engage.

The romantics will engage with canon and fanwork from the perspective that "this is my fantasy romance time". Their OC isn't so much Original Character as Optimized Characteristics--that is, their perfect self. They are here for wish fulfillment fun times in the relative privacy and anonymity of the internet, and good for them! But that may mean that criticism of canon or their fan work feels excessively personal--it is very hard to detach the ego from the OC when that OC is a projection of your best self. They may view any critique as a personal attack as opposed to a good-faith attempt at engagement or conversation. This can lead to defensiveness, or to leaving the fandom outright if it feels too hostile.

Unfortunately all of these factions cause rifts in the community. This sometimes turns into fandom vigilantism, where people begin to see any fan who doesn't wholeheartedly agree with them as an enemy. I've seen friends experience bullying and cruelty over their OCs and their art. I've seen predators use the isolated nature of the fandom to further isolate and prey upon already vulnerable individuals. I've seen some really shitty stuff.

But I have also seen beautiful community flourish. I've made friends who feel more like family than my actual relatives. I've seen people work through struggles and overcome deliberate attempts to tear us apart, finding forgiveness and friendship along the way. I've seen myself and others grow because of the community and inspiration we found here. And I saw all of that because I found my people. And I hope, Arcana fandom, that the rest of you can find your people too.

[zahri-melitor]

Newish Comics - 22 May 2025

Absolute Martian Manhunter #2: So, this had one of the best depictions of white nationalism terrorism that I've ever seen in a DC comic, while also acknowledging the humanity in the victims. Deniz Camp is Turkish-Filipino and it shows in the way he wrote such beautiful vignettes for each of the victims.

Personally, I was deeply reminded of Christchurch, but I'm sure plenty of people would connect it to incidents that are close to them.

This is just such a beautiful comic. The colours and art are contributing so much to the effect, but on top of that, the writing is lyric and contemplative. Camp really appears aware of the connections between 20th century pulp comics and 20th century pulp SFF in the depiction of extrasensory perception, and is leaning into ways of depicting it that I recognise from other writers in the canon. It's just smart and clever, and works really well set against the background history of J'onn as a character (like that 'we know there are no green aliens on Mars' joke!), and I am delighted with the whole story.

Absolute Wonder Woman #7: I adored this. Not only did we get a lot more depth to Diana's backstory in Hell here (along with two more Li'l Dianas), but I am so so glad to see a story that is this focused on the mother-daughter connection between Circe and Diana also lean into focusing on other mother-daughter connections in Greek mythology. All that is to say, Persephone and Hera and Hecate all being present in this story, and Persephone being framed in the fact that she is a hostage-bride held by Hades from her mother by the pomegranate seeds? Just so refreshing. I loved the rules lawyering via seed to give Diana one month a year in hell with the sting of 'if she's not allowed here, then by the same interpretation neither do I need to stay'.

Also of course Diana being banished from Hell is in conversation with other Wonder Woman runs where Diana is banished from Themyscira; Year One, of course, but also Perez's run, and the drama of Messner-Loeb's, and other occasions. Thompson knows the Wondy stories she's poking at and it's really interesting to see.

Batman #159: This comic is very stupid, in multiple ways that multiple people have outlined. I am finding it hilarious that Jeph Loeb takes the time here to try and re-retcon the whole Jason-Clayface situation again, but at this point 20 years down the track I doubt this is going to stick over and above Judd Winick's retcon (It is extremely funny to me that Loeb clearly doesn't like Winick's plot and is taking potshots at it).

I think the thing that most offends me about the Leslie retcon here is that Loeb clearly doesn't care to know anything about her. Not only has Leslie Thompkins been a close friend and colleague of Thomas Wayne for decades, but traditionally Bruce gave her the clinic in Park Row. It's just... Leslie is a complex character with a strong moral pathway, and it's just not coming through here.

The other thing that not only are "save Joker's life" plotlines overdone and ho hum, they were that when the original Hush came out, aka the last time Loeb clearly paid any attention to the Bat books. Chuck Dixon, Scott Beatty, James Tynion IV, Matthew Rosenberg, Judd Winick...all these people have written more compelling versions of this plot.

Actually, I cannot believe I am saying this, but Brian Azzarello wrote a more compelling save Joker's life storyline in Batman: Europa (Batman: Europa is pretty good; was mildly shocked Azzarello wrote it when I went to check whose it was).

It's just...look, if you do this plot, you need to be more convincing than Joker: Last Laugh or Under the Red Hood or The Joker War. Do you have something to say that's had more thought put into it than those three? Because here, I am not seeing any indications of it.

The Flash #20: so it is very easy to see in this run which Flash characters are Spurrier's favourites and which are not.

I'm not sure how I feel about this storyline. From the start of it, it felt quite out of character at this point, but I realise that it is probably supposed to come across due to the time dilation and events going on.

(also just going to keep being quietly bitter here that Spurrier has given Wally this duplication power, and yet is actively ignoring that there is precedent for it in Bart's scouts, and that if you are so in need of multiples, why has nobody even raised the question of 'hey Bart, I know you stopped using scouts because of a very traumatic space war, but we're in another one right now, could you do us a solid and help out?')

Green Arrow #23: I think I agree with some other people that Ollie, within the frame of this story, is not being pitched as progressively as most writers try to keep him in comparison to where society is around him. Like okay personally, I am also of the opinion that Ollie often comes across as a hypocrite, someone who thinks he is more progressive than he actually is, and has major Doylistic issues where his previous positions are often rendered far more centrist by the passage of time, making it hard to read exactly how left wing he was written as in different eras. But in a comic written in 2025, I'm expecting a bit more nuance out of Ollie's relationships with the police, and even in a story where he's supporting or working with them I expect more explanation of why he's made that call.

It was just...very pat, and very pro-cop, for a Green Arrow story.

The Warlord #96: this week in the timeless land of lush primeval splendour known as Skartaris, Travis is busy claiming he's killed Tara on the cover. I love a cover lie! Let's see this one play out.

Jennifer transports Mariah Romanova and Machiste back to the present from Wizard World! Hi, Mariah! I missed you!

But Mongo, being the absolute worst (he's the dwarf wizard from Wizard World who I find absolutely annoying) tries to summon them back, but instead accidentally kidnaps Joshua instead.

Graemore has sidled back up to Tara to flirt with her again (girl. Just try polyamory. I am begging you)

The actual plot is everyone getting ready for a battle to retake Shamballah and positioning all the allies, so we're having a lot of reunions of former members of the cast.

Travis hasn't killed Tara. He's just having bad dreams about the weight of responsibility and how his friends and allies might fall in the upcoming battle.

Oh, and we got Warlord Death back in Travis' dreams! This is, I will remind you, pre-Sandman DC Death, but she's still pretty interesting in how she's depicted.